The power of the heart had only appeared briefly once in the long history of the Pokémon world, roughly a thousand years ago.
Because of certain unique circumstances, many Legendary Pokémon knew that such a special psychic power existed.
But none of them had ever taken it seriously.
Now, however, both Lugia and Ho-Oh's understanding had been completely shattered.
From the moment Chen Shi's Heart Power spread across Dark Lugia's body—
The darkness that had tormented countless Legendary Pokémon for three thousand years, the darkness that no one had been able to eliminate no matter what methods they tried—
Suddenly seemed to have encountered its natural nemesis.
It instantly lost all of its former arrogance and began dissipating at an astonishing speed.
The darkness that had enveloped Lugia's body, turning it pitch-black and filling it with sinister energy—
Was now rapidly fading.
Like mist exposed to sunlight.
Bit by bit, Lugia's original appearance began returning.
"How is this possible?"
For the first time in a very long time, shock appeared on Ho-Oh's noble and dignified face.
Even Sacred Fire had been completely powerless against this darkness.
Yet this human had accomplished it with Heart Power.
Nearby, Lugia was equally shocked.
But more than shock—
It felt joy.
After all, the infected one was its own kin.
If this human named Chen Shi could truly save its fellow Lugia—
That would be the best possible outcome.
Not just them.
Even Mew was stunned speechless.
Few beings in the world understood the horror of the darkness better than Mew.
Back when Xerneas had been infected, Mew had traveled the world with it, desperately searching for a solution.
Yet now—
Chen Shi had casually erased the darkness from Lugia's body.
How could Mew not be shocked?
But after the shock came realization.
Then—
Ecstasy.
Its eyes immediately lit up.
Originally, Mew had only chosen Chen Shi because it had foreseen that the World Tree would someday face an unprecedented catastrophe.
And the one ray of hope lay within Chen Shi.
Or rather—
Within the mysterious Heart Power he possessed.
Unfortunately, Chen Shi had never fully mastered that power.
And even Mew didn't really understand it.
Over time, it had almost forgotten about the matter.
Yet now—
The Heart Power had actually proven this absurdly overpowered.
It could even eliminate the darkness!
Mew stared excitedly at Chen Shi.
This was a jackpot.
An absolute jackpot!
This World Tree Guardian—
You're taking that job whether you like it or not!
What none of them knew, however, was that Chen Shi himself had no idea what was happening.
All he had done was walk over.
Then the psychic power inside his body had erupted on its own.
And Dark Lugia had gradually turned white again.
So at this moment—
Chen Shi was just as confused as everyone else.
Eventually, Dark Lugia's body returned completely to normal.
The violent crimson eyes regained their clarity.
Only confusion remained.
Meanwhile, the Clan Leader Lugia immediately flew over.
"Are you alright?"
Little Lugia looked at it blankly.
"Big brother?"
"What are you doing here?"
Then it looked around.
Only now did it notice Clan Leader Lugia.
Ho-Oh.
Several Mythical Pokémon.
Even a young Rayquaza.
As for Chen Shi and Cynthia—
They were automatically ignored.
Seeing this lineup, Little Lugia immediately became nervous.
"Big brother…"
"What happened?"
"You don't remember anything?"
Clan Leader Lugia asked solemnly.
"No?"
Little Lugia looked bewildered.
"Wasn't I just sleeping here?"
"Did something happen?"
Otherwise—
Why would both its big brother and Ho-Oh be here?
Clan Leader Lugia fell silent.
A long moment later, it finally spoke.
"It seems this darkness is even more terrifying than we imagined."
"My fellow Lugia is not weak."
"And yet it was infected without realizing it."
Ho-Oh nodded.
"Indeed."
"We need to take this matter more seriously."
"If only Xerneas had been affected, we could still call it a coincidence."
"But now even a Lugia has been infected."
"That means this definitely isn't a simple matter."
Mew curled its lips.
[And how exactly are you planning to be careful?]
[Don't forget—we still have no idea where this darkness comes from.]
The moment those words landed—
Both Ho-Oh and Lugia went silent.
Because Mew was right.
They still had no clue how the darkness appeared.
Even Xerneas itself had never discovered how it became infected.
They had even sent Celebi back through time.
Yet found nothing.
And now the same thing had happened again.
A powerful Lugia had become infected without even realizing it.
Under such circumstances—
How could they defend against it?
How could they prevent it?
At that moment, Mew flew onto Chen Shi's shoulder and proudly puffed out its chest.
[If you ask me, you'd be better off paying attention to my World Tree Guardian.]
[After all, besides Arceus, he's currently the only one capable of removing the darkness.]
The instant those words were spoken—
Both Lugia and Ho-Oh turned toward Chen Shi.
From a certain perspective—
Mew wasn't wrong.
The darkness was impossible to guard against.
But as long as Chen Shi existed—
As long as there was someone capable of curing it—
The darkness suddenly didn't seem quite so invincible anymore.
Ho-Oh smiled faintly.
"You call him your World Tree Guardian."
"But I don't sense any World Tree aura on him."
Lugia nodded in agreement.
"Neither do I."
"I don't feel any connection between him and the World Tree."
[So what?]
[I've already paid him!]
[He agreed!]
[I just haven't brought him back to the World Tree for the ceremony yet!]
Mew looked completely unconcerned.
Chen Shi's face darkened.
Back then, he had been too inexperienced.
A single Xerneas antler fragment had completely blinded him.
Thinking back now—
He felt like he'd suffered a huge loss.
Although...
If he remembered correctly—
He had never actually agreed to become any World Tree Guardian.
He had only promised to help protect the World Tree.
While Chen Shi was still sorting through that memory—
One sentence from Ho-Oh instantly made Mew explode.
"Coincidentally, I'm still looking for a Rainbow Hero."
"And this human seems quite suitable."
"Since I'm already here, there's no need for any trials."
"If he agrees, he can become a Rainbow Hero immediately."
The moment those words left Ho-Oh's mouth—
Mew completely lost it.
It shot into the air and transformed into Rayquaza.
Then it glared furiously at Ho-Oh.
To hell with "Auntie Ho-Oh"!
You actually dare steal this cat's Guardian?!
You really want to throw hands, don't you?!
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)