Not every Pokémon knew of Zekrom, the Dragon God who embodied ideals.
Zapdos, for one, had never heard that name before.
But it could feel it.
Within the azure lightning flickering inside the orb lay a terrifying power.
There was no doubt about it.
This Pokémon called Zekrom existed on a level far above its own.
If it truly was a fragment of such a being's source power, then it could indeed suppress the collapse of Zapdos's own source energy.
Perhaps it could even allow Zapdos to advance further in strength.
Looking at the young man before it, Zapdos's expression became complicated.
"Chirp..."
(Are you really going to use something like this to save me? This source power left behind by Zekrom must be extremely important to you, right...?)
"Yeah."
"It's very important."
Chen Mo did not deny it.
Long ago, within those ruins, he had promised Arthas that he would return this power to Zekrom.
What he was doing now undoubtedly violated that promise.
But...
So be it.
There was nothing to regret.
Chen Mo had thought it through.
Arthas's desire to return the power had primarily been to let Zekrom know he had repented.
As for the power itself, judging by Arthas's attitude before his death, he no longer cared all that much.
Of course.
Considering Zekrom's side of things, Chen Mo would still try to find another way to make amends in the future.
But right now, this was the only option.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Mo tightly clenched the orb and closed his eyes.
What Marshadow had told him earlier was incredibly vague.
Just as he'd admitted to Hu Chengliang and the others, he had no idea how exactly to do this.
Nor did he have complete confidence.
However...
Up until now, Zekrom's source power had reacted abnormally four times.
Two of those reactions had occurred when it sensed scales shed from Zekrom's true body.
The orb had trembled slightly, but nothing dramatic happened.
The other two incidents were different.
The first was in Evergreen Forest, when little Pichu evolved into Pikachu.
The second was at Mount Cangqing, when Giratina's phantom descended.
It could be said that if not for Zekrom's source power intervening at those critical moments, whether it was Hydreigon or Giratina afterward...
Chen Mo likely would have died.
"If it is a wish that comes from the bottom of your heart, then even if you're an unqualified Hero of Ideals, it will answer you."
Marshadow's words echoed once more in his mind.
A wish from the bottom of my heart...
The light filtering through his eyelids gradually dimmed.
The sounds of wind, breathing, and everything around him slowly faded away.
Darkness enveloped everything.
Then—
A streak of azure lightning suddenly appeared before him.
It flickered in the distance.
Near.
Far.
Near again.
Chen Mo stared blankly at it.
Soon, realization dawned upon him.
"Do you want me to follow you?"
Bzzzt...
The clear crackle of electricity sounded, as though responding to him.
Without hesitation, Chen Mo stepped forward.
Each step seemed to send invisible ripples through the darkness.
Gradually...
He heard things again.
The roar of wind.
Breathing.
Footsteps.
And finally, human voices.
Though he couldn't understand the language, he somehow grasped the meaning.
"That's the situation, Great Dragon God."
"The rulers of those kingdoms are abusing Pokémon power and waging war recklessly."
"We... we have no way to stop them anymore."
"Please, lend us your strength."
The figure before him was a finely dressed young man whose face resembled the elderly Arthas Chen Mo had seen in the ruins.
There was no need to think further.
This was undoubtedly the Crown Prince whom Arthas had once sent to seek Zekrom.
The legendary man who would later rebuild the Arthas Kingdom and spend his entire life searching for Zekrom.
Azure lightning flashed once more.
And in that light, Chen Mo finally saw what the prince was gazing up at.
A pair of crimson eyes looked gently down upon him.
Though it had deliberately restrained its aura, the massive black dragon body still radiated overwhelming pressure.
The Black Dragon.
The Dragon of Ideals.
The Yin of Truth and Ideals.
Zekrom.
The Legendary Pokémon Chen Mo had been searching for.
The source of his title as the Hero of Ideals.
The scene unfolding before him was naturally the moment depicted in the murals.
The moment when the Crown Prince entered Zekrom's dwelling and deceived it into lending its power.
"I understand your purpose."
Zekrom did not immediately agree.
As it looked upon the young man, endless emotion and melancholy filled its eyes.
Chen Mo knew what it was thinking.
According to the timeline in the murals, Zekrom had fallen asleep shortly after the Arthas Kingdom was established.
When it awoke once more, the newborn prince it had once seen was now a fully grown adult.
Time was merciless.
The lifespan of humans was simply too short compared to Legendary Pokémon.
Looking at the young prince, Zekrom was likely reminded of Arthas.
Realizing Arthas's life was nearing its end, Zekrom asked:
"How is your father?"
Just one simple question.
Yet it made Chen Mo realize once again how deeply Zekrom had cared for Arthas.
Rather than asking about the chaotic world outside, its first concern was Arthas's health.
The prince froze briefly.
Then lowered his head.
"F-Father's condition is very poor."
"He has always wanted to create a world where humans and Pokémon coexist peacefully."
"He refuses to use Pokémon power excessively in warfare."
"And because of that, the rulers of neighboring kingdoms have continued encroaching upon Arthas Kingdom's territory..."
Flaws.
The story was full of flaws.
Chen Mo couldn't help frowning.
He knew enough about the younger Arthas from the murals.
It was true that Arthas possessed grand ideals.
But he was never naïve.
To say Arthas refused to use Pokémon power in battle was laughable.
If he had truly held such childish beliefs, he would have died countless times in that ancient era.
Zekrom.
Of all beings, you should know that best.
Chen Mo turned to look at the Black Dragon.
Yet something astonishing happened.
Zekrom's expression gradually became serious.
As though recognizing the severity of the situation, it agreed to the prince's request almost immediately.
Afterward, Zekrom asked the prince to leave temporarily.
Then it began extracting its own source power.
Within the dark cavern, brilliant lightning exploded everywhere.
The sight of Zekrom enduring unbearable agony while stubbornly refusing to make a sound struck Chen Mo deeply.
When everything finally calmed...
The Black Dragon lay weakened beyond measure.
Forced into slumber once more.
Looking at it, Chen Mo muttered softly:
"What an irredeemable fool..."
At the same time—
Back in reality.
Raichu had been anxiously watching Chen Mo.
Ever since he had closed his eyes and gripped the mysterious orb, an indescribable feeling had appeared.
Then, not long afterward—
Azure lightning began wrapping around Chen Mo's hand.
The energy transformed into a glowing blue thread and connected itself to Zapdos.
It worked!?
The surrounding wild Pokémon's eyes immediately lit up.
Yet seeing Chen Mo still standing there with his eyes closed, none dared make a sound.
Afraid of disturbing him, they suppressed their excitement and simply stared at Zapdos.
"Chirp..."
Zapdos could feel it.
As Zekrom's source power flowed into its body, the ruptured gap through which its own source power had been endlessly leaking was gradually being repaired.
And the more this continued...
The more clearly Zapdos realized something.
Too powerful.
That Pokémon called Zekrom was simply too powerful.
In just a few seconds—
The surrounding Pokémon could visibly see Zapdos recovering.
The aura of impending death rapidly faded.
Though it still looked exhausted, every Pokémon knew one thing.
The crisis threatening Zapdos's life had completely disappeared.
"Ra!"
Raichu's tail swung wildly.
Its eyes were filled with undisguised gratitude as it looked at Chen Mo.
Soon—
Zapdos slowly rose to its feet and released a loud cry.
The treatment was over.
Opening his eyes, Chen Mo looked at the Zapdos now crackling with electricity and smiled.
Looks like it worked.
Then—
The raging electricity around Zapdos suddenly vanished.
Its massive body tilted sideways.
Boom.
With a heavy thud, Zapdos collapsed onto the ground again.
The wild Pokémon immediately panicked.
Raichu hurriedly shot Chen Mo a desperate look.
Legendary Pokémon couldn't be analyzed using Eye of Insight.
Even though this Zapdos was weaker than Suicune and the others, the ability still didn't work on it.
Previously, Chen Mo had only deduced Zapdos's injuries through observation and experience.
But now...
Even he didn't know what was happening.
Did the treatment fail?
Just as doubt arose in his mind, a familiar sigh echoed in his head.
Marshadow—who had previously declared "Stop bothering me"—spoke up again.
"This stupid bird..."
"The Dragon of Ideals merely repaired and stabilized its collapsing source power."
"The injuries it suffered before are still there."
"And now it's flaunting its power like that."
"If it doesn't collapse, who would?"
"..."
Chen Mo was speechless.
Meanwhile, Zapdos seemed to realize the problem as well.
It struggled back to its feet.
This time it didn't dare release any powerful lightning.
Instead, it hurriedly reassured the surrounding Pokémon.
When Chen Mo looked over, he could clearly see embarrassment in Zapdos's eyes.
Yeah.
Definitely a stupid bird.
"Chirp..."
After calming the wild Pokémon, Zapdos approached Chen Mo on its long legs.
Watching it walk over, a phrase suddenly appeared in Chen Mo's mind.
"Walking chicken."
"Chirp?"
Zapdos tilted its head.
Keeping a perfectly straight face, Chen Mo asked:
"Need something else?"
Zapdos stared at him.
Their gazes met.
"Chirp!"
(I will keep my promise!)
"Good."
"Chirp..."
(And...)
"Hm?"
"Chirp..."
(Regarding Zekrom's source power, I'll find a way to repay it.)
"That? You really don't need—"
Before Chen Mo could finish, he suddenly noticed something.
The orb that had turned black was glowing blue again.
Lightning crackled within it.
Chen Mo froze.
"You're an idiot too!"
Marshadow's exasperated voice rang out.
"How could a mere Zapdos possibly exhaust source power specially separated by the Dragon of Ideals?"
"As the Hero of Ideals, could you at least have some common sense?!"
"..."
Chen Mo and Zapdos simultaneously looked at the glowing orb.
Then at each other.
A moment of awkward silence followed.
Apparently...
He'd gotten it wrong.
Thinking about it carefully, Marshadow's reasoning made perfect sense.
The orb had existed for over a thousand years.
Arthas had used its power to preserve the ruins until a destined successor arrived.
After Chen Mo inherited it, Pikachu had absorbed power from it.
The orb had even summoned Zekrom's phantom during a life-or-death crisis.
Despite all that, it remained perfectly intact.
Healing one Zapdos obviously wasn't enough to deplete it.
Chen Mo silently cursed himself for being an idiot.
But afterward, he felt immense relief.
The orb remaining intact was fantastic news.
Not only did it mean he could still return it to Zekrom someday...
It also meant he could continue using its power during future crises.
And now—
Having successfully drawn upon Zekrom's source power once himself, Chen Mo felt he had finally grasped the proper method of using the orb.
Another trump card added to the arsenal.
Within the shadow world.
Feeling Chen Mo's excitement, Marshadow's emotions were far more complicated.
How could it be depleted so easily?
Source power.
The very essence connected to that being.
The more frequently it was used, the more likely that once Zekrom awakened...
It would eventually notice this place.
That was precisely what Marshadow couldn't understand.
Now that Chen Mo had learned how to use Zekrom's source power, he was effectively half a true Hero of Ideals.
And at the same time—
In Marshadow's eyes—
He was drifting further and further away from becoming the Rainbow Hero.
"What exactly am I still staying here for..."
In the darkness, Marshadow let out a long sigh.
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