Chapter 119
"Alright... that's it, Celesteela! Take them down! Hahaha..."
On the ground, Rose of the Ultra World had already been subdued by Zacian. He lay on the ground covered in dust and dirt, but looked up at the sky and let out a joyful laugh.
Zacian did not harm his life, but merely rendered him unable to fight or move, because she had already realized that there was no point in doing anything more to this man.
This man has never cared about himself.
"That's right, that's it... that's it..."
Looking at the light emitted by Celesteela, a hint of intoxication appeared in Rose's eyes. His favorite Steel-type Pokémon and his favorite light had merged into one, which was undoubtedly Mew scene—even if this was Celesteela's unique fighting power unleashed by burning itself, it was still worth it.
Once that "Hero" and that "Trainer" are defeated, those Pokémon will be leaderless, and at that point, his Secretary will know what to do next.
--Even by then, he might not be around anymore.
"For Galar..."
What has sustained him through this Torn World is this one belief, and today he finally has the opportunity to dedicate his whole self to this belief.
Rose gazed at the sky, savoring this final moment.
--Galar, illuminated by light.
And—the "Hero" who could only flee in a sorry state, pursued by the dazzlingly Celesteela.
Such Hero... are merely stepping stones for them to save the world.
"Boom!!!"
Celesteela's flames erupted once more, as if the long chase had finally come to an end.
"Welcome to [! Hiel's! Library!]!7,'4,6;0"940.7.;6,! Outside,'Group,'1:,0,,9.0"!2"5!,1:57'"6 However--just as Rose was about to burst into uncontrollable elation, the Hero in the sky suddenly spoke--
"It's all over!"
"Stop it, Rose!"
"...!"
Is this guy... talking to himself?
"Are you dreaming?! Do you really think you have any chance of begging for mercy at a point like this?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in Rose's voice. At this point, neither he nor the other party had any way back.
He was even prepared—to be torn to pieces by the Rage Pokémon after killing Qiao Ran.
But--
Do you think you have a choice?
The boy in the sky pointed in one direction.
"Look over there, what's that over there?"
Following his pointing location—on the ruins not far away—a figure stood trembling, none other than Oleana, Rose's Secretary.
She had lost her former sharpness. A strong light shone down from behind her, casting a blurry shadow over her face. Not only that, the powerful Ultra Beast, the Naganadel, lay dead not far away, and standing behind her, with Long Sword pressed against her neck, was none other than Zacian, who was biting down on the Long Sword.
"It's over, Rose!"
Qiao Ran spoke again from the sky.
Even you have things you care about, right?
Section 230, Page 226 [Final: Win or Loss]
The battle is over!
In the night sky illuminated by the firelight, Qiao Ran's voice was exceptionally clear.
On this desolate land, only these living creatures can make a sound.
"Don't test my limits—I'm not some saint who would show mercy if someone threatened my life!!"
"...!"
Rose's body trembled violently.
On one side is the Hero, driven to the "extreme" by the pursuit of Celesteela, while on the other side is Oleana, surrounded by Pokémon.
After Zacian joined the Beat Up, the battle on the other side became almost one-sided. Even the powerful Naganadel couldn't make much of a difference against the Beat Up of Zacian, Dianxi, and the Type: Null. So, before Rose could even react, Oleana had already become a hostage in the enemy's hands.
"..."
Rose's heart was bleeding.
Just as that "Hero" said, even he, who was willing to give up his own life, had things he cared about—
Oleana, his Secretary.
This wasn't because he had any special feelings for Oleana; they were also more than ten years apart in age. They would act together and work together simply because they shared the same goals and the same dreams.
The reason why Rose cares so much about Oleana is the same: if Oleana's life is harmed, his spirit will lose its inheritor, and there will be no one to carry out the next plan.
This is the most unforgivable thing for Rose.
This would be tantamount to burning all his efforts to the ground, and even his sacrifice would become a meaningless joke.
"... Stop, Celesteela... Stop! Enough!"
Even though he wasn't afraid of death, after a brief internal struggle, Rose still roared it out with all his might.
He cannot lose Oleana here; he cannot lose this spark that can save the world.
We cannot... give up on saving the world...
"... President!"
On the other side, Oleana, who had been clenching her teeth and hadn't uttered a sound, finally couldn't help but let out a whisper. Her chest heaved, clearly indicating her intense excitement, but she didn't say anything more, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Similar to Rose and the Chairman in the Pokémon World, they grew up in the Ultra World and, despite slight differences in appearance and personality, share a similar story.
When she was young, it was the newly famous Chairman Rose who helped her and other children living in the slums. Since then, she has spent a lot of time working hard with her intelligence and talent to become a researcher, and finally Secretary to the president, so that she could finally follow in the footsteps of Chairman Rose, whom she admired.
What she looked forward to was witnessing Rose realize his dream; she wanted to see what this land he loved would become in the hands of this man.
If it were this president, who came from humble beginnings, held a high position, yet cared deeply for everyone, she would surely be able to do it— Oleana had always believed this, and no matter what choice Rose made, she would stand by Rose's side.
However, deep down, Oleana didn't want Rose to perish here. What sustained her was Rose's belief; if Rose disappeared, none of this would matter.
Therefore, she did not stop Rose from stopping Celesteela, but simply watched quietly as it all unfolded.
"Boom..."
Upon receiving Rose's command, the Celesteela in the sky emitted a series of strange sounds, as if it had received some kind of command, and its body suddenly froze.
"Click... click click..."
The enormous pillar of fire gradually Minimize, and its body, which had been red and swollen from Overheat, began to cool down. This was especially noticeable to Qiao Ran in the sky.
"This guy is..."
"It... can't hold on any longer..."
Suddenly, Nihilego's voice entered Qiao Ran's mind. Although the pronunciation was still a bit unclear, Nihilego keenly observed Celesteela's terrible condition. In the previous battle, Celesteela had basically overdrawn her body. Once this overdrawing was stopped, it would be a series of terrible chain reactions.
"Click... click click click..."
Harsh, piercing sounds emanated continuously from Celesteela's body. Then, its body completely lost all reaction and power, plummeting straight to the ground like a missile that had suddenly lost its power.
The sky, which had been half-lit, completely lost its light and returned to its original state.
"It's over."
Watching the Celesteela crash to the ground, Qiao Ran breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his expression remained more serious than ever before, because he knew that now was not the time to let his guard down.
"Boom!!!!"
The loud, tremor-like sound arrived late, and the Tackle of Celesteela with the ground once again caused a tremendous commotion. This sound was far less terrifying than before, but it still resonated in everyone's hearts.
"It's over... hehe..."
Lying on the ground, Rose couldn't help but cover his face with his hands and let out a series of wild laughs.
"Seriously... why... even like this... I still failed... hahahaha..."
What exactly is lacking? Or is there a mistake somewhere?
Rose didn't understand, nor did he comprehend.
Suddenly, his laughter stopped abruptly, because he caught a glimpse of a figure approaching him out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes, it's over."
--That was the boy he had previously driven to the brink of despair, now standing before him, looking down at him lying on the ground.
"Don't kill me."
Rose spread his hands and relaxed his body, indicating that he had no power to resist anymore, but his face still carried the same "composure" as always.
"Let me think... Since you're talking to me at a time like this, you must have your own requests, right? Let me guess what your requests are...?"
However, just as he was speaking eloquently, a black...
Suddenly, a beam of energy shot straight down, piercing the Rock-type beside him, and Rose's words came to an abrupt halt.
"Click."
The sound of Rock-type collapsing kept ringing in his ears, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Now, he's starting to be a little "afraid of death".
"Stop guessing."
Qiao Ran glanced at Yveltal, who was shooting out beams of light beside him. If he hadn't been stopping him, how could Rose be lying here so comfortably? That guy doesn't have such a good temper.
Even he harbored deep Spite, and if it weren't for the need to extract something Heavy Slam, he probably wouldn't have been able to control his emotions.
A hint of coldness flashed in Qiao Ran's eyes.
"The initiative is now in our hands, do you... really understand?"
Section 231, page 227 [positive: negative]
At this point, the initiative was basically in Qiao Ran's hands, but Qiao Ran remained extremely vigilant, not daring to relax for even a moment. His Pokémon were also around him, fulfilling their duty of vigilance as well.
No one knows what unexpected things the president might do, or if he might resort to desperate measures. Based on his previous behavior, Qiao Ran genuinely believes that this guy is capable of such a thing.
In short, it's always better to be cautious. Even if the battle is over, the crisis is not over until they return to their original world.
"My request is simple: tell me how to get back to my original world, or else... you know what I might do."
Qiao Ran's eyes were filled with a chilling intent, stemming from the threat posed to his life by Rose earlier. Had he made any mistake in the preceding minutes, he might not have been able to stand here.
This guy... really wanted to kill him.
Faced with someone who harbors murderous intent towards you, probably no one could remain calm, right?
"... Okay... okay, I'll tell you how."
Lying on the ground, Rose understood that this might be his only chance to state his terms, so he didn't try to provoke Qiao Ran with words, but instead "frankly" stated his conditions.
In exchange, you must guarantee the safety of me and my Secretary.
"..."
Qiao Ran glanced at Rose, then looked at Oleana on the other side.
He wasn't too surprised by Rose's request; as a loser, this was indeed the biggest request Rose could make.
But... should we just let them go? Let go of these two people who have posed a threat to his life?
Qiao Ran hesitated, but—in order to return to the Galar region, Qiao Ran did need their help. As for using other methods to extract information... such as interrogation, or... although that was also an option, Qiao Ran didn't have any more time to waste on such things.
He had to leave this world quickly, otherwise he couldn't be sure if Rose had any other reinforcements.
According to the information Qiao Ran learned in the game, the people of the Ultra World don't have the same habit as in the Pokémon World of raising "Ultra Beast" from a young age. This might explain why Rose and Oleana only commanded one Ultra Beast. However... this doesn't mean they didn't have other companions and support. Moreover, regarding the dangers of this world, Rose only represents a small part of it.
Ultra Beast... or rather, even more terrifying beings, are the true masters of this world.
Staying here will only cause more trouble.
In the end, Qiao Ran nodded.
"Can."
Qiao Ran chose to agree.