Darkrai's recovery medicine had already had all of its materials gathered by Cain a long time ago. However, at that time, he had been training inside Mt. Silver and did not need Darkrai to possess excessively high strength.
Moreover, Darkrai had only just recovered to Champion level back then, so it required a brief period of stabilization.
For that reason, Cain did not immediately restore its full strength.
Of course, there was also another important reason: the preparation of Darkrai's recovery medicine was extremely complicated, and he simply did not have enough time or energy to deal with such a complex matter.
But now the situation was different. After entering this unknown continent of time and space, threats were everywhere—threats from wild Pokémon, threats from other humans who had entered together, and even threats from those who had once been abandoned. With so many overlapping dangers, before taking action, Cain needed to ensure that he had sufficient ability to protect himself.
Otherwise, not to mention competing with others for rare resources—even surviving here might not be easy at all.
Cain admitted that he was a pessimistic person: before thinking about any problem, he always liked to analyze it from the worst possible scenario, without harboring the slightest hope for luck. In that way, even if something bad truly happened, he could be prepared in advance.
If he restored Darkrai's strength and added it to that of Gengar, Slowking, Tyranitar, and Blaziken—who had just completed a breakthrough and had not yet fully entered the Champion level—then he would have five Champion-level Pokémon at his disposal. With such strength, even in an environment this dangerous, at least self-defense should not be a major problem.
Only by ensuring his own safety could he devote the rest of his time and energy to searching for treasures and resources.
Cain summoned all of his Pokémon. This place, which originally belonged to the Beedrill swarm, would generally not attract other Pokémon, but there was always the possibility that some clumsy Pokémon like Ursaring might appear. With all of his Pokémon out, Cain could calmly focus on his own affairs, while they would naturally find things to do.
Exploring the surroundings, training, or even sparring with one another were activities they enjoyed.
However, the sudden appearance of so many powerful Pokémon frightened Ursaring, who was extracting honey. At first, it had thought that with so much honey around, stealing a little would not be a problem. Who would have imagined that so many Pokémon whose mere presence made its fur stand on end would appear? It immediately obediently lowered the paw it had been about to bring to its mouth to lick.
It feared that if it took that lick, it wouldn't be long before it was put on a grill to roast a bear's paw.
Among the Pokémon summoned by Cain, the strongest ones were something it had only ever sensed before in the true overlord of the forest. Although it did not understand why so many powerful Pokémon had suddenly appeared—and were even living together harmoniously—it did understand one thing: as long as it obediently followed the orders of that strange being, it would not have to worry about its own safety.
At that moment, after comforting itself, Ursaring found a new goal and motivation. Not a single hive escaped its claws, and not the slightest drop of honey could evade its keen "sense of smell."
The process of preparing this recovery medicine was much simpler than the previous time, because after having attempted it once, the system had collected sufficiently detailed data.
Although the amount of medicine prepared this time was considerably larger, overall the total effort was more or less the same.
By the time Cain completed the final step of separating impurities from the medicine, two full days had already passed.
Thanks to his prior experience, this time Cain allowed himself to rest a bit whenever possible, so he did not suffer the extreme exhaustion he had endured previously.
At that moment, Cain was holding an emerald-green vial in his hand. As he looked at the completely pure liquid inside, without the slightest impurity, he could not help but show an intoxicated expression.
To be honest, the resources consumed to produce this medicine would have been enough for Cain to purchase several untrained pseudo-legendary Pokémon. And that was considering that the most crucial material had been obtained personally by him inside Mt. Silver. This clearly showed how many resources were required to help Darkrai eliminate the Ghost-type energy from its body without harming it.
But, as he had said from the very beginning, if he could now directly exchange resources for strength without side effects, Cain would not hesitate to invest absolutely all of his resources.
"Darkrai, this is the second dose of the recovery medicine. The dosage is considerably stronger than the previous one. Let's see how far you can go. Prepare yourself mentally—this time it may be even more painful than before, but the longer you endure, the more you will be able to recover," Cain said, calling Darkrai to his side.
After several months together, without even mentioning how deep their relationship or mutual understanding was, at least when it came to combat command, there were practically no issues anymore.
It was the first time Cain had trained a Pokémon like Darkrai, and it was also the first time Darkrai had had a trainer; both were in a process of adapting to each other.
Although some minor problems occasionally arose during that process, overall everything had progressed without major setbacks.
Cain already had a thorough understanding of Darkrai's personality, combat style, and methods, and Darkrai had also accepted the model of fighting under a trainer's direction.
When the synchronization between trainer and Pokémon is sufficiently high, the Pokémon does not feel constrained in battle, because the thoughts of both are highly synchronized. That is the best possible relationship between trainer and Pokémon.
Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, if they wish to do so, almost always must reach this level of understanding.
Darkrai took the recovery medicine from Cain's hands and, without the slightest hesitation, drank it down in one gulp.
At least in that regard, the trust between Cain and Darkrai was already fully established.
When Cain saw Darkrai close its eyes after drinking the medicine, he activated the system to perform a full scan, while at the same time deploying all of his psychic ability.
Barely three seconds passed before Darkrai's body completely tensed up, and spasms of varying intensity began to appear.
However, to the naked eye, one could see strands of black mist mixed with red peeling away from its body and dispersing into the air, carrying a faint smell of blood.
Sensing Darkrai's pain, Magearna and Diancie, who had been playing nearby, immediately appeared by its side.
Although Magearna wore an anxious expression, she knew that Darkrai's body was undergoing constant changes, so she could only mobilize the life force of her Soul-Heart to help alleviate its pain.
To one side, Mismagius also sensed Darkrai's suffering and appeared next to Cain, showing a worried expression.
"Don't worry, trust that Darkrai can endure it," Cain said to Mismagius.
During this time, the one who had spent the most time with Darkrai was precisely Mismagius. The meticulous care Darkrai had given her allowed her to quickly accept his presence.
(End of chapter)