About half an hour later.
Under the collective gaze of the teachers and students of Blueberry Academy, Aiden skillfully commanded the black and white dragons to create a subterranean structure beneath the Polar Biome, placing the unconscious Kyurem inside.
After covering it with a layer of ice over a dozen meters thick, the cleanup work for dealing with Kyurem was thus completed, easily and cheerfully.
Although it seemed a bit hasty, the level of security was actually quite high—
To enter the Polar Biome, one would first have to break through Blueberry Academy's defenses. Furthermore, with patrolling Rotoms all over this high-tech academy city, the security factor was absolutely reliable.
As long as the League sent some capable trainers to the school to be responsible for maintaining security, it would be fine. At the very least, it was better than hiding it in the Giant Chasm, deep in the mountains and forests.
If someone could tunnel through the Polar Biome right in front of Principal Cyrano, the difficulty would be no less than digging a castle beneath the Unova League—
And that's after Team Plasma had already been captured!
No matter how you put it, the Unova region shouldn't fall into the same pit twice, right?
"I truly never expected that such a powerful Pokémon would be hiding right here in Blueberry Academy—"
Drayton, who had watched the entire process, could only sigh in amazement.
However, with this, the Ice-type energy of the Polar Biome would probably be slowly influenced by that giant dragon, which would actually be quite beneficial for the Pokémon.
For a Dragon Tamer like him, this was even more so.
Just by standing on the ice, he could feel the invisible pressure emanating from the giant dragon.
The nearby wild Pokémon had clearly sensed its aura as well. Believing that they would soon grow stronger under this pressure, the Polar Biome, which originally few people were willing to visit, might instead become the best training ground in the future?
Was this also part of Teacher Azure's plan?
Drayton looked at Aiden, who was standing nearby, wrapped in a coat and pointing to give commands. He couldn't help but feel from the bottom of his heart that only a reliable adult like Teacher Azure was worthy of the title "Hero of Truth"!
But, who was that green-haired kid next to him? He looked a bit unfamiliar.
Among the exchange students from Paldea, there shouldn't be someone like him, right?
"This should be about good."
Once the work was temporarily finished, Aiden, who let out a sigh of relief, finally noticed someone standing behind him and was startled.
However, after seeing it was N, who was hanging his head and looking listless, he could only walk over with a smile and pat him on the shoulder.
"What's wrong? Did you get depressed after losing to Kyurem?"
N was silent for a moment, then nodded with a complicated expression.
"I thought I was already prepared, that to save Opelucid City, I had to defeat Team Plasma."
"But the result—if it weren't for your appearance, I probably would have let Colress's plot succeed, right?"
"In the end, I still couldn't do anything—"
N hung his head even lower, his voice choking up as he spoke.
Aiden was a bit surprised by the guilt he was showing, but he quickly reached out and ruffled his hair, messing it up completely through his black and white baseball cap.
"Don't overthink it. For a kid like you to have that kind of resolve is already impressive."
"Truth be told, everyone in the Unova League has bigger problems than you do."
"But you are indeed a bit too reckless. Didn't Zekrom remind you to stay far away from Kyurem?"
"It did, but at the time, I couldn't understand its—"
N's voice was very small, but before he could finish, Aiden cut him off.
"Then it's not your problem. It's because Zekrom didn't speak clearly enough."
"However, to say you have no problems at all would be impossible."
Aiden thought for a moment and said in a slightly more tactful tone.
"You're—a bit too weak, aren't you?"
"You look to be about thirteen or fourteen, right? And you don't even have your own starter Pokémon, relying entirely on Zekrom to hold the fort?"
Normally, in the Pokémon world, shouldn't kids have their own Pokémon by the age of ten?
N had been deceived by that old scoundrel Ghetsis for over a decade. It wasn't until after he left Team Plasma that he discovered not only was it not raining outside, but you could also actively apply for a starter Pokémon at the age of ten.
But, it wasn't too late to start working hard now.
After all, he himself had taken nearly a year to grow to his current level after becoming an adult.
It's just that normal people probably couldn't imitate him—
After thinking for a moment, an idea formed in Aiden's mind, and he took the initiative to speak: "Most people don't actually lack ideals. But when you find that your ideals are out of reach, and you can still firmly walk towards them—"
"In my opinion, being able to do this is what makes a true Hero of Ideals."
After he finished speaking, N, who had been continuously in a state of depression, slowly raised his head. Though a glimmer of light returned to his eyes, he was still struggling and confused.
"Can—can I really do it?"
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Aiden asked in return.
Honestly, kids like N, who overthink things, are so troublesome—
If it were Nemona, she would have been full of energy and brimming with confidence after this bowl of chicken soup.
He needed to increase the dosage of "talk therapy"!
"If you can do it, then prove it to me, N."
"Starting from this Blueberry Academy, grow little by little until you have the power to realize your ideals."
"At that time, you will truly become a qualified hero. I guarantee it."
After being slapped on the shoulder several times by Aiden, N, who was gradually coming to his senses, finally regained his usual determination in his eyes.
"Mm."
He nodded heavily and responded softly.
"I will definitely work hard."
"Together with Zekrom, and the partners who are waiting for me!"
"Roar—!"
As if responding to N's determination, Zekrom in the distance let out a roar and immediately flapped its wings to fly over.
However, as it gradually approached—
In Aiden's line of sight, the giant black dragon's body suddenly began to shrink continuously. By the time it flew in front of him, it was only about 30 centimeters tall.
And as its size shrank by more than ten times, the originally majestic dragon instead became a bit... cute?
Aiden: ?
[Thy determination, I have come to know it.]
The voice of Zekrom's telepathy immediately sounded in his ear. It seemed he had also been added to N and the black dragon's small team chat.
[As it is thy decision, I shall naturally follow.]
[Please take care of me from now on, partner.]
The black dragon looked at N with a cute yet full-of-dignity expression. After giving a light nod, it turned its head to look at Aiden.
[Thank you very much, Hero of Truth.]
"You're welcome?"
Aiden waved his hand and curiously examined it for a while.
So Zekrom could be this cute too!
And it actually wanted to start from the beginning and grow alongside N.
It seemed it really took a fancy to N, this "Hero of Ideals," and hoped that he would show it the correct future.
But if Zekrom could—
Then Reshiram should be able to do the same, right? It could transform into a chibi-version cutie!
Aiden immediately turned his head to look at the white dragon, which was still standing in the distance, gazing at the sleeping Kyurem beneath the ice.
Reshiram's power wasn't very useful to him. It didn't help much in the fight against Kyurem; not holding him back was the best help it could provide.
But if it could be as self-aware as Zekrom and transform—
Such a cute little thing, wouldn't it be perfect to keep one in the Gym?
Aiden had to admit, he was a little tempted.
Seeming to feel Aiden's scorching gaze, Reshiram, who had been pretending to be busy, could only make up its mind—
In order not to be useless, it was willing to act cute!
Otherwise, Aiden seemed like he was about to become the first "Hero of Truth" to actively shake it off—
It couldn't let that happen!!!
And so, very quickly, the two originally massive and conspicuous dragons disappeared. Only two little cuties remained, following behind N and Aiden.
"After shrinking, their power seems to have been suppressed to a level close to that of a starter Pokémon?"
Aiden carefully examined Reshiram (chibi form) and finally came to a conclusion.
This way, Zekrom could indeed grow alongside N.
His first starter Pokémon is a Legendary. I see N is gradually becoming more 'real' himself!
A joyous occasion.
As for his own Reshiram—
It's okay, being small is also very cute~
Aiden directly hugged the adorable little white dragon in his arms. Its soft touch made him feel like he was holding a plush toy.
After all, there would probably be no chance for Reshiram to battle normally.
No matter how much of a "cheater" he was, he couldn't possibly use a Legendary Pokémon to torment his cute students!
As for when it came to a true battle of gods, it seemed he had other, more reliable partners, right?
Aiden looked up at the cloudless blue sky.
Although the black Rayquaza had long since disappeared, he had a feeling he would have many more opportunities to see it in the future.
When its mission was complete and it no longer needed to stay above Area Zero, he might actually be able to play the part of a favored child of fortune.
With just a point of his finger, a meteorite containing Dragon Aura would naturally fall from the sky.
Now this is what you call a Grand Magister! (hands on hips)
The matter of Kyurem and the black and white dragons was finally concluded.
—
Since he was already at Blueberry Academy, Aiden also pulled some strings and simply had N bring his luggage and move in, becoming a new student who was participating in the summer camp ahead of schedule.
However, N still seemed a bit unaccustomed to attending school and making friends with humans.
This was especially true with the overly enthusiastic Nemona. Upon seeing a brand-new Pokémon, she couldn't move her feet away and insisted on having a Pokémon battle with N.
Well—he got to enjoy a bit of the protagonist's treatment in advance.
Although they had transformed into "starter Pokémon," Reshiram and Zekrom actually retained a bit of their power.
Their most powerful moves, Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt, were not unusable just because their bodies had shrunk, so at the beginning, they did indeed startle Nemona.
After all, it was absurd for a newcomer's Pokémon to use a move of such immense power.
It wasn't until she gradually became familiar with Zekrom's fighting style that Nemona decisively used Tera Ground.
The battle became one-sided from that point, and soon N tasted his first defeat as a "novice trainer."
After watching the whole process, Aiden's expression also became a bit subtle.
This completed N's life as a trainer, and even gave him a necessary rival to defeat—
Wait, isn't this the protagonist's treatment in the Pokémon series?
Saying N is the protagonist doesn't seem to be wrong at all.
Aiden looked up at the sky.
He had a feeling that one day in the future, he might see N and Iris competing for the Unova Champion position.
It's all a bit subtle—
Just as he was marveling at whether he had caused an incredible butterfly effect, his Nav suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
He opened it to see a call from the "Team Rocket Trio."
"Advisor! Our Rainbow Group has successfully completed the cleanup work, meow!"
As soon as the holographic image appeared, Meowth on the other end of the line couldn't wait to report on their work.
"And, we've also protected Mayor Drayden very well, meow~"
"You did well."
Aiden nodded. He was the one who arranged this.
He didn't know how Meowth and the others had contacted the others, but in short, as long as it wasn't about catching Pikachu, he could basically rest assured leaving things to them.
The Team Rocket Trio's success rate at doing bad things might not be high, but they had almost never failed at doing good deeds.
After their reformation, it had instead given them a chance to display their talents—
And it was precisely because of the Rainbow Group that he could focus on dealing with Kyurem without worry.
"What about Giovanni? Has he contacted you?"
"No, meow. We heard the BOSS seems to have gone somewhere to negotiate with the local Legendary Pokémon of Unova, meow—"
When it came to the topic of Giovanni, not only Meowth but even Jessie and James behind him looked a bit dejected, as if they were sad not to have received his direct praise.
Seeing this, Aiden added another sentence.
"I will report this work to Giovanni truthfully. He will definitely praise you properly for your contributions."
"Really?!"
"Advisor, you're such a good person, meow!"
"What a wonderful feeling—"
With just one sentence, Aiden made the Team Rocket Trio feel much better and look full of energy again.
"By the way, Advisor Aiden!"
Amidst his joy, James suddenly remembered a rather unimportant little matter and took the initiative to speak.
"Before he left, Mr. Drayden gave us a very good-looking pendant and said he had to give it to you, Advisor."
James took out a purple pendant from his pocket, looking a little helpless.
"To think that for saving a whole city, this was all the reward he gave. The people of Unova are really stingy!"
"But, it is quite good-looking—"
Seeing this, Aiden couldn't help but hold his forehead and sigh.
"Alright, I'll make some time to come to the group headquarters. You can give it to me then."
It was perfectly normal for James not to recognize it. After all, this was a special item passed down through Drayden's family for generations, related to Kyurem and the black and white dragons.
The DNA Splicers!
It was said to be the key to making Kyurem and the black and white dragons one, and could only be held by someone who had gained the approval of both dragons.
That was why Drayden's family had kept it safe all this time and had never forgotten to search for this true "hero."
And now, Drayden had actually given it to him?
Did this mean he had already achieved the perfect combination of ideals and truth?
Aiden subconsciously put his hands on his hips.
As expected of me!
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