"Sir Drayden, you know me?"
Seeing Drayden proactively extend his goodwill, Aiden shook the older man's outstretched right hand and asked curiously.
He did have quite a few fans who were Elite Four members or Gym Leaders from other regions, but they were generally younger and better at navigating the internet for information.
To think that the storm he had stirred up had already reached the older generation?
"My good-for-nothing grandson has been in your care many times."
The friendly handshake concluded quickly, and Drayden explained with a smile.
"For Duraludon to actually have an undiscovered evolved form, any Dragon-taming family would pay close attention to that."
"I also heard from my grandson that you, Mr. Aiden, would be accompanying the class to Blueberry Academy as a guest teacher for the summer break."
"But I truly never expected that the Hero of Truth of this generation would be you."
His stark white beard, like a mask, completely covered his jaw, a very distinct personal feature.
Aiden could only describe him as a handsome old man.
As for the "grandson" he mentioned, it was naturally Drayton, one of the Blueberry Elite Four.
Before coming to the Dragonspiral Tower, he had just had a practice match with Drayton—
"Just call me Aiden," Aiden said politely.
He held great respect for this rare elder in the Pokémon world who actually did his job and was the pillar of Opelucid City.
"To be honest, I was also startled when Reshiram suddenly appeared last night—"
"Perhaps my answer was sincere enough. Reshiram ultimately acknowledged my 'truth' and instructed me to come and retrieve the Light Stone it had transformed into."
Hearing Aiden's words, Drayden pondered for a moment and nodded.
"Indeed, the Hero of Ideals has already appeared and took the Dark Stone several months ago, so it's only natural for Reshiram to act accordingly."
"But I really didn't expect the appearance of this generation's Hero of Truth to be so swift."
Aiden: ?
Is a few months considered a short time?
As Drayden expressed his sentiment, Aiden clearly felt the Light Stone in his pocket shake twice and faintly radiate a bit of heat.
It seemed to be urging him to leave quickly and not continue this topic that made it awkward.
But as everyone knows—
The thing Aiden was most interested in was the dark secrets and gossip about Legendary Pokémon!
"Could you please elaborate!"
If there were a small stool on top of the tower, Aiden estimated he would have just moved it over to start gossiping on the spot.
But unfortunately, there were neither melon seeds nor benches.
"Actually, I don't know much myself; it's just what has been passed down in my family—"
Drayden thought for a moment and quickly organized his words.
"The Unova Twin Dragons correspond to Ideals and Truth respectively, and it's said that the difficulty of gaining their approval is different."
"Because Zekrom is more aligned with ideals, the heroes it chooses are mostly young, promising individuals with clear goals, and it's always the Black Dragon that appears first."
"It's said that the latest appearance in history had a gap of over fifty years between the two heroes."
"Of course, the reason for this might also be—"
Drayden paused mid-sentence, then sighed.
"Few can stay true to their original aspirations on the path to pursuing their ideals."
"Just like the two hero brothers from a thousand years ago, their conflict stemmed from a change in their mindset."
Young men who cherish ideals are not uncommon, which is why the Black Dragon always appears one step ahead of the White Dragon.
But after so many years, the person who could give Zekrom a definitive answer has yet to appear.
And the Truth that the White Dragon, Reshiram, yearns for—
Just finding a human who could consistently embody the word "truth" and stand against the Black Dragon was already incredibly difficult.
So even after a thousand years, the Twin Dragons had yet to reconcile.
To a certain extent, this also had a profound impact on the Unova region.
"In most historical records, Reshiram's appearance was to counter the Hero of Ideals, who had gradually abandoned his ideals."
"So the reason Reshiram chose you this time, Aiden—I think I have a general idea."
After speaking, Drayden's expression suddenly became serious and earnest.
"So Team Plasma really has a conspiracy behind them?"
"Has that boy named N also been deceived, unintentionally becoming their pawn?"
Suddenly hearing N's name, Aiden couldn't help but be shocked. "Mr. Drayden, are you serious?"
From his tone, it seemed he had only been suspicious before and hadn't defined Team Plasma's nature.
But just from the fact that the White Dragon had appeared and chosen him as its hero, he immediately deduced a guess that was almost identical to the original game's plot.
Is this what a reliable adult is like?
"I'm also suspicious of Team Plasma's goals."
Aiden quickly picked up the thread of conversation and felt the Light Stone in his palm radiate warm energy again.
This time, however, it didn't move.
Perhaps it was because Drayden hadn't criticized it to its face but had even praised the Black Dragon as a positive example, making the White Dragon feel happy?
"Since their goal is to let Pokémon return to nature and live in harmony with humans, why not just follow Alola's example?"
"Alola is the best example, yet they didn't make anyone give up using Poké Balls."
"To associate Poké Balls with 'shackles' is already extreme enough."
After Aiden finished speaking, Drayden sighed again and shook his head.
"Sigh..."
"Indeed, but under Team Plasma's propaganda, many deceived people have chosen to release the Pokémon they shared a bond with."
"If only Mr. Alder were still in the League—Team Plasma wouldn't dare be so rampant."
"However, I believe Lord Reshiram must have also noticed this, which is why it sought out the Hero of Truth so quickly, hoping to resolve the issue before it escalates, right?"
Aiden didn't answer directly this time.
Because the Light Stone, which had just been radiating heat, suddenly shuddered and then fell silent.
It seemed Drayden was overthinking it. The White Dragon probably hadn't thought that much—
Perhaps it was like Ho-Oh, seeing someone it liked while flying around and giving them a feather.
As for the trial of becoming a hero?
Just leave it all to its subordinates, the Legendary Beasts!
But, as the "Hero of Truth" acknowledged by Reshiram, there was no way he would call it out now.
"Indeed, so I was also planning to go to Nimbasa City to meet this boy named N."
"Reshiram was the one who provided me with Zekrom's location."
Aiden, with his high emotional intelligence, subtly praised the White Dragon. Sure enough, the Light Stone quickly radiated heat again, so much so that he felt it was a bit hot to handle.
Why did these Legendary Pokémon seem so much easier to handle than ordinary Pokémon?
"Nimbasa City?"
Drayden seemed to recall something and quickly spoke again.
"If I remember correctly, Team Plasma is indeed holding a rally in Nimbasa City recently, with the theme still being about liberating Pokémon."
"Mr. Alder has been gone for a long time, and I have to deal with the Team Plasma members who have infiltrated Opelucid City, so I can't get away."
"I'm afraid Elesa alone will have a hard time contending with Team Plasma, so—"
"I'm counting on you, Aiden!"
"I understand."
Aiden nodded.
He had originally planned to go to Nimbasa City anyway, and he figured that meeting N would inevitably involve a run-in with Team Plasma.
If they came with ill intentions, he wouldn't mind showing them his ability to "reason with people."
And honestly, he was quite curious. Had the Unova League really come to a standstill?
It seemed so. The Gym Leaders in each city were responsible for maintaining local order, with little involvement from the League.
The Champion had just disappeared, which was even more impressive than Steven of Hoenn. And from his future perspective, the Elite Four had a pitifully low sense of presence—
Yep, that's very Unova.
Could it really be a replay of the game's plot, where right after defeating the Elite Four, the ground suddenly collapses and a Team Plasma castle drills out from underground?
A scene so outrageous even in a game—if it became reality, he wondered what his expression would be.
After saying goodbye to Drayden, Aiden quickly mounted his Salamence and headed for Nimbasa City.
It wasn't until the crimson figure gradually disappeared over the horizon that Drayden, gazing into the distance, suddenly shook his head.
"Ideals and Truth—"
"The puzzle that has troubled the Original Dragon for a thousand years, can it finally find a definitive answer this time?"
As a descendant of the two heroes from a thousand years ago—
Drayden knew he no longer had the right to interfere with the Twin Dragons' choices, but he couldn't help but wonder—
Truth and Ideals are not mutually exclusive. Just like a thousand years ago, they were once one, founding the Unova region together with the two heroes.
And their shell, the third dragon, Kyurem, who was almost forgotten by Unova, had now become even more eager to reclaim the power that had been split from it.
Drayden sighed, his gaze shifting to Opelucid City in another direction.
If the collision of Ideals and Truth could yield an answer, then the "DNA Splicers" that his family had guarded for generations would finally have its moment to shine, right?
He hoped to see the day the Twin Dragons mended their rift within his lifetime.
Go for it, Aiden!
Nimbasa City was famous for its entertainment industry.
While it wasn't the most developed city in the Unova region, it had extremely high recognition worldwide.
Especially that leisurely atmosphere, which always made people subconsciously indulge in it, unable to pull away.
Of course, its high recognition might be due to another reason—the Nimbasa Gym Leader was not only a young, talented Gym Leader but also an internationally famous model.
Elesa, known as the "Shining Beauty."
Those who came to the Nimbasa Gym weren't just challenging trainers; many tourists also came just to appreciate beauty.
The original Nimbasa Gym was connected to an amusement park, requiring several rides on a roller coaster and accepting challenges before one could battle the Gym Leader, Elesa.
However, by the time Aiden flew over Nimbasa City, he quickly spotted a new building near the amusement park.
It looked like the new gym from Black 2 and White 2, changing from a roller coaster to a T-stage runway.
"So, to challenge the Nimbasa Gym, do I really have to endure the shame of walking around on a runway and battling models—"
Wait, why am I suddenly feeling the urge to challenge the Nimbasa Gym?
Let me see what this is all about!
A mischievous thought arose in Aiden's mind, but he quickly shook his head and banished it.
No, the most important thing now is to find N and Team Plasma!
Reaching into his pocket and holding the Light Stone transformed from Reshiram, Aiden asked it through telepathy.
"Do you know where Zekrom is right now?"
[Inside that giant steel structure. The Black Dragon's aura is at the very top.]
Aiden looked down and quickly locked onto the "giant steel structure" in the amusement park—the Ferris wheel.
Riding the Ferris wheel again, as expected.
Looking at the several cars moving slowly, he quickly locked onto one particularly conspicuous figure.
With waist-length dark green hair and a slender build that gave a sense of frailty, even while sitting in the Ferris wheel car, he still wore that black-and-white baseball cap.
As easy to recognize as Red.
One look and you knew, it had to be N!
However, while he had indeed found him, N had just happened to ride the Ferris wheel to its highest point.
If he waited for N to come down, it would take at least 15 minutes.
And, Team Plasma members were likely nearby. If he rashly made contact, he felt it would prematurely trigger some troublesome events.
Like the Dark Trinity, those three strange, ninja-like figures.
Aiden wasn't afraid of them doing anything to him.
After all, when it came to "darkness," could they be darker than Marshadow?
If they really had hostile intentions toward him, they'd probably be kicked away by Marshadow the moment they approached his back.
But if the Dark Trinity tried to forcibly take N away right in front of him, it seemed he could only send out Mewtwo to play with them.
That didn't feel good.
So—Aiden's eyes quickly lit up.
The Ferris wheel car N was currently in was the perfect private room!
Before the Ferris wheel stopped, he could communicate directly with N without interference from other Team Plasma members.
Besides, N's original heart shouldn't be bad, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen by Zekrom to become the "Hero of Ideals." He was just influenced by Ghetsis, who raised him.
About 15 minutes should be enough for him to talk things through.
So Aiden immediately took out a Poké Ball and summoned his "Dora-Mewtwo."
"Mewtwo, use Teleport!"
"Target: the highest car!"
After Aiden spoke, he used another Poké Ball to recall his Salamence.
A sudden feeling of weightlessness came over him, quickly followed by a strong sense of acceleration.
"..."
Mewtwo looked a bit speechless as it watched Aiden perform a "mid-air duo act" in front of it.
But it still quickly used its psychic power to make Aiden float in mid-air.
Then, imitating the move Aiden had taught it, it touched its index and middle fingers to its forehead.
Although it didn't know why this gesture was necessary for Teleport—
Since Aiden had insisted, it would just follow along.
Soon, the figures of Aiden and Mewtwo disappeared simultaneously from the air.
And N, who was sitting in the Ferris wheel car, pondering life, suddenly felt a strange presence and sharply looked up.
The moment he looked up, he met the eyes of Aiden, who was smiling at him.
"Hello there, N."
Aiden waved his hand, completely ignoring the other's shocked expression.
"I am Aiden."
"I am the 'Hero of Truth,' the 'Rainbow Hero,' a friend to the Dragons of Sinnoh, and the acting agent of the Creator God, Arceus, in this world."
"I've heard you seem to be troubled by something as of late."
"So, could we talk for a little while?"
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