Malice

Upon hearing the conversation between Craig and Emperor Rode, both Yuga and Shadowsong became alert and stood up.

"You're not my father! Who are you?" Shadowsong asked sharply.

Emperor Rode burst into laughter and said, "Of course, I'm not your father! Well, I can't completely say I'm not. This body does belong to him."

Emperor Rode was tall, had a booming voice, and exuded an imposing presence when he laughed.

"Who are you, then?" Shadowsong demanded with a glint of anger in his eyes.

Emperor Rode's words left Shadowsong seething. If this body belonged to Emperor Rode, it meant that the real Emperor Rode was dead.

At that moment, a blue light flashed in Emperor Rode's eyes, and Shadowsong felt as if he were being bound by something.

"Psychic abilities?" Yuga exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the blue light in Emperor Rode's eyes.

Simultaneously, Yuga's Gardevoir emerged from his shadow and positioned herself in front of Shadowsong.

With a flash of purple light in her eyes, Gardevoir dispelled the psychic power Emperor Rode had attached to Shadowsong's body.

"Tch, it seems this body is still too weak," Emperor Rode muttered as the psychic power was broken, causing him slight backlash. He clutched his throbbing head and sneered with a gloomy expression.

"Since you've come today, it won't be easy to leave. I wonder if this mysterious Pokémon Trainer can save our Prince Shadowsong again," Craig said as he clapped his hands, summoning a powerful Medicham.

An Elite level Pokémon!

Yuga quickly recognized the level of this Medicham, which was much stronger than General Moro's Gliscor.

As the Medicham appeared, the Mismagius from Yuga's shadow also emerged.

"I want to know who this Emperor Rode before us truly is," Yuga stated calmly.

However, when he looked at Emperor Rode, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that had been growing since he entered the camp.

Ever since Yuga entered the camp, his unique abilities had started to resonate with Emperor Rode, becoming increasingly apparent.

Shadowsong also sensed it, but he had felt this way since he was young, so he didn't find it unusual.

After all, it's known to everyone that Emperor Rode's abilities were a result of killing the Guardian Deity, Celebi.

But who knew what Emperor Rode had gained from the Guardian Deity?

"Hehe, at this point, there's nothing we can't tell you," Craig chuckled.

"In truth, our Emperor is the guardian deity that your people know as Celebi!" Craig declared.

"That's impossible!" Yuga and Shadowsong exclaimed in unison.

Celebi was the guardian deity, and It's consciousness is in Gardevoir body now. Both Yuga and Shadowsong were certain.

But the consciousness of Celebi in this era should still be imprisoned in the Guardian Orb!

"Impossible? Why is it impossible? If it weren't for your father killing me for his own selfish desires, how could I have ended up in this state?" Emperor Rode shouted angrily, his face contorted.

"Yes, what he's saying is true. He is indeed our guardian deity, and I witnessed his rebirth," Craig added with a smile, explaining the events of the past.

It turned out that Emperor Rode and Minister Ralf had indeed killed Celebi, the guardian deity, and used Celebi's body to create the Guardian Orb.

However, the resentment within the Guardian Orb was so strong that it contaminated it.

When Ralf attempted to purify the Guardian Orb with dark magic he had learned from the outside world, it went berserk.

The Guardian Orb's contaminated energy broke free from the orb and entered Emperor Rode's body.

Emperor Rode, being no match for a Psychic-type like Celebi, had his consciousness instantly wiped out and replaced by Celebi's.

The revelation left Yuga and Shadowsong in shock, struggling to grasp the gravity of the situation.

When the enraged Celebi, now corrupted and evil, sought to kill Ralf, clever Craig managed to calm it down.

At that time, Craig was with his father and witnessed the entire sequence of events.

Corrupted Celebi was nothing like the benevolent guardian Celebi used to be. It had become malevolent, filled with a desire for destruction.

After a series of negotiations, Craig and the evil Celebi reached an agreement: Celebi would help Craig conquer the continent, and in return, Celebi would use Emperor Rode's identity to control Arus.

Due to the change in bodies, the evil Celebi no longer possessed its immense power and thus agreed to the terms with Craig.

Minister Ralf's life was spared temporarily as a result.

However, the evil Celebi's hatred for Ralf remained too strong, and before long, due to an inability to control its emotions, it accidentally killed him.

They then claimed to the outside world that Ralf had died in battle while accompanying the Emperor.

The death of Craig's father did not stop Craig and the evil Celebi's collaboration, as in Craig's eyes, his father held little importance.

The truth of Ralf's death remained a secret even to Nolans and Leon.

At that time, Shadowsong had just been born.

Initially, the evil Celebi wanted to kill Shadowsong and his mother to eliminate any potential threats, but Craig intervened.

They needed the support of the Arus royal family and nobles, so killing Shadowsong and the Queen would raise too many suspicions.

Craig and the evil Celebi joined forces to control Arus for over a decade. To satisfy the evil Celebi's destructive desires, it led its army in constant warfare, showing no concern for the lives of the Imperial citizens.

Because of the constant turmoil, Shadowsong's mother became suspicious after overhearing a conversation between them about six months ago.

Before she could reveal their secret, they secretly killed her.

Eliminating someone without raising suspicion was effortless for the evil Celebi, given its mastery of psychic abilities.

Although its psychic powers were currently weaker than those of an average Psychic-type Pokémon due to the limitations of its current body, it was still more than enough to dispatch an ordinary person.

"So, you're saying that you're responsible for my mother's death?" Shadowsong shouted in anger at Craig and Emperor Rode.

Now, upon reflection, Shadowsong realized that his mother's maid likely knew something and intended to inform him.

This also explained why Leon and the others had acted so quickly against him, as they were likely motivated by the same reason.

The attempts on his life that led to his time-travel might also have been orchestrated because of his mother's knowledge.

"Don't worry; you'll be reunited with your mother soon," Emperor Rode said with a twisted expression.

Saying this, he clapped his hands, and a Pokémon materialized beside him.

A Champion level Gardevoir.

While the Arus military predominantly used Pokémon from three specific families—Gligar, Flygon, and Aggron—Emperor Rode and Craig employed Psychic-type Pokémon.

Celebi was originally a Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon, and both the Gardevoir and Craig's Medicham they used had been cultivated by the evil Celebi personally during the past decade.