Can Xerneas really revive Pokémon that have already died?
Lucas didn't dwell on the question for too long. Instead of overthinking it, why not just ask the being itself directly?
"Xerneas."
Lucas walked up to the beautiful rainbow-colored stag and greeted it.
"I'm here. What is it?"
Xerneas lowered its head slightly, looking at the human it was meeting for the second time, and replied gently.
This was the first time Lucas had heard Xerneas's telepathy. It was a warm, soft, and neutral voice, one that made people feel extremely at ease.
"I'd like to ask—are you able to revive Pokémon that have already died? I mean, those that passed away not too long ago."
Lucas directly voiced his doubt. Xerneas was a famously kind Legendary Pokémon, and he believed that if Xerneas truly had such an ability, it would not refuse him.
"Have they already been confirmed dead?"
Xerneas tilted its head slightly, thought for a moment, and asked in return.
"Yes. But the time since their death hasn't been very long."
"I'm very sorry, but I cannot do that."
Upon hearing this, Xerneas shook its head, indicating that it was powerless in this regard.
"But aren't you able to restore life that was taken away by Yveltal?"
Lucas frowned slightly. Xerneas being unable to revive the dead genuinely surprised him.
"It's not the same, human. You seem to have misunderstood Xerneas's role."
Zygarde's voice entered Lucas's mind. It happened to be nearby and had overheard the conversation between Lucas and Xerneas.
Lucas turned a questioning gaze toward it.
"Xerneas possesses an extraordinarily vast amount of life energy, and even while in hibernation, it is constantly restoring its own vitality."
"Yveltal's Oblivion Wing takes away life, but it does not directly cause death. Therefore, when Xerneas distributes life energy, it can restore those stolen lives."
"But revival and healing are two entirely different things. A Pokémon that has already died remains dead, no matter how much life energy you give it. If you want to revive Pokémon, you should be looking for Ho-Oh."
Zygarde explained patiently. As Xerneas's 'neighbor,' it naturally understood Xerneas extremely well.
"So that's how it is."
Lucas's brows relaxed as understanding dawned on him.
In simple terms, Xerneas was an exceptionally powerful healer. As long as there was still a breath left, it could bring someone back from the brink.
But it did not possess resurrection magic.
Once death had occurred, even Xerneas's life force could not bring them back.
"In that case, I still need to find Ho-Oh…"
Lucas felt a headache coming on. He had no real connection with Ho-Oh at all. Asking it out of the blue to revive Pokémon—there was no guarantee that the fiery bird would agree.
As for adjusting the timeline and snatching Lapras away before they died, Lucas had no intention of doing that.
The impact on history would be far too severe. Imagine having the two Pokémon you cherished most stolen away by a stranger—who knew how that would affect Pryce's mentality at the time?
Would it create a Pryce who sought revenge against the world? Or one who devoted himself to growing stronger in order to find the mysterious person who stole his Pokémon?
If Lucas truly did that, it might even result in the Masked Organization never coming into existence. Under the butterfly effect of altered time, Lucas's own life trajectory could also change drastically.
The consequences were simply too serious. He would never do something like that.
"With Hoopa around, locating Ho-Oh isn't a problem. The real issue is getting Ho-Oh to agree."
Lucas pondered quietly. With Hoopa's existence, finding a Legendary Pokémon was trivial. What really needed thought was how to persuade Ho-Oh to revive those two Lapras.
"I'll deal with it when the time comes. If it really doesn't work… I'll just have to try some physical persuasion."
If Ho-Oh absolutely refused, then he would have no choice but to take action.
After having Hoopa send Xerneas and the other Legendaries back to their respective places, Sheena and the others finally arrived as well.
"The matter has been resolved. You won't need to worry about Arceus anymore."
Lucas took the water Marnie handed him and smiled as he spoke to Sheena and the others.
"Yes, thank you so much."
"We truly appreciate your efforts."
Sheena and Kevin were beaming with joy, bowing deeply to Lucas in heartfelt gratitude.
"As expected of Mr. Lucas—reliable beyond imagination."
Caitlin's beautiful eyes shimmered as she smiled at him.
"It was just a misunderstanding from the start. Now that it's over, it's time for me to leave."
Lucas waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for such formality.
"You're not planning to stay in Sinnoh for a few more days? The Sinnoh League also wants to properly thank you."
Cynthia spoke up. Compared to any previous incident, the Arceus crisis had been far more dangerous.
Lucas's contribution this time was immeasurable.
"No need. If there's a chance in the future, I'll ask Miss Cynthia to be my guide instead."
Lucas smiled, waved to everyone, then turned and stepped into the golden spatial ring opened by Hoopa.
With Hoopa's rings, returning to Johto was only a matter of a few steps.
"How dashing~ No matter how you look at it, Mr. Lucas is truly captivating."
Watching Lucas and the others disappear into the spatial ring, Caitlin smiled softly and spoke slowly.
"Every era has someone like that—someone so perfect and awe-inspiring that they leave everyone else struggling to breathe."
Cynthia said quietly. Without a doubt, in their era, that person was Lucas.
"He's getting married early next year."
Cynthia then glanced at Caitlin, seemingly casual, yet also clearly a reminder.
As close friends, Cynthia understood Caitlin well. Born into nobility, Caitlin had high standards—but her attitude toward Lucas was rather intriguing. Perhaps it was curiosity, but it was not a good sign.
With his prestigious background, handsome appearance, and status as a Legendary Trainer, Lucas's appeal to women was undeniable.
Moreover, his experiences were inherently extraordinary, and his elusive personality only added to his air of mystery.
Cynthia herself had complicated feelings about Lucas, but she had always remained rational.
After all, news of Lucas marrying his fiancée next year had already spread.
Cynthia did not want her best friend to get too deeply involved—though emotions were never something that could be clearly explained.
"Ah~ I know."
Caitlin smiled brightly, clearly not taking Cynthia's words to heart.
"Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment?"
At that moment, a young voice suddenly rang out.
"Hello."
Cynthia turned around, and a handsome figure came into view.
He looked to be around twenty years old, wearing a dark red long robe. He had wine-red eyes, short golden hair, an elegant and refined demeanor, and a polite smile on his lips.
Cynthia discreetly observed the young man. Judging by appearance alone, he was certainly no ordinary person.
And for some reason, although she couldn't pinpoint why, a Trainer's instinct told her—
This man was strong. Very strong.
And how had he even gotten here?
Knowing that Arceus was about to descend, Cynthia had already ordered the area of Michina to be sealed off.
"May I ask—was that person just now Lucas Blackthorn, the one ranked second in the World Championships?"
The young man bowed slightly toward Cynthia and the others, asking politely in a magnetic voice.
"Yes, that was Mr. Lucas."
Sheena answered with a smile.
"Thank you."
A ripple passed through the young man's crimson eyes. He thanked Sheena softly, then turned and left.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
On this day, in a remote location outside Blackthorn City.
Gentle yet sacred rainbow-colored flames burned upon two Lapras.
Miraculously, as the sacred flames continued to blaze, the two Lapras—previously lifeless—began to emanate vitality once more.
"That should do it, right?"
As the sacred flames gradually faded, the enormous bird Pokémon hovering in midair spoke calmly.
With rainbow feathers and overwhelming pressure radiating from its entire body—it was Ho-Oh, the legendary Pokémon of Kanto.
"Of course. Thank you very much for your help."
Watching the Lapras open their eyes, Lucas smiled and expressed his gratitude to Ho-Oh.
As expected of Ho-Oh. Although he had long known of Ho-Oh's power to revive the dead, witnessing it firsthand was still astonishing.
"Hmph. Consider this my apology to you. Farewell, if fate allows."
Ho-Oh glanced at Lucas, its eyes shimmering slightly as its dignified, neutral telepathy descended.
"Take good care of Suicune."
With that, Ho-Oh spread its wings and slowly vanished into the horizon.
"Quite unexpectedly tsundere."
Lucas chuckled softly as he watched Ho-Oh disappear from sight.
His guess had been correct—Ho-Oh indeed held little fondness for humans with impure hearts. When Hoopa first summoned Ho-Oh, it had been clearly displeased.
However, Ho-Oh quickly recognized Lucas.
Ten years ago, it was Ho-Oh that had taken Lucas from the Blackthorn Clan's backyard and brought him before Pryce. Perhaps because of its complicated feelings toward him, Ho-Oh did not refuse when Lucas asked it to revive the two Lapras.
"I'll take you to see your trainer now."
Shaking his head and burying those tangled thoughts, Lucas looked at the two still-panicked Lapras and spoke gently with a smile.
These were the Lapras he had brought back from the past with Dialga's help. After witnessing their deaths, Pryce had buried them in the snowfield, and Lucas had dug them up after Pryce left.
Now that they were revived, it was only natural to return them to Pryce in the present.
Mahogany Town, Mahogany Gym.
With a faint smile, Lucas watched Pryce hold the Lapras and cry tears of joy, then quietly withdrew from the gym.
At times like this, it was better to leave them alone.
The heart Pryce had frozen for decades finally thawed once more in the presence of his Lapras.
At this moment, when reunited with them, he was nothing more than an ordinary old man.
"In the blink of an eye, it feels like everything has been taken care of."
Looking up at the bright sky, Lucas stretched lazily, suddenly feeling as though there was nothing left for him to do.
The two Lapras had been revived and returned to Pryce. Naturally, the Masked Man would no longer seek out Ho-Oh, and the Masked Organization had lost its very reason for existing.
The Arceus incident was resolved as well. As for Shadow Lugia, the malice in its heart had already been dispelled earlier by Primal Kyogre using the Splash Plate.
"Hmm~ I guess I should go have some fun with Cousin Lance."
Lying on a bench in front of the Mahogany Gym, Lucas took out his phone and opened the World Championship app.
His current ranking was second. It was time to challenge Lance Blackthorn—the current Johto League Champion.
Just yesterday, the Johto League had officially been established, with its headquarters located in Silver Town at the foot of Mt. Silver.
Starting next year, the Johto League would open for official challenges.
The first generation of Johto's Elite Four consisted of Karen, Zinnia, Agatha, and N!
And the Champion was the former Indigo Champion—Lance Blackthorn!
It could be said that the Johto League possessed tremendous popularity the moment it was founded, becoming one of the most anticipated regional leagues.
After all, Lance himself was a walking magnet for popularity.
Although the League's upper echelons and major families knew about Lance's previous defection, ordinary citizens did not.
The League's official explanation had always been that Lance and the Elite Four were injured in the battle of Goldenrod City and were recuperating.
Of course, it was a flimsy excuse, and the public wasn't entirely satisfied—but so what?
As long as the truth could be concealed from the masses, that was enough.
Now that Lance and the former Elite Four had returned, it effectively silenced public criticism.
"I'm really looking forward to it, Cousin~"
Silver Town, League Headquarters.
In the Elite Four office, Lance had just finished wiping down his Poké Balls and was fiddling with a wristband.
"Oh my, Lance."
Karen, bored and scrolling through her phone, suddenly saw something and looked up to call out to him.
"What is it?"
Lance glanced at her indifferently.
He wasn't particularly fond of Karen, after all—she had once been a senior executive of Team Rocket.
However, he was no longer the stubborn Dragon Master he used to be. While he disliked her, he didn't openly target her either.
"Lucas has challenged you."
Karen spoke with a smile.
Hearing this, Lance's movements came to a halt.
"He's finally here."
This was a battle he had been waiting for a long time.
And at this moment, the entire world erupted in excitement because of this news!
This was a clash between World Championship No.1 and No.2—
and also an internal battle between cousins of the Blackthorn clan!
(End of Chapter)