Chapter 144: The Power of Calamity
With Ryan as a reference, Sapphire understood the power of Brawly's force-redirecting abilities. She first caught Brawly off guard with her Sableye, successfully defeating Hawlucha in the first match. However, she was then defeated by Makuhita, whose Fighting-type attacks could hit the Ghost-type Sableye with Foresight.
Her subsequent victory with Torchic was also a close one, and it was only after Torchic evolved into Combusken at a crucial moment that she managed to defeat Makuhita.
Sapphire accepted the badge, knowing that if Ryan hadn't fought the first match, allowing her to gain a firm grasp of Brawly's abilities, she would have never won.
Ruby noticed Sapphire's disappointment and approached to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry about it. Ryan is already Champion-level. You're just feeling bad comparing yourself to him. Besides, he's been traveling two years ahead of us. After we've caught up in experience, we'll definitely match him."
"Tsk, you don't need to comfort me," Sapphire said stubbornly, blushing.
Ryan and his companions bid farewell to Brawly and prepared to cross the sea to Slateport City, where the next Pokémon Contest would be held, and Ruby wasn't going to miss it.
As for how to cross the sea, it was up to Sapphire's Wailord to handle the task. It wasn't that Ryan and his companions didn't want to take a boat, but the fastest ferry wouldn't arrive for three days, and they didn't have time to waste waiting. So, after restocking themselves with fresh water, Ryan and his companions boarded Wailord and headed towards Slateport City.
Two days later, Ryan glanced at the Town Map and said, "There's an Abandoned Ship not far ahead. Let's stop there to rest and then make some hot meals. These past two days of living on preserved food are really unbearable."
"Agreed!" the other three cheered excitedly.
With motivation, Sapphire diligently urged Wailord to speed up, swimming towards the Abandoned Ship.
Deep within the Abandoned Ship, a petite figure suddenly froze. Its lifeless eyes finally lit up. It murmured a few times, then tightened its grip on the object in its hand, then floated into the air and drifted out.
As it passed through the Abandoned Ship's passages, the surrounding Water Pokémon panicked, as if they had seen a monstrous predator, desperately struggling to escape its presence.
The petite Pokémon secretly poked its head out the door and watched four people on deck discussing something. A young man was chopping vegetables, preparing lunch for the day.
It looked toward the boy, or rather, the backpack he had placed nearby. From that backpack came a familiar, heartbreaking scent, leaving it in a trance.
As it floated forward, it noticed two Togekiss had spotted it. Panicked, it flew toward the cabin. As it flew, a voice reached its ears: "Hey, isn't that Floette? Why is it in this form?"
Yes, it was a strange-looking Floette. Ever since it was born as Flabébé, and after picking up this strange flower, its life had been filled with misfortune. After evolving into Floette, it could spread misfortune to others, bringing disaster upon them.
It was responsible for that child's death. It was responsible for its clan's destruction. It was what made the surrounding Pokémon fear it, hate it, and dread it.
Floette reached the depths of the familiar cabin and hugged itself. A feeling of despair filled the entire cabin. Countless Water Pokémon were instantly terrified and frantically fled outside.
Just as Floette was in agony and despair, she felt a pair of warm hands embrace her. She saw the young man again, and he smiled and whispered, "It's okay, don't be afraid. Come with me, I'll show you a different world."
Floette's heart, which had been suppressed for years, instantly collapsed. She hugged the young man's hand and burst into tears, as if venting all the pain and helplessness she had accumulated over the years.
Yes, this young man was Ryan. He had only caught a glimpse of her appearance, but he was also momentarily stunned. After all, Floette only had five colors: red, orange, blue, white, and yellow. How could it be holding a black flower? Furthermore, Floette's body was usually green and white, with yellow highlights, while its eyes were blue. He had initially thought it was a Shiny Floette, but Shiny Floette's eyes were a different shade of blue, while these eyes were distinctly different—a complete mismatch.
But the next second, the system's information shocked Ryan. Floette (Sub-Legendary Pokémon), Origin: Calamity!
As soon as this information appeared, Ryan immediately thought of something: the Eternal Flower!
That's right, Floette's Eternal Flower form! Ryan immediately realized this and called up the system to read the description of Floette's Eternal Flower form.
"Floette, a Single Pokémon. The flower it holds is currently unopened. It is believed to contain terrifying power. That ominous flower holds terrifying energy, yet it wields it innocently."
This was the system's detailed description, and from this, Ryan understood why it had reached Sub-Legendary status. The Eternal Flower granted Floette near-eternal life. Of course, this was an exaggeration, but it certainly granted her an extraordinarily long lifespan.
Over time, it wasn't impossible for her to reach the power of a Sub-Legendary Pokémon. Furthermore, according to the system's predictions, when Floette evolved again and became Florges, she would be able to transform her essence into laws, reaching the power of a Legendary Pokémon.
If left unchecked or uncontrolled, she would likely unleash a catastrophe!
Indeed, the very thought of laws that could create disaster was terrifying!
"Would you like to travel with me?" Ryan asked, looking at Floette.
Floette's eyes flashed with longing, but the next moment, she instinctively hugged herself tightly: she understood that she could only bring disaster to others!
Being kindhearted, she simply didn't want to bring such disaster to others. Therefore, she chose to distance herself from humans and Pokémon, hoping to slowly fade away, never again bringing disaster to the world.
Ryan looked at Floette, who shook her head in fear, and felt a sense of empathy. He said, "I can seal your power until you can master it yourself."
Floette cried out in disbelief, not believing what Ryan said. Ryan smiled, pointed a finger at Floette's head, and contacted the system, spending 100 points to seal Floette's source of calamity.
However, this seal was only temporary, sealing its essence for only one day. Furthermore, Floette must be willing to seal her essence, and Ryan must be able to communicate with her. Only when these conditions were met could the seal be achieved.
Floette felt the despairing power gradually fade, and a smile finally appeared on her face. It was a bright, yet also sad smile—a very contradictory expression.
Ryan took out an Ultra Ball and said, "Follow me and master this power. Once you control it, you will no longer need this seal."
Floette hesitated, then called out to Ryan a few times. Ryan nodded and said, "No problem, I promise."
Floette, relieved, gently tapped the Ultra Ball, and slipped inside.
"Looking forward to traveling with you, Floette," Ryan said with a smile.
The Ultra Ball shook twice, also in response to Ryan.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01