Cain continued the thought: "If I had truly been connected to him, I probably wouldn't have left the mountain alive."
"The result was that I didn't know Giratina, and that energy had only attached itself to me by coincidence. So you wanted to test whether I had the courage to oppose him. If I didn't, the energy within Gengar would push me to stand against him."
Cain calmly explained what the old man had planned. He had already deduced it before coming.
He could understand it... but that didn't mean he wasn't annoyed.
If the old man hadn't been Phoebe's grandfather and Juan's friend, Cain probably would have already lost his patience.
Although he didn't explode, his expression was far from pleasant.
The old man, however, remained calm.
"I am old... I don't know when Giratina might invade this world again, so I wanted to find someone capable of opposing him. But we cannot leave this mountain, and you are the only one in many years who has entered here with sufficient talent..."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Phoebe quickly intervened:
"Grandfather! Right now Cain is incredibly strong. He is one of the best of the new generation in Hoenn, and has even surpassed many from the older generation. Yesterday he became the First Elite Four of Hoenn, and he is very close to the position of Champion."
Then she added: "Besides, you were close friends with Grandpa Juan, just like Cain and Steven are now. Back then, Grandpa Juan was even a bit weaker than you. If that hadn't happened, maybe you would have been the Champion of Hoenn!"
With that, she completely changed the subject.
Cain also had no real intention of pursuing the matter further. After all, he had come to ask for help, not to cause trouble.
"Sir, you are truly impressive," Cain said with a smile, going along with the change of topic.
The old man smiled proudly.
"I did not expect that in so few years you would reach this level. Our talent back then... does not compare to yours."
It was clearly an exchange of compliments.
But thanks to the story, Cain understood something important: Giratina had been trying to intervene in the Pokémon world for a long time.
That made the "Sacred Church" even more suspicious.
"Well... actually, I mainly came to ask for help," Cain said, getting straight to the point.
"I know. It is about Darkrai, isn't it?" the old man replied directly.
Cain was surprised and looked at Phoebe, but she was also confused.
The old man smiled.
"We did not act against you back then because we also sensed Darkrai's aura within you. And now it is even more obvious. Although my psychic power was transformed into Ghost Power, I gained some special abilities, such as perceiving energy fluctuations."
At that moment, Cain's Darkrai emerged from his shadow and stood beside him, watching the old man cautiously.
The old man observed it with growing surprise.
"Impressive! To have been corroded by Giratina's energy to that extent... and still survive. And moreover, your body has been restored to this level... Cain, you must have paid a great price and used many resources."
Cain was surprised for another reason: it seemed the old man recognized his Darkrai.
The old man let out a mysterious laugh and threw a Poké Ball.
"It has been a long time since you came out... old friend, look who is here."
Another Darkrai emerged from the Poké Ball.
Another Darkrai!
Cain's heart trembled. His own Darkrai also showed recognition.
Among Darkrai, just like with the legendary birds, multiple individuals can exist when their divine role is not present.
Cain immediately examined this Darkrai's stats.
Pokémon: Darkrai (Light Black)
Gender: Male
Level: 90
Type: Dark
Ability: Bad Dreams
Held Item: Reaper Cloth
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Ominous Wind, Disable, Quick Attack, Hypnosis, Feint Attack, Nightmare, Double Team, Haze, Dark Void, Nasty Plot, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse
Learned Moves: Foul Play, Snatch, Spite, Wonder Room, Knock Off, Snore, Drain Punch, Trick, Last Resort, Throat Chop
TM Moves: Calm Mind, Toxic, Taunt, Ice Beam, Protect, Thunderbolt, Return, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Focus Blast, Shadow Claw, Snarl, Substitute
After seeing this Darkrai's data, Cain narrowed his eyes.
As expected, even while living in seclusion, the old man was still extremely powerful.
With this Darkrai and Juan's Latios, it was not difficult to believe that in his time, he had been superior.
Training a Dark-type Pokémon to that level in an environment filled with Ghost-type energy was not something just anyone could accomplish.
It was clear that many powerful trainers still remained hidden.
That was why even someone like Giovanni had to act cautiously.
The Sacred Church... was going against the current of the world.
The old man looked at his Darkrai with emotion.
"Of all my companions... only he survived."
Then he continued:
"Among Darkrai, there is a legend: two of them, the most promising ones, challenged Giratina and died... becoming myth. I did not expect one to survive."
Cain's Darkrai also showed signs of being moved.
Finally, the old man said:
"Your Darkrai has reached the limit of what you can do. It is stuck at the first barrier of the Champion level. From here onward, you need another type of power."
"Exactly," Cain replied. "I have already done everything possible as a breeder. Phoebe has also helped, but her power is still not sufficient..."
"I see!" the old man laughed. "So this child has been doing such difficult work. Very well, this is how our power will be passed down."
The grandmother also smiled.
"Leave it to us. We cannot guarantee a complete recovery, but we can promise great improvement."
Then they led Cain to the same place where Haunter had evolved.
"Phoebe, come as well. We will teach you more about the use of Ghost Power."
Cain was stopped outside.
Phoebe, her grandparents, and both Darkrai entered.
The interior would soon be filled with Ghost-type energy. Although it would not harm Cain, resisting it with his psychic power would interfere with the process.
So he could only wait outside.
From within came Darkrai's cries, a sign that the movement of energy inside its body was extremely painful.
Cain paced back and forth.
Like a man waiting outside a delivery room, listening to the cries from inside, unable to calm his heart.
So then... would it be a boy or a girl?
(End of Chapter)