Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1777

Though it wasn't a series he was familiar with from his childhood, Vahn had stumbled across the existence of Pokemon back when he was trying to find something for Vana to read and enjoy. She wasn't very fond of normal books, so, with the hope of sharing one of his pastimes with her, Vahn had searched through countless manga and graphic novels until he discovered the wondrous world that was Pokemon.

With literally thousands of different Pokemon to choose from, including multiple varieties between Records, Vahn felt it was a suitable source to draw inspiration. As for why he decided upon Latias as his first Pokemon, it was simply due to the fact that her design was one of the most adorable. There was something about a fluffy and affectionate 'jet plane' that he found rather novel, and, though it was a little concerning to know she had the Dragon and Psychic 'Types', he decided not to mind it.

The most important takeaway from this incident, excluding the fact it had allowed him to increase the Rank of his [Univeral Mind], was that Vahn had confirmed a lot of things that were previously just speculation. He now knew for certain that, even without receiving a True Name, the Templates he created could inherit specific skills and abilities based on his intent. This had only been an inkling suspicion previously, as, due to the low rank of the Innate, combined with the fact he was reliant on [Keeper of the Akashic Tome], most of his Templates only 'emulated' the traits he expected them to have.

Though Innates could be used to amplify each other, none were 'reliant' on the existence of other Innates just to be useful. The reason he hadn't been able to develop [Universal Mind] was that he hadn't actually been 'trying' to develop it. He used it a lot, sure, but he was basically just phoning it in by allowing his mind to auto-generate Templates and personalities based on his expectations. He had been treating it like a 'supplemental' Innate, relying on his cheat-like existence and [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to fill in gaps that could have been addressed during the creation process.

Simply put, by taking a more hands-on approach, similar to creating a character in a video game, Vahn could drastically strengthen the 'completeness' of his Templates. This made them much closer to the actual entities he was trying to emulate and, though he would only know for certain once he reached that point, his instincts told him they would be able to develop Egos even without [Keeper of the Akashic Tome]. He might still be limited in the number of Templates he could create at any one time, but, with great enough mastery, Vahn was certain that all limitations could be overcome...

With an amused smile on his face, Vahn watched with ever-increasing glee as Yoruichi, despite her greater Agility stat, was run circles around by Latios and Latias. The duo possessed an innate ability to fly and, thanks to their streamlined bodies, they could cut through dense fields of Shinsu without losing speed. Rather, the denser the Shinsu field, the faster they seemed to be able to move, a stark contrast to the struggles of Yoruichi.

Noticing her Creator's amused smile, an inordinately buxom beauty with long blue hair, a matching long-sleeved dress, and black sclera encircling her peculiar yellow eyes, asked in a husky tone that seemed to resonate through the surrounding Shinsu, "Did Ms. Yoruichi do something to upset you? You seem to enjoy her misfortunes quite a bit...should I increase the density of Shinsu further?"

Laughing awkwardly in response to the woman's inquiries, Vahn reached out his hand to caress the woman's somewhat slippery and moist hair, replying, "Don't misunderstand, Kyrie. It's not that I find Yoruichi's suffering amusing, I'm just enjoying her reactions. She would probably get a kick out of it if I was the one down there so don't be too eager to exacerbate the situation..."

Though she didn't really understand, Kyrie, better known as Kyogre, nodded her head as if she did. She was the product of Vahn's attempts to create a Template without access to the vast archive of information within his mind. He wanted to see if this would allow them to develop an Ego faster, so, for the past couple of days, Kyrie had alternated between studying under Mira and shadowing him whenever he was inside the Little Garden. As for why he chose Kyogre, it was because she was one of the ridiculously powerful 'Legendary' Pokemon that existed within the Source Material. She had the ability to manipulate and expand the ocean, so, while there were countless options to choose from, Vahn felt her abilities would be particularly useful within the Tower.

Noticing a vibrant flash of light in his periphery, Vahn shifted his attention back to the 'race' that was taking place below. Yoruichi had just activated her 'Thunder Beast Battle Princess Form', her clothes spontaneously evaporating as bands of lightning became the only thing protecting her dignity. Then, with even the surrounding Shinsu becoming electrified, the sound of a thunderclap could be heard as she instantly appeared across the finish line where Latias and Latios had been dancing about, 'taunting' her.

Releasing a tired sigh, Vahn retracted his hand from Kyrie's head, rising from his seated position before saying, "Kyrie, stay with Hinata. Hinata, look after Kyrie for me." This elicited a small frown from the blue-haired beauty, but, rather than oppose his decision, she just nodded her head as Hinata happily chimed, "Leave it to me, Vahn."

Smiling back at the duo, Vahn playfully waved one last time before vanishing into motes of golden light, teleporting to where Yoruichi was gloating before the teary-eyed twins. She was already pretty fickle in her default state, but, whenever she transformed, Yoruichi could quickly get out of hand. As a result, bands of golden electricity danced across Vahn's hand as he 'lightly' chopped the woman's head, saying, "You're an adult. Don't tease the children."

With a visible bump appeared at the very top of her head, Yoruichi crouched down with tears in the corner of her eyes as she complained, "They're the same age as we are, you asshole..."

Though Yoruichi's words were undeniably true, Vahn was about to point out that Latias and Latios were still very child-like in their thoughts and actions. Before he could, however, the lightning-clad beauty erupted like a compressed spring, her fist connecting with his bottom jaw before sending him skyrocketing more than a hundred meters into the air. Then, with his jaw and teeth still in the process of regenerating, she appeared above him in a flash of light, leg raised high like the blade of an executioner before impacting the top of his head with her heel.

Finding himself in the middle of a large impact crater, a light chuckle escaped Vahn's throat as he coughed up a small amount of blood. Pain had very little effect on him ever since his training with Scathach, so, while it felt like his head had been skewered with a heated rod; he was still managed to laugh until Yoruichi knocked the breath out of him, landing on his stomach with her fleshy rump before grabbing the front of his shirt and musing, "I can be violent too..." with a predatory smile on her face.

With most of his injuries healing having already healed, Vahn just smiled back at Yoruichi before calmly stating, "Save it for the bedroom." before pinching her right butt cheek with his left hand.

Though she was in the mood 'right now', Yoruichi turned her attention towards the duo peeking down at them from the crater's edge. Latias and Latios were both very curious creatures, but, most importantly, Kyrie was watching over them alongside Hinata atop a blue Lighthouse. Vahn wanted the three of them to grow up without such influences, so, even though she had an itch only the boy beneath her could scratch, Yoruichi ultimately just clicked her tongue, lightning dissipating from her body as she transformed into a lazy-looking black cat and said, "Pet me." in a tone that left no room for argument.

With twenty-three days having passed since the start of the Survival Test, the members of Team Wolf Pack had largely adapted to the conditions of the 4th Floor. Even Nare stopped complaining after the sudden change in Endorsi's behavior several days prior, so, for the most part, things had become relatively peaceful as they passed each day in a rather mundane fashion...

Showing signs of extreme boredom, Gandr released a loud yawn while lying in the grass next to Shibisu. It had been several days since another group of Regulars had even tried to approach the central supply station, so, with nothing to do and little food to eat, he spent the majority of his time just relaxing in order to prevent an emotional outburst.

Though he was tempted to ask Gandr about the recent changes in Endorsi's behavior, Shibisu just smiled in response to the former's behavior, asking in a slightly concerned tone, "Are you going to be okay? What's the longest period of time you've gone without eating...?"

Waving his hand in a dismissively, Gandr replied, "No need to worry. Even if I starved myself for a year, I wouldn't go berserk unless something serious happened. Besides, if I get really hungry, I can always start eating trees and rocks. My body can convert pretty much anything I eat into energy. I just prefer the taste of actual, delicious, food."

Demonstrating his point, Gandr rolled to a seated position before picking up a palm-sized stone and tossing into his toothy maw. Most of his teeth had turned angular at this point, and, though he could forcibly revert them back to a more normal appearance, he saw no reason to. Instead, he let it serve as an indicator of his mood, embracing his identity as a Vanargandr rather than attempting to restrain it.

Seeing Gandr grind down and swallow a large stone with considerable ease, Shibisu's smile became a little cramped as he imagined how easily the boy could chew through bone. This gave him a slight urge to ask if Gandr had ever eaten a person, but, fearing the answer might actually be yes, Shibisu managed to deflect by asking, "How's the taste? I have some salt in my Inventory if you need some seasoning."

Finding the remark rather amusing, Gandr issued a light-hearted chuckle before sprawling out onto the grass again, hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and muttered, "I hope there aren't too many Tests like this one. I want to fight someone strong..."

Since he had also been incredibly bored these past few days, Shibisu couldn't help but nod his head before lying back and replying, "I know there are at least two more Survival Tests, one on the 50th and another on the 100th Floor. The former is hosted by the Ranker Administration. They use it as a platform to promote famous Regulars and arrange various sponsorships. As for the 100th Floor, it is the place where Jahad and the Ten Great Warriors were said to have obtained their Immortality. The Floor is ruled by the Arie Family, and, if you're one of the Teams that make it through to the end of the Survival Test, you will be given a chance to undertake Arie Hon's Special Test. Though only three people have ever passed, it's rumored that he will grant you any request within his power, including an entire Floor of the Tower."

With even Yuri possessing unfathomable might, despite only being within the top 500 of the Tower, it was hard to imagine how powerful the current Rank 5, Arie Hon, was. He was famous as the most powerful of the Ten Great Family Leaders, and, though there were a few other schools, his Arie-Style Swordsmanship was considered unparalleled within the Tower. This implied he was a powerhouse beyond comprehension, but, rather than show any signs of fear, a toothy grin spread across Gandr's face as he mused, "I guess we need to hurry up to the 100th Floor then..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Go figure, you have to use an Innate for it to develop...','The Tower is not ready for what Vahn is about to unleash...','(OwO)? What's this? *notices your swordsmanship*')