"??? It just shattered? It's gone?"
Kaito's eyes widened. He searched all over the rainbow space but could find no trace of the Icicle Plate. He counted the remaining plates again and again, finally confirming that only seventeen were left.
"Could it be... that I've completely absorbed it?"
At that thought, he immediately withdrew from the rainbow space and returned to reality. Outside, the night was still dark and silent. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the cave.
Kaito carefully inspected his body and, sure enough, found something amiss.
"This feeling... it's familiar."
He closed his eyes and visualized the Icicle Plate in his mind. Having experience with ejecting the plates, he quickly managed to manifest the Icicle Plate outside his body.
As the plate appeared, the ambient temperature plummeted. A layer of translucent frost spread across the cave's stone walls and floor at a visible rate. With the Icicle Plate separated from his body, he lost the ability to use Ice-type moves.
"It seems this is the real deal, an actual Ice-type plate."
Feeling the same intuitive control over it as he did with the Chakra Plate, Kaito couldn't help but look astonished. "The Icicle Plate seems to have become... mine. Hiss... if that's the case, does this mean that in the future, I'll claim all the plates in the rainbow space as my own?"
"Won't Arceus try to kill me when it wakes up?"
No, wait. An Arceus that has lost all its plates would fall from its divine pedestal. It probably couldn't even beat one of Kaito's clones.
"Oh, then it's fine."
Kaito's expression gradually hardened with resolve. "Arceus, you can rest easy and continue your slumber. I will inherit your dying wish... ah, dammit! I mean, I will inherit your will and become the next God of Creation!"
After making this grand vow, he felt a weight settle on his shoulders, whether from the psychological burden or something else. It was as if an immense responsibility had been thrust upon him.
After calming his turbulent emotions, Kaito beckoned with a finger, and the Icicle Plate returned to his body.
"And now, to test the Icicle Plate's power."
Closing his eyes again, he tried to activate the plate within him. In less than a minute, a brilliant, crystalline blue light shone from within, dyeing his entire body a faint blue. It wasn't just his clothes; even his eyes, eyebrows, and hair turned blue, as if he had become an ice sculpture.
As the plate's power continued to intensify, the transformation continued. At full power, Kaito's light blue hair had grown to his waist, and a suit of solid, well-defined ice armor had formed over his body. Extending from his belt was a cross-shaped, light blue wheel. A surging power of frost poured out of him, transforming the small hill he was in into an iceberg.
Kaito clenched his fist, a wisp of cold air escaping his lips.
"This feeling... I feel like I've become a god of ice and snow. I could freeze an entire country with ease. Maybe even time and space..."
Ahem. Freezing time and space was just wishful thinking. Even if he had the ability, the small plate didn't contain enough energy to support such a feat. Perhaps when all eighteen plates were his, he would have enough power to use as he pleased.
Next, Kaito began to play with his newly acquired divine frost power. With a mere thought, the thick layer of ice beneath him rose up, shaping itself into a table and chair. He sat down, feeling no cold at all.
With a soft snap of his fingers, ice sculptures of rats, cats, dogs, and foxes appeared before him, each one lifelike. Getting into the spirit of it, Kaito also created ice sculptures of Pokémon: an Alolan Vulpix, a Glaceon, a Vanillite, and an Articuno.
Unfortunately, no matter how realistic they looked, they were still just inanimate objects.
"They lack life force... Is there any way to bring them to life? Relying on the Dragon or Grass plates is too far off for now. I could imitate the Sage of Six Paths, who created the nine Tailed Beasts by infusing them with life force using Yang Release. That's something I could try."
"Or perhaps..."
Kaito smiled, pricked his finger, and let a drop of blood fall onto the head of the Alolan Vulpix sculpture.
"Come on, a blood pact to claim ownership!"
He waited for a while. Nothing happened.
Not giving up, he deactivated the Icicle Plate mode and dripped another drop of blood. He waited until the blood on the Vulpix's red-stained head had completely congealed before finally abandoning the unrealistic fantasy.
Pressing a hand to his slightly dizzy head, Kaito shook it, lay down on the ground, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Kaito woke up and immediately looked at the statues in front of him. No miracle had occurred. They remained exactly as they were the night before, standing motionless.
With a sigh, Kaito endured the heartache and "destroyed the evidence," shattering the thick ice layer and leaving the cave. Seeing the massive iceberg shimmering in the faint morning light, his mood improved considerably.
"Looks like I really have gotten a lot stronger. Unifying the ninja world is just a matter of time!"
With an excited smile, Kaito got his bearings and set off toward the distant horizon.
Compared to the Land of Fire, the Land of Grass was minuscule. Following the sensation from the Chakra Plate, it took Kaito less than two hours to arrive before a village.
"It's been days. Why is he still here? Is he slacking off?" Based on his own personality, it was highly likely.
Shaking his head, he walked toward the village's open gate. Two tattered "refugees" wearing forehead protectors and holding crude weapons blocked his path.
"Halt! Who are you? What's your business in our Grass Village?"
"Grass Village? This is the Grass Village?" Kaito glanced again at the dilapidated gate, wondering if he had misheard. "This shabby little village is the Village Hidden in the Grass?"
"What? You looking down on our Sunlight Grass Village?" The two guards were clearly short-tempered. They looked down their noses at Kaito and snarled, "Listen here, brat, this is the real Grass Village! It may look run-down on the outside, but it's magnificent on the inside!"
"Why are you wasting your breath on a kid who doesn't know anything? Shoo, shoo, get lost. This is no place for you."
"..." Kaito had never met such arrogant gatekeepers. Was it really okay to turn people away so casually? What if a wealthy client showed up? Weren't they just pushing away a god of wealth?
"Ahem." He coughed twice, then deliberately pulled a stack of bills from his pocket and flashed it, immediately catching the two guards' attention. "Actually, I have some business I'd like to commission from your village."
"Hiss... that's a lot of money!"
Their eyes went wide, and their expressions changed in a flash. Their angry scowls melted into fawning smiles. "Little brother, why didn't you say so sooner? Quick, quick, come in, please, come in!"
"Hmph. That's more like it." Kaito clasped his hands behind his back and said commandingly, "Let's go. Take me to your leader. I'm bringing you a big deal!"