To Milotic, Oliver was the one who changed her fate.
He had never looked down on her former weakness. In order to evolve into Milotic, she had trained relentlessly day after day—but in truth, the effort Oliver put in was never any less than her own.
To Kirlia, Oliver was like a father.
He had witnessed her birth and growth, shaping her worldview in his own unique way. He was, without question, the most important person in her life.
Their feelings were different in nature, yet equally profound.
This heartfelt call from the depths of their souls stirred countless memories within Oliver's mind—every moment he had spent alongside Milotic and Kirlia.
Deep within the suppressed core of his consciousness, a surge of emerald-green energy seized the opportunity to rise up, blooming into a brilliance powerful enough to dispel darkness.
This was the power left behind on Oliver by Celebi—a force brimming with vitality, standing in absolute opposition to despair and decay.
The light pierced through the mental world, illuminating the pitch-black abyss.
The countless hands clinging to Oliver dissolved like melting snow. In the deep, silent ocean, a single bright sanctuary emerged.
Even deeper still, innumerable venomous eyes stared at him, longing to drag all life into the lightless depths—but before this radiance of life, they recoiled and retreated.
Shielded by Celebi's power, Oliver struggled upward with all his strength.
He heard Milotic's and Kirlia's voices—voices coming from beyond this false world.
From the bottom of the sea of malice within his heart, Oliver answered their call.
This was their bond.
At last, he broke through the surface.
Warm sunlight poured down, bathing his body. In the distance above the ocean, Oliver saw a massive white bird-like Pokémon soaring through the sky. Backlit by the sun, its form was indistinct.
Just as he tried to look closer, darkness overtook his vision.
His consciousness returned to reality.
The green leaf-shaped mark on the back of his hand slowly dimmed. Oliver touched the two Poké Balls at his waist and whispered softly:
"Thank you."
"Milooo~"
"Kirli~"
Oliver smiled faintly.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped straight into the black sphere.
The black sphere was nothing but a manifestation of pure malice. Dense, whispering evil seeped into the mind, tempting all who approached.
But Oliver was someone who had fallen into the abyss—and climbed out by his own will.
This level of malice could no longer shake his heart.
Step by step, he walked toward the black feather floating in midair.
The feather was instantly familiar.
Aside from its pitch-black color, it was identical to the Silver Wing Kirlia wore upon her head.
In fact, when Oliver had seen that white bird Pokémon in the mental world earlier, he had already formed a suspicion. Now, the shape of the feather confirmed it.
The owner of this feather was the legendary Pokémon—
Lugia.
For some unknown reason, Lugia had fallen into darkness, leaving this feather behind.
When Celebi had mentioned sensing the aura of an old friend, it must have been referring to Lugia.
This reminded Oliver of a concept from a Pokémon game in his previous life—Shadow Lugia, altered by evil forces, its typing shifting from Psychic/Flying to Dark/Flying.
However, in this world, the gap between legendary Pokémon and humans was an insurmountable chasm. Capturing or modifying a legendary Pokémon was practically impossible.
Which meant Lugia's fall into darkness was far more complicated than simple interference.
Item: Darkened Wing
Description: A feather left behind after the Sea Guardian Lugia fell into darkness for unknown reasons. After absorbing Celebi's power, it once released overwhelming malice that engulfed the entire secret realm.
Oliver reached out and effortlessly stored the Darkened Wing into his system space.
With the source of malice removed, the dark energy within the secret realm dissipated at astonishing speed.
Not far away, Decidueye watched as the black sphere gradually vanished, finally letting out a long breath of relief.
This human… had fulfilled his promise.
Primeape locked in furious combat with Fearow. Ursaring rampaged wildly, destroying everything in sight…
Across the secret realm, countless Pokémon slowly returned to normal. The cruelty and madness in their eyes faded, replaced by grief—for ruined habitats and fallen companions.
The oppressive feeling that had plagued the secret realm from the moment one entered was gone.
Though this forest was still far from its former vitality, with time and the combined efforts of its Pokémon, recovery was inevitable.
Far away, Celebi—still sitting atop a rock and munching on berries—froze mid-bite.
The half-eaten berry slipped from its hand.
"Bi!"
He succeeded!
This world… could finally return to how it once was!
Outside the secret realm, Gym Leader Zhu Qianwei finally escorted the injured members of Team One back to the Alliance's temporary camp at the entrance.
Once the wounded were sent for treatment, the 24-hour rescue operation report was completed.
Rescued: 49 people
Confirmed dead: 10 people
Missing: 1 person
That one missing person—
Oliver.
Tian Xin had repeatedly begged for Oliver to be rescued. When his name failed to appear among the survivors, Zhu Qianwei had worried for quite some time.
But now, knowing that this young man might possess Gym-level combat power, she finally relaxed.
At the very least, his safety was far more assured than most.
"Report, Gym Leader Zhu," a staff member said. "Multiple teams have confirmed that the Pokémon within the secret realm appear to have returned to normal. The red glow in their eyes has vanished."
"What caused it?" Zhu Qianwei asked immediately.
"We don't know yet. We also can't rule out the possibility of them going berserk again."
"Continue investigating," Zhu Qianwei said firmly. "This secret realm is far from simple. We must find the root cause."
After ending the call, she realized something.
The heavy, oppressive feeling that had lingered since entering the secret realm… was gone.
Her mood felt inexplicably lighter.
"Could this be related to him…?"
For some reason, Oliver's name surfaced once again in her mind—
The only person still unaccounted for by the Alliance.
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