Chen Mo felt as though his entire body had become completely immobile. He could not even breathe. All he could do was watch helplessly as the beam of light, carrying boundless might and an aura of destruction, descended from the heavens.
"Chen Mo!"
A familiar shout suddenly exploded beside his ears, and everything before his eyes instantly became blurred.
A red crystal slowly emerged in his vision. Beside it, Marshadow looked at him with concern.
"Huff… huff…"
Chen Mo gasped for breath, sweat continuously pouring from his forehead.
Noticing this, Lucario immediately urged him.
"Lord Chen Mo, please…"
"I'm fine."
Chen Mo interrupted Lucario and spoke first.
"I can still hold on."
Then, almost instinctively, Chen Mo glanced at the pink Pokémon sealed within the red crystal.
If his guess was correct, the scene he had witnessed earlier should have been a memory from Mew's past. Moreover, judging from the circumstances at the time, it might very well have been the root cause of Mew's grievous, near-fatal injuries.
This was insane!
Chen Mo's expression turned extremely grim.
Although he had not seen the true form that released that terrifying beam of light, the fact that so many high-ranking Legendary Pokémon had adopted such a serious battle stance…
There was no doubt.
There was only one possible answer.
The supreme existence born from the Land of Nothingness, the being who had created the world—
The "God of Creation," Arceus!
This was the worst possible situation.
After hearing Lucario's description of the problems occurring in the Pokémon world, Chen Mo had actually come up with several possible explanations. Among them, the worst-case scenario was that something serious had gone wrong with Arceus.
The reason was simple.
Faced with the God of Creation, Chen Mo, a mere mortal, had absolutely no way to deal with it.
"Zzz…"
A sudden, stabbing pain coursed through him, interrupting Chen Mo's thoughts.
No, no!
He couldn't keep thinking aimlessly. He had to concentrate!
Enduring the violent pain coming from his body, Chen Mo took two deep breaths and forced himself to calm down.
And just then—
An unusual fluctuation suddenly came from above.
"That is…"
Chen Mo glanced sideways, and his expression instantly froze.
Floating above the red crystal, Jirachi's abdomen was slowly opening. The part that resembled an eye, which was normally kept tightly shut, was now beginning to part slightly.
According to the explanation in the movie Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker, the eye-like organ on Jirachi's abdomen had a clear name—
The Eye of Truth.
When Jirachi prepared to release the energy it had absorbed from the comet and return it to the earth, the Eye of Truth on its abdomen would open.
"Jirachi…"
This was the first time Chen Mo had ever witnessed such a scene.
Blue-green light spilled from the slowly opening Eye of Truth. Within the eye, countless complex and profound symbols could vaguely be seen.
"Chen Mo… Jirachi will definitely… definitely help you!"
Jirachi's broken voice drifted through the air.
As the Eye of Truth opened completely, an immense amount of life energy surged from Jirachi's body, continuously pouring into the red crystal below.
At this moment—
Both Lucario and Marshadow could feel Jirachi's determination.
Marshadow, in particular, had personally watched Little Star awaken from the Cocoon of Slumber and witnessed the bond between Little Star and Chen Mo. It understood Jirachi's thoughts better than anyone.
Jirachi wanted to share more of the burden on Chen Mo's side, allowing him to reduce the amount of Aura he was transferring and thereby lessen his pain.
And, most importantly—
If they could not save Mew, Chen Mo would become sad.
Jirachi did not want to see Chen Mo sad.
However…
"When it comes to feelings… I won't lose to you at all…"
Marshadow slowly closed its eyes.
The next second—
Yellow-green flames rapidly ignited around the ornament on Marshadow's head, the raised areas on its wrists, and the part resembling a collar.
Full Power Form!
Its orange-red eyes opened again, flashing with a resolute light.
It was no longer the child who had once wanted to abandon its own life because its power had run out of control. Now, it had learned how to use that power when it truly mattered.
Even if it was lost.
Even if it was confused.
It would never hesitate!
"Rumble…"
A faint rumble of thunder sounded from above.
Hu Chengliang subconsciously raised his head toward the sky, his expression puzzled.
"Is it going to rain?"
The thought had barely arisen when rain began falling rapidly from the gloomy sky like a beaded curtain, droplets continuously striking Hu Chengliang's face.
"But the weather forecast clearly said there shouldn't be any rain…"
Hu Chengliang frowned.
After all, according to the plan, they were going to construct several defensive facilities on this island. To avoid delaying the project, the relevant departments had conducted a detailed forecast of the weather in the surrounding area.
Normally speaking, there should not have been any rain tonight.
"Strange."
Hu Chengliang shook his head and temporarily attributed the sudden downpour to the unpredictable weather at sea.
Just then—
A voice from nearby interrupted his thoughts.
"Director Hu, look at these crystals!"
Hearing the call from the guard, Hu Chengliang quickly turned his head.
The red crystals known as "Aura Ore," which had originally grown throughout the land, were now showing streaks of brilliant blue light surging within them.
Hu Chengliang's entire body trembled.
Even the viewers who had watched Chen Mo's previous livestreams knew that normal Aura Ore should have been blue. The crimson Aura Crystals were actually a sign that something had gone wrong with the Tree of Beginning.
"Could it be… the condition of the Tree of Beginning is improving…"
Hu Chengliang murmured to himself.
Then—
He could not help turning his gaze once more toward the towering tree that pierced the clouds in the distance. His eyes were filled with worry.
"You must be safe…"
The heart of the Tree of Beginning.
Zoroark was so nervous that its heart had nearly leapt into its throat.
Every Pokémon gathered nearby could feel it.
Whether it was Chen Mo or the three Pokémon—Lucario and the others—their conditions had all deteriorated to an extreme degree.
They were almost at their limits!
Sweat poured from Chen Mo's forehead like heavy rain, dripping onto the ground. The muscles on his face twitched violently, and his eyes were filled with endless exhaustion.
"We're almost there… Just a little more…"
Unlike the bottomless pit he had been unable to see the end of at the beginning, after Jirachi opened its Eye of Truth and Marshadow entered Full Power Form, Chen Mo could clearly feel that they were slowly, step by step, filling the gap.
But—
Whether Mew's injuries were simply too terrifying, or Mew's rank was too high—or perhaps both—
Chen Mo's total Aura was no less than, and could even be said to exceed, that of Arian, the Aura Hero. Yet even with Chen Mo and the three Legendary Pokémon—Jirachi, Marshadow, and Lucario—working together, the process was still unbelievably difficult.
"Zzz…"
Brilliant blue specks of light spilled from Chen Mo's body and rose into the sky.
At this moment—
Through their connected Aura, Lucario could clearly sense that Chen Mo had once again increased the amount of Aura he was transferring. At the same time, Chen Mo's own spirit was rapidly weakening.
"Lord Chen Mo! Please stop! Leave the rest to me!"
Lucario's face was filled with anxiety.
Marshadow was cursing inwardly.
Is this what you call keeping a cool head!? Is this what you call cherishing your life!?
Liar! You're a huge liar!
Noticing that Lucario seemed about to rush over and stop him, Chen Mo shot him a look.
At this point, he was in so much pain and was so exhausted that he could no longer speak. He could only convey his thoughts through their connected Aura.
"One last push! If it doesn't work, we'll stop together!"
"I understand."
Lucario nodded.
Marshadow, who had also heard the message, wore an utterly helpless expression.
It had to admit it.
This was simply Chen Mo's way of doing things.
A strange human who talked about staying rational, but whenever he took action, always liked to challenge every possible limit.
Whether it was Mew, the Tree of Beginning, or even this entire world, none of them had originally had much to do with him.
And yet he was willing to stake his life for those lives that had no great connection to him.
Idiot! Complete idiot!
The yellow-green flames around Marshadow burned fiercely.
Actually—
Just as Chen Mo had seen Marshadow's past memories through their connected Aura, Marshadow had also seen fragments of Chen Mo's memories.
They were memories from when Chen Mo had first arrived in this world.
It saw the young man who, at the beginning, had only wanted to escape. But after witnessing the various scenes of suffering in the hospital, he had decided to popularize knowledge about Pokémon. Then, with a nervous heart, secretly cheering himself on, he had stepped into the depths of the dark forest.
At that moment—
Marshadow finally understood why it always liked staying within Chen Mo's shadow.
The emotions Chen Mo released in the Shadow World were just like being inside Ho-Oh's shadow. They carried a kind of gentleness, a feeling like being bathed in sunlight.
Marshadow, who loved standing beneath the sun despite existing as a shadow, was deeply addicted to that warmth.
It wanted to possess it forever.
For that—
I can give you everything!
The flames burned with all their might!
And just then—
A streak of seven-colored light suddenly burst from Marshadow's body. Connecting with the Aura it released, it surged together into Mew's body within the crystal.
The next second—
The red crystal began turning green at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Immediately afterward, an immense wave of life energy erupted.
"Jirachi!"
Using the last bit of strength he had left, Chen Mo caught Jirachi as it fell from the sky after exhausting itself.
Then he looked up as a dazzling, lustrous green beam of light shot into the heavens and merged into the Tree of Beginning.
At the same time—
The group of official personnel stationed in the outer region of the Tree of Beginning saw beams of green light spilling from countless Aura Ore crystals and shooting into the sky.
The sudden downpour had lasted only a few minutes before being interrupted by the green beams rising into the heavens.
Countless green motes of light descended upon the earth along with the final drops of rain.
Hu Chengliang saw it.
Wherever the green motes landed, tender new shoots broke through the charred earth.
Hu Chengliang turned his head toward the Tree of Beginning.
"Did we succeed?"
Zoroark murmured to itself, staring nervously and unblinkingly at the gradually dissipating green pillar of light.
The red glow representing the crisis had completely faded away. The enormous crystal in the center had also turned brilliant blue.
But…
"Why hasn't Lord Mew woken up yet…?"
Lucario looked at the sleeping Mew inside the crystal, his face full of confusion.
Marshadow, however, only glanced at the crystal before directing all its attention toward Chen Mo.
And just then—
It suddenly noticed that Chen Mo's expression was somewhat blank.
"Chen Mo?"
"Marshadow, did you hear that just now?"
"Hear what?"
Marshadow looked at him in confusion.
Chen Mo was staring at the pink Pokémon sleeping peacefully inside the crystal.
"I think I just heard Mew saying thank you to us."
"Did you?"
"Yeah. I don't think I heard wrong."
Chen Mo nodded.
"Don't worry, Lucario. You should be able to feel it too. The Tree of Beginning and Mew's conditions are both improving. However, their conditions were simply too terrible before. Now that the gap has been filled, Mew will probably need some time before waking up again."
As soon as he finished speaking—
Marshadow, Lucario, and the Pikachu and the others who had gathered around saw Chen Mo's body sway unsteadily.
Then, he suddenly fell backward.
"Lord Chen Mo!"
A red-and-white figure moved as swiftly as a ghost, rushing straight to Chen Mo's side and catching him.
Looking at Zoroark, whose eyes were filled with tears, Chen Mo smiled and slowly raised his thumb.
"Zoroark, I did it!"
"Yes…"
Tears filled with excitement and gratitude continuously spilled from the corners of Zoroark's eyes as it nodded heavily.
"Thank you, Lord Chen Mo…"
"Heh…"
Just as Chen Mo was about to say a few more words, a sudden noise came from his pocket.
He took out his phone.
When he saw the name displayed on the screen, Chen Mo immediately felt a headache coming on.
Still—
He obediently answered the call.
"Hu…"
"Looks like you're still alive."
"Hu…"
"You idiot!!! You bastard!!!"
The call ended.
Chen Mo's face was filled with helplessness.
"Pika-pi! Pikachu!"
Pikachu put its paws on its hips and began pointing accusingly at Chen Mo, who was resting against Zoroark. Clearly, it was extremely dissatisfied with his reckless actions earlier.
The other Pokémon nodded in agreement.
"You guys did great!"
Marshadow gave Pikachu and the human called Hu Chengliang a thumbs-up in its heart.
This guy who completely ignored his own physical condition had long deserved a good scolding!
Just then—
A somewhat weak voice sounded from nearby.
"Marshadow."
"What?"
Marshadow glanced at the young man before it with an annoyed look.
Chen Mo asked softly.
"That last part… That was Ho-Oh's power, right?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you so much. Ho-Oh has already helped me several times."
"Hmph. You should have thanked Lord Ho-Oh a long time ago."
Marshadow snorted coldly, but suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Of course—
It did not have any complaints about the Ho-Oh it respected.
Rather, it was because of this guy…
The next second—
A remarkably gentle smile blossomed across the young man's face.
"And you too, Marshadow. Thank you for all your help. Today, you and Jirachi were the greatest contributors!"
"…"
Marshadow froze for a second.
Then it subtly turned its gaze away from the young man, pretending not to care as it spoke nonchalantly.
"Hmph. It was nothing more than a small favor."
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