The Plan

"Well, I can only help you with this much. Once everything is done, I will send you back to your own time," said Celebi to Yuga.

"May I ask where you come from?" Gardevoir asked at this moment, wanting to know Celebi's origin and why it hadn't seen it before.

Celebi thought for a moment and decided to share its origin with Gardevoir.

The Forest Guardian of the Pokémon world was unique, and the title of "Celebi" wasn't limited to just one. It was similar to the trio of Legendary Birds—Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno—where there might be multiple individuals of the same kind, but there was only one true Thunder God, Fire God, and Ice God.

The title held great significance for each Celebi. Unlike the other Legendary Pokémon, there was a "Forest Guardian" Celebi on every continent.

When one of them perished, the forests of that continent would give birth to a new Forest Guardian Celebi, or an existing Celebi without a title would be chosen to become the new Forest Guardian.

The Celebi that Yuga and his lineage worshipped was the one that emerged after Gardevoir's passing, reborn in the forests of the Hoenn Continent.

However, because Hoenn had only hosted one Celebi before this.

Because of this the strength of different Celebi was varies.

Those with titles are stronger than those without titles, and those born earlier are stronger than those born later.

The current Celebi of the Hoenn region is considered the weakest among all the forest gods on the continent because they were born very late.

The most powerful Celebi was the one that ruled over the Kanto and Johto region, as it had lived the longest and governed the largest territory.

These two region were connected and effectively counted as one large landmass, which is why they had only one Celebi. Consequently, it was the most potent of them all.

This Celebi resided in the Viridian Forest, which explained the many legends surrounding that place.

Among all Mythical Pokémon, aside from the mysterious Mew, Celebi was the most exceptional presence.

Yet, the Celebi before Yuga was even more extraordinary.

It was the first Celebi to be born in the entire Pokémon world, and it no longer held the title of Forest Guardian for any continent.

Despite this, its power was equal to or even greater than any titled Celebi. For all Celebi, it was like an elder sibling.

This was why the leaf given to Shadowsong by Celebi had been passed down through Yuga's lineage and used to establish contact with the Forest Guardian of the Hoenn Continent.

Gardevoir didn't recognize Celebi because it was also not the first Forest Guardian of the Hoenn Continent. It was relatively young and hadn't had a chance to meet this particular Celebi.

It must be said that the forest gods of the Hoenn region have faced many hardships, with one after another passing away.

Upon learning of Celebi's origin, Yuga and Gardevoir couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. They hadn't expected Celebi to have such a significant background.

After sharing its origin, Celebi disappeared. The next time they would meet would be when Celebi sent Yuga and the others back to their modern time.

Once Celebi left, Shadowsong couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and asked Yuga about the impending doom of the Arus Empire.

At this point, Yuga felt there was no need to keep it a secret from him. He shared everything he had discovered in the desert about the underground world and the inscriptions on the stone tablet.

In fact, the stone tablet now lay in Yuga's system backpack; he just didn't find it convenient to take it out.

Listening to Yuga's account, Shadowsong struggled to accept the reality of their situation. Too much had happened in such a short span, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed.

His parents were gone, his childhood friends were gone, his identity as a prince was gone, and now even his country was on the verge of destruction.

"What are we going to do about this?" Shadowsong asked, his voice filled with concern.

Yuga gave Craig a nudge and asked Shadowsong, "What do you think we should do with him?"

Craig had been listening to Yuga and the others' conversation and was shocked by Yuga's background and the impending doom of the Arus Empire.

"Kill him. We can't let him live," Shadowsong said coldly.

Yuga agreed with a nod. He knew too much.

Struggling desperately, Craig tried to break free, but he was restrained by Gardevoir's psychic power and couldn't escape.

Yuga didn't take action himself; instead, he allowed Shadowsong to carry out the execution. Shadowsong's Sceptile swiftly ended Craig's life.

Craig was an accomplice in the murder of Shadowsong's mother, so it was only fitting that Shadowsong delivered the final blow.

"What's your plan now?" Yuga asked Shadowsong.

"I plan to do my best to help some of the people before the fall of Arus," Shadowsong said with determination.

His father bore a significant responsibility for all that had transpired, so he felt obligated to make amends.

In that moment, Shadowsong seemed to have matured considerably.

Seeing Shadowsong's resilience in the face of adversity, Yuga nodded approvingly. While he had agreed to help Shadowsong assist the people of Arus, he knew that if Shadowsong didn't step up, their efforts would be in vain.

"Oh, by the way, Gardevoir!" Yuga suddenly slapped his forehead, recalling something. "The inscriptions on the stone tablet mention that the deity responsible for destroying the continent is your friend. It did it for vengeance. Can't you talk to your friend and ask them not to do this?"

Gardevoir rolled its eyes. "You believe that? I didn't even know I had such a loyal friend! The deity destroying the Arus Empire must have its reasons, and it's certainly not for my sake."

Yuga felt a bit disappointed, thinking he had found a shortcut.

Shadowsong chimed in, "The inscriptions on the stone tablet are likely not entirely accurate. The person who recorded them probably didn't have a full understanding of the real situation."

"Let's discuss our next steps," Gardevoir reminded them.

The longer they delayed, the longer they would be stuck in this time period. Gardevoir had grown accustomed to modern life and didn't like the current state of Arus.

Yuga and his companions quickly reached a decision. They decided to gather some of the people, provide them shelter, help them capture Pokémon, and gradually form an armed force.

In simpler terms, they were planning a rebellion.

However, their goal wasn't to overthrow Emperor Rode, as that wasn't necessary with the impending doom of Arus. Their true objective was to use this excuse to gather those who needed protection, so they could better survive the impending disaster.

Though this plan sounded challenging, given the current living conditions of the Arus people, it wasn't as difficult as it might seem. There were already rebel groups scattered throughout the Arus Empire.

They had limited capabilities and couldn't save everyone in the Arus Empire, but they would do their best.

Yuga and his group, who were aware of history, didn't intend to prevent the disaster from happening. They knew that history couldn't be changed, as confirmed by Celebi.

Shadowsong, no longer a prince of Arus, felt no psychological burden in organizing a rebellion.