Chapter 396: The Origin of the System

Huo La's emotions surged restlessly, his fingertips unconsciously reached for the coffee cup in front of him, and when his fingertip touched the bottom of the cup he realized the cup was already empty.

He frowned irritably, even the energy to complain had dwindled a bit.

Ma Shu Mu, seeing this, flicked his fingertip lightly, producing another crisp finger snap, and said casually, "I've filled it for you, don't worry; here no matter how much you drink you won't feel full, nor will you get drunk."

Huo La at this moment had no mind to complain about this illogical setting, grabbed the coffee cup and drank it down in one gulp; the warm liquid slid down his throat but did nothing to calm the turmoil within.

He sat quietly for a long while, repeatedly sorting through the secrets in his mind, slowly inhaled several breaths until his breathing steadied a bit, then lifted his eyes to Ma Shu Mu, his voice hoarse and uneasy: "What about me? Is my existence something you brought about?"

Ma Shu Mu, hearing the question, narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on Huo La for a long time without speaking; that stare seemed to pierce the heart, making Huo La feel completely uneasy.

After a long while, he slowly shifted his gaze away, his tone tinged with complexity: "You truly didn't know; from start to finish, you were merely its tool."

"Tool?" Huo La's mind jolted, his pupils slightly constricted, and his thoughts raced instantly, recalling every fragment of his interactions with the system, all the encounters since his crossing, especially after arriving in Hisui, each guidance and prompt from the system now linked together.

A bitter smile tugged at his mouth, he let out a heavy sigh, his eyes filled with relief yet also a hint of resentment—so everything about him had never been accidental.

"Since you've guessed, let me explain everything," Ma Shu Mu lifted the American coffee on the table, took a gentle sip, and began slowly, "Back then, using the power of the Homeworld's World Rules, I successfully possessed Arceus's mortal body, brought that power back to Hisui, and became this world's new 'Arceus'. Yet its soul, which is the 'system' inside you, was forever left in our Homeworld, unable to leave."

"All these years it never gave up, constantly striving to find a way back to the Pokemon World," he paused, then continued, "You aren't the first person it sent to the Pokemon World, but you are the only one who could carry its soul and successfully arrive in this Main World."

"Other people have crossed over too?!" Huo La blurted, his voice trembling with uncontainable shock; he had always thought he was the sole traveler, never imagining that others like him were scattered in every corner.

Ma Shu Mu nodded lightly, his tone even: "Yes, they are scattered across various Pokemon Worlds; some have already fallen, others are still struggling to survive. But you are the only one who can carry its soul and step into this Primordial Main World—that's why it has been clinging to you and guiding you."

"Other Pokemon Worlds..." Huo La murmured softly, his heart suddenly tightening, a wave of unease rising within him.

"Exactly, those people, those attempts, were merely countless experiments it conducted to return to the Main World," Ma Shu Mu said with a hint of indifference, as if he had long become accustomed to such sacrifices.

At that moment, Huo La seemed to recall something, his eyes suddenly urgent, and he blurted, "What about the Rainbow Rocket Team?! Are they also, like you and me, travelers from another world?"

Ma Shu Mu looked up at Huo La, a flash of understanding in his eyes, and shook his head lightly: "I know what you're thinking, but rest assured, the Rainbow Rocket Teams in this world's future timeline are truly Indigenous to the Pokemon World. They come from different world branches, merely gathered together, and cannot be called travelers like us."

Huo La fell silent, his fingertips clutching the empty coffee cup tightly, his brows knit, the doubts in his heart unresolved.

After a moment, he lifted his eyes again, his gaze fixed on Ma Shu Mu: "Since you know so much, have you long known of their existence?"

Ma Shu Mu spread his hands, his tone tinged with helplessness and a hint of justification: "Don't look at me like that; the Rainbow Rocket Team isn't trouble I created. In the end, it's all caused by the 'system' inside you, which is Arceus's soul—its experiments not only brought travelers but also disturbed the balance of the various world branches."

"And when it successfully used your body to come to this Main World, it covertly guided those Rainbow Rocket Team members here one by one."

Ma Shu Mu lifted the American coffee, his tone even as he added, "Those people are merely its pawns. Since its goal hasn't changed, and I am now the Creator God Arceus, someone has to do its bidding."

Huo La fell silent again, his brows furrowed, his mind flashing like a revolving lantern, rapidly replaying every fragment of his time with the system.

Since arriving in the Pokemon World, the system has gradually shifted—from its initial gentle guidance and assistance, to later frequently issuing missions that forced him to perform actions beyond expectations;

In the end it became even stranger: despite issuing harsh missions, it didn't care whether he could complete them, even skipping the conditions, marking them as completed and granting rewards.

Those seemingly illogical, even absurd processes, the inexplicable "leniencies" and "compromises", now linked together, instantly revealed an answer.

His fingertips trembled slightly, the doubts in his heart completely cleared; moments later, Huo La slowly raised his head, his gaze eerily calm, and said resolutely, "The system is something it generated based on my thoughts, right?"

He knows himself too well; at the start of his crossing, he had imagined countless times having a system that could guide and help him stand in this unfamiliar world, and the system's emergence perfectly matched all his expectations.

Ma Shu Mu, hearing this, showed a clear surprise in his eyes, raised an eyebrow, surveyed Huo La from head to toe, then nodded slowly, his tone carrying a hint of praise and a barely perceptible envy: "That seems correct."

"After all, when I first arrived in the Pokemon World, I secretly hoped for a system to help me avoid some detours, but alas… I never received that 'treatment'."

His envy was genuine—back then he was alone, facing god-tier Pokemon threats and the calamity of Hisui; without a system's guidance, he relied solely on experience accumulated from playing the game and a solitary bravery, shouldering everything and becoming the so‑called 'hero'.