Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

After hearing Little Lugia's explanation, Lugia's opinion of Aoki changed.

Then he remembered that Regice had obeyed Aoki's command and helped him deal with Ampharos.

Lugia hesitated for a moment, then condensed a ball of energy in front of itself and projected it onto Moltres.

In an instant, the energy melted into Moltres' body.

The tightly closed eyes trembled and slowly opened.

Moltres, who had been unconscious, suddenly woke up.

"Rapid cell regeneration? What an incredible ability," Aoki muttered as he observed the revived Moltres.

Ho-Oh could resurrect deceased Pokémon and grant them divine duties, transforming them into legendary beasts. Lugia, being the same tier as Ho-Oh, surely possessed its own extraordinary abilities.

Moltres shook its head and slowly rose into the air.

Upon seeing Lugia, it seemed to piece together what had happened.

It lowered its head and flew to Lugia's side.

There was still a significant size difference between Moltres and Lugia.

Lugia gave Moltres an annoyed slap on the back, causing it to stumble midair.

Little Lugia immediately scolded Lugia, as if reminding it that Moltres was still recovering.

Moltres didn't dare to protest and obediently returned to Lugia's side.

The three legendary Pokémon began communicating.

Since Aoki didn't use Telepathy, he couldn't understand them directly.

Fortunately, Slowking could interpret some of it and relayed the conversation to Aoki.

After grasping the gist of their discussion, Aoki felt a little more at ease.

Though Moltres didn't remember what happened after losing consciousness, nor why it felt so weak now, it recognized that Aoki and his Pokémon had saved it.

They had also helped defeat its opponent and restore its strength.

Moltres was fully aware of this.

Quietly, Aoki handed the empty Poké Ball to Mismagius behind him, who then slipped it into Aoki's shadow.

He acted as though nothing had happened.

If the three legendary Pokémon had noticed, it would have been an obvious attempt to hide the truth.

Once the last trace of evidence was concealed, Aoki felt more confident.

Seeing their conversation winding down, Aoki approached Moltres with potions and sprays, offering to treat its remaining injuries.

This was also a chance to make a good impression on Lugia.

A flicker of guilt crossed Lugia's expression.

But as a legendary beast, would it ever admit fault?

Of course not.

Still, its attitude toward Aoki softened considerably.

Another energy ball formed between Lugia's wings and merged into Moltres' body.

Moltres' wounds healed at a visible rate.

Aoki awkwardly stored his unused medical supplies back into his bag.

"Siiiaaa—"

Suddenly, Lugia called out to the other two legendary birds.

The injured Zapdos and Articuno immediately flew over, their usual regal demeanors replaced by exaggerated expressions of pain, almost comical in their dramatics.

The three legendary birds, typically symbols of majesty, had turned into whining fans in Lugia's presence, complaining about their injuries.

After hearing their grievances, Lugia's expression darkened again.

"SIIIIAAAA—!"

This time, the cry echoed across the entire Three Isle Path.

Every wild Pokémon that heard Lugia's voice became frenzied, launching vicious attacks on every human on the island.

Aside from Dark and Shadow, who had the strength to resist, the rest were in serious danger.

Aoki remained silent—self-preservation was the priority now.

After issuing the command, Lugia glanced at Aoki, hesitating.

Its order had included all humans on the island—Aoki included.

But Aoki had helped Moltres, and Lugia had already wronged him once. Little Lugia also seemed fond of him.

Making up its mind, Lugia opened its maw, and a small orb of blue and red energy condensed within.

With some effort, it hurled the orb directly at Aoki.

The energy ball merged into Aoki's mind.

"Human, this is your reward. The blue energy carries my aura. From now on, as long as you do not provoke them, the Pokémon on this island—and many others—will not attack you. The red energy is psychic power.

You possess psychic abilities, but your talent is lacking. The six little ones you have are insufficient. Allow me to assist you."

With that, Lugia beat its wings and soared away, Little Lugia and the three legendary birds following closely behind.

As Lugia departed, the raging sea calmed, the rain ceased, and the storm clouds dispersed.

Sunlight broke through, casting beams across the island.

Countless rainbows of varying sizes and shapes formed in the sky, a breathtaking sight.

Aoki watched the distant figures of the legendary Pokémon shrink into the horizon, a mix of bitterness and resignation in his heart.

If Lugia hadn't intervened, this would have been an incredible haul.

Not only had Lugia wiped out Brownis's seven Champion-level Pokémon, but it had also taken Moltres.

Aoki stared at the empty Poké Ball in his hand—the one that had briefly contained Moltres—and sighed.

"When I'm strong enough, I'll reclaim Moltres," he told himself.

It was the only way to soothe his frustration.

At the very least… he had drawn an entire tank of Moltres' blood beforehand.

He wondered what effects Lugia's blood might have.

His thoughts began to wander.

"Still, we have Rocks' seven Champion-level Pokémon. That's still a massive gain—just trickier to handle."

Aside from Team Rocket, the only organization capable of managing seven Champion-level Pokémon was the Hunter Guild.

As for the strange energy orb Lugia had given him…

Aoki closed his eyes, focusing his psychic senses inward.

Sure enough, the orb was there.

The blue energy remained inert, but the red energy steadily radiated power.

It was pure, requiring no refinement—each pulse directly strengthened Aoki's psychic abilities.

He could feel his powers growing, bit by bit.

The increase wasn't drastic, but given the orb's size and the rate of absorption, by the time it was fully depleted, his psychic abilities would be significantly enhanced.

Even if he didn't reach the level of an advanced psychic, the gradual growth would give him time to adapt.