"Aiden!"
When Lance noticed Aiden falling from Salamence's back, he immediately panicked.
However, just as he subconsciously raised his hand to command Dragonite to rescue him, he suddenly stopped. His expression became a bit subtle.
Just like the other Champions, because—
Someone had already acted first.
"Garr—!"
Beating Salamence to the turn, Garchomp suddenly burst forward. Leaving a white contrail in the air, it reluctantly opened its arms and caught Aiden's completely limp body.
Groudon, who had originally spread its arms wide waiting for Aiden to "fall right into its trap," was dumbfounded.
"Beautifully done, Garchomp," Cynthia's somewhat exhausted voice sounded from behind it.
Her golden hair had been blown into a mess by the rain and storm, but her eyes were incredibly gentle as she looked at Aiden.
"Now, you can rest well."
That Z-Move just now had clearly pushed past the limits of what a human could endure.
Gathering the will of all life on Earth, even Necrozma's light was no match for it, and it was ultimately persuaded by Aiden.
The crisis was completely resolved. Only this heart-aching idiot had drained his last drop of stamina, losing consciousness entirely right after confirming Necrozma no longer harbored any hostility.
All power comes with a price, and clearly, Aiden had borne it all this time.
Truly—
"Truly an idiot—"
"Even if you want to be a hero, don't make the people who care about you worry."
The atmosphere fell into a bizarre silence.
The eyes of the other Champions present were all fixed on Aiden, and on Cynthia, who was gently stroking his cheek while seemingly whispering sweet nothings to him.
What was going on?
Weren't they just fighting for their lives against the most powerful Legendary Pokémon?
How did they turn around and suddenly get force-fed a mouthful of dog food?*
Among them, the older Lance and Professor Kukui had the most complicated expressions.
At their age, having to watch a young couple acting lovey-dovey in public inexplicably made them feel very annoyed!
"That really is Teacher Azure's style—"
Just then, Steven suddenly muttered in a low voice, breaking the silence.
"I don't know since when, but we all seem to subconsciously think he can do anything, and the truth is, he really can."
"From Paldea to Kalos, from Hoenn to Alola—"
"For every major incident that could lead to a regional disaster or even planetary destruction, Aiden has been on the front lines, doing his utmost to resolve the crisis."
"Even though not much time has passed since all this, everyone seems to have completely forgotten—"
"That guy is actually just a boy not even twenty years old."
"Bearing responsibilities at this age that should never belong to a single person, no wonder the Creation Deity values Aiden so highly."
Steven's heartfelt words quickly resonated with the Champions.
Their gazes turned to Aiden, who was being held by Garchomp. Only after he completely lost consciousness did his face finally reveal the greenness and immaturity fitting for his age.
"As expected of a boy acknowledged even by my master. With just this willpower alone, perhaps he is already worthy of being called a 'Battle Legend'," Leon sighed with a nod.
Compared to strength indicators like "Masters Tournament Champion" or "Strongest Champion," the criteria for a Battle Legend were actually quite subjective, with no unified requirements.
Professor Oak was called a Battle Legend because he once crushed a multitude of opponents on the international stage, displaying the boundless potential of Trainers with an invincible posture, remaining a benchmark countless Trainers aspire to this day;
Master Mustard became a Battle Legend by walking a path no one had ever walked before—transforming his outstanding martial arts talent into a unique combat style, and using the power of a mortal to raise two incredibly powerful Pokémon whose strength rivaled Legends.
The emergence of Urshifu proved that Legendary Pokémon were not an unreachable existence. Perhaps one day, more Trainers would discover their own paths and elevate the level of Trainers to new heights.
As for Aiden—
Just thinking about what he had done recently was enough to be called a "Legend."
At least after witnessing today's scene, they, the Champions, were thoroughly convinced.
Bearing the will of the entire planet, drawing out the Light of Hope buried deep within everyone's hearts, and once again earning the acknowledgment of the "Blinding One."
Aiden was absolutely worthy of this title.
However—
"Would Teacher Azure really care about these things?" Red scratched his head, subconsciously voicing his confusion.
In Red's eyes, Aiden had always been a very pure person.
He was happy to share his carefully designed tactics, selflessly teaching all his achievements to everyone;
He would also enjoy the pure fun brought by battles in high-level tournaments, always smiling during fights;
Even when facing a host of legendary existences, Teacher Azure could face them without fear and ultimately protect everything.
Would someone like him really care about a so-called empty title?
"Let's leave these trivial matters for later," Diantha sighed. "Now, let him rest well."
After Cynthia took Aiden away, the Champions quickly disappeared as well.
Only a group of Legendary Pokémon staring at each other were left.
"Scree—!"
In the sky, Ho-Oh suddenly let out a cry. When it looked at Lugia beside it, its voice and eyes were full of pride.
As if saying: See that? My judgment was spot on this time!
Lugia completely ignored it.
As fellow guardian deities of the Indigo Plateau, it knew all too well how terrible this noisy neighbor's judgment was.
Every time a "guaranteed" Rainbow Hero was drawn, wasn't it chosen by Marshadow? What did that have to do with Ho-Oh?
Moreover—
Lugia suddenly shifted its gaze to the rapidly disappearing white contrail in the distance.
It seemed to have never heard of such a hero before?
Even the news about Aiden was brought over by Marshadow through the Reverse Dimension.
That meant the process of becoming a hero wasn't even complete yet, right?
Lugia's gaze toward Ho-Oh suddenly became subtle.
Since their relationship was still entirely unconfirmed, then he shouldn't mind having one more identity, right~
Its strange expression didn't catch Ho-Oh's attention, but it was noticed by Reshiram nearby, causing a sense of crisis to rise in its heart.
Damn it, why are there so many peers trying to steal my prospect?
Truly, peers are enemies!
[My foolish brother, farewell.]
After sending a telepathic message to Zekrom, the white dragon ignited the turbo flames on its tail and flapped its wings, flying toward the "Hero of Truth."
Watching the direction it left, Zekrom shook its head.
Sometimes, having a favored human be too outstanding didn't seem like a good thing—
Thinking about it this way, N was actually quite nice.
Except for being a bit thick-headed and occasionally not listening to reason, just like itself.
Anyway, he could be considered Aiden's apprentice, so if anything happened in the future, they definitely wouldn't need to worry about his safety.
Yeah, I'm still the winner this generation!
Win!
After the Legendary Pokémon summoned by Aiden left one after another, only Groudon remained, looking up at the sky with an awkward face.
Along with Kyogre, who was floating in the sky, laughing wantonly at it.
"Roar—!!!"
Groudon violently unleashed a Precipice Blades, which Kyogre easily dodged.
Then, under Groudon's gritted-teeth glare, Kyogre slowly floated in the air, flying toward the Hoenn region.
Groudon scratched its head.
Did it really have to walk all the way back to Hoenn step by step?
That would be way too embarrassing!
Just as it was struggling with this in its heart, suddenly—
Boom—!
An explosion rang out in the distance, and then a white giant fell from the sky, landing precisely on the earth Groudon had created.
Regigigas, arriving a step late, scratched its head mimicking Groudon. The tricolor lights on its chest cycled through their glow, seemingly trying to comprehend the scene before it.
Arceus's messenger was gone, so it seemed it was indeed a step late?
Then I should go back too.
After thinking for a moment, Regigigas gradually understood everything.
Thus, it completely ignored the dumbfounded Groudon and violently slammed both arms into the ground.
Boom—!
The land already floating on the ocean began to shake violently. If Groudon, the embodiment of the earth, hadn't been standing right there, it would probably have been blown to pieces by that palm strike.
Using the reaction force, Regigigas's figure suddenly left the ground, bouncing into the sky in the direction it had just come from, flying away at an incredibly exaggerated speed.
Groudon: ???
So you could do it like this?
Groudon felt like it had just opened the door to a new world.
If that giant could do it, then it should be able to as well!
Groudon excitedly looked down at itself.
Although its arms weren't as powerful, it could completely achieve the same thing using the breath shot from its mouth!
Even though the posture might be a bit unsightly—
No matter how you thought about it, it was better than the majestic God of the Earth having to cross the ocean to walk home!
Thinking of this, Groudon no longer hesitated.
"Roar—!"
After spewing a scorching beam of light down into the vast ocean, Groudon indeed soon felt the familiar sensation of weightlessness, its body gradually leaving the ground.
As expected! I can fly!
"Hey hero, open your eyes!"
While his consciousness was hazy, Aiden suddenly heard a familiar voice by his ear and subconsciously opened his eyes.
A woman dressed in black, hiding her face behind a folding fan, appeared before him, her eyes full of amusement.
'Have I reached the end of my life?'
This was Aiden's first reaction.
After all—
He clearly remembered that just a second ago, he had convinced Ultra Necrozma to change its mind, give up on destroying the world, and scatter its light into the universe once again.
Due to the immense burden brought by the Z-Move, he had been relying almost entirely on his willpower to keep himself from passing out, only blacking out after his conversation with Ultra Necrozma ended.
And then, upon opening his eyes, before him was the incredibly mysterious NPC Cogita from Pokémon Legends: Arceus—
Even though he knew this person was probably just the Alpaca wearing a human skin, it still made Aiden feel it was absurd.
"Am I dead?"
Ignoring the other party's skilled use of memes, Aiden subconsciously examined himself. Anyway, Arceus's will could cross dimensions, so He probably knew quite a bit about the various memes from his past life.
His hand passed straight through his body, indicating that he was probably just a wisp of a soul right now, perhaps forcibly preserved by this damn Alpaca.
Dong—!
While Aiden was cursing in his heart, he suddenly felt something knock on his head.
"Badmouthing someone to their face is very rude behavior, you know," Arceus's voice came again. Aiden covered his forehead, looked up, and sighed helplessly.
"I'm already dead, can't you let me complain a bit?"
"Who said you were dead?" Arceus's single sentence completely stumped Aiden.
"Then I—"
"I just took the opportunity while you were unconscious to temporarily pull your soul into the void."
"When your body recovers, you'll naturally return to the original world."
"I don't think it will take too long."
"Cogita's" smile carried a hint of mischief, but it inexplicably made Aiden feel a bit hairy. She looked like a human, and indeed she was human everywhere. But an Alpaca turning into a spirit was truly terrifying!
"Alright, there's no time to mess around with you."
Seemingly unsurprised by Aiden's erratic thoughts, the smile on "Cogita's" face quickly retracted, turning serious instead.
"Aiden, I must thank you."
"Necrozma's loss of control—was due to my lack of consideration when I first created the world."
"Its true nature is not bad, but precisely because of that, after experiencing many less-than-pleasant things, it became disappointed in the world I created."
"I should have handled this matter myself, but—"
"If I were to interfere, the already established order of the world would spiral out of control again, a price that is equally unaffordable."
"So, I entrusted my hope to you, and to the living beings of that world."
"As it turns out, I made the right bet."
Under Aiden's complex gaze, "Cogita" smiled and nodded. Then, she leaned forward and bowed to him.
"Thank you, Aiden."
"I have seen all your efforts. My creations have all changed their views on humans because of their encounters with you, and have begun to enjoy the world I created."
"I created this world, but I was not a qualified Creator. I could only watch helplessly as they fell into a spiral of pain, searching through countless possible worldlines for the one perfect world that might exist."
"And you, my friend—"
"You are the true hero of this world."
Aiden opened his lips, just about to say something.
But right at that moment, he suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness, his consciousness almost immediately blurring.
Before his consciousness completely vanished, he saw "Cogita"—Arceus's avatar—wave to him and say a few final words.
The sound was already inaudible, and he could only roughly read her lips with his last remaining thoughts.
"Please enjoy this beautiful world."
[All your efforts have been seen by that Noble Being.]
[As the Messenger of Arceus, you have not only superbly completed the tasks He assigned, but also realized His lifelong wish.]
[Now, the beautiful Pokémon world is presented before you.]
[In the world left behind after that Noble Being's departure, it is expected that humans and Pokémon will live happily ever after.]
[Of course, that Noble Being also blesses you to have a fulfilling life.]
[What the future will become is entirely up to your choices.]
[So, boldly go and enjoy this world!]
[Quest "Path of Legends · Ultimate" completed]
[Reward: Praise from Arceus]
[Main Quest Updated]
[Current Quest: Enjoy the beautiful Pokémon world!]
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