“New Year’s Day benefit, 5000 words for everyone.”
At the laboratory instruments, Professor Platane first ushered out all the staff, making space for Yveltal to stand.
Then, Professor Platane used a cotton swab to collect a cell sample from Yveltal and observed it.
“……… (How is it?)”
“This question… I cannot answer for you yet. You have never had a stage of evolution because you are a Legendary Pokémon yourself.”
“……… (Do Legendary Pokémon not have an evolution path?)”
“At least for now, people haven’t discovered any Legendary Pokémon that undergo a process of devolution. Besides, you didn’t fully devolve when you turned into the cocoon of destruction before your life disappeared, which is a good example.”
“……… (Is that so? Thank you for your answer.)”
“Oh, by the way, these books are a gift from me, thank you for allowing me to take a sample.”
“……… (From now on, this kid’s money will be handed over to you. If it’s for an experiment, I can cooperate.)”
“Good! Excellent! Observing a Legendary Pokémon up close like this is a great help to scientific research!”
“……… (Then we should go.)”
Then Yveltal nodded towards Gui Ling, who was sitting on the sofa. Gui Ling returned Yveltal to its Poké Ball and left after bidding farewell to Professor Platane.
Before leaving, Professor Platane made a Gengar-themed badge and helped Gengar attach the ite to it.
After Professor Platane’s comprehensive treatment, Gui Ling was mostly recovered; normal walking and jogging were no longer an issue.
Then Gui Ling summoned all his Pokémon except for Yveltal. Yveltal understood that it might cause panic, so it chose to stay inside its Poké Ball.
Gui Ling then distributed some money, telling everyone to buy what they liked. Yveltal’s favorite food was grilled fish, so there was no need to specifically buy it, but Gui Ling still went to the fish market and bought some dried fish.
“This should make Yveltal happy.”
Just then, Gui Ling suddenly heard a familiar voice in the nearby battle area and walked towards it.
“Glalie! Psybeam!”
“Glalie!”
The powerful Psybeam then struck Helioptile, and Helioptile completely lost its will to battle.
“Helioptile, you worked hard. Your Glalie is very strong.”
“Hehe, of course! Since losing to Gui Ling, I’ve had nine consecutive wins. One more battle and I’ll be back to ten consecutive wins!”
“Is that so? Then let’s have another match, big sister.”
Anne looked back and saw Gui Ling slowly walking towards them.
“Yo~ Little ghost brother, why did you suddenly come out of the forest?”
“Ah, don’t mention it. I got a bit injured fighting a Pokémon Hunter, but thankfully, it ended well.”
“Pokémon Hunter? Are you alright?”
Anne immediately showed a worried expression, while Gui Ling smiled and waved his hand.
“I’m fine, at least I can still walk. Want to have a match?”
Then Gui Ling summoned Banette, and Glalie immediately became excited upon seeing Banette.
“This time, I’ll use my full power~”
“Come on! We’ve long wanted to battle Mega Glalie!”
Then both of them entered the dueling arena. Anne became excited, and Gui Ling also rotated his wrist.
“Little ghost brother, do you have any Pokémon that can Mega Evolve now?”
“Yes, my Gengar can already Mega Evolve. I have to thank that Pokémon Hunter for that.”
“What?! Then why don’t we just have a Mega Glalie versus Super Genggui battle?”
But just then, Glalie shook its head, looking at Banette with firm mutual gazes.
“Huh? Glalie?”
“They see each other as rivals; only each other remains in their eyes.”
“I see. Alright then! Glalie, let’s go!”
“Banette! Time to go!”
Banette VS Glalie
“This time, there’s no way I’ll lose! Glalie! Become a Blizzard and bury everything! Mega Evolution!”
“Glalie!”
As the Mega Evolution ites in their hands glowed, connecting to each other, Glalie completed its Mega Evolution.
“Mega Evolving right from the start! Banette, use Confusion to fly up!”
Banette immediately flew up after receiving the command, and at the same time, Will-O-Wisp had already gathered in its hand. It knew Gui Ling would definitely make it do such a thing the next second.
“Glalie! Psybeam!”
“Will-O-Wisp!”
The two energies collided and exploded directly. Then Mega Glalie flew out from the smoke.
“Use Headbutt!”
“Use Confusion to dodge!”
Mega Glalie charged fiercely, but Banette dodged, missing the attack. Then Banette used Will-O-Wisp again, just as Gui Ling commanded.
“Will-O-Wisp!”
“Blizzard!”
At that instant, their attacks clashed again, and neither side could gain the upper hand.
“Increase the intensity and unleash Blizzard!”
Then terrifying cold wind blew from Glalie’s mouth. Banette was hit before it could react, enduring the discomfort of being frozen.
“Since that’s the case… Banette! Ignite yourself with Will-O-Wisp!”
“Banette!?”
Banette was completely stunned. Was this not going to take its life?
But Banette completely trusted Gui Ling and immediately used Will-O-Wisp on itself. The next second, its body was burning with blue Will-O-Wisp, directly blocking Glalie’s Blizzard.
“Banette?”
Banette didn’t expect that it wasn’t harmed by Will-O-Wisp at all. On the contrary, the Blizzard melted as soon as it approached, which gave it even more confidence.
“This is our self-created move! Let’s give it a name!”
“Banette!”
“Body of Fire! How about it?”
“Banette!”
Banette smiled excitedly, then immediately charged towards Glalie.
“Double Team!”
“Banette!”
Then many Banette wrapped in Will-O-Wisp charged forward. Anne saw that the situation was not good and immediately had Glalie unleash Blizzard.
Terrifying cold air swept over again, but this time it had no effect on Banette whatsoever.
“Again! Use all your strength to ignite Will-O-Wisp!”
Banette’s eyes flashed with blue light. As the Double Team transmitted all the Will-O-Wisp to the main body, all the ignited Will-O-Wisp around gathered at the center, and a hundred-meter-tall Will-O-Wisp gathered in Banette’s hand.
“Glalie! Psybeam!”
“Glalie!”
But Mega Glalie’s full-power Psybeam was instantly melted upon contact with the Will-O-Wisp. The next second, a terrifying explosion directly blasted Glalie away, and it completely lost its will to battle.
Glalie also reverted from its Mega Evolved state and fainted.
“Glalie! No way?!”
Anne looked at the fainted Glalie with some disbelief, then at Banette, which had landed safely on the ground.
“I… I couldn’t defeat you even with Mega Evolution? You…”
“Um… Big sister Anne.”
Gui Ling thought Anne was disheartened and was about to go comfort her, but then he saw Anne’s eyes sparkling.
“That’s amazing! Little ghost brother, your Banette is too amazing!”
“Ah, this… Ah, haha.”
“If it Mega Evolved, I can’t even imagine how powerful it would be! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your ite!”
“Really, big sister Anne?!”
“Of course! After all, you’re my little brother! If it really doesn’t work out, we’ll look for it together.”
“Okay!”
However, Gui Ling then directly released Gengar.
“Come on, let’s have another match.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you want to battle my Super Genggui?”
“Alright then, continue!”
The two returned to the battle arena, and this action attracted a large number of people to watch. Some even started explaining the cool moments of Banette, which led everyone to pick up their cameras and take pictures.
“Then, come on, Salamence!”
“Salamence!”
But just as the battle began, Gui Ling scratched his head, looking at the Key Stone on his wrist.
“What’s wrong? Little ghost brother?”
“Um… I haven’t thought of a Mega Evolution chant yet…”
“Ah? You don’t actually need one. I just thought it sounded cool so I said it. As long as your two hearts are connected, that’s enough.”
“I know, but I want to look cool too~”
Anne nodded and simply stayed put with Salamence, waiting. Gui Ling looked at the Key Stone on his wrist, thought for a moment, then looked at Gengar.
“Gengar, what is your wish?”
“Gengar!”
“Is that so? Alright then!”
Gui Ling raised the Key Stone on his wrist, and at the same time, the Mega Evolution ite on Gengar’s chest also glowed.
“May the ghost of the end shadow protect its body, granting it a ‘resolve’ that transcends all!”
“Gengar!”
As the Mega Evolution light faded, the pure white Shinny Super Genggui appeared in everyone's sight.
"Wow! Pure white! So beautiful!"
The dazzling pure white made Anne exclaim, making her look forward to Gengar's strength even more.
"Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"
"Use your ability to dive underground!"
Salamence immediately launched a Dragon Pulse, but Gengar dodged it by diving underground, then suddenly appeared behind Salamence.
"Hyper Beam!"
Gengar opened his mouth wide and unleashed Hyper Beam. Anne immediately gave an order upon seeing it.
"Block it with Dragon Tail!"
Salamence's tail was immediately enveloped in green energy, then after blocking the Hyper Beam, it swung towards Gengar.
"Dodge again!"
Gengar's figure flashed, directly dodging the Dragon Tail, then his eyes glowed with black light.
"Night Shade!"
This time, Salamence had no time to defend and was directly heavily injured.
"The battle is just beginning! Salamence, Dragon Rush!"
"Salamence!"
Then, blue energy emanated from Salamence's body as he charged towards Super Genggui.
"Psychic!"
Then Super Genggui's eyes turned purple, and a purple light flashed in his eyes. Salamence, while still using Dragon Rush, was directly controlled, then after being continuously toyed with by Super Genggui, he was finally slammed to the ground.
"Don't use such a rogue skill! Encore! Dragon Rush!"
"Then let's have a contest! Hyper Beam!"
However, Super Genggui and Gui Ling exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
Salamence immediately charged forward upon hearing the opponent's command, but Gengar dodged the Dragon Rush again by diving down. Just as Anne and Salamence were bewildered, Gengar suddenly emerged from behind and fired a Hyper Beam.
This time, Salamence was successfully ambushed and immediately lost the ability to battle.
"Salamence!"
"Sa...la...mence..."
"You worked hard, Salamence. Get some good rest."
Anne returned Salamence to his Poké Ball, then walked over and patted Super Genggui's head.
"Super Genggui is really amazing! I still have so much to learn."
"This battle also taught me a lot. Miss Anne is very powerful."
"Hehe, don't worry! The Banette ite is in my hands!"
"Is that really okay? Do you want me to compensate you for anything?"
"Then let me make you my goal to chase! Until the day I defeat you!"
"Okay, I couldn't ask for more."
The two saw that it was very late and decided to get something to eat. After they had a delicious meal at the restaurant, they sat on a bench and chatted casually.
They had already left their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center for treatment. Similarly, Gui Ling had all his Pokémon, except Yveltal, undergo a physical examination.
"Little Gui, are you planning to challenge the Gym?"
"Huh? Gym?"
"Hmm! Do you have any plans?"
"I'll think about that later. I want to catch more Pokémon and see some beautiful scenery."
"I see, but there's a lot of scenery you can see by challenging Gyms~"
"Haha, then it seems I must challenge the Gyms, but I'll still rest for a while longer."
"Oh, why?"
"I have something to take care of, and I also want to catch a few more Pokémon, and my injury... I'm afraid..."
"I see, then you should rest well for a while."
Gui Ling thought for a moment, then stared at Anne with interest. Her long golden hair and golden eyes were exceptionally beautiful. If you removed the excitement she showed during Pokémon battles, she was definitely a cold campus belle.
"Then when the time comes, at this very place, I'll come here to challenge you after I get four badges and give you the Banette ite."
"Thank you, Miss Anne. By the way, do you want to meet a Legendary Pokémon?"
"Legendary Pokémon?"
"Yes, which Legendary Pokémon do you most want to see?"
"Well..."
Anne thought carefully for a while, and the answer she finally came up with made Gui Ling cover his face in embarrassment.
"Xerneas! After all, he's the life god, he must be very kind! A very loving Legendary Pokémon! And he must be very beautiful!"
At this moment, inside the Poké Ball, Yveltal was completely speechless, drawing circles in the corner.
"Of all people to mention... he just had to mention my arch-nemesis... What's so beautiful about him! I refuse!"
Having met so many people, only Professor Sycamore had given him a somewhat high evaluation. Everyone else either didn't know him, or they all thought Xerneas was better, which completely stumped Yveltal.
"So! You're saying? You caught Yveltal?!"
"Keep your voice down! If you're so loud, what if someone hears us!"
"Oh, oh!"
The two looked around. Fortunately, there was no one around, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"I really want to meet this Death God. He must be very handsome too!"
This immediately boosted Yveltal's confidence again, and he was equally grateful to Anne, expressing his thanks, but he could only wait inside the Poké Ball to come out and say it.
"Time's up. Let's go get our Pokémon first."
"Okay!"
When the two got their Poké Balls, Gui Ling was called away by Miss Joy.
"Miss Anne, please wait a moment."
"Okay."
As the two walked into the office, Miss Joy first looked around, breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to speak seriously to Gui Ling.
"You're Kirlia's Trainer, right?"
"Yes, is something wrong with my Kirlia?"
Miss Joy solemnly slapped a report on the table.
"I also hope you can prepare yourself mentally in advance."
"Huh?"
"This Kirlia has a congenital defect, even a congenital disease. This disease is very difficult to deal with, and current medical standards cannot save her at all."
"........."
Gui Ling fell silent looking at the report, asking Miss Joy with a trembling voice.
"Can... you explain in detail?"
"This disease is called life devouring syndrome. If I were to compare it... it's like a virus that has been in a person's body since birth, then it will awaken at an irregular time, then erupt... and finally kill the patient. There have been a total of 15 cases in all regions of the Pokémon world, without exception... all died tragically..."
These words were like a bolt from the blue, directly striking Gui Ling's head. He looked at the report in disbelief, repeatedly confirming it. After a long time, he tried his best to calm himself down.
"I... how could this be?"
"These diseases have not yet been activated. Fortunately, the check-up was timely! If medication is taken, it can prolong the onset of the disease."
"How much..."
"500,000."
Miss Joy sighed. Although she also really wanted to cure Kirlia, this disease had only been discovered once in Pokémon history. A Machamp had already died when this disease was activated. The Trainer at that time lost everything, but still couldn't save Machamp's life. So Miss Joy already had a sense of fear facing this disease and didn't want the tragedy to repeat, so she had to say this...
"To be honest, this disease is simply impossible to cure, and medication is only delaying the time."
"So what are you trying to say?"
Gui Ling's eyes suddenly became sharp, but tears could be seen glistening in his eyes.
"Just give her up. The world is so big, surely..."
Before Miss Joy could finish her sentence, Gui Ling rushed over and grabbed her collar, staring at her fiercely.
"I'll buy this medicine! I will never give up on my family! I will find a way... even if it means being shattered to pieces!"
But after a while, Gui Ling sighed and slowly released Miss Joy.
"Sorry... I was rude. I was too emotional."
"It's okay, I understand... I just don't want you to lose everything in the end... You still have to live!"
Gui Ling shook his head, held the report for a long time, and then put it away.
"Thank you for your reminder, but I won't give up."
Then Gui Ling composed himself, forced a smile, and walked out to rejoin everyone.
Miss Joy sighed. This outcome was still as expected.
"Indeed, no Trainer who loves Pokémon would ever give up on their Pokémon."
"Dear readers, Happy New Year's Day!"