Outside the office door, Sato apologized to the campus security team and thanked them, then gave Erika a subtle nod to reassure her.
"Teacher Sato, you're a member of Celadon University. No one can threaten your safety here. If you're ever in trouble, please don't turn down our help."
The head of the security team was a composed man in his forties, exuding a powerful aura of righteousness and giving off a strong sense of safety.
Of course, Sato didn't actually need it. He repeatedly insisted that it had simply been an overly intense reunion with an old friend, nothing serious.
Though the security captain was skeptical, he gave a few more reminders and then left.
Afterward, Sato sent Erika away as well. Only then did he close the door again and turn back toward the sages now seated cross-legged on the floor.
Umbreon hadn't held back at all when it used Psychic, those broken bones were very much real.
Luckily, the sages were resourceful, and some had brought along Wigglytuff and Bayleef.
With help from those two Pokémon, they had quickly managed to treat their injuries for the time being.
As Sato approached, he could clearly feel their burning gazes. The way their eyes glowed with such devout zeal made his scalp tingle.
In that moment, Sato was reminded of the scene he had witnessed during Ho-Oh's trial.
Back then, in the Bell Tower centuries ago, people had looked at Ho-Oh with the very same kind of gaze.
The same fanaticism, the same devotion…
He remembered it clearly. It was he who, using the power of the Rainbow Feather, had personally set the Tower ablaze, shattering the faith those people had placed in it.
It was all to make them realize that true strength only came from relying on oneself.
The fact that Sato passed the trial meant that Ho-Oh's departure back then, even if not solely for this reason, was at least partially because of it.
And yet, centuries later, a group like this still clung stubbornly to prayers for Ho-Oh's return, never truly understanding what it meant in the first place.
Sato sighed inwardly. Unless the sages of the Bell Tower could truly awaken from their delusions, Ho-Oh would likely never reveal itself to them again.
"Envoy, we are ready!"
Mingguang led the sages as they all sat cross-legged in unison. Across from them, Gengar did the same; though its eyes were still releasing streams of golden energy… or rather, Sage intent.
Sato stood quietly to the side, already half-guessing what Mingguang planned to do.
The next moment, Mingguang pressed his palms together and began softly chanting under his breath.
Then, including Arluin, more than a dozen sages joined in, their chants synchronized and rhythmic despite being quiet.
Gradually, faint golden light began to rise from their bodies and gather above their heads.
It was clear that Mingguang had the densest Sage intent, followed by Arluin, the First Seat of the Bell Tower.
Soon, once the collective Sage intent reached a certain threshold, it began to flow slowly into Gengar's body.
Apparently, Mingguang's plan was to restore Gengar to its original state by replenishing what it had lost with their own energy, filling the void.
The golden light completely enveloped Gengar, and the eerie ghostly aura it had was rapidly fading away.
Warmth, tranquility, and serenity gradually began to emerge from Gengar's body.
It still looked like that short-limbed, plump ghost, but now there was something eerily harmonious about it.
Though Gengar's eyes were closed, they were like deep wells absorbing water, pulling in massive amounts of golden Sage light.
At the same time, Sato noticed that the rows of sharp spikes on Gengar's back were also glowing gold, just like its eyes, rapidly absorbing the Sage light.
Gradually, Gengar's absorption rate grew faster and faster, while the sages' output couldn't keep up. Many of them began to turn pale and looked as if they might collapse at any moment.
One sage… then two… three, four, five, six more began to fall one after another, making the transfer of energy even more difficult.
The remaining sages could only increase their output, with Mingguang in particular releasing double the golden light he had at the start.
The sages continued to collapse, until only Arluin and Mingguang were left.
Sato stood by, equally tense. Only two people remained, and Gengar's rate of absorption hadn't slowed at all.
It looked like… it still wasn't enough!
Just when Sato thought all their efforts might end in failure, Gengar's absorption suddenly halted mid-flow, and just like that… it stopped taking in more.
Sato stared at it for a while and confirmed that Gengar was no longer leaking any energy; clearly, it had stabilized.
He glanced over at the group of sages, too weak to even speak, then looked back at the calm, cross-legged Gengar.
Sato couldn't help but smile slightly and quietly gave Gengar a secret thumbs-up.
Half an hour later, after fully stabilizing its internal energy, Gengar opened its eyes.
A soft flash of golden light flickered through its gaze.
At the same time, Sato suddenly sensed a surge of pressure radiating from Gengar.
Peak Ace!
'It had leveled up already?'
Sato was both surprised and thrilled. Thanks to the pressure and growth brought by the tournament, Gengar had only just broken through a few months ago.
And now, from absorbing all that golden energy, it had effortlessly pushed up another notch.
Even though progressing beyond the Ace level required more insight and opportunity than raw power, Sato had to admit, his Gengar had amazing luck.
After all, before Sage speech had become a usable form of combat, Gengar's greatest special trait had been its mastery of Space Power, granted by a shard of origin pearl from Palkia, the god of space.
Now, with the addition of the Sage intent bestowed by the sages of the Bell Tower, Sato was certain this "Sage" inheritance had to be related to Ho-Oh as well.
With inheritances from two Legendary Pokémon -however fragmentary- Sato no longer believed that Gengar's growth would be limited by its own potential.
Ace was definitely not Gengar's limit!
"Gengar, how are you feeling? Anything uncomfortable?"
Once Gengar returned to itself, Sato immediately asked.
"Gen~"
Aside from the shift in its aura, Gengar didn't seem any different. It calmly gestured to Sato, signaling it felt absolutely fine.
With Gengar's advancement, Sato was in a great mood. Looking at the sages collapsed all over the floor, he hesitated for a moment, then called the cafeteria and ordered a dozen boxed meals.
When the sages heard that Sato was ordering food for them -just simple boxed lunches- they still looked incredibly grateful and overjoyed.
Their emotional reactions looked completely out of sync with their actual age… most of them were already in their forties or fifties.
Except for Arluin. He remained calm, though it wasn't clear whether he was just stunned.
As for what Sato was thinking… 'Mm, once they've got the energy to get back on their feet, I can finally kick them out.'