In fact, the device the mage used to recall Volcanion was a magical artifact that Alaric had created on a whim, modeled after the Poke Balls from Pokemon.
The principle behind recalling "Volcanion" wasn't like how a Poke Ball captures a Pokemon; instead, it reverted the entity to its spiritual core and then stored that core inside.
Its sole function was to retrieve the spiritual core of an energy-materialized life form and recharge or repair it within.
Although a true soul-materialized life form possesses infinite energy, something like the "Volcanion" Alaric had created, with only a simulated soul, couldn't achieve perpetual soul-driven infinite energy, even under the influence of the Third Magic.
Referencing the Servants from the Holy Grail War, these energy-materialized beings were akin to Servants.
They required energy to manifest their physical bodies through the spiritual core, but they also needed a constant supply of magical power to sustain their existence.
Typically, the way to maintain their presence was by forming a contract with a mage, linking through the contract to the mage's magical circuits and drawing mana from the mage to stay manifested.
But Alaric wanted to popularize these energy beings as tools, making them usable by ordinary people. How could that be achieved?
Ordinary people didn't have awakened magical circuits; they had no mana to sustain such beings.
In places rich with magical energy, especially near ley lines, it was manageable, the energy-materialized life forms could draw from the ley lines or ambient mana to sustain themselves, though at the cost of being bound to that location.
But what about areas lacking abundant mana, like after the Age of Gods ended, or places without ley lines?
That's when Alaric thought of using a "Poke Ball" for indirect recharging.
The Poke Ball itself contained a mana storage device. If an ordinary person wanted to use an energy-materialized life form, they would rely on the "Poke Ball's" power.
The energy-materialized life form wouldn't directly contract with the person but would link to the "Poke Ball," using it as an energy source to maintain existence.
When not in use, the life form would be stored in the Poke Ball in its spiritual core form, consuming no energy at all.
Furthermore, the Poke Ball could be bonded even more deeply to a specific individual.
Since it inherently contained mana and didn't require external magical drive, it could serve as a magical tool usable by ordinary people.
As for the Poke Ball... its energy wasn't inexhaustible, but it held a substantial reserve.
When the Poke Ball's energy ran out, it could be handed to a mage or placed in a dedicated charging device, like sending it to a Pokemon Center for that familiar "ding-dong-ding-dong-ding" to fully restore it.
And the charging device, if installed near a ley line, could provide an endless supply of mana to recharge the Poke Balls.
Through this method, perhaps Alaric could recreate various Pokemon using energy-materialized life forms, design all sorts of Poke Balls, and set up a Pokemon Center at each ley line node.
That way, the world of Pokemon would be halfway restored.
"What are you doing?!"
Seeing the mage take away the "divine bull" that had slain so many of their comrades, the Argonaut heroes erupted in fury.
They surrounded the mage, demanding answers with heated accusations.
The group was seething with righteous anger, who could stand by and watch the being responsible for their deep-seated vendetta be whisked away so casually?
Some even drew their weapons, itching to strike down the mage on the spot.
However, the mages halted their advance.
Behind the mage who had recalled Volcanion, the other mages noticed the Argonauts' aggression and immediately raised their staves in alert, channeling spells toward them.
An ice wall surged up in an instant, separating the two sides. The chilling gust from the wall snapped the Argonaut heroes back to a semblance of clarity.
Only then did the Colchis guards react, rushing forward to pull the two groups apart.
Though no longer impulsive, the heroes of Colchis remained deeply resentful of the mages' actions.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jason stepped forward on behalf of the heroes, confronting the mages.
"The 'divine bull' was defeated by us, by what right do you take it away?"
"By what right?" The mage snorted coldly, exuding an air of haughty superiority.
Though fully shrouded in robes and hood, obscuring their face, the voice that emerged was surprisingly pleasant and feminine.
"So what if you defeated the 'divine bull'? It belongs to our Mystra Academy, it's a creation of the magic goddess Hecate herself.
It was merely loaned to the Kingdom of Colchis for plowing. Now that it's damaged, of course we're taking it back to Mystra Academy for repairs."
"Mystra Academy? Goddess Hecate?"
These two unfamiliar terms left Jason bewildered, and the mention of a goddess shocked him even more.
On the surface, though, Jason showed no sign of faltering.
"But this 'divine bull' is the murderer who killed six of our comrades, including demigods and a king of a nation. Don't you owe us an explanation?
Our demands aren't excessive; the trial was fair, and we were simply outmatched in skill.
So, as long as you leave the 'divine bull' for us to slay, we'll let bygones be bygones, you wouldn't want to make enemies of several gods and nations, would you?"
In his urgency to persuade these mages, Jason had no choice but to leverage their backgrounds as a threat.
He did this solely to ensure Volcanion stayed behind, so his comrades' deaths wouldn't be in vain.
But how could the mages fear their threats?
"Gods? Nations?" The mage scoffed.
"You think Mystra Academy fears them? If they've got the guts, let them come for revenge!
With Lady Hecate... I mean, the goddess herself watching over us, Mystra Academy, and I, Hermione Granger, will face any retaliation head-on."
With that, she waved her staff, and Jason felt an invisible solid force pushing him backward.
By the time he steadied himself, the mages had already departed with the small ball containing Volcanion.
Jason wanted to pursue, to argue further with the mage named Hermione Granger, to fight for what was right, but he found himself blocked by an invisible barrier, forced to watch helplessly as the cloaked figures crackled with energy and vanished into thin air.
"Damn it!"
Gazing at the spot where the mages had disappeared, Jason slapped his thigh in heavy self-reproach.
These mages were so arrogant, so utterly fearless, they didn't even dread the gods.
And why, in Aeetes's trial, were they using their, no, what they called the magic goddess Hecate's, creations?
As Jason delved deeper into his thoughts, he suddenly sensed something amiss.