'Something even more interesting, huh...'
Cheadle gave Pariston a somewhat strange glance, not expecting him to say such a thing.
After competing with him for so many years, she knew full well that Pariston had a peculiar hobby—making others dislike him.
But not just anyone qualified for such treatment.
Only those he deemed worthy would he deliberately make them dislike him.
All these years, Pariston had taken endless delight in doing this.
But now, it seemed his interests had undergone some kind of shift?
"I'm not interested in that sort of thing."
"I don't expect much from you—just don't cause trouble, and I'll thank my lucky stars."
Cheadle shook her head and walked away on her own, not bothering to spare Pariston another glance.
After some more time sailing, they were about to reach the next island.
...
Somewhere in the Digital World of the Dark Continent.
Akira sat quietly in a chair, watching the outside situation through the large screen created by Porygon-Z.
The previously empty exterior was now inexplicably populated by several strange creatures.
Or rather, they weren't creatures at all, because these things had obvious metallic textures, with occasional silver glints flowing across their surfaces.
Their overall design resembled humanoid shapes, like high-tech robots straight out of a movie.
They were tall and slender, with skeletal structures that appeared delicate, but Akira suspected they must be incredibly tough.
Their glowing red eyes seemed capable of thermal imaging effects.
Their arms and backs had mysterious protrusions, as if concealing something unknown inside.
Currently, these robots were working systematically, conducting a thorough search of the area.
Their manner suggested they intended to examine every inch of the land."High-tech robots, huh?"
"What do you think?" Akira stared intently.
Beside him, Meowth stood with hands on hips, his feline eyes narrowing as he observed the sophisticated robots.
"The quality of these robots is exceptionally high, far surpassing the technological level of the Six Continents, meow."
"Just from what's visible, they possess abilities like [Levitation], [Thermal Imaging], [Scanning]... and more."
"Judging by their appearance, they likely have hidden capabilities not yet displayed, such as combat functions, meow."
"Replicating them is possible, but it would take time, and..."
"Materials."
Meowth spoke gravely, pointing a claw at the robots.
"Their bodies are clearly made of materials I've never encountered before, likely with special properties."
"If we can obtain this material, I'm confident I can create even better robots."
Akira rested his chin on his hand, nodding slightly as he studied the high-end robots.
He absolutely needed to acquire these robots.
In other words, he needed to mass-produce them.
If nothing else, their strength alone justified this decision.
There were about a dozen or twenty robots, most at SS- rank, with a few reaching SS rank.
If he could mass-produce them, he'd effectively have an entire force operating within the SS rank range.
With an endless supply of such robots, his plans wouldn't be limited to the Imaginary Continent.
Even the fringes of the Dark Continent would be within his grasp.
But as Meowth said, what he lacked now was the raw materials for these robots.
Seeing these robots also confirmed another thing for him—
This place indeed had intelligent lifeforms!
And these lifeforms were most likely highly intelligent extraterrestrial species.
Their technological level far surpassed that of the Six Continents.
Perhaps... he could obtain even more high-tech products moving forward.
Which raised the question.
Should he avoid alerting them, let these robots search a few times, and return empty-handed?
Or...
Akira's eyes gleamed as an idea formed in his mind.
The next moment, a massive spatial rift appeared beneath the dozen or so robots.
One by one, they fell into it.
...
In the alien city within the enormous crater.
Inside a research facility, several aliens stared intently at a screen displaying countless small frames.
Each frame corresponded to a robot's perspective.
This allowed them to observe distant locations without leaving their facility.
What puzzled them was that between the collective disappearance of the Pod Carriers and the [Observers] reaching their destination...
Only a few moments had passed.
Yet not only were there no traces of the Pod Carriers, but no intruders were seen either.
The ground showed no signs of any struggle.
It was as if the Pod Carriers had vanished into thin air.
Just as they were lost in doubt, the [Observers] simultaneously sent messages about being affected by something unknown.
But before they could react, their connection with the Observers was completely severed.
The vast screen lost all color, leaving only darkness.
By now, all those Observers had entered the Digital World.
No matter how advanced the alien technology was, once in another dimension, they couldn't retrieve any information.However, they were not entirely without gains.
At the very least, they confirmed that something unknown had indeed entered the surrounding area.
Moreover, it possessed the ability to control groups within a short period.
Yet, at this moment, Akira had made an even greater discovery.
In the Digital World,
Akira stared at the row of high-tech robots before him, his consciousness immersed in his thoughts.
Though the robots were important, there was something else that currently held his attention.
As these robots appeared in the Digital World, a new incubation bar surfaced in his mind—likely connected to them.
So...
A Steel-type Pokémon?
Akira pondered.
Given their robotic nature, it had to be a Steel-type Pokémon.
There might also be other characteristics, such as a humanoid, robot-like appearance.
That narrowed the possibilities considerably.
Seeing the incubation bar progress at a decent pace, Akira temporarily set aside his curiosity.
After all, the answer would reveal itself soon enough.
Meanwhile, Meowth and Porygon-Z were busy examining the robots, delving deeper into their mysteries.
Tap tap!
Meowth extended its claws and knocked twice on a robot's arm, deep in thought.
"It seems there's something installed in the arms and back—probably some kind of weapon, meow."
"Next, I'll try removing the outer shell to get a closer look at what's inside, meow."
Porygon-Z nodded slightly, its dead-fish-like eyes flashing with a glimmer of light.
In an instant, the deactivated robots vanished, teleported to Meowth's laboratory.
Given the significance of these robots to Akira's future plans, Meowth took their examination very seriously.
It was determined to understand every inch of these machines.
Not only did it aim to replicate them, but also to create even better versions.
Watching Meowth take the robots away, Akira felt at ease.
He had immense trust in Meowth.
He believed Meowth could do it.
After all, it was a master inventor.
Now, he needed to consider how to handle this "alien arrival" moving forward.
...
Alien Metropolis.
Here stood an array of bizarre skyscrapers.
Numerous strange creatures moved about, most resembling octopus-like aliens.
At the other end of the city, a massive spaceship loomed.
The ship was enormous, capable of holding vast numbers of people and cargo, its exterior primarily blue.
Inside the colossal spaceship,
In one of the rooms, a well-dressed alien with multiple branching limbs sat in a chair.
Its head was significantly larger than those of other aliens, a clear sign of its superiority.
These aliens were called [Dokumeians].
They typically had elongated limbs but disproportionately large heads—perhaps a trait linked to their high intelligence.
On the Six Continents, there existed a special plant-like magical creature known as "Beans."
This was also the race of Beans, the secretary to the Chairman of the Hunter Association.
These beings had one defining characteristic.
Their intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary humans, which was why Netero, during his tenure, delegated all administrative tasks to Beans.
For a high-intelligence Beans, that workload wasn't particularly troublesome.
And it freed up his time—why not?These Dokumeians are similar to Beans, both being highly intelligent races.
However, their intelligence surpasses even that of Beans.
They have a clear hierarchy, typically determined by intelligence—the smarter one is, the higher their status.
This can even be glimpsed from their appearance alone.
Generally speaking, the larger the head of a Dokumeian, the higher their IQ.
Even the lowest-ranking Dokumeian possesses intelligence no less than that of Beans.
In other words, these are highly intelligent beings.
It is precisely because of this that they have been able to develop countless technologies far surpassing the scientific level of the Six Continents.
"An invader?"
"Both the Cloakers and the Observers disappear as soon as they're deployed, then lose contact?"
The Dokumeian shrieked, its tone laced with disbelief.
Their way of speaking is rather unique, emitting vibrations akin to sound waves.
This Dokumeian was named "Domus," a figure of considerable standing among their kind.
Thus, it had received reports from subordinates.
The subordinates didn't elaborate much, simply forwarding the series of reports, leaving Domus no choice but to believe.
Compared to verbal confirmation, Dokumeians prefer to trust cold, hard data.
They believe everything follows discernible patterns, and proof is required to validate any claim.
Domus frowned deeply, then spoke into some form of communication device:
"Fine, I'll arrange for an investigation. Transfer this matter to us."
The hierarchy was strict.
The lower ranks couldn't handle this issue, as their highest authority only extended to deploying Observers.
The loss of Cloakers was one thing.
But losing an entire squad of Observers? The subordinates responsible would likely face punishment.
Perhaps even demotion.
Thoughts flashed through Domus's mind—its agile intellect allowed it to process anything with remarkable speed.
Now, it needed to assign higher-ranking personnel to investigate the matter.
The next moment, a crystalline tentacle abruptly extended from the void, piercing the unsuspecting Domus.
The tentacle split off a fragment, merging into Domus's body and beginning to seize its consciousness.
Domus's heart clenched, its eyes widening in an instant—but it was too late to react.
When Domus lifted its head again, its consciousness had been completely overtaken by Nihilego.
It had become Nihilego's puppet!
Domus retracted its hands and sat quietly in its chair, awaiting further instructions.
Suddenly, streams of glowing green data surged from its head, flowing endlessly like a mighty river.
These were its memories.
As a long-lived and erudite Dokumeian, Domus's memories were exceptionally vast.
Porygon-Z took quite some time to absorb them all.
Yet these memories were also immensely valuable.
Most contained knowledge related to high-tech research and development. If Meowth obtained this data, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Even Akira, with just a casual glance, could confidently assert:
The emergence of the Dokumeians could propel the Six Continents' technology onto a fast track.
Potentially shortening research and development time by centuries—or even longer.
These were epoch-making inventions.
Not just the previously seen robots and their advanced counterparts, but also a variety of cutting-edge technological products.
For example, cars capable of flight, devices that allow people to traverse space freely within a certain range...
These are technological products, while another portion consists of biological products, including the Dark Peapods and the Cloaked Ones.
Akira's earlier conjecture was correct.
The Cloaked Ones wandering outside were actually defective products.
The true successful specimens were inside the research facility, as were the Dark Peapods.
Beyond the Dark Peapods, the Dokumeians had conducted numerous biological experiments.
Just like the Four-Colored Rock memories, they possessed the ability to mutate objects.
However, what puzzled Akira was that Domus's memories rarely touched upon their origins.
It was as if they had simply appeared here from the beginning.
There were no memories of anything prior to that.
Perhaps Domus hadn't been born yet at that time, or maybe there were gaps in the memories.
But these details weren't crucial.
He wasn't in a hurry. Before the incubation bar reached its endpoint, he could slowly infiltrate the Dokumeians from within.
Until every last Dokumeian became his own.
From Domus's memories, Akira knew their species was highly xenophobic and looked down upon other lifeforms.
They considered themselves superior beings, viewing all others as lowly existences only fit to serve them.
Thus, Akira abandoned any thought of negotiation, opting for a more direct and brutal approach.
Considering it would be wasteful to simply eliminate them, Akira decided to have Nihilego take control of all the Dokumeians.
These highly intelligent creatures held considerable value and could serve as Meowth's assistants in research and development.
...
Two days later,
"Ding!"
"Pokémon incubation complete!"
Akira paused briefly before focusing his consciousness inward to inspect the new Pokémon.
The new Pokémon had a metallic, humanoid body composed primarily of spheres.
Its head was a medium-sized sphere, adorned with a seven-toothed gear-like crown and two large ears resembling halves of a giant disc.
Its upper body featured spherical shoulders, thin upper arms, and claw-shaped forearms with slightly pointed hands.
The lower body was a larger sphere resembling a ball gown.
On each side of this sphere was a pair of golden wavy lines. Its legs tapered to points.
The mechanical structure of its body was merely a container—its true essence was an artificial soul called the Soul-Heart.
This was none other than the renowned artificial Pokémon, also classified among the Mythical Pokémon—Magearna.
Magearna was created over 500 years ago by the brilliant scientist Alphys...
Originally, Magearna's body was gold and red 500 years ago, but it faded to its current colors over time.
The "Soul-Heart" was an artificial lifeform crafted by the genius scientist after collecting the life energy of Pokémon.
It was housed within Magearna's chest.
This was the very foundation of Magearna's existence.
Akira gazed at the magnificent Magearna with great satisfaction.
He had previously speculated it might be Magearna, and indeed, it was.
Steel-type, robotic... all these characteristics matched perfectly.
In Pokémon history, Magearna was presented to a king's daughter 500 years ago.
When first invented, Magearna's lavish and dazzling decorations made it beloved by the princess.The vibrant decorations proved it was a tribute fit for royalty.
It possessed the ability to transform into a Poké Ball, taking on the shape of one while sleeping.
It was also said to assume this form when sad.
Magearna could synchronize its consciousness to sense the emotions, thoughts, and physical conditions of other Pokémon.
If a Pokémon was injured, it would feel their pain and suffering and desperately do its best to help.
This ability made it incredibly useful for caretaking.
Name: Magearna
Ability: Soul-Heart
Type: Steel, Fairy
Strength: SS
Moves: Fleur Cannon, Shift Gear, Pain Split, Flash Cannon…
[Empathic Bond]: Magearna can synchronize with living beings to sense their emotions.
[Troubleshooter]: Through deep understanding, Magearna can provide solutions to others' problems and offer assistance.
[Advanced Intelligence]: Magearna possesses high intellect, akin to a supercomputer, capable of processing vast amounts of information.