Mythical Pokémon Era: Global Ascension, Chapter 44

The air in the Spirit Realm was indeed a little sweeter than outside, mainly because there was no industrial pollution... Other than that, there was no difference. It was just an ordinary forest.

Dragonite slowed down, careful not to disturb the forest.

After flying for three minutes, Roy saw the outline of a town. Several people stood at the town entrance, waving at him. "Are you this time's trial participant?"

After Roy landed, a bespectacled man took the lead and approached him.

The man looked somewhat surprised. "You're so young... Hello, my name is Hu Jun. Just call me Uncle Hu." Roy greeted him politely, then asked, "What does trial participant mean?"

Hearing that, Hu Jun gave a wry smile. "As expected, Mr. Xiao is the same as ever. He left all the explaining to us." "Forget it. Let's talk as we walk."

Hu Jun instructed someone to take care of Dragonite, then led Roy into the town.

The town's architectural style differed from that of any country on Earth. Some walls were old and peeling, while others had clearly been renovated by hand. Roy vaguely felt that this town looked familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen it before...

"This is a ruin from Another World, isn't it?"

"Mm." Hu Jun nodded. "This Spirit Realm is one of Dragon Country's most important Spirit Realms." "Important?" Roy guessed, "Are the Pokémon here especially rare?"

Hu Jun shook his head. "The Pokémon tribes in this Spirit Realm are very common. There isn't even a single Starter Pokémon tribe here. The reason it is important is because this Spirit Realm houses a... god."

Seeing Roy's surprised expression, Hu Jun smiled. "This god has a very good relationship with Dragon Country and permits us to station ourselves in the Spirit Realm, conduct research, and catch Pokémon. In return, we need to help maintain the town and keep it alive. Gathering so-called trial participants was also one of this god's requests."

Roy thought of the many game-based novels he had read. A god's trial participants usually had to risk their lives, and the trials were always extremely dangerous.

It can't be that bad, right? I only came here to learn a method for training Inner Focus.

"Don't worry, the trial isn't life-threatening." Hu Jun explained, "Quite a few trial participants have come over the years. Even if they failed, they could still leave safely. I don't know the specifics of the trial... But according to the previous town mayor, Psychics have a high chance of passing it."

"Kid, do your best. As long as you pass the trial, you'll obtain the Infinite Meditate Method." "It's one of the most advanced manuals for cultivating Inner Focus." Roy remembered the name Infinite Meditate Method.

Come to think of it, did Elite Four Xiao choose me as a trial participant because he had already seen through the fact that I possess Aura Power during the entrance test? Elite Four Xiao himself was not a Psychic.

Still, Roy refused to believe that a Superpower Heavenly King like him had no method of identifying Psychics.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the fountain plaza in the center of town.

Beyond the plaza lay a clear lake, with a bridge leading toward the center of the lake.

On the island in the middle stood a building resembling a temple, catching Roy's eye. "The god is there." Hu Jun bowed respectfully.

Most Dragon Country people were practical believers. They only prayed when it was useful, and Hu Jun was no exception. His respect came merely from awe toward a powerful being, not fanaticism.

Roy took a deep breath and stepped alone onto the bridge, heading toward the temple.

Just as he reached the halfway point, a gentle wave of psychic energy suddenly came from the temple and softly brushed over Roy's body.

Immediately afterward, Roy vaguely sensed delight within that psychic energy. The next moment—

Rumble!

With a thunderous roar, the temple doors opened on their own under some mysterious force. Seeing this, Hu Jun muttered in the plaza, "He passed the first stage of the trial just like that?... This kid really is a Psychic."

After entering the temple, Roy did not see a statue on the altar. Of course...

With the god's true body here, there was naturally no need for a statue.

Roy looked around, wanting to see which legendary Pokémon was housed here, but instead saw a figure emerge from the depths of the temple. "A woman?"

Roy stared in astonishment.

The newcomer was a sweet-looking girl with pink hair. She looked a few years younger than him, like she had only just entered middle school.

A nun? A shrine maiden or something?

As if noticing Roy's confusion, the pink-haired girl blinked, and a burst of light suddenly surged from her body.

Her form changed within the light.

It was a Pokémon with a white upper body and a red lower body. It had a streamlined shape, no legs, but a pair of arms.

Its wings resembled jet wings, covered in feathers like colored glass.

An unbelievable aura of tranquility surrounded it.

The instant Roy saw that form, its name appeared in his mind.

Latias.

A Dragon type and Psychic-type legendary Pokémon.

Among all legendary Pokémon, she was not particularly powerful and could only be ranked in the second tier.

In the terms used by some game players in Roy's previous life, she was a Tier 2 god. After realizing that this was Latias, Roy's first reaction was... "Where's Latios?"

Latios and Latias were twin legendary Pokémon that had been together since birth, inseparable as shadows.

Just then, a clear female voice sounded in Roy's mind. "Follow me." Telepathy—Roy put aside his doubts and followed Latias deeper into the temple.

The temple was unexpectedly large. Roy walked three hundred meters before reaching its end.

Before him stood an ancient altar. A two-meter-long ice coffin lay atop the offering platform.

Inside the ice coffin, a Pokémon slept silently.

That Pokémon looked almost identical to Latias, aside from differences in size and color.

It was none other than the Latios Roy had been searching for.

Latios's body was intact, yet Roy could not sense a trace of life from him, as though he were a corpse... "What happened to him?" Roy could not help asking. "My brother died."

Latias's telepathic voice sounded flat, but Roy could sense faint sorrow and loneliness within it. "Who killed him?"

As Roy asked, he began searching among the Tier 1 gods for the culprit.

Rayquaza, Kyogre, Groudon, Dialga, Palkia, Necrozma... Damn!

There were too many hotheaded bastards among the Tier 1 gods. For a moment, every one of them seemed like a suspect!

"I don't know either." Latias looked back at Roy without hiding anything. "Before we descended, my brother went out for a while. When he returned, he was already like this. Then our original world collapsed, and we came to your world..."

"After coming to this world, my power was unleashed. The same happened to the other gods and Pokémon. We all became much stronger than before." Roy understood.

Pokémon really had not been this powerful from the beginning. They had merely lost some kind of shackle...

"You've been guarding your brother's body here ever since you descended?" Roy tried to persuade her. "I know the two of you were very close, but since what happened cannot be undone, there's no point in dwelling on the past... It's been a hundred years. Don't you want to go outside and see the world?"

Latias turned around and gave Roy a human-like smile. "Thank you for your concern."

"But you misunderstand. Death is merely a state for us."

"As long as my brother's power has not disappeared, there is a chance for him to be resurrected. I remain here so that no one has the chance to take my brother's power..." Roy understood.

Simply put, Latios was dead, but not completely dead. He could still be saved.

"To revive my brother, I need the help of a trial participant."

Concentrate on One Point and Reach the Pinnacle

Reviving a "god" required the help of a trial participant? Roy was puzzled. "What exactly does trial participant mean?"

Latias flew before Roy and gently opened her mouth, spitting out a dazzling ball of light.

The ball of light flew into Roy's hand and revealed its true form: a red-and-blue crystal gemstone. The blue portion was exceptionally dim... Roy recognized it at a glance. Heart's Drop...

This was an item intimately connected to Latios and Latias. Calling it a divine artifact would not be an exaggeration.

The gem's red represented Latias.

The gem's blue represented the deceased Latios.

The anime had never clearly explained the true nature of Heart's Drop, but Daigo had made a conjecture in the games, believing it to be the soul crystal of Latios and Latias. Now, that conjecture seemed very likely to be true...

Latias explained gently, "The authority over my brother's and my powers comes from the domains of Dragon type and Psychic-type. My brother held the relatively stronger Psychic authority, while I inherited the weaker authority of Dragon type." "My brother's death caused the Psychic authority to fall dormant."

"Conversely, if the power of the Psychic authority can be awakened, my brother can be resurrected."

"To activate my brother's Psychic authority, a Pokémon with powerful Inner Focus needs to inject Inner Focus into this gem... into Heart's Drop, creating resonance and awakening the authority." "I am willing to pass down my brother's and my Infinite Meditate Method because I want to cultivate a Pokémon with powerful Inner Focus..." Roy suddenly understood, though he was also stunned. "So even Elite Four Xiao's Pokémon won't do?" "No. They're still one level short."

Latias shook her head. "For a human, he is already exceptional... In my understanding, only when a Trainer is a Psychic can they cultivate their Pokémon's Inner Focus to an exceptionally powerful level. That is why, in recent years, I have required trial participants to preferably be Psychics."

"Xiao Rong is an exception. He is merely an ordinary person, yet he is the strongest among all the trial participants I have encountered in the past hundred years." Those words made Roy's respect for Xiao Rong rise another level.

Old Master Xiao really was incredible... I should bully his son less in the future.

But Inner Focus one level above an Elite Four's... that was probably Champion-level.

Dragon Country had not produced a single Psychic Champion all these years. No wonder Latios had never been revived. "You possess Aura Power, so you qualify. The problem lies with your Pokémon..."

Latias circled Roy lightly. Though no one knew how long she had lived, her tone still resembled that of an underage girl. "Come, call out your Pokémon and let me see them."

"Let me see whether their Inner Focus talent is sufficient." Roy followed her instructions, throwing out Poké Balls and summoning Riolu and Squirtle.

Facing Latias, who radiated an incredible aura, both Pokémon seemed a little uneasy.

Squirtle nervously put on his sunglasses and poked his companion beside him, signaling Riolu to follow his lead. If anything went wrong, they would grab Roy and run.

Riolu: ???

How am I supposed to read your signals when you're wearing sunglasses?

"Neither of them is a Psychic Pokémon..." Latias's telepathic voice held a trace of disappointment.

Pokémon of other types could also train their Inner Focus, but they were certainly not as suitable as Psychic Pokémon.

She sent psychic energy into the minds of the two Pokémon, examining their talent for Inner Focus.

Talent for Inner Focus depended on many factors, including racial talent, type, personality, willpower, experience, and more. It had to be examined carefully.

Squirtle's species had average psychic talent. His pure Water-type offered no bonus. His personality was too simple-minded, and he was not clever enough, though his willpower was firm.

Overall Evaluation: Average.

Latias shook her head at Roy, indicating that Squirtle did not qualify.

Next, she began examining Riolu.

Riolu's species had excellent psychic talent. His Fighting-type offered no bonus. His personality was calm, his intuition sharp, and his willpower was also good.

Overall Evaluation: Excellent. "He qualifies?"

"Mm." Latias nodded, sounding very happy. "For a non-Psychic-type Pokémon to possess such talent for Inner Focus, he truly is worthy of being an Aura Power messenger." Roy smiled and gave the little dog his favorite reward: a pat on the head.

Squirtle, who had failed to qualify, was not disappointed at all. Instead, he laughed happily, patted Riolu on the shoulder, and gave him a thumbs-up, praising him for doing well. This silly bastard...

Roy shot Squirtle an amused look.

Just then, surprise came through Latias's telepathy.