"Greetings, New Ideal Hero."
The moment those familiar childish words echoed through the stadium, countless spectators stared in disbelief.
"A Pokémon... just talked?"
"No, no, that's not it. The legendary Pokémon called Meloetta is controlling You You and using her body to speak to us."
"This is insane... this world is completely insane."
Ever since Chen Mo's encounter with Suicune in Evergreen Forest, viewers had already learned that some Legendary Pokémon possessed telepathic abilities.
People had found that remarkable enough.
But this—
Controlling a human body and speaking directly through it—
Was something entirely different.
For many, an instinctive sense of fear began to emerge.
At this moment, they finally understood why, in Chen Mo's story about Ecruteak City, some humans had wanted to drive away the legendary Pokémon.
After all, such power was terrifying.
The thought of a mysterious Pokémon taking complete control of your body was enough to make anyone feel unsafe.
Carrying You You with her, Meloetta slowly descended from the golden ancient tree.
She floated at roughly the same height as Chen Mo.
Her emerald eyes casually swept across Chen Mo's shadow before she continued speaking through You You's voice.
"Please rest assured, Ideal Hero. I hold no ill intentions toward the human known as You You."
"I only chose this method because I felt our first meeting should be a little more formal."
"Furthermore, I have already communicated with You You. She has temporarily agreed to allow me to use her body to converse with you."
"..."
Chen Mo looked at Meloetta suspiciously.
Then he asked directly:
"It's not that I don't trust you, Meloetta."
"I just want to know why you're controlling You You in the first place."
The moment he saw this scene, Chen Mo couldn't help but think of Calyrex from Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra.
That legendary Pokémon had controlled Peony and used his body to communicate with the protagonist.
Since Meloetta was also a Psychic-type Pokémon, Chen Mo could accept that she possessed similar abilities.
Still, considering Marshadow's earlier warning and various precedents from the Pokémon world, he couldn't help wondering whether Meloetta had some hidden objective.
"You're not wrong, Ideal Hero, however..."
Meloetta's gaze slowly passed over the Pokémon surrounding Chen Mo.
Pikachu on his shoulder.
Pidgeotto beside him.
Gengar standing between Banette and You You.
For a moment, hesitation appeared in her expression.
Then she glanced once more toward the shadow hiding Marshadow.
Only after that did she seem to make up her mind.
Using You You's voice, she continued:
"Ideal Hero."
"Please battle me."
"To use your human terminology, trainers are beings who can understand one another's convictions through battle."
"So if possible..."
"Please engage in a battle with me."
The entire stadium exploded.
The livestream chat instantly became a flood of messages.
[HOLY CRAP! Did I hear that right?! A legendary Pokémon wants to battle Teacher Mo?!]
[This is insane! People who bought tickets for the finals absolutely won the lottery! We just went from rookie trainer battles to a legendary-level showdown!]
[Wait! Teacher Mo hasn't agreed yet! Everyone calm down! ...Actually, never mind, I can't calm down either!]
[Am I the only one focused on something else? Why does Meloetta keep calling Teacher Mo the "Ideal Hero"?]
[Same! It sounds like that's the entire reason she appeared here.]
"...Ideal Hero."
At the commentary desk, Zhou Yichuan quietly repeated the title.
Meloetta's attitude toward Chen Mo had been respectful from the very beginning.
But every time she said those words—
Ideal Hero
—the respect became even more obvious.
The phrase felt strangely familiar.
Soon, Zhou Yichuan's excellent memory connected the pieces.
Hongjing Slope Forest.
The terrifying thunderclouds.
The Unown.
The ancient ruins from another world.
At the same time, viewers in the livestream began posting similar conclusions.
[Wild theory here. Remember Chen Mo's experience in Hongjing Slope Forest? The mural about the Chosen One and Zekrom?]
[YES! Teacher Mo said Zekrom represents the concept of "Ideals." The Chosen One was called the Ideal Hero.]
[WAIT. If Meloetta is calling Teacher Mo the Ideal Hero, doesn't that mean—]
[Exactly. Teacher Mo was chosen by Zekrom.]
[Holy crap. That's a huge revelation.]
[I've suspected this for a long time. Remember when Pichu evolved into Pikachu during the Hydreigon battle? The blue lightning that merged with the evolution light?]
[Now that you mention it, that was absurd. Pikachu had just evolved and immediately wounded Hydreigon with Thunderbolt.]
[And remember that Raichu that helped Zapdos? Its electricity was golden. Teacher Mo's Pikachu uses blue lightning.]
[It all fits together. Zekrom is an Electric/Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon. The blue lightning comes from Zekrom's power.]
[Honestly, if anyone deserves to be chosen by Zekrom, it's Teacher Mo. The ancient Chosen One changed an entire era. Teacher Mo has done exactly that for our world.]
The stadium grew increasingly chaotic.
Some were excited about the proposed battle.
Others were exhilarated by the revelation behind the title Ideal Hero.
If it had been anyone else, many people would have felt envy.
But not Chen Mo.
Not the man who had stood at the forefront of every crisis.
Not the man who endured endless criticism and still changed the world through his actions.
To many, he seemed like the embodiment of ideals themselves.
Only he deserved that title.
"This is becoming troublesome..."
Listening to the deafening cheers around him, Chen Mo sighed internally.
The moment Meloetta appeared and openly addressed him as the Ideal Hero, he knew there was no hiding it anymore.
A headache.
When he had explained things to Professor Zhou before, he had intentionally concealed that title.
Now Meloetta had exposed everything in one move.
Completely.
Leaving no room for explanation.
Still...
The main reason Chen Mo had hidden the title in the first place was to protect the fragment of Zekrom's Origin Power entrusted to him by Arceus.
Back then, compared to the changing era around him, he had simply been too weak.
But now?
Both he and his Pokémon had grown rapidly.
He was also one of the most famous figures in the nation.
Anyone who wanted to target him would have to think very carefully.
And if necessary—
He could still rely on Marshadow.
As a Legendary Pokémon specialized in combat, a subordinate of Ho-Oh and the Guide of Shadows, Marshadow was more than capable of protecting him.
Compared to several months ago, being exposed now was troublesome.
But far less dangerous.
At least in theory.
Suppressing his thoughts, Chen Mo looked toward Meloetta.
The Legendary Pokémon had just caused him an enormous amount of trouble and seemed completely unaware of it.
He sighed.
"I'm sorry, Meloetta."
"But I have to decline your challenge."
His voice echoed throughout the entire stadium.
The crowd instantly quieted.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Almost nobody had expected this answer.
"Teacher Mo... is scared?"
"That doesn't sound right. He literally fought Zapdos before."
"Actually, this makes perfect sense."
One spectator quickly argued.
"When he fought Zapdos, it was severely injured. Besides, he used multiple Pokémon together."
"But this is a formal challenge in the Pikachu Cup arena."
"He can't just send out his entire team against a legendary Pokémon."
"That may be true, but..."
Many viewers couldn't shake the feeling that their side had backed down.
"Why?"
Meloetta tilted her head.
Her emerald eyes filled with confusion.
Chen Mo remained calm.
"I've met many Legendary Pokémon before."
"Their power is like a walking natural disaster."
"This arena is too small."
"The safety measures here were never designed to contain legendary-level power."
The energy-absorption systems used throughout the Pikachu Cup were among the most advanced technologies developed by China's top scientists.
They were one of the key reasons the tournament could be held safely.
Chen Mo wasn't afraid of losing.
Under normal circumstances, he would gladly send out Pikachu and fight Meloetta at full strength.
But legendary Pokémon operated on an entirely different level.
If he accepted the challenge, there was a real possibility that the arena's safety systems would fail.
The danger wasn't to him.
With Marshadow nearby, Chen Mo could stand in the center of the battlefield without fear.
The real concern was everyone else.
A single stray burst of legendary-level energy could become a disaster for the spectators.
Soon, many audience members reached the same conclusion.
This wasn't cowardice.
It was concern for them.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
"...So we're the reason Teacher Mo can't fight."
Meloetta seemed to understand his concern as well.
She smiled gently and spun gracefully in the air.
"As expected of the Ideal Hero."
"But I believe you've misunderstood something."
"I am not skilled in battle."
"I never intended to battle you personally."
She raised a hand.
Then pointed toward the Banette that Gengar had been restraining.
"The one who will battle you..."
"Is her."
The finger pointed directly at Banette.
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