novelraw Chapter 768: The Great Gathering of Another Dimension
Chapter 768: The Great Gathering of Another Dimension
Chapter 768: The Great Interdimensional Gathering 14
Night pressed down on the boundless desert, clouds rolling dark and thick.
From the tribe’s direction in the darkness, flickering fires and the drumbeats "dong dong" sounded like the heartbeat of the earth.
Shouts and cheers, wails and sobs.
The villagers had paid a price for their desires, yet they had survived the Super Demon’s crisis, and in the face of invading enemies they had shown courage.
Mayor Goris stood on a sandy ridge outside the town, gazing at the little settlement, slightly dazed, as if asking himself:
“Why is it that only when disaster strikes do people put aside grudges and overcome hardship together?”
“The legends say that ancient humans…” Lu Ye paused, then continued: “They were good at cooperation, building towers that reached toward the Hall of Origin, attempting to subdue Arceus.”
“Arceus, furious and alarmed, brought down punishment, causing humans to distrust one another and become consumed by desire, leading to endless wars.”
“Super Demon Hoopa is the embodiment of greed, arrogance, sloth… the many facets of desire.”“But to prevent humanity’s extinction, the lake gods bestowed humans with emotion, wisdom, and will… making them contradictory yet tenacious.”
In the darkness, Lu Ye stood on the wind-whipped ridge and spoke softly:
“Born of trouble, perish in comfort, nothing more to it than that.”
Goris fell silent.
The Aura Hero commanding Regigigas, crushing the interdimensional halo, suppressing Super Demon Hoopa…
Those scenes continued to reverberate in his mind.
This Aura Hero likewise possessed courage and wisdom.
“Just as you said.” Goris looked up at the sky. “Even an envoy of transcendence still has desires.”
“To control oneself and master the enemy—that might be the meaning of ‘reprimanding Hoopa’.” Lu Ye smiled.
After all, a blind leader still benefits most from a jungle fight with reprimand…
Goris nodded gravely. “I will take the Punishment Jar back to the Vale of Transcendence, control the evil shadow within it, and release a reprimanded Hoopa… When Hoopa awakens again, I will adopt it and teach it the meaning of reprimand.”
Lu Ye smiled faintly. “Thank you for taking care of it.”
Goris shook his head. “I should be the one saying that.”
As both mayor and envoy of transcendence, Goris’s gratitude was difficult to put into words.
Little Hoopa cuddled behind Lu Ye’s shoulder, its bright eyes darting toward Goris.
Seeing Goris glance back, Little Hoopa shrank further and whispered, “Goodbye, Goris…”
Latias appeared nearby, and Lu Ye mounted Latias’s saddle—custom-made by Devon Corporation for racing.
“Are you returning to Cameron Palace now?” Goris asked.
“Yes, the queen is waiting for my report.” Lu Ye replied casually.
“We haven’t yet given you proper hospitality,” Goris said.
“No need. Just take care of the Hoopa after it wakes.” Lu Ye said in a broad voice.
“But… well…”
An Aura Hero had many important obligations.
Goris let out a soft sigh, his gaze both reverent and gentle, and watched Latias slowly rise as he called out:
“Thank you for your teachings, Aura Hero!”
Under the night, Lu Ye waved and directed Latias to fly toward a secluded area.
Now that he had learned the Jar’s crafting technique, he must return to the modern era immediately…
That unexplained pang of anxiety grew stronger.
“As time advances, will the shadow that symbolizes desire only grow stronger…?”
Teacher Lu raised his head to the sky.
About sensual desire, I too contributed a part to that shadow.
**
Goris returned to the town and announced the Aura Hero’s feat of sealing Super Demon Hoopa.
The Aura Hero already possessed the power to seal monstrous beasts.
Recalling Latias’s comet-like tail across the town’s sky,
and the two Regigigas confronting the Super Demon, shaking the desert with their clash.
The villagers looked up at the now-empty night sky as if gazing upon a miracle.
With a rush—
A vast crowd knelt down.
Children stopped crying, lying in swaddling cloth, their dark eyes gazing up at their mothers.
Two lines of clear tears slipped down a mother’s cheeks as she bowed her head in silent gratitude.
Similar scenes played out across the town.
People were battered and the ruins had collapsed, but the belief in rebuilding homes burned in their eyes like torches in the dark.
A few days later, Goris traveled to Cameron Palace seeking the Aura Hero but found no trace of him and erected an unnamed statue in the town.
Years later, the statue’s face began to weather and erode. Decades later, it was destroyed in a storm, after which green plants, fruiting trees, and flowers grew—then it was rebuilt into a spire-and-plaque plaza not far from Genesis Valley.
Celebi’s time travel had once altered Steven’s fate of death, involving various paradoxes that Teacher Lu did not care to probe.
At this moment, he stood on the ridge outside town, staring at the quiet settlement.
Darkrai materialized at his side, arms crossed and cool:
“You still stepped in to help.”
“I am an envoy of transcendence after all;
I could not stand by.” Lu Ye recalled the meaningful look when Arceus bestowed the Power of Transcendence upon him.
Lu Ye’s feelings were complicated.
That old codger probably already used future sight to preorder things!
“Hoopa—time to go home!” Hoopa shouted.
“Okay, let’s go.” Lu Ye turned and said, “Please, Celebi.”
Celebi fluttered her fairy-like wings, her two little antennae wobbling, and opened a time portal before them.
“Shh~” Celebi waved a small hand, “come with me~”
Lu Ye confirmed the team again, glanced at the town, then stepped into the time portal.
The night was tranquil, the bitter north wind brushed the desert, sand swept away footprints, the portal’s glow dimmed and fell silent.
…
Modern era, Barren City, skyscrapers rising.
“Hey, how long have Teacher Lu and Celebi been time-traveling?” A-Jin turned his head to ask.
“One hour.” Silver closed his flip Pokédex and answered calmly. “Interdimensional travel doesn’t keep equal time flow, you know that.”
“That’s why I’m asking.” A-Jin said. “Maybe Teacher Lu’s already become a king somewhere and taken a huge harem.”
“Um… Teacher Lu’s girlfriend is rumored to be Bamboo Lan.” Meyali whispered.
Implying Teacher Lu wouldn’t do such a thing.
“Since there’s no opportunity in the modern era, he might go to the past and try his luck.” A-Jin said offhand.
Silver: “…”
Behind A-Jin, Kris’s blackening flames surged, red light leaping in her eyes.
“Tail Boy, Double Slap!” Kris commanded.
A-Jin blinked and looked back at the Ambipom in his bag. Tail Boy covered his mouth and grinned, slapping A-Jin’s cheeks with both tails.
“Ouch, ouch—Tail Boy, why are you obeying the class monitor’s command?!” A-Jin clutched his face and screamed.
Ambipom hopped in front of Kris and stood with Crystal as a united front, chuckling.
“Cut it out.” Silver put one hand in his pocket and glanced at the group chat interface. “Someone’s coming to help.”
“Who?”
A flutter — wingbeats sounded as a yellow draconid shape arrived along the flight route.
On Dragonite’s back, a red-haired man exuded natural authority;
his cloak billowed in the wind.
A-Jin looked up, eyes wide in surprise.
“Du- Doduo!?”
“You should say that to his face.” Silver said.
“I’m not doing that, I’m not stupid.” A-Jin snorted.
“Is that so…” Silver sighed lightly. Missed the chance to let Doduo scold A-Jin.
Silver and Lance are mentor and friend, so Silver handled the nickname matter firmly.
Flutter— the plump yellow Dragonite landed.
The red-haired man wore a blue uniform and champion’s cloak, landed with a flourish, and asked:
“What were you talking about?”
“We were talking about Teacher Lu’s time travel!” A-Jin blurted.
“Time travel?” Yu Long Du looked slightly surprised.
Kris explained the whole story of Teacher Lu returning to the past to obtain the Punishment Jar crafting technique.
Yu Long Du folded his arms and nodded slightly: “Indeed, it’s better that Teacher Lu acted than some reckless fool.”
“Talking about you.” A-Jin tilted his head.
Silver calmly ignored him and asked, “Why did you come here?”
Yu Long Du glanced at Balza;
the dragonlike majesty made Balza flinch.
“The Vale of Transcendence requested aid from multiple leagues.” Yu Long Du said evenly. “I had the time, so I came.”
“I see… regions like Hoenn and Unova might send people as well.” Silver asked.
“Unknown.” Yu Long Du scratched his red hair. “What level of incident requires mobilizing so many champions?”
If the Vale of Transcendence weren’t the abode of the envoys of transcendence and didn’t have certain authority, multiple leagues wouldn’t have responded.
“Let me explain…” Balza began. “According to my great-grandfather’s deduction, the power of Super Demon Hoopa’s shadow strengthens as population rises.”
“Compared to a century ago, the shadow’s force has increased repeatedly.”
“If the shadow bursts out of its seal… it won’t be as simple as a hundred years ago…”
“The shadow?” Lance frowned.
Balza pointed at the badly damaged Punishment Jar on the ground. “It tried to break out of the seal earlier but was locked back by Teacher Lu. Because the Punishment Jar was severely damaged, we need to craft a new one, so Teacher Lu returned to the ancient era to learn the technique.”
“So…” Lance rubbed his forehead and sighed. “The Jar’s crafting technique was lost in your generation?”
“Exactly.” Balza and Meyali both bowed their heads.
“I do not blame you. Not every envoy of transcendence can reach the level of our two great-grandfathers.”
Yu Long Du folded his arms and said gravely, “Right now, we must prepare for the worst—we must prepare to fight.”
Silence fell;
the mood grew oppressive.
A-Jin said, “Little Lance can’t speak, so nobody will treat him like—”
Yu Long Du shot a frosty look: ?
A-Jin hid behind Silver: |･ω･`)
Not far from the spire-and-plaque plaza.
Led by the blue-haired man, Ash and his group chatted happily as they headed toward Genesis Valley.
“Really? Besides Mega Evolution, there’s another evolutionary form?” Ash asked excitedly.
“Yes.” Steven smiled kindly. “It’s an ancient Kalos legend—Bond Evolution. It happens perhaps once in a thousand years, extremely rare.”
“Then can Dedenne and I Bond Evolve?” Bonnie raised Dedenne high.
“Well… Bonnie might be able to when she’s older.” Steven said with a smile.
“Great!” Bonnie cheered, Dedenne on her head.
“Hey—trainer with blue hair over there!”
A-Jin put on a show, pretending to hold a megaphone and called out: “Dangerous area ahead, don’t come any closer!”
Steven looked over, surprised: “A-Jin?”
“And… Mr. Lance!”
The two parties met.
Lance led the Kanto trio while Steven led Ash and his group.
With two champions at the head, Lance explained the cause and effect.
Steven realized: “So Teacher Lu already acted.”
“I didn’t expect him to be so fast.” Lance folded his arms and sighed. “Maybe he figured if he solved it first, Cynthia wouldn’t need to step in.”
“That’s great, reliable Teacher Lu.” Steven said appreciatively.
Every time Steven worked with Teacher Lu, they met legendary Pokémon but always survived with little more than scares.
Attracting divine beasts might be a kind of unique talent, or simply a particular constitution.
“What about other leagues?” Lance asked. “Genesis Valley sent a call for aid—Unova and others should have received it.”
“Currently Unova’s champion spot is vacant;
the situation is unclear.” Steven pondered. “But Karine will come.”
“Karine?” Lance was shocked. “Isn’t she supposed to be filming?”
“The schedule appears to be in Barren City.”
“No wonder…”
“Is this the Punishment Jar?”
Ash impulsively reached out, trying to touch the Jar.
Everyone’s faces changed at once.
Luckily A-Jin remembered Teacher Lu’s warning, wrapped an arm around Ash, and shouted:
“Don’t be an idiot! That thing can control your mind!”
If the Punishment Jar shattered, when Teacher Lu returned, the first person he’d go after would be me!
“Really…” Ash scratched his cheek. “Oh right, on my way here I think I saw Team Rocket.”
“The ones in black uniforms with R on them?” Lance folded his arms and said calmly. “Just Rocket Delivery. Now that they’re legitimate, we can ignore them.”
Steven, in his suit, put a hand to his chin, his deep sky-blue eyes fixed on the Punishment Jar.
A chill rose in his gut.
This feeling… was the same as when facing divine beasts alongside Teacher Lu.
Rumble.
The ground shook unexpectedly. The tremor wasn’t strong, but the Jar’s metal rings rang.
“What’s happening?” Ash asked.
Clemont pushed up his round glasses and took a strange device from his backpack. “According to my seismic predictor, a magnitude-three quake just struck Barren City—nothing strong.”
“Science is truly amazing!” Ash exclaimed.
Rumble!!
The tremors intensified;
everyone staggered, struggling to keep balance.
“This isn’t just magnitude three!” A-Jin shouted.
Clemont crouched before his computer, sweat beading. “How, how is this possible! The spacetime energy around Barren City is chaotic—this isn’t an earthquake—this is a spacetime shock!”
Lance tensed.
“Like the situation in White Poplar Town?” Steven murmured.
A Meowth hot-air balloon drifted slowly across the sky.
“Shall we intervene?” James asked.
“If we don’t, more champions will join, nya.” Meowth replied.
“Then now, in the chaos, we’ll seize the Jar!” Jessie clenched her fist.
With a bang, Wobbuffet leaped from its Poké Ball and cried out: “Soo~ nassy!”
Meowth pressed a button: “Meowth, Sky Claw, launch!”
A mechanism opened beneath the hot-air balloon, firing a mechanical grappling arm that descended and grabbed the Punishment Jar.
Everyone was startled and looked up.
Daring to act in front of two champions?
“Who is it!” Lance demanded coldly.
“This hot potato will be handled by Rocket Delivery, nya~” Meowth smiled.
The next moment,
the mechanical arm gripping the Punishment Jar suddenly exploded, shattering!
“What’s going on?” the trio cried in unison.
Large fragments peeled away from the balloon’s dome, revealing a void-black hole. Time unraveled, space convulsed!
James stared up, cold sweat pouring: “I don’t know what’s happening…”
“But…” Jessie swallowed.
“What an awful feeling!!” the trio screamed.
The Jar’s metal rings chimed as black mist poured from its mouth.
Steven shuddered and sent out a white Metagross, shouting: “Everyone, hide behind Metagross!”
“Kong! Kong!” the white Metagross slammed its iron fists, the X mark shining. Its Psychic attack flared pink, trying to control the Punishment Jar.
Dark shadows welled from the Jar. As spacetime collapsed, the ghostly shadows grew increasingly frenzied!
Bang!!
A shadow blast threw Metagross’s psychic back, causing explosions and black smoke;
shockwaves blew across the plaza.
“Dragonite, disperse the thick fog!” Lance ordered.
Dragonite beat its wings and blew away the rising smoke. The Punishment Jar had already been blasted to pieces, its rings scattered across the ground.
Balza’s pupils constricted as he cried in horror:
“The Punishment Jar… it’s broken!?”
Steven and Lance stood shoulder to shoulder, their expressions grave as they looked up at the towering figure looming over the plaza.
The Super Demon rose a hundred zhang tall, its bulk blotting out the sky, casting a pall that overwhelmed with endless pressure and terror.
A huge creature with a blue face and fanged maw, six sharp claws suspended in the air, a black hole in its chest, enormous eyeballs glaring down at everyone.
They stood in a silent standoff for a long moment before the Super Demon smiled coldly and waved, opening seven teleportation rings.
Terrifying auras surged from the rings—each bore a divine-beast’s presence, every one possessing world-shattering power. This was the Super Demon’s interdimensional gathering!
Roars shook the heavens and earth as the rings began to reveal the silhouettes of legendary Pokémon—azure, crimson, deep gray, magma, flood…
Steven and Lance’s pupils constricted, staring at the portals in disbelief.
“How is this possible…” Steven rasped.
Those nightmare shapes—how could they appear again in this world?
The Super Demon Hoopa was larger than a skyscraper, its eyes lacking pupils, all whites, its mouth stretched back toward its throat as it said:
“Hoopa—loooop!!”