It had to be said that, upon hearing that an entire week had already passed in the real world, Chen Mo quickly figured out what had most likely happened.
It was probably a side effect of traveling through the dimensional rift.
After all...
This time, he had crossed the dimensional rift without the protection of the Unown. In that mysterious space, Chen Mo had traversed the passage with his physical body and had no way of controlling the passage of time.
[Teacher Mo's expression looks so bewildered. Looks like traveling through a dimensional rift really is dangerous.]
[Haven't people online been discussing this for days? When Teacher Mo traveled through the dimensional rift in Hongjingpo Forest, the two Unown were guiding him. Now both Unown have become stone tablets, and Teacher Mo just went through by himself. How could he not be affected?]
[Teacher Mo, we've mentioned this many times before. Sometimes you really don't consider the consequences enough when you do things, and you don't seem to care about the people who worry about you. I think that's something you need to reflect on.]
[Alright, alright, don't go overboard. Anyone who chooses to become a Pokémon Trainer has some adventurous spirit. Didn't Teacher Mo make it this far by personally exploring things step by step? It's fine to care about him, but don't go too far.]
[I'm more curious about where Teacher Mo is now. Is it another secret realm like the one he encountered in Hongjingpo Forest? Or is it another world? Either way, those blue crystals around Teacher Mo don't look like anything from Earth.]
[There's something I've always wondered about, too. Has the country's infrastructure really become this advanced? Teacher Mo traveled through a dimensional rift and can still livestream to us?]
[Don't doubt it. Teacher Mo is actually in a television studio right now.]
Facing the flood of comments, Chen Mo's somewhat muddled mind finally cleared up a little.
"Thank you for everyone's concern," Chen Mo said slowly. "As you can see, after traveling through the dimensional rift, I arrived here."
He glanced around.
The deep-blue crystals surrounding him gave him an inexplicably familiar feeling, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Chen Mo shook his head at the camera.
"To be honest, I still don't know exactly where I am. But since my GPS positioning still shows me in roughly the same area I was in before I crossed the rift, I'm guessing I've probably entered a place similar to a secret realm."
As for why there was still a livestream signal inside the secret realm...
Chen Mo and Professor Zhou had discussed this matter extensively back when the secret realm appeared in Hongjingpo Forest.
Their conclusion had been that Zekrom's power, together with the Unown's power, had connected the secret realm to the real world.
The reason for this speculation was that Bureau personnel had clearly observed the ruins inside the thunderclouds over Hongjingpo Forest.
"Alright. A guess is still just a guess. To find out what the truth actually is, we'll have to walk out of this passage and see for ourselves."
"I can already feel wind coming from ahead, so that might be the exit we're looking for."
As he spoke, Chen Mo beckoned to the Pokémon beside him and started walking toward the source of the wind.
The surroundings were completely silent.
Walking through the slightly dark passage, Chen Mo couldn't help but recall everything that had happened inside the dimensional rift.
Especially the Lord of the Distortion World—
Giratina.
He had initially thought Giratina had come to take his life.
Yet at the very last moment, Giratina had actually helped him, sending him and Pikachu straight into the light portal.
Considering the difference in the passage of time...
Chen Mo was certain that the Dragon of the Distortion World had indeed been helping him reach the portal faster, saving him time in its own way.
That behavior was simply incomprehensible.
It was almost as though the Giratina that had appeared at Mount Cangqing back then and the one he'd just encountered were two completely different beings.
And what confused Chen Mo even more were Giratina's final words.
Who is waiting for me?
What have I forgotten?
Who does Giratina want me to save?
It couldn't possibly be Zekrom, which Giratina attacked back then...
His thoughts were a complete mess.
"Sure enough... The thing I hate most in this life is people who speak in riddles."
Chen Mo muttered inwardly.
He hadn't gone far when an opening appeared ahead.
Bright light streamed in from outside.
Realizing that he had reached the exit, Chen Mo temporarily put aside his countless thoughts and quickened his pace.
Finally...
A fierce gust of wind swept past.
Chen Mo raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling light shining through the opening, then slowly opened his eyes.
His field of vision suddenly expanded.
Before him stretched an endless range of mountains.
Under the gentle sunlight, clouds and mist wound around the green mountain slopes.
Everything looked like a scene from an immortal paradise.
"..."
Even Chen Mo was stunned by the sight.
Not only was the scenery breathtakingly beautiful...
It was simply too vast.
Considering that he still had a livestream signal, Chen Mo had previously guessed that he'd entered a secret realm similar to the Arceus ruins.
But compared to the Arceus ruins...
The world before him was simply enormous.
For a moment, Chen Mo couldn't even tell whether he'd entered a secret realm...
Or traveled to another world entirely.
Just as he was marveling at the scene, the clouds and mist around the mountains gradually thinned.
The next second...
A gigantic shadow slowly emerged from the mist.
Its silhouette resembled...
A tree.
Chen Mo's eyes widened.
"So that's why..."
"So this is the place."
"No wonder it felt familiar..."
The countless viewers in the livestream all heard Chen Mo muttering to himself.
[Damn you, Teacher Mo! What did you figure out this time?!]
[Guys, this is absolutely the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I'm not even joking. I already took a screenshot to use as my computer wallpaper.]
[Hey, hey, hey! Did you see that?! What the hell is that?! Holy crap! That's one enormous tree! Where the hell is this place?!]
[Has Teacher Mo advanced from the Pokémon era into the age of mythology? Why is there a World Tree now?!]
[What World Tree? Doesn't it look more like a strangely shaped mountain to me...?]
Sure enough.
When Gengar turned the camera toward the most conspicuous location among the mountains, countless viewers were captivated by the enormous tree that seemed to pierce the heavens.
The livestream comments exploded.
Chen Mo could barely keep up with them.
However...
He understood the overwhelming majority of their questions.
With a smile, he explained,
"You're all partly right, but not entirely."
"Although this enormous structure looks like a tree, it's actually a gigantic rocky mountain."
"If the clouds and mist dissipate a little more, you'll be able to see it more clearly."
"As for its name... it can be traced all the way back to the earliest days of human civilization in the Pokémon world."
"Back then, ancient humans called it..."
"The Tree of Creation."
"Or, more precisely..."
"The World-Origin Tree."
"One interesting thing is that humans in the Pokémon world gave this enormous rocky mountain the name 'World Tree' not merely because it resembles a tree."
"More importantly..."
"The tree itself possesses life."
At that point, Chen Mo suddenly gave the camera a mysterious smile.
[Here we go! Watching Teacher Mo's livestream always leads to the riddle segment eventually. Teacher Mo, I hope one day you get hit with a riddle too!]
[For the love of God, just tell us already! Teacher Mo, are you deliberately trying to drive me crazy?!]
[Hurry hurry hurry! I'm about to die of curiosity!]
[The tree has life? Teacher Mo, are you saying this World-Origin Tree is alive too?]
"Bingo~"
Chen Mo snapped his fingers.
"Trees have life, and the World-Origin Tree is no exception."
"It might sound strange, right? It's clearly a rocky mountain, so how can it be alive?"
"Well... I don't really understand it myself."
"But that's simply how things are."
"Does everyone remember those blue crystals we saw inside the cave just now?"
"Those blue crystals have an extremely close relationship with the World-Origin Tree."
"How should I put it..."
"They're like the white blood cells inside our bodies."
"When necessary, those blue crystals can come alive and help the World-Origin Tree deal with the 'bacteria' that enter its body."
The moment those words fell...
The entire livestream—and countless viewers across the nation—was plunged into indescribable shock.
Even elites such as Professor Zhou, Hu Chengliang, and Zhou Yichuan couldn't conceal the astonishment in their eyes after hearing Chen Mo's explanation.
Immediately afterward...
That astonishment transformed into fervent excitement.
As Bureau personnel, approaching every problem from a scientific perspective was basic professional training.
In simple terms...
A mountain possessing life.
That fact alone was enough to drive countless top scientists insane with excitement.
"Ah!"
Zhou Yichuan's face was filled with regret.
"If I'd known this would happen, I would've insisted that Xiao Mo let me come into the secret realm with him!"
"This is unbelievable!"
"Absolutely unbelievable!"
Hu Chengliang repeatedly nodded in agreement.
Compared with Zhou Yichuan, whose curiosity was stronger, Hu Chengliang was a more pure researcher.
He was already thinking about how to use scientific methods to unravel the secrets of the World-Origin Tree.
What a pity...
If only they'd known beforehand, he would've gone along too.
Just as Hu Chengliang was lamenting his bad luck, he noticed Professor Zhou staring intently at the computer screen.
His expression was solemn.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
Only then did Professor Zhou come back to himself.
He looked seriously at his two prized disciples.
"Chengliang, Yichuan, the World-Origin Tree is indeed extremely valuable for research."
"But right now, I think you should be paying more attention to the secret realm itself."
"Don't let a few superficial details distract you from the bigger picture."
"What do you mean?"
Zhou Yichuan looked confused.
Hu Chengliang didn't answer.
His brows furrowed slightly as he pondered Professor Zhou's words.
Seeing this...
Professor Zhou sighed softly.
"The secret realm that appeared last time was merely a small temple ruin."
"We could explain its origins in many ways."
"But this time..."
"What has appeared is practically an entire, intact world."
"Let's put aside how extraordinary and unreasonable the existence of this secret realm itself is."
"Just think about one question."
"Scale."
"If the World-Origin Tree and this enormous surrounding region were completely separated from the original Pokémon world..."
"What kind of impact would that have on the original world?"
Before Professor Zhou could finish...
Hu Chengliang and Zhou Yichuan, who had already realized the severity of the problem, both saw their pupils contract.
Impact...
That was actually too mild a word.
Just looking at this apparently complete world before them...
Hu Chengliang and Zhou Yichuan couldn't help but wonder:
Did the original Pokémon world still exist?
Or...
Had it already been broken apart into countless fragments...
Just like the secret realm before them?
Meanwhile...
After briefly explaining the World Tree to the livestream audience, Chen Mo looked at the mist-shrouded World-Origin Tree.
For some reason...
A strange feeling arose in his heart.
Perhaps it was because of all the mist.
Chen Mo couldn't shake the feeling that something about this place wasn't real.
Just then...
Clear chirping sounds came from above.
"Tweet~ tweet~ tweet~"
Jirachi, sitting on Chen Mo's shoulder, immediately perked up.
Looking at a flock of small birds flying overhead, each with sky-blue bodies and fluffy white wings resembling drifting clouds...
Jirachi's face lit up with excitement.
"Wishli wishli wishli!"
"Chen Mo! Chen Mo! They're Swablu!"
Although Jirachi had an incredibly long lifespan, it had spent most of that time asleep.
As a result, it actually didn't recognize that many Pokémon.
So when it saw a species it knew...
The excited little star immediately flew off Chen Mo's shoulder and rushed toward the flock of Swablu drifting through the sky.
"Jirachi, be careful!"
Chen Mo called out.
Although Swablu were relatively gentle Pokémon...
They had only just entered this secret realm.
No one knew whether the Pokémon here differed in some way from those outside.
"Wishli!"
A cheerful response came from the sky.
Soon, Jirachi had reached the flock.
"Wishli~"
Seeing the familiar-looking Swablu, countless memories welled up inside Jirachi.
Excitedly, it waved at them.
However...
The Swablu flying in orderly formation acted as though they hadn't heard Jirachi at all.
They simply continued flying forward without even turning their heads.
"Tweet~ tweet~ tweet~"
Their leisurely cries continued.
Jirachi was confused.
When even the final Swablu ignored it and continued on...
The little star finally became anxious.
It reached out a small white hand toward the last Swablu, wanting to grab it and ask why they were ignoring her.
But...
The next second...
Jirachi's white hand passed straight through the Swablu's body.
Chen Mo had already begun to realize that something was wrong.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
At the same time...
A violent wave of dizziness surged through his mind.
Chen Mo couldn't help but crouch down.
He knew this sensation all too well.
He had habitually been using his Aura to investigate the surrounding environment.
And this was the feeling that came after using too much Aura.
Tatakae! Tatakae! One self—Tatakae!
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