Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Even Ho-Oh did not react, let alone Aoki and his Gengar.

Hehehe!!

Gengar screamed in pain, his entire spectral face contorted and wrinkled into a grimace of agony.

Aoki, disregarding Giratina's immense power and status, glared fiercely at Giratina with a ferocious and unyielding expression etched upon his pale features. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides.

If anything were to happen to his Gengar, he would make Giratina pay the price, no matter the cost, even if it meant sacrificing everything he had. If he could not achieve vengeance now, then he would simply try again later. There would always come a time when he would be strong enough to extract a terrible price.

Ho-Oh's expression also looked rather ugly, a faint glow of indignation emanating from its rainbow-hued wings. It had just promised this human Trainer that no harm would come and had assured him that the situation was under control, only to be immediately contradicted and slapped in the face by Giratina's actions! As expected, such chaotic and untrustworthy madmen could not be relied upon easily.

"Do not be nervous," Giratina's voice sounded softly, a calm contrast to the tension in the room.

Glancing at the fierce-looking Aoki, Giratina revealed an intrigued expression, its six ghostly legs shifting. "Little human, you have a rather good eye. I am beginning to feel some admiration for your spirit. How about it? Would you consider becoming my chosen spokesperson?"

After hearing Giratina's words, Aoki's expression remained cold and unchanging, his primary focus entirely on the transformations occurring within the swirling energy surrounding his beloved Gengar.

Ho-Oh, sensing the state of Gengar's body with its heightened perception, spoke to Aoki in a calming tone. "It did not lie to you. Your Gengar is not in any immediate or grave danger. He can endure this process and may even await some significant benefits from it."

Ho-Oh's expression softened slightly, its pride soothed by the fact its assessment had been accurate, thus preventing its face from being metaphorically swollen by the event. This information made Aoki feel a little more relieved, a small measure of tension leaving his shoulders, and then he reflected more clearly on what Giratina had just proposed.

Giratina's spokesperson?!

For a single, fleeting moment, Aoki felt a flicker of temptation at the immense power and knowledge such a position might offer.

But this dangerous idea was quickly extinguished, smothered by cold pragmatism.

Did he still want to live a peaceful life in the Pokemon world?! Was he not afraid that Arceus would take notice and cause trouble? Although Aoki was not entirely certain, there was a prevalent rumor that a certain connection existed between Arceus and the Pokemon League. The deity would not even need to act directly; just a single word and the full force of the League would make his life exceedingly difficult. Of course, he considered this possibility was not exceedingly high, but Aoki did not believe he could ultimately gain any true benefits by becoming the spokesperson for the ruler of the Distortion World. The most important and immediate concern was that Ho-Oh was watching him, bro! If he dared to nod in agreement, the bird would undoubtedly dare to take immediate action, he was certain of it.

Before Aoki could formulate a verbal refusal, Giratina merely chuckled, the black, ribbon-like wings on its back fluttering a few times. Giratina, in its Origin Forme, flicked its tail and retreated straight back into the shimmering rift to its alternate dimension.

"I shall await your reply—" a voice whispered directly beside Aoki's ears. Noting that there was no change in the expressions of Ho-Oh and the three legendary beasts, he remained perfectly calm, understanding the communication had been for him alone.

Giratina's voice transmission.

After witnessing Giratina disappear completely into the alternate dimension, the spatial wall automatically healed itself, sealing the rift shut without a trace.

"Your Gengar will now undergo a profound transformation. This will be a great opportunity for him. How much he can grasp from this experience depends entirely on his own fortitude and will," Ho-Oh looked at Aoki and explained patiently.

Aoki nodded grimly, his eyes never leaving the swirling vortex of energy.

At this time, Gengar was completely enveloped and wrapped in a thick, gray-black mist, which was the pure, potent ghost-type energy gifted by Giratina. The energy felt similar to that which had been contained within the black crystal, but where that had been merely a faint wisp, this was now a massive, overwhelming ball. If Gengar could successfully absorb and integrate it, the gains would definitely be immense and of tremendous help to his future power.

"Thank you," Aoki said, offering genuine gratitude to the legendary bird.

The cause of this incident was indirectly related to his own actions, and Ho-Oh had also saved both Gengar and himself from any potential whims of Giratina.

Ho-Oh shook its magnificent head. "Lugia would not bestow its energy aura upon just any ordinary person. There is a reason you were chosen."

Hearing what Ho-Oh said, Aoki's heart moved slightly with realization.

Lugia's energy aura?

Because of that unique red and blue energy ball? The blue part had been from Lugia?

A soft cracking sound echoed, though it came from no visible source.

Ho-Oh called out, and a warm, brilliant ball of golden energy emerged from its body, suffusing the air around it with a healing light before pouring gently into Aoki's body, washing over him from head to toe.

"Just because you no longer feel pain from your physical injuries does not mean you have fully recovered. Lugia's energy removed the deep-seated impurities from your body. If you were to recover slowly through normal means, it would soon become filled with those same impurities once again," Ho-Oh stated wisely.

Although whether Aoki's body contained impurities had little direct impact on the strength of his spirit or psychic powers, this purification would allow Aoki to live a longer, healthier life and get sick far less often. Most importantly, it made him even paler! His face was already quite pale because of the time spent wearing a mask, and now it was even paler, almost luminous! He guessed many women would feel a twinge of jealousy at Aoki's complexion upon seeing him.

The golden energy gradually dissipated, its work complete, and Aoki slowly stood up from the sofa, moving his hands and feet and feeling not a single obstruction. He felt much more flexible and agile than before, and it seemed as though every muscle and tendon in his body was perfectly defined and clear, operating at peak condition.

"Thank you," Aoki thanked the legendary Pokemon once more, bowing his head slightly in respect.

Ho-Oh shook its head and signaled to Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. The three legendary beasts acknowledged their master and then slowly vanished from the spot, departing to their own duties.

"Follow me," Ho-Oh said to Aoki, then with a powerful flap of its immense wings, it flew alone towards the very summit of the active volcano.

Aoki looked down at Gengar, who was still completely wrapped in the mysterious black fog, and then looked at the Aggron beside him. The Steel-type Pokemon should understand his silent instruction to stand guard. Controlling his psychic powers, he levitated himself from the ground and flew towards the mountain's peak, with his Slowking and Blaziken following closely beside him. He did not know why, but he felt a strong intuition that bringing his Blaziken along for this meeting might yield some unexpected benefits.

Soon, with his psychic abilities increased to their maximum output, it did not take much time for him to rush directly to the very top of the mountain, where the air was thin and hot with volcanic gases.

At this time, Ho-Oh had been waiting there patiently for a while, perched regally on a rocky outcrop.

It glanced at the Blaziken standing beside Aoki, and of course, it immediately understood what the cunning human had intended by bringing it along. It shook its head in a display of helpless amusement. With a graceful flap of its wings, two incredibly beautiful, vibrantly colorful feathers were summoned forth from the bubbling lava below, untouched by the molten rock. Under the sunlight, they emitted a dazzling, multifaceted brilliance. The two feathers slowly descended, landing gently into Aoki's open hands, and he could immediately feel the surprising warmth and incredible softness radiating from them. If one looked closely, it was possible to see some subtle differences between the two magnificent feathers. The one on the left possessed mostly red and orange fluorescent spots that shimmered, while the one on the right gleamed with predominantly golden and yellow fluorescent spots. The length of the two feathers was beyond Aoki's initial imagination; they were each nearly twice the size of his own palm and did not appear to be ordinary feathers from Ho-Oh's plumage.

Aoki looked up at Ho-Oh with a puzzled expression, awaiting an explanation.

"Take these as a reward for your previous assistance in sealing the unstable space. The red one may be given to the little one next to you," Ho-Oh said, indicating Blaziken with a tilt of its head, "and the yellow one is for you to bestow as you see fit. It contains a greater concentration of flying-type energy." Ho-Oh gave Aoki a mildly displeased look. Originally, it had just intended to present a single feather, but it had not anticipated Aoki's foresight in bringing his Blaziken. With Ho-Oh's ancient wisdom, it had understood Aoki's underlying meaning the moment he arrived with the Fire-type. A truly cunning and clever guy!

Aoki could not help but show a clear look of joy on his pale features. His gamble had really worked!

"These are my own tail feathers. The energy contained within them can be absorbed freely by a compatible Pokemon. As for which Pokemon you ultimately choose to leave them with, that is your own freedom to decide," the Phoenix King stated solemnly.

Upon hearing this confirmation, Aoki immediately nodded and carefully stored the two priceless feathers away in a secure container. These were the genuine tail feathers of the legendary Phoenix King, Ho-Oh. If they were ever put up for auction, he could only wonder what kind of astronomical, sky-high price they would fetch. If he were to take them to the dedicated monks in the Bell Tower of the Johto region, they would likely offer all of their collective wealth and ancient treasures to exchange with Aoki for them. Of course, as a nominal member of "justice," Aoki obviously knew he could not ever do such a reckless and sacrilegious thing.

Seeing the calculating look flash across Aoki's face, Ho-Oh was also a little helpless. If it were not for certain circumstances and the intervention of a certain meddlesome pink Pokemon...

Aoki was just about to speak again, to perhaps ask another question, but Ho-Oh did not give him the opportunity.

With a single, powerful flap of its wings, it created a gust of wind that gently but firmly pushed Aoki off the mountain peak, sending him floating back down towards the base. "Also, no matter what method you must use, please depart from my personal space quickly." Its voice echoed in his mind.

Then, a petite, bright pink Pokemon with a long, curling tail suddenly jumped out from a hiding spot beside Ho-Oh. Now compared to the massive Ho-Oh, she appeared much, much smaller. Seeing this unexpected Pokemon appear, Ho-Oh said with a tone of unhappiness, "I do not know what you see in that human, but now we are even. Two of my finest feathers are more than enough to purchase your little favor."

When the pink Pokemon heard what Ho-Oh said, it squinted its eyes happily, nodded its head repeatedly, and did a joyful roll in the air, a soft, melodic sound echoing around them.