Chapter 443: Capturing a Shiny Ralts! Not Shy at all?
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Planet Pokémon, Hoenn Region.
Deep inside a lush wild forest.
Utilizing his Space-Time Sense, Seito could effortlessly pinpoint the location of any specific Pokémon on the entire planet. As far as he was concerned, whether a Pokémon possessed high innate potential didn't matter at all—with his divine authority, he could casually upgrade its talent and strength whenever he pleased.
His primary target for this trip was remarkably simple: track down a Ralts.
"To think I'd stumble upon something like this," Seito murmured with a subtle, strange expression.
He had just picked up the energy signature of a Shiny Ralts—a female one, no less. Surprisingly, the little creature had been cornered and captured by a group of individuals clad in distinct red uniforms.
These intruders were none other than members of Team Magma—one of the two infamous villainous syndicates operating in the Hoenn Region alongside Team Aqua!
"Let's go take a look."
Without a moment's hesitation, Seito stepped through space, walking toward the position of the Shiny Ralts.
About a kilometer away from Seito's position.
The location was a relatively clear glade surrounded by dense, towering trees—an ideal spot for resting and maintaining cover. The Shiny Ralts and the Team Magma grunts were currently situated right here.
At this moment.
Staring at the Shiny Ralts trapped inside a heavy metal cage, a middle-aged man's lips curled into a greedy grin: "Not bad at all! A Shiny variant—whether we keep it for ourselves or sell it on the black market, this is going to be a massive haul!"
The middle-aged leader had brought two grunts into the forest today to try their luck. Running into a ultra-rare Shiny Ralts was an absolute jackpot, leaving him thrilled beyond measure.
Better yet, this specific Ralts hadn't learned Teleport yet, leaving it with zero chance of escaping!
Under the middle-aged man's greedy gaze, the Shiny Ralts shrank back nervously, its small body trembling as it leaned timidly against the back of the cage.
It was undeniably adorable—a humanoid Pokémon featuring a sleek light-blue bowl cut, two orange horn-like fins protruding from the front and back of its head, and a smooth, cream-white body resembling a young child.
The only heartbreaking flaw was that it was missing its entire right arm.
"Boss, this thing is down an arm. We should probably just sell it off," a yellow-haired grunt standing nearby chimed in.
The Ralts hadn't lost its arm to wild predators; these three men had done the damage themselves. When they first ambushed the Shiny Ralts, the creature had tried to bolt, prompting them to strike with heavy force—accidentally severing its arm in the chaos.
"I was thinking the exact same thing," the leader nodded in agreement.
Had the Ralts been intact, he would have claimed it as his personal battle partner. But a maimed Pokémon? It hardly held value for serious combat, as missing a limb would severely handicap its fighting potential.
Still, even with a missing arm, it was hardly a dealbreaker. Ralts was already an extraordinarily rare species, and a Shiny variant was practically a myth. Black-market buyers would be lining up around the block to place their bids!
"You guys really are pure scum, aren't you?"
Suddenly! A calm, indifferent voice rang out through the quiet glade.
"Who's there?!"
The three Team Magma members jumped in shock, instantly spinning around toward the source of the sound.
A handsome young man with snowy white hair, clad in a sleek white windbreaker, stepped casually into their view.
"You're...!!"
BOOM!
Before the middle-aged leader could finish his sentence, a suffocating, absolute divine pressure descended like a crashing mountain!
In less than a millisecond—
All three Team Magma grunts were instantly crushed into fine, imperceptible dust, erased from existence without leaving behind a single trace.
"I don't have time to waste talking to trash," Seito remarked with quiet disdain.
They were mere ants; vaporizing them on the spot was the cleanest solution. As for exchange pre-fight banter? Completely unnecessary.
Inside the cage, the Shiny Ralts trembled uncontrollably, thoroughly stunned by what it had just witnessed. Three large humans had vanished into thin air in a fraction of a second, leaving the little creature believing its own turn was next!
Tap, tap, tap~~
Stepping up to the metal cage, Seito looked at the injuries covering the Ralts and frowned slightly.
It was missing an entire arm, and judging by the raw wound, the injury was extremely fresh.
"Looks like those Team Magma bastards were responsible," Seito deduced the situation instantly. Replacing his cold expression with a gentle smile, he unlocked the cage door.
"Don't be afraid, little one."
A warm, holy divine aura radiated softly from Seito's frame, enveloping the small Pokémon.
The soothing energy washed over the Ralts, filling its heart with an overwhelming sense of warmth and comfort. Looking up at the handsome human standing before it, a soft blush dusted its small cheeks—the aura he projected felt as safe and gentle as returning to a mother's embrace.
"Ral-ts~"
Letting out a soft, sweet cry, the Shiny Ralts took tentative little steps, slowly stepping out of the cage until it stood right before Seito.
"Ral-ts~!"
Reaching out with its remaining small hand, the Ralts wrapped its arm around Seito's leg, nuzzling against him with pure reliance.
"What a cute little kid," Seito smiled warmly, delighted by the affectionate creature.
It certainly lived up to its legendary reputation among fan-favorite Pokémon. Who could possibly resist such an endearing little partner? It was simply too cute!
Scooping the small Pokémon up into his left arm, Seito placed his right hand gently over its severed shoulder.
A soft, brilliant white light erupted from his palm.
The Shiny Ralts only felt a soothing, cool sensation washing over its injury.
A moment later, Seito retracted his hand with a smile: "Alright, little one, give your right arm a try now."
"Ral-ts~!"
Seeing its right arm completely regenerated, the Shiny Ralts gasped in sheer joy. It clenched both tiny hands into adorable little fists, bouncing with excitement in his arms.
"Ral-ts, Ral-ts~!"
With a happy chirp, the Ralts reached up with both hands, wrapping its tiny arms securely around Seito's neck.
Mwah! Mwah!
It began showering Seito's cheek with enthusiastic little kisses!
"Haha... wait a second..." Seito was caught between laughter and helplessness.
Wasn't Ralts supposed to be an extremely shy species by nature? Why was the little one in his arms acting so bold and affectionate?
The reason was actually quite simple. Beyond Seito curing its severed limb, the divine, comforting aura radiating from his body was irresistible to an emotion-sensitive Pokémon like Ralts. It simply couldn't hold back its affection!
"Alright, alright, that's enough~"
Gently pulling the little creature back slightly, Seito asked with a warm grin: "Would you like to become my Pokémon partner?"
As he spoke, he pulled out the Ultra Ball Professor Oak had given him.
"Ral-ts~!"
Without a second of hesitation, the Shiny Ralts reached out and tapped the center button of the Ultra Ball itself, dissolving into a beam of red light that flowed straight inside.
The Ultra Ball wobbled twice symbolically before settling completely still with a soft click.
This meant Seito had successfully registered and captured the Shiny Ralts!
Zip~!
A beam of red light flashed, and the Shiny Ralts materialized right back in Seito's arms. Without waiting for an order, it scrambled right up onto his shoulder, wrapping its tiny arms around his neck once again.
Seito glanced sideways at the little creature resting against him. Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly as he noticed a subtle detail, freezing in place.
"Wait... huh?"
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Thank you for reading.