Aoki looked at the innermost wall of the hall, densely carved with many different characters. Some of the text had faded over time, but most remained relatively intact. When Aoki saw a particular line of text, he froze momentarily.
Cynthia was not surprised by Aoki's reaction to the ancient writings. "Although some words have been lost to time," she explained, "their meaning has been preserved through oral traditions passed down by the people of Celestic Town."
Cynthia then recounted the legend: Arceus created the world with the help of Dialga and Palkia. However, during creation, Giratina emerged from the Distortion World and attacked Arceus. After a fierce battle, Giratina was repelled and sealed back into the Distortion World, but Arceus was severely wounded in the process. With the world completed, the injured Arceus withdrew to rest, leaving Dialga and Palkia to guard creation. Without Arceus's guidance, the two Pokémon eventually came into conflict, battling violently and causing great damage to the Pokémon world.
The people of Celestic Town believed this clash between Dialga and Palkia brought an early end to the ancient era and ushered in a new age of civilization. However, Aoki knew this version contained inaccuracies. While Dialga and Palkia were undoubtedly powerful Legendary Pokémon, numerous other powerful beings like Rayquaza, Ho-Oh, and Lugia could match them in strength. The idea that their conflict alone could reshape the world seemed exaggerated.
As Cynthia spoke, Aoki's attention remained fixed on the wall inscriptions - particularly the sections written in Unown script that he could now understand thanks to his recent encounter with three Unown. The text revealed a different story than what Cynthia described.
According to the Unown writings, after mediating between Dialga and Palkia, Arceus had them jointly create a special landmass where their temporal and spatial powers intersected, symbolizing their reconciliation. This continent was constructed at the border of their respective domains. However, after Arceus's disappearance, their fragile peace collapsed, and they abandoned their shared creation.
Most remarkably, the text indicated this lost continent existed in a parallel dimension near Celestic Town, and that the town's residents were actually descendants of the continent's original inhabitants who had somehow crossed into the main Pokémon world. The writings didn't explain how this transference occurred or how to reach the forgotten land, as those portions had eroded beyond recognition.
Aoki chose not to share his discoveries with Cynthia. Explaining how he could read Unown script would raise too many questions, and revealing the true origins of Celestic Town's people might cause them distress. Some secrets were better kept, at least for now.
Before leaving, Cynthia shared one final prophecy: a day would come when both Dialga and Palkia would manifest simultaneously in the Pokémon world, triggering a cataclysmic battle that would threaten all life. Aoki privately doubted this doomsday scenario - he recalled how Ash had mediated between the two during his Sinnoh journey, preventing disaster. Moreover, numerous other Legendary Pokémon would surely intervene before the world faced true annihilation.
After carefully recording all the wall inscriptions into his system, Aoki followed Cynthia out of the cave. Unbeknownst to them, an Unown emerged from a spatial rift moments after their departure, watching them leave before vanishing back into the dimensional void.
Reflecting on Sinnoh's many mysteries, Aoki felt both enlightened and overwhelmed. But with the Sinnoh League tournament just seven days away, he needed to focus on training. The perfect location lay before him - Mt. Coronet.
As the tallest mountain in Sinnoh, perpetually snowcapped Mt. Coronet divided the region geographically while hosting diverse Pokémon ecosystems across its varied terrain. The higher one climbed, the stronger the wild Pokémon became. Route 211 from Celestic Town offered one of three primary paths up the mountain's formidable slopes.