Chapter 354: Potato Chips, Hot Soup, and a Promise

It had not been a particularly pleasant period of memories.

Because the World-Origin Tree had lost the source of light it depended on for survival and was gradually collapsing, the various Pokémon that had once lived harmoniously on this land, benefiting from the World-Origin Tree's nourishment, scattered and fled in all directions.

Only Zorua and some of the other Pokémon remained behind for various reasons.

Then.

The secret realm was formed.

A place whose resources had already been gradually depleted now became one where there wasn't even the slightest trace of hope.

As food gradually ran out, the Pokémon that had chosen to remain around the World-Origin Tree began dying one after another.

Zorua was no exception.

With unwillingness and despair filling its heart, Zorua gazed toward the World-Origin Tree as its soul began undergoing a violent transformation.

It still wanted to live in this world.

No matter what it took, Zorua still wanted to see Aaron again.

So.

If there was no food, then it would devour everything it could possibly consume and turn it into nourishment that would allow it to survive.

And for a Dark-type Zorua, its soul naturally turned its attention toward the Ghost-type energy it had always been exceptionally sensitive to—the energy formed from the countless Pokémon that had died.

After an incredibly long period of time.

Zorua finally completed its transformation and successfully evolved into a Ghost-type Zoroark.

However.

Just like Banette, which had absorbed the resentment of the humans in Lavender Town only to eventually be affected by that very resentment itself...

Zoroark was deeply influenced by the hatred that the dead Pokémon held toward the world of the living.

Just as Chen Mo had suspected.

Zoroark completely lost control on this barren land.

The only fortunate—and simultaneously tragic—thing was that, apart from Zoroark in its Ghost form, there were no other living Pokémon left in this secret realm.

There was no one for the rampaging Zoroark to hurt.

All it could do was continuously vent its dissatisfaction and resentment against the seal of the World-Origin Tree.

If nothing unexpected happened.

Zoroark might have gradually faded away amid its madness, day after day.

After all.

Although Ghost-type Pokémon had long lifespans and could survive easily without food, that did not mean they were incapable of dying.

Releasing energy without restraint would eventually exhaust even Zoroark's life force.

And it was at precisely this point that a human suddenly arrived in the secret realm.

The moment the crazed Zoroark saw the newcomer, having long since lost its reason, it attacked without the slightest hesitation.

However.

The bloody scene it had expected never occurred.

Zoroark was defeated almost effortlessly by a white Pokémon sent out by the human.

"A white Pokémon?"

Chen Mo furrowed his brows, sinking into thought.

The Ghost-type Zoroark born from absorbing so much resentment was extremely powerful. Even though its condition had deteriorated from its prolonged rampage, it was not a Pokémon that just anyone could effortlessly overwhelm.

"Do you remember exactly what that Pokémon looked like?"

Chen Mo asked curiously.

The large fox, having once again used an illusion to disguise itself as an ordinary Zoroark, shook its head.

"I'm sorry. I only remember that it was white—a very beautiful white. As for the rest... I truly can't remember."

"I see. It's fine. I was only asking out of curiosity. Go on."

Chen Mo waved his hand indifferently.

There were simply too many possibilities when it came to white Pokémon.

What interested Chen Mo was merely the fact that the trainer had defeated a rampaging Zoroark with only a single Pokémon. That trainer's strength had to be extraordinary.

Could such a powerful trainer really exist in Zhu Xia?

Zoroark had no idea what Chen Mo was wondering about.

Or rather, even if it had known, its limited knowledge of Zhu Xia wouldn't have been of much help.

Its thoughts drifted back into the distant past.

Within those hazy memories, Zoroark still remembered that even though it had wanted to kill him, the human who had entered the secret realm accompanied by the white Pokémon had not harmed it excessively.

He had merely restrained it, seemingly hoping to find a way to dissolve its resentment.

There was no denying that this approach had been incredibly foolish.

Even Zoroark itself, looking back at its former self now, felt that the chances of regaining its sanity had been vanishingly small.

According to the methods employed by Aura Guardians, situations like this were generally dealt with through direct elimination or sealing.

But that human had chosen the most foolish approach, the one with the lowest chance of success.

Zoroark could no longer remember.

Across all those countless days and nights, exactly what had that human said to it?

But Zoroark remembered one thing.

He had tried so hard.

Even though they had no relationship whatsoever, he had fought desperately, as if he were trying with all his might to salvage something, doing everything he could to redeem this beast that had lost itself.

"He succeeded. He accomplished something with a success rate of less than one in ten thousand."

A remarkably gentle expression appeared on Zoroark's face.

"With his help, I gradually, little by little, regained my sanity."

"To be honest, Lord Chen Mo, even now I still think he was an utter fool. But at the same time, just as I respect Lord Aaron and you, Lord Chen Mo, I sincerely respect him as well."

"I believe that if it were him, he definitely had the potential to become an Aura Guardian. So when we parted, I gave him the notes Lord Aaron had left behind."

The warm campfire illuminated Zoroark's face.

It gazed toward the pitch-black sky, its expression filled with nostalgia.

"I wonder how he's doing now..."

Zoroark had once had the opportunity to leave the secret realm together with that unknown Zhu Xia native.

However.

The driving force that had turned Zoroark into a Ghost-type Zoroark was its determination to enter the World-Origin Tree and search for the Aura Guardian Aaron, who had disappeared inside.

Therefore, after that Zhu Xia native helped Zoroark regain its memories, Zoroark chose to remain in the secret realm.

Chen Mo saw no trace of regret on Zoroark's face.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke softly.

"I think he's probably become an exceptionally accomplished Aura Guardian by now."

Zoroark froze.

Then.

It smiled faintly and said gently:

"I think so too."

——

Soon.

It was time to prepare dinner again.

Having fully recovered his strength, Chen Mo gave Gengar, which had been working hard for two entire days, a day off. He decided to handle dinner himself.

With nothing else to do, Gengar went back to playing with Pikachu, Gible, Jirachi, and the others.

The area around the campsite was filled with the cheerful cries of the Pokémon.

Zoroark sat on the branch of a long-dead tree, silently watching the Pokémon chasing and playing around the campfire.

Staraptor and Absol wore helpless expressions, yet still did their best to play along.

Suddenly.

Zoroark remembered the days when it had traveled around the world with Aaron.

Back then, they had often camped outdoors.

Well, more accurately, they spent most of the year traveling in the wilderness.

But Zoroark had never disliked it.

It still remembered clearly how, whenever night fell, the gentle and considerate Aaron would prepare dinner for all the Pokémon with Lucario by his side.

And as the youngest and most pampered member of the group, Zorua would often drag its senior companions, who were silently engaged in their daily training, into playing with it.

Whenever that happened.

The seniors would always wear helpless expressions, yet they would still do their best to play along.

Yes.

They looked exactly like Staraptor and Absol did now.

"Pi-ka~ Pikachu~"

A voice suddenly came from below.

Zoroark snapped back to reality and realized that the Pokémon had already disappeared from beside the campfire.

Looking down, it saw Pikachu holding something in its paws, happily calling out to it.

Zoroark stood up and gently leapt down from the tree.

"Pika-pi~"

Pikachu held out a red package, gesturing for Zoroark to take it.

Zoroark watched Pikachu shake the red package lightly.

Even now, it could hear the rustling sound coming from inside.

"What is this?"

"Pika~"

"Potato chips?"

"Pika-pi~"

"Tomato-flavored potato chips?"

Zoroark tilted its head, its expression filled with confusion.

But under Pikachu's urging, Zoroark instinctively accepted the tomato-flavored chips Pikachu handed over.

"Pika! Pika-pika!"

Pikachu immediately realized that Zoroark was a complete novice who had probably never encountered this kind of snack before.

It began gesturing excitedly, rapidly explaining how to eat them.

"Like this...?"

Under the watchful eyes of the other Pokémon, Zoroark slowly used its red claws to tear open the serrated top of the package.

As soon as the opening appeared, the gas inside the bag escaped with a hiss.

Zoroark's nose twitched slightly as it caught the rich aroma from within.

After having gone so long without eating a normal meal, Zoroark instinctively swallowed.

Seeing this, Pikachu urged it on again.

"Pika-pika!"

"You're... giving these to me?"

"Pika-pikachu!"

Pikachu nodded rapidly.

After hesitating for a moment, Zoroark followed Pikachu's instructions, reached a claw into the bag, picked up a thin potato chip, and slowly put it into its mouth.

It gently chewed.

A flavor it had never experienced before instantly spread across its taste buds.

Zoroark's eyes lit up.

Pikachu's spirits rose as well.

Feeling that it had found a kindred spirit, Pikachu was just about to offer Zoroark another bag of chips and ask what it thought when a helpless voice came from behind.

"How many times have I told you not to eat snacks before dinner? Otherwise, you'll have no appetite when it's time to eat. Hmm? You two... you even dragged Zoroark into this!"

The tone in the second half changed completely.

Zoroark looked at the figure quickly approaching and hurriedly explained:

"Lord Chen Mo, this has nothing to do with Pikachu and the others. It was me..."

Before Zoroark could finish, Chen Mo snatched the chips away and handed them back to the disgruntled Pikachu.

Then he ushered the confused and flustered Zoroark toward the campsite beside the campfire.

"Don't misunderstand, Zoroark. I'm not blaming you. It's just that dinner is ready. Come over and eat with us."

"What!?"

Zoroark became even more flustered.

But Chen Mo didn't let go, directly pressing Zoroark down into one of the chairs.

Looking at the table covered with steaming dishes, Zoroark froze.

It felt that this was somewhat improper.

But its feet seemed to have been subjected to a binding spell.

It couldn't move at all.

"Strictly speaking, Pokémon and humans have different digestive systems. And you're a Ghost-type Pokémon, so you probably don't have too many restrictions when it comes to food. But I think that since you haven't had a proper meal in such a long time, you should start with a bowl of hot soup and let your throat warm up first. That way, your body can gradually adjust to eating again."

A steaming bowl of soup, simmered from numerous Berries and top-quality ingredients, was placed before Zoroark.

Chen Mo smiled.

"Try it first and see if you like it. Don't be polite. Before entering the secret realm, I had Gengar bring a whole lot of food. Eat as much as you want!"

"Lord Chen Mo..."

Zoroark lowered its head.

An indescribable emotion gradually welled up within its heart.

When it was young, it had met the gentle Aaron and a group of dependable seniors.

When it had gone berserk, someone had been willing to put aside all grudges and spend an enormous amount of time and effort to awaken it from its lost state.

And now, it had met another powerful and equally kind Aura Guardian.

Throughout its life, it seemed to have always encountered kind humans.

I...

Zoroark looked at the fragrant hot soup.

Tears continuously streamed from the corners of its eyes, dropping into the bowl.

"Even in an environment like this, you still managed to remain yourself and continue moving forward with determination. Honestly, I admire you. You're very strong—stronger than I am."

Chen Mo gently stroked Zoroark's head, his voice warm and gentle.

"Zoroark, I'll definitely help you. I'll do everything I can to bring you into the World-Origin Tree!"

"So, Zoroark, will you make a promise with me?"

Zoroark raised its head and looked at the gentle young man before it.

He spoke softly.

"If... and I mean if, Aaron is no longer there, and we manage to solve the problem with the World-Origin Tree, would you like to come with me and take a look at the outside world?"

"Of course, if that's what you want, I'll do everything I can to help you. To be honest, I have some influence in Zhu Xia. If I step forward, there should be plenty of people willing to cooperate with me and help you find the Zhu Xia native who once helped you."

"..."

The young man continued speaking softly.

Zoroark felt no impatience whatsoever.

It looked at the young man's face.

For a fleeting moment, it seemed to recall the face of another person.

But immediately afterward.

Zoroark rejected the thought.

Although both men were equally gentle, Lord Chen Mo and that person had completely different temperaments.

One was brilliant, like the radiant light of a newborn sun.

The other was quiet and silent, like moonlight in the darkness of night.

No matter how it looked at them, they could not possibly be the same person.

But...

Zoroark glanced toward the World-Origin Tree, then looked at the Pokémon around it, all gazing at Zoroark with expressions filled with expectation.

It gently nodded and gave Chen Mo a single answer.

"Okay."

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