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🎆 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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Not even Ho-Oh had time to react, let alone Cain and Gengar.
"KEKEKKKK!"
Gengar let out a cry of pain, his face contorting completely.
Cain no longer held back. Ignoring entirely Giratina's identity, he glared at it, his expression marked by fury.
If Gengar were harmed... even if he had to give it his all, Giratina would pay the price!
Maybe not now, but the day would come when he would make it pay.
Ho-Oh's face also darkened.
Just a moment ago, Giratina had promised not to do anything reckless! Ho-Oh had even told the human that everything was under control... and now all of that had just been disproven right to his face!
Just as he suspected... you can't trust a madman!
"Don't be upset," Giratina's voice sounded calm.
Seeing Cain's furious face, Giratina even showed a certain interest.
"Kid, I like that look in your eyes. I'm starting to admire you a little. What do you say? Want to be my emissary?"
Upon hearing this, Cain didn't visibly react, only keeping his attention on Gengar's changes.
Ho-Oh also glanced at Gengar's body and said to Cain, "He didn't lie to you. Gengar is not in real danger. He might even benefit from this."
Only then did Ho-Oh seem more relaxed, relieved that at least he hadn't lost face in front of Cain.
Cain also calmed down, though he couldn't help but remember Giratina's words.
Giratina's emissary...?
For a moment, the idea intrigued him.
But that thought was quickly crushed.
Was he supposed to abandon the Pokémon world forever!?
Didn't Giratina worry about Arceus being angered?
Even though Cain couldn't be sure, there were rumors that Arceus had some sort of connection with the Pokémon League.
Arceus wouldn't need to act directly; with just a word, the League would make his life miserable.
Even if the probability was low, Cain didn't see what benefits he would get from becoming Giratina's emissary.
And most importantly!
Ho-Oh was right there, witnessing everything!
If he accepted... Ho-Oh would definitely act immediately! Who would dare?
Cain hadn't yet responded, but Giratina let out a soft chuckle. The dark tendrils on its back fluttered, and its whip-like tail swayed as it returned directly to the alternate plane.
"I'll be waiting for your answer..." whispered a voice in Cain's ear.
Ho-Oh and the three legendary Pokémon didn't react at all.
Clearly, it had been a telepathic transmission from Giratina.
Once Giratina disappeared into the rift, the spatial barrier began to close on its own.
"Your Gengar will undergo a transformation. For him, this is a great opportunity. It will all depend on how much he manages to absorb," said Ho-Oh, looking at Cain.
Cain nodded.
Right now, Gengar was completely wrapped in a dark gray mist—Giratina's ghostly energy.
It was very similar to the energy contained in the black crystal he had found earlier, except this time it wasn't a trace—it was a whole mass!
If Gengar could absorb it, his strength would make a huge leap.
"Thank you," Cain said sincerely.
After all, this situation had arisen in part because of him, and it was Ho-Oh who saved both him and Gengar from Giratina's grasp.
Ho-Oh shook his head.
"Lugia doesn't give his energy to just anyone."
Hearing that, Cain felt a jolt of understanding.
Lugia's energy?
Did it refer to that two-colored energy sphere?
The blue part?
The red part?
"SKREEEE!"
Ho-Oh let out a high-pitched cry. From his body emerged a mass of golden energy that entered Cain's body directly.
"Just because you no longer feel pain doesn't mean you're healed. Lugia's energy removed the impurities in your body, but if you let them accumulate again, you'll feel sick once more," Ho-Oh explained.
Though those impurities didn't affect his Pokémon's performance much, they would allow Cain to live longer and get sick less often.
And most importantly...!
His skin was now whiter!
With his usual mask, he already looked pale, but now he was even whiter!
Surely, many women would feel inferior upon seeing him.
He couldn't become a "kept pretty boy"!
As the golden energy dispersed, Cain slowly stood up from the sand chair.
He moved his arms and legs: everything felt much more agile than before, and he could clearly sense every muscle in his body.
"Thank you," Cain repeated.
Ho-Oh shook his head and signaled to Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.
The three Pokémon slowly disappeared into the air.
"Follow me," Ho-Oh said to Cain, and with a flap of his wings, flew alone to the volcano's summit.
Cain looked at Gengar, still covered in the dark mist, and then at Kommo-o, who understood the situation without needing any words.
Cain activated his psychic power and, together with Slowking and Blaziken, flew toward the volcano's summit.
He didn't know why, but he felt that bringing Blaziken could be useful.
Maximizing his psychic abilities, it didn't take long to reach the top.
Ho-Oh had already been waiting there for a while.
Seeing Blaziken with Cain, Ho-Oh, as wise as he was, instantly understood Cain's intention.
He shook his head, resigned.
With a flap of his wings, he pulled two colorful feathers from the magma.
Under the light, they emitted an iridescent glow of seven colors.
Both feathers gently descended into Cain's hands, who could feel their warmth and softness.
Looking closely, he noticed they were different from each other.
The one on the left had reddish glimmers, while the one on the right shone golden.
They were longer than he imagined—twice the size of his hand—and clearly not common feathers from Ho-Oh's body.
Cain looked at Ho-Oh with doubt.
"Consider it a reward for helping stabilize space. The red one you can give to your little companion. The golden one... that's up to you. It mostly contains Flying-type energy," Ho-Oh said, looking annoyed.
Originally, he was only going to give him one.
But since Cain brought Blaziken on purpose, Ho-Oh instantly understood his intentions.
This human was too cunning!
Cain smiled with satisfaction.
It worked!
"They're feathers from my tail. Their energy can be freely absorbed. You decide which Pokémon to give them to," added Ho-Oh.
Cain nodded without hesitation and carefully stored both feathers.
After all, they were Ho-Oh's feathers!
If he auctioned them off, who knows what astronomical figure they'd fetch.
And if he showed them to the monks of the Bell Tower in Johto, they'd probably sell even their robes to get them.
Of course, as a member of the "righteous" side, Cain would never do something like that... right?
Seeing his expression, Ho-Oh could only sigh in resignation.
If it weren't because...
Cain was about to speak, but Ho-Oh didn't give him the chance.
With a flap of his wings, he launched him straight out of the volcano.
"And besides, whatever the case, get out of my space as soon as possible."
Just then, a small pink Pokémon with a long tail appeared next to Ho-Oh.
Compared to Ho-Oh, its size was tiny.
Seeing it, Ho-Oh said irritably, "I don't know what you see in this human, but with these two feathers of mine, our debt is settled."
The pink Pokémon narrowed its eyes with joy, nodded repeatedly, and started doing flips in the air.
(End of Chapter)