Chapter Eight: The Thirst for Power and the Shattering of Hope

Pokémon Center, Poplar Town

Alice and Tonio stood here, watching the Pokémon around them who had already returned to normal, yet this only increased their anxiety. According to Tonio’s research, they were now in a stabilized space; however, judging from the color of the sky, this clearly wasn’t their original dimension. What would happen next was anyone’s guess.

At that moment, a figure wreathed in flames burst through the main entrance of the Pokémon Center, shattering the doors. Burning fragments flew in every direction. Trainers and Pokémon, just roused from their nightmares, reacted swiftly—some knocking the debris aside, others blocking it. Low voices, some questioning, now filled the air.

“What is that?”

“A Pokémon? What kind?”

“No idea. Could it be another strange creature?”

Their confusion didn’t last long. As the flames faded, a person gradually became visible within the fire—it was Chen Ou.

Relief washed over the crowd. It was just a human, not some new, bizarre thing. But almost immediately, a new, unanswerable question took root: why was this person’s body ablaze?

Fortunately, after all the surprises and bewilderment they’d experienced today, one more didn’t seem to matter. Chen Ou, for his part, paid no attention to their stares. He scanned the room, his neck swiveling rapidly and stiffly, like a malfunctioning surveillance camera. Soon, he found his target—Alice, a blonde woman with a Chimchar at her side.

She was the granddaughter of Darkrai’s friend, and in the movie, she was the one who could locate the disc containing the song “Oración.” Playing that melody from the Space-Time Tower would calm the rage of the twin gods of time and space, restore Palkia’s wounds, and bring them to a state where communication was possible. This was the best chance Chen Ou could hope for.

Especially since Cynthia, holding off the twin gods outside, was surely having a rough time. Chen Ou knew well the power and tenacity of legendary Pokémon. In his estimation, even Green would struggle against Mew, let alone win.

The situation was dire.

Without hesitation, Chen Ou strode straight to Alice, ignoring Tonio who instinctively moved to shield her, and disregarding the Chimchar baring its teeth, ready to spit flames. With a cold expression, Chen Ou spoke: “You know about Oración, don’t you? Do you still have that disc?”

Tonio and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least this person could communicate, and he didn’t seem hostile.

Alice, though puzzled, nodded. “I have it. Who are you, and what do you want?”

Chen Ou was relieved—nothing had gone too far off course. Even though Ash hadn’t shown up, the beginning and end of this affair had little to do with him. Palkia was wounded by Dialga, Darkrai was holding off the twin gods, the puzzle was solved by Tonio, the disc was found by Alice, the electricity came from Pikachu and Pachirisu, and even the slot for the disc was located by Dawn. Ash was merely a transport vessel.

Chen Ou grabbed Alice’s hand and, startling her, started pulling her outside. “Don’t resist. It’s urgent. I’ll explain as we go.”

Alice glanced back, saw Chimchar and Tonio following, and relaxed enough to slip her hand from Chen Ou’s grasp. “I can walk on my own.”

He didn’t mind; let her go if she wished. Chen Ou led Alice out of the Pokémon Center. As they exited, he looked up to see Cynthia, astride her Charizard, commanding her Garchomp and other Pokémon in fierce battle against the twin gods. A flash of wonder crossed his eyes—Cynthia’s strength truly stood at the pinnacle among champions. Only Red, perhaps, could match her now, and even Steven might fall a bit short.

High in the sky, Cynthia noticed the commotion at the Pokémon Center. Seeing Chen Ou emerge with Alice and Tonio, she smiled and made an “OK” gesture. Chen Ou nodded, and she turned back to the fight, her expression grave.

“Garchomp, Dragon Claw! Togekiss, Air Slash!”

She was under immense pressure, but still managing. The problem was, Darkrai’s tactics were reckless—already, it had suffered many wounds and likely couldn’t last much longer. Without Darkrai’s help, Cynthia’s situation would quickly become critical.

Her smile to Chen Ou was meant to reassure him, to keep him steady—but in truth, things were far from optimistic.

After all… facing a god is never easy.

Chen Ou ran as hard as he could. He wasn’t fooled by Cynthia’s smile or gesture, but the fact that she had the presence of mind to comfort him meant that, at least for now, things were still under control. Having spent years around Green and Red, Chen Ou’s instincts for battle were sharp. He could see at a glance that Darkrai’s approach was a ticking bomb at Cynthia’s side.

For the first time, Chen Ou regretted insisting on independence as an “otherworlder.” He should have just raised a team of Pokémon like everyone else. He had the talent, and with Red and Green around, he could easily have assembled a strong team. All those battles and strategies he’d practiced in his original world wouldn’t have gone to waste.

Red and Green often came to him for advice on battle—he wasn’t necessarily stronger than they were, but in terms of innovation, he was their equal.

Now, for the first time since coming to this world, he truly longed for power.

As he sprinted toward the Space-Time Tower, he explained the situation to Alice and Tonio, glossing over how he knew about Oración. Fortunately, given the day’s chaos and the series of shocks, neither pressed the issue.

And so, Cynthia and Chen Ou each played their part, methodically continuing the process of salvation.

Thanks to Cynthia’s intervention, Dialga and Palkia had no chance to unleash their devastating collision, so the annihilation caused by space-time distortion in the original story never occurred. Chen Ou was grateful for bringing Cynthia along. She was smart, too—her intervention was strong but never more provocative than Darkrai’s, and with Charizard’s protection, she herself was never in real danger.

With Alice and Tonio’s help, Chen Ou quickly obtained the disc containing Oración and took a hot air balloon to the top of the tower.

Standing at the window, he looked out at Dialga and Palkia still battling fiercely. Luckily, they weren’t too far from the tower—he’d worried the fight might move out of range for him to ask his question. What he didn’t know was that Cynthia had deliberately kept the battlefield within earshot of the tower’s music, but far enough to avoid damaging it.

“All ready? Shall we activate the tower?” Alice, wiping sweat from her brow, called to him.

Chen Ou gazed toward the battlefield. The twin gods’ rage was even more intense than before.

It was understandable. Imagine wishing for a passionate duel with your brother, only to have a swarm of annoying flies preventing you from facing off properly—you’d be angry too.

There was no time to lose. Seeing the battle shift slightly closer, Chen Ou called out, “Music!”

Alice shot him a look. She didn’t know what had changed in his mood, but his cavalier air was strangely reassuring.

She exchanged a glance with Tonio, and together they pulled the switch.

The gears of the Space-Time Tower began to turn, and the building itself transformed, its form unfolding like the petals of a night-blooming flower. Exquisite music flowed from the wondrous structure. As the melody played, the battle stopped, and the cracks in Palkia’s pearl quickly healed.

With the music, all of Chen Ou’s experiences in this world surged through his mind like a tide.

Professor Oak’s kindness—and his blood draws.

Nanami’s gentleness—and her blood draws.

Green’s anger—and their fights.

Red’s silence—and their fights.

…Cynthia’s generosity and warmth.

Although he had spent five years being studied and studying himself, the beautiful, gentle moments were indelibly etched into his soul. No matter where he might go, these true memories would accompany him for the rest of his life.

For a moment, he felt lost.

After a while, the music stopped. Palkia and Dialga calmed. They glanced at each other, then at Darkrai and Cynthia. With a low growl, they prepared to use their power to return the town to its original state.

But a voice called out to stop them.

“Can you… send me back to my world?”

Chen Ou was forthright and unhesitating. Though Alice, Tonio, and even Cynthia in the distance had no idea what he was talking about, the seriousness of his expression made them all fall silent.

The twin gods and Darkrai all turned to look at Chen Ou. Only then did they notice him. Dialga turned to call to Darkrai, signaling it to interpret.

Darkrai understood—Dialga wanted it to translate.

With a helpless shake of its head, Darkrai approached. Clearly, this was no small matter.

For a long moment, the twin gods and Chen Ou stared each other down. Palkia let out a cry. Dialga glared at Darkrai, urging it to translate.

Darkrai sighed, the surrounding shadows pausing, and finally addressed Chen Ou: “The god of space says that you indeed did not originally belong to this world. They don’t know how you slipped in, but since they never detected your presence, whoever sent you here must be far more powerful than they are.”

Chen Ou was not surprised. After all, traveling through space-time within the same world was much easier than crossing between worlds. That unscrupulous mobile game company had sent him to the world of pirates, then to the world of Pokémon, all within five minutes.

So he’d never really considered revenge—at most, when he got home, he’d report them to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

After all, everyone has a duty to protect consumer rights.

But Chen Ou was sharp—he caught the crucial detail.

“What do you mean… ‘did not originally belong to this world’? And now?” His face grew stiff. He felt like the protagonist in “The Mermaid.”

Darkrai looked at Palkia.

Palkia shook its head helplessly, then let out another cry.

Darkrai listened, the shadows around him freezing, and then looked at Chen Ou with a mournful expression. “They say… originally, they could have used your coordinates to send you back. Since you hadn’t absorbed much of this world’s aura, you hadn’t fully integrated into this space-time.”

Cynthia, who had flown over at some point, interjected, “Isn’t that a good thing? You can go home.”

But Darkrai shook its head and continued: “But because you entered the space-time rift—approached the source of this world’s time and space—the aura of your original world has now been… completely washed away. My condolences…”

With that, it lowered its head, unable to look.

“I can’t go back?”

Everyone—Cynthia, the others, even Dialga and Palkia—looked at Chen Ou with the expression one reserves for the truly unfortunate. But Chen Ou ignored them.

The light had vanished from his eyes…

His soul seemed to drift from his body…

His heart felt as though it had stopped beating…

All he could think of was a certain famous comedian, and that immortal phrase:

“What a disaster!”