Zillion looked a little uncomfortable. He hadn't expected Sato to see through his intentions so clearly… and then say it all out loud so directly. Looking at how young Sato was, he couldn't help but want to shout: 'Arceus, this isn't fair!'
"So what if you know? Or can you actually accept what the League is doing?" Zillion could only bitterly emphasize his final point.
"That's none of your business. Move!"
Zillion was unwilling, but there was nothing more to say. He put his glasses back on and confirmed the route.
"~~~"
Giratina hovered around them eagerly, clearly excited for Shaymin to begin its "work."
"Shaymin, let's start by clearing that black fog over there," Zillion said, directing their movement according to the route he had mapped out.
Fortunately, pollution from the real world wasn't too severe. Most of the black fog clusters were small, and Shaymin could easily absorb several at once.
Once it had absorbed enough of the black fog, Shaymin could release Seed Flare, transforming the pollution into fields of blooming flowers. It was a miraculous sight.
The only cost… was Shaymin's stamina.
With Giratina keeping close watch, there was no way Zillion could sneak Sato and the others back to the real world. And since Shaymin needed to rest periodically, their travel pace was very slow.
"~!~!"
Giratina was thrilled, circling and gliding around them nonstop, crying out happily. It looked nothing like the terrifying violent beast of legend that was banished to the Reverse World for being too cruel…
After casting Seed Flare four or five times in a row, Shaymin finally became exhausted. It slumped into Zillion's arms, drifting off to sleep.
"~"
Giratina came over, circled Zillion a few times, looked at the now-sleeping Shaymin in his arms, gave a soft coo, then flapped its wings and vanished in a blink.
"It just… left?" Mark asked, stunned. He could hardly believe it.
"Keep moving. Better if it doesn't come back," Sato replied with a glance toward Giratina's exit, vaguely guessing what it was off to do.
Barely ten minutes passed before Giratina's cry rang out again. In the Reverse World, it would never lose track of Sato's group.
This time, it approached Zillion and opened the golden half-rings around its neck. A huge pile of items tumbled to the ground with a crash.
"Th-th-these things… am I se-seeing this right?" Mark stammered, shocked.
Joseph glanced at him. "Are you freestyling right now?"
"This is… extravagant…" Even Sato couldn't help but be impressed. Zillion was practically buried beneath everything Giratina had dropped.
"Evolution Stones, type Gems, Energy Crystals, Origin Ore, Incense Burners, Luminous Moss… and all kinds of Berrie- wait, the Reverse World has Berries too?" Mark listed everything he could recognize, still most surprised by the Berries.
"Other than lacking humans and Pokémon, the Reverse World isn't that different from the real world. In fact… maybe relocating these Pokémon to the Reverse World wouldn't be a bad idea."
Sato looked at the hundreds of capsules floating around Gardevoir, speaking thoughtfully.
"Is the Reverse World even suitable for Pokémon to live in?" Joseph frowned, not entirely convinced.
"If the master of this place doesn't object, then there's no problem. After all, placing all these Pokémon in the real world would be a huge hassle. The only way out leads to Unova, and most of these Pokémon are native to Kanto and Johto," Sato said, glancing toward Giratina, pondering how to bring it up.
In the end, he asked Joseph and Shaymin to work together and try negotiating with Giratina.
"~"
Giratina nodded indifferently. It had never considered bringing Pokémon from the real world into the Reverse World.
After all, to Giratina -whose lifespan stretched across ages- everyone except Shaymin was just a passing guest, not even worth remembering.
That included ordinary Pokémon as well.
Giratina's agreement came easily, but for Sato and the others, it only meant even more work.
To find places for all the Pokémon, they had to ask Zillion to take a small detour and look for suitable habitats along the way.
Originally, Shaymin had been the only one busy, absorbing the black fog. But now, under Joseph's coordination, everyone was helping manage the Pokémon in the capsules.
These were all captured as test subjects, and the capture methods had been anything but gentle. Many of the Pokémon harbored deep hatred toward humans.
But with the help of Joseph's Viridian Power, those problems were easily solved.
Progress slowed even more, but solving everything within the Reverse World was for the best.
Meanwhile, Sato watched as Shaymin continued to absorb rare Grass-type items with what looked like reckless abandon, deep in thought.
The Reverse World had no day or night. Sato and the others could only check their watches and realize: they'd already been here nearly a full day.
Relocating hundreds of Pokémon was no small feat. Even with Joseph's soothing power, everyone was utterly exhausted.
By the time they reached a small, lonely island with a single stone pillar, they could barely wait to wrap up the "journey".
"Are you really going to stay here forever?" Sato asked quietly as he walked over to Zillion.
Zillion's eyes dimmed. He had spent so long wanting to bring Asch back… yet in the end, he realized he had never truly understood her.
And now, he had promised Giratina to remain in the Reverse World. How could he -no, how dared he- go against a super-legendary Pokémon?
If he died, that would be one thing. But if Shaymin ended up imprisoned by Giratina forever, that would be unforgivable.
After all, Mythical Pokémon lived nearly forever, while he had maybe a few decades left.
The promise he made to Giratina was to stay until he died, not until Shaymin died.
"And what about Trish? Are you sure your butler can care for her her entire life?"
Zillion's eyes shifted. He turned toward Sato and asked hoarsely, "What are you trying to say?"
"Not much. Just that… once this Unova trip ends, I'll be setting up the Shadownight Gym in Shadownight Town. Trish has talent. I'd like to register her as one of my Gym's official Trainers…"
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?!" Zillion cut him off, grabbing Sato by the collar, eyes bloodshot with emotion.
"Protect her. Train her well. And… I'd like to make a deal with you." As he spoke, Sato pulled out the last Ancient Relic in his possession.
The Relic Crown!