Chapter 244: To the Far Side of Heaven

The counterfeit Moon Feather emitted a hazy glow, trying to dispel the darkness of this cold universe, but that faint light was too weak against the Yuannian accumulated over endless eons, and the black sphere began to change shape.

It became “Mewtwo,” though its entire body was coated in black sludge, with no discernible face.

Mewtwo is a two-legged Pokémon resembling an alien, possessing four forms; its original body is primarily orange-red, with a blue-green face, a purple stripe running through it, and a brilliant cosmic crystal on its chest.

Some believe it was born from a DNA mutation of a cosmic virus attached to a meteorite!

Because this world is not reality, the cosmic virus can manifest in this form; this is the world of nightmares, also an interdimensional space connecting the black-and-white world.

“After the Hollow of Yveltal, Yveltal appears in the Seven Treasures Museum, for here converge the memories of history and the wisdom of life; through Yveltal’s power, one can transfer the entire memory of a life to another.”

“In the plot, Professor Sycamore says the places they flew to are those tied to knowledge, emotion, and will in the Unova region.”

“At the entrance of the Seven Treasures City Museum, atop the Tower of Heaven, and somewhere on Route 23, you’ll sense an inexplicable aura—those places hold their spiritual power!”

【Note 1: This interdimensional space is the ‘Heart of the Nightmare,’ also located within the black-and-white ‘Other’s World’! That is, the so-called hidden world, invisible in normal times, occasionally entered by some! This world is strongly linked to dreams, thus coexisting with nightmares.】

【Note 2: Life trapped in nightmares wanders here unable to awaken; tormented within the nightmare, it also weakens the physical body in reality. To break the curse, the dreaming life must be awakened—or the source of the nightmare defeated or captured.】

【Note 3: Life trapped in nightmares will launch attacks!】

The Linking Tree sent a message.

Guang Tai has some understanding of nightmares in the Pokémon world.

Leaving aside the well-known, and the yet-unfolding Poppie Town nightmare event, besides Darkrai, Duskull and Mismagius have also demonstrated the ability to drag others into the nightmare world—Ash has often suffered from them.

In the upper-right corner of Waterfall City in Sinnoh stands a house locked for fifty years; using the Membership Card as a key allows entry, where a strange man forcibly invites you to sleep in bed, then transports you to the Moon Island in your dream, where you meet Darkrai.

After the protagonist defeats or captures Darkrai, they learn the truth of Darkrai’s self-exile.

In the lower-left house of Waterfall City, Captain Bome’s child is also trapped in a nightmare, requiring the Moon Feather to dispel it and awaken him.

In that city, Darkrai appears every year during a specific time, immediately followed by Cresselia, who comes to take it away.

In the Miraculous Maze World, the Nightmare is a labyrinth within a dream—its essence is Darkrai’s created interdimensional space from which one cannot awaken.

【“Life is so lonely. So painful. Homeland—I will destroy you!”】

The pitch-black Mewtwo shifted form, changing from its Normal Form to its Attack Form!

“Awooo! (It changed form!)”

“It’s Attack Form! Use Protect!”

Leafeon and Skitty immediately used Protect, while Mewtwo’s sharp tentacle tips unleashed a violent energy ring, forming a multicolored spherical energy between its tentacles that slammed forward with unimaginable force!

Psychic Surge!

Unleash all power to attack the opponent. After use, the user’s Special Attack drops sharply due to recoil!

This is Mewtwo’s signature move!

The Protect barrier shattered violently; Guang Tai and the two Pokémon formed a mental link.

Is the Nightmare World also a dream world? Guang Tai thought it might be a variant of a dream world.

“It used Psychic Surge, but its stats didn’t drop—because this is a dream, anything is possible; negative effects simply don’t exist here.”

Just like when fighting in Mei’s mental world, within one’s own mental realm, almost anything can be done—there’s no need to impose artificial limits!

The pitch-black Mewtwo had gone utterly mad; it only wanted to destroy everything, then destroy itself—that was the result of the nightmare’s influence: infinite hatred gathered, dead before birth. In that sense, many meteorites in the universe face the same fate as Mewtwo.

Not every meteorite gives birth to such beings!

Hum—

Suddenly, the blue crystal pendant on Guang Tai’s chest emitted a faint glow.

The tear of the prince from ancient legend, the ultimate counter to this hatred—black Mewtwo’s movements froze for an instant; its mind slipped into a momentary daze!

Now!

Skitty placed one hand on Leafeon’s body; the crown atop her head radiated dazzling, hazy light.

The Crown of the Dream King, when within a dream, awakens the dream’s potential; if one possesses special power, it amplifies the feedback of those powers within the world!

Leafeon fixed its gaze on Mewtwo, hands forming the motion of Psychic Fist, gathering immense Psychic-type energy in its claws!

Imitate·Enhance·Psychic Surge!

The massive Psychic orb was hurled back; Mewtwo was momentarily stunned, struck directly by Psychic Surge, its powerful starlight psi waves exploding outward, while Skitty extended her left arm’s leaf, gathering vast light into a blade of pure radiance!

Sun Blade!

Condense all light onto a single leaf, making the Sun Blade immensely large, then strike with one swing!

The ground of the Nightmare World was a barren meteor field; the cold, black universe sparkled with cruel, merciless stars—the Sun Blade illuminated this dark cosmos, yet such fierce assault was blocked.

Mewtwo’s body formed a circular barrier that deflected the blow, and its form shifted into a round, chubby figure.

Defense Form!

“Mewtwo can shift forms at will depending on battle conditions; theoretically, it possesses a base stat total of 910!”

Mewtwo’s Attack Form confuses opponents with its transformations; Defense Form absorbs attacks by altering cellular structure; Speed Form’s body shape enables rapid movement; Normal Form balances all stats!

“Power Type, Defense Type, Speed Type, Composite Type. Ability: Pressure!”

When battling a Pokémon with Pressure, in reality, HP consumption doubles! If enough HP is lost, moves cannot be used!

After using Protect to block Skitty’s Sun Blade, Mewtwo instantly shifted into Speed Form!

Its body transformed into a blur faster than light, a violent phantom!

Extreme Speed!

Skitty spun sharply, her leaves slicing like blades in a whirlwind!

Aerial Ace!

Extreme Speed’s powerful priority makes it hard to counter, as its attack direction is unpredictable—but some moves can still block such priority attacks!

Aerial Ace is a move that never misses! Skitty used Aerial Ace to block Mewtwo’s Extreme Speed, but Mewtwo’s strength was greater, causing Skitty to cry out in pain.

The next instant, Leafeon’s Psi Ball slammed in!

Psi power resides within my heart!

Under the boost of starlight psi, the Psi Ball’s power surged further; Mewtwo in Speed Form could not defend, struck directly, and was blasted backward, instantly shifting its form.

Attack Form. Electromagnetic Cannon!

Fire a cannon-like current to attack, paralyzing the opponent! A golden, blazing beam roared toward the two Pokémon!

Leafeon gripped its claws together and shoved forward!

Imitate·Electromagnetic Cannon!

The two electromagnetic cannons collided, exploding into a massive crater!

“Mewtwo’s weaknesses are Bug, Dark, Ghost—use Imitate again!”

Under Guang Tai’s mental command, Leafeon fired another Electromagnetic Cannon; the brilliant golden light exploded through the cold, black universe, and Mewtwo shifted into Defense Form!

Defense Form. Mirror Coat!

Any special attack damage received is reflected back at the attacker at double strength!

But Guang Tai needed precisely this opening! Skitty danced, using “Repeat!”

Stage-light-like effects bathed Mewtwo, locking its move onto Mirror Coat!

Now!

Leafeon concentrated power in its eyes!

Mind’s Eye + Quick Attack!

Leafeon dodged the reflected light wave entirely, lunging straight onto Mewtwo’s Defense Form and slashing downward with its claws!

Shadow Claw!

The strike landed effectively; Leafeon’s paw now held a new item!

Moon Feather!

“Awooo! (Wake up!)”

The Moon Feather was slammed hard against Mewtwo!

But Mewtwo swiftly shifted form to evade follow-up attacks, then whipped its tentacles, shattering the counterfeit Moon Feather!

Skitty’s “Repeat” could lock its move but not its form shift; Leafeon flipped midair, stunned by the broken Moon Feather, then quickly adjusted, landed, and lifted a massive boulder, hurling it at Mewtwo!

Mind’s Eye + Throw!

Thud! The boulder struck Mewtwo solidly; its power exceeded 130—Leafeon’s famed strength proved decisive!

Mewtwo’s body trembled violently in midair, its black surface writhing and twisting in agony; the sorrowful psi surged again into Leafeon’s heart, freezing the blue-furred pup’s movements.

Psi can perceive beings and Pokémon, enable mental communication, and sense natural changes; Mewtwo’s agonized roar echoed fully within Leafeon, paralyzing its actions.

It seems the Moon Feather wasn’t useless—it did have some effect!

Should we use the Moon Feather again?

As Leafeon hesitated, the frenzied Mewtwo shifted again into Attack Form!

Psychic Surge!

A violent Psychic beam erupted!

Leafeon dodged quickly, but Mewtwo had already become Speed Form and struck the blue-furred pup with Extreme Speed!

Speed Form—then Attack Form!

Extreme Speed + Power-Up Punch!

The punch was devastating; Leafeon’s frail frame couldn’t withstand it, and was blasted away. Skitty’s Sun Blade slashed from the side; Mewtwo shrieked in pain, its twin arms spiraling wildly, icy-sharp tentacles piercing straight through Skitty’s leaves!

Cosmic Ice Punch!

Cold, hatred, loneliness—the dreadful chill froze Skitty’s body and soul, but the crown atop her head glowed faintly, drawing light from the cosmos, activating “Sunny Day + Photosynthesis.”

Photosynthesis restores HP. The amount restored varies with weather. Under Sunny Day or Strong Sunlight, it restores two-thirds of the user’s maximum HP.

But it wasn’t only Skitty who recovered—Mewtwo’s black sludge now repaired its damaged parts: “Self-Repair.”

Self-regeneration restores half of your maximum HP by regenerating cells.

“Under the pressure effect, photosynthesis can’t be used continuously. Even as you recover HP, your stamina keeps draining—this pressure effect is truly formidable in real combat.”

Guang Tai put down his backpack.

It’s time for the Trainer to enter the battle!

In Guang Tai’s hand appeared a firearm—but it was not a laser blaster or similar weapon; rather, it was a special item he could have crafted long ago after acquiring mechanical knowledge.

Since this is a dream world, isn’t it normal to pull out any kind of item? The nightmare world is still a type of dream world!

【Item: E-Bullet Gun!】

【Description: A bullet gun held by a Pokédex bearer, crafted by the Hoenn region’s Mechanic King. By loading soil from different regions into the gun, it can imprint ‘ Zhen ’-like patterns on the ground to calm Pokémon driven into frenzy and rage!】

【Effect: Wind and Soil Calm! Condense the power of your homeland’s soil to soothe enraged Pokémon!】

This is the weapon of Miralt, the Pokédex bearer from the Special Episodes. Though he is by no means a likable character in every sense, his item is genuinely effective at calming rampaging Pokémon!

“In physical terms, the universe is defined as all space, time, and their contents—including all forms of energy! So, though I don’t know your homeland, in our world, there too exists a place imbued with the same spacetime aura as yours!”

“This is soil from the Stage of Light, drawn from the ruins of the Divine Capital—the mythic stage where time, space, and antimatter were born!”

“When these three forces interact, a new universe is born. Thus, you and our world are no different—we are all life from the universe, bathed in the energy of time, space, and antimatter!”

【Note: Deoxys possesses Star Power (VSTAR)! ‘Star Divine Power’! Can be used only once in battle, dealing an additional 60% of the total damage dealt by both sides’ Pokémon!】

The Linking Tree sensed Deoxys’s anomaly. When Guang Tai pulled out the E-Bullet Gun, the pitch-black Deoxys emitted a powerful surge—the same cosmic waveform as the Trial Rock!

The heavenly power bestowed by Arceus!

Deoxys sharply retracted its tentacles, breaking its stalemate with Skitty. At this moment, Riolu had already risen, wobbling as it clutched a First Aid Jelly, frantically sucking it down.

After all, this is the best recovery item Shiguru has ever seen! I’m sucking it down!

Great! Revival!

“Woo!” Riolu released a waveform forward, signaling it fully understood Deoxys’s loneliness and begged it to stop its rampage—uniting the waveform of Linking, its own waveform, and the cosmic waveform into one!

Mental focus! Focus! Ultra focus!

Deoxys unleashed a massive black energy from its chest! That terrifying, cosmic malice engulfed the entire nightmare world!

Deception... then Evil Wave!

A vast, terrifying cosmic shadow transformed into thunderous dark ripples, striking Guang Tai and the two Pokémon—but at this moment, Riolu concentrated all its spirit and replicated the move!

【Riolu learned ‘Self-Suggestion’!】

Self-Suggestion: Apply self-suggestion to replicate your opponent’s altered stat state.

Riolu’s Special Attack rose sharply!

Riolu replicated Deoxys’s Star Divine Power!

If Deoxys wielded this power wrapped in hatred and cosmic malice, then Riolu now wielded it the same way—but the same power produced a different technique!

“Dorei!”

Skitty unfurled its leaves; the Crown of Dreams emitted a powerful amplifying wave, strengthening Riolu’s waveform and causing the world to return greater feedback to it!

Heart Mending: If the heart is confused or fractured, even great power cannot be fully unleashed. If the heart trembles, it will inevitably lead to a bad outcome—and the Crown of Flowers exists precisely to prevent this fate.

Skitty used Star Fragrance on itself and sensed—beyond the nightmare world—countless other Pokémon, perhaps dream Pokémon, or perhaps real Pokémon asleep in the waking world.

But no matter what, all Grass-type Pokémon, whether trapped in nightmares or resting in true dream worlds, lend me some of your strength!

Skitty prayed thus, and the Crown of Dreams granted her wish—her Star Power bloomed!

Star Power—Star Fragrance!

Grass-type Pokémon trapped in the nightmare heard the call; their pained expressions eased slightly. Grass-type Pokémon in the true dream world also heard this summons.

“Who calls to me?”

Regigigas glared, glancing suspiciously left and right.

What? You want me, the great king, to help?

The dream-world Grass Pokémon found the voice strange, but still lent some energy—after all, in the dream world, there were countless radiant crops; these precious harvests restored their stamina quickly, so losing a little didn’t matter.

In the real world, the resting Torterra suddenly lifted its head, staring at the sleeping Skitty and Guang Tai.

As the vessel of the Linking Tree, Torterra had just sensed an unusual mental waveform.

Trouble—what’s happening in the dream?

Thinking this, it rested its head against Skitty’s body.

Come, my power—take as much as you need!

In the nightmare world, Skitty’s energy surged instantly!

Each Grass-type Pokémon restores 10% of its power and heals, regaining vitality—and through the Crown’s power, this regained vitality is shared with Riolu!

“And me.”

Guang Tai infused Riolu with a mental buff, and the blue crystal pendant glowed brilliantly!

This mental power, channeled through the waveform bullet, can dispel negative emotions. So, if we defeat Deoxys, the nightmare will end.

The blue Eevee’s aura surged rapidly!

The entire nightmare universe’s power served it! Everything here was also a kind of ‘natural phenomenon’!

Heavenly Power—Star Waveform!

Waveform Bullet!

Riolu formed a colossal golden waveform bullet and hurled it toward the raging malice in the sky!

【.Life... What is this? So radiant, so warm, so blazing!】

【Light!】

Deoxys unleashed Evil Wave with all its might, but the golden radiance gradually bathed it—its black sludge slowly peeled away, as if the darkness, loneliness, hatred, and malice were all receding now.

It felt unprecedented peace—the first true tranquility since it fell to this world and entered death.

Guang Tai seized the moment!

As Deoxys was engulfed by the golden waveform bullet and crashed to the ground, the E-Bullet Gun fired countless clods of soil, drawing a special array beneath Deoxys’s feet.

Wind and Soil Calm—Cosmic!

The golden waveform bullet faded, dissolving into scattered starlight. In that dark, cold macrocosm, a warm lantern rose—Deoxys’s black sludge vanished, restoring its usual red-and-blue form.

【.This is life. Combat is the symbol of being alive—only this lets me feel I am truly alive.】

【I crossed the entire star-sea from my distant homeland. I’ve seen brilliant stellar explosions, witnessed mighty deities roaming the heavens. I longed to be born as a true life.】

【In this world, I sensed a power—its force revealed my memories and wisdom. Was it the power of a god, or the power of a Pokémon?】

“It’s Uxie. Legend says it flies across the world, granting us memory and wisdom. It was created by the Sinnoh Supreme Deity, the god Pokémon in charge of the spiritual realm.”

Guang Tai and the two Pokémon approached: “How are you? Feeling better? It looks like you’ve escaped the nightmare.”

The surroundings were turning colorful; the black-and-white world was fading.

【What is this feeling? Peace, serenity, joy—these emotions fill my soul. Sad memories are fading. Why do you have soil from my homeland? Why do you possess such power?】

“Not your homeland—but the homeland of all life. Time, space, and antimatter form the reality we inhabit. You came from the universe, but from your view, aren’t we also children of the universe?”

“Thus, we are all children of the stars.”

“By the way, one Pokémon asked me to save you. At first, I didn’t realize how dangerous this would be... but thankfully, the outcome is good.”

【Thank you.】 Deoxys looked at the person and Pokémon before it with a relieved gaze:

【Perhaps I can never truly be born, and I will die eventually—but at least I no longer harbor hatred. To be a life, to fight fiercely and fall, to feel that surging vitality—I came into this world, and I did not come away empty-handed. I gained what I sought to know!】

【Though this is a ‘nightmare,’ here—I truly existed as a life!】

【The universe is truly cold—but life is blazing hot! My kin and I left our homeland, journeying to one world after another, seeking perhaps this very power—this is the heart of the mortal realm...】

Deoxys prepared to face its death—it had escaped the nightmare—but Guang Tai stopped it:

“Wait! You may not need to die.”

“I might have a way to let you truly be born. But I’m not certain—if you wish to try, I can help.”

By the way, connecting with an alien’s heart—is that also ‘transmitting the heart’?

Guang Tai thought of something interesting.

Deoxys carries strong Gnostic elements; its extraterrestrial origin may stem from the ‘stranger’—the idea that humanity’s true home is not the material world, but the Gnostic divine realm of Pleroma, the pure, good, luminous realm opposed to matter.

In other words, Deoxys is essentially a variant of Ultraman.

“Anyway, let’s wake up first!”

As Guang Tai vanished from this world, Deoxys glanced toward a void in the cosmos.

There, a yellow, mushroom-headed Pokémon emitted a relieved sound.

Welcome to our world. This is the other side of heaven.

(End of Chapter)