The council elder knew that the future of the League was no longer in his hands, but in those of the younger generation.
Even someone like Cain, whose identity was not entirely clear, was no exception.
Since the last time he had contact with Cain, the council elder had carefully observed him for a period of time. Aside from certain special abilities, Cain had not caused any harm to the League. On the contrary, precisely because of his existence, the Hoenn League had overtaken the Johto League in one stroke, becoming the second most powerful after Kanto.
Even the Johto League had fallen behind Hoenn.
Thinking of this, the elder's opinion of Cain improved somewhat.
But clearly Cain did not notice this. His attention was completely focused on the "he" that the council elder had mentioned.
The creator god, Arceus!
Cain had only seen it once, and not even the true Arceus, but rather that Arceus which appeared in the Dragon Space, when he obtained the fragment of the Sky Plate, exchanged a few words with Rayquaza, and then handed him the plate.
He had not expected that today he would have the fortune to see the real one!
However, Arceus had not yet arrived when Kael was the first to stop resisting.
At that moment, the two black lines extending from the top of his head had already descended to his eyes. Both his pupils and sclera had turned completely black.
And the Origin Ball in his hand began releasing large amounts of black mist, gradually enveloping him.
At first, Giratina's eyes had still been completely white, but now they had already taken on a gray color.
Giratina's own consciousness was beginning to recover!
"ROOOOAR!!!"
That sound came from Kael's mouth, and the target was Giovanni, who was observing from the side.
By this point, Giovanni had already more or less perceived that something was wrong, and he could not help but frown slightly. Then he glanced sideways at Mewtwo, who stood beside him.
If even the Origin Ball could not simply capture a first-tier legendary Pokémon, could his Special Armor truly restrain Mewtwo?
At that moment, Giovanni suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to return and order the Team Rocket scientists to research a new type of Poké Ball.
A Poké Ball capable of surpassing the Master Ball.
In reality, it was not that the Master Ball could not restrain a first-tier legendary Pokémon, but rather that such restraint was not permanent. If the Pokémon and trainer got along well, even a common Poké Ball could be sufficient, but if there was violent resistance and the capture was forced, then even a Master Ball fell quite short.
Kael wanted to forcibly capture Giratina, which was why he needed to use the Origin Ball.
But Giovanni no longer had much time to continue thinking, because Giratina had already charged toward him.
Under Giovanni's mental command, Mewtwo immediately adopted a combat stance, and terrifying psychic power erupted from its body.
If Mewtwo's psychic power was like the sun, then Cain's psychic power was no more than the glow of a few fireflies. The difference was far too great.
"This Pokémon...", the council elder murmured, narrowing his eyes. Only at that moment did he truly understand Mewtwo's capability.
Cain, standing beside him, briefly explained Mewtwo's origin.
"So that's how it is... It seems I have truly given the Pokémon world and the League two extraordinary individuals. What a pity that neither of them stands on the League's side...", the elder said, his expression growing even more bitter. His body also seemed to stoop further and further.
Cain had not yet had time to comfort him when suddenly the council elder's body straightened on its own, and a terrifying aura burst forth from him. His gray coarse-cloth robe fluttered on its own, without any wind blowing.
"Since all of this was caused by me, before I depart, I will let everything end with me!"
The confidence he radiated was overwhelming, and he did not resemble a centuries-old man at all. But what he said was engraved deeply in Cain's mind.
It seemed that from this moment onward, the League and Team Rocket would truly enter an all-out war...
Giovanni directed Mewtwo to clash several times with Giratina, but very soon he fell into a disadvantage.
After all, Mewtwo had not yet completely finished growing, and there was still a great distance between it and the true level of a first-tier legendary Pokémon. But through that battle, Giovanni had already gained a far more comprehensive understanding of Mewtwo's combat strength.
Kael and Giratina's current state was clearly abnormal, so remaining there would only serve to attract hatred on behalf of others. Since his objective had already been achieved, he could also withdraw.
Mewtwo once again released a gigantic psychic blade, forcing Giratina to defend, and then, in a flash, returned to Giovanni's side, taking him directly away from the battlefield.
When Giovanni and Mewtwo disappeared, Kael and Giratina had no choice but to redirect their attention toward the others.
And at that moment, the closest ones were precisely the members of the Aether Foundation.
Lusamine's face was extremely dark. Originally, what she had agreed with Kael was that, after capturing Giratina, they would use the power of that first-tier legendary Pokémon to help them explore Ultra Space.
But it had just been captured and had already lost its sanity.
What exactly was this supposed to be?
Even so, Lusamine at least retained enough clarity to understand that if they remained there for even one more second, they would not be a match for Giratina.
That day was turning out to be truly disastrous. Not only had she failed to obtain Giratina's assistance, but she had also made an enemy of the League. From now on, the future situation of the Aether Foundation in Alola would become rather uncomfortable.
So she took her people and left at full speed.
Even so, due to Giratina's completely unrestrained attacks, some members of the Aether Foundation were left behind and fell right there.
After everyone from the Aether Foundation had departed, Giratina once again set its sights on Cain and the others.
But compared to the others, Cain and his group were not overly nervous. With the council elder present, they did not fear Giratina.
Moreover, Kael had lost his sanity, so instead, his threat had actually decreased.
Just as Giratina lunged toward them, the sky covered in dense clouds suddenly allowed a ray of sunlight to fall, illuminating directly the peak of Mt. Silver.
A four-legged creature, whose body was primarily white and whose appearance resembled that of a horse, a qilin, or a centaur, appeared in the air and directed its gaze toward Giratina and Kael below.
The creator god, Arceus!
(End of chapter)