Manor Lord in the Pokémon World

Chapter 201 The Plan to Recreate the World

In the dead of night, all was quiet; even the chirping of insects seemed to have fallen asleep.

Suddenly, an old woman with eyes gleaming with a faint blue light appeared silently outside the wooden fence gate of her own estate!

The scene was so bizarre that even Fang Zhou, who considered himself quite brave, broke out in a cold sweat.

What to do, what to do, what to do?

I need help urgently!

However, upon further reflection, he realized that his own manor was protected by the Heart Drop and possessed the same super-strong defense system as the Water City, so the other party simply could not get in.

If someone tries to force their way in, due to the manor's invincible nature, any attack launched by the opponent will be absorbed by the manor and turned into its nutrients.

Therefore, as long as I am in the manor, I am invincible!

After the initial panic, Ark quickly calmed down.

Although ghosts exist in this world, Ark felt that the old woman was more like a phantom created by a Pokémon.

In the Pokémon world, there are quite a few creatures that can pull off this kind of trick.

Psychic-type Pokémon excel at psychic manipulation, creating incredibly realistic illusions.

Ghost-types are masters of this art, creating scary light and shadow effects is commonplace for them.

Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that it was Ditto playing tricks.

Just as Fang Zhou was silently pondering the other party's identity, the old woman outside the door, seeing that Fang Zhou was not frightened, let out a foxy laugh.

Amid the laughter, the "old woman" outside the door began to undergo strange changes.

His hunched figure stretched and twisted like a reflection in water, and his dark old robe melted away like faded paint, replaced by clumps of soft, shiny hair.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the unsettling image of the old witch vanished completely, and a fox-like Pokémon with warm orange fur appeared before them, gracefully sitting in place.

Nine fluffy, long tails stretched out behind it, languidly yet gracefully, swaying gently in the night breeze, with moonlight shining on them, casting a soft halo.

Fang Zhou's eyes widened in shock. This... this is the Nine-Tailed Fox!

Moreover, it's a nine-tailed fox with the ability to transform!

A flash of insight struck him.

Could it be the wandering merchant that Lily Root Doll mentioned earlier today?!

How did it end up at the manor gate at this time?

Just as Fang Zhou's mind was racing, an old woman's voice rang in his ears.

"Young man, do you know who I am?"

This sound directly confirmed Fangzhou's guess.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, took a slight breath, nodded towards the Nine-Tailed Fox outside the door, and tried to keep his voice steady: "Yes, I have heard some rumors about the story merchant."

"Not bad," the aged voice seemed to carry a hint of satisfaction, "Then, you should also know the rules here?"

Fangzhou recalled the description of the lily root doll and tentatively replied, "A story for a story?"

"That's right." The Nine-Tailed Fox's voice was calm and undisturbed. Her deep blue eyes in the night seemed to be able to penetrate the fence and darkness and see into the heart of the Ark.

"That's right, tell me, what do you want to know?"

Why did they make me ask the question first?

Fang Zhou was taken aback; this was somewhat different from what he had anticipated.

Shouldn't it be that you tell the story first, and then the other party determines what reward or story to give as compensation based on the story you tell?

But with an opportunity before him, facing such an ancient being who might know countless secrets, Fang Zhou indeed had too many questions churning in his mind.

The nature and origin of the black aura, the truth behind Arceus's "fall," what exactly happened to Grandpa back then, and the whereabouts of the other friends and the managers of the box...

He pondered for a moment and decided to probe the most crucial and pressing question.

"I'd like to ask about 'dark energy.' Do you know what it is and where it comes from?"

When Fangzhou asked this question, he didn't actually have high hopes.

After all, even the Alliance and so many top researchers hadn't been able to fully understand the nature of the black energy, so he wasn't sure if this nine-tailed fox could really provide the answer.

Perhaps it only knows some ancient legends and has lived a long time.

However, the moment the word "black aura" came out of Fangzhou's mouth, the Nine-Tailed Fox outside the door suddenly changed its aura!

Its gaze suddenly sharpened, and its nine tails, which had been lazily stretched out, suddenly stood upright, like a feline instantly entering battle mode. Its fluffy fur exploded and danced wildly behind it, stirring up the surrounding air and creating visible vortexes of air currents, emitting a low growling sound.

Fangzhou instinctively took two steps back, about to summon the other Pokémon from the manor.

This time it was my own carelessness!

He hadn't sensed any hostility from Nine-Tails before, and the fact that Lily Root Doll had mentioned the wandering merchant earlier that day had left Ark with the impression that he was very disciplined and principled. So, after learning Nine-Tails' identity, he lowered his guard.

But at that moment, Nine-Tails calmed down again, and its energy receded, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion of the Ark.

The aged voice rang out again, "As you wish."

This nine-tailed fox actually knows something?!

"Then, I will tell you a story," the nine-tailed fox said slowly, her voice seemingly piercing through the long passage of time, carrying the dust of years, "a story about the beginning of this world, a story unknown to anyone."

Fang Zhou immediately held his breath, cleared his mind of all distractions, and focused intently, afraid of missing any of the next words.

"This world, as everyone knows, was created by the great creator god Arceus," the Nine-Tailed Fox's voice began, like an ancient ballad.

"After the world was formed, Arceus left behind an avatar containing some of its powers and consciousness to maintain and manage this newborn universe. As for where its original self went, no one knows; perhaps it went on a journey to other, more vast dimensions."

"However, when this world was just established, the rules were first set, and all things were just beginning to come into being, a problem arose."

Nine-Tails' tone lowered slightly, "It is unknown why it arose or where it came from. When the world was created, a dark aura was born along with it. It is like an inevitable shadow at the birth of the world, appearing alongside the light, and no one can trace its source."

"This black energy is not inanimate. It grows and expands as negative emotions, despair, pain, hatred, and other energies accumulate in the world."

"And it possesses a terrifying characteristic: it can corrupt the minds of all living beings, including Pokémon, inducing their deepest darkness and rage, and even controlling those whose minds have been completely devoured. And its targets are not just ordinary beings, but even the highest gods are within its corrupting reach."

"Initially, even Arceus could not fully comprehend the terror of the dark energy. Arceus used his great power to seal most of the dark energy that had already manifested at that time in a special dimension, namely the Reverse World, and assigned the powerful Hades dragon rider Radina to guard the seal and prevent the dark energy from leaking out."

"However, this seal was ultimately only a temporary fix. The dark energy continued to grow quietly on the other side of the world, influencing the real world through various tiny cracks. It wasn't until a series of tragic events thousands of years ago that everyone's perception of the dark energy was completely changed."

"Thousands of years ago, in a beautiful city known for its art and water, which later became known as the 'City of Water' Odomare, an unprecedented invasion occurred."

Fang Zhou's gaze sharpened. Just as he had guessed, it was the demon invasion mentioned in the movie "Guardians of Water City"!

The so-called demon was actually a large number of powerful ancient Pokémon manipulated by dark energy to launch a surprise attack on the city.

It was an extremely brutal battle.

The guardians of the water city, Latias and the Latios family, mobilized almost their entire force, risking their lives to build a defensive line and fight to the death.

Countless members perished in that catastrophe, their cries drowned out by the city's wailing.

Ultimately, although they managed to repel the invasion, the Latios and Latias clans were severely weakened and have yet to fully recover their former prosperity.

"And the tragedy in Odomare was not an isolated incident," Nine-Tails continued.

"Around the same time, in other corners of the world, various disasters broke out due to the covert instigation or direct influence of the dark energy."

"In the Hoenn region, Primal Kyogre and Groudon were enraged and engaged in an earth-shattering battle of ancient Pokémon, nearly triggering a cataclysmic flood and lava flow. In the Sinnoh region, spacetime experienced violent tremors. The entire world seemed to be pushed to the brink of imbalance in an instant."

"This series of events finally alerted Arceus's avatar. He realized that this black energy was not a simple collection of negative energy, nor could it be permanently imprisoned by the Reversal World; rather, it was more like an anti-life form that coexisted with this world. Sealing can only delay, not eradicate."

"Although that global crisis was eventually quelled, and the dark energy temporarily went into hibernation due to the depletion and attacks, Arceus knew that it would one day return and completely devour the world. As long as this world exists and life exists, the dark energy will be like a malignant tumor, impossible to truly remove."

Nine-Tailed Fox paused for a moment, a complex light flashing in its blue eyes.

"There is only one way to completely reverse this desperate situation and end this original sin that has existed since the birth of the world—"

"Re-creation".

Re-creation?!

These four words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Fangzhou's ears!

His eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracted, and his heart almost stopped beating.

How is this possible?!

"Re-creation?"

To tear everything down and start over? That would mean everything that exists now—mountains and rivers, cities and villages, countless lives and civilizations…

Everything will vanish!

Wouldn't that mean I'm doomed too? After all, I'm a part of this world now.

No!

I've already transmigrated here, and haven't even had a chance to truly enjoy myself yet. Is this really necessary...?

Seemingly sensing Fang Zhou's doubts, Nine-Tailed Fox continued, "It's not about completely destroying the world. What's the difference between that and the black energy destroying the world? Recreating the world means destroying it while preserving as much of it as possible, such as civilization, and then rebuilding a new world, and finally summoning back the remaining civilization and other things."

Fang Zhou was taken aback; this seemed incredibly difficult!

It is many times more difficult than destroying the old world and creating a new one.

Is there really a way to do that?

"This is the only way. Only by 'resetting' everything in the old world, and on a completely new foundation, reactivating the power of creation, and transplanting the civilization of the original world onto it, can we completely 'format' the dark energy that accompanied the world and exclude it from the new world's laws," Nine-Tailed Fox said decisively.

"There are still ways to achieve this. There are three most important things to do."

"The first is that the current avatar that manages the world, Arceus, must die. Its existence is deeply bound to the old world; its rise and fall are intertwined. To carry out the creation, this avatar, which serves as the 'anchor' of the old world, must be 'abandoned.' Its dissipation will be the clarion call for the end of the old world and the beginning of the new world."

Fang Zhou immediately understood and nodded secretly.

Therefore, what Shino saw at the spring banquet that day was the scene of Arceus voluntarily giving up his life.

"Second," the nine-tailed fox seemed to cast her gaze toward a more distant void, "is the 'Ancient Tree of Life'."

"That is the origin and destination of the life energy of all Pokémon in the Pokémon world, the core of the planet's life veins. It is closely related to the existence of the planet and is the embodiment of the laws of life. For a new world to be created, the old Tree of Life must also 'die' along with the old world. The birth of the new world requires a brand new Tree of Life to sprout and grow again, providing a source for the new cycle of life."

"The process of creation signifies the complete collapse of the old order, but Arceus does not wish for all life and the flame of civilization to be extinguished. He hopes to preserve the 'spark' and allow it to continue in the new world."

"This is the third thing: we need to find a special place to build a 'sanctuary' that can hold and protect all the essence of life energy and fragments of civilization's memory. When the cataclysmic disaster finally arrives, this place will have to shoulder the mission of preserving the spark of civilization in the chaos and assisting the ancient tree of life to regenerate when the new world arrives, so that life and civilization can be restarted."

Fangzhou's mouth gaped open, too shocked to utter a word.

In the space between destruction and rebirth, civilization is preserved...

"Although hope is slim, the road is arduous, and looking to the future is almost an impossible task," the nine-tailed fox's voice carried a hint of calm, "it is not entirely hopeless. Arceus chose humans as his companions, and together they began to plot."