Chapter 489:
This walking posture even startled Zoroark, which was being held, causing it to stop struggling.
"....Alright... just keep walking like that then!"
Kaede let out a sigh and responded helplessly.
"Ninetales..." (*That feels really awkward...*)
The Alolan Ninetales took a few steps and immediately felt silly... and put its forelegs back down.
"..." Shaking his head, Kaede didn't bother with the little one who never seemed to grow up anymore and looked at the Zoroark. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you have come looking for me? Why did you try to run as soon as you saw me?"
"Zoroark?"
The Zoroark was taken aback. Looking into the human's eyes, a feeling of being seen through welled up in its heart. It gulped, lowered its head slightly, but quickly raised it again. "Zoroark!" (*I want to ask for your help!*)
Hmm.
The tone was sincere, though the approach was questionable.
Kaede tentatively reached out a hand, intending to use his Viridian Power to probe its past, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. He asked directly, "Tell me, what did you see about me in the future?"
"Zoroark?!"
Upon hearing this, the Zoroark first froze, then the fur all over its body bristled slightly as it looked at Kaede with disbelief.
It almost blurted out: "Zoroark!" (*How do you know!?*)
It was certain this was its first meeting with this human, and from such a distance, the other party had actually pinpointed the reason for seeking him out at a single glance?
Kaede didn't speak, just quietly looked at it.
Gardevoir's Psychic restraint loosened, setting the Zoroark down.
This time, the Zoroark didn't run. It seemed to sense that Kaede was more approachable than expected.
Over there, Megumi, still holding a large chicken leg, quietly crept over upon seeing this scene, wanting to eavesdrop on why this Zoroark had attacked her.
"Zoroark...." (*I do not come from this space-time....*)
Kaede interrupted it. "Space-time, or just a different timeline?"
There was a difference between space-time and timeline. Space-time implied it might not even be from this world, as in the Pokémon world, the concept of infinite parallel worlds inherently existed.
The Creator existed beyond countless worlds, and Its fragments created worlds infinitely.
Those worlds also had their own unique space-times.
This question stumped the Zoroark. It hesitated for a long while, ultimately feeling it probably just didn't belong to this timeline.
"I can see your past from you. Will you let me?"
"Zoroark?"
The Zoroark hadn't expected this human to possess such an ability!?
It hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Kaede placed his hand on its body, took a deep breath, and activated his Viridian Power.
Fleeting memories, countless images began to replay in his mind: a dark-brown furred Zoroark, a spirited young man.
A city, an earthquake.
Judging by the progression, it probably only covered the last decade or so.
And the scale of the earthquake...
Under the influence of Viridian Power, Kaede was almost transported to another place. He could feel the earthquake's terrifying force. The earth's wrath, buildings over ten meters tall collapsing almost instantly. Looking down from a high vantage point, the entire land, for hundreds of kilometers, surged like an ocean, raising towering waves.
Countless humans and Pokémon cities, wails in the forests.
Trainers without Flying-type Pokémon, Pokémon that couldn't fly, had no power to resist in the face of such a natural disaster.
Countless Ground-type and Flying-type Pokémon darted through the ruins, rescuing people and Pokémon affected by the quake.
Without needing to see more, Kaede could guess the when and where.
The Eastova region—Kawasho region.
That earthquake occurred shortly after he was born, so his own impression wasn't deep.
But an earthquake of such magnitude, he couldn't possibly be unaware of it.
According to later reports and descriptions, that earthquake affected most areas in the Kawasho region to varying degrees.
The severely affected areas were reduced to dust and rubble.
Even reinforced concrete was pulverized.
The directly affected population reached six figures, while indirectly affected people accounted for three-quarters of the province's population.
Some said it was because the ley lines were disturbed, causing the earth to roar. 'Ley lines' was the local term, rumors of immense energy veins stretching for thousands of miles underground. Disturbing this energy would enrage the earth and trigger a great disaster.
Kaede didn't know how much of this was true or false, but in the Pokémon world, he believed such explanations.
After all, in this world, every place had its corresponding legends.
Although these legends often involved world destruction and seemed exaggerated.
They were also the ancient people of this world warning their descendants not to lightly provoke legends, lest they bring disaster!
The origin of the ley lines was untraceable. Later, during school, a classmate who spoke of this matter mysteriously claimed to know some inside information.
He heard that a corporation was very interested in the ley line legends there. The legendary ley lines possessed immense energy; they wanted to use this energy for automated production and dispatched a large number of excavators to dig!
Here comes the interesting part.
In this world, legends of this kind were usually passed down through various methods.
The most basic method of transmission was one-on-one: the older generation telling the younger generation. And these types of legends often had their guardians, their guides.
Just like in the school chat.
This Zoroark... and its Trainer were the guardians of the ley lines.
Facing the power of an entire corporation, they were overwhelmed. The corporation disturbed the ley lines, moving massive amounts of earth and stone in the deep mountains. What they finally unearthed, while just a pile of useless stones...
...still triggered the earthquake.
In the end, it was the young man with the Zoroark, rushing through the mountains and forests, who reached Regigigas and begged for Its mighty power to calm the ley lines' fury.
But the continuous, desperate rush to find Regigigas drained the young man of all his strength, and he fell into an eternal slumber within the earth.
The Zoroark before him also perished.
Yet, in the Zoroark's moment of profound grief, it encountered Celebi, who had also sensed the earthquake. The depth of its sorrow allowed it to touch the ripples of time, transforming into its Hisuian form... a Ghost-type Zoroark!