The "Victory Beast" was just a nickname for this Pokémon.
Victini chirped. "Tini?"
The small fire rodent had just been discovered. It tilted its head slightly as it watched Damian and his companions approach. It wasn't afraid—only curious.
The Pokémon felt that the aura coming from the boy was very comfortable. It also caught a scent that felt familiar.
It thought about that scent. It smelled like that annoying Tornadus. It wondered if Tornadus had been captured after acting wild recently.
Damian reached the base of the tree and greeted the little fire rodent with a smile. "Hello there, Victini."
Jirachi waved its short hands at Victini as well. "Hello, hello!"
This Pokémon was Victini, the Mythical Pokémon. That was exactly why Damian had come to Eindoak Town.
Victini was small and mouse-like. Its body was light yellow and looked as soft as a plush toy. The ears on top of its head formed the letter "V." Its large blue eyes were pure and beautiful. It was an incredibly cute Pokémon.
Victini slowly floated down. It drifted a little closer to Damian and studied Jirachi with curiosity. It recognized Jirachi—yet it remembered that Jirachi should be asleep right now.
Jirachi smiled innocently as it spoke. "I'm Damian's partner now, Victini! Do you want to come with us too?"
Victini asked, "Tini?"
It bit its finger and seemed to fall into deep thought. It had lived in Eindoak Town for a very long time, and it had seen many things over the years.
Damian smiled. "We can take you to see more scenery—and more stories. I came here specifically to take you with me."
Damian continued, "Can we be best friends for a lifetime?"
Victini chirped softly. "Tini…"
Hearing that, Victini took a step back. It looked at Damian with a mix of shyness and fear. Its personality was actually quite timid. It hadn't been afraid at first because of Damian's Viridian Power—and because Jirachi was there.
But now, Victini suddenly felt an enormous amount of pressure. Damian had asked for a lifetime commitment right away. Victini felt it needed to think about this carefully.
Damian said, "Don't be afraid. I'm being very sincere. I really like you, Victini. That's why I traveled all this way to find you."
Damian felt a little hurt when Victini stepped back. He decided to put more pressure on the little fire rodent.
Damian stated, "Even if you're unwilling, I won't let you go. Let's have a battle. If you lose, you become my partner."
Victini was confused. It felt like something was wrong with this human. It didn't like fighting in the first place. It preferred sharing its power with people it liked. It enjoyed watching others win with the boost it gave them.
Damian's eyes were extremely sincere as he asked, "What do you say, Victini?"
Victini hesitated for a long time. It felt like everything was moving too fast. In its mind, partners should get to know each other first. They had only just met.
Victini chirped again. "Tini…"
It felt its reasoning was sound. But then it looked up.
A black figure appeared beside Damian. Dark Mewtwo's eyes were wreathed in purple flames as it stared at Victini. That thick, oppressive malice made Victini step back again. It swallowed hard, and its eyes sharpened—clear and determined.
Victini cried out with sudden passion. "Tini!!"
It straightened its back and agreed. Elesa watched the scene with a strange expression. Victini's fur was standing on end from fear.
Damian glanced at the Poké Ball in his hand, satisfied. "Very good. Victini has been caught."
Victini was inside the Poké Ball. It had agreed to become Damian's partner and entered the Poké Ball.
Even though Victini had tears in its eyes when it agreed, Damian felt he had done the right thing. He planned to treat Victini well. He truly liked the Pokémon. The little fire rodent was cute—and it could also boost his other Pokémon.
In terms of utility, it was as useful as Jirachi.
Victini was known as the Victory Pokémon. It represented the concept of "Victory." With Victini's power, even a weak Pokémon using a simple move could defeat a powerful opponent.
It was similar to how Palkia represented "Space" and Dialga represented "Time."
However, Victini's power wasn't on the same level as Palkia's and the others'. Space, Time, and Willpower formed the foundation of the world, while other concepts appeared later.
Victini's ability wasn't limitless. Its "Victory" had a ceiling.
Still, having Victini's help was excellent. It provided a huge boost. Damian expected its power to work well even at the Champion level. However, in a battle between top-tier legendary Pokémon, the boost would likely be much smaller.
Damian was in an excellent mood after capturing Victini. He watched Victini sit on his shoulder and nibble on a small piece of cake.
Damian smiled broadly. "This is great."
Victini sat on his left shoulder. Jirachi sat on his right shoulder. They weren't heavy—otherwise, his shoulders would start to ache.
The three of them didn't stay in Eindoak Town for long. They returned to the castle the next day. Damian wasn't interested in the Sword of the Vale or the People of the Vale. He didn't care about reviving an old kingdom.
He believed the Pokémon League would immediately crush any attempt to revive that old kingdom. To him, the idea was a joke.
Back at the castle, Damian finished his preparations. He was ready for the next step.
He went to the site of the old Unova League, in the northern part of the region. Damian arrived with Zinnia and the others. Then he released Reshiram and told it to release its aura. Reshiram had been hiding its presence for days. Now it was time to reveal it.
At that same moment elsewhere in Unova, Black Kyurem was sleeping on a mountain. It suddenly opened its golden eyes, and a violent aura erupted from its body.
Black Kyurem roared, "Reshiram!!!"
The roar echoed through the sky. It had consumed Zekrom and wanted to fight Reshiram immediately. However, it didn't know where Reshiram was.
Black Kyurem had been roaming across Unova for days, unable to find Reshiram. It had even checked the Dragonspiral Tower. It found the lingering scent of dragons there—but nothing else.
Black Kyurem wondered if Reshiram had already left the region. With no clues, it grew extremely irritated. It even considered returning to the Giant Chasm to sleep.
But now, it sensed Reshiram's aura clearly.
Black Kyurem shouted, "I won't let you escape this time, Reshiram!"
It shot into the sky and flew at high speed toward the location it had sensed.
In another location, an Officer Jenny commander rushed into Alder's office. "Champion Alder, Kyurem is moving again! And according to reports, Damian has appeared at the ruins of the old League."
Alder asked, "Are you sure?"
The commander handed Alder a tablet with a photo. "Very sure. Reshiram is standing right at the top of the ruins."
Wallace frowned in confusion. "That's definitely Reshiram. What is Damian thinking?"
Alder rested his chin on his hand. "Who knows? But this is good news."
Alder believed it was a perfect opportunity. Black Kyurem would surely go after Reshiram.
If Black Kyurem attacked Damian, it would be their chance.
Steven suggested, "Senior Alder, it's best to evacuate the residents of the towns and villages near Victory Road first."
He expected the battle between Kyurem and Damian to be extremely intense.
Alder ordered the commander, "I understand. Jenny, go handle that. I'll contact Gym Leader Giovanni and the others."
The ruins were a good place for a battle. If it happened near a major city, the city would be destroyed.
Alder stood up and spoke in a deep voice. "In any case, this battle will determine our future attitude toward Team Rocket."
If they could defeat Damian—or force him to flee—it would be a victory.
But if they couldn't defeat him, Alder was prepared to negotiate and accept a massive loss.
Alder shouted, "Let's go!"
Reshiram stood atop the ruins of the old League. Its blue eyes stared into the distance. Its white body was strikingly beautiful. Reshiram was breathtaking in any setting.
Zinnia crossed her arms and admired Reshiram. "Reshiram is so pretty. As expected of the Dragon of Truth."
She thought Rayquaza looked better, but she didn't say it.
Zinnia added, "It looks way better than your Zekrom, N."
N said nothing.
Colress adjusted his glasses and nodded. "That is a fact, at least by general aesthetic standards."
N opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had nothing to say.
N looked at Reshiram with complicated feelings. The Pokémon stood motionless like a statue, like a piece of art. It was acting as bait for Kyurem, yet it remained calm.
N sighed. He realized Zekrom had lost in terms of attitude. Zekrom had wanted to run the moment it sensed Kyurem. It didn't want to face Kyurem at all.
But in truth, Reshiram was speaking with Damian through telepathy. "Damian, when Kyurem gets here, I don't have to fight, right?"
Reshiram was only a tool to lure Kyurem in.
Damian replied, "I'll allow you to watch from the side."
He didn't expect much from Reshiram. The white dragon was very honest about its fear.
Reshiram said, "I think you should just put me back in the Poké Ball, Damian. You know Kyurem—that guy is like a wild beast. What if it comes straight for me?"
It was worried. It was beautiful, and Kyurem was greedy. It feared Kyurem would attack it no matter what. It was only staying because Damian had ordered it to. It didn't want to meet Kyurem—especially since Kyurem had eaten Zekrom.
Reshiram's eyes sharpened. It shouted through telepathy, "Holy crap! Damian, put me back in the Poké Ball—quickly! Kyurem is here!!!"
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