Story
Rope takes Jikan back to the village, and on the way back to the village they run into the Good Guard who comes looking for them. Actually, the stretch from the village chief's house to the temple ruins wasn't that close.
After all, the village chief was the one who hated the temple the most, and you couldn't expect him to live as close to the temple as you would to your own nasty neighbor if you had the choice.
Sangato stopped asking questions after a few brief inquiries. There was no point in asking. After all, after all that commotion, the only one who got hurt was Jikan, who looked clearly out of sorts.
Although he didn't know what had happened to Jikan. But his intuition told him...it was best not to ask. Some things weren't earned just by knowing them.
Rope returns to the village with Charizard and Infernape. But left Diana, Whitley, Hoopa and Aohane still there to keep looking into things related to the temple. It's not over yet, and the researchers can't quit halfway through this situation, after all, the people who have their hearts in the right place have already been cleaned up.
Diana and Whitley didn't object to the current arrangement either. Diana was long used to listening to her superiors. Whitley, on the other hand, was simply big-hearted. She and Rope had seen so much together. Being attacked was nothing more than a minor incident.
She could guess that Rope had originally planned to get Jikan killed to teach himself a lesson.
But it looked like Jikan was supposed to have given Rope some other important information. It made Rope a little reluctant to kill him. Or rather, he couldn't kill him for the time being.
Whitley could probably guess the reason. The importance of the Origin Energy was still on one side, but the same energy source that appeared on Diana's sister was enough for Rope to pay some attention to Jikan and use him as a test subject...
Whitley couldn't say which was luckier, this or being killed on the spot...
But it's a good bet that Jikan won't be in everyone's presence in the future.
The village was peaceful, and everyone continued to live as usual. The rising pillar of Berserker fire, the huge Houndoom figure, and the sounds of explosions and fights had all dissipated, as if they had never appeared.
Only the crumbling ruins of the temple bore witness to a champion-level Pokémon battle. Unfortunately, temples don't talk, and these traces of battles will become the villagers' after-dinner talk and bragging capital with outside merchants in ten days and half a month.
As for what kind of version these stories will have in the end.
Who can say?
Stories float in the years, like clouds wrapped in the wind. Running along while changing shape and form, in the end it is all about who does not recognize who.
Rope's presence did not change the village's way of life. A local singer from Sinnoh sang on the radio at lunchtime, his voice crisp and clear.
There were no singers in Rope's social circle, but plenty of movie stars and models.
Giving a thumbs up for the family's taste, he walked into the village headman's house to rub it in.
"Professor, have you found anything?"
The village chief opened his mouth to ask as he poured tea for Rope.
Although the two hadn't spent much time together, there was always a strange tacit understanding between humanoids and humanoids. As long as people paid good attention and didn't deliberately mess things up, they could chat about big and small things until the dark of the sky and the light of the moon.
But unfortunately the village chief clearly didn't have the heart to continue discussing traditional culture with Rope today.
Before the food was even served, the village chief had already opened the door.
Rope is not annoyed, he is here to dilly-dally, but will not be shy, because some insignificant news is his meal money. Rope's two favorite things in life, one is to talk about love with his girlfriend, the other is to make others owe him a favor. The other is to get others to owe him favors and play a few idle games of chess.
It would give him the thrill of opening a blind box.
Rope was a gambling dog, but he despised guys who gambled.
Putting his life on the line for a small fortune was a shitty business.
If a few hands of chess could bring any surprises in the end, then he would be incredibly happy and joyful.
And once these idle moves take effect, it means that the situation is beginning to tilt toward his side.
Family, country, and world, this was what was worth gambling with one's life for. Although Rope also knows that not everyone's life can be compared to the family world. But Rope's was worth it.
Not only could his Rope's be compared to his family's world, it could even be compared to the entire world!
"It's just a few small discoveries, anyway, now your village, and the clansmen in it shouldn't have to do anything anymore."
Rope wasn't keeping it all from the village chief. The village chief could still know some things related to them. Rope might not be able to do full disclosure. Rope might not be able to do complete disclosure, but giving a little bit of information was still not a problem.
Rope said seriously, in fact, for the village head such news is already enough. Not everyone has the ambition to build a career. Some people just thought about their wives and children. The village chief's son and daughter-in-law had died. The village chief's fighting spirit also died that day.
All he wants now is to see his grandson start a family and have a good future.
It didn't matter if he could be the village chief or not. This village is not a big place, and those who think only about the village will never be very successful.
Even a toad wants to eat swan meat. People can't be more unproductive than toads.
The village chief nodded in relief. However, he wasn't completely relieved either.
"Then Jikan's side of things..."
An embarrassed and somewhat wary look appeared on the village chief's face. The villagers could pass the boom into a story. Even that was something he had arranged to go down. But naturally, he, the man behind it, couldn't really dismiss those things as inconsequential nothing...
The huge Houndoom, the pillar of fire that crushed people who couldn't quite catch their breath, these forces that seemed to be like the legendary greatness of the gods descended on this small village.
If not for the fact that the elders of this village were used to seeing the miracles given by the creator god, it was not unlikely that they would have kowtowed to the pillar of fire and worshipped Infernape as a god on the spot.
The village headman, though, had no idea how Jikan had gained his power. But it was definitely true that he had softened towards the stronger side.
Rope was the stronger party.
If it was Jikan who had won, his lines would almost have to be changed to he was ready to step aside now.
Provided, of course, that Jikan wasn't thinking of tearing this village right down.
"Jikan's side of things has nothing to do with you, I've basically investigated the oddities in him. But this news cannot be told to you."
Rope wasn't polite with the village chief either. With his status and position, to be able to drink tea with the village chief of a village right now was already giving the other party enough face.
Of course, Rope wasn't a person who was used to taking the face. The reason for not telling the village chief was because it was indeed confidential. The reason for not being polite to the village chief was because this really had nothing to do with the village chief.
The village chief didn't care what the story was behind it... it had nothing to do with him. Besides, even if there was a connection, what could it matter?
It was true that the League was now an official organization. But no one has forgotten how the League started in the past! If they really sent soldiers to take over the village and use it as a research base for Professor Rope, the village chief wouldn't even be surprised.
Their strength is too weak. Some secrets were better left unknown.
He believed that Rope had no need to deceive them. After all, even if they had to kill someone, as long as Rope promised not to kill them all, there would always be people willing to trade their lives for the lives of others...
It was a good thing that Rope wasn't a brutal person at all.
"Then I thank professor for his forgiveness."
The Mayor picked up his tea and respectfully honored Rope, sipping it down in a drinking stance as if he were toasting Rope.
Rope laughed softly and drank it all in one gulp with the same gesture. Rope was also used to the feeling of others being cautious in his presence.
"We will be holding a festival tomorrow, and we ask that professor make sure to come and watch the ceremony."
The village chief issued a formal and serious invitation to Rope.
Rope nodded and said, "I will be on time. I'm also looking forward to seeing something I haven't seen before."
"We don't know what you, professor, are after, but we hope we can help if we can."
In such a quaint style of guest kindness and respect, Rope dawdled through the meal of the day.
The food was delicious. The meals in this village seemed to have their own unique way of cooking. That's why these meals have a unique flavor. It wasn't that it was so delicious. The main thing is that it is not difficult to eat.
The fact that you haven't eaten it before is a plus. It's good if it's not awful.
After Rope finished eating, he walked back to the temporary shelter that the village chief had arranged for them with a dangling step.
That said, he should have been walking with such a cynical gait in itself. After all, he was a big young man in both the original world and the world of Pokémon.
One can have ambitions and work and sacrifice for them. Or he can have no ambition and just talk nice to mom and dad at home and stay out of trouble. Even Professor Oak isn't short of a meal. If he wasn't seen by Professor Oak, he would just be living in True New Town. True New Town also gave everyone a lot of subsidies, more than enough for a normal life, and even some savings.
But for a traveler, not being looked upon by others was really quite a difficult thing. There were just too many things to know.
Even if the plot didn't follow the original exactly, it wouldn't completely deviate from the original track, and those inherent rules wouldn't change even more. Knowing this, many times it was enough to mix with the wind.
Opened the door of the temporary residence, a spicy and fresh smell into the nose, Rope can not help but inhale a couple of breaths, and then looked to the side of the Whitley and Diana and Hoopa, they ate the hot pot prepared by Rope, a mouth full of oil, Whitley left hand can not stop fanning their mouths, the right hand also can not stop fishing meat from the pot, fill their mouths. Whitley couldn't stop fanning herself with her left hand, and her right hand couldn't stop fishing meat from the pot and filling her mouth.
Diana picked up a glass of berry juice without any image and drank it all in one gulp.
Hoopa couldn't wait to swallow the pot and the plate into his stomach. The god had a good stomach anyway, so he might be able to digest the stuff too.
Rope was dumbfounded as well. Then he walked towards the table in front of him, silently put picked up a pair of chopsticks and ate.
What special flavor?
So he swallowed the nostalgia in his heart as he feasted.
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Rope looked at the already battered teenager in front of him, and then at the ball of energy in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly before he silently shook his head.
Jikan wasn't killed by Rope...
The black smoke continued to spread and spread. Eventually in filled the entire room. Rope didn't know what to do with it. So he chose to exit the room first.
Letting things unfold was actually a way to solve the problem. It might not be too late to do something when things develop to the point where you can finally see the outcome.
Of course, the premise was that you were strong enough to handle all the bad things.
The next day
"Rope, their rituals don't seem to be much different from what Eiichi and the others described earlier."
Whitley said to Rope while recording the relevant contents of the ritual track.
Rope also nodded. There was no discrepancy with what Eiichi and the others had described, but the discrepancy with what Rope had done in it at that time was huge.
After all, the way he sacrificed like that at that time, if it was really a god that could have celestial sympathy it would have definitely sent down divine punishment on Rope.
The villagers didn't look very respectful either, the old people in front of them were very respectful. And the one leading the sacrifice was the same uncle Whitley and the others had interviewed earlier. But now it looked like the old man's heart was still in awe of the ceremony itself.
The middle-aged people in the middle and the new generation all looked bored and businesslike. And the small children after them were even more squinty and playful. If the old people in front hadn't been too serious, I guess it wouldn't have been strange at all for these little ones to laugh out Rope.
"Such sacrifices should be extinct in another ten years or so." Diana said with some emotion.
As a mythology scholar, she of course hoped that this kind of sacrifice could be passed down. That way it would be a little easier for them to study the civilization of the ancients.
However, she also knew that not all customs could be preserved under the onslaught of increasingly stronger new civilizations. Because we would always subconsciously use 'good' or 'bad' to refer to the nature of a certain civilization.
It is only natural that the bad civilizations would be wiped out by the good ones.
It is also true that wars between civilizations often end with the demise of a particular civilization.
And then it ends with the fruits of the previous civilization being digested and absorbed by that civilization.
So the loss of a civilization is simply normal.
And at that moment, Rope's ears heard their prayer.
"Great creator god, your light spreads throughout the world
Noble God of Creation, Your justice connects the ages.
Holiness God of Creation, Your goodness lives and dies.
Most high, most great, most holy God of creation, every corner of this world praises Your name.
We implore Your gaze, we implore Your forgiveness, we implore Your shelter.
We will walk through the world with Your glory.
Your devotees, thirst for Your grace!"
So is the God of Creation, or is it not Arceus?
The question came to Rope's mind.