Phoebe's grandfather, with a kind smile, approached Cain together with his wife.
"Young Cain, we meet again," he said with a smile.
Cain came back to his senses, setting aside those images for the moment, and replied with a smile, "Sir, it has been a long time. It seems you are still as strong as ever."
"Ha, ha, ha! You certainly know how to speak. I can already guess why you've come. How about we talk inside at ease?" The old man seemed to be in an excellent mood.
Phoebe's grandmother also displayed a very hospitable attitude.
Cain hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded. Last time, he had not had the opportunity to enter their home.
Facing the simple thatched hut where the two elders lived, Cain could not help but think that someone capable of living there for decades was unlikely to harbor malicious intentions.
They entered.
The interior was just as simple as the outside. They sat around a table, and Phoebe's grandmother carefully prepared a cup of tea for Cain.
Just from the aroma alone, Cain knew it was not ordinary tea.
As for the grandfather, he drank from his old cup, filled with lower-quality leaves, yet he seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.
Cain smelled his tea but did not drink it yet.
He did not know much about the subject, aside from a brief conversation he once had with Mr. Ramos in Kalos.
"Young Cain, I more or less know why you've come. But before I answer... would you like to hear a story?"
Cain nodded.
"Go ahead."
The old man showed a nostalgic expression, and his face gradually became serious.
"It is said that many years ago, when the Hoenn League had just been established, there was a young man with extraordinary talent in psychic power, who was one of the pillars of combat strength of the League at that time."
"Because of his considerable strength and his possession of psychic power, he was admired by countless women of his generation. His fame... ahem, ahem..."
Just as the tone of the story began to drift off-topic, Phoebe's grandmother directly struck him on the head.
"Ouch!"
That brought him back to the main topic.
"Ahem... at the moment when that young man was at the peak of his fame, he encountered the greatest crisis of his life: an incredibly powerful Pokémon, one he had never imagined, appeared before him."
"This Pokémon, although ancient and possessing tremendous strength, had an extreme nature. Its goal was to use its own power to change, and even overturn, the Pokémon world, which at that time was rapidly developing."
"When such a Pokémon appeared before the rising star of the Hoenn League, the young man, naturally arrogant, believed that with his own strength he could stop it."
"But the appearance of that powerful Pokémon was specifically for that young man; its purpose was to turn him into its envoy, representative, or even its apostle in the Pokémon world."
"At that time, human and Pokémon each had their own goals, and the moment they met, it was like thunder igniting fire. The scale of that battle, the impact it caused... ah—!"
Before he could continue, Phoebe's grandmother struck him on the head again.
Phoebe, seated on the other side, covered her mouth and laughed softly.
She had heard this story since she was young. Every time her grandfather reached a key part, he would inevitably drift off topic. If her grandmother did not stop him, he could talk for hours.
Cain understood that this so-called "story" was actually the old man's personal experience.
But what interested him most was that extremely powerful Pokémon that had suddenly appeared, whose goal had also been to recruit Phoebe's grandfather.
In Cain's opinion, that Pokémon could only be Giratina, the Underworld Dragon.
After all, he himself had experienced Giratina's attempt at recruitment. If it had not been for Ho-Oh back then, he would have had no way to resist.
With Giratina's strength, eliminating him would have been as easy as blowing dust away.
The old man continued:
"But its power was truly far too great. They were not on the same level. However, that Pokémon knew that human was a rare talent and did not want to give up easily, so it injected its special energy into his body, intending to force him to submit."
"But that young man had his own pride, his own character... ahem, in the end, he did not accept."
He took a sip of tea and rubbed his head, his expression becoming dim.
"After that battle, almost all of his Pokémon died. Even his psychic power was contaminated, transforming into a different special ability. And because of that battle... he chose to disappear from the Pokémon world."
His gaze reflected an unhidden melancholy.
But the brilliance he had shown while speaking earlier... was likely the reflection of who he had once been in his youth.
In this way, Cain understood why Ghost Power had emerged and why the two elders lived permanently within Mt. Pyre.
As for why Phoebe's grandmother was also there and possessed that same power, it was surely another moving story... but Cain had no intention of continuing to listen.
He already more or less understood what Phoebe's grandfather wanted to convey. He probably knew that Cain had discovered what they had done to his Gengar, and telling this story was simply meant to make it clear that, although they used Ghost Power, they were not on Giratina's side nor did they have hidden intentions.
"Sir, that is enough. I understand the story, but I am not entirely sure what you are trying to express," Cain said, raising his hand to interrupt the old man who wanted to continue.
Phoebe's grandfather showed a regretful expression, as if lamenting that he could not continue talking about his youth.
But he quickly composed himself and looked directly at Cain.
"You have probably already guessed. That powerful Pokémon I spoke of is Giratina, the so-called Underworld Dragon. Our original psychic power was transformed into Ghost Power due to its influence, so, in a certain sense, we are natural enemies."
"When you came to ask for our help to evolve your Haunter into Gengar, I had already sensed the aura of Giratina's energy within you. Combined with the fact that you are a psychic, I became suspicious of you. Injecting that energy into your Gengar was not meant to harm it, we only wanted to confirm whether you had any connection to Giratina..."
(End of Chapter)