Boom!!!
Aoki felt a huge explosion behind him, and he was at the center of it. If Darkrai hadn't provided some defense behind him, even the residual force of the explosion would have been enough to kill him.
Ignoring the pain in his body and with no time to observe his surroundings, Aoki immediately got up from the ground, casually threw out two Poké Balls to summon Tyranitar and Aggron as guards, and looked back at Darkrai.
It was a furious attack from Dialga and Palkia, and they had both used their signature moves.
The last time these two Legendary Pokémon used their moves, Wallace's Houndoom and Everard's Alakazam couldn't even withstand a single attack.
Theoretically, even Darkrai, despite having significantly improved his strength, should not have been able to withstand the attacks of those two Legendary Pokémon.
When Aoki saw Darkrai's condition, his face sank, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, if for no other reason than that Darkrai was only unconscious and not in life-threatening danger.
As a high-level breeder, Aoki had good eyesight and could pretty much determine Darkrai's current state at a glance.
However, it was somewhat surprising to Aoki that Darkrai's strength was able to withstand a full-force attack from two Legendary Pokémon.
As he squatted down and took out a large pile of healing potions and other special recovery items from his pocket, he noticed that Darkrai was tightly clutching something in his hand.
Aoki raised an eyebrow, covered his hand with psychic power, and only then dared to take the item from Darkrai's hand.
It was the Griseous Orb of Giratina, which Wallace had cherished so much. However, at this moment, the Griseous Orb no longer had the imposing aura it had before, and even the energy it emitted was much weaker than before.
It was then that Aoki looked at the barrier behind him. After losing the attached Griseous Orb of Giratina, the barrier had returned to its original state. The only difference was that Aoki was outside the barrier before, and now he was inside.
The silver light flowed on the barrier that he had shattered with a single punch, but Aoki had no idea what the outside looked like at this moment.
However, he didn't have the time to care about the situation outside. Since Dialga and Palkia hadn't chased him in, it meant he was probably safe for now.
As he focused on Darkrai's recovery, Aoki found that Darkrai's injuries were even less severe than he had imagined.
Before Dialga and Palkia's attacks reached Darkrai, Darkrai had already removed Giratina's Griseous Orb from the barrier, and the barrier, no longer obstructed, quickly recovered.
Therefore, a portion of Dialga's Roar of Time and Palkia's Spacial Rend struck the barrier.
The homologous energy caused the barrier to recover even faster, and only the remaining portion was what Darkrai had to endure.
"Quake!" Under Aoki's treatment, Darkrai quickly regained consciousness.
With Darkrai awake and actively cooperating, Aoki's treatment and recovery speed significantly increased.
Only after Darkrai's condition had mostly recovered did he have time to observe his surroundings.
Although he had just begun to observe, Aoki had actually glimpsed some things out of the corner of his eye while treating Darkrai, and he had some preparations in mind.
But when he actually saw his surroundings, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Logically, he was currently at the summit of Mount Coronet, and the space within the barrier should be at most the size of the summit. However, the scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.
There were no scattered rocks, nor was it a barren flatland. Instead, towering trees were everywhere. He and his Pokémon were currently in a thicket, but it had been flattened by their arrival.
This was nothing like the summit of Mount Coronet; it was entirely a tropical rainforest.
Although it was completely different from what Aoki had imagined, it felt much better than the situation he had envisioned, at least it wasn't a mess.
Aoki hadn't forgotten that he was still holding Giratina's Griseous Orb in his hand, and the energy constantly emanating from it was continuously burning the energy in Aoki's hand.
Frowning, he looked at this Griseous Orb. Although its value was extremely high, so high that Wallace would surely feel a deep pang of regret, perhaps equivalent to the pain of his Houndoom's demise.
But Aoki had never really thought about getting this Griseous Orb in his hands.
The change in aura of Dialga and Palkia after seeing Giratina's Griseous Orb was something Aoki could clearly feel even without turning around, so at that time, he had no intention of taking this Griseous Orb for himself.
If he had really attracted the hatred of Dialga and Palkia because of this Griseous Orb, Aoki probably would have already imagined how he would die.
However, man proposes, God disposes. Darkrai, in order to withstand the impact of the two legendary Pokémon, had no choice but to use Giratina's Griseous Orb, and now it had fallen into Aoki's hands.
Fortunately, after he entered the barrier, Dialga and Palkia did not follow him in.
This was an unexpected gain.
"Such unexpected gains, I wish there were more, preferably enough to knock me out," Aoki muttered, looking at Giratina's Griseous Orb in his hand.
Hearing Aoki's words, Darkrai, who was resting on the ground, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
How many Griseous Orbs does Giratina even have?
Every Griseous Orb removed is a huge, irreversible injury to Giratina.
Even if Giratina is different from other Dragon-type Pokémon and these injuries can heal, the cost involved is absolutely unimaginable for Aoki.
Let alone Aoki, even Darkrai, who had lived for so many years, had never seen Giratina's Griseous Orb. This was very likely the first Griseous Orb taken from Giratina.
"Quake—" Darkrai softly called out to Aoki, his voice still a bit weak, but his breathing had stabilized.
Hearing Darkrai's words, Aoki recovered from his excitement of a windfall.
"Indeed, how to use this thing is a troublesome matter. Giratina is a legendary Pokémon after all, and the energy on its Griseous Orb is too overbearing; it's not something ordinary Pokémon can easily absorb.
Moreover, compared to how to use this Griseous Orb, I'm more curious about… how exactly did the Divine Cult obtain such a precious Griseous Orb?" Aoki looked at the Griseous Orb in his hand, his eyes shimmering.
This was the Griseous Orb of a Dragon-type Pokémon. If there wasn't a certain connection, did they really think anyone could get it?
There are only two ways to obtain this Griseous Orb.
One is for Giratina to take it off and give it to someone else, and the other is to pin Giratina down and forcibly pull this Griseous Orb from its body.
Both of these methods, in Aoki's opinion, seemed highly unlikely.
Giratina is an extremely self-centered Pokémon. With its personality, it would be difficult for it to willingly give up a Griseous Orb that is very important to it. Such a loss would probably be very difficult for Giratina to accept.
But the second option seems even more impossible.
Giratina is a Legendary Pokémon that even Arceus couldn't handle. Arceus could at most banish it, but it would be difficult to pin it down and beat it.
Aoki didn't believe that the mysterious bishop of the Divine Cult possessed such strength. If he truly had such immense power, he wouldn't need to hide; he could directly conquer a region without any problems.
It seems the first possibility is still more likely.
As Sherlock Holmes said, eliminate all impossibilities, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
At least, it's not impossible for Giratina and the Divine Cult to be intertwined.
Thinking even deeper, it's possible that the Divine Cult organization, at its very core, is to some extent constrained by Giratina.
What if…
Within the Time-Space Continent, the item inside the barrier on Mount Coronet wasn't what the Divine Cult desired, but rather what Giratina wanted?
Following this line of thought, Aoki felt that he might have truly stumbled upon some incredible secret.
And what exactly is the item that Giratina is willing to sacrifice a Griseous Orb to obtain? Just a moment's thought reveals that the value of this item must absolutely be above that of Giratina's Griseous Orb.
This item… is now practically within his grasp.
Aoki felt a slight, uncontrollable excitement. A treasure of this level could, to some extent, directly change the fate of one or more Pokémon.
However, the more critical the moment, the more important it is to remain calm and not be carried away by temporary joy, leading to insufficient consideration of certain issues.
Slowly, he sat down. The Griseous Orb of Giratina in his hand was indeed a good item, but how to use it reasonably and without side effects was a problem that bothered Aoki.
Looking at Darkrai, who was resting, and then at the wary Tyranitar and Aggron, Aoki directly activated the chip.
Item Name: Giratina's Griseous Orb (Damaged)
Description: As the most precious Griseous Orb on Giratina, the master of the Distortion World, it contains Giratina's purest energy and exclusive aura. Due to the terrifying energy, it is best not to approach it casually without full confidence, otherwise, it may directly turn into nothingness.
Effect: Unknown effect. Although it is a damaged item, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Note: This item is extremely dangerous. Please use it with caution. If there is no other solution, you can consider absorbing the energy separately, but without sufficient willpower, you may be assimilated by its energy and eventually become a soulless automaton.
The chip scanned it and directly described the name of this Griseous Orb in bright red letters, reminding Aoki of its danger.
However, there was one sentence in the chip that was very well put.
Although this Griseous Orb of Giratina was incomplete and damaged due to various reasons, such damage was, for Aoki and his Pokémon, a good thing.
Aoki might not even have had the chance to get a complete Griseous Orb of Giratina. Now that it was incomplete, it ironically gave Aoki a possible opportunity to utilize it.
"Darkrai, what do you think is a good way to utilize this Griseous Orb?" Aoki asked Darkrai.
If anyone among Aoki's Pokémon was most familiar with Giratina's energy, it would definitely be Darkrai, followed by Gengar. After all, Darkrai had once directly battled against Giratina, and his knowledge should be the most extensive.
Hearing Aoki's words, Darkrai looked at the black Griseous Orb in his hand, feeling the aura he disliked most on it. He took a deep breath and fell into thought.
What Darkrai disliked was Giratina itself, not the Griseous Orb in Aoki's hand. Moreover, Darkrai also knew that this Griseous Orb could potentially bring about a qualitative change, a qualitative enhancement, to one or several of Aoki's Pokémon.
And as long as Aoki used this Griseous Orb, it would be a blow to Giratina itself, which Darkrai was very happy to see.
"Quake—" After a moment of silence, Darkrai softly spoke to Aoki.
Upon hearing this, Aoki's eyes immediately lit up.
"It is indeed a method worth trying, but before that, it's best to confirm the surrounding situation, ensure safety, and then ponder over it slowly."
As for the item within this barrier, Aoki didn't want to search for it immediately. From the looks of it, it was definitely hidden somewhere.
Since he didn't even have a clear understanding of his surroundings yet, the most immediate task was to ensure his own safety.
Subsequently, Aoki took Tyranitar and Aggron to investigate the area.
It was clearly the summit of Mount Coronet, yet it felt like entering an unknown secret realm once again. There were many towering ancient trees that Aoki didn't recognize, but in this space, besides these trees, there seemed to be no other living creatures.
Or rather, there were some wild small animals, but no Pokémon!
Aoki took Tyranitar and Aggron and circled the area three times. They didn't see any Pokémon, and they also discovered that this mysterious space wasn't very large; it took less than half an hour to walk around it.
No wild Pokémon meant there was no threat here.
However, after these three rough circles, Aoki discovered a problem.
Although the vegetation here was relatively ancient, besides that, there was nothing special about this place.
But a place that would make Giratina willing to sacrifice a Griseous Orb, and that Dialga and Palkia would value so much, absolutely wouldn't be this simple.
Aoki told himself that it was purely because he hadn't found the special features of this place, hadn't found the hidden secrets.
But since he was likely to stay here for a long time anyway, Aoki wasn't in a hurry.
It was such a small place anyway. If he really couldn't find it when the time came, he could just turn the entire place inside out, top to bottom, without much effort.
Things had to be done one by one. Since there was no threat, Aoki could calm down and focus on his own tasks.
First, find a suitable place to live.
And surprisingly, even though there were no wild Pokémon here, the ecosystem was quite good, and it had its own food chain, so water sources and the like were not lacking.
Aoki found a small lake in the very center of this place, so he simply decided to settle down here.
Then he summoned all his Pokémon. Although there were no wild Pokémon for them to train in battle, it didn't hinder their daily training.
Not long ago, Aoki had used a special strength-enhancing method, originally belonging to the Holy Church and modified by the chip, to a certain extent to improve the strength of his Pokémon. However, this strength enhancement also had some impact on the Pokémon's foundation. So now was a good time to stabilize their foundation through training.
He couldn't leave in a short time, or rather, he couldn't leave at all.
Aoki only knew how to enter from Wallace, but he didn't know how to leave.
Because, theoretically, the barrier of this Space-Time Mountain should have completely melted and disappeared under the absorption of Giratina's Reverse Scale. However, due to various unforeseen circumstances, Dialga and Palkia appeared at the same time, forcing Aoki to forcefully blast through the barrier as suggested by the Unown.
Thinking of this, Aoki looked at his wrist, "If these little guys were here, they should be able to give me a hint or show me a way."
It was just a pity that Aoki had condensed all the energy of these Unown at that time. Now, due to energy depletion, they had fallen into a dormant state and should not wake up in a short time.
However, Aoki was not in a hurry. Anyway, he couldn't leave for the time being. It was better to calm down and train his Pokémon. At worst, when the Alliance's training period ended, and they were summoned through the Space Stones on their bodies, he should be pulled back.
"Let's study how to handle this precious Giratina's Reverse Scale." Aoki flipped his palm, and a box appeared in his hand, containing the incomplete Giratina's Reverse Scale.
After walking around a few times, Aoki was also thinking about how to deal with this Reverse Scale.
Earlier, Darkrai had suggested he try the method used to deal with the Giratina energy in his body.
That was the method used when making Darkrai's recovery potion. Thinking of this suggestion, Aoki also had the chip analyze the possibility of success, and the probability of success was not small.
At this time, Giratina's Reverse Scale was like an extremely precious and complex material. As a chef, it was not a simple matter to divide a complex material into usable parts.
In Aoki's opinion, this Reverse Scale should generally be divided into three important components: Ghost-type energy, Dragon-type energy, and most crucially, the Reverse Scale itself.
Among them, the Ghost-type energy could be expelled by Aoki using the method to break down the Ghost-type energy in Darkrai's body. However, simply expelling it would be a bit of a waste, after all, this was Giratina's energy, and its energy intensity could almost be said to be the highest in this world, which would definitely provide a terrifying boost to Aoki.
Of course, it couldn't be absorbed casually; Darkrai's current body was the best example.
However, Aoki was not without candidates. After all, his Gengar had experience absorbing Giratina's energy. Although this time the energy would definitely be stronger, Gengar was not the same Gengar as before. At this time, if Darkrai was excluded, his strength had long surpassed that of the entire Aoki's team.
Besides Ghost-type energy, Aoki currently had no way to extract the Dragon-type energy within it.
In fact, the most important thing was the Reverse Scale itself. After removing the Dragon-type energy and Ghost-type energy from it, the Reverse Scale itself was the most valuable item.
"Slowly, one by one, in order. At least there's not absolutely no way." Aoki muttered to himself, taking out special tools one by one.
Now he truly lacked nothing: materials, resources, food, or special items. He lacked no raw materials. He himself was an outstanding senior breeder, capable of making anything he wanted.
Even if he used the highest-level items for all his Pokémon, Aoki felt he could last at least a year.
And in this year, with the assistance of such precious items, the extent to which Aoki's Pokémon could grow was an immeasurable thing.
However, before that, Aoki had already planned for his Pokémon, and the first thing to do was to improve their aptitude.
At this time, many of his Pokémon had already broken through to the Champion level, but among these Pokémon, like Honchkrow, Drapion, and Weavile, their aptitudes were only light blue.
Theoretically, a light blue aptitude also had a chance of breaking through the second hurdle of the Champion level.
But 99% is a probability, and 1% is also a probability. There's no need to say how low the probability for light blue is; it just won't be high.
Aoki's Pokémon had started using energy blocks that subtly improved their aptitude a long time ago. Unlike the aptitude potions used back then, this method of improvement was very slow, but as long as it was used for a long time, there would eventually be a chance to break through.
At this time, Honchkrow and the others' aptitudes were already on the verge of advancement, but because Aoki had never had the time to calmly deal with it, the current timing was quite good.
Without external pressure, Aoki finally had time to deal with these matters.
"It seems there really are a lot of things to do." Aoki didn't hesitate, directly taking out items and starting to craft them one by one.
...
Meanwhile, in the Pokémon world.
In the main Alliance conference room on Silver Mountain, presided over by the President of the main Alliance, the Alliance Presidents and Champions from various regions, as well as the heads of several large families, were all seated in their respective positions.
Although they were all virtual projections, there wasn't much difference from the actual people being present.
At the same time, many seats were still vacant, such as the Champion seats for the Kanto and Johto regions.
However, some previously vacant seats were now occupied. For example, the Champion position in the Hoenn region, which had been vacant for an unknown number of years, now had someone sitting in it, and directly opposite him was Adams, the President of the Hoenn Alliance.
The Hoenn region's Champion position was filled again!
If Aoki were here, he would recognize that the person sitting in the Champion's seat was none other than his trainer, Steven! The Dragon-type Elite Four, Steven, who had been missing for an unknown period!
Or rather, at this moment, he should be called the Dragon-type Champion, Steven!
"You should all know the reason for gathering you here today. Some time ago, when we monitored the Space-Time Continent, we discovered energy fluctuations from Dialga and Palkia, and they were intense energy fluctuations.
According to reliable analysis and speculation, Dialga and Palkia should have descended upon the Space-Time Continent for some reason.
Although these energy fluctuations came and went quickly, we could sense them from such a distance, which definitely means those two Legendary Pokémon launched an attack on the Space-Time Continent!" The white-haired President slowly said to everyone.
Everyone present was not too surprised to hear this news. They already knew about it before coming.
After all, it concerned the young talents from various regions, and as elders, they couldn't take it lightly.
"However, just now, we detected the energy fluctuations of those two Legendary Pokémon again, and this time the energy fluctuations were even more intense than the last. Although we don't know why they appeared on the Space-Time Continent, we have reason to believe that with such intense energy fluctuations, they are very likely to have gone berserk." The President's tone gradually became solemn.
Even with his status and strength, two berserk Level 1 Legendary Pokémon were something he couldn't handle.
Berserk?
Everyone present frowned.
"President, so, the young ones inside are all in unpredictable danger?" It was Adams who spoke. He was very concerned about the safety of Aoki, Steven, and the others.
Of course, there was no one present who wasn't worried.
The white-haired President slowly nodded, "So someone suggested ending this training early. Although the energy fluctuations of Dialga and Palkia have stopped, there's always a chance of another outbreak. Moreover, a large part of this training has already passed, and ending it early might not be a bad way to avoid danger."
"Elder, the entire Pokémon world is also unusually quiet right now." The speaker was an elderly Officer Jenny.
This Officer Jenny was the overall clan leader of all the Jenny families in various regions of the entire Pokémon Alliance.
Given the special nature of the Jenny family, she certainly had enough qualifications to sit with the Alliance Presidents and Champions from various regions. Of course, the head of the Joy family was the same.
As the Jenny family, which oversees the entire Alliance's public order, her words carried the most weight.
"Oh?" The white-haired President narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew what the Jenny clan leader meant.
The Holy Church, which had been particularly active recently, had been somewhat silent during this period. Now that such an event had occurred on the Space-Time Continent, it made them inevitably link it to the Holy Church.
Since its establishment, the Alliance had undergone so many Space-Time Continent trainings. Although there was a long period of absence due to technical issues, whenever there was training, they had never encountered the phenomenon of Dialga and Palkia going berserk.
It wasn't that these two Legendary Pokémon hadn't returned to the Space-Time Continent; on the contrary, their returns were quite frequent, but they had never been as explosive as this time.
Because the Alliance also knew the limit that Dialga and Palkia could accept, anyone who entered would not have the strength to break through the second hurdle of the Champion level.
Such strength was still a distance away for these young ones who entered.
Although each of them was an extraordinary genius, they were still quite far from that level of strength.
It should be known that the new Champion of the Hoenn region, Steven, his ace Pokémon, Salamence, had only just broken through to this level, but with such strength, he was already the Hoenn region's Champion!
Excluding those hidden figures behind the Alliance, Steven's strength was already among the absolute top existences in the entire Pokémon world!
But if people from the Holy Church were truly involved, then it would be hard to say.
Understanding the Jenny clan leader's meaning, everyone present fell silent for a moment. No one sitting in this position was a fool, and they had a clearer understanding of the entire Pokémon world's situation.
This suddenly appearing Holy Church, although not many personnel appeared, every single one could be called an expert.
No one understood what kind of strength lay beneath its mysterious veil.
"Alright, let's vote. Whether or not to end this training early. If you have any opinions, you can also bring them up." The Elder scanned the room and said faintly.
Although he looked somewhat old, no one dared to underestimate him.
And there was a circulating folk legend, whether true or not, that this Elder possessed enigmatic abilities, capable of knowing most things in the Pokémon world. As long as someone was in the Pokémon world, it was difficult to escape his eyes.
"I think we need to end this training early. We can no longer let the future of our various regions take unnecessary risks inside.
The fundamental reason for the training is to let them experience a certain amount of pressure and also to help them realize their talents faster, but this time the pressure is already beyond their ability to bear."
This time, it was the Johto region's Alliance President who spoke. He had only recently become the Alliance President and certainly didn't want all the Elite Four, who had been painstakingly selected from his region, to fall inside. This would be an unacceptable loss for him.
"Seconded." Adams immediately spoke in agreement.
Aoki, Steven, Wallace, Flannery—which of these four didn't have Elite Four or higher potential? Especially Aoki and Steven, those two little prodigies, Adams truly held Champion expectations for them.
If everything went smoothly, Adams estimated that Aoki and Steven would be able to barely take over the Hoenn region's Champion position in at most three years.
As for which of these two young ones would become Champion, that was not something Adams needed to consider.
Just like Aoki and Steven competing for the Elite Four, that was a healthy competition, only beneficial to both. Adams could accept either of them becoming Champion.
However, in his heart, he did have some plans of his own.
"Seconded!" Steven immediately followed, as Aoki's teacher and the elder of Steven and others, he had wanted to speak for a long time, but as it was his first time attending such a meeting, he was somewhat restrained.
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"..."
Led by Adams and Steven, everyone present felt it was best to end this training early.
"Since that's the case, then this training will end here. Each of your regions should send people to Silver Mountain to pick up your people. At that time, everyone must be mentally prepared, as some casualties are inevitable." After saying this, the Elder motioned for the meeting to end, and everyone could go back to prepare.