A blank, void space.
Johan sat cross-legged on what could be called the "ground," looking at the sacred alpaca before him—oh, Arceus.
[How did you end up like this...]
A gentle, calm voice tinged with helplessness echoed through this space.
It had only wanted Johan to help reinforce Hoopa Unbound's seal, so how did things end up becoming such a big mess...
Johan squeezed his arm and shrugged:
"Can't help it. As a 'Pokémon psychologist,' I can't stand seeing Pokémon 'having episodes.'"
Arceus's eyes showed a mix of exasperation and amusement.
['Pokémon psychologist'? And then you got influenced by those negative emotions? Making such crazy moves?]
Johan grinned.
"If I didn't experience those emotions myself, how could I perform 'surgery'? I had to ensure Hoopa wouldn't be influenced by those emotions again."
Personally experiencing those emotions...
Arceus looked at the smiling Johan, silent for a long time.
[Weren't you afraid?]
"I was." Johan put away his smile and nodded seriously.
[Then you...]
But he quickly showed an even brighter smile.
"First, I did want to test my and Gengar's limits, but never had the courage to act on it. This time, the hidden 'madness' in my heart was triggered."
"Second, I believe in my little ones, and I believe in the friends I've made. Of course, that includes you too, Arceus."
It was Arceus's "Millennium Wrist" that guided him here. Johan didn't think Arceus would do nothing in the end.
"Can't help it—I have too many friends."
Seeing Johan's somewhat "cheeky" expression, Arceus was both amused and exasperated.
But...
Friends?
Who would have thought that it, Arceus, would have a day when someone considered it a friend?
The feeling wasn't bad at all.
Johan continued: "Third... forget it, the first two reasons are enough."
The third reason was probably that many beings wouldn't dare let you die, right?
Arceus mentally completed Johan's unfinished thought.
It shook its head slightly.
[After this incident is over, go find the 'Fairy Plate.']
"Fairy Plate?" Johan looked like he'd lost the will to live. "I still have to do 'work' for you..."
Arceus said irritably:
[What do you mean 'work for me'? That's for your own benefit.]
"For my own benefit?"
Arceus sighed lightly.
[You really pushed yourself too hard this time. To prevent you from exhausting yourself beyond human form again in the future, find the 'Fairy Plate.']
[Besides Xerneas, it's the most abundant source of 'life energy' in the entire world.]
Actually, Johan had another reason for daring to take such a "risk" that he hadn't mentioned.
When Xerneas had previously infused Ninetales and Tinkaton with "life energy" to teach them abilities, he had also been a beneficiary.
With Xerneas's "life energy" protection, even if the so-called "backup"—like Celebi, the ultimate cameraman—didn't appear, he should have been able to hold on long enough to fully recover.
It's just that he might have suffered for a long time.
But Arceus's words did remind him about the "Fairy Plate" matter.
To be safe, he could indeed "borrow" it for a while.
[You can 'go back' now.]
Johan was stunned.
"So soon?"
[There's still a pile of 'mess' waiting for you to clean up.]
"True..."
A bunch of legendary Pokémon were still gathered in Dahara City.
Speaking, he stood up, patted his clothes, and waved at Arceus.
"Well then, see you next time, Arceus."
In this pure white space, Johan's figure slowly faded away.
Watching his "departure," Arceus gazed for a long time.
Suddenly, it laughed out loud—a rare occurrence.
[This guy...]
Whether he was truly influenced by Hoopa Unbound or was doing this to help little Hoopa regain its power was hard to say...
Looking at everything Johan had done since becoming a trainer, he'd never really hesitated when it came to helping Pokémon.
But as a "Pokémon psychologist," he was indeed one of the few who could help solve Hoopa Unbound's problem. Otherwise, Arceus wouldn't have guided him here.
Arceus's form also slowly faded.
[Friends, huh...]
Golden light sparkled on the river surface.
"Mmm..."
In the ruins, Johan's eyelids trembled as he lay pillowed on Cynthia's lap, slowly opening his eyes.
The moment he regained consciousness, the first thought that flashed through his mind was—
Thighs are still the most comfortable...
"Awake?"
A slightly choked voice reached his ears.
Following the sound, he saw slightly reddened eyes and a delicate face stained with some dust.
Cynthia.
"Ka-kaah?!"
The next second.
A huge, pitch-black head immediately leaned over, staring with red eyes that showed rare sternness and irrepressible joy.
"Gengar." Johan weakly smiled. "Were you just crying..."
"Ka-kaah!"
As punishment for you, behold my Sticky Eighteen Licks!
Seeing Johan about to expose its "embarrassing moment," Gengar immediately stuck out its tongue and gave Johan a direct "face wash" attack.
Good thing he always carried Cheri Berries, otherwise who knows how long recovery would have taken.
Eating the increasingly delicious-tasting berries, Johan suddenly wondered...
After Ash was revived by Ho-Oh, he became a "human Pokémon" and "super rookie." After this experience... would he become a "super Hoenn person"?
"It's fine now."
He gently touched Cynthia's cheek, wiping away some dust, then patted Gengar's head, having a "friendly" moment with his Pokémon.
Then.
He saw Marshadow grinning while holding a dim "Rainbow Wing."
And Celebi flying joyfully in mid-air.
Of course.
There was also the "photographer" in the sky, the legendary Pokémon shining brilliantly in the dawn light—Ho-Oh!
However, Ho-Oh's current "situation" didn't seem very good.
Under the "watchful eyes" of Mewtwo, black Rayquaza, Giratina, White Kyurem, Zekrom, Darkrai... various legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh's face was stern.
If not for its messenger Marshadow's call, if not for truly sensing the "Rainbow Hero's" aura from the "Rainbow Wing," if not for Hoopa's dimensional portal, if not for...
Would it stick around with these legendary Pokémon?
Ridiculous!
Hmph!
Ho-Oh looked at the human surrounded like a star among people in the center below, feeling helpless.
Clearly, that "Rainbow Wing" wasn't even willingly given—it had just accidentally dropped...
"Marsha!"
The long-unseen Marshadow jumped into Johan's arms, handing him the now-dim gray "Rainbow Wing."
"Long time no see, Marshadow..."
As the "Shadow Guide," both Marshadow and Ho-Oh had very clear perception of the "Rainbow Wing." Marshadow could arrive so quickly thanks to the "shadow world."
Taking the "Rainbow Wing."
The "Rainbow Wing" that had only been gray in Marshadow's hands turned completely dark when it reached Johan's hands, gray to the point of blackness.
[Rainbow Wing]: Ah, burned out. (π-π)
"Tsk..."
That color doesn't look good.
Johan immediately channeled the little bit of aura he'd recovered into it. The dim "Rainbow Wing" immediately regained its rainbow brilliance, even its feathers spreading out distinctly.
[Rainbow Wing]: Ah... energized again!
Seeing this scene, Ho-Oh's entire state deteriorated.
The surrounding legendary Pokémon's gazes toward it suddenly became much more "friendly."
So it's "one of us"—why didn't you say so earlier?
Ho-Oh: "..."
Is this really a "Rainbow Hero"?
If not for so many legendary Pokémon present, Ho-Oh would have lost its temper.
"Bii~~"
Celebi finally came before Johan—it was the biggest contributor to Johan's "resurrection" this time.
"Oh right, Celebi, I have a friend..." Johan thought of the fallen Boss Giovanni.
It had to be said, Boss Giovanni was truly impressive—directly facing Primal Groudon and successfully "conquering" it was one of the key factors in turning the stalemate.
"I'm fine."
With bandages wrapped around his chest and arms, wearing a suit jacket and refusing support from Ken and other Team Rocket elites, Giovanni also appeared in view.
"Bii~~"
Celebi drew a big circle with both hands, indicating it had put in great effort to save him.
Johan smiled: "Thank you, Celebi. I'll treat you to a feast."
"Bii~~"
The little one happily hummed a tune and flew away again.
Giovanni's expression looked somewhat complex.
Honestly.
He had originally been prepared for his "final dance" when facing Primal Groudon.
Having "Viridian Power," he was very clear about his physical condition—his days were numbered due to an illness that even advanced Pokémon technology couldn't cure, a chronic condition from his early struggling days.
For this reason, to help Johan—this person he'd entrusted with Team Rocket and the future—he'd fought desperately to stop Primal Groudon, even overdrawing his "Viridian Power" and body.
In Giovanni's view.
Rather than die searching for a cure with no clues or waste away in a hospital bed, it was better to go out in such a spectacular battle, leaving one more brilliant mark on this world.
He was more content with that.
Who would have thought.
The cure he had no leads on became a "routine" method for Johan.
Life's ups and downs could be so inexplicable sometimes.
However.
Although his old illness was cured, Giovanni had become more open-minded.
So be it.
Life was short—he wanted to try bridging the gap with his son Silver as much as possible and spend quality time with him.
As for Team Rocket... stick to the old plan.
Looking at the rising dawn, like his own portrait, he'd been given another chance at "rebirth."
Giovanni said with some emotion: "The rising dawn..."
Johan: "???"
Boss Giovanni, I feel like you're cursing, and I have evidence.
"Celebi also helped me recover." Cynthia said.
She had helped Giratina resist Hoopa Unbound's negative emotional interference while commanding Giratina in battle—the consumption wasn't small either.
"Good girl." Johan was very pleased.
Just felt like he was forgetting something again.
Hm?
Why "again"?
Forget it.
Deal with immediate matters first.
Johan dragged his weak, exhausted body up with Cynthia's help, reluctantly sitting up from that comfortable position.
"Everyone, thank you so much."
The black Rayquaza nodded at him.
Today, it had not only enjoyed the "fun" of one-against-many but also experienced different Mega Evolution. For this human, it somewhat understood why this world's Rayquaza recognized him.
Unfortunately, it was indeed quite tired today, otherwise it would have wanted to fight Mewtwo. It had a feeling... Mewtwo was far from using its full strength.
But it was enough—today had been satisfying.
"Roar—!!"
With a long cry, the black Rayquaza wrapped in clouds shot straight up into the sky.
"Hoopa, please."
"Leave it to Hoopa! Hoopa is amazing!"
Little Hoopa had completely recovered its former power, but it didn't transform into Hoopa Unbound form, maintaining its small appearance instead.
Having understood the meaning of "punishment," it realized that even its own power shouldn't be overly relied upon.
Some things were better taken step by step.
Buzz—
A golden ring appeared above the black Rayquaza, and its figure disappeared into the dimensional portal.
As the black Rayquaza left, the other legendary Pokémon also began making moves.
"Screech—!!"
Yveltal left immediately after seeing the black Rayquaza go. As a Kalos region legendary Pokémon, it didn't need little Hoopa's power.
Time to run!
It could feel the atmosphere getting a bit wrong.
After losing Hoopa Unbound's influence, not to mention other Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia had directly "switched sides."
Looking at it with those eyes...
As if they wanted to beat it up first to "show loyalty" and avoid being beaten themselves.
Running away now~
Next was Shadow Lugia and the white "Z-God" Zygarde.
They didn't say anything—facing Johan and numerous legendary Pokémon, nothing they said would be appropriate. They "obediently" flew back through the dimensional portal little Hoopa had opened.
After that.
Kyogre.
It flapped its fins, flying into mid-air, then after leaving Dahara City's boundaries, dove headfirst into the vast ocean.
"Bwooo—"
I'll do a diving move, glub glub glub—
Kyogre had similar thoughts to Yveltal.
If it didn't run now, that Groudon guy might team up with other legendary Pokémon to beat it up!
Besides, that Johan... why didn't you say earlier that you had such strong connections?
Hoenn was temporarily off-limits—better go hide somewhere.
I heard the Alola region has few people, little land, minimal development, and a large ocean area. Let's hide in Alola for now.
[We, ahem, we should also leave.]
Dialga and Palkia looked at each other, saying something to Johan.
But they were still quite "sensible," trying their best to restore some of the destroyed Dahara City before drilling into time and space respectively.
Speaking of which.
A Time God that can't reverse time.
A Space God that can't traverse worlds.
Tsk, fake gods!
"DNA Splicers." Johan held up the [DNA Splicers].
Buzz—
White Kyurem reverted to Kyurem and Reshiram.
Reshiram looked quite "nostalgic," seemingly enjoying the recent power gain.
Kyurem looked deeply at Johan, nodded once in acknowledgment, then flew toward the dimensional portal little Hoopa had opened again and also left.
Reshiram and Zekrom chose to stay temporarily.
Feeling the "danger" level had decreased somewhat, Ho-Oh glanced at the "Rainbow Wing" in Johan's hand and flew toward the sky.
"Screech—!!"
This world was indeed full of danger everywhere—better interfere less in the future.
No more distributing feathers either...
Groudon stood alone on the river surface like a mountain. It raised its head, looking at the legendary Pokémon flying away one by one, freezing in place.
Damn it.
Am I the only one who can't fly?!
Legendary Pokémon from other worlds were mostly sent away by Hoopa's dimensional portals, while legendary Pokémon from this world relied on their own abilities, and as a fellow native legendary Pokémon...
Looking toward Hoenn region.
So far...
Buzz—
A golden ring opened a portal before it.
"Roar..."
Groudon scratched its head.
To enter or not to enter?
Enter, and it felt like everyone else was relying on their own abilities—it would be somewhat embarrassing.
Don't enter, and Hoenn region was really damn far...
Groudon struck a thinking pose, couldn't figure it out... so temporarily pretended to be very smart.
"Groudon."
Johan's hoarse voice came.
It looked toward the sound.
"Go back for now. I'll come find you for a chat later."
"Roar."
Getting this "face-saving excuse," Groudon decisively stepped into the golden ring.
A bit tired—better go back and sleep first.
At this point.
The legendary Pokémon that had turned Dahara City into chaos had left about seventy to eighty percent, with Mewtwo, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Darkrai, Zygarde, Marshadow, and Celebi remaining.
"Bii~~"
After playing with Gengar and Tyranitar for a while, Celebi actively waved at Johan.
"Leaving so soon?" Johan was stunned.
They hadn't seen each other in so long—they hadn't even had a proper sit-down chat.
"Bii~"
Celebi indicated that time was vast, and in this boundless time, there were too many forests waiting for its protection and rescue.
Johan could only express regret.
However, Celebi seemed to be one of the few beings that, like Arceus, could traverse multiple universes. No wonder Giovanni hadn't held much hope for finding Celebi.
"Next time, I'll have little Hoopa invite you, and we'll have a proper gathering." Johan said.
With his current physical condition, he honestly couldn't properly host Celebi.
"Bii~"
Celebi nodded happily, waved at Johan again, then opened a time portal and entered it.
In terms of truly understanding time, Celebi seemed more capable than Dialga. It's just that in any specific universe, Dialga's use of time, especially for destruction, far exceeded Celebi's.
In the time portal Celebi had opened, for an instant, Johan seemed to see many familiar yet strange world fragments.
Recalling being thrown into another world by Hoopa Unbound earlier... Johan shook his head.
"Wait a moment."
After Celebi left, Johan noticed Giratina also preparing to sneak away.
"Roar..."
Hearing Johan's voice, Giratina froze mid-motion, its hands gripping the crack leading to the Distortion World, turning back with an awkward smile.
Seeing Giratina's appearance, Johan couldn't help but laugh.
"You guy... fine, when my body recovers, I'll come to your place for tea."
Giratina nodded, flicked its tail, and disappeared into the crack.
[We're leaving too.]
Reshiram and Zekrom looked at each other, saying to Johan simultaneously.
This was Kalos—as Unova's twin dragons, they shouldn't stay too long either, as it would cause some unnecessary influence.
The nearby Zygarde core in cellular form was watching them.
"Alright." Johan nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."
[Your thoughts become my truth.]
Reshiram showed no dissatisfaction at all.
Zekrom also agreed but added:
[Next time, let me fuse.]
Reshiram couldn't help but glance at it.
Johan indicated, "Actually, I hope there won't be such an opportunity next time."
The twin dragons spread their wings.
"When I finish building my small island in Hoenn, I'll call you for dinner."
At this point.
Only Mewtwo, Darkrai, Marshadow, and the Zygarde core remained in Dahara City.
Whether Mewtwo, Darkrai, or Marshadow, none mastered so-called "rules," so as long as they didn't cause massive destruction, they wouldn't have much invisible impact on the Kalos region.
So the Zygarde core, as the "God of Order," didn't worry about this anymore.
"You all..."
Johan looked at them.
Darkrai directly dove into his shadow, muttering, "If you won't let me eat, you want me to leave? I'll wait until your body recovers!"
That's what it said.
But Johan could feel Darkrai was worried about his body or that something else might happen, preparing to guard him until he fully recovered.
Meeting his gaze, Mewtwo used telepathy to say very simply and directly:
"Waiting for your recovery."
Seemingly having the same idea as Darkrai.
But Mewtwo added a simple supplement.
"Once recovered, experience my power. In the future, don't use that black Rayquaza."
The words carried strong confidence.
It had to be said that without confusion and knowing clearly what it wanted, Mewtwo was truly "complete."
As for its real strength, Johan knew very little after not seeing it for a while.
Looking at it, it seemed confident of fighting even that black Rayquaza from earlier.
This made Johan somewhat apprehensive... Surely Mewtwo hadn't gotten hold of another Mega Stone too?
Marshadow wouldn't leave quickly after being away so long.
As for the Zygarde core.
[When you recover a bit, talk with me about my partner.]
Here.
This "Hoopa Unbound" incident finally came to a complete close.
Actually, not quite.
His little ones still needed proper comforting.
Earlier when he disappeared and nearly died, they were probably scared out of their wits.
"Sni!"
Snivy was crying as it pounded Johan's chest with little fists.
This was the first time Johan had seen this strong, tsundere little one cry.
Earlier, due to the dangerous and tense situation, Snivy had wanted to come out and help but was locked in its Poké Ball and couldn't get out.
Now it was here to "vent."
"I'm fine now..." Johan was quite helpless.
But thinking of a so-called "master" from his previous life who taught that when girls are angry, don't worry about anything else—just hug her tight, and everything will be fine after a while.
So he simply pulled Snivy into his arms, "There, there, it's okay now, it's okay now."
However, Snivy directly extended its vines, pressing against Johan's chest and breaking free from his embrace.
"Sni!"
Running to one side, arms crossed, looking angry.
Johan pursed his lips.
"Sure enough, all 'masters' are liars."
"Sni! (▼皿▼)"
Snivy was furious.
You do this with every Pokémon—how could it work when it's my turn!
Nearby, Ninetales and Tinkaton looked at each other.
"Ha, haha..."
Before laughing twice, Johan clutched his chest and coughed.
"Sni!"
Seeing this, Snivy immediately rushed forward nervously, gently rubbing his chest.
Was it okay? She seemed to have used too much force earlier.
"It's fine, cough cough... I'm fine." Johan said hoarsely, secretly raising an eyebrow at Cynthia nearby.
See? Handled it.
Cynthia laughed out loud.
"Garrr! (Д)σ"
Look at this guy—so many tricks for fooling girls! You better be careful!
Nearby Garchomp pointed at Johan, warning Cynthia.
Finally calming all the little ones, Johan collapsed exhaustedly in his wheelchair.
However.
As their trainer, Johan could clearly feel that the little ones were working even harder.
This incident, although they'd all contributed significantly, especially Gengar who had "operated" together with Johan when facing Hoopa Unbound in the end, but...
They still felt their strength was too weak, the gap with true legendary Pokémon too large.
If they wanted to avoid similar situations in the future, they had to continue strengthening!
Even the usually lazy Ninetales was now patiently training its use of Fairy-type moves.
In Ninetales' view.
If it could manipulate large amounts of life energy like Xerneas, Johan wouldn't have faced that situation at all.
The other little ones also had their own "reference targets" to varying degrees.
With them working so hard, Johan felt bad telling them to take it easy.
After all, this time it was indeed his "madness" first.
Just...
His wallet—Johan was worried again.
Increased training volume, increased training difficulty naturally meant increased consumption, which was definitely a significant test for his wallet.
"I'll take you for a walk." Cynthia, pushing the wheelchair, said.
"Okay."
"Speaking of which..." Johan suddenly thought of something. "Where's Flint?"
Golden sunlight, busy crowds in the ruins, walking along the banks of Dahara City's largest river, feeling the rare cool breeze.
"How's your recovery?" Cynthia gently brushed her hair, asking.
"Not bad."
Johan raised his hand resting on the wheelchair, but couldn't lift it above his head.
This time he'd really overdone it, even more dramatically than Boss Giovanni. Although he had Celebi and Ho-Oh's help, his body still hadn't fully recovered, especially mentally.
"Next time..." Cynthia bit her lip.
She had wanted to tell Johan not to push himself so hard next time, but the words stopped at her lips.
Some things always needed someone to bear them.
When the sky fell, someone tall had to hold it up.
In the entire Pokémon world, besides Johan, how many people could handle and solve this incident?
Even if the entire League mobilized... by the time it ended, the Kalos region would probably be nearly destroyed.
Moreover.
Having resolved to become Champion, Cynthia asked herself—if she encountered such a situation, what would she do? Probably... still charge forward without hesitation.
This was a Champion's resolve!
Seeing Cynthia stop speaking, Johan smiled—he knew what she wanted to say.
"I want... to become Champion!" Johan suddenly said out of nowhere.
"Hm?"
Cynthia was stunned.
"Champion?"
She looked at Johan somewhat bewildered, then reached out to touch his forehead.
"No fever..."
Johan: "..."
Grabbing Cynthia's hand and placing it against his cheek to gently caress, he said:
"After experiencing this incident, I've figured out some things."
"Like what?"
"Like... since someone always has to bear certain responsibilities, since there's always a need for 'tall people' to stand up, why can't that person be me?"
"Hasn't it always been you?"
Johan: "..."
He turned back to look at that flower-like smiling woman, seeing the slight smile in her curved eyes, knowing he'd been "played."
"Mm..." Seeing through Johan's realization, Cynthia pursed her lips, put away her smile, and asked:
"What about Steven?"
The Hoenn League had put their cultivation plans on Steven after hitting walls with Johan several times.
"Simple."
Johan had already thought this through.
"After I do it for a year or so, I can hand it over to him."
Anyway, according to the Hoenn League's intentions, Steven becoming Champion would also take about a year—it was perfect timing for the "transition period."
A pale hand withdrew from Johan's grasp and pressed against his temple, applying slight pressure.
"Champion is something you 'hand over'?"
"You don't understand—this is Hoenn tradition."
"Tradition?"
"Uh..."
Johan realized this "tradition" seemed to start with Steven.
"Ahem, no problem—it's a tradition starting with me." He said seriously.
"Oh..."
Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.
The wheelchair moved slowly as both fell into brief silence, seemingly thinking about their own matters or enjoying this momentary, long-missed tranquility.
After a while.
Cynthia spoke again:
"You're sure it's not because of your little island?"
A year or so would be about enough to finish building that small island.
"Hm? Who told you that? That's slander! Someone's slandering me!" Johan jerked his head up.
"Pfft—"
Cynthia burst out laughing.
While Dahara City gradually returned to calm, the outside world was in chaos because of what happened here, especially online.
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Powerstones?
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