Although Theo had used more than twenty advanced level Pokémon energy orbs from his system space to finally settle Kyogre, the returns he gained were clearly far beyond what he had spent.
Just in the few minutes when Kyogre had appeared earlier, the popularity of his livestream had skyrocketed as if it were riding a rocket straight upward.
Theo glanced at the backend data. Even just the fraction of the popularity points he had gained was already enough for him to draw quite a number of advanced-level ten-draws, more than sufficient to make up for the energy orbs he had consumed before.
At that moment, Wallace and Juan had already passed through the crowd and walked over.
"Theo," Juan spoke first, his voice gentle, "there is still one final closing ritual for the festival. Come up on stage with us."
Under the gaze of countless eyes filled with envy, awe, and curiosity, Theo followed Juan and Wallace step by step onto the massive sacrificial platform.
On the platform, the people of Sootopolis who had participated in the ritual dance earlier had already reassembled into neat formations.
Standing at the center, Juan once again raised the staff embedded with a blue gemstone.
"We give thanks for Lord Kyogre's blessing! We give thanks to the God of Water for protecting the land of Hoenn! This year's Water Festival has come to a perfect conclusion!"
"WOOOO—!"
Thunderous cheers erupted instantly from below the stage. The boats on the lake also sounded their horns one after another, responding to the declaration from the platform.
Sunlight broke through the clouds and spilled across the rippling surface of the lake. That enormous rainbow still hung high in the sky, casting the entire Sootopolis City in a dreamlike glow, as if it belonged to a fairy tale.
As the bustle of the Water Festival gradually settled into the warmth of the afternoon sunlight, a completely different kind of tranquility filled the Sootopolis Gym.
The interior of the gym was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Under Juan's guidance, after passing through corridors carved with wave-like patterns, the three arrived at an elegant tea room.
At the center of the tea room stood a simple wooden table, upon which tea utensils were neatly arranged. On a nearby shelf, several Water Stones emitting a faint blue glow were displayed, and the entire space was filled with a light, refreshing scent of moisture.
Juan gestured for Theo to sit, while Wallace took the initiative to prepare tea. As boiling water was poured into the teacups, the fragrance of the tea blended with the mist, bringing a sense of calm to the mind.
"Theo,"
Wallace pushed a teacup toward him, his gaze falling on Theo's hands as he asked with curiosity,
"That green light you handed to Lord Kyogre earlier… what exactly was it? I could sense extremely pure life energy contained within it."
Theo lifted the teacup, the warmth spreading through his fingertips. After a brief pause, he answered according to the explanation he had already prepared:
"That is an ability I was born with. It is somewhat similar to the power known as the Viridian Power in the Kanto region. It allows me to communicate with Pokémon and also condense a kind of gentle life energy. It is not anything particularly special."
This explanation was not exactly a lie. The energy orbs in the system space indeed contained life energy. Using something like the Viridian Power as an explanation was both reasonable and sufficient to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Wallace suddenly understood.
"No wonder you get along so well with Pokémon… so that is the reason. I have heard of the Viridian Power. It is said to be able to heal Pokémon and even connect with their hearts. That is truly impressive."
Juan also nodded without probing further, instead shifting his gaze to the droplet-shaped necklace around Theo's neck.
"Let us talk about that necklace. The one you are wearing is a gift from Lord Kyogre, and its significance is extraordinary."
Theo subconsciously touched the necklace. The cool sensation immediately cleared his mind as he waited for Juan to continue.
"This necklace contains one of Lord Kyogre's attacks, 'Origin Pulse.'"
Juan's voice carried a trace of gravity.
"That is one of its most powerful moves, capable of shaking mountains and raising enormous waves. Unless it is absolutely necessary, you must never use it lightly."
Theo felt a jolt in his heart. Origin Pulse?
That was one of Kyogre's signature moves. Just imagining its devastating power, capable of destroying heaven and earth, was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
This was practically a life-saving trump card.
"In addition," Juan's tone shifted slightly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, "it has another use. It can be used to call Lord Kyogre."
"Call it?" Theo was even more surprised. "At any time?"
"In theory, yes, but do not try it recklessly."
Juan let out a soft laugh, sounding somewhat helpless.
"Lord Kyogre usually remains asleep. If you wake it up for no reason, it will assume that the festival has begun and that there are offerings for it to eat. If it finds nothing… it will get angry."
Theo immediately grasped the key point.
"So you mean… as long as there are offerings, even if it is not during the festival, it can still be summoned?"
Juan was momentarily stunned before nodding.
"In theory, yes, but this is different from the festival. You should have seen earlier how it absorbed the blue beam of light from Wallace's necklace. That is what it truly cares about.
That light contains a special kind of energy, formed from a year's worth of worship by the people of Sootopolis. The offerings are merely to satisfy its appetite.
A long time ago, when I explored ruins with Steven, we encountered danger and I once summoned Lord Kyogre for help.
If it were not for Steven later using all the pokéblocks stored in his company's warehouse as compensation to offer to Lord Kyogre, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
So do not get any strange ideas. Lord Kyogre's temper is not easy to predict. The meaning of 'summoning' here is that sometimes Lord Kyogre craves certain things and calls upon us to gather them and present them at the festival."
Theo nodded, but at the same time, he interpreted Juan's words in a completely different way.
As long as Kyogre's anger from being awakened could be appeased, did that mean it could be disturbed at will?
Would his advanced level energy orbs be enough? Twenty were definitely not enough, but what about one hundred, or two hundred?
If, during his future travels, he encountered legendary Pokémon he could not contend with, or faced life-threatening danger, and he could summon Kyogre to assist him…
Just thinking about it was already awe-inspiring.
Theo shook his head, forcefully pushing those thoughts out of his mind. With that many advanced-level energy orbs, it would be far better to use them to strengthen his own Pokémon.
He decided to keep this matter deep in his heart, treating it as a final trump card for survival.
"I understand," Theo said, quickly regaining his composure as he responded to Juan. "I will not disturb Kyogre's slumber without reason."
"Good."
Juan nodded in satisfaction and began teaching Theo how to use the necklace.
"Try to focus your mind. Imagine Lord Kyogre's form and feel the fluctuations within… yes, just like that. Visualize establishing a connection with Kyogre…"
Theo followed the instructions, concentrating as he slowly infused his mental energy into the necklace.
In an instant, a vast and boundless water-type energy surged out from within the necklace. It felt as though he had been plunged into an endless deep sea. In his ears, he could hear the roaring of waves crashing against reefs, along with Kyogre's deep and majestic breathing.
He hurriedly followed Juan's guidance and carefully withdrew his mental energy. A thin layer of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
"This is only the initial stage of sensing," Juan said. "As for activating Origin Pulse and the ritual for summoning Lord Kyogre, I will teach you those after you become familiar with this basic connection over the next couple of days."
Theo nodded solemnly and expressed his sincere thanks to Juan.
(End of Chapter)