"Hmm, you're right."
Shoumei nodded and then shared some additional information. "The Pokémon League may be the dominant force in this world, but it has actually only been established for three and a half years."
"Three and a half years?"
"The current date in this world is Alliance Year 3, June 10th. That means this is the third year since the Pokémon League was founded."
As Shoumei spoke, she retrieved two books from the back. "Take a look at these."
Pokédex
Pokémon Island
Asuna and Kirito exchanged glances before each took one of the books.
"Isn't this a Bulbasaur?! This page… is information about Bulbasaur?"
Asuna had opened the Pokédex and was visibly surprised. "How many kinds of Pokémon are there?"
She glanced at the thick book in her hands—it was nearly ten centimeters thick. If each page contained details about a single Pokémon, that would mean this book documented over a thousand Pokémon!
"Turn to the next page."
Shoumei gestured for Asuna to continue flipping through.
"Ivysaur? Venusaur? What does this mean?"
Asuna stared at the illustrations, noting the similarities to Bulbasaur. Her eyes widened in realization.
"Evolution. You can think of these as Bulbasaur's second and third stages. As long as it meets the evolution conditions, Bulbasaur can evolve."
"There was no such mechanic in SAO."
"Because SAO is just a game, whereas this world is real—the place where all Pokémon originate."
Shoumei took the Pokédex back from Asuna and quickly flipped to some later pages.
Weavile
Floragato
Meowscarada
Asuna immediately understood—these were the evolutions of Sneasel and Sprigatito.
"I never expected our little Sprigatito to evolve into something so beautiful—it's been gorgeous from the start!"
Kirito leaned in to take a look as well.
As for Weavile's evolved appearance, Kirito didn't have any particular thoughts—it just looked stronger.
"This book isn't the main focus. You can take your time reading it later. Check out this one instead."
Shoumei closed the Pokédex and pointed to the other book. "This one not only explains the structure of the Pokémon League but also covers information about gods and other worlds. You're going to find something truly shocking in here."
Gulp.
Kirito and Asuna exchanged glances and swallowed nervously.
Shoumei was a woman who had remained calm and in control even in SAO, a death game. If even she described something as shocking, then the contents of this book had to be beyond extraordinary.
"Gods?!"
"Other worlds?!"
They belatedly registered the two key phrases Shoumei had just mentioned.
Even without reading the book yet, they were already feeling the impact of what was to come.
"Yes, gods do exist in this world. Most of them are unique Pokémon. However, there is one god who is human—and he is also the most divine of them all. The people of this world call him the 'Creator God.'"
As she mentioned this being, Shoumei's expression turned strange. She tapped her finger against the book, signaling them to open it and see for themselves.
"A 'Creator God'…?"
Asuna instinctively tried to deduce what this god had done.
With such a title, the first thing that came to mind was the act of creating the world.
While Asuna was still lost in thought, Kirito had already flipped open the book. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw.
"This otherworldly realm… there aren't just one or two, but four?!"
"What do you mean?"
Asuna leaned in closer.
"This book states that three other worlds have established a 'link' with Pokémon Island. People from these worlds can travel between them. Pokémon Island serves as the central world, and one of the three subsidiary worlds is the very place we came from—Aincrad."
Kirito felt his throat go dry.
Just then, Shoumei returned from the counter with three cups of coffee and some Pokémon-themed pastries.
"In the beginning, there was only the 'Maritime World.' Then, approximately one new world was added each year, linking up with Pokémon Island. Aincrad happened to be the third. And more will continue to appear in the future."
Shoumei added details not written in the book. "This information comes from the store owner. He's a Trainer from the Maritime World and has known about this for a long time."
"No wonder there are so many different races in this world! Does that mean we can travel to the other worlds?"
Asuna's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Shoumei expectantly.
Kirito, too, couldn't help but focus back on the conversation.
Just from the names alone, they could already infer the nature of these worlds—it was incredibly tempting.
Pokémon Island: A world full of Pokémon.
Maritime World: A vast oceanic world where sailing and exploration ruled.
Ninja World: A realm where people mastered the art of ninjutsu.
Each of these worlds was enticing in its own way—especially the third one. As citizens of Japan, they felt an innate curiosity and longing for such a place.
"I don't know."
Shoumei shook her head.
"Eh?"
"No one has tried it yet. It's mainly because time has been too short, and there are too many restrictions."
"What do you mean?"
Kirito was puzzled.
"There's only one place with a teleportation array on Pokémon Island—the Pokémon League Base Hall in League City. That means we'd have to travel to League City in order to use the teleportation system."
Shoumei flipped the book to a page introducing League City.
"Then we just have to go there, right?"
"If it were that easy, we players wouldn't still be stuck in Yggdrasil, working hard to make money."
Shoumei sighed and shook her head, then reached out to ruffle her best friend's hair. "Do you even realize how far League City is from Yggdrasil?"
"How far?"
Asuna furrowed her brows, trying to estimate a large enough number. "It shouldn't be more than 4,000 kilometers, right?"
After all, the north-south distance of Japan was only a little over 3,000 kilometers, which was already quite far—it would take five to six hours by plane.
"18,000 kilometers."
"What?!" ×2
The moment Kirito and Asuna heard this number, they were utterly shocked, their mouths wide open enough to fit an entire egg.
"That's almost as far as the east-to-west distance of the entire Asian continent!"
Kirito clenched his fists. He never imagined that the distance between two cities could be this vast.
"How long would it take us to reach League City?"
Asuna's face showed disappointment. She had been hoping to travel with Kirito and their Pokémon to explore other places.
"Actually, it wouldn't take that long—about three days. There's a train running between League City and Yggdrasil, but the ticket prices aren't cheap, which is why we have to work."
Shoumei weakly raised a finger. "And don't think that just having money means you can go to League City."
She, the former Vice President of Japan's Animal Protection Association, was now struggling with money in another world—what a joke.
At this moment, Shoumei really wished she could transfer at least eighty or ninety percent of her assets from Japan to use here.
"What do you mean?"
"League City holds a special status on Pokémon Island. Unless it's a holiday or a globally significant event, regular people aren't allowed to enter or leave. Only League staff members and their families have that privilege."
Shoumei pointed to the section in the book describing League City. "This means that on regular days, people from other worlds have little chance to come to Pokémon Island, and vice versa."
"Why is that?"
Kirito frowned as he flipped through the book, struggling to understand the reasoning.
"To prevent Pokémon Island from falling into chaos."
Shoumei had been curious about this before, and she eventually got the answer from the store owner. "Before establishing a 'link' with Pokémon Island, both the Maritime World and the Ninja World were filled with death and warfare. You could be walking down the street one moment and be killed the next."
"I get it now. It's only been a few years since peace arrived in those worlds. There are probably still many criminals and dangerous individuals lurking around. The Pokémon League's policy is likely an effort to filter out these people, allowing time for the other worlds to stabilize. Once the overall level of civilization improves, they might fully open travel."
"Well, who knows? We can only speculate."
Shoumei remained neutral about Kirito's theory.
To her, Kirito was still a bit too naive. If Shoumei had to guess, there was probably also an element of maintaining power, authority, and control involved in this decision.
"Wait… Kirito, look at this."
At that moment, Asuna suddenly spoke up.
Shoumei glanced at what Asuna had found, then smirked mischievously. She fixed her gaze on the two, eager to enjoy their upcoming reactions.
"What is it? The Pokémon League's leadership structure?"
Kirito looked at the page Asuna was reading.
[First Pokémon League Champion - Dak]
[First Dawn Shadow - Uchiha Madara]
"Wait a second! Isn't this 'Arceus' and 'Madara'?! Why are they in this world?!"
The sight of these two names instantly set off Kirito's excitement.
And he had every reason to be excited—if these two figures existed in this world, did that mean his mentor, Izuna, was here too?!
"'Arceus' is this world's only human god, the 'Creator God' Dak, and also the first Champion of the Pokémon League. As for 'Madara,' he was Dak's partner, the one who helped bring peace to the Ninja World."
Shoumei grinned widely.
(End of Chapter)
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