Chapter 648: A God's Mission?

Night fell.

Rain poured down in torrents, the splashing sound never ceasing.

Sky-obscuring dark clouds shrouded the entire Nibel Plateau, casting a heavy, somber tone over everything.

On a dim, deep stone cliff.

A warm orange glow shone bright like a coastal lighthouse, drawing curious gazes from many wild Pokémon huddled in their dens.

Nights on the Nibel Plateau rarely held such bright light.

Especially on the hazy, bleak, cold cliff face.

All the Pokémon knew the Plateau's guardian lived there—a powerful existence as eternal as the unchanging mountains, rarely interacting with them, silently watching over everything on this land.

How could light possibly come from there?

Brought by humans?

That human…

The wild Pokémon couldn't help but think of the novel food they'd tasted during the day, instinctively starting to swallow their saliva.

Unfortunately, the storm deterred any thought of investigating—even water-loving Pokémon would choose to curl up in their nests in such weather.

Drowsiness crept in.

Countless Pokémon drifted into sleep.

And at the source of the light, in a not-too-narrow stone grotto.

The rain only dampened a small patch on the cliff's outer edge; the interior remained dry and comfortable.

All Baimu, wrapped in a soft blanket, gazed down at the quiet natural plains and tranquil lake below; around the orange camping lantern, Pokémon of all colors slept sprawled out in every direction.

"Hiss… haa…"

He exhaled a breath of white air.

The Nibel Plateau lies in the east of Kalos.

The temperature difference between day and night here is quite large in spring, and with the storm, it had now dropped well below five degrees Celsius.

All Baimu was a little disappointed.

It wasn't a bad mood, nor was the environment so cold he couldn't sleep.

The Pokémon clustered around him in sleep radiated warmth, enough to fend off the cold wind blowing in; their breathing, big and small alike, was steady and strong, bringing an unusual sense of peace to his heart and making him feel not the slightest bit lonely.

In the end.

The insomnia came from truly confirming who had orchestrated his transmigration, and the source of the Simulator—that golden finger—

Why?

Did his existence carry some kind of mission?

The hand hidden beneath the blanket tightened around the Thousand-Realm Watch on his chest.

All Baimu, who was used to setting himself a clear goal and pressing forward, wasn't very comfortable with this feeling of drawing his sword and looking about in confusion.

Answer me.

Then.

Give me an answer.

He lowered his eyes, silently praying to the Thousand-Realm Watch in his arms, longing for a voice to sound in his heart.

"Can't sleep?"

All Baimu started, then turned his head toward the source of the voice.

What met his eyes was a pair of azure-blue eyes, like an unrippled lake surface.

The owner of those eyes, Volcanion, lay on a raised flat patch of ground; beside it, leaning against its body, was Magearna, its pink eyes blinking on and off as if charging.

"Mm."

After a slight hesitation, he said, "I'm waiting for the answer to a question."

"A question?"

Volcanion's voice was low.

It clearly didn't want to wake the sleeping Magearna; when facing the latter, its fiery temper would always rein itself in—even after being pelted in the face with pollen that made it sneeze several times, it would only complain mildly in a level tone.

All Baimu said softly:

"A question that can decide the future."

"…Hmph, I don't understand the affairs of you humans. But if it's really that important, why not go talk it over with them?"

Volcanion tilted its head toward Pokémon like Aggron, and rumbled, "Those guys trust you so much, depend on you so much—your futures should be tied together, right?"

He nodded slightly and said:

"You're not wrong. In fact, I've already discussed it with them. Unfortunately, discussion still can't give me the answer I want."

Volcanion listened, utterly baffled; for a Pokémon not adept at thinking, such a complex sentence structure was already beyond its comprehension.

All Baimu, gripping the Thousand-Realm Watch, asked, "Volcanion, what do you think your mission is?"

"Mission?"

"It's something you have to do."

"Put that way…"

The big yellow brow lifted, then settled, as it looked at the Magearna snuggled against it. "Protecting the Nibel Plateau, protecting Magearna—that should be my mission."

All Baimu continued, "Then what if, one day, some being suddenly entrusts you with another mission?"

Volcanion was unusually decisive. "Of course I'd blast it away. There's no need to even consider a question like that—so really, you humans…"

That really was something this guy would do.

"Hold on, hold on, let me finish."

He reluctantly stopped this creature, biased against humans, from continuing its complaints: "If this being had given you great help—say, if I and Xiao Zhi hadn't shown up—"

"Machina was taken again by those villains and had its Soul Heart stolen, nearly costing it its life; this being rescued Machina. Would you accept the mission it gave you?"

Borealyn shook its head. "Such a thing could never happen."

Baimu said: "Then assume it did."

"What a hassle!"

Borealyn, furious, spat a puff of white smoke from its nostrils; a brief flute-like note echoed inside the cave.

It startled itself, quickly glanced at Machina, saw the latter still asleep, relaxed, and muttered with mild annoyance:

"If you put it that way, of course I accept it. Pokémon are different from humans—we always repay kindness."

"Exactly—that's what I meant—your first half."

He raised one finger and replied: "The trouble I'm facing now is that there's such a being—it has done me great kindness, and I must accept the mission it gives me."

"But what is this mission? Will it even come? To me, all of this is like a veil of mist."

Rain pattered softly.

There was no sign of it diminishing.

Borealyn listened, then merely shook its head.

"Such things hold no relevance to me. Humans always obsess over meaningless matters. Does the answer matter? What you're meant to know, you'll know."

"Meaningless…?"

Baimu smiled, saying nothing in rebuttal.

Even among humans, personalities differ; understanding between humans and Pokémon is even harder.

Especially when one is a Legendary Pokémon that may possess infinite life, and the other a frail human who may not live past a hundred years.

To use finite time as much as possible on things that bring joy.

This was Baimu's conviction.

"Going with the flow is indeed a good approach."

He exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke. "Thank you for chatting with me. Having someone to talk to is far better than imagining things alone."

He often wandered in thought late at night.

Sometimes he couldn't sleep, so he'd confide in Poliwhirl II or Bisharp.

Other Pokémon either had no interest in such matters and just nodded blankly, or indulged him so much that his heart grew heavier with every word.

Occasionally being contradicted felt refreshingly novel.

As Borealyn saw Baimu's face soften with ease and drowsiness, it thought how utterly strange these humans were, yet said aloud:

"If you're sleepy, sleep. This rain won't last long. Tomorrow will be a fine day."

"Mmm…"

The voice grew fainter.

Then came steady, even breathing.

Borealyn glanced around the silent cave, gave a quiet hum, and closed its eyes to rest.

On a stormy night, poachers and Trainers rarely appeared; it didn't need to stay fully alert for guard duty.

The cold rain also helped lower its temperature.

So it wouldn't worry about suddenly "exploding."

As Borealyn closed its eyes, the phone on the table, lit by orange light, flashed on and off; nearby, the metallic beast blinked its sapphire-blue eyes.

Inside the tent, the Young Lady grumbled, rolled over clutching her doll, and the round, plump egg sighed in relief.

"Shasong~"

The dog-like Dragonite grumbled and shuffled forward until it caught the familiar scent.

Ripples, visible yet invisible, stirred in the air.

Finally.

The cave fell utterly silent.

——

Morning.

The storm had ceased.

The sun rose beyond the lake's edge.

A brilliant rainbow arched across the sky.

Glistening dewdrops fell from leaves and branches, landing on the nose of Litten.

"Hiiya~"

It jolted awake, shook its head, and darted deeper into the grass; after snatching a curled orange fruit, it turned excitedly and ran toward the Bisharp, who was dragging a bamboo basket and yawning constantly.

Many other Pokémon moved similarly.

All of them tossed collected fruits and specified plants into the bamboo basket, then delivered them to friendly humans to be turned into delicious treats they craved.

Just thinking of the feast about to begin,

wild Pokémon worked harder gathering ingredients—even Cofagrigus and Slurpuff did their best, holding up fresh fruits with both paws and dropping them into the basket.

If one attempt failed, they tried again.

"Shasong~"

The Bisharp dragging the basket yawned again, its three eyes narrowed to slits, its mouth curved into a wavy line, looking listless.

The Nibel Plateau after rain was especially cold; misty white fog blanketed the land, making the one assigned to chores drowsy.

Maybe finding an opponent to fight might perk it up.

The three-headed dragon stared sharply at the lake; Bonsly had once again gone in with Minun to gather special underwater ingredients.

Hmph!

They're clearly just going to play!

The husky dragon, judging by its own standards, thought this and decided to go complain to the trainer later, making him realize how unreliable his chosen ace was.

When Bonsly returned crying and apologizing, it would step in to comfort the furious trainer.

At that moment, the trainer would surely look at it with new respect, then announce to all its partners that it was the strongest ace.

Countless wonderful scenarios flashed through the three-headed dragon's clever mind, and it couldn't help but grin with a grotesque, terrifying smile.

The Meowth standing before the basket trembled, dropping the berries bound by its psychic power.

"Mii… miyoo…"

"Whitey!! Hu Pa has finished collecting! Hu Pa wants donuts!"

The loud shout echoing across the plateau snapped the three-headed dragon back to reality; it swallowed the saliva dripping from its corner of the mouth, glanced curiously at the Meowth, then flapped its wings to actively gather berries.

It had to finish the task before Bonsly returned!

Go!

The three-headed dragon became a diligent little bee, darting back and forth along the mountain slopes.

Beside the clear stream.

Baimu, Happiny, and Magnezone were working nonstop.

He frantically cooked beside the pot and stove; Happiny swiftly chopped and prepared ingredients; Magnezone portioned out each finished dish and kept wild Pokémon from rushing forward to snatch them.

It has to be said.

The Pokémon of the plateau truly had never eaten anything good.

When Baimu washed up by the stream that morning, these creatures looked at him as if zombies were staring at a living person—deeply unsettling.

He was making food designed to keep one full for long periods.

A normal Pokémon could remain energetic for at least two days after eating just one serving.

How did they manage to give the impression they hadn't eaten since yesterday? Was food scarce on Nibel Plateau?

Impossible.

The place was absurdly rich in resources.

He even found golden Bananberries and Mago Berries among the berries collected by other Pokémon—both were rare fruits even in the animated world, where agriculture was highly advanced.

It was said that eating the former would calm even the most aggressive Pokémon, while eating the latter would make a Pokémon develop a strange fondness for you.

If Ash had had these two when he first left home, he wouldn't have needed a flock of Pidgey to help him bond with Pikachu.

Of course.

Strong bonds still had to be forged through unforgettable memories.

These two fruits mainly served new trainers, or trainers who had just captured a ferocious Pokémon and had no idea how to handle it.

"For your last meal before leaving, eat your fill."

Baimu worked tirelessly to produce large quantities of food suitable for Pokémon; the heavenly aroma even drew out Poliwhirl, who had been hiding on the cliffs and refusing to show himself.

It opened its mouth to complain, "What did you make again? You're going to spoil their palates like this!"

"Stop talking nonsense—you're just in time, go get water!"

Baimu didn't care what this hypocritical, prideful Pokémon said; he immediately added it to the list of helpers.

Hu Pa, Gengar, and the Dracovish siblings were playing wildly, claiming they were gathering ingredients in the forest—who knew when they'd return.

"Don't order me around! I'm not your Pokémon!"

Poliwhirl refused to take the bucket.

So.

This protector of the plateau received the full attention of nearly every Pokémon; Magnezone set down its basin and slowly walked toward it.

"Beeep! Beeep!"

"Magnezone—I'll go, really, you always use that trick." Poliwhirl fled in panic; it was allergic to pollen and couldn't stand the flower bouquet in Magnezone's hands.

And soon.

The three-headed dragon returned, its bamboo basket stuffed full, all three heads chattering frantically.

"Shashash!"

Baimu listened carefully, then smiled broadly and asked it to go find Hu Pa and Gengar and the others.

The three-headed dragon tilted its head slightly: "?"

"Go quickly! If I find it slacking off after it returns, I'll scold it severely!" The trainer made empty promises.

The three-headed dragon, having achieved its goal, flew off happily.

Not long after.

Bonsly returned with a Shiny Minun, its basket filled with all kinds of ingredients aquatic Pokémon loved.

"Why did it take you so long to come back…"

Baimu harshly "scolded" the giant monster; upon hearing that Minun had dragged it chasing rainbows, he erupted in fury—everyone was working so hard, how could you two act like you were on a leisurely sightseeing trip?

Bonsly grinned stupidly, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

The three-headed dragon, returning with Hu Pa, stared at it in disbelief.

What a shameless Pokémon!

Is this the confidence of an ace?