January 1st, New Year's Day.
After returning from Kitakami to Celestic Town and resting for the night, Aiden woke up early today.
The reason was simple—
Although Aiden associated the New Year with the lunar calendar, most regions in the Pokémon world celebrated the New Year on January 1st.
The Sinnoh region was no exception.
According to local customs, this morning they should visit the shrine at the town center to ring the bell and make wishes.
That's why Aiden got up so early.
When he finished washing up and stepped out, Cynthia, dressed in a kimono again, emerged at the same time.
They exchanged a smile and walked out of the History Research Institute together.
"A lot happened last year."
Walking down the street, Cynthia suddenly spoke, smiling as she looked at Aiden.
Aiden nodded.
"Indeed, but it's all in the past now."
Unbeknownst to him, two months had already passed since he arrived in the Pokémon world.
From inheriting a nearly bankrupt gym and starting off in confusion to desperately clinging to the system like a lifeline after its activation...
Looking back now, the version of himself who had just arrived seemed mentally immature.
Fortunately, although his growth wasn't rapid, he had still managed to complete his "main quest" for the year fairly well:
Preserving Sunshine Gym, meeting his diverse group of companions, and making a name for himself in the Pokémon world.
He even exceeded his goals, becoming a candidate for the Victory Road examination in Paldea next year.
More importantly...
He gradually built connections in the Pokémon world.
Whether it was Nemona, his gym apprentice, or Arven, his fellow struggler, or challengers like Okamoto and other students, or even Caitlin, who had been bickering with him for the past half month;
And, of course, Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion and his adorable "Sugar Mommy".
Recalling these two months,
Aiden glanced at Cynthia beside him. She was smiling and watching him, seemingly waiting silently for his next words.
Sometimes he couldn't figure out if he was the Aiden who had traveled here or a new "Aiden" who inherited the original body's memories and will.
But...
Perhaps he would have dwelled on this at the beginning of his journey, unconsciously guided by the system's information.
Now, he no longer cared.
I am who I am!
A man unrestricted by any definition, sweeping through the Pokémon world like the wind!
"This year, I'll make the name of Sunshine Gym resonate throughout the world."
Aiden suddenly spoke, his eyes filled with determination.
Cynthia briefly lost herself in his gaze, then quickly smiled:
"Mm, I believe you."
If his parents could see Aiden now, they'd surely be proud.
It's said that pain helps one grow, but avoiding the events of last year would have been better for Aiden...
If following her previous thoughts, maybe she would have advised Aiden to rest a bit more.
But now...
Cynthia gazed into Aiden's dark pupils, seeing a flickering flame burning within.
In that case, perhaps all she needed to do was quietly support his decision?
Making the name of Sunshine Gym resonate throughout the world—this overly ambitious ideal, when spoken by Aiden, somehow felt strangely convincing.
...
As the smallest town in Sinnoh with the least population, Celestic Town was pitifully small in scale.
Thus, they didn't walk far before arriving at an ancient shrine said to date back to antiquity.
"The last time I came here was probably five years ago?"
Standing before the bell, Aiden gazed at the large hollow behind the shrine, his expression nostalgic.
This place could be considered the only landmark in Celestic Town.
Inside the stone cave behind it were murals recorded by the ancient Celestic people, depicting rituals related to the ancient Sinnoh region.
At first, Aiden didn't understand their meaning, but now he knew exactly what they represented.
It was none other than Arceus: The Creator of the World!
Gazing at the murals on the cave walls, Aiden spoke slowly, moved by their significance:
"In the beginning, amidst chaos and fluctuation, the world's first egg appeared, hatching into the first Pokémon."
"A being named Arceus emerged, swiftly breaking through the chaos and creating the entire universe."
"After creation, Arceus established order in the world and crafted eighteen plates representing different types from the remnants of creation."
"It bestowed the power of the plates upon all things, and subsequently created Dialga, the God of Time; Palkia, the God of Space; and Giratina, which controls Antimatter."
"Later, Arceus also created three deities who granted Knowledge, Emotion, and Will to living beings, hiding within the three great lakes of Sinnoh, thus being called the 'Lake Guardians.'"
"After completing the feats of creating the world, establishing order, and empowering life, Arceus fell into slumber in the Hall of Origin, awaiting its next awakening."
After reciting the content of the murals in one breath, Aiden took a deep breath.
At the same time, Cynthia looked at him with astonishment.
"You still remember all of this?"
The legend of the creator god Arceus had always been highly renowned in the Sinnoh region and across the world.
But the clarity and precision with which Aiden had just spoken could not be achieved without a deep understanding of the ancient texts discovered so far.
Given that Aiden was not a mythologist, how did he know all this?
The answer was simple—
"Mm, after all, it's a story you told me when I was little."
Aiden smiled faintly, looking at Cynthia.
Because her grandmother was Dr. Carolina, a famous historian and mythologist in Sinnoh, and Cynthia had grown up in the History Research Institute, she had shown an interest in Sinnoh's history from a young age.
Even earlier than receiving the Gible egg as a birthday gift.
In a sense, being a champion was just her side job; her main career was always as a mythologist and historian, striving to fill in the gaps of Sinnoh's history that had been missing for hundreds of years.
Thus, Aiden had heard her talk about the knowledge she learned from books countless times.
Through constant exposure, the part about the creator god Arceus had long been memorized word-for-word.
"I still remember many years ago, you made a wish here to become a mythologist, and now it has indeed come true."
Shaking the prayer bell, Aiden rang it and clasped his hands together, making a wish.
"Yes..."
Recalling the past, Cynthia soon wore a nostalgic expression, mirroring Aiden's actions.
For a moment, neither spoke until the ritual was over, at which point Cynthia broke the silence:
"By the way, what did you wish for back then?"
"Well..."
Aiden paused, then quickly smiled.
"Since wishes lose their magic if spoken aloud, and since mine hasn't come true yet, I'll tell you later~"
His wish just now was:
To hope that his Pokémon companions could also safely and healthily get through the new year.
But when he was younger, before he even had Eevee, he had another wish that he couldn't say yet...
As for what it was, it was still too early to reveal.
"Once a year, let my Pokémon share in the blessings of this place and make a wish too."
Skillfully changing the subject, Aiden summoned his companions from their Poké Balls and greeted them with a smile:
"Everyone, happy new year, please take care of me this year too!"
...
While Aiden and Cynthia were celebrating the new year in Celestic Town, a certain uninvited guest soon appeared in the deserted Sunshine Gym.
"Mew?"
Mew, appearing via Teleport, looked around and found the gym completely empty, instantly wearing a confused expression.
According to human customs, today should be called "New Year's Day," right?
Isn't this the day when everyone gathers together? How could there be no one here when I came to join the fun...
Mew quickly used its psychic powers, extending its range to cover the entire Cabo Poco.
Even so, it couldn't find Eevee or Aiden.
After carefully observing and realizing that no one had been here for several days, Mew instantly panicked.
Could it be...
They abandoned me?
Although it technically wasn't part of Sunshine Gym, shouldn't they at least give me a heads-up before leaving?
Mew quickly went to the washroom, staring at itself in the mirror.
Didn't humans love cute Pokémon and willingly treat them as masters, calling themselves "Pokémon servants," working tirelessly to provide a luxurious life for their Pokémon?
Why doesn't Aiden follow the rules?
Am I not cute enough?
"Mew..."
Mew hugged its soft pink tail, wearing a satisfied expression.
That can't be right; there shouldn't be any Pokémon cuter than me in this world, right?
And my good friend Eevee wouldn't leave without saying goodbye either...
So maybe they just went on vacation, like me?
Thinking of this, Mew suddenly had an idea:
If that's the case, I'll go to Viridian Forest and ask an old friend to help check when Aiden and Eevee will return!
With a thought, Mew instantly teleported to the Kanto region, almost halfway across the world.
Though it hadn't been here for years, for a Pokémon like Mew, whose lifespan was unknown, even a hundred years was just a blink of an eye.
However, upon arriving in Viridian Forest, Mew froze.
Not only did it not sense the presence of its old friend, but it also detected a special existence nearby in the human city—
Based on the energy emitted, it was at least 80% similar to itself...
Mew narrowed its eyes, realizing that things might not be so simple.
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