Inside the dimly lit room, the air itself seemed to freeze solid.
Liu Yuan's fingers tightened slightly as the pink-and-white Heal Ball traced a clean, elegant arc through the air, striking the God-Sealing Platform that had just been opened a crack.
Bang!
A crisp impact echoed through the room.
In the next instant, a dazzling red light burst forth from the Heal Ball, completely enveloping the tiny figure radiating extreme cold inside the God-Sealing Platform.
Without the slightest resistance, the Snow Empress's terrifying seven-hundred-thousand-year spirit power—power that should have been violent beyond measure—quieted instantly, like a docile lamb the moment it touched that red light.
Whoosh!
With a flash, the Snow Empress vanished from the platform, transforming into a streak of red light that was forcibly drawn into the Heal Ball.
Thud.
The Heal Ball fell onto the carpet with a dull sound.
Immediately afterward, the red indicator light signaling the capture process lit up, and the sphere began to shake violently from side to side.
"You have to succeed…"
Liu Yuan stared unblinking at the Heal Ball on the floor, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
This was his only Heal Ball. If it failed, there would be no second chance.
…
Inside the Heal Ball.
Contrary to what one might expect, it wasn't dark or cramped. Instead, it was filled with a warm, gentle glow.
The Snow Empress's consciousness awakened the moment she was drawn inside.
On guard, she scanned her surroundings, fully expecting either an even crueler seal or the agony of being forcibly refined by a human.
But in the very next second, a strange warmth suddenly wrapped around her entire body.
"Hm? This is…"
A flicker of surprise passed through her ice-blue eyes.
She could clearly feel that this warm current was nourishing her Origin at an astonishing rate.
The backlash injuries left behind by her failed forced transformation were rapidly healing.
Her cultivation, which had been on the verge of collapsing, was gradually stabilizing.
Even her mental strength—drained by long imprisonment—was being replenished under this gentle nourishment.
The sensation was like returning to the warmest ice cavern of the Extreme North, softly embraced by pure heaven-and-earth energy.
"Is this… healing me?"
The Snow Empress was stunned.
Was that human who imprisoned her actually helping her?
The thought was extinguished the instant it appeared.
"Impossible!"
Her gaze turned bone-chillingly cold once more.
"How could humans—those greedy, despicable creatures—help a spirit beast without reason? He paid such an enormous price to obtain me. How could it be charity?"
"This must be some new scheme!"
"He wants to restore my condition first, then use some evil secret art to control me—or refine me into an even more powerful puppet!"
"Or perhaps it's just a sugar-coated trap, meant to lower my guard so he can strike later!"
The Snow Empress snorted coldly. Though her body instinctively craved this healing power, her heart was filled with vigilance and hostility toward Liu Yuan.
"Hmph. Foolish human. No matter what tricks you use, this Empress will never let you have your way!"
She struggled fiercely within the sphere, trying to break free from this strange space.
…
Outside.
Thump!
The Heal Ball lurched violently to the left, its red light flashing.
Liu Yuan's heart leapt straight into his throat.
Thump!
It jerked to the right, even rolling once across the carpet.
"Still resisting…" Liu Yuan's palms were slick with sweat.
Thump!
The third shake.
Then—
Ding!
The flickering red light suddenly went out, returning to a calm, pristine white.
The shaking stopped.
The room fell deathly silent, broken only by Liu Yuan's heavy breathing.
"It… succeeded?"
His eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at the Heal Ball lying quietly on the floor.
A seven-hundred-thousand-year spirit beast.
One of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North.
The Snow Empress.
Captured… by such a small ball?
He took several deep breaths, then stepped forward with trembling hands and bent down to pick it up.
The sphere felt smooth and warm, like fine jade. Yet within that warmth, he could sense a faint chill—the Snow Empress's aura.
"Whew…"
Liu Yuan let out a long breath and collapsed onto the floor, utterly drained.
Success!
However, just as he was about to press the button to release the Snow Empress and take a look, his thumb froze in midair.
"Wait…"
The excitement in his eyes faded, replaced by deep caution and clarity.
"I can't release her."
"At least… not now."
He understood the rules of the Pokémon world all too well.
A Poké Ball's forced capture didn't mean the captured Pokémon would immediately obey the Trainer.
Especially not an existence like the Snow Empress—a transcendent divine-level spirit beast with high intelligence, terrifying strength, and deep-rooted hatred toward humans.
This was no different from Charizard refusing to obey Ash, or Mewtwo immediately rebelling after being captured.
If he released her now and she disobeyed—or worse, struck him with something like Empress's Palm: Great Coldness Without Snow—his body would likely be frozen solid in an instant, even with Rayquaza Martial Soul Possession.
While Poké Balls had a forced recall function, that was only effective if the Trainer had time to react.
Against someone of the Snow Empress's level, even a tenth of a second of hesitation could be fatal.
"It's too dangerous."
Liu Yuan shook his head, decisively abandoning the tempting idea.
"To truly control the Snow Empress, I'll have to wait until I'm in a completely secure environment—somewhere I can summon Rayquaza's true body at any moment to suppress the situation."
"But a place like the Star Emperor Grand Hotel, filled with eyes and ears, is absolutely out of the question."
"If her aura leaks out, or if she causes any disturbance and attracts Xu Jiawei—or those lunatics from the Body Sect—it would be a complete disaster."
Having reached this conclusion, Liu Yuan no longer hesitated.
He carefully placed the Heal Ball containing the Snow Empress into the System's storage space.
"Snow Empress… just stay in there and recover properly for now. We've got plenty of time."
Only then did the heavy stone in his heart finally settle.
At that moment, the familiar mechanical voice rang out in his mind, breaking the silence of the night.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for successfully capturing the 700,000-year Spirit Beast, the Snow Empress, and completing the time-limited mission!]
[Mission Evaluation: Perfect (Heal Ball ability used for a damage-free capture)]
[Distributing mission rewards…]
Liu Yuan's eyes lit up.
What did he get this time?
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a random Pokémon item reward — Soothe Bell!]
[Soothe Bell: A Pokémon holding this item will find it easier to calm its emotions, and its intimacy growth rate with the Trainer will be significantly increased.]
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