The Victini from the past had vanished, so wouldn't that mean the Victini from the future might no longer remember what they had experienced together?
Naoki didn't know. But life, as always, continued.
Mew and Teddiursa took a long time to come to terms with Victini's disappearance. In the end, they made a decision: they would return to Aintoak in the Unova region to search for their friend.
The two Pokémon set out on their journey, and the ranch returned to its quiet, peaceful rhythm.
Naoki resumed his usual routine, working at the gym on weekdays and spending weekends at home with his Pokémon and his wife, Iono.
But then, on an ordinary afternoon, the ranch welcomed an unexpected visitor.
Naoki had just returned from Levincia when he saw a small, familiar figure waiting for him at home.
A petite body, signature V-shaped ears, and a pair of bright, ocean-blue eyes.
Victini?!
Naoki froze, stunned.
Even Iono was surprised, though Koraidon simply looked on with an expression that said, 'I knew it would find its way back.'
"Nini~!" Victini chirped joyfully.
It zipped forward and hovered in front of Naoki.
"Do you… remember me?" Naoki asked hesitantly.
"Nini!" Victini replied without a moment's doubt.
It was the same Victini! After disappearing in the past, it had woken up once again in Aintoak, only this time, with new memories in its head.
Not only did it remember teaming up with Naoki to travel back in time and save the old king, but it also remembered seeing its future self return to help that very king. Two different timelines, and yet they had merged.
Victini didn't really know how to explain it.
All it could say was… it was truly magical.
Naoki understood immediately.
Just like Arceus during the events in Michina, Victini's memory had been corrected by the flow of time.
It hadn't disappeared at all. It had returned to the future.
"Nini…" Victini grumbled, puffing its cheeks slightly.
It explained that after it came back to the present, it tried to find its way back to Naoki, Mew, and Teddiursa, but since it had originally come to the ranch by Dragonite, it didn't know the route.
It wandered lost for quite some time, bumping into obstacle after obstacle. Finally, a migrating Kilowattrel, who had visited Naoki's Pokémon Tarven many times, pointed it in the right direction.
Naoki exhaled in relief. "I'm so glad you're okay."
Then something occurred to him, and he asked quickly, "Wait—have you seen Mew and Teddiursa?"
"Nini?" Victini blinked in confusion.
"They didn't believe you were really gone," Naoki explained. "A few days ago, they left for Aintoak to search for you. They're probably there now."
"Nini…" Victini shook its head. It hadn't seen them at all.
"I see…" Naoki nodded. "You must have left Aintoak just as they arrived. You missed each other."
"We need to let them know!" Naoki quickly pulled out his Rotom Phone. "They'll be so happy to hear this."
The call connected.
As he expected, Mew and Teddiursa were currently sitting on the terrace of the Earth Sword Castle, looking a little downhearted.
"Miu?"
"Teddi?"
Seeing Naoki's face on the screen, they both perked up.
Naoki grinned. "Guess who showed up at the ranch?"
Before they could guess, Victini flew into frame, beaming with joy.
"Nini!"
Mew and Teddiursa gasped.
"Miu!"
"Teddi!"
Naoki chuckled. "Victini's okay. The reason you didn't find it in Aintoak is because it had already left to find you. You just missed each other."
Excited, Mew and Teddiursa promised to return home right away.
"Okay," Naoki said. "We'll be waiting."
After the call ended, Naoki invited Victini to join him for tea and some freshly baked Poképuffs.
Victini stuffed its cheeks, all while recounting everything that happened after their departure.
After Naoki and the others returned to the future, the two princes finally came to their senses. They stood on the blood-stained plains, remorseful as they faced the aftermath of their war.
They returned to the castle and officially withdrew from the succession. In an act of humility and reflection, they handed over the two stones, Reshiram and Zekrom's dormant forms to their father, the old king.
Years later, the old king passed away peacefully.
Before the old king passed away, he entrusted the two stones to Victini, hoping that someday, Victini would deliver them to the traveler from the future.
The king believed in Naoki. He had seen him cross time and space, face down two legendary dragons, and stand by Victini's side. Anyone willing to take on such a challenge for the sake of others was surely a man of kindness and courage.
The old king no longer wished for anyone to use the dragons' power for war. And so, he left Reshiram and Zekrom's stones in Victini's care.
"Nini…"
As Victini finished telling the story, it gently reached toward its chest, and then, as if from a hidden dimension, it drew out two glowing stones.
One was dark as midnight. The other, white as the morning sky.
They hovered in the air for a moment before Victini carefully handed them to Naoki.
Naoki stared, stunned. He took the two stones into his hands and looked down at them in disbelief.
The stones didn't move or shine, but information immediately surfaced in his mind.
[Light Stone]: The dormant form of Reshiram. Said to await the arrival of a hero who seeks truth.
[Dark Stone]: The dormant form of Zekrom. Said to await the arrival of a hero who pursues ideals.
So... the old king had truly entrusted these to him.
Reshiram and Zekrom. The legendary dragons of Unova.
The very same Pokémon that Team Plasma had desperately tried to control. And now... they were resting in his hands?
"If N and Ghetsis heard about this, they'd be foaming at the mouth," Naoki muttered, half in awe, half in disbelief.
He glanced at Victini.
But then, a troubling thought crossed his mind.
In the movie, even while in their stone forms, Reshiram and Zekrom still retained awareness and could communicate with chosen heroes. So... why hadn't they said anything yet?
'Could it be... were they still weakened from the battle a thousand years ago?'
'No. Maybe... they were just afraid of Koraidon?'
Naoki laughed nervously at the idea. That battle had been brutal. Maybe the dragons didn't want round two.
Regardless, a promise was a promise.
Naoki decided to honor the old king's final wish and safeguard the dragons where no one could misuse their power.
That very afternoon, Naoki brought the two stones to the World Tree.
The landscape here was wild and untouched, and in the center of it stood a tall, sacred mountain.
Naoki climbed to the peak. At the summit was a stone altar with two perfectly sized hollows.
He placed the Light Stone and the Dark Stone into the grooves and stepped back, exhaling deeply.
"That's that," Naoki whispered. "They'll be safe here."
"Nini~!" Victini floated beside him, proud and happy.
But just as they turned to leave, two ethereal voices echoed across the mountaintop, soft, ancient, and resonating with power.
"What is your ideal?"
"What truth do you seek?"
Naoki froze mid-step.
He turned his head to look at the Light Stone and the Dark Stone.
The two stones said nothing more, as if silently awaiting an answer from his heart.
"Nini?" Victini tilted its head. It hadn't heard anything and looked back at Naoki in confusion, wondering why he had stopped walking.
Naoki closed his eyes for a moment and silently responded in his heart:
'My dream... is to see Reshiram and Zekrom reunited as one.'
He knew the two dragons could hear the inner voice of humans. After all, Reshiram and Zekrom had once been a single being, only split into two when twin heroes with opposing ideals tore their hearts apart. What remained of their original self became Kyurem.
The Tao Trio, once whole and complete...
If there was ever a chance, Naoki wished to witness that miracle: Reshiram and Zekrom merging back into one.
The Light Stone and Dark Stone remained silent, but not dismissive. Just waiting.
Naoki smiled softly and turned to leave. "Come on, let's go."
Victini floated beside him, cheerful as always.
...
Bonus Chapter @500
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