Zeraora dusted off it's hands and glanced down at the fainted Zapdos with clear disdain, as if saying.
Once upon a time, even with it's natural gift for storing electricity, Zeraora couldn't match Zapdos one-on-one without John's commands. But now, not even a year later, this so-called mighty rival couldn't survive a single move from him.
John already had a Pokeball ready. He tossed it, and it struck Zapdos, absorbing it in a burst of red light.
The Pokeball shook violently on the ground, flashing red again and again, it was obvious Zapdos was not taking this well.
But being unhappy didn't matter. John calmly pulled out a few more Pokeballs, waiting with that patient, slightly smug look of his. If Zapdos broke free, he'd just throw another.
After all, Mega Gardevoir had sealed off the entire area with her spatial barrier, there was nowhere to run.
If Zapdos didn't surrender, John would simply catch it until it did.
Perhaps realizing its hopeless situation, Zapdos finally gave up after the second shake.
With a final click, the Pokeball locked, and a bright light signaled success.
[Zapdos (Electric/Flying) (Legendary Pokemon)]
[Level: 87]
[Ability: Static (When a Pokemon with this Ability is hit by a move that makes contact, there is a 1/3 chance that the attacking Pokemon will become paralysed. This can affectground-type Pokemon.]
[IV's: HP (30), Attack (17), Defense (20), Sp. Atk (27), Sp. Def (27), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Peck, Thunder Wave, Teleport, Ally Switch, Agility, Ancient Power, Charge, Drill Peck, Roost, Discharge, Rain Dance, Magnetic Flux]
[Held Item: None]
John frowned slightly. "Not even as good as the Zapdos I caught in the Orange Islands," he muttered. "That one was a solid 3V. This one's barely a quasi-2V."
The only redeeming feature, he noticed, was that it had somehow learned Teleport and Ally Switch, space-related moves. He had no idea how it managed that.
"There was actually a Zapdos here?" Saul stared in disbelief as John pocketed the Pokeball.
"Want it?" John asked casually, tossing the Pokeball over.
Saul didn't even hesitate. He caught it with both hands, grinning like a kid at Christmas. He already knew John's ranch had all three Legendary Birds, this was just a spare.
"Guess I've got myself a pretty famous mount now," Saul laughed.
The perks of being the student of a genius, apparently, even the legendaries he didn't want were enough to drive most Trainers insane with envy.
John glanced around Zapdos's lair again. Nothing special caught his eye, no treasures, no items. He frowned slightly and pulled out the treasure detector.
Mega Gardevoir's Psychic had already scanned the space cracks hidden across the Floating Island, but the detector could go deeper, it could locate treasures inside those spatial distortions.
Truly, this treasure hunter was no ordinary gadget.
John made a mental note to study it when he got back. Not to mass-produce it, but to reverse-engineer its "search" technology, maybe it could be applied elsewhere.
The detector buzzed and pointed directly beneath Zapdos's nest.
Without waiting for a command, Mega Gardevoir used Psychic like an invisible shovel, peeling away layers of earth and debris.
Soon, a faint glow emerged, a milky white stone with a soft pink hue.
"Is that another Lustrous Orb?" Saul's voice trembled with shock.
John's lips curved. "No… this is the Ancient Lustrous Orb."
The gem in front of them radiated a quiet power, its surface smooth yet pulsing with a deep cosmic rhythm. It was unmistakably tied to Palkia, just as the Ancient Adamant Orb was tied to Dialga.
John lifted it gently and pulled out his Gameboy to analyze its properties.
[Ancient Lustrous Orb (Incomplete): Boosts Water- and Dragon-type move power by 150%. Boosts the effect of spatial moves by 300%.]
[Description: Its energy was forcibly separated during a great battle, leaving it incomplete.]
"Incomplete?" John frowned. Comparing its data to the Ancient Adamant Orb, it was clear something was missing.
If the power within had been forcibly separated, then only forces on the level of Palkia or Dialga could have done that.
Maybe… it happened during their clash.
That would explain everything.
He thought back to the Floating Island, the distorted sky, the unnatural time flow. It all fit.
But then, where was the "separated" fragment of its power now?
John's eyes drifted toward Mega Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir," he said quietly, "give me the Lustrous Orb."
Mega Gardevoir raised her hands, summoning the small orb she carried. But before she could even hand it over, the Lustrous Orb shot out of her palm, drawn as if by destiny.
It streaked through the air and fused into the Ancient Lustrous Orb in John's hand.
A brilliant light filled the chamber.
When it faded, the orb's pale pink glow had grown warmer, its energy stable and alive. John checked it again.
[Ancient Lustrous Orb: Boosts Water- and Dragon-type move power by 200%, boosts the effect of spatial moves by 400%, the holder gains control over spatial energy. When held by a Pokemon, it expands their spatial zone.]
"That's more like it." John grinned. "Now it's on par with the Ancient Adamant Orb."
One controlled space. The other, time.
Together, they represented mastery over both.
The fusion also confirmed his long-standing theory: the Lustrous Orb wasn't truly its own artifact. It was merely a fragment of the Ancient Lustrous Orb.
'If the Adamant Orbs existed in this world, they too would only be shards of the Ancient Adamant Orb.'
But from the data he saw, that one was still whole, meaning the Adamant Orbs could never naturally exist here.
John rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I can try crafting one in-game. If not… well, Gardevoir just got herself a divine-grade relic."
Saul exhaled, shaking his head. "It's really one and the same," he muttered. "If only my Gengar had better control over space, maybe I could've found this back then."
He laughed softly, a little bitter but mostly amused. "Who knows? Maybe I'd be a champion by now."