Chapter 369: Celebi's Recruitment
"A God!"
The Exeggutor Ruler's eyes widened in utter disbelief. That strange, high-level energy could only belong to one being in the entire Secret Realm: the divine Celebi.
Faced with the directive of the divine, the Exeggutor Ruler naturally didn't dare to rudely send Basalt away. It ceased the operation of its psychic energy.
The light faded, and Celebi, looking like a vibrant flower fairy, appeared in mid-air, fluttering happily and letting out a series of melodious chimes.
"What Pokémon is that?"
Sylvie looked up at Celebi, but her mind drew a complete blank. This was a Pokémon she had never heard of or seen before.
Even Sawsbuck, who had grown up listening to stories about Celebi, was confused when it saw the creature, barely recognizing it.
Basalt, conversely, nearly dropped his jaw.
Celebi!
A living Mythical Pokémon had appeared right in front of him, and it had intervened to stop the Exeggutor Ruler from sending him away.
"Oh, God!" The Exeggutor Ruler immediately bowed respectfully, reverence covering its face.
This action terrified Sylvie.
A God? The Pokémon in front of me is a legendary deity?
Celebi ignored the Exeggutor Ruler and Sylvie. It flew directly toward Basalt, its large eyes carefully studying and sensing him.
After a long moment, it spoke solemnly, "Young man, I sense a very pure life energy signature on you, though it is very faint. Can you tell me what it is?"
"Life energy signature?" Basalt paused, then immediately realized what it meant. There was only one possibility for a life energy pure enough to impress Celebi: Xerneas's Horn of Life!
"Celebi~"
Now it was Celebi's turn to be surprised. The young man in front of it not only knew of Xerneas but had acquired a token from that great being?
Xerneas was the Life Pokémon. In terms of power, it was a true Tier 1 Legendary, unique in the world. Celebi, by contrast, was merely the God of the Forest. Its responsibilities were far less grand, and it wasn't the only one of its kind.
Xerneas was a true big shot!
"This young man is truly extraordinary. I can't believe even the great Xerneas has favored him and given him a token."
Celebi didn't know how Basalt had acquired the Horn of Life. In its view, a divine token could only be obtained by a human when the deity actively allowed it. The fact that Basalt possessed the Horn of Life meant he had Xerneas's approval. Who else could force a Tier 1 Legendary like Xerneas to surrender its own horn?
It couldn't possibly have been broken off in a fight, right? Laughable!
Celebi shook its head.
The last time Celebi saw Basalt, it was only mildly interested, offering a small gesture of help. But now, Celebi felt it had severely underestimated Basalt. A human approved by a Tier 1 Legendary must have exceptional qualities that it simply hadn't perceived yet.
Since Xerneas has already invested in him, I should blindly follow suit. The boss's judgment must be correct!
Celebi asked curiously, "Young man, are you the Life Pokémon's envoy walking the world?"
"An envoy?" Basalt was baffled. "What is that?"
"It seems you are not!" Celebi flew circles around Basalt, its expression shifting to one of delight. As a Pokémon that traveled the currents of time, Celebi had never heard of Xerneas having an envoy. Since that was the case, it would claim him for itself. He passed the test! The human approved by Xerneas was surely exceptional. Basalt might look "ordinary," but he must have deeper potential that Celebi couldn't yet see.
Stable!
"Then, young man, are you willing to become my envoy and walk the world on my behalf?" Celebi smiled and explained what a divine envoy was.
In this world, many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, like Celebi and the Legendary Birds, were not unique. However, some powerful or unique individuals bore "divine duties," making them gods to humans. Celebi, as the God of the Forest, was responsible for maintaining the forest ecosystem. But there were too many forests on the planet for Celebi to manage alone. Thus, envoys were essential.
Divine envoys or apostles were granted the protection and guidance of the deity, but in return, they carried out the god's work and helped fulfill their duties.
Basalt was immediately interested. An envoy of the divine! That title alone sounded like a massive opportunity. Furthermore, becoming Celebi's envoy must come with benefits. After all, an envoy represented the deity's face; if their envoy was weak, it would be embarrassing for Celebi.
Celebi seemed to read Basalt's mind and went straight to the point. "Don't worry, if you become my envoy, I will not treat you poorly. I will give you my token and assist in your Pokémon's growth."
"Furthermore, the Fountain of Life will be open to you. Of course, this is strictly for your personal use." Celebi glanced at Basalt, its pure gaze penetrating his thoughts.
Basalt immediately gave an awkward chuckle to mask his embarrassment. When he heard Celebi's promise, his first thought was to sell the Fountain of Life water for money or resources. That would have instantly set him up for life. Fountain of Life water was a super-hard currency, worth far more than gold or silver. With it, he could easily acquire pseudo-legendary cubs.
Fortunately, Celebi had read his mind and immediately set down a restriction.
Even with the restriction, Basalt was highly satisfied. At the very least, Marshtomp now had the resources it needed for its physical development. Was there anything better in the world than the Fountain of Life water for replenishing life essence and boosting physical potential? As far as Basalt knew, no.
"And now I can finally put Marshtomp's Curse move into the rotation," Basalt thought happily. He had always held off on training Marshtomp in Curse because he feared the move's life-force cost would harm its growth. Now, that was no longer a worry.
Train until you can't train anymore. Then train some more!
"Celebi, you mentioned helping my Pokémon grow in strength. How exactly? To Master-level? Elite Four-level? Or... Champion-level?" Basalt rubbed his hands, practically drooling.
Mythical Pokémon were equivalent to Legendary Trainers, rare beings. If Celebi truly put its mind to it, raising Basalt's Pokémon to the Master-level would be easy.
"Raising your Pokémon to the Master-level?" Hearing Basalt's question, Celebi's smile froze, its mouth twitching. This kid is bold! Forcing a power-up like that would severely deplete the Pokémon's life force, consuming energy comparable to time travel. Moreover, forcibly boosting power would exhaust the Pokémon's potential, ensuring they could never advance further. That was shortsighted.
When Basalt heard the caveat, he shook his head furiously. "Exhausted potential? Forget about it!"
"So, how will you help my Pokémon grow in strength?" Basalt asked.
"I will grant your Pokémon a wisp of my Primal Energy Essence." Celebi smiled brightly. "This won't make them stronger quickly, but it will solidify their foundations, boost their potential, and accelerate their long-term growth, allowing them to go further in the future."
Hearing this, Basalt was moved again. It wasn't instant gratification, but it sounded much more reliable.
"The Pokémon most suited to receive my Primal Energy Essence would be a Grass/Psychic dual-type. But since you don't have one, it's fine. I can split the energy. I will send the Grass-type essence into Cradily, and the Psychic-type essence into Bronzong. You won't be losing anything."
Celebi looked at Basalt, its expression turning solemn. "So... will you become my envoy?"
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