Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Celebi, Call Me Invincible-bi!
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The black sky was cloudless, studded with countless stars. Silver moonlight spilled down, enveloping the world in tranquil stillness.
The willow-green natural energy pulsed rhythmically with each breath, gradually synchronizing with the energy of heaven and earth.
Celebi had completely merged with the martial soul essence, becoming Gu La's second martial soul.
Since this Pokémon originated from the system, it hadn't developed consciousness before fusing with Gu La and had become an inseparable part of him.
If Gu La had previously been mostly human, then after this fusion with Celebi, at least half of his essence now belonged to the Pokémon species. He was a rare hybrid, akin to Tang San—a crossbreed between two worlds.
Gu La opened the self-select move-learning machine, chose Future Sight move, and instantly learned it. It felt instinctive, as if the dormant energy of time and space had awakened within him, making the once-lazy flow of spacetime seem vivid and alive.
It seemed he could enter the fabric of time and space at any moment, traveling to any point in the past or future—even to parallel worlds.
Or, when faced with danger, he could summon versions of himself from alternate timelines to assist in battle, forming a righteous mob.
"With this move, why call me Celebi? A name like Invincible-bi suits me much better."
A smile tugged at Gu La's lips, but he managed to calm his excitement and suppress his smugness.
"Take a deep breath—it's not time to get carried away yet. My physical body is still too weak; if an enemy kills me in one hit, there won't be any future to speak of. I still need to play it safe for a while."
"And as for parallel timelines, I can't be sure I'll exist in all of them. I'll have to test it out when I have time to put my mind at ease."
"Also, I should aim to learn some protective moves and acquire a soul skill similar to the 'Invincible Golden Body' to truly rest easy."
As these thoughts ran through Gu La's mind, his inflated ego swiftly returned to balance.
"Xiao Gu."
Tang Hao called out from afar.
"Tang Uncle, Xiao San, Grandmaster Yu—looks like you've arrived."
Gu La was in high spirits, even finding Yu Xiaogang's usually stiff expression more tolerable than before.
'Grandmaster is fine, but adding someone's name after "Grandmaster" feels so odd.'
Yu Xiaogang's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but recalling Gu La's sharp and venomous words, he stifled his comment with a soft hum and turned his head, swallowing his pride.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort?"
Tang Hao, curious about how Gu La had entered such a profound meditation, asked gently.
Yu Xiaogang perked up, listening intently to every word Gu La spoke. He was deeply intrigued by the concept of deep meditation.
If he could uncover its secrets, he would surely gain fame across the continent, etching his name into history and washing away his past shame!
Gu La had anticipated their curiosity. Seeing the commotion his meditation caused, it would be strange if they weren't curious. But with Future Sight at his disposal, he wasn't worried about Tang Hao harboring ill intentions. Half-truthfully, he explained:
"It seems that during my initial awakening, my energy wasn't sufficient, and my second martial soul remained unawakened. Earlier, while training on the grass, I unexpectedly entered a deep meditation, absorbing vast amounts of energy and awakening my second martial soul."
As he spoke, Gu La summoned Celebi's attachment. His clothes were covered in a layer of pale green foliage-like armor, appearing as light and flexible as thin metal plates. A pair of delicate, transparent wings sprouted from his back.
Tang Hao and Tang San were stunned. "A second martial soul!?"
Yu Xiaogang couldn't believe it, muttering, "How is this possible? Another twin martial soul!"
Tang San paused, feeling a mix of emotions. Something he thought was unique to him now also belonged to his friend. The bittersweet realization left him disheartened and speechless.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang and asked, "Master, can martial souls fail to awaken properly?"
As soon as he said it, he realized how foolish his question sounded.
Hadn't his own Blue Silver Emperor martial soul failed to fully awaken, regressing into the weaker Blue Silver Grass?
Compared to Gu La's situation, it was merely a failure in a different direction.
Yu Xiaogang gazed at Gu La with a complex expression, sighing to mask the envy in his eyes:
"Yes, failures like this do occur. And once they awaken, these martial souls are invariably extraordinarily powerful, leaving their mark on history."
Tang Hao, who had only recently grown closer to Gu La, felt increasingly uneasy. If only his son had been the sole twin martial soul, he would've been delighted.
But another twin martial soul appearing—one seemingly even more promising than his son—was unsettling.
Still, Tang Hao maintained his composure, subtly asking, "Xiao Gu, what's the name of your martial soul? It has a strong natural aura—is it a plant-type martial soul?"
"Something like that."
Perhaps due to Celebi's influence, Gu La could vaguely sense others' malice toward him.
Tang Hao bore no murderous intent; his faint envy and jealousy were harmless, allowing Gu La to speak freely.
"My second martial soul is named Celebi, known as the Guardian of the Forest. It's a legendary spirit beast with wood and psychic attributes, naturally possessing the ability to purify abnormal states."
What he referred to was the move "Aromatherapy." Unlike Groudon, which had already mastered all possible moves at level 100, Celebi still needed cultivation to gradually learn its moves. However, basic abilities like Aromatherapy weren't difficult to master and didn't require special effort.
"Psychic attribute?"
Yu Xiaogang interjected, "Psychic-type spirit beasts are rare, and the strength of their soul skills is unpredictable. In my opinion, it's best to attach a wood-attribute soul ring."
"Psychic-type skills are mysterious and hard to gauge, but they aren't necessarily very powerful. What you get depends heavily on luck."
Gu La nodded—he understood this well.
For example, the current Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, Hu Liena, possessed a psychic fox-type martial soul specializing in charm-based control tactics.
Even with guidance from the Pope and a team of Soul Sages for hunting soul rings, she inevitably obtained a fire-attribute soul skill.
However, Gu La knew he was different. He could select the soul skill most compatible with his martial soul from any soul ring without relying on luck, allowing him to advance along two paths simultaneously.
Celebi was a special attack-type Pokémon, its strengths complementing Groudon perfectly.
After the fusion, Gu La immediately noticed his psychic powers growing stronger. This attribute allowed him to foresee the future and consume dreams, closely tied to psychic energy. There was no way he would abandon cultivating his psychic abilities.
Moreover, he knew that on the Sun and Moon Continent, there existed the Tyrant Eye clan, which could provide suitable soul rings for him.
"No problem."
Gu La replied, "I'll focus on cultivating my first martial soul for now. There's no rush to find a soul ring for my second martial soul—I'll have plenty of time to gather information later."
He dismissed the martial soul attachment, and Celebi appeared.
The adorable little Pokémon resembled a figure dressed in a green wrap-around outfit. Its antennae and upper body were light green, with blue tips on its antennae. It had a pair of transparent wings, light blue eyes, and a black ring around its eyes—but it remained undeniably cute.
It exuded no sense of intimidation whatsoever, especially when compared to Groudon. It lacked any semblance of authority and appeared to be an auxiliary-type martial soul.
Tang Hao, who often judged based on appearances, felt his imbalance dissipate significantly upon seeing such a cute martial soul. His wariness diminished.
"Two beast-type martial souls… parallels Tang San's two weapon-type martial souls."
This fleeting thought crossed Tang Hao's mind before vanishing entirely.
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