BOOM!
As Pidgeot's final Aerial Ace struck with overwhelming force, the impact exploded across the King Pidgeot's massive body.
For the first time, the giant king's eyes filled with disbelief.
How could this be?
How could a Pokémon so much smaller than itself possess such terrifying power?
Before it could recover, its enormous body lost balance.
The giant king began plummeting from the sky.
Seeing the opportunity, Aiden immediately threw a Luxury Ball.
A flash of red light erupted.
The enormous King Pidgeot vanished into the Poké Ball.
Shake.
Shake.
Click.
Capture successful.
Inside the System World, the newly captured King Pidgeot and King Rhydon immediately saw countless powerful Pokémon.
And beyond them—
The legendary Pokémon.
The Divine Beasts.
The moment they sensed those overwhelming auras, both kings instantly lost any thought of resistance.
After all—
When creatures like Rayquaza, Groudon, Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Mewtwo were casually walking around nearby...
Being obedient suddenly seemed like a very reasonable choice.
...
Having captured the rulers of both tribes and obtained two incredibly powerful giant Pokémon, Aiden finally decided it was time to leave Big Pong Island.
The only regret was that the island contained only two species.
If there had been more varieties of giant Pokémon here—
He would definitely have captured a few from every single one.
Before leaving, Aiden released both King Pidgeot and King Rhydon.
Under their leadership, dozens of family members willingly entered the System World as well.
Once everything was settled, Aiden and Lorelei boarded Kyogre's back again.
Their journey toward Ice Island resumed.
...
Along the way, Lorelei finally voiced a question that had been bothering her.
"You've captured dozens of Giant Pidgeot and Giant Rhydon."
"But I've never seen you carrying that many Poké Balls."
"How exactly are you storing all of them?"
Aiden smiled.
"I possess a special space."
"A place where Pokémon can live freely."
"That's one of the reasons I enjoy collecting entire tribes."
"You can think of it as a miniature world created through my psychic power."
"A world specifically for my Pokémon."
"Instead of remaining trapped inside Poké Balls all day, they can train, grow stronger, and live normal lives there."
Lorelei froze.
Her beautiful eyes widened.
A miniature world?
Created through psychic powers?
Was that even possible?
At that moment, she finally understood one of Aiden's greatest secrets.
No wonder his Pokémon became stronger at such an unbelievable speed.
No wonder he never seemed to worry about raising huge numbers of Pokémon.
If he truly possessed a separate world...
Everything suddenly made sense.
"Psychics really are terrifying."
Lorelei sighed softly.
"I'm actually jealous."
Aiden merely laughed.
...
As time passed, night gradually fell over the ocean.
Aiden raised his hand.
Countless psychic barriers appeared in midair.
One after another.
Soon, a complete house formed atop Kyogre's broad back.
Walls.
Ceiling.
Furniture.
Even a comfortable bedroom.
Using his psychic power, Aiden permanently reinforced the structure.
The result was surprisingly sturdy.
Even sleeping in the middle of the sea felt perfectly safe.
Watching the entire process, Lorelei was once again left speechless.
It seemed as though there was nothing Aiden couldn't do.
How absurd.
And yet...
How reassuring.
...
The next morning.
As dawn arrived, Aiden woke up inside the psychic house.
Years of traveling had resulted in the System World containing every kind of daily necessity imaginable.
Beds.
Blankets.
Furniture.
Food.
Everything.
As a result, despite spending the night atop the ocean, he had slept exceptionally well.
Lorelei, however, was still asleep.
The Ice Queen rarely showed such vulnerability.
Unfortunately for her—
A body comparable to a legendary Pokémon's was simply unfair.
Even someone like Lorelei found it difficult to keep up.
Just then—
A massive tentacle emerged from the sea.
The Giant Tentacruel cautiously surfaced.
The first thing it did was glance nervously toward Kyogre.
Only after confirming the Sea God wasn't paying attention did it speak.
"Uh... boss..."
"We're here."
"Ice Island is right ahead."
Following its gaze, Aiden looked into the distance.
Sure enough—
An enormous island rose from the ocean.
It towered into the sky like a frozen mountain.
The entire island shimmered with icy blue light.
Snow and ice covered every inch of its surface.
As they drew closer, the temperature dropped rapidly.
At that moment, Lorelei finally woke up.
She changed into her familiar wine-red dress and naturally wrapped herself around Aiden's arm.
"This is Ice Island."
"The highest island in the entire Orange Archipelago."
"It remains frozen year-round."
"The Ice God, Articuno, lives here."
Then she hesitated briefly.
"If you're planning to capture Articuno..."
"There's something you need to remember."
"The Ice Orb cannot be disturbed."
Aiden nodded.
Of course he understood.
He remembered the events surrounding the legendary battle between the Three Legendary Birds and the Sea God.
If the balance of the elemental islands were broken, disaster could follow.
Fortunately, Aiden already had a solution.
After capturing Articuno, he could simply help another Articuno inherit the position of Ice God.
Just as Latios had once transferred divine authority.
The balance of the Orange Archipelago would remain intact.
"Don't worry."
"I know what I'm doing."
Lorelei smiled.
"Good."
...
Under Kyogre's incredible speed, they reached Ice Island quickly.
The moment they stepped ashore, Lorelei visibly became more energetic.
This place was her domain.
The kingdom of ice.
The home of countless Ice-type Pokémon.
"There are many rare Ice-types living here."
"If you find anything you like, feel free to catch it."
"They say every kind of Ice Pokémon can be found somewhere on this island."
Aiden nodded.
But before searching for other Pokémon—
There was one objective that came first.
The Ice God.
Articuno.
"Come out, Latios."
A flash of light appeared.
Latios emerged from an Ultra Ball.
Aiden and Lorelei climbed onto its back.
Moments later, the Eon Pokémon shot into the sky.
Straight toward the summit.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher still.
As they approached the peak, Aiden's psychic power finally detected a powerful presence.
Then—
A dense white mist rolled across the mountain.
Even Latios nearly lost its sense of direction.
Fortunately, Aiden's psychic power immediately cut through the fog.
The mist dispersed.
The summit appeared.
And there—
Standing atop the highest point of Ice Island—
Was a magnificent blue bird.
Its icy feathers glowed beneath the sunlight.
Its sharp eyes locked directly onto Aiden's group.
The air temperature plummeted instantly.
The ruler of Ice Island.
The Ice God.
Articuno.
Had appeared.
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