"I suggest you absorb it."
Gardevoir looked at the hesitant Gengar and offered her advice.
Sato was slightly surprised to hear this. She was the one who had given up her Domain; yet now she was encouraging Gengar to accept it?
But Gardevoir shook her head with a touch of resignation.
"Most Domains possess very special powers. Something like the Slumber Domain is rare. Besides, Gengi's luck… doesn't seem bad." As she spoke, she gave Gengar a meaningful glance.
Sato said nothing more and left the decision to Gengar.
"Gen!"
Without hesitating for too long, Gengar ultimately chose to accept the Domain.
With such a treasure before it, who could truly remain indifferent? If one didn't try, how could they be at peace?
"The Domain drew you in. There must be strong compatibility. Approach it. It should initiate the fusion." Gardevoir spoke from experience, guiding Gengar.
Facing the glowing green transparent Domain core, Gengar grew visibly more serious and tense.
Following Gardevoir's instruction, it floated slowly toward the Domain core, which in turn moved toward Gengar like a Magikarp returning to water.
In that instant, a blinding light burst from where Gengar and the Domain core touched.
Within a few breaths, the radiance suddenly vanished, and the entire underground space dimmed slightly, no longer as bright as before.
Gengar stood motionless with eyes closed, its trembling eyelids indicating that absorbing a Domain was no easy task.
After several more minutes, Gengar's aura gradually stabilized, and it slowly opened its golden eyes…
"How do you feel?"
Gengar blinked its golden pupils, still looking a bit dazed. But soon, it began testing its newly gained power.
It raised its chubby little hand and gently traced a circle in the air. In the next moment, a glowing ring of green energy appeared right in front of it.
Sato and Gardevoir instinctively peered into the ring, and saw the training grounds in the backyard of Shadownight Gym.
This was… Spatial Traversal!
Even though he'd mentally prepared himself, knowing Domain powers were never simple…
Sato was still stunned when Gengar actually used a new ability.
This was the power of space-time travel!
Until now, only the Palkia and the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa were known to have this ability.
Would Gengar… become the third?
"Can you describe this Domain's power in more detail?" Sato pressed Gengar further.
He was simply too curious.
"Gen~Gengengengengengengengen…"
After Gengar described it in more detail, Sato's excitement gradually calmed down.
At present, Gengar had only begun to absorb the Domain. It was still far from full mastery or coronation.
For now, Gengar could only open a Spatial Gate, but couldn't yet travel through it itself.
Moreover, the places Gengar could open a Spatial Gate to had to be deeply imprinted in its memory, locations with clearly anchored spatial coordinates in its heart.
Finally, the Spatial Gate could only stay open for ten minutes before collapsing, and it required a cooldown period of three full hours(?).
Seen this way, the Domain's power seemed a bit limited.
But for Gengar, it was still an immense gain!
The Domain granted its bearer infinite lifespan, giving Gengar the time and energy to slowly explore and refine its Domain power.
At the same time, its Spatial abilities had strengthened again. It could now use the Spatial Barrier with even greater precision.
The exact degree of enhancement hadn't been tested, so it was hard to say… but Gengar expressed great satisfaction.
As Gengar gradually fused with the Domain, its Spatial power would continue to grow.
At the same time, the transfer capability of the Spatial Gate would also mature; transporting ten Satos wouldn't be an issue.
As for other abilities… Gengar would have to explore them slowly on its own.
After listening, Sato sighed lightly. Leaving aside his other Pokémon partners, Gengar could definitely outlive him.
Even his son, his son's son, and his son's son's son… Gengar could bury them all.
If he ever had a son, that is… Cint…cough.
"Congrats! You've gotten stronger again."
"Gen~"
Gengar rarely grinned. It gave Sato a small nod.
"What do you plan to do next? Come with me, or stay here in your territory and get used to things?"
Sato glanced around as he spoke.
This was a subsidiary space of the Domain, which now belonged entirely to Gengar. Everything here was its private property.
"Gen~"
This time, Gengar didn't hesitate much. It floated over to Sato and patted his arm with its chubby hand.
A strange sensation passed through his arm. Sato pulled up his sleeve and found a peculiar Spatial Gate mark imprinted on his skin.
"Gen~ Gengen~Gar!"
"Sounds good. Stay here and accelerate your Domain fusion. Once it's complete, just use the Spatial Gate to jump to me directly."
Sato nodded in approval at Gengar's decision. Besides, there might be unexpected treasures in this Domain space, Gengar could handle the exploration.
---◓---
Gulp~ Gulp~ Gulp…
The pitch-black swamp suddenly surged as a massive, spherical object slowly floated to the surface.
Gengar sent Sato, Hydreigon, and Gardevoir out of the swamp, then gave Sato one last nod before diving back in, disappearing quickly.
Sato looked at the swamp, then at his own shadow…
With the [Dark Energy: Emotional Feedback] active, it was rare not to sense Gengar's energy presence, making him feel as if he had lost something important.
Come to think of it, because Gengar could hide in Sato's shadow, he had never once left it behind. Gengar had always been there.
And it was thanks to Gengar's silent protection that Sato had escaped countless dangerous situations.
At one point, Gengar's presence had even made Umbreon's protection feel less essential compared to his previous life.
Gengar was, without doubt, one of the most important partners in Sato's current life!
Gardevoir noticed Sato's sadness and quietly moved a little closer to him.
A gentle, fragrant scent reached him and dissolved his melancholy. Sato turned to Gardevoir and gave her a smile, then swung himself onto Hydreigon's back.
"Hy!"
"Goon…"
"Drei~"
Lefty, Righty, and Middy all turned their heads and rubbed against Sato, saying, "We're here! We're here… and we're here too~"
Sato patted each of their heads one by one, the smile on his face growing wider.
"Let's go… to Blackthorn City!"
"""Hy! Drei! Gon!""" X3
Hydreigon let out a thunderous cry and, carrying Sato and Gardevoir, soared into the sky!
Accelerating with force in the direction they'd locked onto, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
---◓---
Blackthorn City, the home of the Blackthorn Gym, the top among the Eight Johto Gyms, the sacred land of Dragon-type Trainers, the ancestral base of the Dragon Master Clan, and the hometown of current Elite Four, Lance.
And the venue for the final match of the Elite Four Tournament!
The battle was set…
Sato!
-⚔️-
Lance!