Diantha and Olympia fell silent.
They could understand Bai Chen's explanation of desire. However, based on his words, he seemed to be the type of person who advocated following one's inner impulses without restraint.
Did that mean he believed people with evil intentions should freely express them without self-control? If so, it suggested he might support malevolent organizations.
Of course, Bai Chen had no such intention. He asked, "Ms. Olympia, since you believe in your prophecies, you must believe in destiny, correct?"
"Destiny?"
"Exactly. What role a person plays in their future and what they do is, in a sense, predetermined."
A prophecy, in essence, is a glimpse into a subject's fate. Since Olympia could foresee the future, she had no reason to reject fatalism. As expected, she nodded in agreement.
"So-called destiny is the meaning of existence bestowed upon you by nature," Bai Chen said, patting Nergigante's head. "In Nergigante's homeland, there are many powerful monsters.
They might simply be migrating, but their very path brings disaster to the creatures along the way."
Hearing this, Diantha and Olympia immediately thought of powerful Legendary Pokémon. They, too, possessed catastrophic strength.
"Nergigante is a monster specifically meant to hunt these monsters. Her motive is simple: she needs massive amounts of energy to reproduce.
Yet, her actions unexpectedly protect other creatures, making those powerful monsters afraid to appear at will."
"Isn't it fascinating? She simply follows her desires, yet accidentally saves other lives. By your values, is she a hero or a demon? Is she good or evil?"
The two were momentarily speechless. They began to understand Bai Chen's stance.
"The distinction between good and evil is merely something you've derived from human values. On the scale of nature and the entire world, 'good' and 'evil' are just constraints humans created to protect themselves."
"I'm not good at overthinking this, nor do I want to waste time agonizing over it. To me, those who wish to carry out 'evil' plans are absolutely not wrong from nature's perspective.
They are simply fulfilling their desires and completing the responsibilities nature gave them."
"Of course," Bai Chen's tone shifted. "Personally, I don't dislike this modern society bound by good and evil. At the very least, if I have retirement plans in the future, I'd choose to grow old in this world. I quite like the world as it is now."
Bai Chen's words explained a great deal.
Just as Hala, the Island King, had once asked him, Diantha was now curious about Bai Chen's own drives. "May I ask about your desires? What is your goal?"
Bai Chen smiled faintly. "My desire has never changed. I want to take my partners to see scenery they've never seen, to challenge the existences people call 'taboo,' and lead them to the absolute pinnacle of living beings."
"On the path forward, I will sweep away all obstacles. I don't care to be bound by any so-called notions of good or evil. If you believe your prophecies—that I will bring disaster to the world—then do everything in your power to stop me. If you can."
Bai Chen's voice was steady. He spoke as if it were the most normal thing in the world, yet everyone present felt the weight of his words.
For him, following the rules of the world was a choice made because he liked this world. If it ever disgusted him, he wouldn't mind destroying it all. To live again and not love oneself or do what one wanted would make rebirth meaningless.
Olympia stared at Bai Chen. Suddenly, she saw a new future. As the vision of the stars faded, her gaze held a new level of respect.
"Undoubtedly, you are a man worthy of respect."
Bai Chen didn't think a short speech would change her attitude so drastically, especially since he had just knocked her student unconscious in front of her. "Oh? Did you see a new prophecy?"
"I saw your future. I saw..."
Olympia wanted to share the vision, but Bai Chen raised a hand to stop her.
"I'm not interested in prophecies about myself. The future is only worth looking forward to if it remains unknown."
Bai Chen had been interested in her ability for its combat utility, but after seeing the skill description in his panel, he changed his mind.
[Starlight Revelation] (Rarity: 6): Obtains mysterious power from the universe to see future events. The skill cannot be controlled freely, and the user must bear the consequences of observing the future.
The lack of control and the "consequences" made it unappealing. He already knew most of the major plot points of this world without any of the side effects of prophecy.
Olympia respected his wish, but her expression remained complex, as if she had seen something very grim. Lillie, watching from afar, keenly noticed the hidden worry in the Gym Leader's eyes.
Mr. Bai's future... why does Ms. Olympia look so troubled? What kind of future did she see?
The commotion soon drew to a close. Regarding the prophecy, Diantha and Olympia could only take precautions and continue observing.
Since Bai Chen hadn't actually done anything, they couldn't exactly imprison him. They knew all too well that forced intervention without knowing the cause of a disaster often became the trigger for the disaster itself.
To apologize for Carrie's recklessness, Olympia invited the group to the Gym. Inside, she and Diantha asked about the Sundial's strange behavior.
"It was just a resonance," Bai Chen explained truthfully, though not fully. "The Sundial transferred some of its energy to me." He didn't mention absorbing the Giant Rock, simply saying he had been "chosen" by the Sundial.
Previously, Olympia might not have believed it, but after her vision, she took him at his word. This made Bai Chen curious about what she saw, but he had already stated he didn't want to know.
After discussing the resonance, Olympia apologized again and promised that Carrie would apologize personally once her injuries healed.
With such sincere gestures, Bai Chen couldn't remain cold. He apologized for Nergigante's aggression and offered to cover Carrie's medical expenses. The conflict finally ended.
Afterward, Ash officially challenged Olympia. She accepted, and they had a Double Battle. Ash eventually secured a hard-fought victory.
At noon, as the group prepared to leave the Gym to find a place to stay in Anistar City, Lillie suddenly realized she had left her small bag inside.
"I left something in the Gym. Wait for me!" she said, dashing back inside before anyone could respond.
Serena, sensing something was up, followed her under the pretext of helping her find it. Ash wanted to help, too, but Bonnie stopped him. The three girls in the group had a silent understanding in such matters.
Inside the Gym, Lillie headed straight for the reception room. Serena caught up to her. "Lillie, do you need help?"
Lillie looked back, saw only Serena, and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay, I think I know where I left it."
Of course, she hadn't actually been careless. It was a ruse to ask Olympia about the prophecy.
Serena got straight to the point. "You want to ask Ms. Olympia about the prophecy, don't you?" Serena had seen Lillie leave her bag on purpose.
Lillie hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. I noticed Ms. Olympia's expression was off earlier. I wanted to ask."
"Then I'll go with you," Serena offered. "If it's a bad prophecy, we can discuss how to change the future together."
"Serena... thank you!"
The two reached the reception room just in time to overhear Olympia and Diantha speaking inside. Coincidentally, they were discussing the prophecy regarding Bai Chen's future.
"Ms. Olympia, besides those two disaster prophecies, what exactly did you see? Why did your attitude toward Bai Chen change so much?" Diantha asked. Ever since the vision, Olympia had been subtly hinting to Bai Chen that she could provide assistance.
Outside, Lillie and Serena froze, listening intently.
"I saw a future of death. A future where Sir Bai Chen loses his life in the calamity."
Death! The word struck Lillie like a physical blow.
Diantha asked, "Do you mean during those two disasters?"
Olympia shook her head sadly. "To know the future, one must know the past. I cannot see Sir Bai Chen's past clearly, but from his words and attitude, he is not the creator of the disaster, but an intruder into it. He is destined to be a direct participant in most calamities."
Diantha nodded. If Bai Chen's goal was to fight powerful existences, his motivation to enter disasters was high.
"What I saw was that in a calamity encompassing the whole world, within the realm of the gods, [Chaos] will erode his mind and body. He will go to his death by the will of the gods."
The wording was specific: Go to his death.
Diantha pondered the grim forecast. The "end of the world" seemed to be a frequent topic, and Olympia had mentioned "gods" twice now. "Ms. Olympia, who are these gods?"
"Unknown. I cannot see the prophecy in detail."
Diantha summarized the three prophecies:
The World: Black stone forests occupy the land, the Creator God falls, and an unprecedented disaster begins.
Kalos: A Red Storm will envelop the region, taking many lives.
The World/Bai Chen: In the realm of the gods, Chaos will erode his mind and body; he will go to his death by divine will.
Olympia continued, "In that ending of death, I saw a future of peace. It was a peace bought by Sir Bai Chen's life."
This explained her change in attitude. According to the prophecy, he would sacrifice himself to save the world. No matter how much he claimed to only follow his own desires, such a sacrifice commanded respect.
Diantha sighed. "Are there indications of where these will happen?"
"Yes. All three prophecies take place in the Kalos region."
Diantha sighed again. Two world-ending events and one regional disaster, all centered on Kalos. The future was truly bleak. "I must inform the League immediately. Is there a timeline?"
"Only the 'Red Storm' has a rough estimate—some day, two months from now. The other two may happen alongside it. I do not know for sure."
Diantha stood up and said her goodbyes. She needed to contact the League and find a way to prevent these events.
As Diantha left the reception room, Lillie and Serena remained hidden around a corner in the hallway. Lillie stared into space, her mind reeling.
Mr. Bai... is going to die in a disaster?]
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