Zoroark's appearance was that of a bipedal gray-black fox. Combined with its unique abilities, it was also known by the title of the "Demon Fox."
The most striking feature of an adult Zoroark was the magnificent deep-red mane atop its head. It was extraordinarily long, growing from the crown of its head all the way down to cover its entire back.
Zoroark with this particular deep-red mane were Dark-type Pokémon.
Yes.
Not the Normal/Ghost combination, but the pure Dark type.
Chen Mo stared at the Zoroark before him, sinking into thought.
Normal and Ghost was actually an extremely powerful type combination, with only one weakness: Dark.
Because of this, Chen Mo remembered very clearly that in the game Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which had been released before he crossed over, there was indeed such a combination. It belonged to another form of Zoroark.
Although he had never played Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Chen Mo had watched plenty of videos. He remembered that the Zoroark with the Normal/Ghost typing had an extremely wild red-and-white mane.
The Zoroark before him simply didn't match the information displayed by his Eye of Detection.
However.
Although he was extremely puzzled, Chen Mo showed none of it on his face.
After Chen Mo's explanation, and after Zoroark dispelled its illusion and revealed its true form, the fear on the faces of the surrounding Pokémon also faded considerably.
Zoroark noticed the change in their expressions and became curious.
"Do you know Lord Aaron?"
The Pokémon looked at one another, their expressions filled with confusion. Clearly, they had no idea who this "Lord Aaron" was referring to.
Chen Mo took over the conversation.
"Yesterday, we triggered a Time Flower and saw a human traveling alongside a Lucario. His appearance was exactly the same as the human illusion you showed us just now."
"I see. So it was a Time Flower..."
Realization dawned on Zoroark's face.
"Then you must have seen Lord Aaron and Senior Lucario from the past. And I presume you've already guessed it—Lord Aaron was also an extremely powerful Aura Guardian, just like you."
Chen Mo could hear the pride in Zoroark's voice when it mentioned that Aaron was a powerful Aura Guardian.
Its expression was filled with admiration and longing for its former master.
After a moment, Zoroark composed itself.
With an expression of utmost respect, it crouched down and knelt halfway before Chen Mo, pleading with him.
"Great Aura Guardian, I have a request. If possible, I hope you can use your powerful Aura to take me into the World-Origin Tree."
"Of course, I understand that this request is exceedingly presumptuous. Therefore, great Aura Guardian, I am willing to exchange everything I possess with you. I beg you, please let me enter the World-Origin Tree."
Zoroark usually lived in a forest of dead trees.
Judging from the terrain, this place must once have been beautiful. At the center of the surrounding woods, there should even have been a fairly large lake.
However.
As time passed and the World-Origin Tree gradually approached death, this place had not been spared.
The lake had long since completely dried up, revealing a cracked lakebed.
"Thanks for your hard work, Pidgeot."
After jumping down from Pidgeot's back, Chen Mo habitually rubbed its back. He then caught Pikachu as it leapt down, stroked the little Pokémon's head, and placed it on his shoulder.
Zoroark, lacking the ability to fly, was a little slower.
When it finally arrived, it happened to see this scene.
Its light-blue eyes immediately revealed envy and nostalgia.
It remembered.
A very, very long time ago, when it had traveled alongside Lord Aaron, Aaron had also loved placing it on his shoulder when it was still unevolved, occasionally reaching out to gently stroke its fur.
"Lord Aaron..."
Zoroark sighed softly.
Then it looked toward Chen Mo again.
"Lord Chen Mo, please follow me."
Under Zoroark's guidance, Chen Mo and the other Pokémon soon arrived before an extraordinarily thick tree that had long since completely died.
Looking at the enormous hollow beneath the tree, Chen Mo understood that this was probably where Zoroark usually rested and slept.
"Please wait for me."
After softly leaving those words behind, Zoroark quickly ran into the hollow.
Before long...
Zoroark began bringing out all sorts of things.
There were rusty cans of food; unopened plastic water bottles; several talismans covered in strange doodles and a pile of ancient books; an old bell that looked somewhat like a Soothe Bell; various strange stones, including quite a few Evolution Stones of different types...
Zoroark practically emptied everything hidden inside the tree hollow.
But after looking back at the pile of battered belongings, it hesitated for a moment before placing the staff in its hand on top of everything else.
"Lord Chen Mo, these are all the things I possess."
Zoroark pleaded once more.
"I only ask that you take me into the World-Origin Tree."
Chen Mo did not answer immediately.
That staff was obviously an extremely precious treasure, especially the round azure crystal mounted at its top. A strange Aura energy was continuously emanating from it.
Of course.
That wasn't the most important part.
Ever since Chen Mo had first seen Zoroark, it had kept the staff tightly in its grasp. Apart from setting it down briefly while retrieving its belongings from the tree hollow, it had essentially never let go of it.
It was obvious how precious the staff was to Zoroark.
Yet now...
In order to convince Chen Mo to help it, Zoroark was even willing to use this staff as a bargaining chip.
Just as it had said.
Zoroark had brought out everything it possessed.
Chen Mo couldn't help but wonder.
If Zoroark didn't still have something it wanted to accomplish—something that required its body—perhaps it would even be willing to offer that.
After a moment of silence, Chen Mo looked at the humble, pleading Zoroark before him.
"You're so determined to enter the World-Origin Tree. Is it because of Aaron?"
"Yes."
Zoroark nodded without hesitation.
"I want to enter the World-Origin Tree and find Lord Aaron. I want to see Lord Aaron and Senior Lucario again. That's what I've been holding on for all this time."
"I understand."
Chen Mo nodded gently before asking again.
"Zoroark, do you know why the World-Origin Tree became like this?"
"I don't."
As expected, Zoroark shook its head.
Just as Chen Mo fell into thought again, Zoroark slowly continued.
"I'm not a very intelligent Pokémon. But, Lord Chen Mo, if you need it, I can tell you everything I know."
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. This is something I should do."
Zoroark spoke slowly.
"Everything began in Alliance Year 1032."
"Alliance Year 1032..."
On the night before leaving Crescent Town, Chen Mo had spoken at length with Manaphy, the Prince of the Sea.
That Legendary Pokémon, which knew a great deal about human history, had told Chen Mo about the system humans in the Pokémon world used to record time.
It was known as the Alliance Calendar, the standard calendar used throughout the Pokémon world. In essence, it was similar to Earth's Gregorian calendar.
Manaphy had personally confirmed that the time it was transported to Earth by some unknown force should have been in Alliance Year 1031.
In other words.
The time Zoroark was now talking about occurred one year after the great Pokémon displacement.
Chen Mo's expression changed.
He immediately gave Gengar a meaningful look.
Gengar instantly understood and cut off the livestream signal.
Zoroark was startled by Gengar's unusual action and stopped speaking.
Taking advantage of the pause, Chen Mo quickly asked:
"Alliance Year 1032. Zoroark, according to what I know, there was a massive incident involving Pokémon being transported away in Alliance Year 1031. Do you know about that?"
"Pokémon displacement..."
Zoroark looked confused.
After a moment, it shook its head.
"I'm sorry, Lord Chen Mo. At that time, I was still a Zorua, traveling alongside Lord Aaron. Lord Aaron never mentioned anything about Pokémon being transported away to me, so..."
Seeing the apologetic expression on Zoroark's face, Chen Mo was deeply disappointed, but he waved his hand to indicate that it was fine.
Just then.
Seeing Chen Mo's disappointed expression, Zoroark hurriedly continued.
"However, Lord Chen Mo, I do remember that a major event occurred in Alliance Year 1032. And it is directly related to the World-Origin Tree that I am about to tell you about."
Without any hesitation.
Zoroark revealed something that left Chen Mo stunned for a long time.
In the autumn of Alliance Year 1032, the world lost its light.
According to Zoroark, during the course of a single day, there would be only one or two hours of daylight.
Sometimes, there wasn't even a daytime at all.
Even the night would occasionally descend into a lifeless darkness without a single star or moon.
The entire world descended into chaos because it had lost its light.
And for Aaron, as an Aura Guardian, an even more serious problem came from the World-Origin Tree, which was intrinsically connected to Aura Guardians.
Chen Mo had already explained to the livestream audience that although the World-Origin Tree was a mountain, it actually possessed its own life.
It was a living being in the truest sense.
Like ordinary trees, the most important thing that allowed the World-Origin Tree to survive for millions of years was the light of the world.
Without sunlight and moonlight to provide it with the necessary nourishment, the World-Origin Tree gradually began suffering from increasingly severe problems.
As an Aura Guardian, Aaron received messages from Aura Guardians across the world.
Without hesitation, he set out with Lucario and the other Pokémon toward the World-Origin Tree.
He had decided to save this ancient life that had once sheltered countless Aura Guardians and served almost like a mother tree to them.
Of course.
Apart from the close relationship between Aura Guardians and the World-Origin Tree, there was another important reason for saving it.
The World-Origin Tree was the largest non-sentient lifeform in the world.
This enormous tree had existed since the birth of the world, and in a certain sense, it also maintained the balance of the entire Pokémon world.
Once the World-Origin Tree completely died, the entire world would inevitably suffer an extremely serious catastrophe.
Considering all these factors, the Aura Guardians, who had always regarded maintaining world peace as their duty, chose to step forward.
At the time, Zoroark had not yet evolved.
As a Zorua, it wasn't proficient in Aura either, meaning it couldn't provide Aaron with any assistance in his efforts to save the World-Origin Tree.
Therefore.
Considering how dangerous the journey would be, Aaron temporarily left Zorua in the nearest town to the World-Origin Tree before setting out with Lucario and the other Pokémon.
At their parting.
Zorua had no idea that this would be the last time it would ever see Aaron.
Young and innocent, it still waited expectantly, just as it always had, believing that Aaron would resolve whatever disputes and troubles awaited him and eventually return in glory and triumph.
The days passed one after another.
The hours of daylight grew shorter and shorter.
Until one day...
Zorua saw even the azure crystals growing around the town gradually being swallowed by red light.
Unable to endure it any longer, it secretly took the staff Aaron had left behind and headed toward the World-Origin Tree that night.
However.
Because the World-Origin Tree had gone without sufficient light for far too long, it had already activated its own defensive system by then, rejecting the entry of any outside life.
And without Aura, Zorua had no way to break through the barrier and enter.
"I was too stupid. Lord Aaron had already taught me so many times, but I still couldn't learn how to use Aura."
At this point, Zoroark's expression was filled with dejection.
But at this moment, Chen Mo was already completely overwhelmed by shock.
The hours of daylight had grown shorter and shorter.
Light was gradually disappearing from that world...
Chen Mo desperately wanted to know.
What exactly had happened?
"Lord Chen Mo..."
Zoroark once again looked at Chen Mo pleadingly.
Even now, it still refused to give up the slightest hope.
It wanted to enter the World-Origin Tree.
It wanted to confirm whether Aaron was still alive somewhere in this world.
Chen Mo slowly recovered from his thoughts.
After organizing the emotions in his heart, he spoke quietly.
"Zoroark, there may be something you've misunderstood. Although I can use Aura, I'm not some powerful Aura Guardian."
Seeing the light in Zoroark's eyes rapidly dim, Chen Mo quickly added:
"However, the reason I came here in the first place was to investigate the World-Origin Tree."
"So even if you hadn't asked me, I would still have found a way to enter the World-Origin Tree and investigate what's happening inside."
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