And Celebi sent it more than a decade into the future.
After that, it disappeared.
That was roughly the situation.
But that was not everything.
Because of the passage of time, Lin Feng could not clearly perceive every detail contained within those memories.
After arriving in this era, Zoroark's first thought had been to return to the past and find its former trainer again.
That was its obsession.
But if it wanted to return to the past, it had to find Celebi.
And a Pokémon like Celebi...
A Pokémon capable of traveling through time was incredibly difficult to find.
However, Zoroark soon discovered something else.
Its eyes could see the future.
And within those visions, it had seen Lin Feng.
It had also seen Qin Shu.
And in one particular scene, Celebi was standing behind Lin Feng.
So, after years of wandering and searching, it had finally found Qin Shu.
Uh...
'Does that mean Celebi is going to appear beside me?'
Lin Feng withdrew his hand and fell into thought.
Celebi...
The Pokémon that traveled through time.
There was something strange about this Pokémon.
It had been clearly established that there was more than one Celebi.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Celebi could travel through countless timelines and become countless versions of itself.
Alternatively, Celebi from another world might have somehow reached this world.
But the problem was...
He did not know Celebi.
"Zoro..."
The surprise on Zoroark's face still had not faded.
Lin Feng's previous use of his Viridian Force had caused it to experience its own memories all over again.
Its former trainer had appeared in its heart once more.
And the memories made its heart ache.
But now, Zoroark's heart was also filled with hope.
The human standing before it was simply too mysterious.
Too powerful.
Not only were the Pokémon surrounding him stronger than the last, but Lin Feng himself possessed all kinds of incredible abilities.
Then Lin Feng's next words made Zoroark freeze again.
"I don't know any Celebi."
Then he continued,
"Celebi can travel through time, but I can ask Mew about it."
"Mew is an ancient Pokémon that has lived for an incredibly long time. It should know Celebi."
[Zoro?]
(Where is it? Where is it?!)
Zoroark immediately became excited.
"I don't know where it is."
Lin Feng shook his head.
"It comes back periodically. It hasn't returned yet, so I don't know where it is right now."
[But it came back seven days ago.]
"It'll probably return within the next seven days."
"Since you've already stayed in this era for so long, it should be back within a few more days."
[Zoro, Zoro...]
Having hope once again, Zoroark's eyes began to shine.
The corners of its mouth unconsciously curled upward.
"Alright."
"I'll help you with your problem."
Lin Feng paused.
"But now that we're talking about it, what are you planning to do about what you did to me?"
"Zoro?"
"It's simple."
"You tied up Qin Shu, tried to ambush Dragonite, disguised yourself as Dragonite, and then tried to trick me into coming over."
Lin Feng pointed at Qin Shu, who was still eating chicken beside him, and listed Zoroark's crimes one by one.
He had just used his Viridian Force to examine Zoroark's memories.
Everything it had done, and everything it had intended to do, whether completed or not, had already been exposed to him.
Naturally, Lin Feng could not simply ignore it.
"Vul?"
Qin Shu had been sitting nearby, happily eating and listening to the conversation without understanding much of it.
All she knew was that Zoroark seemed to want Lin Feng's help.
She had never heard Zoroark's story, so when she heard Lin Feng standing up for her, she immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Exactly! Exactly!"
That incident had scared her badly.
At the time, she had genuinely thought she was going to be captured and eaten.
After all, this Zoroark looked terrifying.
"Zoro...?"
Zoroark froze.
Its hands became awkward and restless.
Perhaps it had spent too many years living in the wilderness.
Or perhaps it had simply gone too long without having a trainer beside it.
Either way, it had absolutely no idea how it was supposed to deal with this situation.
Qin Shu, however, quickly came up with her own conditions.
She pulled out a tissue, wiped her mouth, then pointed directly at Zoroark.
"Hmph! Apologize to me!"
o_o...
"Zoro?"
That single sentence completely stunned Zoroark.
It stared blankly at Qin Shu.
[Yes, apologize!]
Qin Shu was completely justified.
[Zoro, Zoro...]
(I'm sorry...)
This time, Zoroark lowered its head almost immediately.
After all, despite spending years living in the wild, it had once belonged to a kind-hearted trainer.
It still understood basic manners.
Qin Shu did not hold a grudge either.
She simply ran back to the dining table.
[Want something to eat?]
Lin Feng extended his hand toward Zoroark.
[You probably haven't eaten either.]
"Zoro..."
Zoroark became noticeably nervous.
At first, it had not paid much attention to the delicious food covering the table.
But after everything had been settled and it had finally heard some hope, its attention naturally began drifting toward the food.
Of course, looking at the food was one thing.
It would never shamelessly ask,
[I want some too.]
But Lin Feng offering it food himself was completely different.
Zoroark hesitated.
Then, embarrassed, it nodded.
[Go ahead.]
[Go on. Ask Indeedee...]
Lin Feng paused.
"Little sister."
The moment he said that, Indeedee and Qin Shu, who had just walked over, both turned their heads toward him.
[Ahem. I meant Indeedee...]
Indeedee's younger sister finally came over.
"Here."
Lin Feng pointed toward Zoroark.
"Get something for it to eat."
"Indeedee~!"
Indeedee's younger sister nodded.
She gave Zoroark her trademark cheerful smile.
[Indeedee~]
(Come with me~)
Faced with such a formal invitation, Zoroark became even more uncomfortable.
Still, it followed her.
As it walked, however, it could not help looking around.
"Phew..."
Lin Feng watched its retreating figure and fell into thought.
During his earlier contact with Zoroark's memories...
He had not only seen what had happened to it in the past.
He had also sensed the changes in its state of mind throughout those years.
At the beginning, both Zoroark and its trainer had been filled with youthful confidence.
They had been young, yet they had already taken on the responsibility of protecting the ley lines.
But later, after failing to stop the organization and watching its trainer die with its own eyes, Zoroark's personality had slowly changed.
Within its memories, there had been moments when its trainer had tried to solve the problem through force.
There had also been moments when he had desperately tried to persuade the other side.
Neither method had worked.
And eventually, a different thought began to take root in Zoroark's mind.
What if it had been more ruthless back then?
What if it had acted more decisively?
Could it have stopped the entire incident from happening?
That thought had quietly influenced Zoroark for years.
Little by little, it had changed.
A Pokémon that had once been kind had gradually become more obsessive.
More extreme.
Just like what had happened this time.
Zoroark wanted to meet Lin Feng.
And as long as doing so could accomplish its goal...
It was willing to do anything.
Even Qin Shu's entire experience had been fabricated through Zoroark's Illusion ability.
It had used Qin Shu's own appearance, memories, and behavior to construct a perfect illusion.
Everything had been designed to lead it toward Lin Feng.
------------------------------
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.