Paul finally returned to his long-absent home, only to find his older brother Reggie speaking with Nurse Joy.
"Welcome back, Paul."
Reggie immediately noticed his younger brother and smiled warmly.
"Our Champion finally returns!"
Nurse Joy, ever polite, offered a greeting of her own.
"Brother. Nurse Joy."
Paul nodded curtly. He was about to introduce Akari when Reggie spoke first:
"You must be Akari, the one who appeared in that broadcast!"
"That's me! Hi, Reggie! Hello, Nurse Joy!" Akari waved cheerfully.
"Hello."
Nurse Joy returned the gesture, then excused herself. "Don't forget what we discussed. I'll head back to the Pokémon Center."
"Don't worry, I'll be there. Come on inside."
After seeing Nurse Joy off, Reggie led the two into the house. He poured them tea and placed the cups before them.
"Got work to handle later?" Paul asked.
"Nothing serious." Reggie said with his characteristic gentleness. "Just a few lessons for the junior Joys still in training. Helping them with breeding questions, it's no trouble."
In his own field, Reggie thrived. Teaching the next generation gave him both meaning and joy.
"Has anything major happened while I was gone?" Paul asked. Having only just returned to Sinnoh, he wasn't yet caught up on the world's latest changes.
"Major? Special?" Reggie thought for a moment. "Quite a bit, actually. You've probably seen some of the headlines. The finalists from the last regional tournaments are growing fast, many already have the strength to defeat Elite Four members. Some are even on the verge of becoming Champions."
"I heard the Champions of Hoenn, Kalos, Johto, and Unova have changed."
"Not entirely. Hoenn, Kalos, and Johto have indeed seen new Champions crowned—Brendan, Calem, and Ethan. All three are remarkably skilled."
"Unova, however, is different. Rumors claim Hilbert has dethroned Iris, but it isn't true. Hilbert is indeed strong, but Iris is a prodigy. Their strength is nearly equal. The League won't replace a Champion unless the difference is decisive—otherwise, the title looks cheap, and trainers won't accept it."
"So right now, Hilbert and Iris are wandering off, training separately. Their next clash will likely be an official Champion match."
"Interesting."
Paul wasn't surprised. In this world, Unova's situation was peculiar. Iris had already entered the Masters Eight long before, treating Red as her eternal rival. That Hilbert hadn't defeated her yet was only natural.
If Hilbert was struggling, then the female protagonist of Unova—Hilda was in an even worse position, not even considered a Champion candidate.
Reggie continued: "The rest of the news is similar. These rising stars are climbing the ranks fast. Several Masters Eight members have already been toppled and replaced. You'll need to move quickly to keep your position."
He smiled knowingly. Paul had only just won the Championship before disappearing into Hisui. The fact that his rank hadn't dropped out of the Master Ball tier was already a miracle. If he wanted to secure points again, he'd need to act.
"I will."
With his battle against Lucas only days away, Paul could squeeze in a few ranked matches first to accelerate his score recovery.
The siblings spent the afternoon exchanging news. Reggie also shared insights with Akari on raising Hisuian Pokémon, which fascinated her.
After a while, Paul stood. "I need to grab something upstairs."
As he and Akari prepared to head up, Reggie suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Red came looking for you a few days after you left. You weren't home then. Want me to let him know you're back?"
Paul frowned. "What did Red want?"
Reggie shrugged. Paul waved it off. "Doesn't matter."
"Alright, I'll send him a message."
After hitting send, Reggie glanced at the trophies and photos by the fireplace. A smile spread across his face. "It's good to have you home."
Upstairs, Paul led Akari to a secluded room. When he opened the door, shelves of items immediately caught Akari's eye.
"You've got so many items!" Akari's eyes sparkled. She had plenty of her own, but Paul's collection was staggering.
Fire Stones, Ice Stones, Dragon Fangs, Miracle Seeds… row upon row of treasures.
"Common items. Nothing too valuable."
Ignoring most, Paul walked to a special cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a small ornate box.
"What's that?" Akari leaned in. When Paul lifted the lid, her jaw dropped.
"M-Mega Stones?! So many?!"
Most trainers would feel blessed to own just one. Having enough to outfit an entire team was rare. But Paul's box held a dazzling variety, none the same. Likely, only a handful of people in the world had such a collection.
"From a friend."
Paul had once intended to hunt Mega Stones himself. But after meeting Mew at the Tree of Beginning, the generous Pokémon had simply plucked a handful from the ether for him. He'd never wasted time chasing rare items again.
A generous friend was the greatest treasure of all.
Like Mew. Like Akari.
Akari's eyes sparkled. "Introduce me to that friend—I'll take a dozen!"
"Here."
Without hesitation, Paul tossed her a Mega Stone and a Key Stone.
"This is…?"
"Lucarionite and a Key Stone. For your Lucario."
"Thank you!" Akari cradled the stones like sacred gifts.
"Take some more."
Rummaging further, Paul produced a Dynamax Band and a Z-Ring, handing them to Akari. Then he opened a dusty chest in the corner, revealing a rainbow of Z-Crystals.
"Paul!" Akari gasped, overwhelmed.
"What?"
She fixed him with fierce determination. "I've decided, I must meet this friend of yours!"
Paul raised a brow. "…You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Convenient. I needed to deliver something anyway."
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
Beep… Beep…
"No answer. Must be busy?" Akari guessed after ten seconds of ringing.
"No. Connection made."
Paul ended the call, pocketed his phone, and lightly tapped the air by the doorway. A golden ring shimmered into existence, expanding until it was larger than a hula hoop.
"Stay close."
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Akari blinked at the surreal sight, but her courage was greater than her doubt. She followed.
The instant she crossed the threshold, her surroundings shifted. Gone was Reggie's cozy house. In its place stretched a high cliff hundreds of meters up, overlooking endless mountains and forests.
They had entered another world.
Akari glanced around and saw Paul gently rubbing the head of a small pink Pokémon.
"Mew?!"
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. To think she would actually see the so-called ancestor of all Pokémon, and even more shocking—it seemed to be on friendly terms with Paul.
POP!
With a soft sound, one of Paul's Poké Balls opened on its own. Mewtwo emerged, landing beside Mew.
"Mii~"
Mew was in high spirits. It conjured a lollipop out of thin air and offered it to Mewtwo.
"No. You eat it."
Mewtwo shook its head gently, declining the gift.
"Mii~!"
Annoyed at the rejection, Mew pouted, then shoved the entire lollipop into its own mouth.
"Your friend… is Mew?" Akari asked, stepping closer to Paul.
"This one is a very special Mew, worth befriending."
Paul's expression was unusually serious. It wasn't that he had suddenly grown warm; it was simply that Mew was exceptionally generous.
"Here's what you asked for—the Origin Ore."
Opening his pack, Paul poured out a collection of stones he had excavated himself.
"Mii mii!"
Mew's eyes lit up. Cheerfully, it teleported the entire stash deep into the Tree of Beginning. With these, it could one day craft new Aura Rings.
Mew (thinking): 'I'll become the true King of Aura someday!'
Its eyes sparkling with ambition, Mew suddenly plucked one of the glowing rings from its tail and tossed it to Mewtwo.
It hadn't forgotten its promise to Paul—that if it ever had a spare Ring, it would give one to Mewtwo.
"Try using it."
Paul gave Mewtwo a nod.
"I will."
Taking the ring, Mewtwo walked off to study its use.
"Mii?!"
At that moment, Mew finally noticed Akari for the first time. Its nose twitched, and it froze in surprise.
"Mew, my name's Akari. Nice to meet you!" Akari beamed, reaching out in hopes of petting it.
But Mew darted aside like a startled cat, circling Akari and sniffing curiously. At last, its gaze fixed on her plain-looking pouch.
"Mii!"
Mew trembled, sensing a familiar aura within—that of Arceus itself!
"Sharp perception." Paul remarked. Then he told Akari, "Release Arceus."
"Got it!"
With a flash of golden light, Arceus emerged, filling the chamber.
"Mii!"
Mew gaped in astonishment, but quickly tilted its head. Something felt wrong. This Arceus' aura was faint, strangely unlike the true god it once sensed.
"Mii!"
Suspicious, Mew yanked Hoopa out of its ring to confirm.
"Hoopa! Don't seal me again—eh?! Who are you?"
The mischievous Legendary paled upon seeing Arceus. Then it squinted, realizing something was off.
"I come from another world." Akari explained simply. "This is the avatar of Arceus from that world."
At once, Mew's eyes lost their reverence. It rolled them dramatically, then floated off to lick its lollipop.
So it wasn't the Arceus, just some alternate fragment.
'Boring. Not worth my respect!'
For Mew, there were only two Arceus it acknowledged: the true Original One, and the god of its own world. Any other "Arceus" was just an impostor.
The so-called "ancestor of Pokémon" was, in fact… a fake-fan of gods.
Arceus froze in place, utterly deflated.
Akari couldn't help laughing. "Mew really is… adorably blunt."
"Mii~"
Mew flopped onto Akari's head, eyes half-lidded in mock disdain. It admired Arceus' true omnipotence, but a mere shard weaker than itself? No thanks.
Arceus, for the first time in its divine existence, tasted scorn.
...
Evening fell swiftly. After some lighthearted play, chatter, and a few friendly battles, Paul and Akari bid farewell to Mew and returned home.
Unfortunately, Mewtwo's Aura Ring wasn't as special as Mew's own. It couldn't use moves like Hyperspace Hole. All it could do was change size, or serve as a clumsy weapon.
But wielding a ring as a weapon wasn't exactly practical. Not everyone was born Nezha with a pair of Qiankun Rings.
Mewtwo sighed and simply wore it as a keepsake.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
As the family enjoyed dinner, someone rapped firmly at the door.
"I'll—" Reggie began, but Paul was closer and rose first.
He opened the door to find a tall young man with striking blue hair, cloaked in a red-brown mantle.
"Tobias?"
Paul recognized him instantly, the same trainer he once battled for the Championship title. After the League, Tobias had vanished from public view. No one knew where he'd gone.
"It's been a while, Paul. Forgive me for disturbing you so late."
Tobias spoke politely, then stated his purpose:
"When I heard you had returned home, I came at once. I'd like to challenge you tomorrow at Veilstone Arena."
"Fine."
Paul accepted without hesitation. Facing a former rival was only natural. But he was curious.
"I've seen no trace of you online. Don't you plan on entering the World Coronation Series?"
From Paul's perspective, Tobias had the strength for it. With a roster of Mythical and Legendary Pokémon, even among rivals like Red or Ash, Tobias could potentially make the Masters Eight.
"I don't care for casual tournaments." Tobias said with a faint smile. "Until I'm absolutely certain, I won't enter any competition lightly."
Back then, Tobias had believed victory in the Sinnoh League was guaranteed—until Paul shattered his expectations.
Yet that loss had accelerated his growth.
"If I can defeat you tomorrow, I'll register for the World Coronation Series immediately—and climb to the Masters Eight."
Tobias knew the truth. Unless he was at least Paul's or Red's level, he had no chance of winning the Championship. If he couldn't even see a path to victory against Paul, then entering the Series would be meaningless. Better to keep training, capture stronger Pokémon, and make his mark later with an overwhelming debut.
"I'll be waiting." Paul said coolly.
They understood each other. In a world with too many protagonists, Tobias' ceiling was uncertain—but it certainly wasn't low.
"I won't keep you long. The arena will send you the official match time. Until tomorrow."
Tobias waved goodbye and left.
(End of Chapter)
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[Author's Note: "So sorry, I've been out for a while. My laptop decided to take an unplanned vacation (hehe lol), and I just got it fixed now...so yeah! I am back to finally continue the story, thanks by the way for sticking around! What's been up with you guys? Happy New Year y'all!"]