Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 848 Darkrai's Purpose, The Counterattack of the Twin Dragons of Time and Space!

Alcremie and Lomu underestimated the allure of Shaymin's floral fragrance to these "wild" Pokémon, whether they lived in the garden or had traveled from afar.

When the eight contestants presented their creations, almost half of the wild Pokémon crowded into the area where Alcremie was located.

Although it is also related to the fact that the Bo Fun made by Alcremie is already very good.

But this scene still left the other contestants and the staff in charge of the dessert competition completely stunned.

When Luo Mu was distributing the desserts, he glanced at Xie Mi, who was being held between his arms, and teased, "I didn't expect you to be such a hot commodity."

“That’s only natural!” Shemi raised its non-existent neck and proudly tilted its chin.

Luo Mu wasn't quite sure what it had to be proud of. This ability was one thing when combined with Alcremie's desserts, but it was another matter entirely in the wild.

That's when Shemi learned to fly.

Otherwise, it might be carried back to its den by wild Pokémon that come after smelling it as soon as it arrives at a place.

at the same time.

With more and more people joining the Alcremie's team, the outcome of the second round seemed obvious.

For the contestants who made it this far, this was the first time they had ever lost to a Pokémon pastry chef in a real competition.

After all, even though many Pokémon do come into contact with the world of desserts, most of them just serve as assistants to human pastry chefs.

People like Alcremie are ultimately a minority.

No one questioned whether Alcremie's use of Shaymin's scent to attract Pokémon was an unfair victory.

Scent is only one of the conditions that attract Pokémon to gather; the scent of Pofen itself is the most important factor that keeps wild Pokémon there.

Shortly after.

Looking at the serious-looking Alcremie, she earnestly accepted the trophy representing first place from the president of the Padia Confectionery Association.

Luo Mu looked around again, but still regretfully did not see Darkrai.

It seems the other party really doesn't intend to cause me any trouble.

Could it be because the Queen of the Rathalos is by his side?

But in the movie, it never showed even the slightest intention to back down against the Time Dragons.

Luo Mu really couldn't understand it.

However, once my own affairs are settled, I don't need to worry about whether I can figure it out or not; I can just ask Darkrai for the answer.

And if I'm not mistaken, since Darkrai has already started its operation, it certainly won't stop just by attacking Shinji.

Luo Mu narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, the super-resistance power within him fluctuated.

Let's rewind to a short time ago, about an hour after Luo Mu left the Pokémon Center.

Ash and his friends rushed out to find Darkrai.

Judging from the commotion outside, it's possible that the somewhat narcissistic Baron Albert has also gotten involved. Based on the snippets of conversation overheard in the room, they seem to have even formed some kind of "punitive expedition."

However, none of these things matter to Shinji right now.

With the little fire monkey sitting quietly beside him, unusually not showing its mischievous nature, Shinji lowered his head, his eyes filled with struggle.

Two completely different ideas were constantly colliding in his mind.

however.

Just then, from outside the half-open window, from the shadows cast by the trunk of an unknown tree in the corner of the room, something seemed to be gathering.

next moment.

Sudden changes occur.

The shadows in the corner of the room suddenly surged, and Darkrai's figure appeared completely without warning, like a ghost.

Without uttering a single word, giving no one any time to react, it raised its hand and unleashed a jet of pitch-black darkness straight at Shinji's face!
The dark hole roared and tore through the air, instantly enveloping the entire room in a chilling aura.

Shinji didn't even have time to make a move, and the little Chimchar next to him didn't have time to react either. They could only watch helplessly as the dark sphere rapidly enlarged in their pupils.

At this critical moment——

A petite figure appeared in front of Shinji as if it had materialized out of thin air.

The mysterious mound that appeared stood firmly in the way of the dark cave.

Beneath the Mimikyu doll, a pair of enormous ghostly claws suddenly rose, meeting the oncoming Dark Hole head-on.

boom!
A dull thud rang out as the pair of ghostly claws actually grabbed the dark hole, then tore it apart with force, turning it into wisps of black smoke that disappeared into the air.

Darkrai's pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared in his calm blue eyes.

—When did this Pokémon appear? It didn't even notice its presence.

That's right, it's not that the other person suddenly jumped out, but that they didn't notice the other person's presence at all.

Looking back on memories.

Darkrai was shocked to discover that the other party had been quietly sitting on the target's bedside table, playing the role of a doll, while he had inexplicably ignored the other party's presence.

That's why the situation just now occurred, where the other party appeared suddenly as if they had teleported.

If Luo Mu, who wasn't here, knew what Darkrai was thinking, he would probably be quite surprised.

From the perspectives of Wusong and Gallade, Darkrai actually discovered the true nature of Mimikyu's ability, which "appeared out of thin air."

Mimic slowly raised its head, and a dangerous red light flashed in the place where the real eyes were on the doll's abdomen.

That's a warning.

As a Pokémon, Darkrai naturally understood Mimikyu's meaning.

It is assessing its chances of successfully hitting Shinji with Dark Hole in its battle against Mimikyu.

at the same time.

Shinji finally realized that his teacher had left Mimikyuu behind to protect him, and he felt relieved.

Having stopped the snarling Chimchar from grabbing Darkrai, Shinji, now emboldened, turned to Darkrai, who had stopped moving after the attack, and asked it a serious question.

Why did you attack me?

Darkrai remained silent for a long time. Just when Shinji thought it would attack without warning, as it had done that morning, he heard a deep and magnetic male voice in his mind.

"You are very close to the source of the crisis."

"besides."

"That wasn't an attack, it was a warning."

After leaving behind these three puzzling sentences, Darkrai gave Shinji and Mimikyu a deep look before disappearing into the shadows.

Shinji frowned as he watched the corner where the man had left, then respectfully thanked the teacher, Myoko, before sitting back down on the bed.

Thanks to Todakley, he is not currently considering making that decision.

But because of Darkrai's three sentences, Shinji began to try to recall the content of the ambiguous nightmare he had experienced after being hit by the Dark Hole.

After a long while, Shinji's tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

He received a completely nonsensical answer.

Based on the content of the nightmare, if I haven't misinterpreted its meaning...

—Darkrai seems to want me to take Teacher Luo Mu away?
Why is that?
At this time.

The commotion outside suddenly intensified, and Shinji and Chimchar looked up at the window.

They discovered that the expeditionary force led by Baron Albert, along with Ash and his two companions, were currently engaged in battle with Darkrai, who had mysteriously reappeared after leaving their area.

Should we intervene?

Shinji turned his questioning gaze to Mimikyu. He was definitely unable to participate in the battle right now, so he had to ask Mimikyu for his opinion.

But Mimikyu didn't answer his question; instead, she silently eliminated her own presence in response.

Its mission is to stay by Shinji's side and protect his safety; it has no need to participate in the battle.

No matter how fierce the fighting is over there, it's none of their business.

Unless Luo Mu gives new instructions.

"Never mind, let's wait until the teacher's competition is over before we talk about it."

Shinji sighed, but ultimately did not take any action.

Despite his appearance, he is actually in a state of weakness due to the Dark Hole.

Perhaps only that beast, Ash, could recover to his lively and energetic state in such a short time? However...

After Darkrai's interruption, Shinji's inner turmoil, which stemmed from his emotional outburst, seemed to lessen somewhat.

He began to think more calmly about the answer that would determine the outcome of the matter he cared about.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

While Shinji was contemplating his "major life decision," the outside world was also getting very involved with Darkrai.

It seems that they felt that Shinji's path was blocked.

Or perhaps the crisis that forces it to act is drawing ever closer.

Darkrai abandoned its usual low-key approach and brazenly appeared on the street, directly engaging in combat with the "suppression team" searching for it.

It was as if they wanted to drive out all the humans and Pokémon who were still foolishly staying in Ash Town through battle.

Alice tried to dissuade them, but to no avail.

Darkrai's strength also completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

The battle appeared to be a group of people using Pokémon to besiege Darkrai, forcing it to keep moving.

In reality, whether it's a Pokémon or a human trainer hit by a dark hole, once they fall, they never get up again.

Of course, that doesn't mean Darkrai took their lives.

From the pained expressions on their faces even in their unconscious state, it was clear that those struck by the dark hole were experiencing a terrible nightmare.

However, probably because the battle took place earlier than planned, Baiyang Town has not yet been brought into the dimensional rift by Palkia.

This also means that the nightmares experienced by Pokémon and human trainers indirectly caused by Darkrai's Dark Hole in the original work did not show any signs of becoming real as in the story.

The comedic plot point where Baron Albert becomes the Licking Baron because of a nightmare about licking his tongue also didn't happen.

Meanwhile, more and more Pokémon are falling into nightmares throughout the town.

As the fighting escalated, panic began to grip the town's residents and tourists.

From the square where the battle began, people kept trying to get away from the battlefield and even away from Baiyang Town.

"Damn it... how can he be so strong!?"

Ash gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment as he looked at Darkrai, who seemed to be a god of war descending to earth, taking on their entire group single-handedly.

If Pikachu hadn't covered for Crimson Knight, Crimson Knight would probably have been hit by the Dark Hole too!
Beside him, Xiao Gang's fossil pterosaur, tree monster, and bad frog, Xiao Guang's Pachirisu, Curly-eared and Swim-ring Weasel had already fallen after being hit by the Dark Hole.

On their side, the Turtwig, Aipom, and Staraptor also fell down.

Only Pikachu and Crimson Knight remain, struggling on.

It's not just Pokémon; there have been many other trainers who participated in the "Battle" who were exhausted and fell after being hit by the Dark Hole.

This kind of move, which can "kill instantly" if it hits, has no way to counter it.

Even the speed at which this move travels is so fast that many Pokémon and human trainers can't react in time!

Without a doubt, the expeditionary force was now on the verge of complete defeat.

At this critical moment, Darkrai raised his hand again, and a dark hole shot straight at Pikachu, who had exposed an opening while covering Crimson Knight!
Ash's eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "Oh no! Pikachu, get out of the way!"

However, Pikachu was still suspended in mid-air while covering Cinnabar Rider. Without any leverage, Electric Mouse could only watch helplessly as the dark sphere hurtled towards it.

At this critical moment——

Boom!

A blinding golden lightning bolt suddenly struck down from the cloud-covered sky, hitting the dark hole with pinpoint accuracy!
The two collided violently, producing a deafening roar.

As the light faded, the exhausted crowd was surprised to find a majestic Xenical cat standing in the center of the battlefield.

It was wreathed in lingering electric current, which made it gleam in the dim light.

The Röntgen cat appeared.

Darkrai, who had been handling the situation with ease since the start of the battle, immediately took a half-step back warily, a look of seriousness appearing in his blue eyes for the first time.

At the same time, a calm voice came from the edge of the square: "It seems I've arrived just in time."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Luo Mu walking slowly from the end of the street.

He walked with a calm and composed gait, and wherever he went, the panicked crowd unconsciously made way for him.

It looks pretty cool.

But all of this is on the premise that he wasn't carrying a fat-looking Shaymi under his arm, nor was he carrying an Alcremie holding a trophy on his shoulder, nor was there a curious little head of Talebagos peeking out from his waist bag.

This makes him look more like an outsider whose hobby is collecting cute Pokémon.

Fortunately, the seemingly cool Roentgen the Cat growled and slowly retreated to Luo Mu's side, barely managing to salvage his image.

Luo Mu glanced around at the trainers and Pokémon lying haphazardly on the ground, and finally fixed his gaze on Darkrai.

Although I had already expected this, I was only accompanying Alcremie to a competition, and in just a few hours, the outside world had become so chaotic.

According to the original storyline, Ash and his friends were supposed to rest in Ashtown for one night before fast-forwarding to the storyline of defeating Darkrai.

Now, all I can say is that the situation has changed.

He had originally planned to have a "heart-to-heart" talk with Darkrai later that evening.

At this moment, Darkrai's gaze was fixed on Romulus and Xeno'jiiva, completely ignoring the other trainers and Pokémon.

Unlike the Calycerin, which hadn't made a move yet, the Roentgenie posed the strongest threat to it at this moment.

Darkrai never expected that Luo Mu would not only be accompanied by Calyrex, but also by a master like Roentgen.

As expected, my decision to abandon driving him away and instead drive away the others was the right one.
Just as Darkrai's bright blue eyes were flashing with a variety of emotions.

Luo Mu, who had become the focus of everyone's attention, let out a soft sigh.

"Sigh, they're still busy with internal strife."

"Haven't you noticed that the person you should really be wary of has already arrived?"

While Darkrai remained silent, and the others wondered what Luo Mu meant by his words,

The first group of people who fled Baiyang Town returned to this square near the edge of the town at some unknown time.

Their faces were filled with terror, as if they had experienced something unimaginable.

It wasn't until someone approached and asked that they revealed the reason, under Luo Mu's calm gaze, which seemed to have known all along.

—The bridge connecting Baiyang Town to the outside world is covered by a thick fog so dense that it is impossible to see anything more than a meter away with the naked eye.

These people try to pass through the fog, but inexplicably turn back.

After experiencing such a bizarre event, it's no wonder their expressions were filled with terror.

As if realizing something, Darkrai suddenly descended from the sky and turned his gaze to the outside world.

Sure enough, the entire town of Baiyang was already shrouded in an eerie thick fog.

Darkrai then realized that it seemed to have been completely distracted by the punitive expedition and had not noticed the approaching danger at all.

It cast its indignant gaze at the nonchalant Luo Mu.

If this human had not come to Baiyang Town, Baiyang Town would not have fallen into such a crisis!
But Darkrai ultimately did not attack Luo Mu; instead, he looked toward the town center, toward the Tower of Time.

It could sense that where there had been nothing not long ago, two terrifying auras were now appearing due to the overlap of time and space—

Rather than expelling Luo Mu, what it needs to do now is to expel the two intruders who are about to arrive and will completely destroy Baiyang Town!
Like Darkrai's perception.

next moment.

The space above the Tower of Time suddenly distorted, revealing Palkia and Dialga locked in fierce combat.

Even though they ended up fighting because of a sudden encounter.

But the two of them still chose to fight each other while moving towards Baiyang Town.

After all, the reason they awakened this time was to teach that arrogant time-space smuggler a lesson.

The two dragons of time and space that appeared above the Tower of Time and Space ignored Darkrai and turned their attention to the place they cared about most—the location of Luo Mu!

They first squinted their eyes.

Hmm? Why does that human look so familiar?

But soon, the aura emanating from the other party, belonging to a time-space smuggler, made the Time-Space Twin Dragons abandon their thoughts.

Never mind, anyway, the humans I know don't exist in this era, and those who knew them early are already old and dead.

Just do it and it’s done!
(End of this chapter)