Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Outside, chaos reigned.
Thanks to the intelligence provided before Chi Zang's disappearance and Xu Dongran's efforts to escalate the situation, the New Sun Cult/Dawn Sect's (referred as such by the true Sun Cultists) actions had been officially classified as a terrorist attack.
The first response team had already been dispatched to the uninhabited northern region of Saizhou, consisting of joint forces from the Pokémon Association, police, and rangers—over three thousand personnel in total, with countless Pokémon in tow. Their mission was to conduct a thorough, carpet-style search of the entire northern wasteland.
Some special operations teams had even received route information from Xu Dongran—precisely where Li Zhehan's tracker signal had vanished.
Meanwhile, details of the situation had long been relayed to the Tiancheng headquarters of the Zhu Xia Pokémon Association.
An emergency meeting was convened, attended by nearly all available Master-level trainers, department heads of the Association, and even the president of the Zhu Xia Association himself.
The secretary-general held a report in hand, briefing the high-ranking officials on the current situation and explaining just what this Dawn Sect was.
At first, the higher-ups were baffled—where had this "Sun Cult" come from? How could a group this brazen have gone unnoticed in Zhu Xia for so long?
But after hearing the intelligence, they realized this was an ancient relic from centuries past, barely clinging to existence along Zhu Xia's borders.
Recently, however, an unknown force had injected new life into the cult. After internal conflict, it had transformed into a completely different entity under the guise of its old identity.
The report also detailed the persecution suffered by the Snow Cultists, recent developments, and even information about Li Xiang's family—including their personal histories.
"Foreign influence?"
Someone tapped the table. Though the term "foreign" was used, it was practically pointing fingers at neighboring regions.
"Unlikely. If they really were, they wouldn't be this blatant. And why fixate on the Snow Cult?"
Another shook his head. "Judging by their methods, they're either fanatics or have ulterior motives."
"Their goal… Tch. Not a single captive taken? What are the people in Saizhou doing? Blinded by their 'Land of Plenty' reputation?"
A high-ranking official clicked his tongue in irritation, realizing that even after two hours, they still hadn't figured out the cult's objectives.
Then, he noticed the Saizhou Association's president wasn't even present.
The person in charge isn't even here?
At the head of the table, the president of the Zhu Xia Pokémon Association—53-year-old Hei Luo—set down the documents in his hands and spoke gravely, "Where is Kalisan?"
"President Kalisan has personally led teams to raid the cult's bases in various cities. The vice president is on his way here now," the secretary-general explained smoothly.
A deserter!?
The room fell into stunned silence.
"What's that old man thinking? Putting on a show now? Trying to atone?"
A beautiful woman in a violet dress, her chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders, raised an eyebrow and spoke up.
Beside her, a Whimsicott—a small, dark-brown Pokémon with green horns and a fluffy cotton body—spun playfully, giggling to itself.
—Zhu Xia's Master-level Fairy-type trainer, the Enchantress Heavenly King, Nan Gongmeng.
"Pointless."
A black-haired man in swordsman's attire, arms crossed and a longsword cradled against his chest, kept his eyes closed as he muttered.
"Guzo!"
Behind him stood a Golisopod, its body encased in thick gray armor.
—Zhu Xia's Master-level Water-type trainer, the Abyssal Heavenly King, Mo Ye.
Two of Zhu Xia's "Big Three" were present. The strongest of them was absent due to prior commitments.
The room buzzed with discussion.
Then, the conference room doors burst open.
A man in a suit rushed in, panting, clutching documents and a USB drive. He whispered urgently into the secretary-general's ear.
The secretary-general's expression darkened as he listened.
He announced loudly, "Everyone! New intel! The Sun Cult has been using Ghost and Psychic-type Pokémon en masse to manipulate the minds of their followers—even altering memories!"
Mind control! Memory alteration!
Everyone in the room frowned.
Mind control wasn't unheard of—many powerful Psychic or Ghost-types could achieve it.
But memory alteration?
The human brain was complex, and memory was one of its greatest mysteries. Even the hippocampus, known for its role in long-term memory storage, was only part of the process.
Thus, memory alteration was an advanced technique—something only a handful of Pokémon in the world could accomplish.
Even among trainers, those capable of it were rare—countable on one hand.
"We've linked up with Saizhou's Association network!" a technician called out.
The screen behind the secretary lit up, playing a video.
A dazed man sat in a chair, eyes vacant and unfocused, drenched in sweat. He answered questions incoherently, occasionally banging his head against the wall.
This was the behavior of someone whose memories had been scrambled—fragments erased, foreign fragments inserted, creating logical conflicts and disorientation.
The screen split—first into four, then sixteen.
Sixteen videos showed people of different ages, all exhibiting similar symptoms to the first man.
"...Any of them recoverable?"
Nan Gongmeng frowned. "If not, I'll go myself!"
The beautiful woman happened to be one of the few capable of memory alteration.
But compared to crude deletion or forced insertion, restoring memories was far more difficult.
Then—
In the top-left corner of the screen, a man's eyes cleared under the assistance of a Hypno.
Several veteran officers seized the opportunity to question him.
As he spoke, the expressions of the high-ranking officials in the conference room grew increasingly grim.
The story began at the end of the previous year.
Back then, the Sun Cult—like the Snow Cult—had sought to spread its faith anew in Saizhou, riding the tide of modern development.
Things had progressed smoothly. Many new converts joined, and the Sun Cult grew in strength.
But one day, the Firewing Elder—one of the Six Great Elders—returned with a group of new followers.
They wielded formidable power and claimed to be a splinter faction that had broken away when the original Sun Cult collapsed.
Calling themselves the "true orthodox," they declared the Saizhou Sun Cultists to be nothing more than heretics—descendants of Saizhou locals, not the true believers of ancient Shenzhou.
They were, in their own words, "petty schemers" who only dared to tussle with minor sects like the Snow Cult.
They pushed for the Firewing Elder—who had one-quarter ancient Shenzhou blood—to become the new Archbishop, reforming the Sun Cult entirely.
Doctrinal reform had been the downfall of the original Sun Cult.
These newcomers even renamed it the "Dawn Sect," symbolizing the rebirth of the ancient faith.
The Sun Cultists, composed entirely of Saizhou locals, naturally resisted.
But strangely, many Saizhou members supported the reform, believing in the legitimacy of the Dawn Sect or the 'New Sun Cult' as outsiders called them.
Over time, their numbers grew—even among former hardliners who had once denounced the Dawn Sect's followers as heretics.
Finally—
On the day the original Sun Cult Archbishop was killed and the Firewing Elder ascended to the position, a faction of the old guard sensed impending doom and fled the temple.
Yet no matter how they ran, the Dawn Sect always found them— assimilating them one by one.
Their families were absorbed as well.
Once assimilated, they lost all sense of self, becoming mere weapons that obeyed orders without question—even committing crimes without hesitation.
Undoubtedly, this was the result of mind control and memory alteration.
But what made the high-ranking officials frown wasn't this tale of internal strife.
It was this: "The Dawn Sect is creating a god in their temple!"
The man on-screen—pale, trembling, eyes unfocused—spoke hoarsely. "They have a machine… a machine that drains the life from Pokémon, converting it into pure life energy!"
"They've been hunting the Snow Cult to capture their deity—to strip it of all its power and forge an invincible god of their own!"
Suddenly, the man screamed, "They've already succeeded! They've caught the 'Snow God'! They're making their god now!"
His words dissolved into madness as he began slamming his head against the wall again.
The officers restrained him, demanding the temple's location. The man only shrieked, "The northern wastes! The northern wastes!" before the feed cut to static.
Other recovered individuals gave the same answer—"the northern wastes"—before descending into the same violent frenzy.
Clearly, the memory-alterer had placed a "mental lock" on the temple's location. Any attempt to reveal it triggered insanity.
Back in the conference room—
The officials digested this information. Someone questioned what exactly the "gods" of the Snow Cult and Sun Cult were.
"I can answer that."
A middle-aged man in peculiar attire entered the room.
"I am Zhong Yun, vice president of the Saizhou Association. The Snow and Sun Cults are two of Saizhou's oldest religions. They were purged when the League first established itself here."
His expression was grave. "As for their so-called gods… our research suggests they are, in a sense, different from ordinary Frosmoth and Volcarona. They are beings blessed by Legendary Pokémon."
Legendary Pokémon.
The room tensed.
What was humanity's greatest threat?
Natural disasters? Man-made calamities? Wild Pokémon?
No—it was these enigmatic, elusive, and capricious Legendaries.
"According to our research and the Sun Cult's ancient records, their Volcarona may have some connection to the Tower Master of the Ho-Oh temple," Zhong Yun said, holding up a report.
"You're saying the Sun Cult's Volcarona is like the Beasts of Ho-Oh—blessed by it?" someone interjected.
The "Beasts of Ho-Oh" (Houou's Royal Guard) was the formal title of the Legendary Beasts—Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. They served as Ho-Oh's observers of humanity.
Zhong Yun nodded. "The Sun Cult's ancient texts speak of a time when the world was shrouded in darkness. It was then that Volcarona appeared, bringing light—thus becoming their 'Sun Incarnate.'"
"Wait, how does this tie into the Dark Age?"
The "Dark Age" referred to a period centuries ago when the world was plunged into six months of unending night.
Its cause—and how it ended—remained a mystery, lost to history.
"The fact is, that Volcarona—blessed by Ho-Oh—brought light to the first Sun Cultists, and thus the faith was born."
Zhong Yun flipped a page. "In terms of power level, when our specialists measured it, it was only Level 85. But the abilities it wielded far exceeded that."
"Then it wasn't Level 85!" someone snapped. "You think machines can measure that?"
Zhong Yun ignored him. "Similarly, the Frosmoth became an object of worship due to its ability to control blizzards—entire mountain ranges' worth. But we couldn't trace which Legendary blessed it."
"Some speculate it was the Articuno dwelling in the Snowpeak Mountains—or the missing Kyurem. Others believe it simply lived long enough to halt blizzards and alter weather patterns."
Weather manipulation—a signature ability of Legendary Pokémon, like the Lugia of Qiong Island.
"Its power level was also 85…" Zhong Yun shot a glance at the earlier interjector. "That covers the general origins of the Snow and Sun Cult's 'deities.'"
Two "gods," possibly blessed by Legendaries, were now being used by an unknown force to create a true deity—
One akin to a Legendary Pokémon.
The situation was spiraling into uncharted territory.
Unknown origins. A mysterious energy-draining machine. Memory-altering techniques.
Each piece pointed to something far more sinister at play.
The high-ranking officials could no longer stay seated.
"Still no leads on those Dawn Sect people? Get Cheng Xin to clear her schedule—we must locate them within the hour!"
The Association president, who had remained composed until now, spoke up. He scanned the room. "Which of you are willing to investigate?"
"I—"
"I'll go."
Before Nan Gongmeng could finish, Mo Ye—eyes still closed—cut in.
"Squinty-eyes! You dare interrupt me?" Nan Gongmeng glared at him, whispering fiercely. "You tiny-eyed man!"
Mo Ye frowned slightly. "Personal attacks are uncalled for. Moreover, I simply choose not to open my eyes. They are not small."
"Bullshit! You practice the 'Sword of No-Mind' just to hide your beady eyes!"
The two—along with Xia Chunyu—were close friends, often teasing each other. Their bickering was routine, and their voices were low enough that no one else heard.
Then—
Another messenger rushed in, shouting, "Found them! We found them! A Corviknight led us right to it! The temple's underground!"
"Compose yourself!" someone barked. "This is no time for hysterics!"
"Sorry, sorry!" The messenger apologized hastily before continuing. "A Corviknight guided us to the location—underground, near the polar region. But there was an earthquake, and part of the temple's been exposed!"
An earthquake!?
That region had never experienced earthquakes.
"This is bad!"
Nan Gongmeng and Mo Ye exchanged glances before turning to Hei Luo.
"Send us. Now."
Hei Luo nodded, then repeated his question to the other Master-level trainers present.
Six more immediately volunteered.
"I'll notify Chunyu. If he can make it, I'll have him join you."
With that, Hei Luo watched as Nan Gongmeng, Mo Ye, and the others hurried toward the teleportation chamber.
The teleportation chamber was a facility based on the Psychic-type move Teleport, maintained by a large number of Psychic Pokémon.
With fixed coordinates and stable conditions, it could transport a person from the easternmost to the westernmost point of Zhu Xia in under ten minutes.
"Troubled times…"
Hei Luo stepped outside, gazing up at the white clouds with an inscrutable expression.