Deep within a lush forest of the Origin Forest, a clear spring shimmered like a gem embedded in the greenery.
It was sunrise, and the orange-red sunlight filtered through the leaves, reflecting off the surface of the spring in shimmering ripples; an enchanting sight.
Timid Pokémon in the forest would take advantage of this beautiful and almost sacred moment to quietly approach the lake and drink, avoiding the ferocious carnivorous Pokémon.
But just then, bubbles suddenly began to rise in the center of the lake, startling the Pokémon and sending them scattering. Within seconds, not a single creature remained by the water's edge.
Splashh~
At that moment, a giant orb emerged from the center of the spring, water flowing down its sides. The inside of the orb gradually became visible…
Inside the transparent orb were none other than Sato, Gardevoir, and Gengar!
Within the orb, Sato looked around curiously. This clearly wasn't the desert area from before.
"Gen~"
Gengar pointed toward the shore, then activated the Spatial Barrier to bring Sato and Gardevoir over.
Only when his feet were once again firmly on solid ground did Sato finally breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
They had made it out!
"I just felt Darkrai's energy wave… was it because of him that we got out?"
After resting a bit, Sato couldn't help but voice the question in his heart.
Gardevoir nodded, then shook her head. At the same time, Telepathy echoed in Sato's mind.
"The cave beneath the desert is transforming into an independent world. Once complete, it will give rise to a new Domain.
Though not yet fully formed, the cave already possesses some level of self-protection; preventing Pokémon from freely entering or leaving, so as to avoid prematurely exposing the incomplete Domain-"
"…But Darkrai already possesses a Domain. Power of that magnitude cannot be 'erased', and fearing being absorbed or assimilated, it was eager to send us out."
Gardevoir wasn't annoyed at being interrupted by Sato. Instead, she nodded gently at him, a look of proud approval in her eyes.
Sato had guessed the core reason, but still felt stunned. He hadn't expected to stumble into an independent world in the process of forming a Domain.
If not for Gardevoir, Sato might've either lived out his days hiding in the cave… or stubbornly tried to force his way through the dome's crack, only to be assimilated in the end.
However…
Sato's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Gardevoir with excitement. He hadn't said anything yet, but Gardevoir had already rolled her eyes in advance.
"A Domain can't possibly form in the short term. Even if it does, only native cave Pokémon are eligible to receive it. So stay grounded, Toto."
Sato: …You really said both the good and the bad in one go. What else can I even say ( 'ω')
After a night of nonstop tension, even Sato felt completely drained. Seeing how pleasant the environment around the spring was, he decided to set up camp here and let his Pokémon rest as well.
He released all his Pokémon, leaving Honchkrow -the only one who still had full stamina- on watch. The others sprawled out wherever they landed, falling into a deep, snoring sleep.
Given the terrifying combined aura of the group, not a single wild Pokémon dared approach during the entire process.
Sato also closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then began preparing lunch for his team with care.
With Joseph not around, Sato had no choice but to cook everything himself. Fortunately, Gardevoir and Gengar were meticulous and reliable, so they helped out on the side.
As for why it was lunch?
It was because the Pokémon had slept all the way until noon.
The first to wake up, drawn by the "mouth-watering" aroma, was Hydreigon.
With three heads and six nostrils, Hydreigon's sense of smell was naturally three times stronger than other Pokémon.
Next, Zoroark and Sharpedo woke up as well, leaving only Tyranitar still snoring so loudly it shook the air!
Finally, after listening to snores all morning, Gardevoir had enough and used the Nightmare Orb to turn Tyranitar's sweet dreams~ into nightmares!
Only then did it wake up.
Thanks to the "special" wake-up call, Tyranitar was much more energetic than the others.
…Just not particularly hungry.
After a full morning of work, lunch ended up even more lavish than expected. And since each Pokémon had different preferences, Sato had specially prepared custom meals for them all.
Watching his partners devour the lunch he made with his own hands… Sato smiled with satisfaction~!
But deep down, he was thinking: 'This is way too time-consuming… I really miss having Mama Joseph around.'
Seeing that all the Pokémon were full and back in top condition, Sato already had the next part of the plan figured out.
They had already stayed in the Origin Forest for 23 full days. The final week had to be spent on the return journey.
Besides, what they'd gained from this trip would take Sato a long time to fully absorb; and once he did, his strength would rise yet another level!
Soon, Sato recalled all his Pokémon except Gengar and Honchkrow. Gengar voluntarily hid in the shadows, while Honchkrow obediently lowered its wings, waiting for Sato to climb on.
Sato set his wristwatch to [return mode], and a compass-like arrow appeared on the screen, pointing the way back.
"Honchkrow, let's go!"
"KROOOOW!"
With a flap of its wings, Honchkrow soared high into the sky. And with another flap, it vanished from sight!
A long, long time passed before the area around the spring gradually began to fill with signs of other Pokémon. Aside from being more cautious, everything else remained unchanged…
---◓---
…One Week Later…
At the entrance of the Origin Forest, Sato and Zoroark sat cross-legged in identical poses, eyes closed in quiet meditation.
The rest of the Pokémon were scattered throughout the area within Sato's line of sight, greedily absorbing the Origin Energy drifting through the air.
"Zoroark, relax."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sato placed his hand on Zoroark's shoulder, and a surge of pure Origin Energy flowed directly into its body.
Zoroark wasn't startled in the slightest. In fact, a faint look of enjoyment appeared on its face.
Soon, the Origin Energy infusion ended. Sato withdrew his right hand, pretending not to notice Zoroark's reluctant expression.
'What can I do…? I'm completely drained too!'
Beep Beep Beep!
His wristwatch chimed with a time alert; only five minutes left before the one-month deadline.
"Zorooooooh~"
Zoroark didn't need any instruction from Sato. It threw back its head and let out a long howl.
The other Pokémon, hearing Zoroark's call, immediately began rushing back to Sato's side; regardless of whether they had fully absorbed the energy or not.
"Let's go!"
After recalling all his Pokémon, only one minute remained. Sato smiled.
Heh~ Was he the kind of guy who'd panic over 60,000 Pokédollars in one minute?
…Well, he did stand at the exit for exactly 59 seconds.
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🅿️🅰️✝️🆁 🅴🅾️🅽 / 🅁🄾🄼🄴🄻🄾🄵🄵