"I'm not going to die, right?"
After hanging up the phone, Julian looked at Xerneas and asked with plete seriousness.
Although he had great confidence in himself, and his trump cards were far stronger than they had been three years ago, what if something unexpected happened?
Just like that battle against the Master. Julian had never imagined there to be something like the Godless Barrier, and he had almost been defeated because of it.
What if there was a Godless Barrier 2.0, one that prevented him from using First-class Legendaries while allowing the enemy to use theirs?
In that case, he might as well just end it on his own terms.
The reason he asked Xerneas was simple—it was the God of Life.
If either he or his Pokémon were ever gravely wounded and on the verge of death, then with Xerneas present, dying would probably be almost impossible.
Understanding what Julian meant, Xerneas replied, "I will help you."
After receiving Xerneas's assurance, Julian said nothing more.
"Metagross, let's go. We're off to save the world."
Julian leaped onto Metagross's back.
"Meta!"
As Julian and Metagross vanished from sight, Xerneas was just about to leave as well.
"Dee..."
But Love suddenly appeared before it.
"My cub will e home safe, right?"
Love fixed its gaze on Xerneas, its tone expectant yet pleading.
Sensing Love's intense worry for Julian, Xerneas nodded.
"Even without me... he wouldn't die."
With that, it too vanished from the spot.
---
Meanwhile, after Hoopa appeared and released its aura, everything within a radius of twenty million square kilometers across East Africa had been annihilated.
Every living creature and every Secret Realm had been destroyed.
A catastrophe of this scale had never occurred since the emergence of human civilization.
News of everything that had happened in the region spread across the world at lightning speed.
The satellite images showed nothing but scorched earth stretching endlessly into the distance.
The place had been an extremely underdeveloped region, but precisely because it had remained underdeveloped, its vegetation had been exceptionally lush.
And now, not even a trace of green could be seen.
Under the gentle breeze, there was only wisp after wisp of dust and smoke.
Some people even posted parison photos—the former lush and verdant, where one could see Pokémon resting on tree branches; the latter, nothing but desolation upon desolation.
The contrast made the visual impact intensely striking.
And in the footage, Hoopa could also be seen laughing heartily.
For a moment, a surge of despair, sorrow, and helplessness flooded people's hearts.
Soon afterward, countless posts began appearing online proclaiming that the end of the world had arrived and that humanity was on the brink of extinction.
Such claims quickly spread across countries all over the world, and many people were deeply affected by both the rumors and the images.
In Celestria, the zero-dollar shopping spree naturally kicked off again—and this time on an unprecedented scale.
Even people who normally seemed law-abiding now wore frenzied expressions, shouting that the apocalypse was ing and humanity was doomed, before joining in the looting.
Though, if the apocalypse really were upon them, then everything they looted would be worthless anyway.
In truth, plenty of people were simply using the apocalypse as an excuse to mit crimes, while others were just venting.
In Drakoria, widespread looting didn't occur, but pessimistic opinions still flooded the internet.
---
> "East Africa is so far from us. It shouldn't e here, right?"
> "Distance means nothing to a First-class Legendary. The only question is whether it wants to e."
> "Isn't Hoopa way too powerful? It even seems stronger than Groudon and Kyogre."
> "Hoopa is definitely stronger than them. I even think it's surpasses Rayquaza."
> "What do we do? Doesn't Hoopa have a grudge against Champion Walker? What if it es here for revenge?"
> "That's seems likely. It looked toward the east just now, and isn't that where our country is?"
> "Do you think Champion Walker can defeat it? If he can't... are we all going to die?"
> "It's all Julian's fault. Why did he have to provoke such a powerful First-class Legendary? Now he made the mistake, and ordinary people like us have to suffer for it."
> "The countless humans and Pokémon who died there are all Julian's fault. He should just kill himself. Maybe that would calm Hoopa's anger."
> "Where did this dog crawl out from? Eating from the bowl and then cursing the one who fed you."
> "The authorities should thoroughly investigate these people calling for Champion Walker to kill himself or be handed over. If they're not spies, they're traitors to the country."
There were indeed a very small number of people online spouting rhetoric about Julian needing to kill himself to appease Hoopa's anger, but as soon as these people posted, they were immediately blasted back by others.
And the authorities really did spring into action.
They started tracking down the people who had posted those messages and, in the process, actually uncovered several foreign spies.
In times of crisis, all kinds of hidden threats began surfacing.
Every major city across Drakoria had already been placed under martial law. Anyone who tried to cause trouble would be arrested almost immediately.
> "Everyone, turn on the National Television Station immediately. Grand Elder will give a detailed explanation of this incident in five minutes!"
---
As soon as that message appeared, the mobile phones of all Drakorian citizens simultaneously received a text notification.
The content of the text was essentially the same as what that person had just said.
Five minutes later, at exactly 1:00 PM.
Countless people across the nation turned on televisions they hadn't used in a long time and switched to the National Television Station.
At the same time, the broadcast was streamed live on TikTok and other video platforms.
Now, people on the streets, in shopping malls, on buses, and inside fast-food restaurants all stared intently at nearby screens.
Office workers in countless high-rise buildings also had their phones in hand, waiting for the clock to strike one.
None of their supervisors stopped them from slacking off—after all, those very supervisors were watching on their phones too.
Some panies had even set up projectors so everyone could watch together.
Time soon reached 1:00 PM, and the pitch-black screen lit up with the familiar face of James.
His expression was, naturally, far more solemn than usual.
Beside him were John and Jake. Their expressions were also exceptionally grave, their eyes harboring a deep tinge of worry.
"My fellow citizens, I'm sure you are all now aware of the matter concerning Hoopa. Its appearance has caused massive and immeasurable casualties in the East African region."
"Since the dawn of human civilization, even during the wars between humans and Pokémon centuries ago, there has never been a death toll this immense."
"And Hoopa's power has surpassed humanity's understanding of First-class Legendaries."
"A thousand years ago, Hoopa sought to destroy the world, but it was sealed by four First-class Legendaries. But not long ago, it broke through that seal."
"The emergence of Hoopa threatens not just East Africa, but all of humanity and every Pokémon without exception."
"Some extremists among you have previously claimed that it is because of Julian that Hoopa wants to destroy the world, and have even called for us to hand Julian over to appease Hoopa's wrath."
"To those people, I only have one thing to ask: do you even have a f***ing brain?!"
In front of the entire nation, James actually swore.
*****
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