"Are you telling the truth?"
A trace of seriousness flashed through Rayquaza's eyes, and even its voice unconsciously became more solemn.
Jirachi was already extremely powerful.
It might not be on Rayquaza's or Zygarde's level, but it was still unquestionably among the strongest beings in the world.
Yet a Pokémon around Jirachi's level had been completely consumed by the darkness without even realizing what was happening?
No matter how Rayquaza looked at it, that sounded absurd.
"I'm not lying to you. It's true."
Chen Shi shook his head.
Rayquaza's gaze flickered.
After thinking for a while, it said in a deep voice,
"I can't give you a definite answer."
"It may have something to do with strength, or perhaps it has nothing to do with strength at all."
"However, I suspect the reason Xerneas and I were able to notice the darkness quickly and resist it for a time may be related to our divine authority."
"Beyond that, I don't know."
"Divine authority?"
Chen Shi suddenly understood.
That actually made sense.
Both Rayquaza and Xerneas possessed divine authority.
Perhaps that was the real reason they had been able to hold out for so long.
"This is going to be troublesome..."
Chen Shi sighed softly.
Legendary Pokémon with divine authority were ultimately only a minority.
Take Lugia and Rayquaza, for example.
Both had their own species, but only one individual among each species possessed true divine authority.
And what about the countless ordinary Pokémon in the world?
What were they supposed to rely on to resist the darkness?
The more Chen Shi thought about it, the more terrifying the darkness seemed.
His mood gradually became irritated.
At this point, one thing was already certain.
Because he possessed this unusual psychic power, Arceus had noticed him.
There was probably no escaping this mess anymore.
...
"Since that's settled, I'll be leaving."
"When the time comes, we'll meet again."
As Chen Shi spoke, he prepared to have Jirachi take him away.
Rayquaza suddenly stopped him.
"Wait."
"You truly can help me Mega Evolve?"
Some things were better clarified beforehand.
Chen Shi nodded.
"I have no reason to lie to you about that."
"But as for the exact process, you'll still have to handle most of it."
"I don't really understand the details."
"From what I know, I use a Key Stone together with my psychic power to help you establish a connection with your Mikado Organ."
"With that method, you apparently don't need to consume meteorite energy."
"And with Victini supporting me, I don't have to worry about exhausting my stamina either."
After hearing this, Rayquaza said calmly,
"You truly are unusual."
"I'd rather not be."
Chen Shi shrugged helplessly.
Heaven knew that, at the beginning, all he had wanted was to stay home and live lazily.
Somehow, he had ended up being forced to run all over the world.
Rayquaza did not respond to that.
Instead, it suddenly brought up something else.
"Two thousand years ago, the first time we encountered the darkness was on Xerneas."
"It was the first Legendary Pokémon to become infected."
"At that time, Mew took it to seek help from many different beings."
"None of us could remove the darkness."
"That was when we realized how terrifying it was."
"Later, Arceus told us to remain cautious, but that there was no need to concern ourselves with it for the time being."
"Only then did we relax."
"But you already know what happened several days ago."
"And after hearing what you've told me today, I understand the danger even more clearly."
"If this isn't stopped, then one day the entire world may fall into a terrible crisis because of it."
"At present, you are the only one capable of dealing with this darkness."
"Unfortunately..."
"You are only human."
As it said this, Rayquaza stared intently at Chen Shi.
Its gaze was so focused that it seemed to be contemplating something.
Chen Shi felt his scalp tingle.
He had a very bad feeling.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."
Rayquaza replied,
"You are human."
"Your lifespan is too short."
"I may fall asleep once, and by the time I awaken, you will already be dead."
"When that happens, no one will remain who can naturally counter this darkness."
Chen Shi swallowed.
"So?"
"So I thought of a solution."
"A way for you to obtain eternal life."
"That way, at the very least, we would still retain one trump card against the darkness."
Rayquaza's tone was completely serious.
"Eternal life?"
Chen Shi froze.
"Yes."
Rayquaza spoke calmly.
"The ideal solution would be to seek Xerneas."
"But it is currently asleep, and no one knows when it will awaken."
"However, I can take you to find Mew."
"If you become a guardian of the Tree of Beginning, you can also obtain eternal life."
Rayquaza's words struck Chen Shi's mind like a bolt of thunder.
Mew.
Guardian of the Tree of Beginning.
Eternal life.
Suddenly, Chen Shi remembered something.
Back when Xerneas had heard Mew say that Chen Shi was a guardian of the Tree of Beginning, it had looked at him with an extremely strange expression.
At the time, Chen Shi had been unable to understand what that look meant.
Now he understood.
It had been pity.
There was an ancient legend from the Kalos region about Xerneas.
According to the story, long, long ago, Xerneas possessed a beautiful forest.
Many Pokémon and humans lived there.
All of them worshiped it.
But one day, for unknown reasons, a human betrayed Xerneas and attempted to kill it.
Naturally, the attempt failed.
Afterward, in order to punish that human, Xerneas shared eternal life with him.
At first, the man laughed at Xerneas for being foolish.
He believed this wasn't a punishment at all.
It was a reward.
After all—
Who wouldn't want to live forever?
And so, filled with joy and anticipation, the man began what seemed like an endless journey through immortality.
Time flowed onward like an inexhaustible river.
Quiet.
Relentless.
A hundred years was only a fleeting instant in the vast span of history.
But to an immortal human...
It marked the beginning of a long and agonizing nightmare.
He watched the wife he once loved grow old before his eyes.
The face that had once been beautiful and youthful gradually became covered in deep wrinkles.
Her eyes lost their brightness.
Her steps became slow and unsteady.
Eventually, after suffering through sickness and old age, she gently closed her eyes and left him forever.
Then his beloved daughter died.
His brothers, as close to him as his own limbs, passed away one after another.
Only he remained.
Like a traveler forgotten by time, forever maintaining the appearance of his youth.
The wheel of history continued turning.
Another three hundred years passed.
It wasn't only the people he knew who had vanished.
Even his homeland had changed beyond recognition.
Over the endless years, he gradually became numb.
He grew silent.
It was as though a thick layer of frost had covered his heart.
Every day, he would sit alone on a remote hillside, staring blankly into the distance with empty eyes.
Another hundred years passed.
Then Xerneas appeared before him once more.
It asked the human,
"Do you still believe eternal life is a reward?"
The man remained silent.
He said nothing.
After Xerneas left, it was as though the final pillar supporting his soul had collapsed.
He completely broke down.
He became deranged.
Sometimes he would throw his head back and laugh wildly.
At other times, he would curl up and sob.
In the end—
He took his own life.
Before dying, he left behind a single sentence:
Immortality is the cruelest punishment in the world.
...
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)