When Sharpedo lowered its proud, unyielding head, a thought instinctively arose in Hu Chengliang's mind.
This was probably a classic scene destined to be recorded in history.
Without relying on any Pokémon—or even any technological means—a human had openly and fairly defeated a Pokémon that could be considered one of the tyrants of the sea.
Cheers erupted across the island and the ships, echoing throughout the surrounding waters.
"Jirachi."
At Chen Mo's call through his Aura, Jirachi, who had been staying with Gengar, quickly arrived at the beach.
It first used its healing abilities to give Sharpedo some simple treatment, then used its psychic powers to send Sharpedo back into the ocean.
By then, the other Sharpedo had also gathered in the waters before the beach.
Although it had been thoroughly beaten into submission, losing to a human still made the defeated Sharpedo somewhat ashamed to face its own kind.
"Shark!"
From within the Sharpedo group, a noticeably larger Sharpedo—presumably the leader—suddenly let out an angry roar toward the defeated Sharpedo with its head lowered.
"Are they going to start fighting among themselves...?"
Just as Hu Chengliang watched the scene in the sea with curiosity, he saw that the Sharpedo leader merely exchanged a few words with the defeated Sharpedo before approaching Chen Mo.
"Shark! Shark, shark!"
"Sure."
Having completely mastered his Aura, Chen Mo no longer needed Pikachu to serve as a translator.
The leader Sharpedo's meaning was simple.
The Sharpedo clan still honored the previous wager. It also thanked Chen Mo for showing mercy—not only sparing the defeated Sharpedo, but even treating its injuries.
Chen Mo was somewhat surprised by the leader Sharpedo's politeness, but after thinking about it, he found it perfectly understandable.
Having survived the large-scale slaughter carried out by Pokémon Hunters, the Sharpedo clan understood the meaning of unity extremely well. They were also a species that placed great importance on every member of their group.
This saved him quite a bit of trouble.
The main reason Chen Mo had made the wager with Sharpedo was to borrow the Sharpedo clan's strength and completely drive the wild Pokémon out of the surrounding waters.
After all, although Chen Mo had used the Aura of the Tree of World's Beginning to summon a large number of wild Pokémon, there would always be some particularly cautious Pokémon that refused to answer his call.
Against those Pokémon, a clan of sea tyrants like Sharpedo could produce excellent results.
"Shark!"
The leader Sharpedo gave a deep growl and immediately agreed.
It didn't bother asking Chen Mo why, turning around to lead the Sharpedo clan away.
"Wait!"
After stopping the Sharpedo, Chen Mo whispered a few words to Hu Chengliang beside him.
Director Hu nodded while smiling.
"No problem. We've got plenty in storage anyway. We couldn't use it all even if we wanted to."
Very soon, under Hu Chengliang's instructions, official personnel dressed in military uniforms began throwing large quantities of Pokéblocks into the water near the Sharpedo.
"Shark?"
The leader Sharpedo looked at Chen Mo strangely.
The Sharpedo that had previously fought Chen Mo had already tasted the delicious Pokéblocks once. At that moment, it subconsciously—and rather quietly—raised its head and looked toward the colorful little cubes floating nearby.
Pokéblocks had always been a major focus of the Countermeasure Bureau's research and development.
In just the time since Chen Mo had left Anping City after the conclusion of the Pikachu Cup, the Pokéblocks had already undergone three full upgrades.
It could be said that the current Pokéblocks were becoming increasingly suited to Pokémon tastes and had developed a certain degree of appeal to wild Pokémon.
That was also why the Sharpedo that had suddenly appeared earlier hadn't attacked the Lumineon themselves, but instead immediately bit open their boxes.
"Don't worry. I have no ill intentions toward you."
Chen Mo adjusted his Aura and conveyed his feelings to the Sharpedo clan.
"These Pokéblocks are for you to eat. If you're going to work, you need to fill your stomach first. From now on, if you come here every day, someone will provide you with food. So during this period, please try your best not to hunt other wild Pokémon."
"Shark..."
Although surprised by the human's strange behavior, the leader Sharpedo only thought about it briefly before agreeing.
As the Pokéblocks entered their stomachs, the favorability ratings of every Sharpedo on the [Eye of Detection] rose rapidly.
Before long, all of them had quickly gone from negative values to positive ones.
"Still, you're the best at this."
Hu Chengliang gave Chen Mo a thumbs-up.
Chen Mo smiled.
"The main thing is that Aura makes things convenient. Pokémon can generally sense very clearly that I don't bear them any ill will."
"Aura..."
Ever since Chen Mo had explained Aura inside the secret realm, Hu Chengliang had been extremely interested in this supernatural ability that humans could wield.
And now—
After witnessing Chen Mo's various extraordinary displays firsthand, it would have been impossible for him not to feel tempted by Aura.
However...
Just as Hu Chengliang was gathering his thoughts, Chen Mo suddenly smiled and said something to him.
The next second, Hu Chengliang froze.
Then, boundless delight burst into his eyes.
"Really!?"
"Of course it's true."
"Then—"
Hu Chengliang was about to continue, but suddenly remembered Professor Zhou's previous instructions to him. He immediately changed his wording.
"Chen Mo, I think you really don't need to worry about how the official side will handle the methods for cultivating Aura. The authorities definitely aren't as cold-blooded as some people imagine. Please rest assured—whether it's me, Professor Zhou, or the others, we'll all stand on your side."
That's right.
What Chen Mo had just told Hu Chengliang was that he intended to hand over the methods of cultivating Aura to the government.
Watching Hu Chengliang desperately explain himself, clearly afraid that Chen Mo might misunderstand, Chen Mo simply smiled and shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. Brother Hu, do you remember those Aura Guardians in the secret realm who gave their lives for the Tree of World's Beginning and Mew?"
"Of course I remember."
Hu Chengliang nodded.
He felt that even ten years from now, he would never forget those heroes who had chosen self-sacrifice without the slightest hesitation.
"I'm a very fortunate person."
Chen Mo glanced at Zoroark and Lucario in the distance and spoke softly.
"Because I was fortunate enough to obtain so much knowledge about Aura, I feel that I bear a certain responsibility—to allow the legacy of Aura to continue in this world, and even to flourish."
"Besides, if our world can have a group of Aura Guardians, the benefits will definitely outweigh the disadvantages."
After returning from behind that door, Chen Mo's understanding of Aura Guardians had undoubtedly deepened considerably thanks to the knowledge concerning Aura that had surfaced in his mind.
At first, based on some information provided by Manaphy and memories from his previous life, Chen Mo had believed that only humans with a strong sense of justice possessed the potential to awaken Aura.
But that wasn't actually the case.
The reason the overwhelming majority of Aura Guardians were righteous was because the teachings passed down among Aura Guardians contained a method capable of helping people with pure hearts and a strong sense of justice awaken Aura.
That was why Chen Mo dared to hand his knowledge of Aura over to the state.
He basically didn't need to worry that spreading the knowledge would result in a group of humans using Aura to cause chaos.
And more importantly—the most crucial point of all—
Awakening Aura was simply far too difficult.
Even with the special methods passed down through generations of Aura Guardians, the probability of successfully awakening Aura only increased by a tiny amount.
So, without exaggeration, if Chen Mo had to rely solely on himself, then finding even one person capable of awakening Aura during his entire lifetime would probably already count as a success.
"I understand."
Hu Chengliang solemnly nodded at Chen Mo.
Not far away, Lucario watched the scene with a smile on its face.
Among Aura Guardians, there was a saying that had been passed down for generations:
[Among all beings capable of wielding Aura, whether human or Pokémon, only those with noble souls are worthy of the title Aura Guardian.]
The nobility of the young man's soul shone so brightly that even Lucario couldn't help but be moved.
Lucario firmly believed that if they were in that other world, the young man would undoubtedly become another true Hero of Aura after Sir Aaron.
No—
Even now, he was already fully worthy of that title.
And with that...
I can finally be completely at ease.
Lucario slowly raised its head and looked toward the distant blue sky.
For the following three days, Chen Mo continuously used his Aura to coordinate with the Sharpedo clan, driving every Pokémon in the surrounding waters temporarily away from the area.
Finally, after the Sharpedo clan returned from an entire day of patrol and reported that there were no more wild Pokémon remaining in these waters, preparations for the arrival of the Tree of World's Beginning were complete.
September 23rd.
The Autumnal Equinox.
Because the island was located in the South China Sea, close to the equator, the weather remained scorching hot despite the season having already entered autumn, almost like the height of summer.
At that moment, the Chinese fleet that had previously gathered around the island had long since withdrawn in accordance with official orders.
Only a few helicopters remained above the waters, carrying out surveillance duties.
Chen Mo, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts and riding atop Pidgeot, was also hovering high in the sky.
Its enormous body, the long crest of red and yellow feathers, its bright brown-and-yellow plumage—which had clearly been carefully groomed—and its huge wings that could stir up gusts of wind with the slightest flap...
Among the many helicopters, Pidgeot's presence constantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.
The cameraman in charge of filming couldn't help repeatedly turning the camera toward Pidgeot.
And every time he did, the official livestream's chat exploded.
[Yes! That's it! Keep the camera there! Give the cameraman an extra drumstick tonight! Damn, Pidgeot is ridiculously handsome!]
[I've gone through the entire Pokémon Encyclopedia. The coolest bird Pokémon have to be Pidgeot and a species called Corviknight. Add Teacher Mo's looks into the equation, and this could easily become my wallpaper for a long time.]
[Pokémon Encyclopedia? What?]
[Why are there always people speaking bird language in this stream? I clicked on their profiles, and most of them are new accounts too. What the hell is going on?]
[Go over the firewall and you'll find out. The news that our country is transferring the Tree of World's Beginning into this world has caused an absolute uproar around the globe.]
[Heh. I don't even need to go over the firewall to know what they're talking about.]
[Isn't that island's surrounding sea territory ours? I seriously don't know what the hell they're whining about.]
"Is everything alright on Professor Zhou's side?"
While waiting for the Tree of World's Beginning to arrive, Chen Mo asked Hu Chengliang, who was seated inside one of the helicopters.
"It's just some condemnation. Nothing serious."
Hu Chengliang waved dismissively.
From the day Chen Mo entered the spacetime rift, the Chinese authorities had dispatched large numbers of troops and naval vessels to completely seal off the waters surrounding the island.
Such a massive operation naturally couldn't be hidden from other countries.
Furthermore, Chen Mo's journey through the secret realm had been livestreamed almost in its entirety, so countries around the world already had a certain understanding of the Tree of World's Beginning.
Although other countries hadn't initially known about the plan to transfer the Tree of World's Beginning, hiding such an enormous landmass merging into reality would have been impossible anyway.
Therefore, China had never intended to conceal the matter.
"Don't worry, Chen Mo. Leaving aside the fact that this is our territory to begin with, just based on the agreements signed at the United Earth Conference, if they want to develop a model of harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon in the future, they'll still have to come to our country for experience. So right now, the only thing those foreigners can do is condemn us."
Hu Chengliang chuckled.
"And even that so-called condemnation is just an attempt to demand more benefits. Professor Zhou and the people above him will take care of it."
Chen Mo nodded and said nothing further.
Although Chen Mo's ideal was to change the entire world's perception of Pokémon, the international stage was honestly still somewhat distant from him.
Or rather—
With the power of one individual alone, influencing the world's nations was still far too difficult at present.
Chen Mo's current choice was to rely on China to influence the international community and change countries' attitudes and policies toward Pokémon.
Just as Chen Mo's thoughts drifted, the Aura he had been continuously releasing suddenly caught an unusual fluctuation from within the void.
"Is it coming...?"
Chen Mo lowered his gaze toward the island.
Noticing his movement, Hu Chengliang instinctively looked in the same direction.
However, the helicopter was flying far too high, and Hu Chengliang's eyesight was merely average. He could only make out the outline of the island and couldn't see what was happening on it.
Just as Hu Chengliang was about to take out his phone and check the livestream—
The entire island below was swallowed by purple crystals at a speed visible to the naked eye.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/plotwired
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.