Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

The saying goes that it's better to guide than to block. Last time, we had no choice but to seal them. This time, we hope to take the form of dialogue and reach a mutual understanding with the two gods.

From a practical standpoint, it is certainly difficult, but not entirely impossible. The biggest problem at present is how to completely suppress the two gods, which requires summoning the power of the Sky God once again.

"The Sky God resides beyond the atmosphere. Even though humanity can now launch satellites into space, the environment outside the atmosphere remains largely unfamiliar. If we wish to transmit our will to the Sky God, we can only rely on the power of the Star of Prayer for the time being..."

It's not that technology hasn't progressed, but it doesn't seem to have progressed to the point of being able to communicate with the gods. After all that, we still have to use primitive methods. But the problem with primitive methods is that Jirachi awakens once every thousand years, and each awakening lasts for seven days. In other words, it's a power that can only be used at specific times.

"Now is that millennium. Given that the seal between the two gods cannot possibly last longer than another millennium, this is the last chance in every sense of the word... That is why I hope to get your help. To appease the anger of the two gods, we must need someone who can communicate with them..."

That would require the use of a ritual to communicate with the gods that has been passed down since ancient times, and the rightful inheritors of this ritual are the shrine master and his wife, as well as Fuyou, the shrine maiden.

"Ah, so the Kagura dance I've been learning since I was little has such complicated uses? I thought it was just something to do for fun..."

Hibiscus couldn't help but stick out her tongue, while the shrine master and his wife sighed helplessly, "...That's a ritual dance to communicate with the gods, that's why we said, never mind."

There's really not much to say, because with the two gods sealed away, the biggest use of this Kagura dance so far is actually just for fun.

"Then I wanted to know, what exactly does a divine body represent..."

Luo Wei took out the Navigator. Xiao Yao had just photographed the specific appearance of the divine body, which was two spherical gems, one red and one blue. The surface had crystalline facets, so it was not a regular circle, but the general structure was like a pearl.

Then, naturally, a symbol emerged from the inside of each of the two jewels.

Although they might seem like mysterious or special markings, the two symbols are actually quite easy to distinguish: the symbol in the red orb is "Ω," while the symbol in the blue orb is "α"...

Omega and Alfa represent the Greek letters for "end" and "origin," respectively. The ocean god corresponds to "origin," which is easy to explain: the ocean is the mother of all things, and all life originates from the ocean.

The earth represents "the end," which is easy to explain. From this perspective, there must be a third force that connects the origin and the end.

This is the god of the sky...

Lowe retrieved the meteorite he had kept there; it had a very conspicuous symbol on it…

...“∞”

Origin and end, and what connects them is "infinity," or rather, "reincarnation"...

This explains it perfectly. Just as Lowe thought, the infinite flow from beginning to end is the perfect interpretation of the principle of balance!

"This is 'balance'!"

Chapter 235 Two Candidates

In short, it seems that the power of the three gods must be combined to achieve a balanced situation. As for the specific operational procedures, it is necessary to utilize the rituals of the Meteor People and those that inherit the precious orb.

"Regarding this..." The old man got up and left, returning shortly with several ancient books, "...there are indeed some relevant records about the divine body."

These ancient books are undoubtedly over a thousand years old, and mysteriously, they are remarkably well-preserved. This is partly because they have always been kept and passed down by the local shrine. Since the lineage has not been broken, the ancient books have naturally been passed down as family heirlooms.

Secondly, it is because the ancient books themselves seem to be made of some rather special materials, so much so that even without any insurance measures, there would be no problem in flipping through them with bare hands.

The book contains not only text but also corresponding illustrations, and the colors and brushstrokes are so lifelike that it looks brand new.

This reminded Luo Wei of the murals in the caves of the Wudou Town ruins. He guessed they were made by the same group of people using the same techniques, which explained it.

In short, this ancient book does indeed record information related to the precious jade. According to the book, it is a tool for communicating with the gods, combining "human will" with "divine power," and guiding out new miracles.

"...We naturally don't know the specifics of the situation."

After all, this thing was never actually used by the current shrine master, so for more than a thousand years it was simply kept in the shrine.

Luo Wei knew that this thing required a corresponding trainer; it was essentially a large Mega Stone, and was actually a connecting object used to communicate the wills of the two gods.

"If that's the case, then it's equivalent to needing two trainers to work with the power of the precious gem to communicate with the gods!"

Originally, Hibiscus would have been the most suitable candidate, given her strength as a Ghost-type Elite Four member and her close connection to the project. However, since she is also a priestess, she had to be in charge of presiding over the ceremony when the plan began…

Similarly, the shrine master and his wife are the same; moreover, the two elderly people are quite old, and such dangerous work is indeed not suitable for them.

Then, everyone's attention turned to Luo Wei, who quickly took out the meteorite from his hand.

"As for me, I'll be responsible for communicating with the Sky God through the meteorite, so I probably won't have the extra energy to use the precious jade. Besides, there are two precious jades, so we'll need at least two people..."

Anyway, Rowe alone is definitely not enough. As for Higanbana, like Fleur, she also needs to be in charge of the Meteor Dwellers' part of the ritual to awaken Jirachi at the start of the operation.

After all this calculation, we are missing at least two sufficiently powerful trainers. As for the other gym leaders, their strength is definitely not an issue, but there are other key factors besides strength.

First, it is essential to ensure that the person possessing the precious jade has a strong will and will not be negatively affected by the power of the two gods carried by the jade. On the other hand…

...The trainers who manipulate the two orbs and the trainers who coordinate and manipulate the meteor must have sufficient understanding, because the key is to achieve "balance," so their understanding is very important.

This narrowed down the pool of candidates several times, and coincidentally, Luo Wei had a suitable candidate in his possession...

"Which one?"

Furong was also very curious about who the right person was in Luo Wei's mind. Luo Wei calmly pointed to his navigator and paused on the scene where he had just communicated with Xiaoyao.

"Haruka? Hmm, she does seem quite suitable~"

After all, May is Rowe's childhood friend, and they do have a considerable level of understanding. Moreover, in terms of strength, she is definitely among the top tier of the new generation of trainers.

At least if Haruka were to take on this position, everyone else would think it would be quite suitable, after all, she inherited the power of the ultimate technique and Mega Evolution...

But this is only one of them; there is still one more person to be chosen. Luo Wei said with a smile.

"Let Haruka control the Earth God's orb. She has mastered the ultimate secret of fire and has some understanding of it. As for the Ocean God's jewel, isn't the right person right in front of us?"

Luo Wei turned his gaze to Naki, who immediately snapped out of her daze.

"Ah, that man?"

"Yes, I think that gentleman would certainly be able to handle it."

Indeed, although in Naki's mind, he was a man whose words and actions usually revealed a frivolous nature, at least when it came to important matters, this man was never ambiguous.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with important tasks by the League so many times. In short, he is one of the most trusted people in the Hoenn region at this moment.

But here's the problem: as Luo Wei just said, the best candidate would be someone he could work with. In that respect, that man is definitely strong enough, but he's never had any direct contact with Luo Wei, so where does this work-in-progress come from?

"In my opinion, good rapport doesn't necessarily require spending a lot of time together. If people have similar temperaments and personalities, they'll naturally develop good rapport."

This is indeed true, which means that Rowe believed he and that man were quite compatible in terms of personality and temperament.

On this point, Naki couldn't find any fault with it for the time being; in fact, she found it quite convincing.

Because that man was indeed quite fond of Rowe from the beginning, and had expressed his desire to exchange Pokémon-related experiences with Rowe on various occasions.

Not only in Pokémon battles, but also in Pokémon Contests, the other side is very interested.

After confirming this, the basic tactics were finalized.

"Then, let Higanbana continue to deceive Wutong, making him responsible for breaking the seal and releasing the two gods. This way, at least we can control the progress of the two gods' unsealing. Then, in coordination with the breaking of the seal on the two gods, we will begin to use the ritual to call upon the Sky God. I will use the meteorite to communicate with the Sky God, while Xiaoyao and the others are suitable for using the Divine Body Orb to communicate with the two gods..."

In short, after the two gods are freed, they will inevitably go into a frenzied state where they cannot hear any communication. The power of the Sky God must be used to suppress the two gods before there is any possibility of further dialogue.

"Well, we'll probably have to wait until all the personnel are finalized before deciding on the tactics. Until then, let's contact Mr. Mikkelsen first."

Chapter 236 The Plan Begins

Now that the decision has been made, the next step is naturally to contact Mikoli, this very busy man.

Previously, in order to deal with the frequent occurrences of Ultra Beasts in various places, Wallace and Steven traveled around the Hoenn region, which was quite a lot of work.

Daigo is, after all, the champion, and he doesn't usually have any work that requires him to stay at his dojo for long periods of time. But Wallace is different; he is, after all, a gym leader, and naturally, he can't leave his gym for extended periods of time.

Therefore, while taking care of the gym, he also had to deal with Ultra Beasts, so he was naturally very busy on both fronts. Fortunately, Ultra Beasts have been quiet for quite a while recently, which has given Wallace a chance to catch his breath and rest.

However, it was clear that Naki, as the girlfriend, had no qualms about ordering her boyfriend around to do serious business. She calmly took out her Navigator and dialed the number.

After all, it was a call from his girlfriend herself, and the speed at which the other end answered was astonishing. It was almost as if the phone rang only once after it was connected, and the man immediately answered it without saying a word.

"...Yes, although I have very important matters to attend to right now, these can be put on hold for a while. Do you have any advice for me, my dear goddess?"

"...Do you have something urgent to say?"

Naqi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Although she didn't mind ordering the other person around, if the other person really had something important to do, Naqi was definitely not the type to be a troublesome girlfriend. Instead, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Then I won't bother you any longer. You can finish your important work first..."

"Of course, it's something important—a moment to cleanse my soul by witnessing the beautiful forms of my beloved Pokémon. However, it's okay to extend it by a few minutes~"

"..."

At that moment, Naqi came to a conclusion: she had actually believed for a split second that this man might say something serious; it must have been because she had been too tired lately.

"...Lord Rowe has finalized his plan and hopes you can help."

Upon hearing this, Mikoli immediately dropped his flippant tone. "I see. It's about the two gods? That certainly can't be neglected. Hmm, to be on the safe side, I'll come in person..."

As she said this, Naki flipped the Navigator in her hand, showing the image inside to Rowe.

"Nice to meet you..."

Their eyes met, and they spoke in unison. Although they said the same thing, the unspoken understanding between them at that moment was just like that of old friends who had known each other for many years.

"Haha, even though it's our first meeting, I don't feel any awkwardness at all!"

"Of course, I've heard about Luo Wei's amazing feats along the way. It's truly an incredible journey, especially that duel with Lord Qianli. To be able to defeat the serious Lord Qianli is truly admirable."

Michael had been keeping an eye on Rowe's actions all along, something Rowe knew from the start. In fact, almost all the gym leaders had been paying attention to this promising newcomer to varying degrees...

Furthermore, Michael is Daigo's best friend and Rukia's mentor. Based on this, we can learn a lot about Rowe just from these two.

"Then, could you briefly explain to me if there's anything you need me to do?"

Luo Wei, of course, was equally forthcoming, giving a brief explanation of his plan, which Mikoli listened to attentively from beginning to end.

"I see. So someone needs to communicate with the two gods through the jade, so as to convey our will not to fight to the other? This is truly a great responsibility..."

After all, if one of these things goes wrong, it could anger the two gods. One must have a strong personal will to successfully communicate with the two gods.

Among them, Haruka is, after all, a "formidable rival," and is herself a template for half a protagonist. Her personal will, talent, and ability are beyond doubt.

Lo Wei had a perfect protagonist template, meaning that only this last candidate needed to be considered. In the end, Lo Wei decided on Mikoli, believing that this man definitely had a strong desire for peace.

Or rather, any Pokémon trainer who truly loves Pokémon would not want to see the devastation caused by the uncontrolled power of the two gods.

Therefore, although he felt a great responsibility, Mikoli did not hesitate at all. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded decisively and readily in response.

"No problem, just as I wish..."

If one can contribute to the peace of the Hoenn region through their own efforts, then that is indeed exactly what this man wished for.

“Very good. Then, Xiaoyao will come and bring the jade to Mr. Michael. We can discuss the details of the plan then…”