Chapter 203: Giratina, Light and Shadow
Chapter 203: Giratina, Light and Shadow
If he gave up now, that delicious bowl of Poison Mushroom Soup would go to waste.
The thought left Naoki feeling rather reluctant.
However, the poison in the soup was no trivial matter, and consuming it could potentially have irreversible effects on his body if he wasn't careful.
To be safe, Naoki decided to pay a visit to the town's hospital for a check-up and to consult a doctor.
So, that afternoon, Naoki rode on his Golurk towards the human hospital in town.
After a series of tests, the doctor in a white coat and half-rimmed glasses looked at the test results and said, "You have nothing to worry about. Your body is as healthy as a Kentauros running across the vast plains!"
Naoki: "..." What kind of analogy is that?
Noticing his expression, the doctor asked, "Is there something troubling you?"
"Not exactly," Naoki shook his head. "I just wanted to ask, if a human were to be poisoned and then treated with an antidote or a Pecha Berry, would there still be any irreversible effects on the body?"
Upon hearing this, the doctor fell into thought. "That question delves into the realm of Pokemon medicine. While we are humans, there are certain aspects where we overlap with Pokemon."
Naoki: "Like what?"
The doctor explained, "For instance, humans can use Pecha Berries to cure poisoning, or apply a blend of Berries to heal burns. It's quite fascinating."
Naoki had expected as much, but he still found himself surprised. "So, are humans considered a type of Pokemon then?"
Doctor: "Some scholars hold that belief, while others argue that humans are distinct. It's a debate akin to the ancient scholars discussing geocentrism and heliocentrism."
"I personally believe humans are unique. After all, we don't possess the extraordinary abilities that Pokemon have. But I digress."
"Rest assured, as long as the poison is neutralized before it becomes fatal, there won't be any lasting effects. The human body is incredibly resilient!"
Naoki: "..."
He nodded, not adding anything further.
However, he didn't entirely agree with the doctor's statement.
In one of the Pokemon movies, a human named Coco had used a Z-Move—a unique ability of the Pokemon Salazzle—known as Jungle Healing.
Not to mention the small number of humans in the Pokemon world who possessed supernatural abilities, like the Gym Leader from the Kanto region and one of the Elite Four members from the Unova region.
Nonetheless, Naoki had gotten the answer he sought.
—As long as he neutralized the poison in time, the soup wouldn't cause him any harm.
Naoki's curiosity got the better of him once again.
He immediately rode his Golurk back home and took the bowl of Poison Mushroom Soup out of the thermal container, placing it on the dining table.
Sitting at the table, he looked down at the soup—a gateway to the inverse world.
Several hours had passed, yet the soup still emitted a warm vapor and a fragrant aroma unique to mushrooms.
The two Medicham, always eager to help, approached as soon as they saw Naoki bringing out the soup again.
"Medicham!"
Naoki gave a slight cough. "Actually, I just got back from the hospital, and the doctor said that as long as any poisoning is treated promptly, there won't be any adverse effects. So..."
Despite his assurances, the Medicham siblings still seemed hesitant.
During their time at the ranch, they had learned about the effects of poisoning, and they knew that Pokemon suffering from severe poisoning endured tremendous pain.
Naoki munched on a piece of translated sunflower seed cake and understood their concern. He couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.
"Do you think I'll be in pain, so you don't want me to drink it?"
The siblings nodded.
But he hadn't felt any pain! Aside from the intense dizziness when his vision switched, and the subsequent weakness when he regained consciousness...
Suddenly, Naoki had an epiphany. "I know why!"
The two Medicham looked at him.
Naoki: "It's probably because I made this soup myself!"
Hearing this, the siblings immediately understood what Naoki meant.
They were well aware that the food Naoki crafted with his own hands often held mysterious and powerful properties.
Naoki happily reassured them, "Don't worry! Nothing bad will happen! Just make sure to neutralize the poison for me in time!"
Seeing his determination, the two Medicham reluctantly agreed.
The younger Medicham sister worriedly reminded him, "Medicham!"
Goleradon, who had witnessed the entire exchange, was left utterly bewildered.
What just happened?
As it was still processing what had transpired, Naoki took his second mouthful of Poison Mushroom Soup.
He had made a pact with the two Medicham, giving him fifteen minutes this time.
As he swallowed the soup, Naoki instantly felt the world spin, and his vision began to shift rapidly.
When his sight finally stabilized, Naoki found himself in Giratina's inverse world once more.
However, this time, his position wasn't in the void, but on a floating island with a reverse waterfall.
Naoki still felt a bit dizzy.
Maintaining his calm, he observed his surroundings and began to think, "A change in position...
"This must be why my location in the real world changed."
The last time he drank the Poison Mushroom Soup, he had been sitting on the sofa.
Now, he must have been teleported by the ESPer Medicham siblings to the bed in the bedroom.
Naoki tried to take a few steps and was surprised to find that he could move freely in this world.
He wanted to walk to the edge of the island to get a better look at his surroundings.
In the real world, Goleradon and the Medicham siblings watched as Naoki got up from the bed, walked to the bedside, and then crouched down to examine the situation under the bed.
Goleradon and the Medicham siblings: "?"
Goleradon, worried: "Agas?" (Are you okay, Naoki?)
The younger Medicham sister, Espy, shook her head slightly: "Aye..." (So strange...)
Her brother, Esper, on the other hand, remained calm.
He couldn't help but speculate: Perhaps it was because after consuming the Poison Mushroom Soup, Naoki could see things that were normally invisible to him?
The three Pokemon felt their heads spinning with confusion.
Just then, they saw Naoki start to wander aimlessly again.
As they watched, he nearly fell off the bed, and the older Medicham brother quickly supported him with his telekinetic powers, setting him down gently on the floor.
...
"Amazing," Naoki muttered.
He had just felt his body float, as if gravity had no effect in this place.
Now, he had reached the other side of the small island.
Here, there was a small waterfall flowing upward.
Naoki tilted his head back to look at it and, driven by curiosity, reached out to touch the waterfall but felt nothing.
"It seems I haven't truly entered the inverse world," Naoki mused.
He contemplated that the mushroom soup must have only allowed him to "see" this place, but he couldn't interact with anything here.
What was this place? The backside of the world?
Naoki suddenly recalled an ancient saying from the Sinnoh region—'Strong light casts a dark shadow.'
It existed in a state of balance and interdependence with the real world...
He gazed at the small waterfall, and information about it suddenly popped into his mind.
[Inverse World Water: Mythical ingredient. When used in a dish, it grants the ability to "turn the world upside down." It originates from the Inverse World and is guarded by the Mythical Pokemon, Giratina. Obtaining it is incredibly difficult, making it an invaluable ingredient.]
Naoki: "?"
What is this?
At that moment, Naoki's hair stood on end as he sensed an intense gaze fixated upon him.
That gaze was so powerful and carried an ancient, bone-chilling sense of oppression.
The source of that gaze...
Was behind him!
Naoki spun around and, in the void behind him, saw an enormous and ancient creature.
Its body resembled a colossal serpent, its chest and abdomen adorned with black and crimson stripes. Six golden, spear-like objects protruded from its sides, and behind it were six ghostly, pitch-black wings!
The six pairs of wing-like appendages shimmered with a dark, sinister light, their tips tinged with blood-red. Beneath the golden carapace lay a pair of lonely, cold, blood-red eyes.
In that moment, those eyes, which instilled fear in all who beheld them, were silently observing the tiny human below!
Giratina! The ruler of the inverse world! And in its Origin Forme!
Naoki felt a chill run down his spine, and he had to force himself not to plop down on the ground.
This oppressive feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced before!
Not even a fully powered Goleradon could make him feel this way!
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
There was nothing in the world but two figures, one towering over the other.
The massive Giratina looked down indifferently at the minuscule human below.
Its gaze and expression gave away none of its thoughts.
Naoki's heart pounded with anxiety.
He didn't know if Giratina could harm him in his current state, but he steeled himself to maintain eye contact with the dragon of destruction.
"No need to be afraid. In my current state, I probably can't touch anything in the inverse world, and Giratina can't touch me either!"
Even so, Naoki dared not provoke the mighty Giratina.
After all, who knew if it could use a lake or river as a mirror to enter the real world and crash his newly built home with a Shadow Force?
Regaining his composure, Naoki tried to exude a sense of goodwill and began to bluff:
"Umm... I don't mean any harm, and I'm not here to contest your territory! I just accidentally stumbled into this place!"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a hint of disdain in Giratina's eyes.
Naoki: !!!
He felt belittled.
"You were pretty pathetic in the movie when you got captured and controlled by a human-made machine!" Naoki thought to himself.
But those words remained unspoken, as the sheer might of Giratina left him with no choice but to offer an elegant and polite smile.
Just then, he felt something being fed into his mouth—a mouthful of Pecha juice.
Naoki's vision immediately returned to the real world, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at the worried Espy and Esper, as well as the injured Goleradon in front of him, then glanced down to see where he was currently located.
What was going on? Didn't he lie down on the bed after drinking the Poison Mushroom Soup?
Could it be that... when he moved in the inverse world, his body also moved in the real world?
Naoki quickly asked the three Pokemon in front of him.
As expected, they confirmed his suspicion.
"So it really is the backside of the world..." Naoki gradually freed himself from the influence of Giratina's presence.
After all, in Giratina's eyes, he, as a human, was insignificant.
It was highly unlikely that Giratina would go berserk and chase him into the real world, nor would it deign to attack him.
With this realization, Naoki felt his body relaxing, and he took the Pecha Berry from Espy and started munching on it while recounting his experience to the Pokemon:
"You have no idea what I just saw."
The siblings exchanged a glance. "Espy." (You were looking at Goleradon with a very scared expression.)
Naoki: "..."
He immediately turned his attention to Goleradon, who looked injured, and suddenly understood. "No, why would I be afraid of Goleradon?"
Naoki patted Goleradon's head, and seeing the Pokemon cheer up, he smiled and explained the effect of the Poison Mushroom Soup to them:
"After drinking the Poison Mushroom Soup, I can see another world."
Espy widened her eyes. "Espy?" Another world?
Naoki nodded. "Yes, the backside of the real world."
Unfortunately, the Pokemon didn't quite understand what he meant.
Naoki then gave them an example.
He closed the window, turned on the light, and held a book under the lamp.
In the bright light, the back of the book cast a shadow.
The three Pokemon looked down, and Naoki explained, "It's like this book. You can only see the book from where you are, but you can't see the other side of it."
"The world we live in, in places we can't see, is like this book, casting its own shadow—the shadow of the world."
"After drinking the Poison Mushroom Soup, I can see what we usually can't—the backside of the world, the realm shrouded in shadow."
Goleradon and the Medicham siblings listened with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
Esper thought out loud, "Espy?" (Is there something scary there?)
Naoki replied, "There lives a Pokemon called Giratina, the ruler of the shadow world. Humans also call that world the 'World of Ruin' or the 'Inverse World.'"
"The reason I was scared was because I saw it, and it suddenly appeared with a terrifying appearance."
Realizing that Naoki wasn't afraid of him, Goleradon immediately cheered up and jumped forward like a big Golden Retriever, happily licking Naoki.
"Alright, alright." Naoki was covered in Goleradon's slobber and helplessly pushed the Pokemon's face away.
He thought of the waterfall he had seen just before Giratina appeared.
Inverse World Water... It grants the ability to "turn the world upside down"...
Just the name sounded so high-class! His intuition told him that it was even more precious than Zapdos' feathers.
Naoki's heart stirred.
He wanted it!
(End of Chapter)
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