Previously, Chen Shi had always suspected that both Yveltal and Xerneas were slumbering within the Orance Forest.
And if those two were here—
Then was it possible that Zygarde was here as well?
Now reality had proven his guess correct.
Zygarde truly was here.
And the moment they arrived—
It had already come to block their path.
Even though it was only in its 10% Forme, everyone could still feel an overwhelming pressure crashing down upon them.
It felt like a massive mountain pressing heavily against their hearts, making it difficult to even breathe.
Upon seeing Zygarde, Mew enthusiastically greeted it first.
[So it's you, Big Snake! Long time no see!]
Because of Zygarde's unique nature, a single Core could at most gather enough Cells to form its 50% Forme.
So in the past, Zygarde often appeared in that form.
And because its 50% Forme resembled a gigantic serpent, Mew always called it "Big Snake."
Zygarde didn't bother correcting Mew's nickname and instead coldly said:
"Answer My question."
"Why hast thou come here?"
The current Orance Forest was at a critical moment.
Xerneas was on the verge of awakening.
At a time like this, Mew—who shared an extremely close relationship with Xerneas—had suddenly appeared here.
Naturally, Zygarde couldn't help but become suspicious.
That was also the reason it had shown itself.
Mew raised a paw and pointed toward the Carbink group.
[My World Tree Guardian rescued a group of Carbink and wanted to escort them home]
World Tree Guardian?
Hearing this, Zygarde paused before shifting its gaze onto Chen Shi.
But the instant it looked at him—
Even a being like Zygarde couldn't help but feel shocked.
What was it seeing?
Jirachi?
Victini?
And inside this human's body—
There was an extremely familiar and incredibly powerful psychic force.
On top of that—
There were also Rayquaza's mark and Giratina's mark!!
The purpose of those marks was easy to understand.
It was basically a declaration to other Legendary Pokémon:
"This human belongs to me."
"Behave yourselves."
Zygarde fell silent.
One question mark after another appeared in its mind.
Why did this human have connections to so many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon?
Mew.
Jirachi.
Victini.
Rayquaza.
Giratina.
How many was that already?
After remaining silent for a long while, Zygarde finally forced out a sentence.
"He bears no aura of the World Tree."
The meaning behind those words was obvious—
Chen Shi did not carry the aura of the World Tree.
But Mew simply didn't care and immediately replied:
[That's only because I haven't taken him back to the World Tree for the ceremony yet]
[That doesn't mean anything]
Zygarde stared deeply at Mew for a long moment before finally leaving behind a single sentence and departing.
"May thy words prove true."
Mew curled its lips in annoyance and silently grumbled inwardly:
'This guy is still exactly the same.'
'Why not just say you hope I keep my promise?'
'What's with all this "may thy words prove true" nonsense?'
'He acts even cooler than Chen Shi!'
After Zygarde left, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
Steven wiped the cold sweat from his forehead before speaking with lingering fear:
"Old Chen… what exactly was that thing?"
"Yeah… that was terrifying!"
Diantha patted her chest and quickly agreed.
Originally, Chen Shi had intended to explain things normally—
But after hearing Diantha's words, he looked at her strangely.
"You don't even recognize it?"
"I… should I?"
Diantha looked utterly confused.
She searched through her memories carefully and was certain she had never seen that Pokémon before.
So why was Chen Shi asking her that?
Chen Shi sighed emotionally.
"That was your Kalos Region's guardian deity."
"And you actually don't recognize it?"
Diantha became even more confused.
Since when did Kalos have a guardian deity?
At that moment, Cynthia suddenly seemed to recall something.
"I once heard my grandmother mention it before."
"She said Kalos's legends do indeed speak of a guardian deity."
"According to the stories…"
"It is both Kalos's protector and the supervisor of order itself."
"It constantly watches over every corner of the world."
"Its name…"
"…is Zygarde!"
"ZYGARDE?!"
"That was Zygarde just now?!"
Diantha's voice abruptly rose by eight octaves, echoing sharply throughout the forest.
Chen Shi nodded slightly.
"Yeah. That was Zygarde."
"Oh my god…"
"I actually got to meet Zygarde one day!!"
Diantha's face flushed bright red from excitement.
To the people of Kalos—
Zygarde was a supreme divine being from legend!
In every myth and ancient story of Kalos, Zygarde's figure was always wrapped in mystery and overwhelming power.
It was regarded as the protector of the land itself, the overseer of ecological balance, a being possessing world-destroying might.
A near-mythological existence.
And yet today—
She had actually seen it with her own eyes.
Steven leaned toward Chen Shi and whispered quietly:
"Do you think she's gone dumb from excitement?"
Chen Shi twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Honestly—
He felt Diantha was getting a little too worked up as well.
Where had her elegant lady image gone?
Seemingly noticing their strange expressions, Diantha blushed in embarrassment and awkwardly said:
"Sorry…"
"I got a little too excited just now."
Steven comforted her.
"You really don't need to get this excited."
"As long as you stay around Old Chen, this kind of thing becomes normal."
Chen Shi: "..."
Diantha froze for a moment before recalling the battle between the Weather Trio in Hoenn.
Then she nodded seriously.
"Okay."
"I understand now."
Chen Shi didn't want to continue this topic any further.
So he directly turned toward the Carbink nearby.
"Do you still remember where the Diamond Kingdom is?"
The Carbink were still stunned from meeting Zygarde.
After hearing Chen Shi's question, the mutating Carbink stepped forward.
After glancing around for a bit, she pointed in a direction.
"Nah nah~"
(Lord Chen Shi, it's over there)
"Alright. Then let's go."
As he spoke, Chen Shi took the lead and started walking toward the direction the Carbink had pointed.
Steven, Cynthia, Diantha, and the Carbink clan hurriedly followed behind him.
While walking, Cynthia spoke thoughtfully:
"Zygarde feels quite different from what I imagined."
"It's definitely powerful…"
"But it somehow feels much weaker than those top-tier Legendary Pokémon."
Steven immediately chimed in.
"I thought the same thing."
"Just from appearances alone, Zygarde didn't seem as strong as Groudon or Kyogre."
Even Diantha nodded in agreement.
In truth, although many people in Kalos had heard legends about Zygarde—
Very few had ever actually seen it.
Most people imagined Zygarde as an overwhelmingly majestic and imposing divine dragon.
Which was why Diantha hadn't recognized it earlier.
Chen Shi calmly explained:
"That really was Zygarde just now."
"But…"
"That wasn't its complete form."
Cynthia curiously asked:
"Then what's its complete form like?"
"Does it have any special characteristics?"
"Special characteristics, huh…"
Chen Shi thought for a moment before answering:
"It's basically a Ground Dragon that can learn Dragon Dance."
Cynthia: ???
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