Chapter 307: When N Became a Ranger

At the summit of the Tower of Heaven, N’s soul returned to his body, and he smiled as he accepted the outcome of the battle.

He had lost, but felt deeply refreshed.

“What just happened?”

Mr. Vado, the painter, felt as though something extraordinary had occurred in that instant—he saw N standing motionless for only a minute.

Yet everyone else had vanished after the appearance of that massive silver-blue dragon.

“I merely fought in the world of souls. I lost.”

N lifted the brim of his cap and bowed to Mr. Vado: “Thank you for watching our battle.”

“As the King of Plasma, I offer my deepest apologies for what we have done to you and your Pokémon.”

“I know this apology cannot undo what has been done.”

“But I still must say… I’m sorry.”

Mr. Vado remained silent; he knew the young man before him with green hair was no ordinary person.

“Little Mew’s death was not your fault—it was mine.”

“I was the one who decided to let Sproutling leave. I am a foolish man.”

N: “We exploited people’s empathy to create one tragedy after another. Such tragedies will never happen again.”

“I will stop them myself!”

“Yet there remain others with ambitions, others who think differently from us—they will still harm humans and Pokémon.”

N understood what he must do from now on.

That was to suppress his own comrades who held these mistaken beliefs—even the sages!

Suppress them. And if necessary… crush them.

Of course, all of Plasma’s resources and power were concentrated in his father Colress’s hands. N wondered whether he should return and try to persuade him.

Yet a deep subconscious voice within N warned him: never do it.

N bowed again to Mr. Vado, then looked up at the great clock of the Tower of Heaven and struck its bell once more.

The bell’s chime echoed across the land.

“This time, the bell’s tone held no doubt—only clear, ethereal resonance.”

Mr. Vado made this assessment; though not a Gym Leader, he could still sense the emotions embedded in the Tower Bell’s sound.

It was a talent all citizens of Fennel City possessed.

He glanced at his painting, added the final stroke, and poured all his gratitude, awe, wonder, and dreams into it.

The distant traveler, the green-haired man who called himself King, and the Pokémon beside them.

“Rode, let’s go.”

N reached the fourth floor and found Rode in repentance. He tapped the old sage on the shoulder and looked around at the people inside the Tower of Heaven.

The hearts of these people would no longer be swayed by Plasma.

The false religion’s wrongdoings had been halted in time.

He led the other Plasma members away. When they reached the tower’s base, he met the other three sages who had come from Fennel City: Jorges, Asura, and Vio.

Of the three, the first two wore solemn expressions—they feared N had won.

Vio’s face glowed with fervor: “That was the Legendary Dragon! My King, you have finally earned the recognition of the Legendary Dragon! Plasma shall rise to greatness!”

“I lost,” N replied with a smile, his voice light. The three sages’ expressions twisted in confusion.

Vio froze, opening his mouth to speak—but N cut him off: “That Legendary Dragon was not the founding dragon. I was not recognized by it.”

“It merely used my strength to duel another hero. In truth, that was their battle. The dragon recognized the other man. I am merely someone who took a wrong path.”

“In a short time, my thoughts have undergone a complete transformation. Though I lost the duel, I feel utterly joyful.”

“I am leaving this place.”

N voiced his decision: “Tell Colress I may temporarily leave the organization. It may seem irresponsible, but I must find a true way to help Pokémon—and even humans.”

“I will walk the path I choose.”

Vio gasped: “What are you talking about?!”

“Oh my, what an astonishing battle! So where did that silver-blue dragon go?”

A curious, flippant voice came from the side. Akroma, clad in a white lab coat, landed before N and the sages on a strange “flying device.”

“You’ve already unlocked the power of Pokémon—but the other side’s power surpassed yours. Truly magnificent.”

“Thanks to you and that hero, my research has gained a vital new piece. Through heart-to-heart connection, Pokémon unleashed tremendous power! The potential of the human heart is fascinating!”

“I have observed countless Trainers across Unova, studying their battles, to determine whether they possessed the potential to awaken their Pokémon’s true strength.”

“So far, mutual understanding between Trainer and Pokémon can elevate them to new heights—but only a few achieve it.”

“Then, the Hero Test begins.”

N frowned at Akroma.

“What do you intend to do?”

Akroma smiled: “Of course, to seek and test future Heroes! Unova’s dragons are surely more numerous than we know. Where there are dragons, there are Heroes. In that sense, anyone could become a Hero!”

“My next research will be to identify Trainers with Hero potential. In fact, Colress was already considering this—though originally to unlock your latent power.”

“Your duel showed me another possibility! I will still conduct scientific research within Plasma, but I will adjust my focus.”

N’s expression turned serious: “Akroma, I know little of you. But if you do anything extreme, I will stop you.”

“I now know what I must do.”

Akroma shrugged: “It’s good that the King has firm conviction. Just as you hold grand ideals, I, as a researcher, have my own! To awaken Pokémon’s power—that is my life’s dream! I will spare no means to achieve it!”

“Exceptional research subjects yield astonishing results beyond expectation!”

“By the way, before you leave, you should visit the Undersea Ruins. Colress likely hopes you’ll obtain something from it. But if you refuse that power, he’ll have to go himself.”

N sensed something suspicious about this.

The power of the Undersea Ruins?

Legend said the ancient King of Unova slumbered within that ruin—but no one, past or present, had ever found its location.

Rumors placed it somewhere in the eastern waters near Ripple Town…

Yet N no longer wished to become a King. Such a title was unnecessary. One need not be a King to accomplish great things!

He still needed to travel, to understand. The distant lands Guang Tai had spoken of… yes, he wanted to try more than just suppressing those within Plasma who held mistaken beliefs.

“Perhaps becoming a Ranger might be the right answer,” N murmured, his spirits rising.

The Ranger Alliance—a group that did not use Poké Balls, instead bonding with Pokémon through Capture Markers. N felt this might be his ideal vocation.

He planned to write a letter to the Ranger Alliance.

Akroma offered no persuasion—he had no obligation to.

“About the traveler… Colress’s plan was to either recruit him, or let him become a Hero and then be defeated by you. A defeated Hero would earn greater trust from Unova’s people.”

“Threats aren’t erased instantly—you must first extract their value. But unfortunately, this plan failed.”

“Failure is common. No need to dwell on it, is there?”

With that, Akroma stepped onto his strange flying device and departed. One of the Dark Trio followed N. N glanced at him but said nothing.

These three served only Colress. Even if N wanted to drive them away, he couldn’t. But conversely, their presence might make Colress feel slightly more at ease.

This was… surveillance.

“The Undersea Ruins, My King! I’ve heard of it from Lord Colress—please, you must go there!”

Vio began to plead. N noticed Jorges and Asura remained silent. The two elder sages seemed lost in thought, and their earlier glances at him had been strange.

Ah—that look… was it the gaze of someone who had found their path and future?

N knew he understood human emotions poorly, so he dared not jump to conclusions. Yet even he could sense these two sages were fundamentally different from Vio.

“If I don’t go to the Undersea Ruins, will Colress lose power? Then I must be an indispensable pawn.”

Vio stammered: “W-Your Majesty, how can you say such a thing?”

N felt his mind had never been clearer.

Even now, recalling his years with Colress, he noticed odd behaviors that had troubled him before.

After all, they were not truly father and son—only adoptive father and adoptive son.

N: “If I refuse, he won’t let it go… I’ll go. But first, I must visit a Pokémon Center.”

He touched the Poké Ball at his waist.

His friends needed healing. The Thunder and Wind Gods were filled with resentment.

They had lost miserably, failed to claim the Verdant Gem, and that divine messenger had been infuriating!

Hey, your command was flawed! It’s all your fault!

The Thunder and Wind Gods began blaming each other. N could only smile wryly.

Well, I’ll try harder next time. If we lose, so be it—even the dragon of the spirit realm lost! If it’s a divine messenger, it must possess extraordinary power.

But once you’ve recovered your strength, our cooperation ends, doesn’t it?

The Thunder and Wind Gods finally realized.

“Next time”? There won’t be a next time!

Forget it. Let’s leave it at that. Later, we’ll find a way to get the Verdant Gem. By now, Land Cloud should be arriving soon.

Come to think of it, weren’t those strange devices used before? That girl chasing us had something similar, didn’t she?

Jorges and Asura exchanged glances.

“Plasma…” Asura whispered.

Jorges nodded.

The two elders were now soulmates; a single glance was enough to understand each other’s thoughts.

Team Rocket is already on the verge of splitting—and it will be a major schism!

Kyogre, Vio, and the Dark Trio’s faction will continue their past ambitions and remain active!

Mr. N and Luo De’s faction—given N’s demeanor, they may be heading to join the Rangers?

Yorge, of the Asura faction, the two elders believe they will form a secret organization opposing Team Rocket.

And there is Akroma’s faction—he will test and observe new trainers from Unova, selecting the hero of the new era!

Huh! How has Team Rocket become like this?

“By the way, Sumra is still inside Ross Mountain. Aren’t we waiting for him?”

Yorge whispered, then thought—if there truly is some immense power within Ross Mountain—

Never mind. As long as Sumra has met that traveler, his mind will change anyway—so let him be.

After Team Rocket’s members departed, atop the mountains near Heaven’s Tower, the legendary Sword Saint “Bilijion,” green as a gazelle, silently watched their retreating backs.

Undersea Ruins! Tracking Team Rocket’s trail, they finally heard crucial intelligence!

“Come to think of it, that human did quite well! No surprise—he’s the Sword Saint’s master.”

Dream World.

The Dark Stone and the Light Stone also watched the outcome of this battle.

The ruler of the Spirit Realm was defeated; the legendary dragon from a distant alternate universe departed. On the battlefield of Heaven, both sides’ spirit and determination had satisfied the Black and White Dragons utterly!

After a long span of time, heroes have finally emerged upon this land—not only the visitor from the Divine Capital, but also the king of Team Rocket.

Yet he made some mistakes; thus, while he may be called a candidate, he still cannot be called a true hero. Then, the new candidates are the two who left Lu Zi Town to travel.

Through the prophecy and connection of the Linking Tree, the Black and White Dragons learned the fates of those two.

Perhaps this is a history the world is destined to endure—Team Rocket will not perish so easily, and the original hero-versus-hero conflict will intensify fully.

After the king of Team Rocket attempted betrayal, the puppeteer hiding behind the scenes must respond with even greater fury!

{Should we leave the coming disaster to two young people to resolve?}

{As the visitor from the Divine Capital said, at moments of great historical upheaval, young people with unwavering conviction always rise.}

{But I think, if he’s willing, making him the hero outright wouldn’t be bad—he meets all the criteria anyway.}

{Last king—after he challenges the Undersea Ruins, the word “hero” becomes unnecessary. Heroes belong to heroes, and kings to kings.}

Then, about the otherworldly dragon—the Giant King also joined this battle. Truly, it makes the “Dragons” envious.

Then, the next battle—

There are still two dragons, aren’t there?

Perhaps it’s our turn to step forward!

Not to walk beside the hero.

But to return to the very beginning!

To the time when we walked beside the king!

(End of Chapter)