Chapter Fifty-Two: The Giant Pokémon

Cheng Cheng realized that the system’s translation had jumbled the order of the words. Since the system translated the text based on the unknown totems on the wall, the incorrect sequence in the translation meant the totems themselves were out of order. He examined the unknown totems on the wall, but he had no idea which ones were misplaced.

“System, adjust the sequence of the words, and then adjust the order of the totem symbols.”

A minute later, the system had rearranged all the text. Cheng Cheng compared the image-based script provided by the system to the symbols on the wall. He noticed that seven of the totems were in the wrong positions. He reached out, intending to move them, but was immediately attacked by the totems.

“Unknown totems, your positions are incorrect. Please adjust them.”

Cheng Cheng tried to communicate telepathically, but the totems gave no response.

“Unknown totem, your position is wrong. You should be over here.”

Once again, silence. But Cheng Cheng noticed something: as he mentally instructed the totems to swap places, they trembled ever so slightly. Suddenly, he realized he might be able to use his psychic powers to move them.

He focused his psychic energy and tried to shift one of the totems downward. But the amount of power required was immense—moving just one exhausted him completely. When he finished, he collapsed on the ground, utterly drained. He tried having Kirlia use telekinesis to move the totems, but they remained immovable.

Cheng Cheng had no choice but to rest before continuing. With the help of the Mind Stone, his psychic energy recovered faster, but it still took a long time to finish moving all seven totems.

Once he was done, a thought struck him—why had he even bothered? He already understood the meaning of the text behind the totems. Had he just acted out of compulsion? He questioned himself, feeling rather foolish for all the effort he had just spent.

He was exhausted from the prolonged use of his psychic powers. After consulting the system, he saw that a whole day had passed. He pulled out his sleeping bag and lay down on the ground, deciding to sleep here. The strain of using his powers left him deeply fatigued, and he quickly drifted off.

But when Cheng Cheng awoke the next day, he found the world around him completely changed. He was no longer in the dark ruins, but in a vast, brightly lit expanse. The area resembled the wilderness—a huge open field, with towering trees in the distance.

And then he saw them—Pokémon?

Cheng Cheng was stunned by the Pokémon around him. Were these the ones he’d seen before? They were enormous—these weren’t just ordinary Pokémon, but giants.

He spotted a distant Bulbasaur, but it was so huge it was almost the size of a Venusaur. Nearby was a Squirtle, but its size was comparable to a Blastoise. Yet they were clearly Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

Had he shrunk? Or was he on some sort of giant Pokémon island, like the one Ash once visited? But those were just amusement park attractions, weren’t they?

He observed the Pokémon more closely and noticed distinctive patterns on their bodies. Bulbasaur had green markings, while Squirtle’s shell was marked with blue. The designs seemed familiar—he remembered that in the Kanto region, there had been reports of three colossal ancient Pokémon, remnants from a bygone era.

So, the Pokémon before him must be ancient Pokémon. Most ancient Pokémon were thought to be extinct, with only a few surviving under special circumstances. Their numbers should be low—so why were there so many here?

Looking around, Cheng Cheng saw hundreds of gigantic Pokémon living in harmony. Suddenly, a massive shadow passed overhead. Cheng Cheng looked up: an Aerodactyl, but far larger than any he knew—easily seven or eight meters in length, when the ones he’d heard of were barely over two meters.

The Aerodactyl swooped overhead, and the gust nearly toppled Cheng Cheng, sending him rolling across the ground.

Then the Aerodactyl circled back, and he was knocked down again. The Aerodactyl seemed to find this amusing, repeatedly buzzing him until he could only hug the ground.

But the Aerodactyl wasn’t finished. It caught Cheng Cheng in its talons.

“Let me go!”

Surprised that its tiny catch could speak, the Aerodactyl grew even more curious. It gripped Cheng Cheng tightly and soared through the air, making his world spin.

Perhaps bored, the Aerodactyl suddenly shot skyward, then released him.

“Ah! Help!” Cheng Cheng screamed, plummeting toward the ground. The Aerodactyl made no move to catch him.

As the ground rushed up, Cheng Cheng suddenly remembered—he had Pokémon! He reached for his belt, but found nothing.

He froze in terror, watching the ground approach. He shut his eyes and braced for the end.

But he never struck the earth. He was caught once again in the Aerodactyl’s claws.

Again, the Aerodactyl carried him high—then tossed him down. Again and again, up and down, until Cheng Cheng’s mind and body felt utterly wrecked. He nearly vomited mid-air; had anyone been below, they might have shared his suffering.

On one drop, something slammed into him, altering his descent from vertical to horizontal. He steadied himself and found he had landed on the back of a Pokémon even larger than the Aerodactyl—a Charizard.

Cheng Cheng had no idea where this Charizard was taking him. With his own Pokémon missing, he couldn’t dismount on his own, so he tried to persuade the Charizard to land.

“Charizard, can you hear me? Could you land and let me off?”

Charizard made no response, continuing to soar ahead. Cheng Cheng gave up and lay down on its broad back, drifting into sleep—he’d been battered enough by Aerodactyl.

He awoke abruptly to find himself plummeting through the sky—he must have rolled off while asleep. He found it nearly unbelievable that he’d fallen from such a massive Charizard’s back, but that wasn’t the issue—he was now falling at alarming speed.

Below him stretched a vast lake—at least he wouldn’t die from the fall. But as he neared the surface, he saw a huge open mouth waiting—another Pokémon. He was caught perfectly in its jaws.

Cheng Cheng grabbed at the massive, hard teeth, pulling himself free from between them. He surfaced, scrambling for the shore, utterly spent.

That was close—he’d nearly been eaten alive, and still didn’t know what Pokémon that was.

He turned to survey his surroundings: behind him was the giant lake that had almost claimed his life. From above, it might look like a mere lake, but it was so vast, it could easily be mistaken for a sea. Behind him, a forest of towering trees—a perfect example of an untamed wilderness.

Ripples broke the lake’s surface, and several enormous tadpoles leapt out—Poliwags, Cheng Cheng guessed, though these were nearly his size.

He wanted to check the Pokémon’s data, but realized his system was missing as well. He sat down to think. The last thing he remembered was resting in the ruins; now, his Poké Balls and system were gone. What had happened? Was this a dream? The pain in his body suggested otherwise.

If it wasn’t a dream, then the unknown totems must be to blame. He’d used all his strength to rearrange their positions, thinking it was pointless, but it had clearly triggered something.

The number of gigantic Pokémon around him was growing. Where there’s water, Pokémon will gather. For his own safety, Cheng Cheng decided to head into the forest.

He ventured into the woods, noting how the trees dwarfed those from any forest he’d ever known. Now, without his Pokémon, he had to move carefully—any misstep could be fatal. He hoped to avoid all wild Pokémon, reasoning that as long as he kept to himself, he’d be fine. He seemed to have forgotten about the Aerodactyl that had just tormented him.

He pressed on, when suddenly a rustling came from the nearby bushes. Instantly, he activated his psychic sense, identifying a Pokémon nearby.

Please, let it not be a ferocious one, he thought. I’m done for if it is. I don’t want to die yet—I haven’t even gotten married!

It was coming!