Chapter 154: Promise in the Sky
The match between Wattson and Ryan ended quickly. After all, Wattson wasn't exactly a strict Gym Leader (Norman: Is someone talking about me?). Ryan sent out Alakazam, essentially a one-versus-three match. Seeing Ryan's strength, Wattson clearly held back and didn't send out any particularly powerful Pokémon.
After receiving his badge, Ryan and his group left the Mauville Gym. Ryan glanced at the Town Map and said, "Next up are Verdanturf Town and Lavaridge Town. There's a Pokémon Contest Hall in Verdanturf, but it hasn't started yet. You can come over later."
"Verdanturf Town!" Lillie and Ruby said in unison.
Ryan looked at the two who interrupted him and said, "Lillie's going to Verdanturf Town to see her brother. Ruby, why are you going there?"
"I have a friend who's been sickly since childhood. He recently moved to Verdanturf Town for recuperation. I'm planning to visit him," Ruby said.
Seeing Ruby's determination, Sapphire wanted to go to Lavaridge Town first, but three votes overruled her. Ryan and his group decided to go to Verdanturf Town next.
Ryan also wanted to see what Gladion was up to. He had been in Hoenn for over a year, but he had always stayed in Verdanturf Town. He wondered what had kept him there for so long.
Verdanturf Town wasn't too far from Mauville City, only about a four or five hour walk. When Ryan and his group arrived at Verdanturf Town, they found it lived up to its reputation: a lush green town.
Located in a protected area of Hoenn, it was shielded from volcanic ash due to wind patterns. The fresh air and beautiful scenery of the town made it a perfect place for those with weak health to recuperate.
This was what the guidebook had said, and Ryan couldn't help but agree. However, finding someone in a town was difficult, and Gladion was a bit of a loner. After living there for over a year, no one knew his name!
Seeing no hope of finding Gladion, Ruby began to ask about his friend. Ruby's friend was called Wally.
Gladion couldn't be found, but as soon as he mentioned Wally, many people immediately pointed the way to Ryan and his group. Ryan and Lillie exchanged glances, both speechless about Gladion.
Following the townspeople's directions, Ryan and his group headed out of Verdanturf Town, arriving at a small valley. The valley was filled with a variety of flowers, the scene beautifully spread across the hillside.
"Floette, come out and take a look. This is your favorite place," Ryan said with a smile, releasing Floette.
Floette was delighted to see the flowers blanketing the hillside, dancing among them. It had been a long time since they'd seen Floette so happy. Ryan and his group smiled and followed Floette down a small path into the sea of flowers.
"Huh? What's that flower? So beautiful!" Sapphire exclaimed, spotting a patch of pink blossoms.
"That looks like a Gracidea flower!" Lillie observed for a moment, a bit puzzled.
"Gracidea?" Ryan asked, puzzled. "Isn't that a flower from the Sinnoh region? How is there one here?"
"Can we pick one?" Sapphire asked the others, seemingly fond of the flower.
"Don't move!" Following two loud shouts, a dark figure leaped down from the cliff. Ryan and the others looked over and saw a Silvally carrying two people to the ground. One of them was indeed Gladion, whom Ryan hadn't seen in over a year. As for the other, Ryan recognized him when Ruby called out, "Wally!"
Ryan looked at the delicate, green-haired boy and realized this was Wally from the games.
Gladion dismounted from Silvally and said, "Don't touch these flowers. These are seeds I worked so hard to find and cultivated here."
"Brother, have you been cultivating Gracidea flowers here for over a year?" Lillie asked.
"Yes, that's right. Because of a promise, I must cultivate Gracidea flowers and await their arrival!" Gladion said seriously.
"Gracidea flowers, waiting for their arrival?" Ryan pondered, then said, "Gladion, the promise you mentioned, isn't it the one with Shaymin?"
Gladion looked at Ruby and Sapphire. Ryan, aware of his concern, said, "This is Ruby, this is Sapphire. Ruby and Wally are good friends, and Sapphire is one of us. It's okay."
Gladion nodded, opened his backpack, and took out a very weak Shaymin.
Shaymin's body was white, covered in green grass with a few yellow spots on it. A pair of pink flowers flanked its body, and its green eyes looked at the group weakly.
"Shaymin is so weak," Ryan frowned. "Looks like it's been poisoned. What's going on?"
He then took out a potion and some healing items like Revival Herb and began treating Shaymin. But Shaymin showed no reaction at all, still looking weak.
"System, check this Shaymin for me," Ryan secretly contacted the system.
"Ding. We've sensed a massive surge of distorted energy within Shaymin's body. Conventional healing methods will likely be negated by this power and won't be able to fundamentally heal Shaymin."
"Any solutions? Can you analyze the source of this power?" Ryan asked.
"Ding. Analysis completed. This surge of energy originates from the Distortion World. We can absorb it and use it to form a Griseous Orb fragment."
"Let's try it," Ryan said.
He then placed his hand on Shaymin's forehead, and the system directly acted on Shaymin, easily drawing the distorted energy from it. In Ryan's hand, it formed a Griseous Orb fragment half the size of a grain of rice.
Griseous Orb Fragment (Incomplete): Formed from the convergence of Distortion World power, it slightly enhances the power of Giratina's abilities. This is a consumable item.
Gladion smiled at the recovered Shaymin, saying, "Great, Shaymin. You're finally better!"
Wally also smiled happily, saying, "Perfect timing. It's almost time. Your migration will definitely come to pick you up. Our promise is fulfilled!"
Shaymin cried happily, nuzzling Gladion and Wally affectionately.
Ryan then said seriously, "Shaymin, I have a question. The power within you should be from the Distortion World, right? Where did you encounter Giratina?"
Shaymin looked at the man before it. Shaymin knew it was he who had healed it. It had also heard from Gladion that he understood Pokémon language. Shaymin shook its head, calling out softly, and explained its story to Ryan.
Ryan listened carefully to Shaymin's story and understood what had happened.
Shaymin could purify toxins in the atmosphere and transform barren land into a sea of flowers. Shaymin breathes in polluted air, purifies it within itself, and breaks it down into water and light. Finally, it expels the purified products in the form of Gracidea seeds. Therefore, Shaymin's species is a migrating species that travels the world.
While passing through Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region, this Shaymin accidentally stumbled into a spatial rift. Although it quickly escaped, the distorted energy entangled within it continued to linger, and its body became weaker day by day.
But it continued to fly with its migration until it could no longer bear it and fell. That's how it met Gladion and Wally!
(End of Chapter)
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