Cain also silently observed Darkrai. He didn't know whether, once freed, Darkrai might regret it; if that were truly the case, Cain wouldn't have any problem subduing him by force again.
After all, in Darkrai's current condition, he probably wouldn't even last three seconds against Mega Gengar.
"What's wrong?" Cain asked, wearing an expression halfway between a smile and mockery.
Darkrai watched him for a while and suddenly relaxed his entire body. He nodded slightly and said, "You're far more competent than I imagined... perhaps... perhaps you really can help me recover."
The first sentence was directed at Cain; the second sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.
As proud as he was, he had never been captured before, had never been a human's Pokémon, nor had he ever had a special trainer.
"Let's go," he said as he opened his arms, signaling that he would not resist.
Cain nodded; at least he was keeping his word.
He turned his hand, and a Luxury Ball appeared in his palm.
However, after thinking for a moment, he put the Luxury Ball away and solemnly took out from his pocket the Master Ball he had obtained from Juan.
Right now, Darkrai could be captured with a Luxury Ball, but if he recovered his strength after entering it, Cain couldn't guarantee that the Luxury Ball would be able to contain him. There might even come a point where, once his power was restored, no other Poké Ball would be capable of restraining him. And right now, he happened to be holding the one that supposedly could capture any Pokémon.
It wouldn't be a waste to use it.
And although he didn't believe Darkrai would disobey him in the future, or even betray him, sometimes prevention was never a bad thing.
He threw the Master Ball, which lightly struck Darkrai's body. It opened, fired a red beam, and absorbed him. At a glance, it didn't look much different from an ordinary Poké Ball.
Clack—
The sphere fell to the ground, trembling slightly. After a "dong," the capture was completed.
The Master Ball had successfully captured Darkrai!
A smile appeared on Cain's face. He activated his psychic power, and the Master Ball returned to his hand. Through the crystal surface, he could see Darkrai inside, reduced to a tiny size.
He opened the Master Ball and released him.
Darkrai reappeared in the cave, looking around with a hint of curiosity. With that simple back-and-forth, he and Cain had established a bond.
"Darkrai, how do you feel?" Cain asked.
Darkrai nodded. "I feel... a bit better than I expected."
After that, he slowly floated toward Cain. Seeing Darkrai formally join the team, Mismagius became very happy and began circling around him.
Seeing Mismagius's happiness, Darkrai was also a little moved.
It seemed that following this trainer suited him quite well.
"My name is Cain. From now on, let's get along well and move forward together," Cain said as he extended his hand toward Darkrai.
Seeing it, Darkrai was stunned for a moment, but then immediately shook it.
At the same time, Cain took advantage of the contact to allow the system to fully scan him.
But when he saw the results, Cain couldn't help but frown.
"Is something wrong?" Darkrai asked curiously.
Cain slowly shook his head. "Nothing... it's just that your body is much more eroded than I imagined."
At those words, Darkrai fell silent. Regarding his own body, no one knew more than he did. Cain didn't need to say anything; he knew his condition perfectly well.
Even he himself had no absolute confidence that he could fully recover, let alone a human.
"Tch, at least he saved me... Even if I can't be cured, being his Pokémon for life wouldn't be so bad. A human who can face Giratina without fear... that alone shows considerable courage." While Darkrai sank into these thoughts, he felt a light weight on his shoulder.
When he reacted, he saw that the human was patting him with complete confidence.
"Don't worry. Although it's complicated, it's not impossible. We'll just need more time. I have some Pokéblocks here that help restore a weakened body. They won't heal your corroded areas, but at least they'll give you back some energy. The rest... leave it to me."
"After all... I'm your trainer," Cain said with a smile.
To the side, Mismagius and Slowking also showed their support.
It seemed that if Cain said it, then it was true—something that had to be fulfilled.
Darkrai instinctively accepted the Pokéblocks from Cain's hand, silently repeating to himself, "Trust... and leave everything to him? Is this what it means to have a trainer...?"
Cain noticed that Darkrai's state was a bit strange and assumed he was simply disoriented from having just been freed.
"Go back into the Poké Ball and rest. We'll take care of the rest." With that said, he recalled Darkrai into the Master Ball. His smile didn't fade. Capturing Darkrai was the greatest gain of this trip, but not the only one.
The dark spring of this place, the black crystals on the walls, the four special chains held in Mega Gengar's hands, and even the dense Ghost-type energy permeating the entire cave—everything was part of Cain's reward.
Following the philosophy of "leave nothing behind," Cain threw several more Poké Balls so his Pokémon could enter and begin collecting.
Drapion in particular: its task was to pry all the black crystals off the wall.
As for the spring, Cain knew he couldn't take it all with him.
But whatever he could carry, he would take. It was never too much.
Gengar continued absorbing energy from the black chains. At that moment, he seemed like a bottomless pit; even if he couldn't digest it immediately, he could store it.
Now that he had reached Champion level, each level was extremely difficult. Having access to so much energy was a gift.
The spring and the crystals would serve as perfect ingredients for creating special Pokéblocks for both Gengar and Mismagius.
In an instant, the entire cave became a scene of organized chaos.
"Yadon!"
While collecting, Slowking called out to Cain. He was pointing at some strange plants growing near the edge where the dark pool met the ground.
Before, Darkrai had covered them, so Cain hadn't seen them. When Slowking was gathering water from the spring, he noticed them.
They were small, slender plants, barely the size of a pinky finger.
Cain crouched down to examine them. They were red plants, with no energy fluctuations, and looked like ordinary herbs.
"This is probably what counters Ghost-type energy the most... Darkrai's injuries... I think I already have a clue."
(End of chapter)