"Legendary… Domain?"
Sato looked at the Ralts in his arms with a confused expression. He didn't know what a [Legendary Domain] was, but anything with the word "Legendary" in it clearly wasn't something ordinary.
"I'm fine the way I am… I don't want to have a Domain," Ralts shook its head, rejecting Darkrai's assumption.
"…Is it because of this human… Sato?"
Darkrai fell silent for a moment, then shifted its gaze to the human standing beside Ralts.
Listening to the two Pokémon communicate, Sato guessed that Ralts had likely lost something very important.
Because of him?
"Yes… and no."
Ralts seemed to sense Sato's sudden wave of guilt and gently patted his finger with its small hand, silently comforting him.
"I have plenty of time. You can explain slowly," Darkrai said patiently, drifting a bit closer, looking as though it truly wanted to hear a story.
Sato was a bit worried about what was happening outside, but since Darkrai had said it was fine -and he didn't know how to get out anyway- he decided to focus on Ralts' matter for now.
Ralts turned to glance at Sato. Once it received his affirming look of "Go ahead and speak," it began its explanation.
"Toto, as you know, I was once the 'ruler' of the Seafloor Cavern. But that 'ruler' doesn't mean a Totem Pokémon, it just meant I led one specific group of Pokémon.
My status as a ruler meant that every Pokémon in the Seafloor Cavern obeyed my command, including stronger ones like the Slaking leader and the Altaria leader."
As Ralts said this, Sato recalled the furious Slaking back in the Seafloor Cavern…
"The so-called Domain is something possessed by all Mythical Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon, Super-ancient Pokémon… those kinds of Pokémon from legends. It's the primal mark that allows them to exist eternally in this world."
Ralts paused to give Sato a moment to process, then continued.
"Once a Pokémon gains the 'primal mark', even an ordinary Pokémon can become a 'Legendary Pokémon', gaining an endless lifespan… as long as they don't seek death, they won't die."
"So in other words, Domain → primal mark → endless lifespan. But a Domain doesn't increase a Pokémon's power?" Sato summarized concisely.
"It does, but not by much. After all, having infinite time lets us learn anything we want at our own pace," Darkrai suddenly interjected… it clearly wasn't a quiet listener.
Ralts nodded in agreement, then continued, "But obtaining a Domain isn't easy. The first condition is to have a personal territory where every living being sees you as their ruler. Note, it must be every 'creature' in that territory, not just a single species."
Sato felt a chill inside. Just hearing that made it sound incredibly difficult!
…And yet his Ralts had only been one step away from success.
Truly impressive!
"Then Darkrai's personal domain would be Fullmoon Island? And Cresselia's is Newmoon Island?" Sato suddenly thought of two examples.
"Smart human~" Darkrai nodded and replied with arrogant approval.
"Actually… I wasn't originally the ruler of the Seafloor Cavern.
When the previous ruler was about to complete its final coronation and become a true Legendary Pokémon, it fled… and forcibly left the half-formed Domain to me," Ralts continued.
"Forced it onto you…? Why didn't it want the Domain and the immortality?" Darkrai was puzzled. As a Legendary Pokémon, it had always taken pride in that.
"Because the Domain that the Seafloor Cavern created for it symbolized 'Slumber'. If it had accepted it, it would have led all the Pokémon in the Seafloor Cavern into sleep… until the day the cavern was rediscovered."
"…Slumber?"
"Yes. Just like Darkrai's nightmares and darkness, Cresselia's dreams and crescent moon, Kyogre's ocean, Latias' mind, Zekrom's ideals, and Yveltal's destruction… every Domain represents a certain rule, concept, or principle in the world.
But because of the Seafloor Cavern's unique nature, its 'awakened' Domain became the ironic embodiment of slumber.
Even with endless lifespan, what meaning is there in endless sleep?"
Upon hearing this, a storm surged in Sato's heart. For the first time, he was coming this close to the essence of this world and the secret behind the birth of these so-called Legendary Pokémon.
"So, the previous holder of the [Slumber Domain] ran away, and the incomplete Domain it left behind gradually pushed me onto the 'throne' of the Seafloor Cavern's ruler… until you arrived, Toto. That gave me a chance to escape."
"So… you didn't just want to see the outside world on a whim," Sato said blankly.
Ralts turned to him, gazing intently into his eyes. Then, one word at a time, with utmost seriousness, it said:
"Of course not. The real reason I decided to follow you out… is because your Dark Energy, Toto, is actually the manifested power of a Domain."
"My Dark Energy…" Sato instinctively lifted his right hand. Dark Energy slowly emerged, now calm and obedient as he squeezed and shaped it freely.
Ralts ignored Sato's daze and continued, "I followed you not just to escape the coronation of the Slumber Domain, but more importantly to understand why you, Toto, possess the power of a Domain too.
If possible, I also want to gain a new Domain, one that grants me immortality."
"Legendary Domains can be inherited?" Sato asked abruptly, throwing out an unrelated question.
"Of course they can!" Darkrai cut in eagerly.
Sato clenched his fists. He thought of Wilma, the old woman from the Village of Dragons and the previous user of the Dark Energy.
Judging from her state, she likely hadn't acquired the full Domain behind the Dark Energy. Otherwise, Zoroark wouldn't have met him, either in this life or the previous one.
…So, what secrets still lay behind the Dark Energy?
…Why did Wilma imprison Zweilous with one hand, and yet enhance Zoroark's potential with the other? And why did she let Sato learn about the origin of the Dark Energy?
Of course, even that origin still had many unanswered questions.
Countless thoughts burst into Sato's mind, but none of them were questions he could answer on his own.
Sensing his turmoil, Ralts paused the story. Only when Sato had managed to suppress his confusion did it turn to Darkrai and speak solemnly.
"The time for my 'coronation' as the Slumber Domain's successor is approaching. You have the Nightmare Domain, so you could absorb mine to strengthen your own. That way, I'd also be freed."
"You don't want a Domain either?" Darkrai asked in surprise, but then its eyes flared with excitement as it stared at Ralts. "You're sure you want to let me absorb your Domain?"
"You don't have to. Cresselia wouldn't be a bad choice either~"
"I want it… I WANT IT! I WANT IT AAAALL!
When does your coronation begin?" Darkrai suddenly flashed in front of Ralts, clearly unable to contain itself anymore.
"This special space won't hold for much longer. Let's deal with the situation outside first," Ralts replied without giving a direct answer.
And as soon as it spoke, Sato's surroundings instantly shifted. In the blink of an eye, he returned to the real world…
..
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150 PS - Chap