Chapter 190: A Black Hole in the Lore
There are many gods in the Pokémon world.
99% of the time, this refers to a specific Pokémon. But 1% of the time, it refers to a person.
Among them, in the Kalos region three thousand years ago, the king who ruled the land, AZ, is one of those "gods." This man is the first human in Pokémon history to "ascend" to godhood.
His personal story is so long it could fill a short novel. Anyway, to put it simply, the AZ of today is an immortal "dead man."
That guy...
Will glanced at the alley they had just passed. The three-meter-tall human figure inside had already disappeared. But Will was sure he hadn't been mistaken. Three meters tall, looking like a homeless wanderer, with a bronze key hanging on his chest, appearing in the Kalos region...
This was definitely that mad king from three thousand years ago, AZ.
In front of this contender, even the future evil team bosses of every region would have to bow their heads.
When AZ first activated the ultimate weapon for his revenge, the weapon had two effects on him. First, his body changed. He became a three-meter-tall giant. This part wasn't important; no evil boss would envy that.
But the other was "immortality." Eternal life, undying.
If Will hadn't transmigrated, AZ would absolutely be the biggest cheater in the Pokémon world. Even Ash and Red would have to bow their heads to him.
It was just that ever since his Pokémon, Floette, left him, the man had become a wreck. He lost his will to live, but couldn't die, wandering the world like a living dead man. His actions were completely incomprehensible. For example, running off to the Cave of Origin in Hoenn's Sootopolis City... just to plant a tree.
Will had thought about it in the past. If he were transmigrated into the Pokémon world, his path was clear. It wasn't to become a champion, but to first find Celebi or Dialga, get them to take him to Kalos three thousand years ago, and activate the ultimate weapon himself to gain that immortality cheat.
"Eternal life" and "infinite revival" granted by Pokémon were all fleeting. If you were killed, you would still die. And you weren't guaranteed to be revived every time. Only the "ultimate weapon" was the real deal. Its name, the "Ultimate Weapon," was no exaggeration. Not only did the future Team Flare want it, but even the Devon Corporation, Team Magma, and Team Aqua had all utilized parts of its technology.
But to say AZ was the biggest cheater wasn't just because of his immortality. It was because his brain was a black hole in the lore.
The ultimate weapon... AZ invented it himself, 3000 years ago. It never explained where his wisdom came from... he just invented it.
This brain... even the boss of Team Flare, Lysandre, coveted it. He imprisoned AZ for a long time, not just for the weapon, but for that intellect.
Oh, worth mentioning, Lysandre is a descendant of AZ. What a "filial" son.
With the ultimate weapon, Lysandre could achieve his goal. But with AZ, he could have countless ultimate weapons. Will had no doubt that if AZ ever got his act together, he could invent anything. A time machine to reverse the world, a time-space ship to cross parallel universes... Anything was possible.
Did that guy just glance at me? He's supposed to be in a daze, not caring about anything. Why would he look at me?
Will pursed his lips, a trace of doubt in his mind.
Thinking of the "age of villains" two hundred years from now, he felt a headache coming on. He didn't even know if an Ash or a Red existed in this world. If not, who's going to solve all those problems? Was it going to be him? Running to Hoenn at the start of the year to fight the two idiots, to Sinnoh mid-year to fight the time-space-antimatter trio, and then a trip to Kalos at the end of the year to check on Zygarde?
"Forget it. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'll finish my own business first."
Will took a deep breath, calming his soaring blood pressure. This world was full of talented people; he couldn't be the one to solve everything. Not being afraid of death is one thing. But every death means losing many important people, and it hurts.
Coming back to his senses, Will looked around. A large crowd had gathered around him and Meowscarada again. But whatever, he was used to it.
Letting the crowd follow, Will led Meowscarada on a stroll through Lumiose City. After walking around, he had a good grasp of the city's layout. The entire city is a decagram (ten-pointed star). There is a central plaza in the middle, and in the other five directions, there are smaller, colored plazas. Each plaza was full of trainers, but they weren't just battling; they were having all sorts of discussions about Pokémon.
He had to admit. The Kalos region wasn't just ahead in urban development, but also in its way of thinking about Pokémon.
As they passed the "Green Plaza," "Meow-meow?"
"Yes, cafés seem to be a specialty of this city."
A human voice sounded again. "Wow~ It's a Meowscarada and a Sceptile~ That's a rare sight."
They both ignored it. But this human had no sense of personal boundaries, running right up to them and practically pressing her face against theirs.
"Meow!" Meowscarada swiped at her. Officer Jenny won't save you if you provoke a wild Pokémon.
"Ooh-la-la~ what a feisty cat."
The person quickly leaned back, dodging her claws. For a human to react that quickly was quite impressive.
Will looked down at the person in front of him and frowned. It was a young girl, perhaps in her teens, wearing glasses and a white lab coat. A researcher?
The Kalos region's research lab was also here. New trainers had to come here to get their Kalos starters. So, it was normal to see a Pokémon researcher in this city. And most Pokémon researchers have an obsession with Pokémon that far exceeds that of ordinary people. This obsession makes them approach Pokémon to study them, heedless of the danger.
"Hello, you two little guests from afar! My name is Platane, a researcher who is constantly studying Pokémon genetics! Would you two like to be guests at my laboratory?" the girl, Platane, shimmied closer. It seemed that because Will looked calmer, she had chosen to approach him.
But this choice was exactly the wrong one.
If she had approached Meowscarada, the cat would have at most pouted and ignored her. But she had approached Will, and...
"Meow!"
Swipe. Another claw lashed out.
"Whoa!" Platane immediately ducked. "My, what a feisty cat."
"So experienced. It's pitifully skillful," Will thought, shaking his head. To be able to dodge a Pokémon's attack so nimbly... she must have been attacked a lot.
Will now had a good idea of her identity. An ancestor of Professor Sycamore. And Sycamore was the future Pokémon Professor of Lumiose City. The one who would give Fennekin to Serena.
"Meow!" Meowscarada didn't like her and pulled on Will to leave.
"Not so fast. I'm quite interested in what she's researching. Let's go see," Will said, stopping her. To be precise, he was interested in her research. Pokémon genetics.
Its classic creation—Mewtwo—was the highest achievement of genetics that Will knew of. In the various versions of the Pokémon story, the creator of Mewtwo was different. Old Man Fuji, Dr. Yung, Blaine... these were all people who had created a Mewtwo. But one thing was the same: they were all created from Mew's genes. This example alone was enough to prove the value of Pokémon genetics.
So, Will wanted to go to her lab and see if he could get any rare research for free. What if he needed it later? For example, if he met Mewtwo in the future. Will could analyze its identity from a genetic perspective, help it be less confused, and stop it from trying to "strike back" all the time.
"Oh-ho, from the Sceptile's expression, does that mean you're willing to come and see?" Platane's eyes were sharp; she had seen his intention in an instant. She quickly ran over, grabbed his arm, and began to drag him, afraid he would change his mind.
"Meow!" Meowscarada ran over and pushed her away, not letting her touch Will.
Platane didn't mind and just led the way.
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