"Yes! That's it, that's exactly the feeling I was searching for," David thought excitedly, sensing the warm, sun-like Aura radiating from the stone.
As one of the cover Legendary Pokémon of the fifth generation, Reshiram was classified in the Pokédex as the Vast White Pokémon, and its design incorporated profound elements from Taoist yin-yang balance philosophy and Zoroastrian concepts of light and darkness.
This pure white dragon symbolized the masculine yang aspect within Taoist yin and yang duality, as well as the light and daytime associated with Ahura Mazda, the benevolent supreme deity of Zoroastrianism.
Therefore, this warm, sun-like sensation further confirmed his earlier conjecture beyond any doubt.
"System? Are you there? Quickly, scan and appraise this for me."
It seemed David, having finally recovered from his initial overwhelming shock, suddenly remembered that he possessed a system.
"Here! Present!"
"Ding~… Detecting current host command, system is initiating scan…"
"…Ding~… Relevant scan results detected…"
"Name: Light Stone"
"Type: Dragon/Fire"
"Energy Level: ?"
"Effect: Formed from the physical body of the True Dragon deity, it contains exceptionally high-grade Dragon and Fire-type energy of legendary quality."
"Status: Severely eroded by residual unknown energy signature, causing the consciousness contained within the Light Stone to fall into complete dormancy. Specific detailed information will be displayed after full recovery is achieved…"
"It really is the Light Stone... but the energy is being eroded? What kind of power could even Reshiram's consciousness not resist successfully?"
Looking at the Light Stone cradled carefully in his hand, David lost much of his initial excitement and euphoria. A sleeping Reshiram, a damaged Light Stone, the erosion of an unknown malevolent power—behind all of these concerning facts seemed to lurk a terrifying secret of unknown proportions.
"So, you were calling out to me just now, weren't you? Are you asking for my help?"
As David murmured these words softly to himself, a faint light flickered briefly across the surface of the originally dim Light Stone held in his hand, as if directly answering his question with silent affirmation.
After a brief moment of contemplation, David clenched the Light Stone firmly in his hand with renewed determination. Whatever would happen, would happen. Since he had already discovered this legendary treasure, running away from the responsibility would solve absolutely nothing. So he decided definitively to take this Light Stone with him.
After carefully storing away the Light Stone and composing himself emotionally, David continued to use his Aura to sense and scan the other items positioned around him in the warehouse. However, this time he discovered no other significant gains worth noting.
The only truly valuable items remaining inside were a few Pokémon Fossils that appeared to be in remarkably good condition and quite structurally complete. Based on his vague recollections and impressions from the Pokémon games he'd played in his previous life, David could roughly determine that these specimens should be a Claw Fossil and a Helix Fossil.
However, upon further reflection, remembering that he still had a Cover Fossil waiting to be properly appraised and currently gathering dust in his family's warehouse storage, he had no particular interest in acquiring these additional fossils.
With no remaining desire to continue browsing through the warehouse's inventory, David picked up the Light Stone securely and also collected the Black Belt he had previously considered as his backup selection item, then hurriedly exited Warehouse No. 2.
"You've confirmed these two items as your selections, correct?"
"Confirmed!"
Back in the main hall, David registered the two items in his possession with the waiting staff member. Finally, the staff removed the security tracking devices that had been installed on them. Only at this point did the items truly and legally belong to David.
On the journey back home, David sat in the taxi vehicle, constantly turning over in his mind everything that had happened today. It was indeed quite unbelievable and beyond expectations. He had only originally intended to see if he could find some overlooked treasures among the collection and perhaps exploit the League's resources just a little bit.
He had never in his wildest dreams expected to discover a Legendary Pokémon and bring it home with him.
It was just that this particular Legendary Pokémon seemed to be severely injured, existing in such a poor deteriorated state that its consciousness had fallen into complete dormancy.
For a Legendary Pokémon of this caliber to be reduced to such a dire condition, the hidden secrets and circumstances behind it were probably not minor or simple at all. He genuinely wondered if his relatively small frame could handle the potential consequences and responsibilities.
"Oh, right! System? Are you there? Is there any method or solution to restore the consciousness trapped within the Light Stone?"
Given that the situation involved a Legendary Pokémon of immense power, David couldn't formulate a viable solution on his own at the moment, so he could only consult his supposedly all-knowing System for guidance.
"Ding~ According to system detection and analysis, the special energy currently eroding the Light Stone contains concentrated strong negative emotions and malice. Referencing the host's own Aura Power abilities, combined with Zorua's unique innate ability to absorb and neutralize negative emotions, this combination can slowly wear away and dissipate the unknown energy eroding the Light Stone over time."
Hearing the System's analytical words, David was momentarily stunned in surprise. He genuinely hadn't expected such a straightforward solution to exist. This truly demonstrated the versatility of his almighty Aura Power!
That's right—since the corrupting force consisted of negative emotions, and Aura was spiritual energy originating directly from the heart and mind, it made perfect sense theoretically that it would prove effective against such corruption. Combined with Zorua's specialized ability to absorb negative emotional energy...
"Will absorbing these negative emotions have any adverse or harmful impact on Zorua's wellbeing?"
David still asked this question with considerable concern evident in his voice. Even the mighty True Dragon deity had been reduced to this weakened dormant state by this energy, and he worried deeply that absorbing these corrupted energies might produce severe adverse effects on Zorua's health and mental state.
"Please rest assured, Host. According to this system's detailed calculations and projections, this unknown residual energy represents only a small remaining fragment of the original corruption. After the Host and Zorua properly establish a stable Aura Link connection, as long as the absorption process proceeds slowly and carefully, there will be absolutely no adverse negative effects whatsoever. On the contrary, this process will actually prove very beneficial to Zorua's growth and development."
Hearing the System's reassuring words, David finally released a breath and allowed himself to relax considerably. At least there was a concrete, viable solution available now.
"Then, under normal circumstances and current conditions, how long will it realistically take to completely wear down and eliminate the corrupting energy affecting it?"
Now feeling more relaxed, David picked up his water bottle and asked the question somewhat casually. "Ah! Today was truly an unexpectedly exciting and eventful day."
"Calculating based on the current strength levels of the Host and Zorua… Computation in progress… The calculation result is complete… Estimated time required: 15 years."
"Pfft~"
David, who had been taking a drink of water at that precise moment, nearly choked and sputtered upon hearing that shocking answer. "Are you being serious right now? Are you actually kidding me? Fifteen years!" If the process genuinely required 15 years to complete, wouldn't Reshiram be long gone by then?
"Please, Host, do not presume to question the accuracy of this system's calculation results. The reason for the excessive time requirement is directly due to the currently low strength levels of both the Host and Zorua. The higher your combined strength grows, the proportionally less time the purification process will require. Please focus your energy and efforts on diligently improving your strength, and refrain from spending all day dwelling on such trivial peripheral matters!"
Alright! So ultimately, it came down to the fact that he was simply too weak currently. After being thoroughly lectured and scolded by his own system, David expressed that he no longer particularly wanted to continue this conversation. However, he felt fortunate that the required time would decrease proportionally as their strength increased.
As both he and Zorua continued growing stronger through training and experience, it definitely wouldn't actually require the full 15 years to complete the purification process.
Moreover, if he really did have to wait a full 15 years for the process to complete, it wouldn't merely be a question of whether it was too late—it would be a legitimate question of whether Reshiram would even survive that long in its current weakened state!.