After the battle ended, Aven began cleaning up the battlefield.
With the strength he currently commanded, subduing the remaining Sorcerers was effortless. In fact, the moment they saw the Grand Sorcerers defeated, they had already lost all will to fight, some of them even starting to plan their escape.
However, when faced with several King-level Pokémon, even the thought of fleeing was nothing more than a luxury. Gardevoir and Froslass worked together to cast Hypnosis, sending all the Sorcerers into a deep sleep.
"Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer, we finally caught you." Aven let out a long sigh of relief.
From the ambush orchestrated by the Sorcerer Organization this time, it was clear that the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer had deliberately leaked information about Heatran to him.
If Lilligant had not achieved her breakthrough, and if he had not relied on the four Pokémon that had advanced to King-level, the situation would have been truly dangerous. Even the Lake Guardian Trio might have ended up in grave peril.
Of course, there were no "what-ifs" anymore. In the end, he emerged victorious, and the Sorcerer Organization was once again dealt a devastating blow in this battle…
Successfully capturing the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer held immense significance for him.
Through interrogating the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer, he would be able to obtain a wealth of information he desperately needed, including internal intelligence about the Sorcerer Organization, details about the Almia Region, and news regarding Darkrai.
"Besides that… there's also Heatran." Aven shifted his gaze toward the Guardian Deity in the distance.
At this moment, Heatran was behaving extremely docilely, staying by Rhyperior's side, its expression filled with concern.
Meanwhile, Lilligant was using life energy to heal Rhyperior. During the earlier battle, Rhyperior had fought recklessly without regard for its own injuries, suffering extremely severe wounds.
But for the current Lilligant, such injuries were no longer a problem. As long as there was still a breath left, she could easily bring it back.
"Lilli~ lilli~"
Not long afterward, Lilligant withdrew the life energy surrounding her.
By now, all of Rhyperior's injuries had been completely healed, causing it to let out an excited roar.
"RHYYYY—!"
Rhyperior stood up, clenched its fists, and felt the powerful energy surging throughout its entire body!
"HEAAAT!"
Seeing Rhyperior recover, Heatran was equally delighted and eagerly moved closer.
"Rhyyy—!"
Rhyperior turned its gaze toward Heatran, its expression shifting slightly.
Then, scenes of Heatran's battle flashed through its mind, and its eyes suddenly lit up.
After successfully evolving, it could clearly sense how powerful it had become. Ordinary opponents could no longer provide it with effective training.
But if it were the Heatran standing before it, perhaps it could serve as an excellent training target. If it could defeat Heatran, its strength might rise all the way to Guardian Deity–level!
"Heaat—!"
Faced with Rhyperior's sudden invitation to battle, Heatran was momentarily stunned.
"Rhyperior, if you want to fight, wait a bit first," Aven suddenly spoke up, stopping Rhyperior.
He then walked up to Heatran. "Heatran, how do you feel? Has the seal inside your body been completely lifted?"
"Heaat! Ran—!"
Hearing Aven's question, Heatran froze for a moment, then hesitantly nodded.
The seal within its body had indeed been completely removed by the Volcanic Keystone. However, it could faintly sense that if it were to lose the power of the Volcanic Keystone, the strength within it would once again be sealed.
"Hmm? So, it can only be released through the Volcanic Keystone?" Aven nodded silently.
The Volcanic Keystone's power was similar to that of the Black Crystal, capable of greatly enhancing the strength of the corresponding Guardian Deity.
At the same time, such a special artifact also served as a medium to control that Guardian Deity. When Heatran was born, in order to restrain the overwhelming power within its body, the Volcanic Keystone came into existence.
From a certain perspective, Rhyperior—now wielding the power of the Volcanic Keystone—had effectively become Heatran's master and could command it through the Keystone.
Of course, neither Aven nor Rhyperior would ever do such a thing. They had always treated Pokémon as equals, and naturally, Heatran was no exception.
"Heaat! Raan!"
Heatran nodded happily.
It could sense the goodwill emanating from both Aven and Rhyperior.
Coupled with their life-saving grace earlier and the recognition of the Lake Guardians, Heatran felt deep trust toward Aven.
After that, Aven continued communicating with Heatran, and everything progressed far more smoothly than he had anticipated.
Toward those who had saved its life, Heatran displayed tremendous affection. Although Aven had not fully subdued Heatran yet, getting Heatran to lend a hand would definitely not be a problem.
In this way, it was as if he had gained another Guardian Deity–level force. Especially when facing the Sorcerer Organization, the balance of Guardian Deity–level combat power was now tilting decisively in his favor.
After obtaining Heatran's promise, Aven finally relaxed. His objective in coming to Stark Island this time could be considered complete.
On the other side, the Lord of Meteor City and the Pokémon Knight Order advanced forward at a steady pace.
At this moment, the Lord of Meteor City's emotions were undoubtedly extremely complicated, his mind constantly turning over how he might obtain Heatran's recognition.
But when he arrived at the volcano crater, he discovered that everything was already over.
"The battle… is finished?" The Lord of Meteor City froze.
His gaze swept across the area, quickly landing on the Sorcerers who had been bound up, as well as the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer frozen solid in ice.
Clearly, not only had His Highness Aven won this battle, it had been an overwhelming victory—nearly wiping out the Sorcerer Organization entirely at this location.
Finally, his eyes fell upon Heatran. Heatran's figure overlapped repeatedly with the image of Heatran he carried in his memories.
"Lord Heatran?" The Lord of Meteor City was shocked and immediately stepped forward to bow in respect.
This was the Guardian Deity worshipped by the entirety of Meteor City, holding an utterly unique significance for its people.
After searching for so long, their clan had finally found Heatran here!
"Heaat~"
Having been sealed for a very long time, Heatran clearly did not recognize the human before it.
In the past, Heatran had indeed protected certain human tribes, but all of that was now history. It was no longer the Guardian Deity it once had been.
"Heatran, do you still remember how you were sealed within Stark Mountain?" Aven asked after some thought.
If Heatran truly had been a Guardian Deity that once lived on the Almia Region, then the reason it was sealed within Stark Mountain was well worth investigating.
"Heat~ Ran~"
Heatran was clearly startled for a moment, then shook its head.
It had indeed lived elsewhere in the past. As for why it now appeared here, even it did not know.
However, after thinking for a moment, Heatran suddenly opened its mouth, and a red crystal emerged, radiating a strange and mysterious energy fluctuation.
"This… is a red crystal?" Aven froze, and the legend he had once heard about the King of Almia and the Three Princes instantly surfaced in his mind.
Long ago, in Almia's castle lived a king and three princes.
The king wished for peace throughout the land, but the three princes spent their days plotting against one another, vying for power.
This angered the king, who ordered all three princes exiled. One went to the Desert, one to the Volcano, while the third went nowhere and remained in the castle.
Over time, darkness took root in the king's heart—endless darkness, endless darkness.
In order to dispel the darkness within the king's heart, the three princes abandoned their grudges and reunited. Their tears transformed into red, yellow, and blue crystals, calming the darkness within the king's heart.
If this legend was true, and the black crystal represented the darkness within the king's heart, then could this red crystal represent the tears of the three princes?
The moment this thought emerged, Aven's heart began to pound violently, and he was eager to test it immediately. However, now was clearly not the time. He forcibly suppressed the impulse.
The battle had only just ended, and they were still on Stark Island. There were far too many unknown variables. Under such circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for him to release Darkrai.
If the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer were to break free from the ice at that moment, and combine the power of his Golden Capture Ring and the Black Crystal, there was a genuine chance the situation could be overturned.
The safest course was naturally to escort the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer to Lake Valor. With Azelf guarding the place, he could then release the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer without any worries.
(End of Chapter)