The fact that the Kanto League's sacred flame possesses life was something Lucas still remembered.
Here on the Indigo Plateau, the sacred flame enshrined at the Kanto League headquarters originated from Moltres, and was used as the symbol of the Indigo Conference held below.
At the foot of Mt. Silver, in the Ho-Oh Courtyard, another sacred flame was enshrined, said to have originated from Ho-Oh itself. That flame was used as the symbol of the Silver Conference, held in Silver Town on the Mt. Silver side.
Whether Ho-Oh's sacred flame possessed any mystical power was something Lucas would set aside for now.
At the very least, the Moltres sacred flame before his eyes truly displayed a miraculous side in front of Lucas, Delibird, Moltres, and Karen.
Circling and flying above the silver brazier was a Moltres-shaped flame. Its body was entirely made of fire, the hollow depressions of its eye sockets suddenly brightened with spirit. It stopped circling, its sharp and dignified gaze locking straight onto Lucas's Moltres, as if appraising it.
Lucas's Moltres also hovered in midair. It did not show the slightest tension at being stared at by this flame-formed Moltres.
The two Moltres looked at each other for a while. No one knew what kind of exchange had taken place between them. Then the Moltres of flame above the silver brazier let out a high, resounding cry toward the sky. From within its blazing body flew out a much smaller, miniature Moltres.
This second Moltres, also composed entirely of flame, returned to its nest like a bird going home. Its body dissolved into orange-red fire and poured completely into Lucas's Moltres.
Once it was certain that the flame had fully merged into Moltres's body, as if it had already fulfilled its purpose, the flame-formed Moltres above the silver brazier dispersed, turning back into formless sacred fire. It fell into the brazier again and continued to burn fiercely.
Moltres folded its wings and landed at Lucas's side, casting a respectful glance at the sacred flame burning in the brazier.
Lucas's eyes opened slightly wider. He had just been about to ask Moltres what exactly had happened when a hoarse, elderly voice suddenly sounded from not far away.
"Ahh, I can't take it… Since the last Indigo Conference, I never thought I'd see such a truly eye-opening scene again."
Lucas looked up.
In front of the main doors leading into the Kanto Pokémon League headquarters stood a short, white-bearded old man, stroking his beard and smiling warmly as he watched them.
Karen turned around and called out respectfully, "Chairman Goodshow, why did you come out yourself?"
Her reaction directly revealed the identity of the white-bearded elder: he was Goodshow, the Chairman of the Pokémon League.
Not daring to be rude, Lucas also greeted him.
"Hello, Chairman Goodshow."
"Hello, hello, everyone." Goodshow chuckled and stopped stroking his beard. "I figured you should be arriving soon, so I decided to come out for a look. I didn't expect to witness such a rare sight—something you might not see even once in a hundred years."
"Chairman Goodshow, do you know what just happened?" Lucas asked.
"But of course."
Refusing Karen's supporting hand, Goodshow showed none of an old man's frailty. He strode toward Lucas with surprisingly vigorous steps, speaking as he walked.
"I've been wanting to meet you for a while. Now that I see you, it really does live up to your reputation as the hero who resolved the Shamouti Island crisis. Even that guy's sacred flame has acknowledged your Moltres."
Reaching Lucas's side, Goodshow extended his hand.
Lucas reached out and shook it, also catching the key point in Goodshow's words. "That guy is…?"
"That would be from before the League was formally established," Goodshow said slowly, his expression turning nostalgic as he held Lucas's hand. "The original fire of the sacred flame came from an extraordinarily powerful Moltres. Back then, it was on very good terms with the League Chairman of that era, and in the end, it left behind the original spark, which has evolved into the sacred flame that now burns in this brazier."
"Unlike the Moltres in the Orange Archipelago whose powers are tied to the climate, that Moltres was even stronger, and far more mysterious."
"According to the records, its flames possessed a wondrous ability to heal wounds. Even now, its will still lingers within the sacred fire. When it encounters a person or Pokémon it acknowledges, it will show itself, either to protect them, or to bestow them with an opportunity."
Listening to Goodshow's explanation, Lucas withdrew his hand at the right moment when the old man released his grip. He glanced at the Moltres beside him, whose expression hadn't changed at all, and his own eyes grew thoughtful.
That Moltres's flames could heal wounds?
He had originally thought that Moltres having healing flames was something that only existed in fanfiction he remembered. The real Moltres, as far as he knew, could merely rely on magma to restore itself.
He hadn't expected to encounter a Moltres whose flames really could heal injuries.
Goodshow turned around, leaving only his back facing Lucas, and stroked his beard with a laugh. "Hahaha! Perhaps the will within the sacred flame has acknowledged your Moltres, and what it just passed on was a spark of that healing fire."
Laughing heartily, Goodshow walked back toward the Kanto League headquarters.
Karen shot Lucas a meaningful look, then quickly followed after the chairman.
"Sigh, looks like I'll have to wait until we're done with business before I can check what kind of changes your body has undergone."
Lucas let out a helpless sigh. Ignoring the fire burning on Moltres's body, he reached out and stroked its feathers, then took out a red-and-white Poké Ball and recalled Moltres, leaving only Delibird at his side.
After all, he wasn't carrying Delibird's Poké Ball with him, so he could only let it follow by his side for now.
Inside the Kanto League headquarters, Lucas was led into an underground cultivation greenhouse.
Here, there were Grass-type Pokémon constantly using Sunny Day to maintain a stable, carefully regulated temperature. There were also Water-type Pokémon whose Damp ability was used to fine-tune the room's humidity.
There were even several specially cultivated Meganium living inside. The mysterious energy in their breath kept the plants in their best possible condition.
With the assistance of advanced technological equipment supporting these Pokémon, this fully self-contained greenhouse was able to nurture many rare and precious plants below ground.
All of this was introduced to Lucas by Goodshow.
"Make sure your Delibird suppresses its Ice-type energy," Goodshow reminded him again. "Don't let it shake its feathers casually. If any ice crystals form between the feathers, they might affect the greenhouse environment."
After giving Lucas one more reminder, Goodshow turned to look at the nearby staff members on standby.
The staff member gave a slight nod, then tapped rapidly on the keyboard a few times. The final security lock was disengaged, and the door to the greenhouse slowly opened.
At that moment, Lucas had just finished repeating Goodshow's instructions to Delibird and was getting to his feet.
As the door opened, a light, playful, and refreshing fragrance drifted out from the greenhouse. It curled around the tip of his nose, soothing his heart and filling him with peace and calm from deep within. Lucas couldn't help revealing an intoxicated expression.
He recognized this scent. It should be the fragrance of Meganium.
Delibird also inhaled deeply, utterly enchanted. The aroma's effect on it was even stronger than on Lucas. It felt that its emotions had never been as tranquil as they were at this very moment.
…