Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

Xia Chen suddenly interrupted, "You mean, some elves are unaffected by the black mist?"

Xerneas glanced at Xia Chen and said calmly, "I'll explain later, so please don't interrupt."

Xia Chen chuckled awkwardly, "...Okay, I won't interrupt."

He muttered to himself, "Time will tell, and that's really true. It hasn't been that long, and his previously aloof and divine persona has already crumbled to pieces..."

Xernias continued, "It was Zygarde that broke the deadlock. It realized that the ecological balance of the Carlos region had been severely damaged and took action. After a three-year war, we won, a fierce victory, but we also discovered the culprit that caused this war."

It paused slightly, then solemnly said, "That is a kind of... energy aggregate that parasitizes Yveltal. It has no intelligence, only instinct, the instinct to emit [black mist]. That black mist can make elves abandon their thoughts and fall completely into negative emotions such as despair and mania."

Xia Chen's expression was grave as he said in a low voice, "It's dark matter..."

"I didn't tell you not to..."

Xerneas's rebuke abruptly stopped. Its expression hardened, and it asked, "You know about that thing?"

Xia Chen replied, "It looks very similar to a substance I know, but I don't know if they are the same thing."

Zergius nodded and said, "Go on."

Xia Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "The dark matter I know is a composite of negative energy, born from the various negative emotions of the elves living in this world. Its existence is inevitable, and its ultimate purpose is [to return the world to the void]."

"Legend has it that it will appear on the Tree of Life, and as negative energy accumulates, it will increasingly threaten the Tree of Life's survival. If the Tree of Life loses its abundant life force, then the entire planet will lose its vitality, and the planet will lose its speed of revolving around the sun, eventually being destroyed by colliding with the sun."

"In addition, dark matter can control the minds of spirits with negative energy, causing them to infect more spirits according to their own will, thereby absorbing more energy and making the dark matter itself stronger..."

…………

If Xia Chen were just an ordinary Pokémon anime fan, he wouldn't know this "little-known fact".

Because [Dark Matter] has never appeared in any of the main games, anime, or manga; its only appearance is in [Pokémon Mystery Dungeon].

Xia Chen happened to have played that game.

Actually, he didn't have a very deep impression of that game, which is why he didn't connect the anomalies in Ultimate World with Dark Matter.

It wasn't until Xerneas mentioned that Carlos had suffered a similar experience that he realized the existence of this thing.

In the game's storyline, it was the dark matter that controlled Yveltal and several other elves, leading to the subsequent series of events!

It is not an elf, yet it is more powerful than an elf.

Because it is a collection of the negative emotions of the spirits, and it is a substance that must exist in the symbiotic world.

In the end, it was only through the combined efforts of the protagonist, Xerneas, Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and Deoxys that the Dark Matter's conspiracy was stopped and banished to the Void.

This shows how troublesome this thing is.

Thinking of this, Xia Chen couldn't help but ask, "You and Zygarde, two elves, managed to defeat it?"

Still pondering what Xia Chen had said earlier, Xerneas looked up and asked curiously, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Xia Chen frowned slightly and muttered, "That doesn't make sense, just the two of you..."

Xerneas: "..."

Listen to this, is this even human language?

What do you mean "just the two of us"?! Are Zygarde and I weak?!

Xia Chen keenly sensed Xerneas's subtle emotions and quickly explained, "What I mean is, it didn't disappear, but went to another world. It seems to have evolved and become even more troublesome."

Xerneas wasn't too angry. After calming down, it said, "That does sound true. The situation you described is much more serious than it was ten thousand years ago."

What Xia Chen didn't mention was that there was another possibility—

Perhaps the ultimate Necrozma, parasitized by dark matter, is far stronger than Yveltal...

In any case, Xia Chen gained a lot from this unintentional communication with Xerneas.

The good news is that he has figured out the truth about the ultimate world.

The bad news is that the truth is much worse than he imagined.

Xia Chen originally thought his opponent was just a corrupted Ultimate Necrozma.

Although it's difficult, if I were to summon Xerneas, Mega Rayquaza, or even Eternatus, how would you deal with it?

But now that their opponent has added [dark matter], which can be considered one of the origins of the world, Xia Chen is truly not confident.

It's worth noting that the original storyline involved the gathering of the power of more than five [Legendary] creatures, including mature Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Deoxys, and the X and Y Legendary Gods.

They're either cover gods or stars with their own independent films; the cast is so luxurious that even Xia Chen drools.

Looking at ourselves, let's not even talk about whether we can win after we've already shaken off our opponents...

Convincing these big shots to go and help in the Ultimate World is a real challenge.

After all, the game is about destroying Earth, and as one of the living beings on this planet, saving Earth is naturally our responsibility.

But now it's time to save the ultimate world.

To put it bluntly, what does it have to do with them?

Even Xia Chen himself was hesitant about whether to continue helping the Ultimate Metropolis fight against the dark matter.

Tired, let's destroy it...

Chapter 531 Xerneas's Parting Gift

The truth of the ultimate world was too heavy, so much so that Xia Chen didn't even notice when he had finished walking along Spring Avenue.

Perhaps sensing Xia Chen's mood, Xernias seemed to have lost interest in continuing his stroll.

After a brief stroll through Miare's Central Park, the God of Life hastily ended his visit after three thousand years and followed Xia Chen to the place where his parents lived.

To be precise, this was Xia Chen's most important purpose in coming to find Xernias.

Xerneas's life energy is beyond doubt; he is a miracle creator who can instantly restore even destroyed ecosystems.

Curing two humans who were merely poisoned by Nihilego was a piece of cake, and even felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Strangely, after the two Nihilegos separated from them and the toxins in their bodies were cleared, Xia's parents did not wake up immediately, even though the instruments showed that their various physical indicators had returned to normal.

Xernias speculated that this was because their minds might still be immersed in the inertia of the lingering illusions created by Nihilistics, and the day they awoke would be the day the lingering illusions disappeared.

Xia Chen thought this was not bad. He didn't know why, but he always felt that he wasn't ready to face them yet, so he decided to let things take their course.

After dealing with this matter, Xernias immediately took his leave of Xia Chen.

The atmosphere of civilized cities is far different from that of nature. This god of life is eager to merge with nature and begin to slumber once more.

Xia Chen thought to himself that Xerneas was a prime example of someone who needed two hours to charge up and only had five minutes to talk to. He slept for three thousand years, then woke up for four or five years before going back to sleep.

Then he realized that this might be a side effect of the excessive energy consumed during the previous two cleanups for Yveltal and Team Flare.

For a moment, his initial thought of persuading Xerneas to go to the Ultimate World to help him was no longer so appealing.

Xerneas only stayed in Miare City for half a day before returning to its resting place with Xia Chen.

Before the divine deer transformed into the Tree of Life once more, Xia Chen suddenly said, "If nothing unexpected happens, this may be the last time we meet, Lord Xernias."

Human lifespan has an end, but the lifespan of mythical beasts is infinite.

A dream lasts three thousand years. Three thousand years later, the world has changed beyond recognition, and perhaps even the trees on my grave have become spirits.

Thinking this, Xia Chen suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for the brevity of his life and envy for the endlessness of the Yangtze River.

The sorrowful thoughts even silenced Gu Leton beside him.

While its lifespan may not be as long as that of Xerneas, which is said to be as long as heaven and earth, it is certainly not comparable to that of humans.

When the spirited young man beside you grows old and frail, his appearance will not change in the slightest.

A person's life is but a hundred years, but in the time scale of Guleton, this life is but a drop in the ocean.

Therefore, Leighton couldn't even remember how he spent the last hundred years; it felt like time just slipped away silently in the blink of an eye.

But why does time seem to slow down ever since I met Xia Chen?

So Leighton thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.

The only thing it could be certain of was that the previous ten centuries combined did not leave a more profound impression than the few short years after it met him.

…………

Amidst the vibrant blossoms and falling petals of the dreamlike forest, a faint sense of melancholy permeates the air, a poignant reminder of parting.

A sudden flash of light appeared above Xerneas's head, and then a small object radiating multicolored light slowly floated to Xia Chen's front.

He took a closer look and realized that he recognized it. It was the Xerneas Horn that Xanbu had picked up, only a mini version.

Even so, this is still an extraordinary item, the kind of treasure that would surely cause a bloody battle for if it were released to the outside world.

Is this... a parting gift?

Xia Chen looked at Xerneas in surprise, who said calmly, "This is proof. Someday in the future... your descendants can use it to find me."

Xia Chen felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that this was Xernias's response to, or rather, comfort for his sad farewell words.

He chuckled and asked, "Aren't you afraid that in a few years, after you've fallen asleep, I'll come and bother you again with this?"

Xernias was speechless; it knew this guy was really capable of doing something like that.

Xerneas is indeed good-tempered, but being constantly woken from a good dream is something no one would be happy about.

However, being a well-mannered legendary spirit, it suppressed its anger and pretended to be indifferent, saying, "Here you are, do with it as you please."

Xia Chen smiled slightly and said, "I was just kidding. This really is goodbye forever."

He paused briefly, then said softly, "Good night, sweet dreams."

Xerneas gazed deeply at Xia Chen for a moment, and then, amidst the dazzling light, transformed back into that magnificent ancient tree.

Xia Chen turned to look at Gu Leton, a mischievous smile on his lips, and said, "Hey, what do you think about us secretly digging it up and taking it back to Yuanling Island to plant?"

Before Guleton could even respond, the divine tree suddenly sprouted a branch and extended a vine, lashing out with a whip.

Xia Chen laughed and dodged it, then grabbed Gu Leton and ran.

"Hurry up, hurry up, that tree looks angry."

So Leighton rolled his eyes. They had already said goodbye perfectly, so why did he have to be cheeky?

With these thoughts running through his mind, Gu Leton transformed into a motorcycle, carrying Xia Chen as they sped out of the Xerneas Illusion.