Chapter 146: May I Ask About the White Ruins, The Arrival of N

The Unova League Vertress Conference officially came to an end. Cheng Cheng did not return to Opelucid City nor to Driftveil City, choosing instead to continue his journey traveling alongside Ash. He knew that somewhere along Ash's travel route lay the ruins of Resiram. Cheng Cheng intended to visit the Resiram ruins to find what he had been searching for.

Ash wanted to first return to Professor Juniper's laboratory to report on the events of the Unova League Conference. Cheng Cheng and Mutsuki decided to tag along. The group boarded a vessel and arrived at Nuvema Town. Before long, they reached Professor Juniper's laboratory.

"Professor Juniper."

"Ash, Cheng Cheng, you're here. Come on in."

Everyone entered the laboratory.

"Professor Juniper, the Vertress Conference has finally come to an end."

"Indeed, all of your performances were magnificent. And you must be the runner-up of the conference, Saito Mutsuki, right?"

"Yes, hello, Professor Juniper."

"Hello there. Actually, your father, Takeshi Saito, and I are quite old acquaintances."

"Professor Juniper knows my father as well?"

"We've collaborated in the past. But for the most part, your father and my father had more dealings with each other. They frequently exchanged insights on exploration."

"Is that so?"

"Oh right, Professor Juniper, I'd like to make a video call to Professor Oak."

"Certainly, no problem at all. You are free to use the videophone here."

Before long, they successfully connected with Professor Oak.

"Professor Oak."

"Ah, Ash, and Cheng Cheng, you're both there."

"Professor Oak, have you been well recently?"

"Of course I have, though looking after all these Pokémon certainly keeps me quite busy."

"Professor Oak, I'm terribly sorry; I only made it to the top eight this time."

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. Your battles were exceptionally thrilling; I watched them on television. At the same time, I must congratulate Cheng Cheng and Mutsuki for securing first and second place in the tournament."

"Thank you very much, Professor Oak."

"Alright, that's all for now. I look forward to your return to Pallet Town. Oh, and Cheng Cheng, I have some new results regarding Fairy-type research for the next phase, so you must be sure to visit when you get back."

"No problem, Professor Oak."

"Well then, see you all later."

Professor Oak disconnected the call.

"Cheng Cheng, Ash, what are your plans for the immediate future?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet. What about you guys?" Ash asked the others.

"I haven't achieved the rank of Top Pokémon Connoisseur yet, so I must continue my journey."

"That's right, I'm still heading toward my goal of becoming a Dragon Master. Therefore, my travels must go on."

"Alright then, let's keep traveling together. What about you two, Cheng Cheng?"

"We'll just tag along with you guys. There isn't much else pressing on our schedule lately anyway."

"Then it's settled. But where shall we head next?"

"Hello."

At that moment, a young girl walked in from outside, appearing to be a newly minted trainer.

"Hello, is Professor Juniper in? I'm here to receive my first Pokémon."

"Yes, of course, please come in."

Shortly after, the girl collected a Tepig and departed from the laboratory. Just then, Professor Juniper's videophone rang.

Professor Juniper activated the screen and saw it was a call from her father.

"Dad, what prompted you to call this time?"

"Oh, looks like you have company over. A rather troublesome situation has come up. Inside the Mistralton Cave just outside Mistralton City, a passageway leading to an ancient ruin has been discovered. Inside, we found what appears to be a ruin dedicated to the White Pokémon. We managed to uncover some information concerning Resiram there."

"Resiram? I recall there being a statue of Resiram right outside the Elder's house."

Hearing Professor Juniper's words, Cheng Cheng knew the opportunity had finally arrived.

"That's wonderful, Professor Juniper! Can we join you?"

Ash was extremely excited and eager to see the Resiram ruins for himself.

"Of course you can, you are more than welcome to come."

"That's fantastic! In that case, let's set our sights on Mistralton City."

That afternoon, the group boarded a ferry bound for Humilau City, preparing to investigate the Resiram ruins.

"Wow, another town is coming up ahead."

"Indeed, this ship has stopped at quite a few towns along the way."

By this time, Cheng Cheng and the five others had been traveling for a while. The ferry was now docked at a port in a coastal town, taking on a fresh batch of passengers.

Suddenly, Ash noticed someone standing on the pier below, gazing directly up at them.

"Ash, do you know him?" Iris asked.

"No, this is my first time seeing him."

"Then why has he been staring up at us this whole time?"

"I have no idea either. Wait, where did he go?"

In an instant, the individual had vanished. Naturally, Cheng Cheng had also spotted the person, sensing an extraordinarily peculiar aura emanating from him.

Cheng Cheng realized the stranger had now boarded the vessel, though his exact intentions remained unknown. However, if he harbored any specific motives, he would surely reveal them eventually.

"Oh right, Ash, I recall there being a battle arena on this ship. How about we have a battle?"

"Sure thing!"

Prompted by Iris's suggestion, the group made their way to the Pokémon battle arena located on the uppermost deck of the ship.

"Whoa, what a fantastic arena!"

Right then, they noticed a figure standing on the opposite side—none other than the mysterious person they had seen earlier.

"It's him! The person from just now, right?"

"Pika!"

Pikachu suddenly leaped down and scampered toward the stranger. The individual approached, knelt down, and gently stroked Pikachu.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Ash walked over to inquire.

"Hello. My name is N."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ash."

"My name is Cilan."

"Iris."

"Axew!"

"My name is Cheng Cheng."

"I'm Mutsuki."

"Hello, everyone."

"Say, N, why were you staring at us so intently earlier?"

"Because I heard a friend's voice."

"A friend?"

"Yes, I call Pokémon my friends."

"Is that so? I've always considered Pikachu my best friend as well."

"Oh, really? That's truly wonderful."

"By the way, you mentioned just now that you heard a friend's voice?"

"Yes, I can hear the inner voices of Pokémon."

"You can hear the inner voices of Pokémon too?"

"Yes... though sometimes I wonder if I can truly hear them at all."

"Cheng Cheng can converse with Pokémon as well, you know."

"Really?"

N glanced over at Cheng Cheng, who responded with a gentle smile.

"So, where are you all headed next?"

"Ah, we're off to investigate the white ruins of Resiram."

"Resiram?"

At that moment, N froze momentarily, as if a sudden memory had been triggered.

Extending his telepathic senses, Cheng Cheng perceived that N was recalling memories associated with Resiram. It seemed N had crossed paths with Resiram before.

"Is something wrong, N?"

"It's nothing. I was merely a bit surprised."

"N, have you ever seen Resiram?" Cheng Cheng asked.

"No, I've only ever heard tales of it. If an ordinary person manages to catch even a single glimpse of Resiram, they must be exceptionally fortunate."

"Oh right, Ash, didn't you mention before that you've encountered Zekrom?" Cilan suddenly recalled Ash's previous story about Zekrom.

"You've seen Zekrom?"

N looked somewhat astonished.

"Yes, I once laid eyes on Zekrom."

"Could you recount those events for me in detail?"

"Of course!"

The group relocated to the ship's dining lounge and ordered some drinks. Ash then proceeded to recount the time he encountered Zekrom.

"That happened right when I first arrived in the Unova region. Heavy thunderclouds suddenly filled the sky, and amidst the lightning, I caught a glimpse of Zekrom's silhouette. Following a blinding flash of lightning, Zekrom vanished, and the thunderclouds dispersed along with it. Cheng Cheng was there too at the time."

Suddenly, N stood up abruptly and gazed out the window.

"Do you know the Legend of the Hero of Darkness concerning Zekrom?"

"The Hero of Darkness? What's that?"

"Ash, have you forgotten what Professor Juniper told us previously about the legend of Zekrom?"

"Oh, right, I remember now."

"A legend has been passed down through generations. In the Scroll of Dark, Chapter 18: When darkness is transformed into light, Resiram shall descend, lending its power to that hero. And there is a corresponding verse as well. In the Scroll of Light, Chapter 18: When darkness is transformed into light, Zekrom shall descend, lending its power to that hero. Such are the legends of the Dark Hero and the White Hero."

"N, how on earth do you know all of this?"

"Because I have always been searching. Exploring why this world came to be, why it exists in its current state, what the Pokémon world is truly like, and whether Pokémon are genuinely living happily today. Due to the intertwining of various elements, this world grows increasingly gloomy. How can Pokémon be made independent, and how can this world be brought to change? I believe that if I can meet the legendary Resiram and Zekrom, perhaps I can discover how this world originated, and how I might go about changing it."

"Oh, apologies. Here I am, getting all worked up and rambling on by myself."

"It's fine! Even if we don't fully understand, we're going to keep trying our best, because I'm going to become a Pokémon Master!"

"A Pokémon Master..."

At those words, N's expression shifted abruptly.

"What's the matter, N?"

"A Pokémon Master... I do not like making my friends—no, making Pokémon engage in battles."

"Why not, N? Aren't you a Pokémon trainer?"

"No. Please disregard what I just said. I need to step outside for a moment; I'd like to get some fresh air."

With that, N turned and left the area.

"Since N had to step out, let's grab something to eat."

"Sounds good!"

Feeling a bit peckish, everyone gathered some food and began to eat.