Chapter Sixty-Two: The End of the Affair

Arceus gazed at Chen Ou for a long time, saying nothing. With his level of perception, he could easily tell that Chen Ou was not lying. Yet, he had not received any answers either. All he could ascertain was that this outsider, Chen Ou, seemingly had no intention of harming this world.

Still, who exactly was this person named Chen Ou—though Arceus felt he was closer to a Pokémon than a human? What was his true origin? Arceus had no desire to fall out with Chen Ou. Strictly speaking, there were already quite a few outsiders on this planet. One more or one less wouldn't make much difference.

The only distinction was that Chen Ou came from another plane, while most others hailed from outer space.

As for Xue’s perception that Chen Ou and Arceus were conversing as equals… One could say, firstly, Arceus was not a temperamental Pokémon; secondly, Arceus truly did not regard Chen Ou as a human.

In his understanding, though Chen Ou's current power could not compare to his own, it was already formidable—on par with certain legendary beasts and secondary gods. This fellow, like Ho-Oh or Mew, was recognized by the world’s rules as a guardian. As for why Chen Ou had not yet assumed his responsibilities, Arceus assumed it was simply because he had not reached his peak.

Perhaps that was for the best. The authority over fire, now held by Moltres, was rather wasted; when Chen Ou grew strong enough, it would suit him perfectly. Moreover, a humanoid legendary beast like Chen Ou could help bridge the gap between humans and legendary Pokémon. After all, humanity’s strength and pace of growth had reached a point where legendary beasts could no longer ignore them. With Chen Ou’s existence, at least there would be a channel for communication.

Thinking like this… Having an outsider legendary beast might not be such a bad thing after all! He could delegate part of his workload, and thus shorten the time his true body needed to remain dormant.

Arceus nodded in satisfaction.

Chen Ou had no idea what Arceus was thinking, but he sensed that Arceus was quite pleased—and, oddly enough, that Arceus’s joy was built upon his own misery…

Chen Ou's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was praying desperately that this creature would not assign him any tasks!

Unfortunately… the default object of prayer in this world was the creator god…

It could be said he was reporting trouble right to its face…

“Chen Ou, is it?” Arceus spoke with a dignified, sacred voice. “I wonder if you would be willing to shoulder the responsibility of facilitating communication between legendary Pokémon and humans?”

Chen Ou’s face instantly darkened—

“The very thing I feared has come to pass.”

“The unluckiest man alive.”

“It is my honor!” Chen Ou quickly bowed his head in acceptance.

Yet in his heart, Chen Ou was cursing Arceus, the blasted alpaca, to the heavens.

With Arceus having spoken thus, Chen Ou dared not refuse; that would be denying Arceus a gracious exit, and if the great being took offense and decided to teach him a lesson with a 'Judgment', or worse, send him to reincarnate, what then?

The world was so beautiful, spring blossomed everywhere, and there was still Cynthia—how could Chen Ou bear to die young?

He had only held Cynthia’s hand! He was not ready to die!

But in truth, Chen Ou was mistaken…

Having already acknowledged Chen Ou and decided to bring him into the ranks of the legendary Pokémon, Arceus would not kill him over such a small matter. He had not even bothered with Deoxys; the only reason he appeared now was because Chen Ou had arrived so quietly. Had the world’s origin not suddenly fused with a foreign aura, he would not have noticed this stowaway at all.

He was here only to see what this stowaway was about, but since Chen Ou refused to explain… so be it. Diversity and openness, inclusive and win-win—Arceus would not be so petty.

If Chen Ou had not agreed just now, it would not have mattered; when he inherited the authority over fire, he would have no choice but to shoulder responsibility. For Arceus, it was only a matter of sooner or later.

But since Chen Ou agreed, Arceus saw no need to explain further.

Then Arceus nodded, his body glowing with radiant light. Chen Ou instinctively closed his eyes.

Damn it! Flashing without warning, right in your teammate’s face!

A moment later, Chen Ou felt the light fade and naturally opened his eyes—only to find…

Chen Ou: ???

Where was Arceus? Where had the colossal Arceus gone?

“I’m here.”

Chen Ou followed the voice and looked up.

A purple-black slate floated in the air, radiating purple-black light. Beside it was a platinum-colored sphere.

“May I ask… what is this?” Chen Ou’s mouth twitched.

“Too much work. My true body has been dormant ever since the battle against the meteorite, but the tasks cannot be neglected, so we slates go out and work ourselves.” Arceus—or rather, the Poison-type Slate—spoke calmly.

Ah…

Chen Ou felt a pang in his chest.

So this is what it means to be a wage slave…

Come on, Mew, stop playing games and help Arceus with his work…

He had split himself into eighteen parts for this…

For the first time, Chen Ou felt some sympathy for Arceus. So this is what they mean by ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ (tactical lean-back).

The Poison-type Slate sensed that Chen Ou’s gaze was rather odd…

He was being pitied…

He, the creator god! What was there to pity?

What’s wrong with being a wage slave? Wage slaves are the greatest! Why can you all slack off? Because this god is carrying the burden for you!

Can’t say more, or else he might start crying.

“Although you now possess a form similar to ours, your essence has not advanced. In terms of form, you are a Pokémon, but on the level of life, you are still human…”

Chen Ou raised his hand, interrupting the Poison-type Slate.

He looked at the slate with a serious expression and said, “I am really not a Pokémon!”

The slate was silent for a moment, then replied, “I know! Your life level is still human…”

Chen Ou interrupted again, enunciating each word, “I am really not a Pokémon…”

The slate immediately responded, “You will be. No rush. I’ll help you advance your life level to that befitting a legendary Pokémon.”

Chen Ou wanted to speak further, but the slate quickly said, “Let me finish!”

Chen Ou had no choice but to close his mouth… Not someone to provoke…

“This sphere beside me is a life-energy aggregate crafted from my previous shell. After you absorb it, you’ll advance your life level to that of a primary god. Then you must seek out Ho-Oh and learn the use of life energy from her. Just tell her I sent you. In human terms, this is our company’s employee benefit—don’t refuse!”

Chen Ou listened, utterly bewildered.

“That’s settled then. I just took a moment to see you; it was quite a hassle to discreetly lure you here. Recently, some creatures have been tracking our slates, like a pack of mangy dogs. If you have spare time, help us deal with them; there’ll be extra rewards. That’s all, I must get back to work! I’ll contact you when I need you.”

With those words, a flash of purple light, and the slate vanished. Clearly, the fellow was indeed very busy…

The platinum sphere drifted gently to Chen Ou.

He instinctively took it, gazing at the sphere pulsing with life energy…

“Professor, maybe I really am a Pokémon now…”

Chen Ou’s eyes were vacant, as if his faith had crumbled…

ps. I changed the cover a bit. If you can see it, please leave a ‘1’ in the comments section. Thank you.