rpbooks Chapter 585 - 585: 583
Chapter 585 - 585: 583
"Life born from an egg will one day run its course.""Then it will be born again as new life."
"I will teach you an ancient battle method from Johto: dividing the life force of humans and Pokémon equally, then linking them through the spirit."
"When the bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon is extremely strong, a phenomenon occurs. In that state, the Trainer can also feel the damage suffered by their Pokémon."
"In the Unova region, it is called Clear Mind!"
"And I call it Synchronization. Of course, it also has a more accurate name. It is the Aura that has been passed down in Sinnoh since ancient times!"
"If this power is not properly mastered, the Trainer will become excessively exhausted, or even faint."
"But the advantage is that as long as the Trainer does not fall, the Pokémon will not fall easily either. This battle method is also called the Bond Phenomenon! Reaching this stage is also the foundation for a brand-new enhancement!"
Synchronization, the Bond Phenomenon, Aura, and the sixth sense all had similar effects in strengthening Pokémon. At the same time, they all had the side effect of exhausting the Trainer and synchronizing damage. In severe cases, they could endanger the Trainer's life.
The next stage of change was Mega Evolution, which consumed the Trainer's mental power, and Z-Moves, which transferred the Trainer's own life force, aura, and light to their Pokémon.
However, compared with Mega Evolution, Z-Moves were clearly much friendlier to the Trainer.
The fifth Pokédex holder, though in the story he was the seventh, and also the last of the early holders to have his ability explained.
If battling was talent, while raising, evolving, and trading were accumulations of knowledge, then only healing and hatching truly represented unique powers.
At the same time, although the Bond Phenomenon was an anime-original phenomenon, it happened to align with the ancient legends of Johto and Sinjoh from the games. It also corresponded to the battle lines of Iris and Teacher N in the Unova region, as well as the background lore of many Pokémon.
Meanwhile, in the Kalos region, there was Mr. Bonding, who granted O-Powers to players.
And the final power that man gave the player was the one that echoed Johto's legend:
Hatching Power!
When the Space-Time Orb was held in Gold's hand, a vast surge of energy poured into his body. At the same time, the partner Pokémon connected to him, the last remaining Togepi, also felt that power.
Gold said, "So strong. This energy is incredible!"
"It feels like I could do anything with this power! How is that even possible? This item..."
Hikaru said, "The stronger a move's base power, the greater the boost it receives. This orb symbolizes the relationship between a partner and a companion."
"Before the balming ritual begins, I need to confirm a few things."
"In this world, Professor Oak and Agatha of the Elite Four were once part of the same research team. Their research topic was 'how to freely control Pokémon,' correct?"
"Later, because Professor Oak felt anger and disappointment toward that topic, he left the research team. At the same time, he parted ways with battle-loving Agatha and devoted himself to researching the Pokédex instead."
Gold looked a little lost. "Huh? You mean that old man Oak? I don't really know about stuff like that."
"It's... true." At that moment, a weak voice came from beside Gold. The injured Crystal also forced herself to sit up. "I'm Professor Oak's assistant. I can prove that this is true."
"Although I only happened to hear Professor Oak mention that part once."
In the Pokémon Adventures world, she should be called Crystal, or Kris.
She was a Pokémon-catching specialist specifically hired by Professor Oak to complete the Pokédex. Her personality was extremely serious and persistent, and she seemed to have some affection for Gold.
Hikaru said, "Exactly. After Professor Oak created the Pokédex, his research topic changed, didn't it? If I am not mistaken, it became 'the relationship between Pokémon and humans.'"
In the Pokémon Adventures world, Professor Oak had once been famous for battling and research. But before he created the Pokédex, he was an eccentric old man whom people considered stubborn and antisocial. Although he had trained many young researchers, he himself lived alone in Pallet Town.
That lasted until the first Pokédexes were successfully created.
From then on, the professors of various regions began to understand Pokémon conditions and the nature of these creatures in detail. That was why this world's Professor Oak became known as an authority.
To distinguish him, this world's Professor Oak should be called Samuel Oak.
That was simply the nature of the Pokémon Adventures world. A great deal of information was missing or unclear. Some had been sealed away, while some was hidden in the hands of ancient inheritors. For thousands of years, humanity in the past seemed never to have tried to understand Pokémon as living beings in detail.
Only when Professor Oak's research began did the relationship between humans and Pokémon start to change.
In the FireRed and LeafGreen Sevii Islands chapter, Samuel Oak was kidnapped by Team Rocket. After being rescued, he upgraded the Pokédex holders' devices into National Pokédexes, while also mentioning some information.
"The National Pokédex records a great deal of data that ordinary people do not know. If that data is stolen, it could lead to the emergence of powerful Pokémon capable of causing even greater incidents!"
And the shadow that appeared during that conversation was precisely the three rulers of the Sinjoh Ruins.
At the same time, the Pokédex of this world also functioned as a battle recorder, recording all of its holder's battle experiences and contents.
Hikaru said, "Listen carefully. Togepi's evolution relies on friendship."
"Professor Oak once added a Pikachu mood mode to the Pokédex. After Silver obtained Totodile, he also used Frustration and Return in battle, didn't he? Frustration is a move whose power increases the lower the friendship is, while Return is the opposite."
Gold was stunned. "H-How do you know that?!"
The last person lying on the ground, Silver, also slightly raised his head.
"You saw it in the time rift, didn't you? Celebi must have... Gold, did you forget? We once saw Pryce and Lapras's past at the little shrine in Ilex Forest."
Silver's reminder made Gold suddenly recall what had once happened in Ilex Forest.
While traveling through time, images of the past could be reflected.
Hikaru did not explain.
That guess was actually quite accurate.
Although Leaf was muttering to herself, quietly saying, "How come I didn't see that?" her voice was too soft for the people on the stage to hear.
Hikaru said, "Espeon and Umbreon are Pokémon that evolve through friendship during the day and night respectively. You should have seen them before."
"The Pokédex, as well as the Black Pokédex developed by Team Rocket, have both numerically evaluated some of a Pokémon's stats. Your Pokédex should have that function too, but the friendship system probably has not been developed yet, correct?"
"For you, this is still a field that cannot be read."
"When the friendship value reaches 220 or above, certain Pokémon will evolve. And Pokémon hatched from eggs have an initial friendship value fixed at 120 or higher."
"And your Togepi's friendship with you is... it likes you very much. It wants to stay by your side at all times."
"In the battle just now, its friendship already broke past 220. I think the current value is probably around 254. The moment of evolution is about to arrive!"
In the original story, Gold and Togebo's self-sacrificing evolution was the decisive factor that led Arceus to acknowledge this world.
However, because this world's Pokémon research had only just begun, even though other Togetic had appeared before, no one had been able to solve the mystery of Togepi's evolution.
Because of that, Gold and Togepi both developed a lack of trust in themselves and in their partner. That emotional knot was what kept it from evolving.
The delinquent Togepi, covered in wounds, also stared wide-eyed and slightly opened its mouth, unsure what to say. It merely listened quietly to Hikaru's explanation.
In truth, being unable to evolve was also its own emotional knot.
It was now the only Pokémon on the team that had not evolved. Even the scholars of the Johto region did not know what was going on.
Hikaru said, "In the previous battle, only Togepi held on to the end. I think you two have completely opened your hearts to each other now, haven't you?"
"Before this, the reason Togebo did not open its heart to you was precisely that you did not send it out in several important battles. That made it feel that you did not trust it."
"This history of distrust is just like the human history of betraying god. Arceus projected it onto its own experience."
"When Arceus blasted the Ecruteak Gym away, Togepi saw a god for the first time. It was too terrified to move. But when it was ready to fight, you recalled it into its Poké Ball and sent out the stronger Typhlosion instead."
The roguish Pokédex holder fell into rare silence.
Even in a life-or-death situation, he could be fearless. But whenever the subject turned to his own Pokémon, Gold became slightly sensitive.
However, Hikaru waved a hand and said, "Still, I don't think that choice was wrong."
Gold said, "Huh? Senior I don't know, what do you mean?"
Hikaru said, "When facing a powerful enemy, striking back with stronger power is only natural."
At the same time, Hikaru glanced at Togebo, who was gathering strength.
"You have to flexibly use the knowledge you already have to land effective hits against the enemy. Before you can determine an enemy's type and Ability, attacking with the strongest move you have to test them is never a wrong choice."
"If you are lucky, you defeat the enemy in one blow. If you are unlucky, you still deal effective heavy damage and successfully learn the enemy's type and abilities."
"In a life-threatening crisis, recalling a weaker companion into its Poké Ball and sending out a stronger companion to hold the line is proof that you value life."
"In Johto's Battle Frontier, there is a Gentleman Trainer who once said this."
"'If you fear failure, you will accomplish nothing. But forcing a Pokémon into a battle it clearly cannot win cannot be called courage either.'"
"'A truly strong Trainer knows how to balance the relationship between those two.'"
"Though I don't know what that gentleman's name is. Maybe you will meet him in the future?"
"Togepi, Lance should have given you an item, right? A Shiny Stone!"
Togebo nodded. It looked bewildered, not knowing what Hikaru was trying to say.
At the time, Lance had told it, "That might only be a useless object."
But now Hikaru was saying the moment of evolution had come?
Then it had felt it too, that connection of hearts with Gold. What exactly was going to happen next? The words of this "human" before it made a hopeful light appear in Togebo's eyes.
Hikaru said, "Togepi's evolutionary line is this: when its friendship reaches 220 or above, and it and its Trainer open their hearts to each other, it evolves into Togetic. Doesn't Jasmine of the Johto region have two Togetic?"
"Though perhaps even she does not know the evolution conditions for those two, because friendship is something invisible and intangible."
"After that, once it is a Togetic, using a Shiny Stone allows it to evolve again into Togekiss."
"Up until now, this Pokémon has not appeared in this world!"
"Gold, because Togebo was hatched by you, not only are its facial expressions a lot like yours, its habits have also been deeply influenced by you. It plays cards and billiards just like you. It also inherited your personality: never fearing strong enemies and daring to go all in."
"Because of that, even when facing an extremely powerful opponent, it will attack with a move like Double-Edge, which damages itself as well."
"However, sometimes even Pokémon whose evolution only requires sufficient friendship will remain unevolved despite clearly being very close to their owners. So there is no need to worry about it!"
Gold finally understood.
So the reason Togebo had not evolved all this time was because he had made it a backup.
Then wasn't that exactly what he had said to Arceus earlier? It was painful not to earn someone else's trust.
And yet, even someone like him could still be affirmed by others.
Togebo also looked toward Gold.
In past battles, it had always been treated as a backup. Even after showing power strong enough to defeat Tyranitar and Dragonite, it could not earn his trust.
But this time, could he trust it?
Gold suddenly laughed. He dropped to one knee and looked at Togepi.
"We've been together since you were still an egg. I'm the one who hatched you. Your strength is the real deal!"
"It shouldn't be too late to say this now!"
"Togebo, please go help me take down Arceus!"
Togepi's eyes became firm. Without looking back, it charged toward Arceus.
"Start with this move! Use Double-Edge!"
Amid intense light, Togepi underwent continuous evolution.
In an instant, it evolved into Togetic. Then, because it carried a Shiny Stone in its eggshell, it underwent a second-stage leap in evolution!
Boosted by the Space-Time Orb, this Double-Edge dealt fairly considerable damage.
However...
Gold said, "It really... evolved!"
Intense joy filled the Pokédex holder's eyes. But after Togekiss slammed into Arceus, white smoke rose from its body, and it bounced back like a crashing plane.
Hikaru said, "Mm! I know that strike contained the bond between you and Togekiss, but Togekiss is not exactly a physical attacker."
"And your Togekiss no longer has the Normal type. Because of that, the move Double-Edge loses same-type attack bonus."
If it had been able to receive same-type attack bonus, then under the Space-Time Orb's enhancement, a single Double-Edge could have reached a terrifying 360 power. However, after losing its Normal typing, the move only reached 240 after being doubled.
And Togekiss's Attack was only 50!
"Huh?"
As one of Pokémon Adventures' masters of wild battle, Gold could not distinguish Attack from Special Attack in formal battles. But that was also related to the scarcity of move data and missing information in this world.
For an ordinary Trainer, simply knowing same-type moves was already quite impressive. Even Silver's Rhyperior, which he traded from Blue, still used Earth Power.
"Your Togekiss's types are Fairy and Flying. Therefore, the battle lesson is..."
"Same-type attack bonus! When a Pokémon uses a move matching its own type, the move's power increases by 1.5 times!"
It was hard to imagine that such a basic topic still needed to be taught in such an expert-level battle, but when considering that the one fighting was Gold, Hikaru's furrowed brow immediately relaxed.
After all, Gold only knew how to use Sunny Day. At the end of the Masked Man chapter, he had shown two tactics: "Sunny Day strategy" and "Perish Song." He had even used a billiard cue as a Lightning Rod to blow up Pryce's ice puppet. In simple terms, he was extremely good at suicidal trade tactics.
However, knowing weather and Perish Song did not mean he understood same-type attack bonus.
"Use this move!" Hikaru tossed out a bracelet, and Gold immediately recognized it. "The Ultimate Bracelet?!"
That was the item Kimberly on the Sevii Islands had once used to let Pokémon learn moves.
But didn't that bracelet only record ultimate moves?
Hikaru said, "Mm. You must be thinking that this bracelet only records ultimate moves, right? In truth, Kimberly should have said this: in ancient times, Pokémon learned skills through bracelets and scrolls."
Gold hurriedly put the bracelet on his wrist. "No, she absolutely never said that!"
Hikaru said, "Oh! Then that is something she will say in a later era. She has not said it yet!"
"Also, this bracelet does not force you to learn, so its usage is the same as a TM!"
The ancient bracelet on Gold's wrist emitted light. A bright moon appeared in Togebo's heart.
Wait. Wasn't this move the one that white-hatted girl had just used?
Hikaru said, "This is the strongest normally available Fairy-type move: Moonblast! It attacks the opponent by borrowing the moon's power. It has a 30% chance of lowering the opponent's Special Attack!"
"Before the morning star rises, tonight is still a night of the full moon. The power of the moon will reach its peak!"
It gathered moonlight together, forming a bright sphere of energy above its head, then released a shining beam of energy from within, firing it at the opponent.
After all, Fairy-type moves stronger than Moonblast were either limited moves, signature moves, or self-destructive moves. In the end, because Fairy type was relatively strong, it did not have many widely available high-power moves.
And with that, the ritual began!
Along with Moonblast's eruption, the balming ritual officially began. At the same time, this murderous alpaca also began to display its full power, just as it had when it blasted away the Ecruteak Gym and the Ruins of Alph.
Judgment!
Light shards like cannon shells bombarded everyone on the stage indiscriminately. But after the smoke cleared, all that remained was the sound of cracking, along with the crisp noise of jade charms falling to the ground.
Arceus's pupils narrowed slightly.
[The attack was ineffective...? Those things on the ground are...]
Hikaru shook his head. "How could it be ineffective? Of course it worked. It just erased some of the damage. An item capable of resisting Pokémon attacks: the Survival Charm!"
"Give thanks to the Protective Charm that protects the village. If you want to avoid losing items, use a Substitute Charm. If you want to pray for strength, use a Survival Charm. If you want to pray for health, use a Tempting Charm."
"But after taking one attack, five of them shattered at once. Total loss: 91,000 Pokédollars."
Through the protection of Protective Charms, as well as items made from jade unique to Hisui, the Survival Charm, one of the three major charms, allowed humans to endure part of the damage. After taking damage, the charm would disappear or shatter.
Although this was something processed by humans, it fundamentally required the blessing of the Protective Charm to be made. Therefore, this too was something granted by Arceus.
Crystal said, "A-Amazing! That's incredible! It can even block a god's move!"
Hikaru said, "Because this item is also related to Arceus. Now, I'm going to begin the balming!"
"You two can still move, right? Crystal, I'm giving these to you. Use them with your Capture Specialist techniques! But do your legs still have enough strength?"
Thud!
Roughly ten heavy black Poké Balls fell in front of Crystal, making the young lady break out in cold sweat.
"W-What are these? Poké Balls?! They're so heavy!"
The ridiculous part about Hisuian Poké Balls was their weight. According to official life-sized merchandise, even an ordinary Hisuian Poké Ball, with a diameter of nine centimeters, weighed one jin.
Then how heavy was a Gigaton Ball, which used a large amount of black tumblestone and iron chunks to raise its weight to the limit?
This was Crystal's first time facing such a challenge head-on.
Although her leg strength allowed her to kick Heavy Balls, those Heavy Balls were only made from Apricorns. Their weight was simply incomparable to these black iron balls.
However, Crystal did not complain. At a critical moment like this, she had to bring out her own strength.
She had to kick out that crucial strike.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, she felt her body fill with a tremendous surge of energy, as if some invisible being were helping her, until she saw the fennec-like Pokémon.
Just a light touch filled her with immense power.
Now, even those incredibly heavy black iron balls could be kicked out by her.
Iron Ball Ripple Spin!
"T-Thank you?"
"Although I don't know where you came from, you must be a Pokémon!"
Crystal picked up a Gigaton Ball.
Then only the last person remained.
"I will lend this to you to limit Arceus's power. As for you, the timing for controlling this Plate... watch carefully!"
A white Plate appeared in Silver's hand.
It had no color at all, only pure white.
"Use the Plate against Arceus, just like Archer did. This world's Arceus does not have this Plate, so it will definitely be affected!"
"This is the Blank Plate!"
"It will change god's form into the Normal type, and its type will not change during battle!"
"And... I'll give you these charms too."
Let the boy who returned the Plates hold a Plate.
Let the girl skilled in capture use the new balls.
Let the boy best at risking his life burn that life away.
Then, the final thing thrown was the golden-glowing Arceus balm.
"The balm! It hit! Arceus's attack was interrupted!"
Gold's voice rang out. He and Togekiss were launching a full-powered assault together. After friendship rose, Pokémon would not be easily defeated. Sometimes they could even dodge moves that were supposed to be 100% accurate!
And Arceus, on the other side, was clearly encountering a balm attack for the first time. Its body suddenly froze.
That warm sensation flowed through its entire body.
Memories from long ago reappeared in its heart.
"When the one being balmed begins charging power, that means it will launch a powerful attack next. Before it finishes charging, throwing a large number of balms at it can stop the attack from being activated and expose an opening!"
However, Hisui's Almighty Sinnoh would not flinch and expose an opening from being hit by Arceus balms during the opening phase of the battle. That was probably because the Arceus balms were originally made by Arceus itself.
Can you use my own item against me?
So Teleport, Shadow Force, Judgment, Draco Meteor, and the unknown "spreading wave" would still be used as usual. Only when its frenzy gauge was reduced to the limit would Almighty Sinnoh enter a stunned state.
Judgment, like divine punishment, continuously bombarded the ground, and the jade-carved charms shattered with crackling sounds.
The boy burning his life away was knocked down time and again, then climbed back to his feet.
The boy holding the Plate constantly limited Arceus's form changes, preventing situations that would be difficult to handle.
The girl with capture skills seized the timing and kicked out that deadly strike.
"It hit!"
The Gigaton Ball's heavy blow landed alongside Crystal's shout.
Arceus lowered its head slightly, just as it had when Crystal had captured it before.
However, even this heavy iron ball from another world could not restrain it.
So the Gigaton Ball exploded with a bang.
Nine remained.
Arceus reappeared on the stage and once again brought down divine punishment.
But the balm attacks followed like shadows.
Every attack from the Divine Gate's balms showed it scene after scene of hallucinations.
Although this balm had transformed from the young man's Arc Phone, he was not the only one who had once possessed the same item.
That was very, very long ago.
Arceus saw many phantoms. It saw fragments of stories experienced by other versions of itself in other worlds: weeping, betrayal, trust, and the ancient people of the Divine Gate singing and dancing, offering their dance to the heavens so that the light source would shine upon the earth.
The flute of the heavenly realm had once been played as well. Someone had even climbed to the Hall of Origin.
That time, it was not humans dragging god into the lower world, but humans entering the heavenly realm!
[I, too, hoped to have such a history.]
[Damos. "I" made the source of my life into a jewel and entrusted it to you, because I trusted you, so that the land of Michina could become fertile once more.]
[Akari. "I" brought you to Hisui, so that you could meet all Pokémon and repair the rift between humans and Pokémon who were hostile to each other.]
[And... the ancient hero with orange-red hair. "I" saw your strength.]
[And... Cogita. What mission did "I" entrust to you? What is "your" true identity? The Old Verses... why were such poems never written in this world?]
[Why is history so vastly different? What exactly went wrong? If the other worlds bloom with sunlight, then the universe I belong to is like something sunk into an eternal night and abyss.]
[Will the morning star rise? I actually find myself longing for that star...]
Gold said, "Please, Togebo! For my sake, use Moonblast one more time! You have to hold on! Arceus, when I saw your eyes, I kept wondering: why are you so sad? Has the barrier in your heart still not disappeared?"
Crystal said, "I'll capture Arceus... one more time! I was entrusted with the crucial strike. I absolutely cannot miss!"
Silver said, "Until the morning star rises... thirty minutes!"
The ninth, the eighth, the seventh, the sixth...
Gigaton Balls kept exploding, and charms shattered everywhere. This item-partner combination, which could battle any Pokémon, was being destroyed one after another at this moment.
However, the killing intent in Arceus's heart was gradually weakening.
Its raging heart was settling down. That was the power of balms.
They came from another world, from the era known as Hisui. Although that era was only a brief 150 years away from the current world.
Yet when speaking of Hisui, every era from the beginning of creation had to be included: from the birth of Mount Coronet, to the People of the Divine Gate appearing on the land, and even to the lake trio traveling from the empty hollow of the heart to another land named Unova.
Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova.
These three lands were places that had already taken form at the beginning of the world. Under certain circumstances, their climates and cultures shared enormous similarities.
The places born first were Mount Coronet, Indigo Plateau, Sinjoh, and Reversal Mountain. Their soil was the same.
[Why did the people who accompanied me since ancient times disappear because of this?]
[The People of the Divine Gate... perished.]
[Why did this happen? Why did you, who trusted "me" so deeply in other worlds, also perish? And why did the "betrayers" of this world survive? Why did you receive such unfair treatment...?]
At that moment, however, Hikaru's voice brought Arceus back to itself.
Hikaru said, "They did not perish. They merely scattered. In other words, 'It is everywhere. It is nowhere.'"
"Perhaps that is precisely why the ones who complete history are Akari and Rei. Because there is no need to limit it to any specific people."
"Of course, a story must still have a protagonist."
It is everywhere. It is nowhere.
These words were originally used to describe Almighty Sinnoh. They were the inscription of the Pixie Plate. Yet when applied to the scattered ancient people, they were also perfectly fitting.
"Pain Split!"
Spiky-eared Pichu was also on the stage. It looked at Arceus, seeming to remember something from a very long time ago.
In truth, it had seen Arceus too.
Although not this one, but another.
At that time, the one who had stepped forward to shoot down the meteorite and nearly fallen into death was ancient "Sinnoh."
However, its memories afterward were a little chaotic.
It only remembered something like, "When the moon covers the sun, that is the day of promise." But it was only a Pokémon and could not really understand the relationship between that human and Sinnoh.
Arceus was hit by Pain Split. Normally, this degree of "life sharing" could not possibly affect it. But the Pichu before it was different.
A special Pichu that had crossed a thousand years of time, that had not yet formed complete mutual trust with a human and had only survived for the sake of surviving. It had already fused with the Zap Plate, and that was why it could affect Arceus.
However, as Arceus watched the little one, it unexpectedly thought of the earliest age of chaos.
Right. This Pokémon also evolved through friendship. But because of the era it came from and the effects of time travel, it could no longer evolve.
Arceus suddenly stopped attacking, and another Gigaton Ball struck its forehead.
As light burst forth, the god's form vanished. The pitch-black iron ball shook three times.
"Only one minute left until the morning star rises..."
"Was it captured successfully?!"
"That's impossible. Something will definitely happen next. We still need to keep enduring!"
The voices of the three youths were urgent and exhausted. Once again, they had drained their strength dry. Gold in particular, the wild-battle expert who was usually brimming with energy, now looked as if his very life had been wrung out. A bowstring in his mind was about to snap.
"Whew... This battle technique that burns through your life force really is brutal!"
His pupils shook violently, and he felt every sound in his mind vanish.
On the other side, Giratina, which had originally intended to come over and "show its loyalty," saw Arceus drawn into the ball and was deeply shocked. Two thoughts appeared in its mind: "smash the Gigaton Ball" and "run away immediately." But before the two thoughts could finish struggling against each other, it was dragged away by Venusaur's Vine Whip.
"I won't let you go over there! I'm not done investigating you yet!"
Gah!
This woman beat me to my knees. She must be planning to drag me back and make me her...!
Now I can't beat her, and I can't escape either!
Then, before Gold's eyes, an unimaginably vast light suddenly erupted.
Arceus's body once again stood upon the stage. But this time, it looked meaningfully at the people there.
[That star has risen. But at the same time, the stars filling the sky will also vanish.]
["A person's talents are like the stars in the sky." I heard those words as well. The balms took effect.]
[When the morning star rises, a beam of light will appear in the western sky.]
[Humanity's flaws are as countless as the stars, yet humanity's virtues are also like the sun. Before the sun rises, one can only hope for the moon to carry the sun's light.]
[Time is up.]
[I have lost.]
Because it had not exterminated humanity before the morning star rose, that was its failure.
And yet Arceus had also been hoping for this, just as it had promised at the very beginning.
It closed its eyes and glanced at Hikaru, the trembling Spiky-eared Pichu, and Victini, which had been pouring strength into the boys and girls.
The power of the Victory Pokémon...
Powerful energy burst from Arceus's body. It looked toward the defeated time-space trio, as well as Giratina, which had tried to escape and failed.
It said nothing more. It merely nodded to them.
[All of you, go back.]
[Return to the Sinnoh region!]
"Gah..." Giratina, however, began muttering to itself. Because it was a creation, and because this world's memories and history were different, it tried to claim credit from Arceus.
It had fought until the very end!
No matter how one put it, Arceus should at least allow it to move around more in this sunlit world. Ideally, it could even grant Giratina a piece of land or something.
As for the time-space twin dragons, let them go to the ruined world!
[...I grant you the ability to move freely. However, this world remains dangerous. Even if one day you become the claws and fangs of humans, does that not matter?]
[The betrayers of this world still exist. A descendant of evil, who walked beside us, once gave a legendary sword and armor to evildoers, and also controlled a wish star for a thousand years. Are you truly not afraid?]
Giratina had originally wanted to nod. But after hearing those words, and then thinking about its current beaten-down state, it immediately shrank its neck back.
Uh... anyway, it would occasionally come out to bask in the sun or something. That should be fine, right? It would go to sunny Sunyshore City and nowhere else!
Arceus said nothing more.
Its children were already dead.
As for the creations now... although they were tools, still... let them continue passing down Sinnoh's legends. Even if ambitious people appeared again in the future, Arceus had seen the moment when that man would turn over a new leaf.
Then, in one great motion, it carried everyone out of the Sinjoh Ruins and back to the Ruins of Alph.
It was preparing to depart again toward the far end of the sky. That strange dimensional space dissolved as a result.
[I am going back. This is still a filthy world, and my view of it will not change. I created this hateful universe with my own hands. Even after you fought this far, I cannot honestly say something against my heart like, "Your world is truly wonderful."]
[Those are not words I am qualified to say.]
[But even such a place still has one redeeming quality.]
[Gold, Silver, Crystal... I will remember you. Your lives are yours to command. Even if no one thanks you, I will give you my blessing. In truth, I had already acknowledged you.]
[And thank you as well, people who came from other worlds. Child of the Divine Gate, and pure-white girl.]
[I will appear again in your dreams.]
Creation and blessing, allowing the world to take form.
[And here, this time, I will not remain in the heavenly realm. I will not let greed and hatred, betrayal and hostility be connected to me again. I will begin a long journey.]
[The space that extends in all directions is called the universe. The time that stretches from ancient past to coming future is called eternity.]
[I will return to the world of the Arceus.]
[I ask you to create the Azure Flute and leave it in this world.]
[Then, child of the Divine Gate, please speak for me the final lines of the inscriptions. I have never heard them, yet I have long known them, and more than anything, I have wanted... I have longed for someone to recite those words to me, so that I may hear them.]
[Can you become my friend and mend the split land? Even if we are in different worlds, we surely can...]
[You were right. Even now, I still love humanity deeply.]
Hikaru looked at the departing Creator God and played the Azure Flute. Amid that long, ancient melody, Arceus flew toward the horizon, accompanied by immense light and a grand, echoing voice.
"Senior, what did Arceus mean by returning to its 'own world'?"
Gold and the other two stood dumbfounded, listening to god's final message. Hikaru looked up at the sky.
"Just as it said, every Arceus is only an avatar. Someone was once entrusted with an avatar and traveled alongside god. As for the true Arceus..."
Spiky-eared Pichu ran onto Hikaru's shoulder and watched this world's Sinnoh depart. Its body was faintly glowing.
Hikaru said, "Come. Listen to this music, and remember its inscriptions."
"There are not sixteen Plates, but nineteen. However, the remaining Plate inscriptions do not exist in this world."
"The passage Arceus wished to hear..."
"'The power of three Pokémon brings time and space to a temporary standstill.'"
"'The flute that sounds to those who gather the Plates is the melody that it listens for.'"
"'It is everywhere. It is nowhere.'"
"'In all universes, it watches over Pokémon and humans.'"
(End of Chapter)
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