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Waking up again.
This time, it was in a hospital bed, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
He seemed to be in a private room—no strange noises, no TV sounds.
On the neighboring bed, Li Zhehan, dressed in a hospital gown, was sharing an apple with Mrs. Yin, chatting and laughing… or rather, flirting.
Their Pokémon were scattered around, some sitting or standing on the beds, others on chairs, and a few simply on the floor.
Li Xiang glanced down and saw Torracat and Riolu curled up at his feet, Corviknight huddled beside the bed with Frogadier perched on its head, eyes half-lidded.
Rotom… why was Rotom still lying on his chest?
Li Xiang reached out in confusion, trying to peel Rotom off, only to find both his hands wrapped thickly in bandages, his right hooked up to an IV.
His movement immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Son! You're awake!"
Li Zhehan and Mrs. Yin rushed over, relief evident in their voices. Mrs. Yin pressed the call button for the doctor.
Torracat and the others quickly crowded around his face.
"Cough, cough." Li Xiang cleared his throat, finding his voice mostly recovered, and turned to his parents. "Are you guys okay? Any injuries?"
He was worried they might have been hurt in the earlier shockwave.
"Don't worry, your dad and I are tough. Not a scratch on us," Li Zhehan said with his usual hearty laugh.
Mrs. Yin leaned in, stroking Li Xiang's hair before uncharacteristically kissing his forehead. "We're fine as long as you are."
"Ugh, so mushy."
Li Xiang chuckled, but his smile soon faded. "You're really okay? Don't lie to me."
He had been terrified when he couldn't wake them earlier, fearing the shockwave had caused irreversible damage.
"Seriously! Why would I lie to you?"
Li Zhehan got off the bed and struck a classic muscle-flexing pose. "If anything, I feel better. Had a pimple on my face a couple days ago—now it's gone."
"And your mom—look closely. Her skin's even smoother now."
He pointed at Mrs. Yin's face, earning a swat from her.
Li Xiang studied her and realized the dark circles from work had vanished, her complexion brighter and more radiant.
At a glance, she almost looked like she was wearing makeup.
'A blessing in disguise?'
"Good, good." Li Xiang nodded with a smile, but as he did, his eyes reddened. Ignoring his bandaged hands, he pulled his Pokémon close, voice thick with emotion.
"I missed you all so much, Torracat… I really thought I'd never see you again."
Every time death had knocked on his door, he had thought of his Pokémon—wondering if they'd been there, would he have had more options?
Would things have been easier?
Thankfully, he had held on until the end and reunited with them.
The four Pokémon's eyes also welled up as they clung tightly to Li Xiang. In the hours their trainer had been missing, no one knew how hard they had pushed themselves, how frantic they had been, how much they hated their own weakness.
If only they had been stronger, Li Xiang would never have been taken.
None of what followed would have happened. But they weren't strong enough, left to drift like helpless blades of grass.
Rotom, squished in the middle, initially panicked and tried to escape—but soon found itself immersed in the deep bond between Li Xiang and his team.
This was something it had never experienced before.
Nearby, Li Xiang's parents and their Pokémon watched the scene with warm smiles, not interrupting.
Outside the door, a doctor and several nurses entered with a cart.
After shooing the Pokémon away, the doctor performed a basic checkup on Li Xiang, confirming no abnormalities.
A nurse swapped out his IV bag.
"No signs of fever, all vitals normal. For safety, stay under observation for a few more days."
With that, the doctor and nurses left. Once they were gone, Li Xiang lowered his voice. "Where are we? How long was I out?"
"We're in Spring City, Yanzhou. You've been asleep for about twenty hours," Li Zhehan said, checking his watch.
"Spring City? Why here?" Li Xiang blinked.
Spring City was near the border of Saizhou and Yanzhou, still quite far from the northern wastelands.
"The Association arranged it," Mrs. Yin explained. "Saizhou's under full Level-1 lockdown. Spring City's tightened security too."
The incident with the Dawn Sect/New Sun Cult had far-reaching consequences. Saizhou was half-sealed off, with armored patrols roaming the streets 24/7, questioning anyone suspicious.
"...When did you two wake up?" Li Xiang continued.
"On the way to Spring City. Same for most others. Oh, Aunt Bian Zhen and Uncle Chi Zang are next door."
Li Zhehan's voice softened. "A few things happened while you were asleep."
'A few things—wait!'
Li Xiang's expression twisted in shock. "Dad, what? Uncle Chi Zang? Wasn't he—?"
He vaguely remembered Chi Zang being part of the second group to climb the stone pillar. He'd been too panicked to focus, but the memory was there.
"Which is why I said, a few things happened." Li Zhehan spoke slowly. "When we arrived in Spring City, the remains of many people and Pokémon were brought to a square, left out in the open."
"People protested, but it didn't matter. The square was sealed off—no outsiders allowed, no Flying-types permitted. Then, glowing orbs fell from the sky, followed by flames, and finally a rainbow."
He pulled out a new phone from the bedside table and showed Li Xiang a video.
It showed a park-like square.
True to his words, large orbs of light—like miniature suns—descended from the sky. Flames flickered faintly, a rainbow arched across the horizon, and then the orbs rose again.
The video ended there.
Li Zhehan went on, "After that, your Uncle Chi Zang came back to life. He looked pale, like he'd been sick for a long time, but he was alive—warm, breathing, bleeding when pricked, even using the bathroom…"
'Wait, why mention the bathroom?'
Li Xiang internally facepalmed before realizing—this had to be Ho-Oh's doing.
So it could revive humans? Not just Pokémon?
'Legendary Beasts are on another level.'
He had assumed those lost lives were truly gone, never expecting they could be brought back.
Truly incredible.
This world's Ho-Oh was powerful enough to revive hundreds at once. A miracle, worthy of the title.
No wonder so many worshipped it.
'…Did it revive those guys too?'
Li Xiang couldn't help thinking of the two he had killed—the fat man and Lu Zhong.
His brows furrowed involuntarily, his expression darkening.
'Those two—I refuse to let them go.'
Beside him, Li Zhehan and Mrs. Yin exchanged worried glances but stayed silent.
A police officer had briefed them on what their son had done while they were unconscious. Since Li Xiang was a minor, and they were his parents, they had the right to know.
Mrs. Yin, usually so strong, had nearly fainted hearing it. Li Zhehan had torn at his hair in frustration. As parents, failing to protect their son, forcing him to fight for his life…
"We should find him a therapist. I'm worried," Mrs. Yin mouthed to Li Zhehan.
She didn't judge her son for what he'd done—in fact, she thought it was justified. If it had been her, those two would've suffered worse.
Li Zhehan nodded in agreement.
...….
Dawn Spire.
The Summit.
A glowing orb floated up to the peak, transforming into a Volcarona.
It landed before a massive, radiant avian Pokémon—golden-crowned, orange-red plumage, wings adorned with green and white feathers, and shimmering golden tail plumes.
This was none other than Zhu Xia's millennia-old guardian, the revered Tower Master—Ho-Oh.
"Did you return it?"
Ho-Oh lowered its head, its crimson-gold eyes peering into the flustered, oddly shy Volcarona.
The latter nodded hastily, releasing faint multicolored flames to prove it had returned the life energy.
"Sigh… When will you learn to be more assertive? Centuries old, yet still so gullible. You believe whatever others tell you."
Ho-Oh's face bore a human-like exasperation. "If not for that boy, you might've made an irreversible mistake."
Volcarona's dark face scrunched in dismay— "I didn't mean to! I just softened up a little. They'd worshipped me for so long, how could I not respond? Who knew they'd hypnotize me into this?"
"Foolish! Ugh… Never mind. From now on, stay away from those humans. Like Suicune and the others, travel Zhu Xia—or anywhere else. Broaden your horizons instead of holing up in one place."
Ho-Oh had wanted to scold this centuries-old yet hopelessly naive fool, but gave up, offering advice like a mother.
"Or find a trainer. Form a bond with them."
Volcarona tilted its head, curiosity flashing across its dark face— "Trainers are humans, right?"
"…"
Ho-Oh covered its face with a wing. "No, absolutely not. You'd get scammed in seconds… Entei! Over here!"
Spotting a masked, maned lion in the corner of its eye, Ho-Oh frantically waved it over.
In the distance, the Legendary Beasts huddled together, snickering as Entei was summoned.
"Babysitter duty, huh? Pfft."
"Pfft."
The blue wolf and yellow tiger stifled laughter while the brown lion growled at them before trudging toward Ho-Oh and Volcarona.
Ho-Oh gestured with its wing. "You're in charge of this one now. Make sure it learns a thing or two about the world. I've got things to do—later!"
With that, the rainbow-hued bird flapped its wings and fled, leaving behind a stunned Entei and an eager Volcarona.
"Master! How could you! What about your majestic image?! Master!"
Weeping internally, Entei forced a smile at Volcarona.
"For now… you're with me."
Volcarona nodded vigorously, delighted. After centuries as a local mascot, it had grown bored anyway.
Suddenly, its heart skipped a beat.
Something in the distance tugged at it—as if something important had appeared… or awakened.
Volcarona glanced that way, puzzled.
"What's wrong?" Entei asked.
Volcarona shook its head— "Nothing."
Nearby, Raikou and Suicune chatted.
"Let me tell you, I owe a huge favor this time. The situation was way too close."
Suicune, despite its regal appearance, spoke with a surprisingly casual tone. "If I hadn't been quick, I might've been trapped there too."
Raikou raised a brow. "That bad?"
"Worse. Human tech's getting out of hand. If you're not careful, you'll get blindsided. Though, kids these days are ruthless—to themselves and others."
Suicune recalled Li Xiang's snarling face. "…I'll have to keep an eye on him from afar. Can't relax yet."
Humans were fragile—body and mind alike. Everyone knew that.
"Don't get too attached. Human lives are short. The deeper you bond, the worse it hurts later."
Raikou, speaking from experience, warned.
Suicune blinked, then laughed. "Nah, don't worry. I'll just observe from a distance. No direct contact."
"We'll see," Raikou replied skeptically.
The Legendary Beasts exchanged recent experiences before parting, vanishing in flashes of light.
Of course, Entei now had a cheerful Volcarona trailing behind.
...
Inside Dawn Spire.
Mo Ye, leaning on his sword with closed eyes, suddenly opened them. "They've left. Volcarona followed Entei."
A heavily armored officer nearby recorded the details.
"March 8, 2011. Tower Master Ho-Oh briefly returned. The Legendary Beasts reunited. Ho-Oh revived over a hundred humans and a thousand Pokémon before departing. Target Volcarona left with Entei. End log."
The report was uploaded to the database.