"Hah… hah...is it still far?" I grumbled, dragging myself along the steep forest path.
"We're almost there~. You can do it, Noah." (｡-∀-)♪
Both of my companions cheered me on while walking ahead, not looking tired at all.
Meanwhile, I felt like my legs were about to give up.
It had already been four years since I came to this world, and a lot had changed since then.
For example, both of my friends had grown much stronger and had already reached their final evolutions.
Beside me walked Gardevoir, who used to be the small Kirlia I met years ago. She moved gracefully through the forest, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was still following.
Ahead of us was Diggersby, who had once been the energetic Bunnelby that loved to play a lot .
"You've been saying that for almost thirty minutes now," I complained between breaths. "But when are we actually going to get there? I'm tired." 😫
Okay, maybe it sounded like whining… but it wasn't unreasonable.
We had been walking for three hours straight since dawn, and we still hadn't reached our destination.
They might forget sometimes, but come on, I was just a weak four-year-old human kid, not a Pokémon like them.
If I were a normal child, I probably would have passed out already. And as for where we were going?
Remember the request Arceus made to me shortly after I was born into this world?
Well…
It was finally time to fulfill it.
"Is it here?"
After walking for quite a while longer, we finally stopped in front of a cave. But unlike most caves, this one clearly looked man-made.
Strange symbolic carvings decorated both sides of the entrance, their shapes worn by time but still visible enough to hint at something .
"Yes," Gardevoir said softly beside me. "The place you're looking for is inside this cave."
More walking… huh. I stared into the cave's entrance. From where we stood, all I could see was darkness.
It looked deep. Very deep.
"How about I carry you the rest of the way?" Diggersby offered after noticing how exhausted I looked.
Hearing that, I didn't even try to act tough anymore. I simply nodded.
Seeing me agree, Diggersby gently lifted me with one arm and placed me on his shoulder before continuing forward.
And just like that, the three of us stepped into the dark cave.
While we walk ,Gardevoir casted the move Flash , bringing light to the otherwise dim cave.
As we walked deeper into the cave, Gardevoir raised her hand and used Flash, filling the dark tunnel with a soft white glow. The light illuminated the rocky walls around us, allowing us to see the path ahead.
Even though we had entered the cave quite a while ago, we hadn't encountered a single Pokémon along the way. The cave felt strangely empty.
The only sounds echoing through the tunnel were our footsteps… and the faint whisper of wind passing through the stone passages.
After some time, we finally reached the deepest part of the cave. And there at the center of the cavern stood a massive circular building.
It looked ancient. Vines and plants had grown all over its outer walls, but despite its age, the structure stood tall and firm. Not a single crack could be seen on its surface.
It felt like something built long ago… yet still being carefully preserved.
At the entrance stood two enormous guardians. They were Golurk.
The towering Pokémon stood motionless on both sides of the large door, silently guarding the entrance.
But as Noah and the others approached, both Golurks slowly turned their heads toward them, their glowing eyes locking onto the intruders. Their massive arms began to move.
"Wait!" Gardevoir quickly stepped forward. "We have permission from the Elder."
The Golurks paused. For a moment they looked at each other, as if silently communicating.
Then, without another word, the two guardians stepped forward and pushed the heavy stone door open.
The massive doors creaked as they slowly parted.
After the entrance was opened, Diggersby gently lowered Noah from his shoulder.
"We can only follow you this far," Diggersby said.
"You'll have to go inside alone. We'll wait here."
After saying that, Diggersby and Gardevoir moved to the side of the entrance and gave Noah a small wave, signaling for him to go on.
Seeing them like that, Noah had no choice but to continue by himself.
Taking a small breath, he stepped inside the building alone.
***
After Noah disappeared inside, Gardevoir and Diggersby remained at the entrance. With nothing else to do, the two began chatting quietly while waiting.
At first they tried to include the two Golurk guarding the door in their conversation. But the massive Pokémon didn't react at all. They stood there like statues. Eventually, the two gave up.
"What do you think is happening inside?" Diggersby asked, glancing nervously at the building.
Gardevoir heard the question and fell silent for a moment. Her mind drifted back to the conversation they had just yesterday.
Out of nowhere, Noah had suddenly asked them to bring him to this place.
What surprised them the most was that they had never told him about it before. Yet somehow, he knew about it.
The place Noah asked to visit was well known among the Pokémon living in the forest. However, because the Golurks guarded the entrance, no one except those who were chosen could enter.
Even approaching the building required permission. That was why it was so shocking when Noah suddenly said he wanted to come here.
Diggersby looked even more anxious as he stared at the ancient structure.
Gardevoir, however, kept her gaze steady on the building's entrance.
"Just trust him," she said quietly.
***
The inside of the building looked nothing like what I expected.
The moment I stepped inside, the first thought that came to my mind was a library.
Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched across the enormous hall, each one packed tightly with books. Some looked old and worn, while others appeared much newer.
The building itself had three floors, with balconies circling the upper levels. Stairways connected them, allowing access to every section of the library.
But the most striking thing stood at the very center of the hall. A massive orb.
It floated slightly above the ground, looking as if it were made from clear ice. Faint light shimmered inside it, giving the entire room a mysterious glow.
For some reason, something inside me urged me to approach it. And so… I did.
Step by step, I walked closer to the orb. But the moment I got near it, a strange sensation ran through my body.
I could feel it. This thing… was alive. Or at least, whatever was inside it was alive.
Then suddenly a voice echoed directly inside my head.
"Welcome to my library, child from another world."
My eyes widened slightly. This was the second time someone had called me that.
Which meant the being inside the orb probably had some connection to Arceus.
"Who are you?" I stepped closer until the orb was within arm's reach.
The voice answered calmly. "Relax, young man. I only wish to help you adapt to this world."
The voice sounded… strange. Neither male nor female.
"What do you mean?" I frowned slightly, confused.
After all, Arceus had only told me to come here if I wanted to learn more about the request he had given me.
So… was this place connected to that?
"The request you came here for… I can certainly tell you about it," the voice said patiently. "But first, you must understand the world beyond this forest."
I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about its words. Then I finally spoke again.
"Alright… I understand. But how exactly am I supposed to learn about the outside world?"
Did this mean I had to leave the forest first? The thought crossed my mind immediately. After all, if I wanted to remain in this world, I needed to fulfill Arceus's request.
"Do not worry," the voice replied gently. "I will not ask something impossible for someone in your current situation."
Then it continued.
"All you need to do… is read the books inside this library."
I blinked.
…That's it?
Reading books from an entire library didn't sound particularly difficult? But then another thought appeared in my mind.
Wait.
This place looked ancient. Wouldn't the information in these books be outdated?
Almost as if it had read my thoughts, the orb spoke again.
"All the books here are copies of those published outside the forest. They are continuously updated with the latest information."
The light inside the orb shimmered slightly.
"And more importantly, every book here contains only reliable knowledge. I personally collect and filter them using my power. There are no useless or false records within this library."
Then the voice asked calmly:
"So, young one… will you accept this challenge?"
I slowly looked around the building. Three entire floors. Bookshelves covering every wall. Thousands… maybe even tens of thousands of books.
Reading all of them would take a very long time. But as I thought about it…
I couldn't help smiling. Because the answer was obvious.
"Of course," I said with a confident grin.
"I accept." (^_^)
And just like that my challenge began.