Perhaps its max level wouldn't exceed 83, but in the human world, that already made it truly invincible!
Champions and Elites? All trash in comparison!
But Ho-Oh...
Even by the most conservative estimate, it was probably above level 88, right?
[Ho-Oh's Mark is the key, human.]
To Nathan's surprise, Suicune actually responded to his question.
'So that's how it is... I remember that Entei, Raikou, and Suicune were once resurrected by Ho-Oh'
'Which is why they became Legendary Pokémon in the first place!'
'The reason they need the Mark is probably to unlock the latent power of Ho-Oh within them, huh?'
After hearing Suicune's explanation, Nathan suddenly understood everything.
Now it all made sense.
Most of the mysteries had been solved.
As for why Entei was so weakened, to the point of becoming the "rampaging Pokémon" that Zeraora mentioned—
That wasn't something Nathan could concern himself with.
Not until Volcarona broke through to the Champion level and fully subdued Steelix.
Right now, Nathan wasn't even remotely qualified to contend with Legendary Pokémon.
Let alone understand what could reduce Entei to that state.
A long silence settled once again.
Then, Raikou's voice rang in Nathan's mind.
[Human, state your request. We'll do our best to fulfill it.]
Such a guarantee showed just how serious Raikou and Suicune were.
Maybe Ho-Oh's Mark didn't hold much actual power—maybe it was just a coordinate, a marker.
But for Entei, it was a lifesaving item!
And Raikou and Suicune remained unaffected because of Entei!
Nathan didn't understand the deeper intricacies behind it all, but that didn't stop him from making a request.
"Come out, Volcarona! Zeraora!"
With a calm voice, Nathan released two Poké Balls.
"Vool~!"
"Zorr!"
As the Poké Balls opened, the voices of Volcarona and Zeraora rang out.
Volcarona, now slightly larger, hovered closely around Nathan, clearly affectionate.
Zeraora, on the other hand, just let out a cold snort and stood to the side with arms crossed—
Clearly still upset about being forced to rest earlier.
[That… is Ho-Oh's power?]
[Human, what's going on here?]
The moment they sensed the aura of Ho-Oh from Volcarona, Raikou and Suicune questioned Nathan simultaneously.
"Ahem, first of all, my name is Nathan."
Clearing his throat, he corrected them, then slowly said,
"I once found one of Ho-Oh's feathers. The power within it merged with Volcarona's body."
"I guess the reason I received Ho-Oh's mark was probably because Ho-Oh's shadow glanced at me once."
As soon as he said this, the looks in Raikou and Suicune's eyes shifted again and again.
If Nathan had a "Legendary Capture System," it'd probably be blaring with alerts right now:
Raikou favorability +10, +10…
Suicune favorability +10, +10…
Even Legendary Pokémon… were still this simple.
…
"My request is simple: I want the two of them to become stronger!"
"Not a sudden spike in raw power, but improvements in skill, potential, or perhaps a special ability… You get what I mean, right?"
Seizing the moment while Raikou and Suicune were favorably disposed toward him, Nathan pressed on.
Initially, he'd only planned to release Volcarona.
But remembering how long it would take for Zeraora's Lightning Release Chakra Mode to develop, he couldn't help but bring it out too.
Not to mention—Raikou was an Electric-type Legendary. Surely, he could offer something useful, right?
As Nathan hoped, Raikou showed no hesitation as he looked at Zeraora.
With a slight nod, his voice echoed once more in Nathan's mind.
[I understand, Trainer Nathan. This Zeraora can merge with one of my Seeds of Power. However, Volcarona must wait until Entei awakens.]
Nathan's face lit up with joy.
Truthfully, he had already mentally prepared himself.
After all, no Legendary Pokémon would ever be stingy—
Especially not toward someone bearing Ho-Oh's mark!
In a world where Ho-Oh had yet to descend, Nathan could practically call himself its spokesperson.
And Raikou and Suicune would probably believe it!
Still, when Raikou actually offered a Power Seed, Nathan couldn't help but feel ecstatic.
Because this meant Raikou's generosity was real!
Back when Volcarona had only just evolved from Larvesta, Nathan had asked the system:
"Can non-Legendary Pokémon break through the level 80 threshold?"
The system had answered: Yes!
But on one condition—
The Pokémon must obtain something called a Seed of Power.
Because up to level 80, even the strongest Pokémon were still within the realm of humanity.
Beyond level 80—that was truly stepping into the realm of the non-human.
Why had Entei, Raikou, and Suicune become Legends after Ho-Oh resurrected them?
Because Ho-Oh had used its own Seeds of Power to do so!
Unfortunately, not even Ho-Oh could produce them endlessly.
After distributing them among the trio, it never created another Legendary Pokémon again.
Of course, level 80 was still a long way off.
Volcarona was only at the Elite level now—not even level 55.
But in the short term, a Seed of Power could still grant extraordinary strength!
Like how Volcarona had gained the trait "Solar Flame" from Ho-Oh's feather—
That was a manifestation of a Seed of Power's attribute!
"Raikou, thank you so much!"
With a solemn face, Nathan spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
Giving a Seed of Power to Zeraora was practically like treating it as his own child!
Nathan had once regretted that Zeraora, being between a shiny and non-shiny variant, might lack the potential of a true Shiny. (I don't get it.)
But with Raikou's gift, Zeraora would undoubtedly leap to become the second-most promising Pokémon on his team!
The first, of course, could only be Volcarona!
[No need for thanks. If not for your absurdly creative skill training yielding results, I wouldn't be this generous.]
Raikou shook his head, speaking bluntly and practically.
As the ruler of the Wandering Mountains,
Though he and Suicune watched over Entei, they weren't unaware of the mountain's goings-on.
In truth—
Had Nathan not possessed the power of Viridian Power,
Raikou would've kicked him out the moment he tried to capture Zeraora!
It was because of this that Raikou knew all about how Nathan had trained Zeraora—
Even creating completely new skills that Pokémon had never possessed before!
That kind of potential alone was enough for Raikou to invest in him.
Not to mention—Nathan was someone "favored" by Ho-Oh!
Without wasting words, Raikou acted decisively.
Saying he'd give the Seed—he gave it right away.
A dazzling blue light appeared at Raikou's brow, crackling with blue-white lightning.
Before Zeraora could even react, the bolt of azure lightning shot into its body!
[The Seed won't immediately boost its power. It must be nurtured with effort and bonds to sprout.]
As Zeraora showed no visible changes, Raikou's voice rang out again in Nathan's mind.
Put simply—
Raikou had just raised Zeraora's ceiling, not its floor.
"That's perfectly fine. I'm still incredibly grateful. Your generosity is something I'll never forget."
Nathan instantly understood, and rather than disappointment, his face lit up with joy as he sincerely expressed his thanks.
For him, the fun of being a Trainer was in raising his Pokémon.
If someone had handed him six max-level Pokémon from the start, he wouldn't even know what to do.
Seeing this, Raikou was deeply satisfied.
To him, he had not misjudged Nathan.
Compared to that hunter, Nathan was the complete opposite.
With that comparison, Raikou's support for Nathan only grew stronger.
At that moment—
The shell encasing Entei suddenly emitted a cracking sound.
"Crack!"
The sharp sound echoed out as small cracks began spreading across the red-and-white shell.
Three seconds later—
The giant egg burst into countless specks of light, and Entei emerged!
Although it still looked weak,
Its eyes were filled with joy.