"Ah, so you saw through my thoughts after all. As expected of Arceus," Volo chuckled softly.
"I thought I'd have to go through so additional trials or sothing… is it really this easy to leave?"
Under Arceus's thoughtful gaze, Volo showed a hint of doubt.
[It seems soone intends to keep you here.]
Cynthia spoke up at that mont.
"Mr. Volo. The Divine Flute and Hisui may have vanished, but the present-day Sinnoh is wonderful in its own right! If you have nowhere to go… you're welco to co to Celestic Town."
"That's my hotown. It has preserved the history and ancient ways of life of the Sinnoh region in their entirety."
Cynthia extended the invitation:
"People who cherish the past gather there, like —descendants of the ancient people of Sinnoh. Though the town used to be a bit rural, it's developed nicely now."
"Ah, that's exactly why I don't want to go there," Volo scratched his head and sighed with his eyes closed. "That place… the Ancient Hideaway."
"There's soone I'd rather not see who might still be living there. Although, if I were to et her now, I wouldn't feel ashad. After all, I've more or less fulfilled my dreams."
"If you co across a woman nad 'Cogita,' please give her a ssage for : tell her I'll be leaving soon, and she doesn't need to worry about —I won't trouble her anymore.
Ah, she looks a lot like you, but with silver hair, wearing black mourning clothes… how should I put it? She has a sort of Galar noblewoman vibe, though I've never been to Galar."
"Hmph, but now that Arceus has a new ssenger, that woman might have already left this world. Thanks to you, I finally understand what she ant by her 'mission' and 'the world's true form!'"
Volo glanced at Hikaru, comnting:
"You godly ssengers always like to hide away in remote places where normal folks can't find you! Maybe soday, Shinto itself will end up like Celestic Town, with skyscrapers and modernization and all that."
"Cogita, huh…" Cynthia nodded slightly. "I'll rember. If I et her, I'll pass on your ssage."
"Long ago…" Hikaru looked at the two. "The Ancient Hideaway was the city of the Divine Flute people. That city collapsed after the sun vanished. The Divine Flute people, having lost their holand, wandered afar, leaving only Pokémon to inhabit the land."
"In the distant past, there was a town called the Divine Flute City. As ti passed, its people scattered, and the na Divine Flute was forgotten by all."
"Many years later, a group of people who revered the Great Sinnoh crossed the sea and arrived here."
"They split into two factions, each worshipping a different Great Sinnoh."
"Thus arose their opposition, and thus began their conflict."
"To claim legitimacy, both factions called themselves the Divine Flute people."
"The na Divine Flute resurfaced in the world, but the hearts of the ancients no longer remained."
"That's exactly why… even if I returned to Celestic, it wouldn't be the place I once knew," Volo declined Cynthia's invitation.
"Celestic will march toward the future, carrying the na and history of the Divine Flute people. But the ancient hearts we lost… they can never be retrieved. Call stubborn, but I'm a deeply nostalgic man."
"Ti never stops—past, future, and the present."
That's the inscription on Celestic's mural.
"So there's no need to cling to the past. I have my own future to pursue."
"Of course, I don't hold any special fondness for the Divine Flute people. The stories from thousands of years ago are distant even for . And when it cos to cultural identity, the descendants of the Divine Flute people have long been scattered across the world. You can find them in every region."
Hikaru: "It's just like the ancient legends say. The original Divine Flute people gathered together to build their city, then scattered to preserve their civilization after calamities struck. Later, they returned to restore Sinnoh's land, and afterward, they set off again in all directions, each carrying their ideals."
Cynthia sighed helplessly, but the corners of her mouth lifted in a gentle, understanding smile.
"Really, you're afraid I'll cause another Sinnoh crisis, aren't you?" Volo directly pointed out Cynthia's thoughts. "Looks like you've been listening carefully to what I've said, huh? Not calling out directly because you'd feel bad?"
"Well, anyway, the Sinnoh region has bigger problems to deal with now than . You should focus on Team Galactic. As for their history, let give you a brief rundown."
"To put it simply: there's no connection!"
Volo waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away so invisible ghost.
"When the Divine Flute people returned to Hisui from across the world, they brought many outsiders with them. Apart from the 'two factions of Divine Flute people' Hikaru ntioned earlier, there was a third large group that entered Hisui—these were the 'Team Galactic' people."
"Apparently, they fled to Hisui because their holand was struck by disaster. They settled on this undeveloped land to survive. At first, they were hostile and wary of Pokémon. In short, they were a pioneering team focused on exploration and research—not really related to space travel."
"Team Galactic got its na because the abilities of the survey team mbers shone like stars in the sky. They once proudly declared they'd pass down the na and achievents of Team Galactic to their descendants. But looking at those descendants now… tsk, tsk."
"Oh, right, I heard you used to work as a Pokémon assistant, right? What's the na of the Sinnoh region's Pokémon Professor… Oh, Professor Rowan. He used to work in Kanto, didn't he? His ancestors were the founders of Team Galactic, you know!"
"Eh?!" Cynthia was utterly shocked.
"I've never heard of such a thing!"
Volo chuckled slyly: "Probably because one of that old man's ancestors deliberately hid Team Galactic's history. It's been so many years—his ancestor wasn't exactly the nicest person. Feeling ashad and not passing down the story is pretty normal. Funny, isn't it? The descendant of a Team Galactic leader ends up researching the Pokédex, when that guy absolutely hated Pokémon."
"anwhile, on the other side, the opposite happened. The descendants of those who were supposed to pass down the legacy turned Team Galactic into what it is now.
Forget their weird ideals and motives—their bizarre fashion sense alone is beyond ."
Cynthia: "Yeah, those bowl cuts are so weird, aren't they?"
Volo: "Totally! Hideous! And why on earth did their boss think it was a good idea to dye everyone's hair green?"
When it ca to criticizing Team Galactic's tacky aesthetics, Volo and Cynthia shared a strong mutual understanding and a need to vent. But suddenly, Cynthia snapped back to reality:
"Wait a second! Mr. Volo, do you know who the current leader of Team Galactic is?!"
At this point in ti, Cyrus was still a well-known philanthropist and businessman with only loose connections to Team Galactic on the surface. The Sinnoh League's upper ranks had investigated and found ties between Team Galactic and the Galactic Foundation, but lacking concrete evidence, they couldn't accuse Cyrus directly.
In public, Cyrus had even strongly criticized Team Galactic's actions, presenting himself as a paragon of justice.
He even… smiled at public events.
"You probably have so guesses, right? But without evidence, I won't say anything."
Volo raised a finger and made a shushing gesture, his smiling expression leaving Cynthia a bit exasperated.
"You're the Sinnoh Champion, aren't you? Use your power to investigate. This shouldn't be too much trouble. After all, there's still a ssenger here, and Giratina will help you."
"Still, stay on your guard. These villainous organizations are crafty—endless high-tech thods popping up left and right. Even I'm amazed."
"Ahem." Hikaru gently reminded: "Arceus…"
[It's fine. Those who hold the knowledge of history have an obligation to pass it on to future generations. The story of the world continues forever. History is never-ending. As a place of ruins, the only thing of value here… is the lost history.]
Arceus wasn't bothered by Volo's rambling—after all, this world still had many hardships ahead.
In other worlds similar to this one, "ambitious individuals" always existed.
Sotis, not even their nas changed—only their motives.
This, too, was part of history's inevitable progression.
"I was planning to leave here directly… but suddenly, I have a new idea."
"Sa question as before—don't I have to go through so kind of trial?"
[That's your choice to make. Does the current you still need to ask a god which path to follow?]
"I see… in that case, I've decided to go on a journey. I'll 'save' the option to leave this world for later. I never said I wanted to leave right now, did I?"
Volo turned his gaze, as if piercing through the Hall of Origin and the Shinto Ruins.
"As a rchant, it's my duty to find rare things, people, and stories.
There are still so many rare treasures in this world I haven't seen yet."
"As for Michina… from what Hikaru and you've said, it seems the true cause of this world's disaster is tied to them too. But I'm not really interested—after all, what does that have to do with ? The one I wanted to investigate was you. You were always the one I pursued."
"I'll travel to other regions first. As for when I'll leave this world…"
Volo closed his eyes in contemplation, then flashed that signature wicked grin:
"A perfect world does exist. So before I head to that world, why not take a look at an even darker world first?"
"Hey! That world Hikaru ntioned earlier—the one that enraged your counterpart over there and nearly destroyed human society—that's real, isn't it?"
[You want to beco a traveler of the multiverse? Not bad. That world does exist. The Arceus of that world encountered betrayal from humans long ago. Even so, it still holds hope for humanity. The anger is rely a facade. But… without the right hero, it would have destroyed everything there.]
[That is the "Trial of the Apocalypse." Compared to the Arceus here, it's much more extre—shaped by the history it endured.]
[So, humans and Pokémon are interdependent. If either side harbors intense malice, history will spiral toward an irreparable and tragic end. And compared to the innocent-minded Pokémon, humans—with their higher intelligence and more complex minds—are more prone to falling into the abyss of malice.]
Arceus found Volo's desire intriguing, but it offered a small warning:
[If you wish to go, I will allow you to travel across different worlds. However, you have a habit of ddling in others' choices. While that can push history forward, you must be cautious when doing so in other worlds.]
[Because those worlds have no place for you in their histories. You must not disrupt them. Guidance must be limited. You will be restrained. Only when you arrive at a world where you truly wish to stay forever will these restraints be lifted.]
"Wait, you're not talking about turning him into a Pokémon or sothing, are you?"
Hikaru smirked. Seeing Volo's confused expression, he clarified:
"People who can travel between worlds aren't limited to just you. Or rather, rember when we talked about the Mystery Dungeon world? That world has its own 'saviors'—and they're 'humans.'"
"So are humans who arrived from other worlds, while others are those who crossed over from the Mystery Dungeon world long ago. Even in that dark world I ntioned, there are 'ti travelers' too."
"Even here in our Pokémon world, there are wanderers who've traveled to other worlds."
In the Mystery Dungeon world, the protagonist is a human who transford into a Pokémon after arriving from another human world.
In the Special Episode, even an old man like Looker once beca a ti traveler. He ntioned in the Shinto Ruins that he'd seen eras without Poké Balls, the age of the Legendary Pokémon, and even witnessed the total destruction of the Shinto Ruins and the human world.
And even in the normal Pokémon world, places like Kalos's "Mirror World" exist. Through special portals, it's possible to cross the barriers of ti and space. Ash himself once nearly got lost in such a distant world.
"I thought my idea was special… I didn't expect others had done it before!"
"Ah, right. 'She' was also a ti-displaced traveler, wasn't she? Can't believe I forgot that."
After hearing all this, Volo's words sounded a bit dejected, but his expression grew more excited.
And the 'she' he referred to, of course, was the legendary Hisuian heroine.
Volo hadn't understood these things before, but now it all made sense—
Even that girl wasn't unique. People like her existed in many worlds!
"This world is truly vast!
Ah… I've never felt such kindness radiating from the world before! So that's it. That's it! The reason I endured so much humiliation and suffering… was all for this day!"
"Trading a sorrowful past for an endless future… This answer—I'm more than satisfied!"
"Hikaru! If we et again—no, since you know so much, it's inevitable that we will et again! Perhaps in the past, perhaps in the future! When that happens, let's share the knowledge and stories we've gained from different worlds!
You and I are the sa—both born to witness rare and wondrous things, people, and events!"
"The descendants of the Divine Flute people left ancient Sinnoh and scattered across the world. Now, even other worlds will be stepped upon by the Divine Flute people. Perhaps pursuing history and myths is our destiny. We are born of legends, and we will pursue them forever!"
Hikaru: "For , there's no need to rember yesterday's events, nor worry about tomorrow's. I just need to live well in the 'today.'"
"Today will beco the new tomorrow.
So, I'm setting off on my journey now!
Farewell, everyone!"
Volo accepted Arceus's "limited blessing," fully satisfied with this outco!
"It's just like the Plates scattered across Hisui…
We scatter in all directions, always praying, carrying our traces to the new worlds we step into."
He sighed in wonder, while Hikaru recalled an ancient poem, offering both Volo and Cynthia a warning and a blessing:
"The Plates scattered across Hisui contain the power of all things."
"These are eternal, indestructible objects, inscribed with everlasting prayers."
"May the wishes within them spread far and wide, forevermore."
"Cynthia, when you return, be sure to collect those Plates. Team Galactic might use them for sothing.
As for Spear Pillar, I'll go once my current work is done—it hasn't opened yet anyway."
"Don't worry about your Divine Garb. I'll find the right materials to make it."
"Be wary of the Red Chain. Cyrus intends to use it to control Dialga and Palkia to create a new galaxy.
If you want to obtain those chains through normal ans, it won't work. But if you play the villain… well, then there's nothing to hold you back."
Whoooosh—
Arceus raised its head, its body glowing brilliantly. The once-illusory form finally dissipated, transforming into a vast energy that rged into the world of Shinto.
The scene of the Hall of Origin quickly faded, returning everything to its original state in the Shinto Ruins.
[Then, people of the Divine Flute, may your future shine bright.
I extend my sincere blessings once again—to your world, and to the universe in which you live.]
(End of Chapter)
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