Chapter 294 — The True Emissary of Ideals!
Talebagos answered with full swagger, “A being of a rank similar to yours.”
Hearing that, Groudon’s eyes narrowed. “A first-tier deity?”
Talebagos nodded.
“A first-tier god born of humans — now that’s interesting,” Groudon teased.
“No, no, no…” Talebagos shook his head repeatedly. “It wasn’t created by humans. It chose to be born through human hands.”
What a joke!
To possess part of a world’s origin and innate authority over that world — even Arceus itself couldn’t casually create such an existence by hand, let alone mere humans.
“The world’s getting more lively. As the world’s origin grows, more new gods are born,” Groudon mused.
Suddenly his tone shifted and his teasing returned. “But what I’m more curious about now is… the power that kid controls.”
“Don’t ask me — that might be Arceus’ doing.” Talebagos didn’t hesitate to pass the blame to the missing Arceus.
“What I want to know is whether that special power is of any use to a deity of our rank,” Groudon probed.
That was also why he had humbled himself to descend among mortals. If the legendary beasts had positions, Groudon definitely wasn’t fond of humans. He had chosen Liuli only because of Liuli’s power, not for humanity as a whole.
Talebagos didn’t answer directly. He countered, “You already have a guess in your heart, don’t you?”
“I hate riddlers,” Groudon scowled, then kicked Talebagos out of the mental world.
…
Back at the villa, Lu Li saw Wei — dusty and worn but mostly recovered.
When Wei saw Lu Li, she grabbed his hand anxiously. “Lu Li, Baobao? Did you find her?”
“We didn’t catch up. They’ve left Jiuzhou and gone to the Golden Triangle region,” Lu Li shook his head.
Wei went pale. If not for the doll supporting her, she would have nearly collapsed.
Seeing Wei so distraught, Lu Li softened and reassured her: “Don’t worry. I used the power of ideals to check the future. Baobao isn’t in danger this time — she’ll actually benefit from this misfortune.”
“Really?”
Wei, who had been ashen-faced, finally brightened and looked at Lu Li with hopeful eyes.
“Of course! I swear by the Ideal Dragon,” Lu Li said emphatically.
He didn’t dare casually swear by Arceus, but the Ideal Dragon he could swear by. After all, it seemed he did have a patron now — unreliable and full of traps, but a patron nonetheless.
After all they’d been through, Lu Li was certain there was a “two-faced turtle” backing him. Otherwise, why would Eguipeng have such inexplicable goodwill toward him, even becoming his companion?
Wei clenched her teeth. “Good. Was it those bastards from the God Cult?”
Now that she knew her sister would be okay, Wei just wanted to retrieve Baobao as soon as possible. Baobao had never left her side since childhood.
“Don’t worry. In less than half a year you’ll see Baobao again,” Lu Li promised.
Wei still worried. Lu Li added, “She’ll give you a big surprise when you meet again.”
Wei couldn’t be calmed entirely by his promise — she was strong but knew her current power made it impossible to retrieve Baobao herself.
What is the God Cult? It’s the world’s strongest evil organization. Even legendary master-class trainers exist among them.
Wei didn’t expect Lu Li to risk everything for Baobao. Besides the question of whether it was feasible, Lu Li going up against them now would be like an egg striking a boulder. She understood that.
Seeing Wei a little downcast, Lu Li opened his mouth, hesitated, then offered, “Get stronger.”
Looking at the villa reduced to ruins, Lu Li thought of Aike and the others.
“By the way, are the Wildfire Gang kids alright?” Lu Li asked.
Yao Yifei replied: “The Wildfire Gang wasn’t attacked, but Aike might be in trouble.”
Lu Li’s expression turned urgent. Aike was his carefully trained, capable operative — talented, well-trained, and a good person, nearly flawless.
“What happened to Aike?” Lu Li asked quickly.
“Looks like he vanished by teleportation. He rushed over when he heard the commotion at the villa to help, but he was too weak. He and his Pokémon fell within a few rounds,” Yao Yifei explained. “Then some strange energy wave passed through, and Aike disappeared oddly.”
Lu Li wondered aloud, “A strange disappearance? Any spatial fluctuations?”
Yao Yifei shook his head. “I don’t know. The battle was too intense — I couldn’t focus on anything else.”
“Let’s hope he’s okay.”
Lu Li took out his turtle shell divination tool again. He dropped an ancient bronze coin and began calculating.
After a moment, his brow furrowed as he put the shell away.
Very strange.
The divination showed Aike wasn’t in this world, but it also showed he wasn’t dead. When Lu Li tried to probe deeper, a great force blocked his divination.
This hexagram was odd. After so long, this was the first time Lu Li had seen such a reading: seeming yet not, unclear but profound.
Wei, impatient, urged, “So? Have you found Aike?”
Lu Li shook his head. “Strange. I can only confirm he’s alive. I don’t know where he went — he might not even be in this world.”
“Maybe he was sent into a secret realm?” Yao Yifei suggested.
Lu Li shook his head. “Unlikely. Secret realms are essentially part of the same world. Even if Aike was sent into a beast’s secret realm, that wouldn’t count as being outside this world.”
“Could it be… Aike really went to another world?” Wei, surprisingly open to wild possibilities, didn’t doubt Lu Li’s divination.
Lu Li sighed. “I hope that boy fares well. For now we can only take good care of the Wildfire Gang.”
If Baobao could still be rescued, Aike was truly beyond reach.
…
Parallel universe within the Pokémon anime world setting.
Three years after arriving in this world, Aike still often thought of his partners back home and the leader to whom he owed a lifetime of gratitude.
Though this world was beautiful, Aike wanted to return to his original world.
This place was even more than a utopia — it was his ideal world.
Here almost everyone was equal. Humans and Pokémon lived harmoniously; there was no territory fighting, no disputes over Pokémon treasures. Pokémon didn’t eat other Pokémon — practically an unnatural utopia.
Even orphans could, by their own ability, capture bug-type Pokémon and become trainers.
Most important: traveling here didn’t risk never returning.
Aike loved everything about this world, but he didn’t belong here, no matter how wonderful it seemed.
(Later, when I have time, I’ll write a short side story of Aike in the anime world.)
Lying in a wide plain with his head on his arms, Aike gazed at the sky, feeling disoriented.
He thought of home — the not-so-beautiful, even cruel real world.
Half-dreaming, Aike felt as if he floated among the stars. An ethereal, majestic voice filled the sky.
“Is this your ideal world?”
“Yes,” Aike answered without hesitation.
“Is this your ideal future?”
He hesitated this time.
Is this really the future he wanted? No younger siblings, no leader — only a perfect, dreamlike society.
Aike shook his head firmly. “No! This isn’t the future I expect. It’s not my ideal world.”
“No! Your ideal is for everyone to be free to become trainers, to travel with Pokémon without fearing the wild or never returning. That is your ideal world.”
This time the voice was lower, even tempting.
“Living in such a beautiful world isn’t bad — you already achieved your ideal, in the blink of an eye.”
The devilish whisper tempted Aike’s heart.
“No! I want to go back.”
“This world is indeed my ideal, but I should fight for it with my own hands, not sit back and enjoy it. Nor should I abandon my siblings or forget the leader’s kindness.”
Aike shouted angrily. This was indeed a world he idealized, but it wasn’t the ideal he wanted. His true ideal was building it together with his siblings.
The majestic voice asked again, “So… you really want to return to that harsh real world to create your ideal world?”
Aike nodded heavily. “I want to go back — even if the real world is harsher.”
“Very well! Your pursuit of ideals has overcome fear of the real. Your grand ideal will receive my blessing.”
As the voice finished, the surrounding stars began to spin. The world tilted and Aike fainted.
When he woke again, he was in a stranger place: a dim chamber whose murals had long lost color.
He sensed he was in a circular building. Most importantly… he seemed to have returned.
“Really back?” Aike touched the Poké Ball at his waist — the real weight thrilled him and brought tears to his eyes.
“I’m back… Three years! I hope my siblings are okay. I hope Yao Yifei’s wife is fine.” He muttered.
He looked at the altar on the steps. A black stone floated above the altar. Driven by instinct, Aike climbed the steps.
His Poké Ball flashed. A fierce Houndoom stared warily at the glowing black stone. A Zoroark stood beside it.
Houndoom, Zoroark, Greninja, and Incineroar appeared behind Aike.
In three years he’d become a gym-level trainer.
Under that world’s special rules, becoming a gym-level trainer in three years wasn’t especially impressive — he’d met a boy named Ash who was a terrifying champion-level trainer at eleven.
The black stone suddenly emitted intense light, enveloping Aike and his Pokémon, forcing them to close their eyes.
In the blur, Aike saw a pitch-black dragon watching him, its crimson eyes full of admiration.
As the light faded, the black stone on the altar vanished, but a black stone mark had appeared on the back of Aike’s hand.
At the same time he gained a strange ability: a power to twist reality that could send him back one minute, letting him redo things.
If once doesn’t work, try again. In countless failed timelines he could choose the best one and craft the most perfect line.
“So… this is the power of ideals?” Aike whispered, staring at the mark on his hand.
“Wait! If I’m an Emissary of Ideals, then what is the leader?”
Aike’s face lit up — he thought he’d discovered the leader’s secret.
(PS: Each Emissary of Ideals manifests their ideal power differently.)
“Never mind. Whether or not it’s the power of ideals, the leader is still the leader. That problem can be left to him,” Aike laughed, relieved.
He owed Lu Li a lifetime of gratitude that he could never fully repay. Whether he had the power of ideals or not didn’t change that.
Now Aike was happy — he could finally help the leader.
“We must hurry back. The leader and the others are waiting at home.” He told his companions: “We’ll be home soon. They’ll be glad to see you.”
“Woof~”
(Houndoom wants round pills to eat!)
It seemed the Houndoom barked excitedly at the thought of going home.
Aike patted Houndoom’s head. “Don’t worry — I’ll ask the leader to prepare lots for you.”
“All right, let’s leave this place.” Aike called his companions and headed for the exit.
(End of chapter)
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