In the end, the chosen child of fate was raised by the people onto the throne that all expected him to take. Thus, an ancient kingdom where humans and Pokémon coexisted in harmony was born.
The story depicted on the murals seemed to reach its conclusion here.
But—
[Something feels off. If the protagonist already fulfilled his ideal, then what was the deal with that massive mural of Zekrom at the very beginning?]
[Yeah, when I first saw that mural, I honestly thought Zekrom was some kind of villain Pokémon.]
[Is it possible that mural was just meant to showcase how powerful Zekrom is?]
[Maybe… but it still feels kind of strange.]
The doubts raised by the barrage weren't unreasonable.
Indeed, judging by the overall rhythm of the mural's story, that Zekrom mural—depicting a scene of near-total destruction—felt oddly out of place.
"Could it be…" Chen Mo murmured, thoughtful.
"Could it be that the story on these murals hasn't actually ended yet?"
In the Pokémon world, detailed records about Legendary Pokémon were rare. But there was one piece of lore about Zekrom that stood out:
According to legend, if the one Zekrom supports loses their original ideals, then Zekrom will use its terrifying lightning to set the world ablaze.
With that in mind, Chen Mo's gaze returned to the murals—to the legendary hero who had ascended to the throne, someone who, in a sense, was his predecessor.
"After you became king… what happened to you?"
Just as Chen Mo was lost in thought, ripples suddenly spread through the space in front of Zekrom's massive mural. Two Unown appeared one after the other.
Sensing the disturbance, Chen Mo immediately turned around. But before he could act, the Unown that were staring at him seemed to emit a strange, mysterious fluctuation.
In that instant, his body froze completely—only his thoughts could still move.
Chen Mo stared at the enormous mural of Zekrom before him. Its resentment, its hatred, seemed to pierce through the painting, through time itself, as if those world-destroying bolts of lightning were about to strike him down.
"Steady your mind. That is not the real Zekrom."
A voice echoed through the void.
It was spoken in an unknown language, yet its meaning flowed clearly into Chen Mo's heart.
"You are—?!"
His body suddenly regained the ability to move. When Chen Mo looked again, it was as though time had reversed by thousands of years. The ancient ruins around him were no longer weathered and broken—they were pristine, newly constructed.
Only then did Chen Mo realize that Pikachu and Pidgeotto were gone.
He stood alone in this place—familiar, yet utterly foreign.
Panic surged.
But he knew that panic alone was useless. Forcing himself to calm down, Chen Mo shifted his attention outward, focusing on the brand-new murals surrounding him.
That was when he noticed something different.
"These are…"
The new murals began after the hero had ascended the throne.
At the founding of the kingdom, the hero—now the first king—governed with tireless dedication, striving with all his might to realize the vision in his heart: a homeland where humans and Pokémon could live together.
Thanks to his efforts, the long-standing hatred between humans and Pokémon was quickly eased during the kingdom's early years. Many humans began trying to live alongside smaller Pokémon, and a brand-new future seemed just within reach.
During this peaceful era, perhaps sensing that the first king had fully realized his ideals, Zekrom—the kingdom's guardian deity—fell into a deep slumber one day.
Before doing so, Zekrom told the king where it would sleep, and promised that if any great danger ever arose, it could be awakened at any time.
And so, the journey of one man and one god temporarily came to an end.
Years passed.
The ancient kingdom, formed by both humans and Pokémon, grew ever stronger. At the same time, the first king grew old.
His hair turned white. His once-strong body gradually withered under the weight of time.
It seemed that the king's era was coming to an end.
Many believed that the throne would soon pass to the crown prince—who closely resembled the first king in his youth.
The balance of power quietly began to shift.
The first king sensed it too.
Day after day, he sat alone upon his lofty throne, watching his subjects discuss affairs of state with the crown prince below him—silent, withdrawn.
Back in his chambers, facing his own aged reflection in the mirror, subtle changes began to take root in his heart.
He no longer restrained himself with the near-ascetic discipline of his youth. Slowly, he began to indulge in the pleasures brought by royal authority.
At first, it was merely material comfort.
But gradually, he developed a deep craving for the power he had once disregarded.
He appointed corrupt officials, lost trust in the loyal ministers who had followed him in his early years, and became increasingly stubborn, suspicious, and paranoid—trusting no one.
His dissatisfaction grew. So did his greed.
Fully aware of the power Pokémon possessed, he began exploiting their strength to wage wars of conquest against neighboring nations, spreading the shadow of war across the entire continent.
In just a few short years, the once-revered Black Hero became a Black Demon King steeped in sin.
Eventually—
He set his sights on the immense power of his first and greatest partner: Zekrom.
Knowing that he was no longer the man he once was, the first king did not dare face Zekrom himself. Instead, he sent the crown prince—completely under his control and incapable of resistance—to Zekrom's resting place.
Using the excuse of a grave national crisis, he deceived Zekrom and obtained a crystallized fragment of its power.
But soon—
Zekrom sensed that something was wrong.
Leaving its place of slumber, it saw a world once again consumed by conflict. It saw the youth who once carried lofty ideals transformed into a cackling tyrant.
Zekrom's wrath erupted.
Divine punishment descended upon the ancient kingdom.
After decades of companionship, the terrifying power Zekrom had never fully revealed was unleashed in its entirety under the weight of that fury.
In an instant, the strongest—and most fearsome—kingdom on the continent was reduced to ruin.
In a world engulfed in flames—
The aged first king still sat upon his solitary throne. But when he raised his head, the black dragon that had once accompanied him on his journey was nowhere to be seen.
"..."
Chen Mo fell into a long, heavy silence.
From the void, that mysterious voice echoed once more, as though asking him:
"Do you possess… the resolve to seek ideals within your heart?"
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