"Arce...us?"
Hearing this, Naoki was instantly stunned.
The one in front of him was actually Arceus's true body!
You had to know, compared to Arceus's avatars, its true body had never suffered a single defeat; it was the god truly transcending all worlds and all Pokemon.
Up till now, it had only appeared once, hundreds of years ago in the Hisuin Region, and then vanished without a trace.
No, that's not right, shouldn't Arceus be outside all the Cosmos? Why would it descend onto his ranch?
Arceus quietly gazed at Naoki. As an omniscient, omnipotent god, it quickly saw through this human's thoughts.
"I have come here for one matter."
"What matter?" Naoki couldn't help but ask.
Arceus instead turned its gaze toward the Explorer Team Guild not far away, a hint of surprise in its voice.
"I have created many worlds: worlds where only humans exist, worlds where only Pokemon exist, worlds where humans and Pokemon coexist."
"According to my observations, in worlds where only Pokemon exist, some Pokemon gather together and form small circles of civilization. They call these places Explorer Team Guilds."
"Yet in worlds where humans and Pokemon coexist, such a thing has never been born. The Pokemon here are mostly used to living alongside humans; for food, clothing, shelter, and travel, they depend on humans."
"And now, something that should not have appeared in this world has been born."
At this point, Arceus turned back to look at Naoki.
"This is the reason I have descended here."
Naoki paused, then frowned and asked, "You're planning to destroy this tree?"
"No." Arceus lightly shook its head. "You and these Pokemon have manifested a completely new possibility, so I wish to entrust you with something."
Hearing that Arceus hadn't come to destroy the tree, Naoki instantly let out a long breath of relief.
"What is it?" he asked.
Arceus did not immediately reply.
Right after, Naoki saw the scenery around them begin to change.
The World Tree and the Explorer Team Guild vanished, replaced by a deep and mysterious dimension.
Naoki stared blankly at the vast space before his eyes, unable to recover for a moment.
The next second, the scene before him began to change.
A burst of dazzling light flashed by, and countless worlds began to be born.
It was only then that Arceus's voice sounded again.
"I once created many worlds, just as you are seeing now. Not every world is as peaceful and stable as the one you live in."
"Among them are many worlds that are facing world-ending crises. When that time comes, the Pokemon living there will lose their lives."
The images flickered. Naoki saw a planet on which many Pokemon lived—a planet where only Pokemon existed.
On one part of that planet, a rescue team made up of Pokemon was engaged in routine exploration, resource gathering, and similar activities.
And outside that planet, an incomparably massive meteorite was hurtling toward it.
Seeing this, a flash of understanding hit Naoki.
He roughly guessed Arceus's purpose in descending!
It was for the Heroic Expedition Team!
And as though once again perceiving his thoughts, Arceus continued:
"I have observed you for a very long time, and have even looked at you in other parallel worlds—but only the you here is special."
"Only you have nurtured this tree. Let us call it the World Tree for now."
"You met Pokemon, and through chance and fate such a magnificent thing was born. Even I cannot help but marvel at it!"
Arceus looked at Naoki and said to him, "I will help you complete the last step of your wish and formally establish the Heroic Expedition Team."
With that, Arceus's will stirred, and it brought Naoki back to the top of the World Tree.
The next second, accompanied by a rumbling sound, the Slowpoke Fountain that had originally been built at the center of the expedition area vanished, replaced by a massive Gate of Space-Time!
Naoki was completely dumbfounded. "This is...?"
Arceus explained, "This is a Gate of Space-Time I created. It is connected to all the Cosmos. In your words, beyond the Gate of Space-Time lies the Mystery Dungeon. The Pokemon in the expedition team can enter it to explore, lend a Helping Hand to Pokemon in other worlds, and save those worlds that are about to be destroyed."
"Naoki, this is the purpose of my coming here. I wish to ask you and those kind and upright Pokemon to go together to other worlds and help the Pokemon there."
So Arceus was recruiting him and the Heroic Expedition Team to work for it?
Something like this... how was he supposed to decide on something like this?!
Naoki furrowed his brow, suddenly at a loss for words.
Normally he often thought that it would be great if there were a Mystery Dungeon on the World Tree. The Pokemon could freely enter and explore, gather supplies, and so on.
But now that it had really come to this, Naoki couldn't help but start worrying.
Arceus had said this Gate of Space-Time connected to all the Cosmos. Didn't that mean that besides those Mystery Dungeon-series universes, it also connected to the universes where Red, Green, and Team Rainbow Rocket were?
If it were people like Red and Green, that would be fine.
But if it were Team Rainbow Rocket instead... that would be a disaster.