Chapter 149
The moment Haruto realized Arceus was about to leave, a thought flashed through his mind.
This was Arceus.
The creator deity who had shaped the entire Pokémon world.
Now that Haruto had encountered such a being, he absolutely had to establish a good relationship if possible.
An opportunity like this might never come again. He could not let it slip away so easily.
If he earned Arceus’s recognition, perhaps even other Legendary Pokémon would think twice before troubling him.
Almost instinctively, Haruto called out to the departing deity.
"Lord Arceus, please wait!"
Arceus stopped.
Its green eyes settled on Haruto once more, carrying the faintest hint of curiosity.
Haruto composed himself, quickly organized his thoughts, and spoke respectfully.
"I’ve traveled through several worlds and gathered many ingredients from places beyond this one. Some of them may be of interest to you."
Haruto had no idea whether anything in his possession could truly catch Arceus’s attention, but he had to try.
At his words, a subtle change passed through Arceus’s otherwise tranquil gaze.
It said nothing, but Haruto immediately knew he had made the right decision.
Without further hesitation, he opened his Gourmet Restaurant, causing a large collection of ingredients to appear within the golden space.
Jewel Meat, a Red Dragon, a Green Dragon, Puffer Whales, and many more.
Arceus swept its gaze across the otherworldly ingredients, and a distinct light appeared in its eyes.
Through its perception, it could sense that every one of them contained forms of energy completely unknown to this world.
Their structures as living organisms also differed fundamentally from Pokémon, holding countless mysteries.
Perhaps those unfamiliar energies could even be used to create entirely new Pokémon—or a new type altogether.
Arceus looked at Haruto once more.
Without making any visible movement, it caused nearly half the ingredients before him to vanish.
A third of the Jewel Meat disappeared. Only two Puffer Whales were taken, while the enormous Green Dragon vanished completely.
Most of the Red Dragon, however, remained behind.
Haruto’s heart ached at the sight.
He had worked hard to gather every one of those ingredients. None of them had been easy to obtain.
Still, beneath the pain, he also felt considerably more at ease.
Once someone accepted a gift, a connection had been formed.
By taking Haruto’s ingredients, Arceus had established at least the faintest relationship with him.
From now on, the creator deity would most likely no longer consider him an unwanted intruder, much less erase him without warning.
Trading some ingredients for safety in the Pokémon world was hardly a poor bargain.
Just as Haruto was privately celebrating, eighteen radiant Plates suddenly appeared around Arceus.
Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Dragon, Dark—
The Plates of all eighteen types surrounded its body, each releasing immense power.
In the next instant, they all erupted with dazzling light.
Eighteen beams of completely different yet equally overwhelming energy shot forth and converged in midair, forming a brilliant rainbow stream that flew toward Haruto like a falling star.
His pupils contracted.
His body instinctively tried to evade, but he forcibly suppressed the urge.
If Arceus wanted to kill him, it would have no need to summon all eighteen Plates.
This light could not be an attack.
Haruto stood perfectly still and allowed the radiant current to strike him.
There was no pain.
Instead, it flowed into his body like warm spring water, passing through every cell and sinking into the deepest part of his soul.
Haruto could clearly sense that his body, spirit, and even perception were undergoing a tremendous transformation.
Before he could carefully examine the changes, a Pokémon Egg surrounded by a gentle glow suddenly appeared before him.
Haruto reacted instinctively, extending both hands and catching it with the utmost care.
Its shell was smooth and pleasantly warm, radiating a faint yet unmistakable vitality.
And Arceus was not finished.
While Haruto held the Egg in confusion, the remaining portion of the Red Dragon suddenly transformed into a blazing crimson stream of light.
Without resistance, it flew into the Pokémon Egg and completely merged with it.
The Egg shone brilliantly for an instant before gradually returning to normal.
Haruto looked down at the Egg in his arms, felt the changes within his body, and then raised his head toward Arceus.
He opened his mouth, intending to ask what had just happened.
Arceus, however, had no interest in answering.
It vanished directly before his eyes.
Before Haruto could recover, the strange golden dimension shattered like a broken mirror.
In the next instant, he landed steadily in the forest where he had first arrived.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy and fell across his body.
The refreshing fragrance of plants surrounded him once more, while the Caterpie on the nearby branch stared at him blankly.
The ingredients Arceus had left behind had also reappeared beside him.
Haruto relaxed and prepared to return them to his Gourmet Restaurant.
The moment he activated the ability, however, unfamiliar information suddenly appeared in his mind.
He froze.
The Gourmet Restaurant had changed.
It had undergone an unimaginable transformation.
The internal space, which Haruto had only recently expanded to fifty thousand cubic meters, had increased by a hundredfold.
It now contained a staggering five million cubic meters.
Even more astonishingly, the interior had been clearly divided into two separate regions.
One side remained familiar, capable of preserving ingredients for extended periods.
The other was saturated with such dense vitality that every inch of the area overflowed with vigorous life.
What truly made Haruto’s heart pound with joy, however, was the disappearance of his previous vows and limitations.
Every restriction he had once placed upon the ability had been completely removed.
Yet none of its original functions had weakened.
On the contrary, they had all been enhanced to an extraordinary degree.
This was no longer a simple storage space.
Arceus had personally transformed it into a genuine pocket realm.
Haruto suppressed his excitement and quickly stored all the remaining ingredients.
That revealed another change.
The energy required to place items inside had fallen dramatically. Otherwise, he would never have managed to store everything at once.
Once the ingredients were safely put away, Haruto immediately wanted to test the Gourmet Restaurant’s new capabilities.
His gaze shifted toward the "baby Rayquaza" on the nearby branch.
Haruto’s sudden disappearance and equally abrupt return had clearly frightened the Caterpie.
Its enormous black eyes were stretched wide, and it lay completely motionless.
It had even forgotten the leaf beside its mouth, giving it an especially comical expression.
Haruto looked at the Caterpie with which he had somehow formed a strange connection and attempted to place it directly into the Gourmet Restaurant using only his thoughts.
Nothing happened.
That was more or less what he expected.
He approached, gently hooked a finger beneath its soft body, and lifted it into his palm before trying again.
This time, a tiny amount of Nen was consumed.
The Caterpie instantly vanished from his hand and appeared inside the life-filled region of the Gourmet Restaurant.
To further test the changes, Haruto scooped up a handful of soil, plucked a leaf, and even uprooted a small shrub.
Every one of them entered the space successfully.
Living or nonliving, the Gourmet Restaurant could now contain anything with almost no restriction.
Haruto then sent his consciousness inside and clearly "saw" the Caterpie.
After a brief period of panic and confusion, it wiggled its round body toward the leaf he had stored and happily began chewing again.
At that sight, Haruto could no longer suppress his smile.
"Thank you, Arceus."
The gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.
His Gourmet Restaurant had now become a crude but genuine pocket world.
Given enough time and nourishment, it might someday evolve into a complete, independent realm of its own.
Driven by excitement, Haruto attempted to enter the Gourmet Restaurant himself.
The instant the thought formed, his body vanished from the forest.
A moment later, he was standing inside the space.
To his even greater delight, Haruto felt like the absolute ruler of this world while he was within it.
With a single thought, he could freely control everything inside.
His playful side immediately emerged.
Using only his mind, he manipulated the ingredients he had stored. Flames, cookware, and seasonings all moved in perfect order under his control.
Before long, a fragrant meal was complete.
After eating his fill, Haruto placed the Pokémon Egg Arceus had given him at the very center of the life-filled region.
Only then did he leave the Gourmet Restaurant and return to the forest.