[How is this possible?!] Don was shocked.
He could clearly feel the drastic changes happening inside his body.
Since the sparring had stopped, to minimize energy consumption, he had reverted to his original withered and emaciated form.
Yet now, this frail, stick-like body was rapidly filling with boundless vitality.
Don, who had been as gaunt as a dead tree, began transforming swiftly.
His shriveled limbs plumped up in an instant.
The infinite life energy burst forth in radiant brilliance across his body.
At the same time, his face regained its glow. Wrinkles rapidly diminished, and his deeply sunken eye sockets returned to normal.
His originally pale, paper-like complexion turned rosy, visibly progressing toward a healthy state.
In just a few short breaths, Don was astonished to find that half of his hidden injuries had healed.
His entire bodily functions had become active again.
If he had been like a decrepit, nearly scrapped machine before—prone to breaking down at the slightest movement—now he had been refurbished, with many functions restored.
However, the effect was only restorative, merely patching up his condition without addressing the root cause—the [Calamities] still plaguing him.
Still, achieving this much was already beyond his expectations.
After carefully sensing the changes in his body, Don estimated a timeframe.
Six months.
It would take about six more months for his body to deteriorate back to its pre-treatment state.
Of course, if he engaged in multiple full-power battles during this period, that time would shorten further.
But Don was already satisfied.
His usually stern expression softened noticeably, revealing a hint of a smile as he asked quietly:
"So, what are these three conditions?"
Hearing this, Akira raised three fingers and gave them a slight shake, saying:
"The first condition—I need to exchange some items with you, mainly the spoils you've gathered over the years in the Dark Continent."
After a pause, Akira added, "The items I offer will definitely satisfy you."
Don was somewhat surprised.
Seeing Akira so confident, he wondered what treasures the man possessed.
But he didn't plan to say anything.
For now, it remained to be seen whether Akira could produce items of equal value.
Given that the other party was a fellow countryman and had even taken the time to properly treat him, it was only natural to give him some gifts.
Seeing Don remain silent, Akira continued, "The second condition—I need your memories."
Don raised an eyebrow, his face showing clear confusion.
Had he misheard him?
"You just said... you need my memories?" Don couldn't help but ask again.
After all, it sounded rather unbelievable.
Akira glanced at the bewildered Don and explained, "Yes, your memories."
"One of my Aura Beasts can replicate the memories of other beings. I'll be using it shortly."
"Rest assured, it won't affect you in any way."
Akira was naturally referring to Porygon-Z.
Though it sounded somewhat "horrifying," he truly coveted Don's memories and wanted to obtain them.
In his eyes, Don's memories held far more value than Jin's.
This was the perfect opportunity to make his request under the guise of treatment.
However, of the three conditions, this was the one Akira was least confident Don would agree to.
After all, while "memory replication" sounded harmless, anyone with even a hint of caution would hesitate.
Who could guarantee that the other party wouldn't "tamper with memories" if they could "replicate" them?
Sure enough, after hearing Akira's explanation, Don's expression shifted slightly, his brow furrowing.
Such a request was naturally inconvenient to agree to.
But then again...
Don thought of Akira's terrifyingly powerful Aura Beast and felt a bit dazed.
He couldn't help but wonder—if Akira really wanted to tamper with his mind, would he have gone through the trouble of treating him first and then making the request?
Wouldn't it be infinitely simpler to just overpower him by force and take what he wanted?
After a brief deliberation, accompanied by subtle changes in his expression, Don ultimately made his choice based on intuition.
"What's the third condition?" A voice, aged yet firm, rang out.
Seeing Don's calm demeanor and his lack of objection—instead asking about the third condition—Akira was slightly surprised.
Clearly, this meant Don had accepted the second condition.
In hindsight, it made Akira feel as though he'd been overly suspicious.
"The third condition—after the treatment, you'll need to spar again, though I'll give you a different opponent."
Don, who had been listening intently, suddenly froze, his face filled with profound astonishment.
After a few moments of silence, seeing that Akira didn't intend to elaborate, Don couldn't hold back and asked.
"That's the third condition?"
"Just another spar? That simple?"
Given the earlier request to replicate his memories, Don had assumed the third condition would be equally harsh.
He'd even mentally prepared himself.
To his surprise, Akira's condition was merely another fight.
Akira nodded firmly. "Yes, that's the third condition."
Don mulled it over and realized that, for him, only one of these so-called "three conditions" actually counted.
Only the "memory replication" could be considered a real condition—the other two barely qualified.
After a brief pause, Don suddenly noticed something off about Akira's earlier words and spoke up again:
"After the treatment?"
"But hasn't the treatment already ended?"Akira gave Don a strange glance, crossing his arms with an odd tone:
"I never said the treatment was over."
"Those messy [Disasters] all over you haven't been cleared yet."
"To be honest, the treatment has only just begun."
Don's pupils contracted, finding Akira's words utterly unreal.
You're telling me this is just the beginning?
At this moment, Don realized he might have severely underestimated Akira, harboring many misconceptions.
Watching Don's expression shift dramatically, losing all composure like a master of face-chanDon performances,
Akira paid no mind, merely finding it somewhat amusing.
He could probably guess that Don had assumed Blissey's [Egg Lay] was the entire treatment.
But in reality, this was just a small preparatory step before the real healing.
A Don in good condition would obviously be easier to treat than one in poor shape.
Without needing further instruction, Blissey opened its mouth and began humming a beautiful melody.
As it sang, Blissey became immersed in its own song, involuntarily bouncing with joy.
"Ha~ppy..."
As the sinDon continued, Blissey's body radiated brilliant Aura light, forming a "Shiny Egg."
Suddenly, musical notes as elegant as staff lines appeared, all composed of Aura.
The gorgeous notes floated up and down, carrying sparkling multicolored hues, directed toward Don by Blissey's chubby little hands.
Normal-type move — Heal Bell!
The thick black mist accumulated on Don's body reacted violently.
The notes were like flames touching permafrost, instantly creating a scene akin to spring melting winter snow.
Gentle multicolored Aura clashed with the gloomy, terrifying black mist, two utterly different forces intertwining.
Under the intense reaction, the black mist visibly began to fade, as if encountering its natural predator.
Simultaneously, Don felt like someone who had carried heavy burdens for too long, finally setting them down one by one.
His shoulders, body, and even his heart inexplicably lightened, like the relief of lying down after a long day's work.
[It can actually be cleared?!]
More than the relief, Don was astonished by Akira's capabilities.
And at such speed.
He wasn't incapable of dealing with the [Disasters] himself, but the costs were always significant.
Some methods required sacrificing most of his lifespan to eliminate one or two [Disasters].
Others demanded most of his blood just to delay the [Disasters'] outbreak.
Overall, these methods were rather impractical—not quite useless, but hardly worth the cost.
Since all things follow the principle of equivalent exchange, to gain something, one must sacrifice something.
This also indirectly reflected just how difficult it was to handle these [Disasters].
What surprised him was that not only was Akira incredibly powerful, possessing Aura Beasts stronger than his at such a young age—
and more than one at that—
but his own abilities were also remarkable.
Then there was this heaven-defying healing power, capable of clearing multiple [Disasters] simultaneously.
Not to mention this so-called "Digital World"... and more.
As Don carefully recalled everything he had observed about Akira, he couldn't help but draw a sharp, quiet breath.Is this really something a human can do?
Don couldn't help but wonder.
Just as Don was racking his brains without finding an answer, even beginning to doubt his own existence, Akira thought the efficiency still wasn't good enough.
Blissey's Heal Bell was indeed effective, but the pace was still somewhat slow.
At this rate, it was unclear how long it would take to completely resolve all the Calamities.
He had anticipated this.
After all, even after evolving, Blissey was only an S- tier Pokémon.
Its capabilities were still limited.
Its presence was mainly to provide Egg Lay, with an additional attempt to see if it could directly resolve the issue.
Now, Akira decided to step things up and bring in a heavyweight partner to settle everything in one go.
With that thought, a small hedgehog-like creature covered in fresh green grass appeared on his shoulder.
When it came to healing, Shaymin was no slouch among Mythical Pokémon—it was quite renowned.
The moment Shaymin appeared, a rich fragrance of grass and flowers filled the air, as if standing in the middle of a vast sea of blossoms.
The overwhelming floral scent invigorated every cell in Don's body.
With adorable, blinking eyes, Shaymin wiped its face with its tiny paws before glancing at Don, who stood 480 meters away.
Then, an even more intense fragrance burst forth from its body, accompanied by a faintly shimmering pink Aura.
Psychic-type move—Healing Wish.
Bathed in the pink glow, Don felt his body undergoing drastic changes at an even faster pace.
If earlier it had been like setting down burdens one by one, now it was like unloading them truckload by truckload.
The dark mist covering him rapidly diminished—within mere blinks, the once ink-thick haze had lightened considerably.
The chaotic black tendrils resembling tree roots that had spread across his body were now fading at an astonishing speed.
Not to mention the other afflictions within his body.
Black spots on his organs, toxic fluids and swellings in his abdominal cavity, and the countless seed-like growths densely covering his back like sesame seeds…
Each of these conditions, caused by multiple Calamities, would have been fatal to anyone else.
Yet now, they were vanishing at breakneck speed, racing toward complete eradication—never to return.
This was the power of the Mythical Pokémon Shaymin!
After all, Shaymin could break down toxins in the atmosphere and transform barren wastelands into fields of flowers.
It could also inhale polluted air, purify it within its body, and decompose it into water and light.
This proved it possessed formidable abilities in handling pollution and purification.
Shaymin could, to some extent, resolve contamination issues, reviving lifeless lands with renewed vitality.
Applied to a person, this meant effortlessly curing ailments and dispelling negative conditions.
These effects were also present in Healing Wish.
If anyone could best attest to Shaymin's power right now, it was Don Freecss.
He could vividly feel his body, like a withered tree greeting spring, recovering at an unimaginable speed.
Everything was reverting to how it had been before the Calamities.
Some of these Calamities had plagued him for months, others for over a decade.
Struggling with cooldown periods, he had no choice but to endure them, pressing forward through the pain.
Yet now, they had been resolved by a fellow from the Six Continents.
It all felt somewhat surreal.
Recalling the Illusion Snake he had encountered earlier and the hallucinogenic toxins it had inflicted on him, Don couldn't help but wonder—was he experiencing another Illusion?
Were Akira, these fellow travelers, and even that junior of his all just figments of an Illusion?
Akira was unaware that his extraordinary display of abilities had already made Don doubt his own sanity.