As soon as the words fell.
Akira's figure suddenly appeared, not causing the slightest disturbance, as if he had been standing there all along.
Unlike Porygon-Z's Digital World in the past.
As the Spatial Deity, Palkia's control over space reached an extraordinarily refined level.
Whenever it acted, it could achieve long-distance teleportation without the faintest ripple.
Netero was left speechless.
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, another figure abruptly appeared beside Akira.
Having lived for so many years, he had never encountered such a being before.
It was a creature with a pale purple body and theropod-like features, adorned with dark purple stripes, its inner arms gray.
On its shoulders were disk-like structures embedded with purple patterns, each containing a pearl encircled by a gray ring.
Its arms had extensions resembling metallic gauntlets, with a purple band around each wrist.
Its neck was long, its head crowned with a sharp crest that extended to its wings, flanked by two tusk-like horns beside its mouth, and its tail was thick and powerful.
Its overall form somewhat resembled a centaur.
Its profound eyes glanced at him briefly before indifferently looking away.
Yet, that simple gaze alone was something Netero could hardly withstand.
Netero's pupils abruptly contracted, shrinking rapidly from their original size, his entire body tensing in an instant.
Cold sweat rapidly beaded on his forehead, back, and other areas as his body completely stiffened, unable to even tremble.
He was like a corpse, not a single part of him able to move, only able to see the figure of Palkia.
That proud, towering presence.
It made him feel as though he were facing a deity.
As if he were nothing more than an ant beneath the earth, unworthy of even a glance.
In truth, Nitro Rice's thoughts were correct.
As the god who governed space, Palkia naturally carried an air of arrogance.
Not just anyone could earn its regard.
In its mind, the only one worthy of respect was Akira!
Whatever Akira commanded, it would strive to accomplish to the best of its ability.
After a few breaths, Nitro Rice gasped, finally regaining his composure, his expression complicated as he spoke:
"Akira."
"As expected, I was not wrong about you. You are the first of your kind, unparalleled before or after."
"Even now, I still cannot fathom the depths of your limits."
"I imagine it must be a distant peak beyond anyone's wildest imagination."
Nitro Rice sighed from the depths of his heart.
The sight of Palkia just now had reminded him of the black figure he had seen during the Heaven's Arena Martial Arts Tournament.
That same Aura Beast—small in stature yet terrifying in presence—had convinced him.
Akira's future would not stop here.
The strength he had shown so far was merely the tip of the iceberg; the truth would far exceed anyone's expectations.
Take, for example, that day when Akira had fought against an unknown creature.
The sheer horror of that battle had been visible even from the Imaginary Continent, its chilling aura enveloping them all...
Even breathing had become difficult.
Yet, against such foes, Akira had fought one against two and cleanly defeated them.
It was proof of just how terrifying Akira's strength truly was.
In fact...
That day had planted a new thought in his mind.
Was it possible...
That aside from the three terrifying Aura Beasts already revealed, Akira still had others of equal power yet to be shown?
Today's Aura Beast had just confirmed his suspicions.
And, in turn, validated another thought.
The strength Akira had hidden...
Was even greater than imagined!
Watching Nitro Rice lost in thought, Akira spoke softly:
"As long as you're alright, I'll go check on the situation elsewhere."
In the next moment, Akira and Palkia vanished simultaneously, leaving not even a ripple behind.
...
On the Spirit Island,
What was once a deserted isle now had several large, uninhabited islands forcibly added beside it.
Not as separate entities, but connected through special means, as if pieced together.
Like assembling a puzzle, smaller islands had been combined to form a larger one.
The reason? Akira had found the planting area insufficient, so he had Palkia use its spatial powers.
Directly moving several islands here to create an expanded Spirit Island.
'Hmm...'
'Having the God of Space handle things was certainly convenient.'
Whether it was ultra-long-distance travel or moving massive objects like islands, nothing was beyond its capabilities.
The Spirit Island had grown larger, and with it, the number of things upon it had increased.
The most obvious was the planting area.
Nitro Rice occupied the most space.
Followed by Melori, Vitality Beans...
Among other changes, the most notable was the clear upgrade in the island's robots.
Since gaining a large number of Dokumeians as subordinates, Akira's technological capabilities have reached new heights.
...
In the Digital World.
This was Meowth's research laboratory.
Occasionally, a few Dokumeians could be seen assisting inside.
"This research is almost complete, nya."
Meowth pointed at a dark pea pod and said.
Akira observed from the side.
"The Dark Pod possesses the ability to edit biological genes. Through this method, we can create more advanced lifeforms."
"These lifeforms can serve as soldiers, becoming combat-ready immediately upon creation."
"We can also attempt to enhance their souls and then extract soul energy, meow."
"Through modifications, we discovered that the Dark Pod accumulates vast amounts of soul energy internally after this process."
"Eventually, it can be used as [Hope] to increase soul strength, meow."
"As for the technology to create Secret Realms, we've made significant breakthroughs with Palkia's assistance."
Akira nodded repeatedly.
Truly, the highly intelligent Dokumeians possessed far too many advanced technologies.
"What about that [False Sun]? Has it submitted?"
Meowth nodded and led Akira to another area.
Inside a vast space, a massive black sphere stood imposingly.
Hmm…
Without knowing the context, it would be hard to imagine this "giant coal ball" was once the unrivaled scorching sun.
After having its abilities sealed by Zygarde's [Core Enforcer], the [False Sun] was left nearly powerless.
Thus, it became much more docile.
Now, it had resigned itself to fate, ready to serve as Akira's personal sun, to be commanded at will.
After all, it couldn't win in a fight, nor could it resist.
The only option was obedience.
Akira nodded in satisfaction.
The [False Sun] was a decent combat asset, but he didn't absolutely need it.
If it knew its place, he'd make use of it.
If not…
Then he'd hand it over to Meowth and the Dokumeians for research, eventually creating an even better [False Sun].
Perhaps even…
One that rivaled the real sun.
A streak of dark green light flashed as Complete Forme Zygarde appeared beside Akira.
With a wave of its right hand, deep blue Aura surged into the sky.
Under Zygarde's control, the once parasitic [Core Enforcer] vanished completely.
Immediately after,
The [False Sun] reignited with flames, its abilities restored.
However, since it wasn't under direct sunlight and had been sealed for some time, its power wasn't as radiant as before.
Even after regaining its abilities, the [False Sun] made no aggressive moves, remaining quietly in place.
It had truly submitted.
After all, with so many powerful beings under Akira's command, being acknowledged was already a blessing.
...
The Dark Continent was a wondrous place.
Across this land, there existed countless [Calamities], [Hopes], and [Wonders].
[Wonders] encompassed many things.
The massive crater left by a crashed alien spacecraft was a Wonder.
The Eternal Rain Zone, where rain never ceased and a statue taller than a mountain stood at its center, was a Wonder.
The three colossal black structures, resembling three great gates rooted in the earth, were a Wonder.
...
Among them, Akira had only witnessed a small fraction firsthand.
But the one that intrigued him most was the World Tree towering over the Dark Continent, its branches piercing the endless clouds.
This World Tree was not the same as the others.
The World Tree on the Six Continents was merely a stunted sapling.
The one on the Dark Continent was the real deal—fully matured.
Ever since his visit to the Zoldyck Family, Akira had longed to one day reach the genuine World Tree.
And to nurture a certain legendary Pokémon from it.
Now, at last, that wish was about to be fulfilled.
...
Atop the World Tree, piercing the heavens.Akira gazed quietly at the sea of clouds on the horizon, with the handsome Palkia standing beside him.
Although the massive crater had taken them somewhat deeper into the Dark Continent, they were still quite a distance from the World Tree.
With Palkia by his side, he no longer needed to trek step by step to reach this place.
Instead, he could simply teleport here using spatial powers.
The World Tree did not disappoint his expectations.
The moment he arrived, a brand-new incubation bar appeared in his mind.
Clearly, this was an incubation bar representing the World Tree as a whole, much like the Heatran of the volcanic region.
As for what Pokémon would hatch from this incubation bar?
A faint image had already begun forming in his heart...