"Since that's the case, what else could he say? Just give it!
With Venusaur conceding, the battle spirit and hostility on the faces of the Ivysaurs around him gradually faded. Misty and Brock's Pokemon still stood guard in front of them, wary of any sudden outburst.
"That was a beautifully fought match, Bulbasaur!" Ash came beside Bulbasaur, patting his head in encouragement.
"Bulu Dana." It was all thanks to your great command, Ash, and the empowerment you provided. I couldn't lose.
"Hehe, you think my command was good too, huh? Compared to last time at Fuchsia Gym, how did I do?" Ash chuckled, whispering to Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur froze for a moment, then shook his head, "Bulu, Bulu Dana."
[It's still far behind that time. Back then, you were so impressive, Ash, that I felt unfamiliar, and the power you provided wasn't on the same level.]
Upon hearing this, Ash's previously grinning face immediately froze. Isn't there a way to not hit someone where it hurts?
Though it was indeed true, compared to Champion Ash, he was indeed lacking. But the other side was already a peak-level Trainer, how could he possibly compare!
Ash had completely forgotten that he was the one who first asked Bulbasaur to compare his current performance with that of the Fuchsia Gym incident.
As for the power boost... last time it was like being possessed by a ghost, totally otherworldly, whereas this time he's relying on his own strength to boost Bulbasaur; it'd be strange if there wasn't a big difference.
Soon, Ash ceased to dwell on this, and with Bulbasaur in tow, approached Venusaur, solemnly stating, "Since I won, Venusaur, can I take half of the Seed of Life now?"
Venusaur nodded with a complex expression. Pokemon are straightforward creatures. A loss is a loss, and a bet is honored. He had thought of exploiting a loophole and picking the softest target, but he misjudged. This was no soft target, but a tough nut!
Now, the opportunity he had painstakingly found would have half of its benefits taken away.
But the good news is that only half would be taken. As a Venusaur accustomed to the wild where the strong prey on the weak, he felt somewhat lucky.
Under normal circumstances, had he lost, the victor would likely have taken everything. Now they were even willing to leave half, which was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
Ash arrived before the giant tree, where amidst vibrant blossoms, there was a branch emitting an eerie glow.
This branch, hidden within the flowers, was difficult to notice even up close, almost as though it had chosen to obscure itself.
Ash had actually noticed it from the start, spotting this peculiar, seven-colored gleam when the tree bloomed.
The subsequent rejuvenation of the tree was entirely dependent on that Seven-Colored Branch.
This branch supposedly contained the power of Xerneas, as Champion Ash mentioned.
As Ash pondered this, he snapped the branch off.
Instantly, the blooming tree reverted to a withered state!
Without Xerneas' Life Force, the tree returned to its original condition.
It was only because of a divine life force from the God of Life that it could flourish, and with that force gone, it naturally reverted to being withered.
Looking at the branch in hand, Ash saw that it resembled a deer's antler, flourishing in design.
Before discovering the Incredible Garden, he had been searching online for information on Xerneas, and from the various images available, this branch looked nearly identical to Xerneas' antlers.
It seemed comparable to the Rainbow Wing—something split off from Xerneas' own form.
Legend has it that Xerneas can bestow eternal life upon others, while it transforms into a tree, to be reborn in a thousand years.
This set it apart as a God of Life different from Ho-Oh, with the life force on this branch, or antler, being much greater than that of the Rainbow Wing.
And this was after much of the life force had been expended. If it were at its full capacity, Ash dared not imagine the volume of life energy contained within this branch.
The reason the Incredible Garden only bloomed once a year was because the Life Branch needed time to absorb the surrounding essence of nature and transform it into life force, requiring a full year of storage.
Once sufficient life energy had been stored, it would be released, nourishing everything, be it Pokemon or trees alike.
But these were merely Ash's hypotheses; he could not be certain. He only knew that he needed the original life force from half of the Life Branch for Bulbasaur.
This was his ultimate purpose in coming here.
But now came the question... how was he to divide out half of the life energy contained within?
Before acquiring it, he had confidently assured Venusaur he'd only need half, and now he had no clue how to extract just half. Isn't that just ridiculous?
Helpless, Ash could only return to the group chat to seek assistance from the big shots. Luckily, the big shots were regularly online. As soon as Ash posed his question, Champion Ash provided him with the answer.
'Just break it in half.'
This solution left Ash dumbstruck; just break it in half?
Could it really be that simple?
This is divine! Just snap it in half like that? Wouldn't breaking it in half cause irreversible damage?
Ash shared these doubts in the chat, to which Champion Ash replied—it doesn't matter at all.
Because Xerneas is different from other deities; his power is pure life force, and the life branch separated from his body shares the same trait: robust life and regenerative capacity.
Even if it were split into two halves, it would eventually recover with sufficient time.
As for how long... based on Champion Ash's understanding of Xerneas, it shouldn't take more than three years for the Life Branch to fully recover.
What does this suggest? That one Life Branch could become two in three years.jpg!
Ahem, that's certainly impossible; even Xerneas' own divided artifact can't replicate like that.
Its limit is that it can be split into two parts, but extending beyond that would reach its capacity for expansion.
Thus, attempting to utilize this method to create more divine artifacts is impossible. Although Xerneas' life force is vast, it is not infinite. If it were truly infinite, the position of Creator God could change hands.
Ash listened, understanding partially, but one thing was clear: he just needed to snap it in half, and it would regenerate not in five years as estimated, but in three.
Ash's initial estimate was solely based on Aura Power, because he noticed that after life force from the Life Branch was consumed, it gradually replenished.
So he thought even if he removed half of the original life force, it might slowly regenerate, albeit taking a significant amount of time.
Initially, Ash hadn't planned to take the Life Branch away but intended to transfer its life force to Bulbasaur.
However, upon obtaining the branch, he didn't know how to extract its life force, and even the usually versatile Aura Power seemed ineffective.
Luckily, he needed only to break it in half, or else Ash wouldn't know how to explain to Bulbasaur.
If separation wasn't possible, Ash certainly wouldn't take the entire branch away; taking half already made him feel guilty. Taking the entire thing, that would make him just like Team Rocket!
Upon getting his answers in the chat, Ash returned to the real world, gripped the branch tightly with both hands, and under the watchful eyes, exerted force!
"Crack!" The Life Branch split into two halves!