Groudon let out a low growl of agreement. Carl nodded, "Got it."
Mew remained silent, looking like it had lost all hope.
Suddenly, Carl's voice came from behind a wooden wall.
Before anyone could react, three floating plush toys were tossed over. They looked like ordinary inflatable toys, lacking any regal presence or movement.
"Are these bath toys prepared by Carl?" Lusamine wondered aloud as she picked up a Kyogre-shaped toy. These toys, designed to mimic the shape of creatures, were often used by children before they got their first real pet to accompany them during bath time.
The deluxe versions of these bath toys even offered features like massage and electrotherapy. Lusamine, having a Milotic-shaped bath toy herself, was quite familiar with these novelties.
The other girls exchanged puzzled glances as they watched Lusamine press the toy against her chest, unsure of how to explain. They couldn't very well say that this was actually the legendary Kyogre in disguise, as tempting as the truth might be. Especially since she was Lillie's mother—they decided to keep the secret.
"I want this one," Lillie declared, hugging the Mew plushie, with no intention of explaining further.
The group was left speechless: What kind of history do you and Mew have?
"We'll take Groudon," Sabrina said as she leaned closer to the Groudon toy, closing her eyes with a content smile. The warmth from both the hot spring and the toy added to the relaxing atmosphere.
"Really?" Serena and Caitlin immediately gathered around.
Lusamine, stroking the Kyogre toy, remarked, "I wonder what material Carl used. It feels like being surrounded by the ocean. Enjoying the sea while soaking in a hot spring—it's a delight beyond compare."
The women fell silent again.
Lillie poked at the Mew plushie. "Is that all you've got?"
Mew shrank back slightly, silently cursing Carl.
Finally, peace returned. Carl leaned comfortably against the edge of the pool.
The three legendary creatures had been bickering, eventually ending up in a scuffle. Carl had turned them into plush toys—Mew had to be a doll for a day, while the other two were put in time-out overnight.
Pure bliss. Carl closed his eyes, reflecting on the day's thrilling events. Though he hadn't managed to capture all the legendary creatures, the battle with Deoxys was certainly spectacular.
An idea struck him. He pulled out a crystal and placed it in the hot spring. Seeing no reaction, he retrieved it. Though the hot spring relieved fatigue, it was of no use to the severely injured Deoxys.
After soaking for half an hour, Carl got dressed. At the foot of the mountain, he released two Cosmog: "Go play in the hot spring." He also released a shiny Ralts, which instantly demanded attention.
"What a little actor," Carl chuckled, ruffling its head.
With a grin, Carl called out towards the backyard, "Hey, when Serena comes out, make sure to escort her."
Infernape, lounging against a tree with a tablet, lazily waved a paw in acknowledgment.
"Blaziken and Infernape, that's enough training for today," Carl called, signaling the fiery duo to rest. The two bear-like apprentices, however, needed to push on.
With everything sorted, Carl strolled along the stone path toward the garden.
Before long, Carl found himself in an astonishing garden. The vibrant scene now glowed with the rainbow aura of Mew, while several gigantic mushrooms emitted an otherworldly light.
"The colossal mushrooms have matured!" Carl marveled as he examined the towering fungi, each standing about five feet tall. It was hard to imagine that three of these could make a pot of soup. Perhaps it was their magical properties that allowed creatures to undergo such immense transformation.
Atop the mushrooms, Carl found five small spores, reminiscent of the seeds he'd planted earlier. With five per plant, it meant he could potentially multiply their number fivefold whenever needed.
"No need for so many right now," Carl mused. "Once the World Tree grows further, cultivation will speed up. Expanding production then will be timely."
He scattered the spores and moved to the World Tree's sapling. Placing a Deoxys core crystal atop its leaves, this was the solution he had devised for Deoxys's recovery.
Whether the meteor contained stellar power, creation energy, or comet force, the World Tree, being the source of all, could provide the purest energy.
And indeed, the method worked.
After placing the three crystals on the World Tree sapling, their recovery times varied. The yellow crystal needed three months, the green four months, and the purple the least, just one month.
This difference was due to the varying strength and injuries of the three Deoxys. The yellow crystal, from Ultra Space, was nearly healed, having suffered the least when reduced to core form by Rayquaza. The green crystal was the strongest but also the most injured. The purple crystal, being weaker, required less energy to restore.
Compared to the four years needed near a meteor, the World Tree sapling cut this time to a twelfth. Carl could even expedite their recovery instantly but doing so would stunt the World Tree's growth.
"The growth of the World Tree is more important. A few months isn't too long," he confidently decided.
That evening, he laid out a mat to meditate there. The supper Serena prepared was actually for Lusamine.
The next morning, Carl awoke on time, immediately performing his daily ritual at the World Tree sapling.
A strange purple crystal fell into his hand, the information it conveyed surprising him.
"Who'd have thought?" he chuckled, making his way down the mountain.
Back at the backyard, Groudon and Kyogre were already free, causing a ruckus.
Lusamine eyed the two legendary creatures skeptically, "Are you really...?"
The memory of Rayquaza facing off against the Deoxys trio was vivid, and in comparison, these two seemed far less impressive.
"If it weren't for that, I wouldn't believe Carl could make my mom budge," Lillie murmured.
Lusamine instantly understood her point. If Carl could make even the highest of beings submit, he truly was unique. In this light, it made sense.
Groudon roared in fury, "Roar—human, it's either you or me!"
As a legendary, never had it imagined being treated as a plaything. All it craved now was destruction and self-annihilation, but it was powerless to act.
Carl approached from the path with a casual question, "You want to fight me?"
Groudon's eyes turned blood-red, charging at Carl in a frenzy, "Roar—I'll take you down with me!"
Kyogre immediately followed suit.
Facing the assault of the two legendaries, Carl nonchalantly tossed a crystal to Groudon.
Groudon instinctively caught the crystal, sensing the raw power within, and froze in place.
Carl pointed at Kyogre, "Use that, then take her out."
Groudon paused.
Kyogre let out a prolonged wail, "Wail—human, although Groudon and I are sworn enemies, we're united now. Not even Arceus could stop us... wait, what?"
Kyogre was caught off guard by Groudon's sudden punch.