"Follow me properly, and you will gain many benefits. At most, it will only take a few decades before I let you go," Gary said as he patted Heatran's back.
Heatran's body felt like solid volcanic rock. The surface was rough and uneven, with metallic plates embedded into its fiery armor. Even without touching it for long, Gary could feel intense heat radiating outward, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
"HRR… DUO…"
Heatran let out a low, heavy growl. Its voice sounded like magma flowing deep underground, steady and powerful.
Heatran was a Pokémon that followed the laws of the wild. It did not enjoy conflict for no reason, nor did it blindly obey humans. Instead, it respected strength and sincerity. If someone proved they were capable and did not lie, Heatran would acknowledge them.
This could also be seen from later events. After Heatran was subdued by Charon, it followed his arrangements as well. Heatran was, by nature, a kind and honest Pokémon. Anyone who managed to subdue it would gain its obedience. Yet, again and again, humans abandoned it after using its power. That fate made it especially pitiful.
"Let me teach you some techniques," Gary said calmly.
He was not the kind of person who made empty promises or empty threats. Instead of boasting, he directly placed his hand on Heatran's burning body and transmitted move knowledge through his unique ability.
[Pokémon: Heatran]
[Type: Fire / Steel]
[Level: 65]
[Potential: Quasi-Legendary]
[Ability: Flash Fire (When hit by a Fire-type move, it absorbs the flames and boosts the power of its own Fire-type attacks.)]
[Ability 2: Flame Body (When a Pokémon makes physical contact with it, there is a 30% chance of being burned.)]
[Moves: Magma Storm, Metal Claw, Scary Face, Iron Head, Lava Plume, Metal Sound, Heat Wave, Stone Edge]
[Newly Taught Moves: Flamethrower, Overheat, Fire Blast, Rock Slide, Rest, Hyper Beam, Dig, Earthquake, Dragon Pulse, Sunny Day, Body Slam, Steel Beam, Stealth Rock, Protect]
[Friendship: 235 (Maximum: 255)]
Heatran's move pool was extremely wide. Counting both its original moves and the newly taught ones, it now possessed twelve different battle techniques.
"HRR… DUO…?"
Heatran looked confused.
After living for decades inside Stark Mountain, it had not naturally awakened even ten racial moves. Yet in a short time, Gary had taught it twelve powerful techniques. Many high-level Pokémon could not master so many moves even after years of training.
"This is my ability," Gary said. "Follow me, and I will help you grow stronger. One day, you might even surpass your ancestors."
"HRR… DUO…"
Heatran nodded slowly.
Before, Heatran had only obeyed out of recognition of Gary's strength. Now, it trusted him from the bottom of its heart.
"Then come with me."
After successfully subduing Heatran, Gary returned to the Pokémon Center. He contacted Professor Oak's Laboratory and transferred all of his Pokémon from the Sinnoh Region. At the same time, he also sent over the two newly captured Pokémon he had previously subdued near Pastoria City.
"Gary, you wanted to subdue a wild Pokémon. Did you succeed?" Tracey asked curiously after the teleportation finished.
"Yes, I caught it this afternoon," Gary replied calmly.
"What kind of Pokémon was it?" Professor Oak suddenly appeared on the screen. From Tracey, he had already learned that Gary had transferred his main battle Pokémon back, clearly preparing for a difficult capture.
Professor Oak understood Gary's strength better than anyone. If Gary had needed to mobilize his main team, then the Pokémon he aimed to subdue was certainly no ordinary wild Pokémon.
"You'll find out during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Grandpa," Gary said with a smile.
"The Lily of the Valley Conference…" Professor Oak muttered thoughtfully. "Then it must be a Pokémon native to the Sinnoh Region."
"Haha, Grandpa, take your time guessing. Take care of yourself—I'm hanging up now."
Gary ended the call and left the Pokémon Center.
He released Garchomp and flew toward the inland areas of the Sinnoh Region.
However, his next target was not yet complete. Darkrai still remained unconquered, and his destination was Canalave City.
Ash and the others had once encountered Darkrai while traveling toward Canalave City. In truth, Darkrai had been drawn there by Team Rocket.
Team Rocket's trio had constructed a device that induced nightmares in humans. Darkrai fed on nightmares, and because Newmoon Island lay close to Canalave City, it naturally attracted Darkrai to that area.
Moreover, this Darkrai could not properly control its Ability. As a result, the nightmares of the people in Canalave City grew more intense by the day, leaving them exhausted and mentally drained.
From this, it could be inferred that the Darkrai appearing in Canalave City was not especially strong. A Pokémon that could not even control its own Ability was clearly inferior to the Darkrai that had appeared in Alamos Town.
The Darkrai in Alamos Town was likely above level 100. It had deliberately activated its Ability after sensing that Dialga and Palkia would arrive. It tried to drive the townspeople away through nightmares in order to protect them.
Unfortunately, the people of Alamos Town misunderstood its intentions and regarded it as an enemy.
"Wait… what if I subdue this Darkrai and it really can't control its Ability?" Gary frowned slightly.
If Darkrai truly could not control its Nightmare Ability, then sending it to Professor Oak's Laboratory would be disastrous. All the Pokémon there might suffer, and Darkrai itself might be harmed as well.
Darkrai's Nightmare Ability had an extremely wide range and could affect an entire city.
"If I really capture you, I can only keep you by my side," Gary muttered as he took out the Lunar Wing.
The Lunar Wing could suppress Darkrai's Ability, but it had limitations. It only worked within a certain range.
That range was centered on Gary himself, with a diameter of about one hundred meters. Beyond that distance, Darkrai's Ability would still spread.
Gary continued traveling at high speed. Soon, a cluster of buildings appeared ahead in the distance. Garchomp slowed and hovered in the sky.
Gary looked down and saw a town beneath them. He did not recognize it at first, but he was certain it lay inland within the Sinnoh Region.
"Garchomp, let's go down and take a look," Gary said.
"Chomp."
Garchomp nodded and descended.
Gary recalled Garchomp and walked onto the nearby street. He looked around and soon noticed a signboard carved from stone.
"Celestic Town."
"So this is Celestic Town."
Gary was surprised. He had always imagined Celestic Town to be nothing more than a small village. In reality, it was closer to a compact city. Stone houses lined the roads, and ancient patterns were carved into the walls. Murals depicting legendary Pokémon could be seen everywhere, and the town seemed to carry an atmosphere of long history and mystery.
After confirming his location, Gary released Cyclizar and mounted it.
Riding through the streets on Cyclizar immediately attracted attention. People stopped walking and stared as the dragon-like Pokémon passed by, its scale-wheels spinning smoothly against the stone road.
Gary did not rush. He slowed down and observed the surroundings carefully. Celestic Town felt calm and solemn, as though the entire town was guarding some ancient secret. Wind brushed past the old banners near the ruins, making them flutter softly.
As he turned a corner, he suddenly saw five familiar figures standing on the sidewalk to his right—three tall ones and two small ones.
The two smallest reacted first. They turned their heads and cried out in surprise.
Pikachu: "Pika!"
Piplup: "Piplup!"