Chapter 6: A Coincidence of History
That day Arthur wasn't in a hurry to sign a contract with Articuno Media.
He had just arrived in this era and didn't understand many things. There was no need to rush into a decision.
He also used this opportunity to ask Eleanor Vance many general knowledge questions, using her as a human encyclopedia to resolve a number of his doubts. He also spent the afternoon learning how to use a computer and the internet.
After Eleanor Vance left that evening, Arthur returned to the bedroom, turned on the computer using the methods he had learned in the afternoon, and clumsily operated the mouse and keyboard to access the goggle search engine homepage.
He had learned that to resolve his many doubts, he didn't need to go out to find a library or archive. This era had more convenient tools available.
That tool was the internet.
His first search term was "Alliance Major Events Timeline."
He quickly found the content he was looking for.
Much of the opening content covered events he had personally experienced, which further confirmed that this was indeed the world he knew, not some alternate dimension or parallel universe.
As he read further, his expression became more focused!
"Alliance Calendar Year 52, September: Twenty-nine-year-old Heavenly King Trainer Arthur unexpectedly disappeared during a battle on the East Coast and never reappeared, to great regret. This incident directly led to a stalemate in the Alliance's operation to secure the Mingjiang Sea Outlet. It was not until March of the following year, when Heavenly King Vincent Everhart arrived on the East Coast and repelled Lugia, that the Mingjiang Sea Outlet was officially incorporated into the Eastern Alliance's territory."
When he saw this description in the encyclopedia, he pursed his lips and gave a bitter smile.
Some helplessness, some regret, and a bit of guilt.
All of which turned into a long sigh.
Regardless, it was all in the past.
He adjusted his emotions and continued reading.
But as he read on, his brows gradually furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Alliance Calendar Year 53, May: Heavenly King Gatotsu was defeated in a battle with the mythical beast Ho-Oh, sacrificing himself for the Alliance at the age of 39.
That same year, July: Heavenly King Lionheart fought the mythical beasts Kyogre, Rayquaza, Latias, and Latios alone in the East Sea. He was severely injured and fell into the sea. Although rescued by the Alliance Navy at the cost of many lives, he succumbed to his injuries ten days later, sacrificing himself for the Alliance at the age of 45."
These two descriptions made him feel somewhat heavy-hearted, but they were not the main reason for his frown.
The content that followed was—
"Alliance Calendar Year 53, December: Feeling that the prolonged war between humans and Pokémon had brought too much deep pain to both sides, the four remaining Heavenly Kings of the Eastern Alliance at that time joined hands to attempt peace talks with several mythical beasts on the East Continent for the first time. This great cross-species pursuit of peace officially opened the historical prelude to the great reconciliation between humans and Pokémon, a negotiation of profound historical significance!"
Reading this, judging solely from the text on Wiki Encyclopedia, it seemed that the Eastern Alliance had finally made a very great attempt at the end of the year following Arthur's disappearance and had become a turning point in history.
This also aligned with the general knowledge Arthur had obtained from Eleanor Vance in the afternoon.
At the end of Alliance Calendar Year 53, the four remaining Heavenly Kings of the Eastern Alliance took this small step, but it led to a giant leap forward in human history.
It was from those peace talks that all the human alliances on this planet gradually ceased hostilities with the mythical beasts. Eventually, after several years, humans achieved a great reconciliation with all Pokémon worldwide, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity that continued to this day.
Since then, the Eastern Alliance had permanently fixed the number of Heavenly Kings at four, a practice emulated by other alliances.
The "Four Heavenly Kings" became a symbol, representing the highest honor for trainers in various alliances.
However, Arthur, reading this description, couldn't help but frown.
As a firsthand witness to that era, his memory of "history" was much clearer and deeper than the written records.
He clearly remembered that before his disappearance, including himself, the Eastern Alliance had a total of seven Heavenly Kings.
And those seven were not of one mind as people imagined.
The seven were actually divided into three factions.
Gatotsu and Lionheart were radicals.
They were both extreme human supremacists who offered wild Pokémon only two choices: submission or death!
Vincent Everhart, Simon, Rosemary, and Caleb Cox were moderates.
They had been advocating for peace talks with the mythical beasts for many years, seeking to resolve disputes through dialogue, well before Alliance Calendar Year 53.
Arthur himself was neutral.
As the youngest newcomer among the Heavenly Kings, he rarely expressed opinions but didn't oppose the war and always prioritized the Alliance's interests.
Then, coincidence arrived—
In September of Alliance Calendar Year 52, he disappeared, leaving the neutral faction leaderless.
The following year, Alliance Calendar Year 53, Gatotsu and Lionheart were killed in battle, eliminating the radical faction.
And then, at the end of that year, the four remaining Heavenly Kings negotiated peace with the mythical beasts.
To be honest, Arthur didn't want to speculate about his former colleagues with ill intent. However, it seemed that everything was a bit too coincidental...
Looking at the not-so-large computer screen, he fell into deep thought.
He repeatedly changed search terms, trying to find more of the truth, but found little.
Online information on the matter was very limited, even less than his personal memories.
He then tried searching for information about the whereabouts and fates of his former Pokémon but found nothing.
This made him very anxious.
Initially, he wasn't worried about his former Pokémon partners.
In that era, the number of Pokémon willing to follow humans was small, and they were treated favorably by the entire human alliance, whether their masters were present or not.
But these sudden historical coincidences made him uneasy.
If this wasn't just coincidence, would his Pokémon partners still receive the kindness they deserved after his disappearance?
He desperately wanted to know!
But no matter how he searched online, he couldn't find any results.
The only answer he got was—
"Information about meritorious Pokémon and their descendants is classified as a third-level Alliance secret, accessible only to those with sufficient Alliance merit or security clearance."
That night, he repeatedly clicked the mouse, his eyes growing increasingly deep.
The next afternoon, Eleanor Vance visited the apartment again.
This time, Arthur immediately asked a question.
"Do you know how to obtain Alliance merit?"
Eleanor Vance was taken aback and replied, "Alliance merit... it's not easy for ordinary people to get. It's usually awarded to researchers at major scientific institutions or special professions like border police or nature reserve rangers.
Oh, right, I remember. Last year, the Alliance updated a law that allows Hall of Fame-level professional trainers to receive a substantial amount of Alliance merit if they disclose their Pokémon breeding methods."
At that moment, Arthur's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp.
"Do you know how I can become a trainer now?"