Hey everyone! Just a quick heads-up, releases will be slowing down to around 2–4 chapters per week going forward.
The reason is that I've fully caught up with the available raw chapters and am now translating directly from Qidian as the author releases them. Unfortunately, the original author's release rate is pretty slow, roughly 4 chapters a week, and sometimes there are no updates at all for up to half a month.
Since I can only work with what's available, my releases will naturally reflect that pace. On top of that, I also need to balance things out to make sure Patreon readers get their advance chapters, so please bear with me on that front too.
Thank you all so much for your patience and support, it genuinely means a lot. I'll keep translating as fast as the raws allow!
...
So many Pokémon at once.
Lucien's eyes moved across the crowded throne hall with undisguised delight. Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio, the three starter Pokémon of the Alola region, each one distinct and full of character. Behind them, Alolan Dugtrio, Rockruff, Morelull, Stufful, all bearing that unmistakable Alolan quality.
And Morelull in particular caught his attention: a Pokémon that emitted a natural, steady glow in darkness, requiring no fuel, producing no smoke. A living light source. The implications alone were fascinating.
As for Alolan Vulpix, he had to admit, it was unreasonably adorable.
And Luvdisc. Even here, even now, a Pokémon practically synonymous with the Alola region's identity.
"Not bad at all," Lucien said, with more warmth than he usually allowed himself in formal settings.
The newly arrived Pokémon were exploring with full curiosity. Some moved hesitantly, a little overwhelmed by the grand marble hall and the unfamiliar faces. Others had already abandoned all caution and were skidding back and forth across the polished floor with great enthusiasm.
"Everyone, return to your Poké Balls for now!" Columbus called out, grinning, and directed his sailors to begin recalling them one by one.
Once the hall had quieted, Columbus straightened and moved on to the rest of his report.
"After departing the Alola Islands, our fleet continued across open ocean for roughly another month before reaching a second large landmass.
The region is called Kalos, ruled by a kingdom of the same name. We were received and invited to meet King AZ in the capital."
"King AZ was surprised to learn of our intentions. He instructed his ministers to negotiate with us, but the situation there is unsettled." Columbus paused briefly.
"According to the locals, the Kalos Kingdom is currently at war with a nation called the Galar Kingdom."
Lucien's expression stilled.
AZ. Kalos. Galar. At war.
So it had already begun.
The implications unfolded quickly in his mind. If the war was already underway, then the question of Floette's fate was already in motion. And the Ultimate Weapon, AZ's creation, what his brother had called the Divine Artifact, would not be far behind.
It was a device that had no business existing in this era: an instrument of war born from grief, originally built to resurrect a beloved Pokémon, then transformed into something capable of ending the conflict entirely by destroying both sides at once.
The final result had been catastrophic. AZ himself had been altered by the weapon's energy and rendered immortal. When Floette understood what the resurrection had cost, the lives of countless Pokémon consumed to power it, she left him.
The war had gutted the Kalos Region and brought ruin upon Galar in equal measure. A mutual defeat, with no real victors.
The two regions had been left hostile and estranged for generations afterward, their wounds only beginning to heal with the eventual establishment of the modern Pokémon League.
The Ultimate Weapon itself had been buried and sealed underground by AZ and his brother, until, in a later era, it would be unearthed and reactivated by those who had no idea what they were unleashing.
Lucien's fingers tapped slowly against the armrest of the throne.
He could go to Kalos. He could try to intervene, to prevent or at least limit the damage the Ultimate Weapon would cause. But beyond that, something else tugged at the edge of his thoughts. Something he had turned over in his mind more than once.
AZ's immortality.
If such a thing were possible, a life extended close to eternity, then he could remain. He could stay beside Dragonite, Serperior, Volcarona, all of them, without the slow creeping dread of outliving the ones he cared for most.
A trip to Kalos, he thought. It may be necessary.
Columbus continued his report. "As a gesture of goodwill, King AZ also presented us with a collection of Kalos-native Pokémon."
He signaled to his first mate, who directed the sailors to bring forward another chest of Poké Balls. One by one they opened, and the throne hall filled again with light.
Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Flabébé, Bunnelby, Scatterbug, Litleo, Florges, Skiddo, Gogoat, Pancham, Skrelp, Helioptile, Dedenne, and Klefki.
Lucien studied them carefully.
Chespin and Froakie both had real potential as starter Pokémon for new Trainers in the Unova region. Bunnelby, excellent for farming and land-clearing.
Scatterbug could assist with pollination across the agricultural areas. Florges, Pancham, and Flabébé were well-suited to enriching Lucien City's ecological spaces.
And Gogoat, perhaps the most immediately practical of all. Besides producing milk, Gogoat were gentle by nature, capable of generating energy from sunlight through the leaves on their backs, and had coexisted with humans in a working relationship for over five thousand years by the oldest records.
A Pokémon that asked for little and gave a great deal.
"Good," Lucien said, with a satisfied nod.
Columbus recalled the Pokémon and pressed on. "After leaving Kalos, we continued south along the continent's coastline. The landmass is considerably larger than Unova. At its southern reaches lies a nation called the Paldea Kingdom."
He paused for a moment before continuing, as if still processing what he had found there.
"That place has been overtaken by a treasure-hunting frenzy. After considerable investigation, we learned the source of it, at the very center of Paldea lies an enormous geological formation known as the Great Crater of Paldea.
The locals believe it contains treasures of extraordinary value. The promise of what might be found there has drawn adventurers and explorers from across the land, all competing to be the first to reach whatever lies at the bottom."
Paldea.
Lucien turned the name over in his mind. From what he knew, Paldea and Kalos were indeed situated close to one another on the continent. Images surfaced unbidden, Koraidon and Miraidon, the ancient and future paradox Pokémon, and the displaced creatures that surrounded them.
"What Pokémon did you find there?" he asked, leaning forward.
Columbus brushed his hands together and nodded to the last of his sailors, who brought forward the final collection. Flash after flash of white light filled the throne hall, and a new group of entirely unfamiliar Pokémon materialized before Lucien:
Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly, Lechonk, Fidough, Maschiff, Smoliv, Nacli, Charcadet, Tinkatink, Cyclizar, and Frigibax.
Lucien's face broke into a wide, genuine smile.
Fidough and Maschiff, not the strongest battlers, but as farming Pokémon they were in a class of their own. Both emitted a natural fragrance that promoted the growth and healthy harvest of grain crops.
With Landorus already enriching the soil across Unova with renewed vitality, and these two Pokémon added into the mix, Lucien was prepared to guarantee that within a year at most, his people would no longer have to worry about food shortages. That alone made the entire expedition worthwhile.
And Smoliv, its fully evolved form, Arboliva, produced a rich and flavorful olive oil of exceptional quality, ideal for cooking and nutrition. A valuable addition to the Kingdom's food culture.
Then there was Nacli. This rock salt Pokémon could produce large quantities of high-grade salt naturally, and not ordinary salt either. It was said to carry remarkable restorative properties, capable of accelerating the healing of even serious wounds when applied to injured Pokémon.
The medical implications alone were significant.
Lucien's gaze moved on to the others. Charcadet's body ran hot enough to be useful in combat and as a reliable fire-starter, practical in more ways than one.
Tinkatink, with its raw physical strength and natural affinity for metalwork, would have been an extraordinary apprentice in any blacksmith's workshop in this era.
And Cyclizar, gentle in temperament, sturdy in build, perfectly suited as a means of transportation.
He looked across the assembled Pokémon and felt a deep, quiet satisfaction settle over him. His decision to launch the Age of Exploration had been the right one.
With these Pokémon joining the Kingdom, the pace of Unova's development would accelerate considerably.
He straightened in his seat and turned to Elif. "Reward them well."
Columbus's face lit up. He dropped to one knee immediately. "Thank you, Your Majesty! We will..."
"Rest for a few days first," Lucien said. "Once the fleet is fully restocked and the crew has recovered, prepare to set sail again."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Columbus and his sailors withdrew one by one, their footsteps fading down the corridor.
Lucien returned to his study. He sat down, took out paper and pen, and carefully wrote out a summary of each new Pokémon, their characteristics, their temperaments, and their most practical applications.
When he was finished, he passed the pages to Elif.
"Have someone take proper care of those Pokémon. Give them time to adjust to life here before gradually introducing them to other regions of the Kingdom."
Introducing foreign Pokémon was not something to be rushed. Releasing them directly into the wild risked destabilizing local ecosystems in ways that would be difficult to undo.
The process needed to be managed carefully, gradually, with the right people overseeing it every step of the way.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Elif took the documents, bowed quietly, and withdrew.
The heavy study door swung shut behind him, sealing out the noise of the outside world.
Lucien leaned back in his chair, fingertips resting lightly on the polished desk surface, his thoughts moving like deep water, slow on the surface, restless underneath.
The Kalos war. The Ultimate Weapon. AZ's immortality. The Great Crater of Paldea.
Outside the window, the sun was sinking toward the horizon, painting Lucien City's castle walls and streets in long strokes of warm gold and amber.
A handful of Swanna crossed the sky in a clean arc. Below, the citizens of Lucien City moved through their evening routines alongside their Pokémon.
This was what several years of relentless work had built.
He had built the Unova Kingdom with his own hands.
Fertile land nourished by Landorus. A vast landscape of peace and order. A home where humans and Pokémon lived side by side, not as master and tool, but as companions. A force capable of protecting all of it.
From a penniless transmigrator with nothing but knowledge and will, to the unifying king of Unova, he had climbed here step by step, guided by his understanding of this world and the loyal Pokémon who had walked every part of that road beside him.
And yet, when Lucien looked out across all of it, his eyes were not entirely filled with satisfaction.
Alola. Kalos. Paldea. Columbus had brought back more than new Pokémon and resources. He had brought back a door, a door opening onto the entire world.
The Kalos War. The immortal king. The Ultimate Weapon.
Eternal life.
The words came out barely above a whisper. His fingertips moved unconsciously along the windowsill.
He had power. He ruled a kingdom. He had loyal subjects, trusted companions, and everything he had once set out to build. Dragonite, Serperior, Volcarona, they had been with him from nothing, all the way to here.
But Pokémon, however long-lived, were not without an end. And humanity, human life was as brief as morning dew, gone before you had properly noticed it had arrived.
He did not fear war. He did not fear political scheming or the difficult road ahead. What he feared was time, its indifference, its patience, the quiet way it would eventually take everything he loved and leave him standing alone.
But the immortality he sought was nothing like AZ's. Not that cursed, blood-soaked endurance, purchased at the cost of countless lives.
What Lucien wanted was simpler and more personal than that: to remain. To stay beside Dragonite, Serperior, and Volcarona. To watch the Unova Kingdom continue to grow and flourish. To protect, for as many years as could be found, the people and Pokémon who depended on him.
And Kalos was not a simple place.
More names surfaced in his mind. Xerneas, the God of Life. Yveltal, the God of Death. Zygarde, the guardian of order and balance, silent warden of the ecosystem. Three forces in uneasy equilibrium, presiding over a region on the edge of war.
Lucien rose slowly from his chair and walked to the window.
Below, Lucien City was settling into the golden quiet of evening. The land he had shaped spread out before him, and deep within his eyes, something steady and resolved began to burn.
The fleet had opened new routes across the world. The Pokémon of Alola, Kalos, and Paldea would gradually become part of Unova's living fabric, new energy flowing into agriculture, into craftsmanship, into transportation, into the daily lives of ordinary people.
Before long, hunger and scarcity would be words that belonged to the past. His people would know genuine stability, genuine warmth.
And after that, he would go himself.
To Kalos. To meet the immortal King AZ face to face. To seek what the Ultimate Weapon truly was. To intervene, if he could, in a war that history said would end in mutual destruction. To protect the Pokémon who should never have had to die for it.
And, for himself and for the companions who meant everything to him, to find a path forward that was not shadowed by inevitable loss.
The night breeze moved softly across the rooftop, carrying with it the scent of flowers and earth and Pokémon. Kyurem, who had been resting quietly to one side, raised its head. It seemed to sense something in Lucien's stillness. A low, resonant cry rose from deep in its chest.
Lucien smiled.
"It seems you've made your decision too."
He turned to face Kyurem fully. "I only want to do what I should. To seek my own hope and truth. And since I'm here, I can't simply stand by and watch so many innocent lives be lost to something that could be prevented."
His gaze moved to Dragonite, Serperior, and Volcarona resting nearby. Something in his expression softened.
"And I want to do everything I can to stay beside you."
Kyurem held his gaze for a long moment. Then it exhaled, and gave a single, unhurried nod.
"Then go. Whatever comes, we face it together."
Lucien turned back to the window. His voice was quiet, almost gentle.
"Our road is still very long."
Below, Lucien City glowed warmly in the last light of the day. The world beyond its borders, vast, uncharted, and full of consequence, seemed to slowly open itself before his eyes.
In the twilight of year 152 of the Kingdom Calendar, the King of Unova had turned his gaze toward a horizon far wider than any sea his fleet had yet crossed.
...
Stones, anyone??
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