Mythical Pokémon Era: Global Ascension 45

"W-Wait!"

"Is there another Pokémon in your backpack? No, this feels like a Pokémon Egg that's about to hatch. What type is it?"

He was somewhat surprised by Latias's reaction.

Why was she so surprised?

Could it be...

Roy suddenly remembered how, when he had sensed Vulpix with his Aura Power, he had been moved by the unborn Pokémon's incredibly tenacious heart and will.

The next moment, Roy's guess was confirmed.

Latias withdrew her probing Inner Focus, her tone more excited than ever before. "This Pokémon Egg should have died long ago. Yet because of the Pokémon inside's powerful will to survive, it unearthed its mental potential, preserved its consciousness and its heart, and was ultimately fortunate enough to meet you and be saved by you..."

"A tenacious will, a special experience, a pure heart..." "This Vulpix has the best Inner Focus talent of any Pokémon I've ever seen."

Roy had never expected Vulpix to bring him such a huge surprise before it had even hatched.

How many years had Latias lived?

At least several thousand, probably.

Even if she was essentially a shut-in who rarely went out, she had likely seen no fewer than tens of millions of Pokémon. For someone like her to declare that Vulpix had the best Inner Focus talent she had ever seen... that carried enormous weight.

Roy was completely confident that he could once again proclaim Vulpix to have Champion potential!

"Don't get too happy just yet," Latias added. "This Vulpix awakened its will to survive in the face of death and unearthed its mental potential. In exchange, its talent in terms of physical fitness will be very, very weak..."

The logic was simple.

It was like creating an initial character in a game. Since all its potential points had been allocated to Inner Focus, there naturally weren't enough points left for physical attributes.

A genius was someone with more potential points than ordinary people.

Roy's Vulpix was indeed a genius. It had put all its potential into Inner Focus, reaching a level that even Latias, a "Tier 2 god," found remarkable. In exchange, its physical talent was extremely weak. "A problem child with an extreme specialization, even more extreme than Squirtle."

Roy did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Fortunately, the dog was worry-free. Its talents were outstanding and well-rounded in every respect.

However, specialization was not a bad thing in Roy's eyes.

Being proficient at everything sometimes meant being loose and mediocre at everything.

Even with Riolu, Roy had made it specialize in its speed advantage, turning it into a speed-focused fighter rather than developing in every direction.

Focus on one point, and reach the pinnacle!

That was Roy's training philosophy as a Trainer.

A Kindness Born of a Single Thought

Vulpix's extreme Inner Focus talent had brought Roy quite a surprise.

But in truth, Latias was even more delighted. Brother, I've finally seen hope of reviving you. With Vulpix's extreme Inner Focus talent, as long as its Overall Evaluation reached Elite Four-level, it would be enough to meet the requirements of the Heart's Drop.

That was far, far easier than producing a Champion-level Pokémon.

Latias had waited a hundred years without seeing a Psychic-type Champion-level Pokémon. The difficulty was obvious.

That was the charm of a specialist.

A Hexagonal Warrior would never understand.

Over the past hundred years, whenever a challenger appeared, Latias had cheered them on and aimed for a Champion.

Yet in a hundred years, let alone a Champion, only one Elite Four-level Trainer had emerged among the challengers—Xiao Rong... He could barely count as a Runner-up prize.

Every time she had aimed for a Champion, and every time she had been disappointed. Latias was tired of pointing her sword.

"This time really is the most promising chance for a Champion to emerge!"

Latias decided to raise the stakes. Her eyes glowed as she released invisible telekinetic power, wrapping the Pokémon Egg in Roy's hands.

At the same time, the Heart's Drop floated up and landed before Latias. "Latias, what are you...?"

"Don't worry. I'm giving Vulpix power."

Latias exhaled streams of mist, gently wrapping them around the Pokémon Egg.

Mist Ball.

Latias's signature move. In the games, it was a damage-dealing move.

But clearly, as a "god," Latias could perfectly control her unique power and transform it into a kind of blessing or prayer.

At the same time, the Heart's Drop began to spin. A purple beam of energy surged from deep within the gem and entered the Pokémon Egg as well.

Cleanse Aura.

Latios's signature move.

The prayers of two gods perfectly merged with the life inside the Pokémon Egg. In Roy's Aura vision, he instantly sensed that Vulpix's Mind Energy had become exceptionally pure.

Since she was doing it, she might as well do it properly.

After blessing Vulpix, Latias directed the remaining power of Mist Ball and Cleanse Aura toward Riolu and Squirtle beside them.

Riolu and Squirtle received less than a tenth of the blessing Vulpix had received, but both of their Mind Energy became somewhat purer as well.

"This way, they'll be able to connect with your Aura Power more smoothly and capture Mind Energy more easily." Fatigue seeped into Latias's voice.

Mist Ball was fine, since it belonged to her own authority. But forcibly drawing upon Latios's Cleanse Aura within the Heart's Drop put an enormous burden on her.

Roy hurried forward to support Latias and could feel how weak she had become.

He owed her a huge favor now.

Great kindness needed no spoken thanks. Words were useless; remembering to repay it was what mattered.

Roy promised, "Don't worry, Latias. I'll do everything I can to help you revive Latios."

Latias smiled. She could sense people's hearts, so she naturally knew whether Roy was telling the truth. "Then I'll teach Riolu and Squirtle the 'Infinite' Calm Mind method—"

Roy officially settled down in the town.

The town was located within the Spirit Domain. Though it was not very large, it had many Professional Trainers.

Naturally, there was no shortage of places to train.

Roy continued guiding Riolu and Squirtle in their training every day, occasionally seeking advice from the town's Professional-level Trainers...

As a challenger favored by Latias, Roy was someone the town's Professional-level Trainers were happy to build goodwill with. They generously offered him guidance, giving Roy many new ideas about tactics and training.

Aside from training, Roy spent two hours every day taking Riolu and Squirtle to the temple to receive Latias's Calm Mind instruction.

What disappointed Roy was that humans could not learn the "Infinite" Calm Mind method. He could only slowly hone his Aura Power on his own.

Meanwhile.

The Xiao family also received Hu Jun's message that Roy had passed the trial. "I didn't misjudge him."

Xiao Rong smiled faintly. "The Aura Power Riolu used that day really did come from Roy himself. Who would have thought that among Psychics, he was also a rare Aura Wielder..."

Xiao Bin beside him remained silent.

He had suffered another blow.

Even after losing to Roy, Xiao Bin had still retained his pride. He believed that he would definitely win back someday.

Xiao Bin's foundation was his innate psychic power, along with his father's favor and guidance.

But now, his father also thought highly of Roy and was willing to teach him.

Even Roy had psychic power now, and it was no weaker than his own. Moreover, it was the legendary Aura Power.

Among the murals excavated from ruins, the Pokémon World had once possessed a hero known as Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. That hero had quelled wars and even saved the world.

Aura Power was also regarded as a power that could save the world.

For the first time, this Child of the Heavenly Kings, who had looked down on others ever since his birth, felt a sense of inferiority...

The strength of his Pokémon, his talent as a Trainer, the affection of his elders, his psychic talent... Everything Xiao Bin had once been proud of had now been utterly crushed.

"My child, whenever you feel like criticizing someone, you must remember that not everyone in this world possesses the advantages you were born with," Xiao Rong said, looking gently at his son.

"Bin, your nature is kind. You have never relied on your status to bully the weak."

"But you are too proud. You have never regarded anyone else as your opponent, always looking down on your peers. I have been waiting for someone who could make you lose convincingly in every aspect to appear... Only when you are inferior to someone in every way will you truly face yourself."

"Now, you should understand very clearly what your true level is once you cast aside the identity of 'the Elite Four's son'..."

"You have enjoyed the privileges of being a Child of the Heavenly Kings, but what obligations should you fulfill?"

"Even I, one of the Elite Four, have continued fulfilling my obligations. For this country's prosperity, I have endured without retiring and kept nurturing the next generation of talent."

Xiao Bin stared blankly at his father.

So my dad had wanted someone else to teach me a lesson all along?

Wasn't he afraid I'd pull out his oxygen tube?

"...Dad, did you know Roy would be this strong?"

"How could I possibly have known?!"

Elite Four Xiao instantly broke character. The confidence of a man who held all the cards vanished at once, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "To be honest, I can't understand how he improved so quickly either... I sent people to investigate him. There isn't any faction backing him at all."

"I did have someone in mind who could definitely teach you a lesson, but it wasn't him..."

"When you lost, I was shocked too. I couldn't understand what had happened to him at all." "That kid is too strange. He's shrouded in mystery, full of secrets..."

Xiao Bin complained, "You didn't even investigate him thoroughly, yet you're supporting him so strongly?"

"Who doesn't have secrets?" Xiao Rong smiled. "What matters is character. I may not be able to see through that kid, but I can tell that he isn't some great villain."

The basis for Xiao Rong's judgment was Roy's choice of Vulpix at the Breeding House.

Roy himself had never expected that the kindness he had shown Vulpix on a single impulsive thought would become the basis upon which many people judged his character—and the reason Elite Four Xiao decided to cultivate him.

The Day of Hatching, Vulpix Enchants All Living Beings

Half a month passed.

Vulpix was finally about to hatch.

The moment he woke up that morning, Roy discovered that the Pokémon Egg's Aura was continuously rising, faintly approaching a peak.

Riolu and Squirtle were in no mood to train either. Like Roy, they gathered around the Pokémon Egg.

Three pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the Pokémon Egg.

A moment later.

The Pokémon Egg suddenly shook. The entire egg began to glow, turning into a white sphere of light. "Crack, crack—!"

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the sphere of light. Then, pieces of eggshell began falling away one after another as it gradually broke apart.