Chapter 522: Leaving the Area Zero Crater, The Crystal Pendant!

PS: I misremembered the hitbox for Terastallization in yesterday's update; I have now made the corresponding corrections.

—

According to Professor Turo's conclusion.

Unlike Terastallization, which changes a Pokémon's own type while providing a one-time boost to every attack move of that type it releases, Stellar Form does not alter the Pokémon's inherent type.

However, the magnitude of this boost cannot yet be accurately determined, as there is only a single data sample.

Luo Mu pondered this carefully.

If Stellar Form truly works as Professor Turo described, its practical application in battle seems rather subtle.

Not only does it fail to change a Pokémon's type to counter enemies it struggles against, but the consistent Same-Type Attack Bonus that persists throughout Terastallization becomes a one-time consumable in Stellar Form.

Even with a single enhancement for moves of all eighteen types, no matter how hard he racked his brains, aside from looking undeniably cool, the utility of Stellar Form still seemed quite limited.

After the Glimmflower finally pulled itself out of the stone wall and swayed away, Turo led Luo Mu further toward the area where the "Treasure of Area Zero" resided.

Along the way, Luo Mu witnessed sights that greatly expanded his horizons.

He not only saw a fully crystallized tree emitting brilliant starlight deep within this kilometer-underground cavern.

He also encountered an underground pool with water that appeared exceptionally pure.

Turo mentioned that the pool contained vast amounts of Terastal energy; prolonged contact would cause Pokémon to undergo Terastallization directly.

This suddenly reminded Luo Mu of his encounter with the Terastal Gyarados in the Crystal Pool atop Oni Mountain in Kitakami.

Could that Crystal Pool be similar to the waters here in Area Zero? Luo Mu shared this discovery with Turo.

As expected, Turo displayed an expression of intense interest, repeatedly stating that he must visit that place given the opportunity.

To find energy capable of triggering Terastallization so far from the Paldea region suggested that somewhere connected to that pool, much like Area Zero, might lie Terapagos, a species theoretically extinct! Fortunately, apart from the sudden appearance of the Glimmflower, no wild Pokémon blocked their path; after advancing for about half an hour, the two successfully reached the area housing the Treasure of Area Zero.

Gazing at the fully crystallized tunnel before them, which seemed to lead nowhere, and feeling an inexplicable sensation, Luo Mu subconsciously took out the Tera Orb from his pocket, where it had been resting alongside the crystal containing the sleeping Terapagos.

Although the Tera Orb usually appeared unremarkable except at the moment of release even after being fully charged, it now trembled slightly, radiating an unmistakable glow from within.

Even Swampert, having exited its Mega Evolution state, curiously leaned in to examine the Tera Orb closely.

The Tera Orb had always glowed above its head, so observing the glowing orb at such close range was a first for Swampert.

Swampert figured that Dragonite and Greavard would surely love such sparkling things.

Holding the Tera Orb, Luo Mu looked at Turo.

Without Luo Mu needing to speak explicitly, Turo, as one of the Tera Orb's inventors, naturally understood the cause of its abnormal behavior.

Without much deliberation, he spoke with confidence: "The closer we get to the 'Treasure of Area Zero,' Terapagos, the denser the surrounding Terastal energy becomes."

"In an environment like the one we are currently in, the concentration of Terastal energy is sufficient to allow the Tera Orb to enable Pokémon to Terastallize indefinitely, with no possibility of energy depletion."

"Because the 'Treasure of Area Zero' is an existence that surpasses ordinary imagination."

Luo Mu agreed with Turo's words.

To elaborate, even though Luo Mu had only completed the base game of Zhu Zi before transmigrating to this world, without experiencing the subsequent DLC, he still knew that Terastallization permeated every corner of the Paldea region.

The last Pokémon possessing such region-wide radiating power was Eternatus, the true form of "The Darkest Day," an extraterrestrial creature from the stars.

Luo Mu could not determine whether Terapagos or Eternatus was superior.

After all, the fact that Terapagos went extinct two million years ago due to crustal shifts was, to say the least, quite awkward.

But aside from the individual transferred by the prototype time machine, now in his pocket, perhaps it was precisely because the Terapagos serving as the "Treasure of Area Zero" was so powerful that it survived into the modern era.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu's breathing became slightly more coarse and heavy; under Turo's guidance, he passed through the smooth crystalline corridor into a vaster space.

Here, crystallization was not limited to the surface of the rock walls; countless towering crystals crisscrossed and grew wildly, forming a bizarre and grotesque tableau.

It felt as though one had stepped onto another planet entirely.

Luo Mu felt a strange emotion stirring within him.

He thought that if he hadn't transmigrated, he would likely be observing all this through an electronic screen after the DLC's release.

And there, in the center of those crystal pillars, atop a not-so-tall crystal block, lay a hexagonal gemstone quietly.

Having visited this place countless times, Turo walked straight over, touched the crystal, and whispered, "This is the 'Treasure of Area Zero,' the sleeping Terapagos; its relationship to the crystal in your hand is likely that of kin."

Hearing this, accompanied by Swampert, Luo Mu also took out the crystal from his pocket.

Although Professor Sada had said she would later help Luo Mu mount the crystal onto an ornament to make a pendant for easy carrying.

Thus, the crystal currently remained in its original form.

Stepping closer, Luo Mu's gaze shifted back and forth between the crystal in his palm and the one on the stone block.

He could discern many distinct details.

The crystal in his hand was not only smaller and thinner but also displayed conspicuous differences in color.

The shell of the crystal in his hand presented a gradient of cyan-blue and pale yellow, with a white six-pointed star pattern in the center.

Meanwhile, the crystal beside Turo was significantly larger in both size and thickness, and its coloration appeared much plainer.

Sada had said that the two Terapagos might differ greatly not only in strength but also in gender, possibly being male and female respectively.

After all, although classified as a Legendary Pokémon, Terapagos had existed as a population two million years ago.

"With so much energy available, yet it remains asleep?"

Gazing at the crystal, Luo Mu murmured softly.

Turo heard this clearly; after a moment's thought, he took out the "Violet Book" he always carried with him and flipped to a page he had memorized since his student days.

In reality, Turo had never seen Terapagos's true form; after he and Sada examined it, they estimated it would need some more time before awakening.

As for the reason—

"Look at this."

Turo showed the open page of the Violet Book to Luo Mu.

Looking at the illustration, Luo Mu's memories gradually resurfaced; he recalled seeing this in the game when his protagonist browsed the Zhu/Zi Books in the library of Grandma Ju Zi Academy. "Is this Terapagos?"

Luo Mu asked tentatively.

"That must be it."

Leaning against a crystal pillar, Futo looked up at the similarly crystallized rock wall above and recounted the discoveries made by the couple.

"It will still be some time before Terapagos awakens; it could be months, it could be years, or perhaps we will never see that day."

"Then how did Haizhe, the author of the Book of Scarlet and Violet, know Terapagos's appearance and record it?"

"The answer is that he, having followed the Area Zero observation team on their exploration, saw it with his own eyes."

"This was two hundred years ago in the Paldea region, an era when the concept of Terastallization did not yet exist."

As Futo spoke, Luo Mu's attention was immediately captured.

Could it be that two hundred years ago, the phenomenon of Terastallization did not exist in the Paldea region? Futo said that he and Aline had pondered this many times, attempting to let their thoughts collide and spark new ideas.

The conclusion they finally reached was that two hundred years ago, Haizhe also arrived in the Great Crater of Zero by accident, saw Terapagos in its crystalline state, and inadvertently awakened it.

What exactly transpired between the two parties is now impossible to ascertain.

But what is certain is that after awakening, Terapagos fell asleep once again, having scattered its Terastal energy across the entire Paldea region.

Afterward, Terastallization gradually appeared on the stage of the Paldea region, and ultimately, combined with Haizhe's authored Book of Scarlet and Violet as a decisive factor, it attracted Aline and Futo, who were still students at the time.

This not only facilitated their marriage but also led to the establishment of the Area Zero Research Station.

Futo concealed nothing, recounting everything he knew, while Luo Mu, listening nearby, felt he had gained much.

Stories personally narrated by Futo himself, which were not recorded in the game, allowed him to understand many things more deeply.

Next, Futo spoke of his and Aline's ideals.

【To create a paradise where all Pokémon can coexist peacefully, without violence or strife, living together and advancing hand in hand.】

The "Treasures of Zero" were a crucial part of realizing their dream; regarding the crystals of its own kind, they would never allow them to drift away into others' hands.

But Luo Mu was different.

The couple believed that handing over this Terapagos, which had traveled from two million years ago to the present, to Luo Mu's care was the optimal Xie Fa.

After chatting for quite some time, the two set off to return to the Area Zero Research Station.

No accidents occurred along the way.

By the time they returned to the Area Zero Research Station, Koraidon and Miraidon had also awakened.

Upon seeing Luo Mu's return, Koraidon's eyes lit up immediately; looking like a begging puppy, it wagged a tail capable of easily snapping a large tree, attempting to solicit sandwiches from Luo Mu.

Miraidon, in a manner that would not compromise its "aloof" demeanor, also hinted to Luo Mu that it was time to be fed.

It was evident that both of them were extremely satisfied with the taste of the sandwiches and had completely fallen in love with them.

Luo Mu stayed at the Area Zero Research Station for two days.

After all, it would be somewhat cruel for Pepa, that crybaby, to leave immediately after rarely reuniting with his parents; besides, there was no urgent matter, and he was essentially on paid leave under the pretext of executing Director Geeta's mission.

Before departing, Luo Mu wrote down the recipes for all three types of sandwiches on a slip of paper and left them behind.

After all, although he had a very good relationship with Koraidon and Miraidon and their time together was pleasant, they were still subjects of observation for the two professors and could also serve as bodyguards for the subsequent activation of the time machine.

Aside from the two particularly ferocious counterparts from the original storyline, they should be able to protect Aline and Futo just fine.

According to Luo Mu's speculation, waiting for Professor Aline and Professor Futo to fully perfect the time machine and transfer out Individual No. 2 would likely take another three or four years, around the time Pepa is fifteen or sixteen.

It would also be shortly after Individual No. 2 was transferred that the two professors would meet with misfortune.

Before that, as Pepa's teacher, Luo Mu still had ample time to teach him to become stronger, and then let Pepa personally protect his own parents.

Morning, November 4th.

He bid farewell to Koraidon, who saw him off with reluctance and pitiful eyes, and to Miraidon, which had suddenly become exceptionally clingy.

Departing at noon on the 2nd, Luo Mu and Pepa, having spent nearly a day and a half traveling, successfully left the Paldea Great Crater and returned to Mesagoza.

Walking through the streets of Mesagoza, filled with "human presence," and watching the busy backs of rushing office workers, Pepa suddenly felt as if ages had passed.

Having spent less than a week in Area Zero and grown accustomed to that perilous environment, suddenly returning to society truly made one unable to react immediately.

He muttered to himself, "I wonder if they can make sandwiches that pass the taste test using the recipe Big Brother Luo Mu left behind."

During these two days, aside from bonding with his parents and spending time with Koraidon and Miraidon, Pepa had spent most of his time teaching the researchers how to make a qualified sandwich.

"It... should, probably, possibly be no problem, right?"

Luo Mu paused in his movements, blinked, his voice carrying obvious uncertainty.

This was because, finding it troublesome, he had pushed the teaching duties onto Pepa, spending the whole day taking Koraidon and Miraidon to play on the upper levels, acting just like a prodigal son parading his cats and dogs through the streets.

Those ferocious Paradox Pokémon were the poor little things being bullied by them, unable to find peace due to his actions.

Holding a grudge, Luo Mu even rode Koraidon and Miraidon to find Roaring Moon, which had launched a sneak attack while Dragonite was landing a few days prior, letting it experience what a fist that could crack the earth and lightning that could turn the ground to ash felt like.

Pepa glanced at Luo Mu out of the corner of his eye and sighed.

Sometimes he felt Luo Mu was even more childish than himself; really, who was the child here? Nevertheless, his reliable side was also very handsome.

After this journey to the Great Crater, their relationship had grown even closer; in Pepa's perception, there was no difference between Luo Mu and his own biological older brother.

And now, Luo Mu needed a necklace chain to hang an ornament.

Pepa's gaze moved back and forth over the items displayed at a small stall on the streets of Mesagoza, finally selecting a simple silver chain; as a gift, Pepa paid for it out of his own pocket and gave it to Luo Mu.

Since it was a gift full of a student's sincerity, Luo Mu readily accepted Pepa's kindness, tied it to the pendant inlaid by Aline, and finally hung it around his neck.

The pendant, secured by the necklace, swayed slightly with Luo Mu's movements.

Presumably, no one would ever guess that this hexagonal crystal, which appeared to have no special features other than being exceptionally beautiful, was actually the form taken by a Pokémon that had gone extinct two million years ago.

(End of Chapter)