🎄 Christmas Special Discount 🎄From December 23 to December 25, there will be a public 50% discount on the following tiers:Intermediate Trainers, Advanced Trainers, Elite Trainers, Elite Four Trainers, Champion Trainers, and Legendary Trainers.
🎆 New Year Discount 🎆There will also be a 50% discount, but it won't be public. On December 31, the discount code will be published inside the chapters, so stay tuned 👀✨
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Cain was thrown straight out of the volcano's crater by a flap of Ho-Oh's wing.
Luckily, thanks to his psychic power, he didn't crash into the ground.
And since he had just received Ho-Oh's feathers, he decided not to argue.
He returned to Kommo-o and Gengar, who was still wrapped in a dense black fog.
He had no idea what kind of change awaited Gengar.
Kommo-o glanced at Cain with a complicated expression but said nothing. Then it settled on the ground and began to rest.
Outwardly, it seemed calm, though who knew what it was really thinking inside.
Cain sat beside Gengar, silently waiting for the transformation to end.
Today was supposed to be just the beginning of exploring this volcano... and it turned out that the beginning was also the end.
Ho-Oh's appearance made one thing clear: Mew wasn't here.
Given the pride that legendary Pokémon usually have, it's extremely rare for two of them to share the same territory.
When Ho-Oh spoke to Giratina, Cain heard it refer to this place as its space, which made the existence of Mew here even less likely.
And if Mew wasn't here, there was no reason to stay in this place.
After all, he had already been away from the Pokémon world for over a month. Although this kind of isolation and the strengthening process in the darkness was something Cain enjoyed, being away for so long could bring unforeseen consequences.
Especially considering that just as he left, the Hoenn League had declared war on the Hunter Guild.
That was something even in his past life he had never witnessed, and he didn't know what direction it might take.
Besides, Cain was a key piece as an infiltrator and internal supervisor, so he couldn't afford to be absent for too long.
What he didn't know was how long Gengar would take to absorb that energy.
Confirming that Gengar wasn't in any danger, Cain took out the two feathers from Ho-Oh.
One contained fire-type energy, and the other flying-type energy.
Among his Pokémon, he only had Blaziken, so there wasn't much to think about: that feather belonged to him.
As for the flying-type feather, the only one who could use it right now was Honchkrow.
Shelgon could also use it after evolving into Salamence, but that would still take time.
And Honchkrow could take advantage of it right away.
From a practical and long-term point of view, it would be more profitable to give it to the future Salamence.
But Cain wasn't a machine, he was a flesh-and-blood human being.
From a trainer's perspective, the choice was obvious: Honchkrow.
Honchkrow was the first Pokémon who had accompanied him, since his time on Trial Island. Always loyal, never complaining, always fulfilling his duty.
And the bond between Cain and Honchkrow went beyond this life; it even dated back to his past existence.
In terms of talent and potential, Honchkrow wasn't weak, but compared to the rest of Cain's current team—especially those captured later—he was at a disadvantage.
At first, Honchkrow only had a Green-quality color. With Cain's help and various resources, he had barely reached Dark Blue quality.
His quality had not reached Purple, so he was still below the main team's standard.
Even so, as Cain always said, the "aptitude theory" wasn't wrong, but it wasn't the only thing a trainer should consider when choosing their Pokémon. It was a criterion, yes, but not the only one.
Honchkrow had carried the weight of the team from the beginning, and both merit and effort were on his side.
Before, there hadn't been any suitable resources for him, but now there was a Ho-Oh feather made exclusively for flying-type Pokémon—and if even now he didn't give it to him, then what was the point of talking about bonds and companionship?
For Salamence, Cain was convinced that he could find resources of the same level later on.
Even though Honchkrow had rarely appeared in battles recently, he was still recognized as the leader by all of Cain's Pokémon.
It's true that, due to his secret identity, Cain couldn't freely use Honchkrow in public, but that wasn't a reason to abandon him.
Honchkrow still trained diligently every day and gave his all in combat.
As long as he didn't abandon him, Cain wouldn't either. And to be honest... was Honchkrow a Pokémon who even knew how to give up?
In his past life, with only an Advanced level, he faced two Elite-level Pokémon without fear, without faltering or retreating.
That's why, from the moment he obtained those two feathers, Cain had already decided who he would give them to.
Blaziken and Honchkrow.
Sensing the energy shift in the air, Kommo-o opened his eyes from where he was resting.
His gaze showed disbelief.
Could those things be handed out that easily?
Then give him a dozen!
Cain ignored him and threw Honchkrow's Poké Ball.
"Graahhh!"
As soon as he came out, Honchkrow let out a long cry, clearly excited.
He had recently reached level 65, getting closer and closer to the other team members.
A well-deserved reward for all his effort.
"Honchkrow, Blaziken, these two things... absorb them calmly," Cain showed both feathers in the palm of his hand.
Blaziken was brimming with enthusiasm.
Since they were on top of the volcano, he had already sensed what was coming, and had been waiting ever since.
Honchkrow, on the other hand, looked at the feathers in surprise.
In his eyes was a mix of desire and doubt.
Finally, he slowly shook his head.
Cain understood immediately what he was thinking.
Honchkrow believed that another Pokémon with greater talent should receive that resource, that for him it would be a waste.
But Cain smiled and said: "Only you can use this."
Beside him, Blaziken also nodded.
Although he was strong, he deeply respected Honchkrow as the group's leader.
If Honchkrow didn't take what belonged to him, then he wouldn't take his own feather either.
Honchkrow looked at Cain, then at Blaziken and the others around him, including Slowking.
He hesitated a bit more, but in the end, accepted the feather.
Who could resist such a gift?
Honchkrow did want it, he was just putting himself in Cain's place, thinking about the team.
That was precisely the reason why, even if he wasn't the strongest or the most talented, he was still the undisputed leader.
All the Pokémon respected him.
Once Honchkrow took the flying-type feather, Blaziken quickly grabbed his own.
The moment he touched it, a scarlet flame burst from his palm.
It wasn't an ordinary flame. Though it looked similar to regular red fire, its temperature and energy were far more intense, even greater than the golden flames Blaziken could already use.
Honchkrow, for his part, was wrapped in a golden energy the moment he took the feather.
For an instant, he looked like a miniature version of Ho-Oh, though while Ho-Oh combined gold with red, Honchkrow combined gold, black, and red.
Gold, black, and red... a majestic and powerful color combination.
(End of Chapter)