They didn't have to wait long.
In the sky, a small black dot appeared.
That dot began to grow rapidly.
It was none other than the Honchkrow sent by Cain to search for Magearna.
In Honchkrow's claws hung a huge metallic silver sphere, resembling a giant version of a Pokéball.
On its surface, strange patterns were engraved, looking like delicate lace.
That was Magearna!
As a Pokémon of mechanical origin, its body could transform. When facing danger or simply something it didn't wish to confront, it turned into this spherical form.
It was Magearna's way of self-protection.
But in truth, if someone wanted to harm it, that transformation wouldn't be of much use.
Before long, Honchkrow landed in front of Cain.
It looked in surprise at Volcanion, who was sound asleep.
Before leaving, Honchkrow had feared Cain might be in the middle of a fierce battle against Volcanion, so it had flown at top speed, hoping to go and return as quickly as possible.
It hadn't expected that, upon returning, Volcanion would already have lost the ability to fight (having fallen asleep).
Boom!
Magearna's metallic form, resembling a giant Pokéball, was dropped to the ground.
The weight of its body left a deep hole in the surface.
Although Magearna had no gender, being a mechanical body, its creator had given it the appearance of a princess. Because of this, deep inside it also considered itself a young girl.
However, its entire body was metal, so its weight was far from light.
Precisely because of that, what Magearna hated the most was when someone mentioned its weight. How could a "girl" be so heavy?
The system scanned Magearna's information.
Pokémon: Magearna (Light Black)
Gender: Genderless
Level: 50
Types: Steel + Fairy
Ability: Soul-Heart
Held Item: Soul-Heart
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Crafty Shield, Gear Up, Shift Gear, Iron Head, Helping Hand, Sonic Boom, Defense Curl, Psybeam, Lucky Chant, Aurora Beam, Mirror Shot, Mind Reader, Flash Cannon, Fleur Cannon
Learned Moves: Magnet Rise, Last Resort, Pain Split, Shock Wave, Heal Bell, After You, Iron Defense, Zen Headbutt
TM Moves: None
That was Magearna's information.
Strictly speaking, it could also be considered a Legendary Pokémon, one of the so-called "Mythical Pokémon."
Though it was an artificial Legendary Pokémon, much like Mewtwo.
The difference was that Mewtwo had inherited Mew's power and was reinforced with multiple genes from other Pokémon, so even without a divine role, its combat power was overwhelming.
Its very purpose of creation had been battle.
Magearna, on the other hand, had been born with a different purpose: to protect. That was why it wasn't skilled in combat.
Of course, if someone were to train it and get it to enjoy battle, the strength it could display wouldn't be small either.
This was because, although its base stats in physical and special defense were high, its highest stat was in special attack, making it perfectly suited to be a combat Pokémon.
And that potential was immense; its ceiling was high.
The problem lay in its personality: Magearna could never love battle, for it was a Pokémon that loved peace.
Even in its character one could sense a slight cowardice.
Ever since Honchkrow had placed it on the ground, it hadn't shown the slightest sign of wanting to reveal itself.
Then Cain focused his attention on its ability and the item it carried.
Soul-Heart!
The only Pokémon in the entire world with that ability.
The effect was strange and unique: each time an ally fell before it and lost the ability to fight, Magearna's special attack would increase.
It was as if, out of concern for its allies, it unlocked a small inner gate.
And the existence of that ability was tied to the item it carried: the "Soul-Heart."
Strictly speaking, what they were seeing now wasn't truly Magearna; its real being was that core called Soul-Heart.
That core was the creation of the greatest scientific genius of the Azoth Kingdom, Nikola, who dedicated his entire life to its making.
The Mythical Pokémon Magearna, in reality, had as its true body that gem known as the "Soul-Heart."
About five hundred years ago, Nikola, the great scientist of the Azoth Kingdom, gathered the life energy of numerous Pokémon and injected it into a container, giving shape to an artificial life: the Soul-Heart.
Nikola then built a mechanical body to house that essence: the being now known as Magearna.
That represented the pinnacle of arcane science.
And it was precisely because of the existence of that Soul-Heart that the Azoth Kingdom nearly fell into ruin.
Nikola loved his nation too much, and his talent was extraordinary.
He wanted to protect his kingdom with his power, and that was why he had created Magearna.
At the same time, he had designed mechanical walls and even an entire citadel for the Azoth Kingdom.
By simply activating the castle's mechanisms, the walls of the kingdom could assemble, forming a gigantic airborne fortress.
And the energy core of that airborne fortress was none other than Magearna's Soul-Heart.
When this information was leaked, people began to fight for control of the Soul-Heart.
The royal family, instead of being strengthened by it, was on the verge of civil war.
To prevent disaster, Nikola sealed both Magearna and the fortress.
The place of sealing was the Nebel Plateau.
Perhaps it was Volcanion's fury, when it destroyed a mountain, that caused Magearna to awaken from its slumber, leading to the scene Cain now had before his eyes.
It was said that any descendant of the Azoth Kingdom who found Magearna and obtained its Soul-Heart could break the seal of the fortress and become the new monarch of the Azoth Kingdom.
Moreover, within that fortress were hidden numerous weapons, the treasure Nikola had left to his nation.
The destructive power of those weapons far surpassed that of any airborne fortress belonging to groups like Team Rocket.
It was the summit of mechanical and arcane science.
Nikola's talent was, without doubt, the greatest in the entire Pokémon World.
Even today, he was still recognized as one of the most exceptional geniuses in history.
Five hundred years have passed, and far from advancing, the mechanical and arcane science of the Azoth Kingdom has regressed, for parts of Nikola's research were lost.
In the Azoth Kingdom, the greatest honor for any scientist was to study and master Nikola's achievements. The more they knew of his work, the greater the prestige they received.
But there was no true innovation of their own.
Perhaps only one man named Alva had managed to brush against Nikola's level.
And that was precisely the individual Cain had asked Team Flare to help him find.
Alva had created such extraordinary arcane science that even Cain himself was tempted by it.
(End of chapter)