Chapter 218: Aftermath of the Third Life
League Year 50.
This year, the Pokémon League announced something major: The Pokémon Battle Tournament would be established as an official annual event. This year would be the first-ever trial run.
The public's reaction was, naturally, extremely enthusiastic. Ever since the regional Leagues were founded, the popularity of Pokémon battles had been climbing. While the number of people willing to participate wasn't as high as one might imagine, as a spectator sport, it was an event for the entire populace. The League had every reason to promote this fiery trend that encouraged humans and Pokémon to coexist harmoniously and grow stronger together.
Of course... that was the public reason.
The true reason was different. The League had realized its own powerlessness and weakness. In the face of true "gods," they had no power to resist. They had to find a way to promote the advancement of human society's strength and unearth more talented trainers. At the very least, they never wanted to be in a position again where they could only sit and wait for the outcome.
A little over a year ago, massive fires had ignited all over the world, claiming the lives of countless people and Pokémon. This matter, of course, attracted the full attention of the Pokémon League. After a year-long investigation, they finally determined the cause was the Tree of Beginning.
The great battle at the Tree of Beginning, near Rota City in the Kanto region, had finally been pieced together by the League. Naturally, their focus fell on the battle's protagonists: the "special Sceptile" and the "black Lugia."
Lugia. No League in any region was unfamiliar with this Legendary Pokémon. Any news about it was immediately sent to the League HQ database for study. Someone had witnessed that after being defeated, the black Lugia had reverted to its white form. Therefore, everyone was fairly certain that this was the white Lugia that had appeared in history. As for how it had become that black, red-eyed monster, the League was still investigating.
And as for Sceptile... this was a Pokémon that was both familiar and foreign. Familiar, because Sceptile was a Hoenn region Pokémon. It wasn't common, but it certainly wasn't a once-in-a-century sighting.
Everyone was baffled and curious. How could a single Sceptile defeat a Pokémon that was known in folklore as a 'god'? And not just one, but two.
From the initial one-on-one stalemate to the later one-on-two crushing victory... and the massive changes in Sceptile's appearance and size... What exactly had happened?
The pressure was on the Hoenn League, but they were just as confused. Just as they were at a loss, the Kalos League stepped forward.
When they did, the Hoenn League's expression became... odd. It was like a wife looking at her husband and thinking, "Why do you know so much about my best friend?"
You couldn't blame the Kalos League. The first time Will had become world-famous was when he defeated their League's strongest member in the Kalos region. Therefore, the Kalos League knew the most about him.
Moreover, Platane was now a high-ranking member of the Kalos League. She was also the only human in the world who knew how Will had achieved that form.
She publicly announced her theory—"Pokémon may be able to evolve indefinitely"—and stated that Will had been her research partner.
However, Platane did not tell anyone about the potion. It was a failure. And a failure like that could never be released to the world. Platane had no doubt that people would use it for evil—people who saw Pokémon as disposable tools, who would wring every last drop of value from them without mercy. Her potion would be a perfect weapon in their hands.
With the explanation from Platane and the Kalos League, supplemented by information from the Joy family, the Pokémon League roughly understood what kind of being Will was.
They also understood. It was Will who had saved the entire world during the global disaster.
As for where Will was now... no one knew. Everyone probably had an answer in their hearts, but no one dared to say it.
At Platane's strong insistence, the Pokémon League decided to publicize part of the truth. They would announce that Will had saved the world. They would also announce that Will had become strong enough to defeat "gods." This wasn't just to let people know the truth and to ensure a hero was remembered; it was also a way to inspire people. To let everyone know that an ordinary Pokémon could surpass even a Legendary.
However, they could not reveal that the culprit was Lugia, lest some hot-blooded but empty-headed trainers go looking for trouble and bring disaster upon humanity. Nor could they reveal that the worldwide fires were caused by an attack on the Tree of Beginning, to prevent anyone from using that information for nefarious purposes in the future.
Once the news was released, it caused a global sensation. Many people discussed the fires that had happened near them. Some claimed they had witnessed the battle in Rota City. Others even claimed they had once shared a drink with that Sceptile.
In any case, since the founding of the Pokémon League, Will became the very first Pokémon to be given the title of "Hero." He was a "Legend" who had been closest to humanity.
And the League did more than just talk. They decided that for every future Pokémon Battle Tournament, the Torch Relay would use fallen leaves from Sceptile's tail as the kindling to light the main cauldron. The meaning was "to pass on the flame."
Not only that, but the Sceptile line began to hold a special status in the League. For example, almost all Pokémon Rangers from then on were partnered with a Treecko or a Grovyle. This status was no less than that of Nurse Joy's Chansey or Officer Jenny's Growlithe.
With all these measures, Sceptile gained an incredibly high status in the eyes of many trainers. It even became the "Dream Pokémon" for all Grass-type trainers.
At the end of that same year, the first Pokémon Battle Tournament opened. The first-ever location: Rota City in Kanto.
On the day of the Torch Relay, a Rowan, now over forty, served as the final torchbearer. He held the torch, lit with Moltres's sacred flame, and climbed the steps to the giant golden cauldron. He looked down at the leaves in the cauldron, his expression momentarily distant. Finally, he lit the leaves with the torch.
Led by the League President, everyone shouted the slogan that had been promoted in advance:
"Where the hero's leaf dances, the flame of spirit is reborn!"
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, fifty years passed.
League Year 100.
A massive disturbance occurred in the Sevii Islands region. The seas were ravaged by freezing blizzards, sudden thunderstorms, and scorching droughts. The people and Pokémon living there were in misery, able to do nothing but beg the gods of ice, thunder, and fire to calm their anger.
But how could the three "gods" care about human lives when they were busy fighting?
Their battle only escalated. A free-for-all between three Champion-class Pokémon—even the Indigo League couldn't stop it.
True, in the fifty years since the tournament began, human strength had climbed, and the League had grown stronger. The League's strongest President had now reached the level of a low-Champion. But that level wasn't enough to mess with the Legendary Birds. These weren't ordinary individuals; they were the original three, Lugia's subordinates.
By all accounts, when the underlings fought, the boss should have stepped in. In the past, every time the birds fought, Lugia would appear to stop them and save the populace.
But this time, Lugia did not appear.
A day passed. Two days. A week.
The severe weather in the Sevii Islands didn't improve; it worsened, spreading north to Kanto and south to the Orange Archipelago.
Just as humanity was falling into despair, an elegant and mysterious green figure approached from the southern seas. She was riding on the back of a Lapras, sailing calmly into the center of the battlefield.
"(Maybe we should just go?)" the Lapras rumbled.
"Just put me on that small island nearby, and then you leave. Come back for me after the fighting stops," Meowscarada stroked the Lapras's neck. Her gaze swept over the three Legendary Birds, a flicker of disdain in her eyes.
"(Why do you have to stop them? Can't we just go somewhere far away?)"
Meowscarada looked down, a small smile on her face as she shook her head. The Lapras sighed and did as she asked.
After the Lapras was a safe distance away, the chaotic sky suddenly burst with a pink radiance. A storm of Flower Trick petals danced, tinting the entire sky, as if a giant cherry tree had bloomed over the ocean and the sky was its canopy.
The three massive birds fell from the sky, dropping into the ocean along with the pink flowers.
The world suddenly fell silent. The seas were no longer in chaos; everything returned to normal.
Meowscarada sat quietly on the island's shore, watching the clear sky and sighing.
"Dad..."
"This world you fought so hard to protect... it sure has a lot of problems."
"I don't know when it happened... but I've become just like you."
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