"Wano Country without Pokémon is really very different."
"This isn't the root of the problem. To put it bluntly, this world is vast, and it will keep rotating even if there is no one. There are worlds without Pokémon, just as there are many more world with them."
"Even more than Wano Country?"
"Of course. The number of Pokémon species known to people of other worlds already exceeds a thousand. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. In places unknown to most, there are still more Pokémon waiting to be discovered."
Sitting on the window ledge, gazing at the brightly lit Wano Country under the night sky, Yamato's thoughts were somewhat heavy.
The lights at night were a clear example. In that other Wano Country, once night fell, you could only see scattered firelight in most areas. The liveliest place was the Flower Capital's red-light district, which was the only place that stayed lit using lanterns.
This Wano Country was different. After several years of development, Wano Country had already achieved the goal of bringing household electrical appliances to rural areas. Ordinary citizens didn't have Rotom appliances, but they still had regular electric ones.
The number of Electivire had increased from just two at the beginning to seven now, which was enough to meet Wano Country's electricity needs. To be precise, a single Electivire could generate enough power for the entire Wano Country; the extra ones were for taking turns.
The island's total electricity demand couldn't be supplied by just a single battery.
The process of laying down electrical circuits seemed slow on the surface, but it had actually taken quite a bit of effort. In the beginning, not to mention electricians, when most people in Wano Country heard the word "electricity," the first things that came to mind were lightning and ninjutsu.
Even now, the people of Wano Country still view it more as a divine blessing than science. Even electricity bills are considered part of their tribute.
The buildings in Wano Country had also undergone several renovations. Machamp and Machoke were a huge help to the construction teams. With them around, the workers only needed to focus their energy on the skilled parts of the job. When it came to raw strength, most people couldn't compare to the Machamp family.
Wano Country only had a few dozen kinds of Pokémon, but even just those had already drastically transformed the lives of its people. Daily life had become almost inseparable from these Pokémon.
Over a thousand kinds of Pokémon… Yamato was deeply curious, what kind of world would that be?
"Haven't you already seen it once? The Dragon Dimension may be fictional, but it does truly exist. You'll have more chances to see things like that."
"I feel like I missed a lot of things..."
Recalling the Pokémon that appeared in the fictional ancient Unova Region, Yamato suddenly realized something. In focusing so much on how to pass the trial, she may have overlooked some of the most fundamental things.
"It's not that strange. Just pay more attention next time. Everything there is fake, you'll see the same things again next time you go."
"I just didn't notice because I was so focused on how to pass the trial!"
Yamato found herself an excuse. From Arceus's tone, she felt a kind of "she's hopeless, let's just leave it at that" vibe, which was definitely not a good impression.
"Did you pass the trial?"
"Ahem, it's too difficult, Dad! You made the trial too hard. I couldn't even find a clue from Reshiram!"
You couldn't say she wasn't trying; she was genuinely working toward this goal, and even her Conqueror's Haki had grown stronger because of it.
And if you say she was working hard, but she hasn't made much progress. Zekrom is still okay, but Reshiram mostly just stares at her with an emotionless gaze and sighs before leaving.
Only occasionally would Reshiram say a few words to her, and it was only after she had improved.
There was even a period when she couldn't see Reshiram at all.
"This is your own problem. Even if I gave you the answer directly, Reshiram still wouldn't change its attitude."
"There are many kinds of truths. Don't get too confined by your own line of thinking."
"Speaking of which, you got along quite well with your other self, didn't you?"
Truth and ideals are opposing trials. External help can't do much; only true understanding can fully unleash the power of the black and white twin dragons.
To use an experience bar as a metaphor, the black energy representing Zekrom has been slowly increasing, sometimes even riding rapidly.
But the white energy representing Reshiram has basically remained stagnant. Even when there was some growth, it never surpassed the most basic passing line.
If the trip to "Wano Country" went smoothly, Yamato might have gained something from it. That's why Arceus wasn't fixated on when she would pass the trial, but instead asked about some details again.
"Mm, not bad, I guess. I just think the other me is really pitiful."
"Do you have faith in her?"
"Yes. That's also me. I believe she'll eventually find her true self, and someday she'll achieve her dream.
Even if you're not there, Dad, I definitely wouldn't blindly follow the arrangements of that b*stard father.
Speaking of which, Dad—truth and ideals… they shouldn't be separated, right?"
"That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself. By the way, just a heads-up: be careful of the people you know when you go out."
Arceus noticed a problem—he had never explicitly revealed the content of the trial. Given Yamato's intermittently flexible intelligence, she might not have even realized what answer she was supposed to give.
That's why, during the second round of questions, he gave her that insight.
When she spoke those words, the true forms of Zekrom and Reshiram exchanged a glance, but then turned their heads away, no longer looking at each other.
Truth and ideals are inseparable. This isn't just about leveling up a single energy bar, it's something indispensable for the final step.
"People I know??"
The advice Yamato received was a level-up, but it was too vague. She still didn't realize what Kaido, who was several steps ahead of her, was really thinking. Nor did she grasp the meaning behind Arceus's words.
"Honestly, Dad, why do you talk just like Robin, so cryptic and mysterious. I can't understand you at all."
"You'll understand sooner or later."
Idle chatter always passes quickly. Before she realized it, dawn had arrived again. Yamato stretched and got ready to move on to the next step, but before she could leave, a new voice reached her ears.
[The flowers over in Kuri smell really nice too.]
[Let's go to the lab area. The Berry flowers there taste even better.]
[Let's change it up a bit, eating the same thing every day gets boring. The queen bee has already agreed to let us come yesterday.]
Up in the sky, several large butterflies and moths were flying ahead, still chatting about which flowers produced the tastiest nectar.
"Dad, have new Pokémon been created?"
"Yes. If you're heading out, take some with you. Just release them on the nearby islands."
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