After finishing his conversation with Groudon, Naoki took the opportunity to speak with the newly evolved Urshifu.
"Urshifu, when did you evolve?" he asked with a smile.
Urshifu answered honestly, "Shifu." (Just now. Master Kyogre said I could come with him to help you.)
"I see..." Naoki looked at the calm and composed Urshifu in front of him, his heart filled with pride.
Just as he had hoped, Kubfu had successfully evolved into an Urshifu by mastering the mysteries of the sea, taking on the Rapid Strike Style.
Still, Naoki was curious.
He wondered what the differences were between an Urshifu that evolved through this method and a typical Urshifu trained to use combo techniques.
That would be something worth finding out.
After thinking for a moment, Naoki said warmly, "Once you're finished with your training today, come back to the ranch. I want to see the results of your hard work."
Urshifu had already planned to return, so he nodded firmly in response.
After ending the call, Naoki was just about to go outside and rejoin Professor Oak when another message popped up on his Rotom Phone.
[Mewtwo: If you need help, I'm willing to assist.]
Naoki was momentarily stunned. Mewtwo was a special existence. In a battle of this scale, its strength could definitely play a pivotal role.
In fact, Mewtwo possessed remarkable psychic abilities, capable not just of erasing memories but also reading the thoughts of humans.
If these powers were refined further, could Mewtwo even link everyone's thoughts together?
However, another important issue came to mind.
After a moment's thought, Naoki typed his reply carefully:
[Gold King: I'm grateful you're willing to help. But if you join the battle, you'll be exposed to the public eye. With how strong the internet is nowadays, once you appear, your existence could spread worldwide within just a few days.]
For Mewtwo, this would go against its original wish for peace and seclusion.
More importantly, Team Rocket still hadn't been disbanded in this world. If Mewtwo revealed itself, Giovanni would definitely notice.
Of course, Mewtwo had considered this as well.
But then it remembered, after the last encounter at Clear Cliff, it had already erased Giovanni's and the Rocket members' memories of it.
Even if Mewtwo showed up again, most humans would likely mistake it for a rare Pokémon rather than recognize it for what it truly was.
Thinking about the peaceful, carefree life it had enjoyed on the World Tree all these years, Mewtwo couldn't help but smile, a rare expression for it.
It thought back to the cloned Pokémon living freely, just like any other Pokémon.
They farmed the land, picked fruits and vegetables, and worked together joyfully.
In the evenings, everyone would gather to watch the sunset, their eyes shining as the sky filled with stars and the moonlight bathed the world.
Then, at night, they would curl up and fall asleep side by side, peaceful smiles lingering on their faces.
Even in sleep, happiness radiated from them.
And all of it, all of this precious, beautiful life, was thanks to Naoki.
The human genes within Mewtwo stirred a deep desire to do something for Naoki.
And so, Mewtwo sent another message:
[Mewtwo: I will stop running away. Whether human or Pokémon, we are all part of this world.]
Naoki was slightly stunned when he saw the message, but then a bright smile appeared on his face.
[Gold King: Okay!]
Groudon, Kyogre, Calyrex, Ho-Oh, and now even Mewtwo. This lineup was truly luxurious!
However, another small problem surfaced. It would be really troublesome to carry so many Poké Balls at once.
Naoki couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If only Hoopa was here, he wouldn't have to deal with this hassle.
With Hoopa's ability, he could simply wave his hand, and Hoopa could summon all the legendary Pokémon living on the World Tree through its rings.
Just like the superheroes assembling to fight Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
While he was thinking about it, Rotom Phone buzzed again, receiving two new messages.
[Mewtwo: One more thing. The Pokémon living on the World Tree mistakenly thought you were going to start a war against other humans. Now, everyone is gathering Berries and doing special training to prepare to fight alongside you.]
[Giratina: Damn it! I rushed over, but those two ran away! They deserve to be punished!]
A moment later, another message from Giratina arrived.
[Giratina: No way I'm letting this go! They wrecked my territory! I've already found where Dialga is hiding. Naoki, keep an eye on the house for me. I'm going after Dialga to teach it a lesson!]
Naoki was momentarily stunned when he saw Giratina's latest message.
The events of the "Battle of the Tower of Time and Space" had already wrapped up so quickly?
That meant Alamos Town would soon return from the dimensional rift back to the real world.
Naoki opened the Pokémon forums and quickly searched for terms like "Alamos Town," "Dialga," and "Palkia." Sure enough, related posts were already flooding in.
People all around the world were in awe over the appearance and battle between the God of Time and the God of Space. Many expressed deep regret that they hadn't been there to witness the legendary Pokémon in person, and they envied the townsfolk of Alamos Town.
In response, the residents of Alamos Town, who had nearly been erased from existence in the rift, collectively replied:
You want to trade places with us?!
After skimming the forums for a bit, Naoki exited the page and returned to his chat interface.
Since the Alamos Town incident had concluded, the next storyline would soon unfold: Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
Even though it had been years since Naoki had last seen the movie, he still remembered the general plot.
In it, the villain aimed to conquer the Reverse World and crown himself king.
To achieve this, he created a high-tech device specifically designed to attack Giratina, capture it, and steal its power, at the cost of Giratina's life.
While it seemed unbelievable that humans could capture a Pokémon as powerful as Giratina using mere technology, it did happen in the movie.
And that meant Giratina was now in real danger.
Every move Giratina made while chasing Dialga could already be under the villain's surveillance!
Realizing this, Naoki immediately initiated a video call with Giratina.
The call connected quickly.
On the screen, Giratina was soaring at high speed through the Reverse World, determination burning in its golden eyes.
"Don't go any further!" Naoki urged urgently. "It's a trap! Humans are waiting for you there! They've built machines specifically designed to capture you!"
In response, Giratina simply snorted coldly, "Just humans?"
"Don't underestimate them!" Naoki warned. "Arceus himself was nearly destroyed by humans!"
"I won't make the same mistake!" Giratina growled confidently. "I'm close to catching that wretched Dialga. I don't have time for this. I'm hanging up."
"Wait—!"
Naoki tried to say more, but it was too late.
Giratina abruptly cut the call.
Naoki stared helplessly at his blank screen.
'Giratina is still so stubborn.'
This was going to be a problem.
Professor Oak and the others were still visiting the ranch, so Naoki couldn't slip away just yet.
'If I can't go myself right now, maybe. I can send someone else, right?'
Naoki recalled that in the movie, the villain's device was designed specifically for Giratina's unique energy signature.
In other words, it wouldn't work against other Pokémon.
There's a way!
Naoki quickly opened his chat window with Rayquaza.
He decided to send Rayquaza to scout things out first. Later, Naoki could find an excuse to make a delivery run in the afternoon and check on the situation personally.
[Gold King: I need a favor…]
...
In the Sinnoh region, near the edge of the Gracidea Flower Field, next to a large sparkling lake with fresh air and a beautiful landscape, a small Pokémon suddenly hopped out from the tall, shadowy grass.
Spotting the clear, inviting lake ahead, Shaymin's eyes lit up with excitement.
It was thrilled. After taking a refreshing sip of water, it could continue its journey! Once it reached the Gracidea Flower Field, Shaymin would be able to transform into its Sky Forme and soar through the skies!
Full of expectation, Shaymin padded over and lowered its head to lap at the water with its tiny tongue.
But just as it did, a strange blue light appeared in an open area across the lake.
From the light, a massive and mysterious Pokémon with a dark blue body slowly descended onto the water's surface.
It lowered its head and began drinking calmly from the lake.
Blinking in surprise, Shaymin stared at the scene in confusion.
But before Shaymin could react, it suddenly noticed something stirring beneath the water.
Ripples spread across the surface like a mirror being disturbed.
The next second, another terrifying Pokémon burst out from the depths!
Its huge tail lashed out, tightly wrapping around the Pokémon that had been peacefully drinking from the lake, trying to drag it underwater.
"Sha-shay!" Shaymin gasped in shock.
The Pokémon being attacked struggled fiercely, and as the two colossal beings clashed, a violent gust of wind ripped through the forest.
The howling wind instantly swept Shaymin's tiny body off the ground, sending it tumbling through the air.
Panicked, Shaymin shut its eyes tightly and clutched onto something — anything — with its tiny paws, trying desperately not to be blown away by the fierce wind.
When Shaymin finally dared to open its eyes again, it realized, to its horror, that it was no longer in the same world.
The ground and sky were flipped; it was in the Reverse World!
Even worse... it was clinging onto the back of the blue Pokémon!
"Shaaaay!"
Shaymin's terrified scream echoed through the distorted, upside-down landscape.
However, neither Dialga nor Giratina, locked in their furious battle, noticed the little intruder clinging to them.
Giratina let out a cold snort and snarled at Dialga, who was desperately trying to flee.
"Look at the mess you've made of my world! You're going to pay for this!"
But Dialga had no interest in arguing. Being trapped in Giratina's domain made it feel increasingly uneasy. All it wanted was to escape from the Reverse World.
Unfortunately, every time Dialga tried to get away, Giratina would intercept it.
Fighting outside of its own realm left Dialga at a serious disadvantage, and it was soon forced into a bitter struggle.
Meanwhile, Shaymin finally saw a chance to escape.
Kicking its four short legs frantically, it paddled through the gravity-warped air of the Reverse World, struggling to get away from the battling giants.
As it scampered off into the twisted landscape, Shaymin kept turning its head back in fear, terrified that the two terrifying Pokémon might come chasing after it.
...
Bonus
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