When Peter finally opened his eyes again, the sky had already darkened into night.
Above him, beneath a vast starlit sky, a graceful crescent-shaped Pokémon drifted through the air. Draped in a veil of silver light, its soft pink wings shimmered as it danced across the heavens. Gentle motes of light fell like glowing dust, merging into Peter's body and soothing his wounds.
[Cresselia lv83 (Minor Legendary – Low Tier)]
Description: The deity of dreams, capable of bringing beautiful dreams to all. Under moonlight, it possesses extraordinary healing power. The embodiment of the crescent moon.
Before Peter could even speak—
A tear-streaked face suddenly rushed into view.
"Honey! You're finally awake!"
Whitney threw herself onto him, her body pressing firmly against his chest, nearly knocking the air out of him.
"W-Wait… honey… I can't breathe…" Peter wheezed.
"Ah—oh! Sorry!" Whitney quickly sat up, though her eyes were still red and trembling with worry. She didn't even notice Riley and Byron awkwardly standing nearby—her entire focus was on Peter.
"Milo~!" "Liva~!" "Ai~!"
All nine of his Pokémon crowded around him, pressing close, their eyes filled with concern as they checked him over again and again.
Feeling their warmth—their worry so tangible it almost hurt—Peter forced out a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine… really."
Then he looked up at the sky and spoke sincerely:
"Thank you… Lunar God."
Cresselia paused mid-flight, her gentle voice echoing softly.
"…Next time, please be more careful."
With a light flap of her wings, another wave of healing energy flowed into Peter's body. Then she ascended into the distant galaxy, disappearing into the silver glow of the night.
Peter watched her go, lost in thought.
After a moment, he turned to Byron.
"Uncle Byron… when do people in Canalave City usually have those nights where everyone dreams beautifully?"
Byron scratched his head. "Hmm… probably around midsummer nights? Come to think of it, no one's had nightmares for years now…"
"I see…" Peter murmured, his gaze deepening.
Despite his physical exhaustion, his mind was unusually sharp.
"Next time… be more careful?"
He repeated Cresselia's words silently, a strange feeling creeping into his thoughts.
Something wasn't right.
The timing was too perfect.
She didn't arrive early… nor late… but precisely when the battle was about to reach its conclusion.
Sure, Iron Island was near Fullmoon Island—Cresselia's habitat—so the disturbance attracting her attention made sense.
But still…
It felt off.
Cresselia wasn't the type to linger in one place. She traveled the world, spreading dreams—not staying long anywhere.
Byron's words confirmed that.
And Tobias had clearly possessed Darkrai for quite some time already…
"So… Darkrai's nightmare energy attracted her?" Peter muttered, then shook his head, cutting off the thought.
He sat up and immediately examined Whitney.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"I'm totally fine!" Whitney spun in place, showing off her flawless figure with a bright smile. "I took the medicine and slept—feels like I'm fully recovered!"
"…Good."
Peter nodded, but his eyes drifted to the torn fabric over his right chest.
And suddenly—
Everything clicked.
Tobias… didn't actually intend to kill me.
If he had, Darkrai could've aimed for his heart… or his head.
Even mentioning Whitney earlier…
Was just a distraction.
Then…
What was his real objective?
Peter frowned.
Thinking back, the first time they met—when Peter disrupted Tobias' attempt to capture Regice—Tobias hadn't attacked him either.
Before he could dig deeper into the mystery—
The ground began to tremble.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
"Regi…steel…"
A towering metallic figure approached.
Registeel.
It extended its massive hand, revealing a strange, intricately shaped steel fragment resting on its palm.
At the same time, the seven red dots on its face lit up. A surge of metallic energy surrounded Peter and his Pokémon, resonating with them.
[System Notification: Limited-Time Mission 'Assist the Steel Titan' completed.]
Rewards: Blackgold Blessing (Physical Enhancement), Steel-Type Comprehension Boost, Steel Emblem, Regigigas Capture Cost Reduced by 1/3.
[Steel Emblem: A token of recognition from Registeel, representing the will of steel. Presenting it to Regigigas increases favorability.]
"Regi…teel…"
Registeel gave a final nod before turning and disappearing back into the depths of the ruins.
The fractures across Iron Island gradually sealed themselves, the land stabilizing once more.
Riley exhaled in amazement. "I never imagined something like Registeel existed beneath this island…"
Peter nodded. "There are many places like this in the world… people just don't know about them."
His gaze swept across his Pokémon.
A quiet resonance lingered between them.
After everything that had happened—
Their bond had deepened even further.
"…Tobias…"
Peter murmured the name softly, burying his doubts and unease deep within his heart.
Rather than worrying about how strong his enemy was—
He needed to become stronger himself.
…
The next morning, inside a room at the Pokémon Center—
Peter gently slipped free from Whitney's clingy embrace, leaned down, and kissed her lips before getting up to wash.
They had already arranged it yesterday.
Today—
He would battle at the Canalave Gym.
Two objectives.
One fight.
Because of the battle with Tobias, all his Pokémon had been left with Nurse Joy for treatment.
Before stepping into battle, he wanted to check their condition.
After retrieving their Poké Balls, Peter returned to the room, lay down, and closed his eyes.
He entered the Dream Space.
Thanks to Cresselia's healing, Registeel's blessing, and a full night of rest, all his Pokémon had fully recovered—and grown stronger:
Lopunny Lv51
Arboliva Lv51
Indeedee Lv47
Slaking Lv49
Zoroark Lv45
Braviary Lv44
Ursaring Lv38
Blissey Lv35
Eevee Lv32
Eevee had already reached Level 30 earlier with a Rare Candy, and now it was steadily catching up.
Peter fed another Rare Candy to Slaking.
[Level Up: Slaking Lv50. Talent points available.]
Peter smiled faintly.
"Time to max you out."
He spent 100 million Poké Dollars, pushing Slaking's HP talent to 150—bringing its total talent to 720.
He deliberately avoided increasing Attack.
Too much power would drain stamina faster…
And more importantly—
250 Attack just sounded wrong.
He continued distributing stats:
Lopunny: +20 Attack → 160 (Total: 600)
Arboliva: +20 HP → 120 (Total: 630)
Indeedee: +20 Sp. Atk → 200 (Total: 595)
Zoroark: +10 Def & Sp. Def → 70 (Total: 590)
Braviary: +20 Attack → 170 (Total: 550)
After assigning everything, he sent them off to train.
Then—
He took Braviary into the Mimetic Chamber.
This would be its first time.
Light flickered.
And before Braviary—
A familiar figure appeared.
A stern eagle.
Its father.
In this simulated space, the opponent would scale alongside Braviary's strength—ensuring maximum training efficiency.
The battlefield stretched across the skies—ten thousand meters above ground.
Violent winds howled. Turbulent currents twisted through the air.
A desolate, unforgiving battlefield.
"SKREEEE—!!!"
With a piercing cry, Braviary surged forward.
It knew this wasn't real.
But even so—
It fought with everything it had.
Because even in a dream—
It wanted to prove itself.