When Darkrai's level rose to 71, it was like a runaway wild horse—there was no way to stop it anymore.
It shot straight up to level 74. It paused briefly just before the threshold of level 75. But that threshold failed to stop Darkrai. After an extremely brief halt, it burst straight through.
It advanced with unstoppable force; once the breakthrough was complete, its level continued to rise without showing the slightest intention of stopping.
It rose steadily all the way to level 79, reaching the Quasi-Champion level. At this point, what Darkrai had to face was no longer a simple threshold, but a massive boulder blocking its path.
According to Cain's estimation of Darkrai's original strength, at the very least it should have possessed Advanced Champion-level power. Although it held no divine position and could not be considered a true Legendary Pokémon, with that level of strength it was not much different from one; the only real difference was that it did not bear the responsibilities that come with being a legendary.
For Darkrai, that could also be considered a form of freedom.
Having once possessed such terrifying strength and still been defeated by Giratina, it was impossible for it not to be filled with resentment. That was why it had preferred to be imprisoned by Giratina rather than help it.
The strength it possessed now, compared to what it once had, was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg—something practically insignificant.
Even Darkrai itself admitted that it had reached the extreme of weakness: it could not even exert one-tenth of its total power.
Having once reached the peak and then fallen to the bottom, enduring countless days and nights of Ghost-type energy flooding its body... the current fortitude of Darkrai's will was obvious without needing to be said.
From the perspective of the current Cain, perhaps being imprisoned by Giratina had not been entirely a bad thing.
At the very least, Darkrai's spirit had been tempered, its will forged, and its strength refined.
As long as it could raise its power again and recover the strength it once had, its chances of going even further would undoubtedly be greater than before.
If, during that gradual recovery, it could reorganize and reintegrate the energy within its body, it could even be considered progress.
Walking the path it had already traveled once more would allow it to avoid traps it could not avoid before; it would be like revisiting experience, further elevating its potential.
"Darkaaii!"
Darkrai opened its eyes abruptly. In its reddened pupils, the determination burning within could be clearly seen.
Giratina!
Although Darkrai normally showed a calm demeanor without emotional fluctuations, Cain could sense, every time he looked at Mismagius, the pain and regret hidden deep within Darkrai's eyes.
It was not that it felt no pain; it had simply buried it very deep in its heart.
In order not to place too much pressure on Cain, it had also buried its hatred toward Giratina deep within itself. But at that instant, everything erupted at once.
If it could not even break through the obstacle to enter the Champion level, what was the point of talking about taking revenge on Giratina?
This was Darkrai's story, and without its consent, Cain would not probe too deeply into its past.
Boom!
A dull sound resounded from Darkrai's body, and its aura surged abruptly, instantly reaching the pressure of a Champion-level Pokémon.
It had successfully recovered Champion-level strength.
Pokémon: Darkrai (Dark Purple) — Corrupt
Gender: Male
Level: 80
Type: Dark
Ability: Bad Dreams
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Ominous Wind, Disable, Quick Attack, Hypnosis, Feint Attack, Nightmare, Double Team, Haze, Dark Void, Nasty Plot, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse
Learned Moves: Foul Play, Snatch, Spite, Wonder Room, Knock Off, Snore, Drain Punch, Trick, Last Resort, Focus Punch, Throat Chop, Shock Wave, Icy Wind
TM Moves: None
Not only had its level reached 80, but even its potential had changed from the color Purple to Dark Purple.
Although it had not yet reached the color Black, for the current Darkrai, that was already more than enough.
Darkrai was hunched forward, mouth open, panting nonstop. If it were a human, it would surely be drenched in sweat.
However, within it reigned immense joy. Although it had only recovered part of its strength, at least it proved that its eroded body had the possibility of healing.
When it had managed to break free, Darkrai had only had a "try my luck" mentality; no one knew better than it the condition of its own body.
Not even it was certain it could recover. According to its calculations and plans, to reach this level of strength it would have needed at least thirty to fifty years, and that was under the best circumstances.
It had never imagined that this human, who claimed he wanted to become its trainer, would manage to restore its strength to some extent in less than a month.
It was at that moment that Darkrai truly believed that Cain was not using it, but sincerely wanted to help it.
This created an enormous contrast with the worst scenarios Darkrai had envisioned; Cain's image in its heart suddenly became imposing.
Perhaps... having a trainer was not such a bad thing.
While Darkrai panted, its mind plunged into chaos, a pale hand appeared before it, holding several crystalline Pokéblocks.
"This will help you recover better," Cain said.
Darkrai slowly raised its head and looked at Cain. Its expression was very complex; in the end, its gaze settled on the Pokéblocks in his hand. It took them in a single motion and brought them to its mouth.
Almost miraculously, after entering its stomach, a warm sensation quickly arose from within its body, and its exhausted organism began to recover at great speed.
"This was only a test, so the dosage of the medicine wasn't very high, but it seems the effect has been quite good," Cain said.
After a brief pause, he continued: "But recovering too quickly isn't a good thing for you or your body either. So after this recovery, we need to take things slowly. And most importantly... we don't have that many materials left anymore."
"The main materials for making this medicine still exist, but many of the auxiliary materials are extremely valuable and expensive. I've almost exhausted the guild's reserves; next time, we'll have to manage on our own."
Cain explained it simply to Darkrai.
The value of the materials used in this medicine was the highest Cain had ever handled; even the main headquarters of the Breeders' Guild across the entire League did not have many reserves, and only thanks to the president of the Breeders' Guild had he been able to access them.
"Darkaaii!" Darkrai nodded, showing that it understood.
Just as Cain had said, recovering too quickly was not necessarily a good thing for it.
"Then... don't you think there's already a story you should tell me?" Cain looked straight at Darkrai and asked with a smile.
Darkrai was stunned for a moment and immediately understood what he meant.
For an instant, its expression once again became complex.
(End of chapter)