War, slavery, oppression...
Beyond the boundless universe, within a vast and mysterious void, the God of Creation gazed down upon the world He had crafted.
Humanity and Pokémon in that world had fallen to such a state.
As the deity who had birthed countless universes, Arceus could not bear to see His creations descend into ruin.
And so, not long ago, Arceus summoned a solitary soul from another world, commanding it to change everything.
This was not new to Him.
After all, it wasn't the first time He had intervened. Once before, He had cast a human girl named Akari from the future into the Hisui Region, entrusting her with mending the space-time rift torn open by His wayward children.
Now, as He watched this new human's journey unfold, Arceus felt a rare sense of satisfaction.
"Continue forward, human."
The divine voice resounded across the void, vast and timeless.
Arceus's gaze lingered, unblinking, as the flow of fate continued below.
...
Territory of Healer Lila
Within her home, Healer Lila tended to the injured Pokémon and the young man before her. She carefully applied healing balm to the burns marring their bodies before speaking in concern.
"Your Highness, what happened out there?"
"There was a… minor incident," Lucien replied with a calm nod. "But it's been taken care of."
"I'm relieved to hear that," Lila sighed, the tension leaving her shoulders. "Still, you must be more careful, Your Highness. You're the pillar of this group. If something happened to you…"
Lucien's companion, Geralt, nodded firmly in agreement. From now on, such dangerous matters would be handled by him and his Haxorus.
Lucien gave a soft cough. Truth be told, he hadn't expected such a powerful Pokémon to be slumbering within those ruins.
Still, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
His gaze drifted toward the Volcarona egg resting beside him.
It was the offspring of a Volcarona that had ascended to near-legendary strength.
Once, Lucien would never have even dreamed of such a thing.
At last, he had found his third partner.
The only issue was that, like his Dratini, Larvesta was a late-blooming Pokémon.
In the games, Dratini evolved into Dragonite at level 55, and Larvesta, astonishingly, didn't evolve into Volcarona until level 59.
Lucien could only stare in speechless disbelief.
His eyes then fell upon the Servine standing proudly at his side.
Snivy's evolution had far exceeded all of Lucien's expectations.
He hadn't imagined that his partner would choose to evolve in order to protect him.
Recalling how Snivy had once resisted evolution, Lucien asked softly, "Servine… how are you feeling? Are you all right?"
"Servine."
The Grass-type Pokémon lifted its head proudly, showing no signs of weakness.
Seeing that, Lucien smiled faintly. "Thank you, Servine."
The regal Pokémon turned away with dignified grace. To her, this was nothing more than his duty, as a Pokémon, it was his instinct to protect the human she had chosen.
Lucien chuckled quietly. "Still the same as ever…"
At least his Servine hadn't developed the rebellious streak that Ash's Charizard had shown after evolving. That thought alone was a relief.
"Lord Lucien, is this… a monster egg?" Lila asked curiously, noticing the gleaming shell beside him.
Lucien nodded. "Yes. Pokémon reproduce much like we humans do. The mother of this egg was a powerful one. Before she passed, she entrusted her child to my care."
"She… passed away?" Lila's eyes softened in sympathy.
"Birth, aging, illness, and death, these are natural to both humans and monsters. They're part of the world's order. None can escape it."
He paused, then smiled faintly. "Though perhaps… not all things are absolute."
After all, this world still had Pokémon such as Xerneas, the God of Life.
It was said that when Xerneas's horns shimmered with rainbow light, it shared the gift of eternal life.
And in the Kalos Region, there also existed Yveltal, the Pokémon of Destruction, who governed death itself.
The Kalos war weapon of legend was forged by AZ, who studied both Xerneas and Yveltal in his desperate pursuit of their powers.
The ultimate weapon was unimaginably powerful, its destructive force rivaled Yveltal's. In an instant, it could drain the life energy from every Pokémon on the battlefield, felling friend and foe alike.
What's more, it incorporated aspects of Xerneas's power: by converting the life energy it absorbed, it could resurrect the dead, though the conversion efficiency was abysmally low.
But the weapon also emitted a terrifying radiation. AZ himself was altered by it, his body mutating into a giant over three meters tall, ageless and unending, surviving all the way into the modern era.
After Lila finished tending to the wounded, Lucien returned home with the egg, his Dratini, and his Servine.
Five Minccino were still bustling about, tidying the house. Their eyes lit up the moment Lucien stepped through the door.
He set the Larvesta egg carefully on his bed. Until it hatched, there was nothing to do but wait.
"Help me look after this egg for a while, all right? I need to step out," Lucien said.
"Min!" came the cheerful chorus.
Relieved, Lucien nodded and headed for the settlement's central square.
A crowd of villagers and Pokémon had already gathered there, curiously eyeing the group of Darmanitan and Darumaka.
As Lucien approached, the onlookers instinctively parted to make way.
"Darmanitan," he addressed them evenly, "this is our territory."
The Pokémon turned, taking in the scene: humans and many different Pokémon living side by side.
"As you can see, this is a place where humans and Pokémon share a home. There's no danger here, no one will harm you. If you wish to stay, you'll have peace, purpose, and a chance to help us build something together."
"Daru…?" The Pokémon glanced about, uncertain what choice to make.
Lucien fell silent, thinking.
Darmanitan, being a Fire-type, can harbor flames reaching nearly 1,400°C within their bodies. They're tremendously strong, strong enough to crush a dump truck with their bare hands.
They'd be perfect for helping in the mines, firing clay bricks in the kilns, and even assisting smiths with smelting and forging tools.
They also possess a… peculiar utility.
Their droppings retain heat, once used as natural hand warmers to keep people from freezing.
Even so, Lucien couldn't help wincing. No matter the practicality, there's always something a little awkward about talking Pokémon… droppings.
...
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