Human?
Cain wasn't sure if he had misheard, but he had the distinct feeling that Arceus had truly spoken to him—the voice had echoed right beside his ear.
His vision returned to the great hall where he had been before.
The stone wall was still a stone wall, and the statue of Rayquaza remained as lifelike as ever, but Cain's expression as he gazed at the blue stone embedded in the eye had changed.
From what he understood, if he wasn't mistaken, Rayquaza must have been pleading to Arceus—for that very blue tablet.
For Rayquaza to beg Arceus for an object, and even show a hint of fervor on his otherwise stoic face, could mean only one thing...
The Sky Plate!
According to legend, the god of creation, Arceus, possesses eighteen special tablets, which, along with his own Normal type, represent the eighteen existing types in the Pokémon world.
Each of these Plates contains extraordinary power.
Whenever Arceus invokes the power of one of them, he can transform his type into the corresponding one.
In other words, as long as Arceus holds all eighteen Plates, he can freely switch between the eighteen types. This is one of the main reasons for his supreme power.
But which came first? The eighteen types of the Pokémon world, and then the appearance of the Plates? Or was it Arceus, with his eighteen Plates, who gave birth to the eighteen types? That remains a mystery.
What is known is that these Plates are not exclusive to Arceus.
Any Pokémon that shares the same type can use the energy contained within them, though the degree of mastery depends on their own strength.
Using them at Arceus's level is impossible—but if Rayquaza had obtained the complete Sky Plate, he could have maximized his Flying-type power.
And being a first-tier god, such an advantage would have widened the gap between him and other beings of his rank even further.
After all, Rayquaza's signature move, Dragon Ascent, is a Flying-type move.
What Cain didn't understand was why Arceus had brought forth the Plate, only to shatter it into fragments of varying size before handing it to Rayquaza.
Was he afraid that Rayquaza would become too powerful?
And what was that dark hole that appeared in the sky? And the fleeting eye that could be seen within it?
Could it have been Giratina, the destroyer of worlds?
And finally, that voice in his ear... was it real, or merely a dream?
All of this left Cain with countless questions.
Setting his thoughts aside, he decided to focus on the present.
"Could this be a fragment of the Sky Plate?" he murmured, looking at the blue stone embedded in Rayquaza's eye.
"Then why is the other eye empty? Did someone remove it? Or was only one special stone used from the beginning?" he wondered to himself.
Instinctively, Cain was convinced that the other eye socket had also contained something—perhaps something just as powerful as this Plate fragment—but that it had been lost or taken at some point.
With a simple mental command, he extracted the blue stone from the statue.
He held it firmly in his hand, feeling a refreshing coolness surround him, as though the air itself had become purer and cleaner.
He activated his system to analyze it:
Item Name: Suspected Fragment of the Sky Plate
Description: Possibly one of the fragments into which the legendary Sky Plate was divided. It is said that the Pokémon who possesses it shall become the ruler of the skies.
Effect: Allows the bearer Pokémon to enhance its perception of Flying-type energy, increasing the power of its Flying-type moves.
Notes: An item with special abilities. The degree of enhancement depends entirely on the Pokémon that holds it.
The system, being connected to Cain's mind, had experienced the entire vision alongside him.
Thus, it knew the details about the Sky Plate, Arceus, and the other seventeen Plates. The resulting analysis was completely logical.
The fragment, no larger than a fist, could not be damaged even when Cain tried to mark it with his psychic power.
He stored it in his inventory and sat at the edge of the Dragon Pool, watching Shelgon meditate with its eyes closed.
He had already decided who would receive that fragment.
The most suitable choice for now was his Honchkrow, as it was the only Flying-type Pokémon in his team.
But once Shelgon evolved into Salamence, the fragment would be even more appropriate for him.
It wasn't that Cain favored Salamence simply because it was a pseudo-legendary—it was because there was a clear strategy behind his choice.
Upon Mega Evolution, Salamence gains the ability Aerilate. Its effect is simple but devastating: it turns Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves and boosts their power.
That means both the Flying-type and Normal-type moves of Mega Salamence would be enhanced by the Sky Plate fragment.
That was Cain's true reasoning: only Salamence could fully unleash its potential.
Having made his decision, he didn't hesitate any longer. He trusted that Honchkrow would understand.
Thus, he sat quietly beside the Dragon Pool, waiting.
During that time, he realized why the leader Salamence didn't seem concerned about the Dragon Pool.
It wasn't indifference—it was because he knew Cain couldn't disrupt its balance.
When Cain tried to collect some of the liquid in a bottle, he found that once removed from the pool, its power vanished, turning into ordinary water with slightly higher mineral content, but no real effect.
In other words: only within the Pool could it be called "Dragon's Blood." Outside of it, it was just water.
A full day and night passed with Cain by Shelgon's side.
The Pokémon's body didn't show any visible changes, nor did its energy seem different, though the pool's liquid level had noticeably decreased.
When the time came, the leader Salamence and Drake reappeared before Cain.
Seeing how much of the Dragon's Blood had been absorbed, Drake nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems he's absorbed it well. His talent truly is extraordinary."
(End of Chapter)