Snow Peak City.
Poke Center.
Natsuhiko heavily thudded onto the bed, feeling utterly exhausted.
His spirit had been tightly wound for so long he hadn't noticed it, but as soon as he relaxed, a wave of fatigue washed over him like a tide.
It crashed against Natsuhiko's spirit.
He abandoned the use of psychic powers to resist and dispel the fatigue.
There was no need.
In the Poke Center, there was no need to worry too much about safety; it was time for a good rest.
He unbuckled all the Pokeballs at his waist, summoned them, and without further ado, fell into a deep sleep.
In his dreams, many experiences flashed through his mind like slides.
Starting from when he left Goldenrod City, taking the Saint Anus at Withered Leaf Port.
Ending as he exited Regigigas's Alternate Space, collecting some interest from Tom Rokicki whom he once could only admire from afar.
He had experienced so many things.
But at the same time, he gained a lot: his strength saw tremendous growth, and the team gained a Doublade as a main battler, a Dragon-type Pokémon Egg as a prospective main battler, and even convinced a quasi-god "Little Kiladina" Dragapult to join.
As well as many Pokémon for future preparations.
That night.
Natsuhiko's dream was long and complex.
It included not only memories of the Pokémon Realm but also scenes from his past life, and those pieced together from ancient times.
On an unknown mountain, as Alakazam's Spoon, he witnessed the epic battle of Giratina, Palkia, and Dialga, and saw the Creator God Arceus, as well as the slate fragments not yet found.
At Meteor Falls, he entered a hidden space akin to the Peach Blossom Spring called "Meteor Village," where he saw the "Meteor People" who had passed down their legacy for thousands of years, observed their simple pastoral life, and how beautifully they coexisted with Pokémon.
In the Divine Hall of Snow Peak, he entered Regigigas's Alternate Space, an ancient-like space, witnessed the boldness of ancient humans, encountered Dragapult, and saw Regigigas create the Regi Trio and the Dragon Divine Pillar, Electric Divine Pillar at the volcano, and the Pulsating Furnace.
The images continuously drifting through Natsuhiko's mind were like a fierce clash between modern society and the ancient world of the Pokémon Realm within his brain, each extolling its goodness and strength, discussing its strengths and weaknesses.
A confrontation between the old era and the new era.
It was also a summary of everything Natsuhiko had experienced during this period.
He didn't know whether this was a good dream or a nightmare, and in his sleep, Natsuhiko unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Just outside the window of the room where he slept, a jet-black figure suddenly appeared, like a nightmare in his dreams, with a pair of azure eyes watching him, eyes flickering with light.
There was a hint of curiosity and a faint surprise.
On its body, as dark as the night, it exuded a faint black halo, falling upon Natsuhiko.
As the black mist descended on him, Natsuhiko's brow furrowed even more.
The scenes in his dream mostly turned into less pleasant ones, whether from the ancient world or modern society.
The images seen through the markings of the Death God Plate flashed by, showcasing his experiences scraping by in the underbelly of Goldenrod City's society.
Looking at these scenes alone, this world seemed filled with darkness and dirt.
Living in such a world felt like the greatest disaster.
This era seemed like the worst era.
"Baluya?"
Natsuhiko didn't feel anything, nor did his Pokémon, but the invisible Dragapult lying on the ground raised its head.
Its narrow eyes glanced outside the window.
It sensed something there.
Yet, for some reason, when it looked, there was nothing outside but the dim, black night.
Seeing Natsuhiko's grim expression aboard the ship, it hesitated whether to wake him up and tell him what was going on.
However, just as Dragapult was hesitating, a sudden beam of moonlight slanted through the window into the room, illuminating Natsuhiko.
The pure white moonlight interspersed with a light pink halo, dispelling some of the black mist enveloping Natsuhiko.
It also slightly eased his expression.
Within the dream.
The frequency of chaotic, ugly, dirty, and vulgar images started to decrease, replaced by relatively beautiful scenes.
Within Meteor Village, the harmonious coexistence of the Meteor People who farmed and wove with Pokémon, sharing joys and sorrows with his Pokémon, training days with Weedle, playing with Abra freshly hatched from its egg, having conversations about the world with Togepi, discussing ways to be more careful with Honedge, gently wiping the Pokémon Egg, awaiting its hatch with a changed mindset...
"Baluya?"
Dragapult looked out the window again.
A pink figure, like the moon, approached from afar, and it was the source of the energy driving away the black mist from Natsuhiko.
As it appeared, the dim black mist no longer spread but quickly retreated, withdrawing.
Once the black mist left, the moon-like figure ceased to approach.
It seemed to change direction, seeking the source of the black mist.
Natsuhiko was unaware of this, but Dragapult saw everything.
It didn't understand the situation, only felt that both the black mist and mysterious moonlight were unusual beings.
Upon seeing the sleeping Natsuhiko's face crack a smile, it shook its head, not delving deeper, waiting for Natsuhiko to wake up tomorrow to explore by himself.
Dragapult was still thinking about what Natsuhiko mentioned, that so-called "half-time."
It pursed its lips.
Found a comfy spot and lay down again.
Natsuhiko's mouth curled into a smile.
Having experienced the "dark" scene just now and witnessed the darkest aspect of this world, everything that followed showcased the beauty of this world.
As time went by, these beautiful things hadn't changed too much.
Family, friendship, love, the bonds between people, and between humans and Pokémon, have always been the "beautiful" main theme.
It was unclear how much time passed.
When the next day's sun was already high in the sky, Natsuhiko slowly opened his eyes and awoke.
After waking.
He realized he had a very, very long dream last night.
There were good and bad parts in the dream, but fortunately, the latter half of the night was full of good dreams.
Even now, as he had just awakened, the dream remained vividly etched in his memory, exceptionally clear.
Natsuhiko sat on the edge of the bed.
In a trance.
In the dream, he was part of it, but after waking and recalling it from a third-person perspective, his expression turned somewhat complex.
Admittedly, this world has many beautiful aspects.
But as day has night, beauty naturally coexists with much hidden grime.
Having experienced all this, Natsuhiko felt the stark contrast most acutely.
He sat there blankly for a long time before he smiled with a hint of self-mockery and shook his head.
"Good or bad, what does it matter to me? To some people, it might be the worst era, but to others, it might be the best era."
As he spoke, he massaged his slightly stiff neck and walked to the window.
Leaning on the railing, looking out the window, a confident smile appeared on his face.
"But to me... because I'm here, the era is good!"
——————
The ending of the chapter has been revised several times, and I'm still not entirely satisfied with it. It's late, so I'll post it for now and revisit tomorrow to see if any improvements can be made.
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