Explanation

The great battle had ended, but this sea area had become chaotic.

Not only because of the turbulent waves caused by Melotic's rolling body but also by the sight of the Pokémon scattered in all directions on the shore, one could tell how brutal the battle had been.

Most of the affected Pokémon were water-type, and those on the shore had followed the injured to a small island deep within. They knew they couldn't help Melotic, so they chose not to come out and cause trouble.

However, the water-dwelling Pokémon were in dire straits.

Like Magikarp, Chinchou, Lanturn, Qwilfish, Remoraid, Carvanha, and others, who never ventured onto land, were now stranded on the beach.

Apart from these smaller Pokémon, giant Pokémon like Wailord and Wailmer also lay scattered along the shore.

Once on land, these Pokémon had no mobility. When Zapdos's lightning struck, they relied on the rescue of Dragonite and the protection of Chimecho Light Screen.

Fortunately, the efforts of Yuga and his team were not in vain.

Despite their injuries, most of the Pokémon were not in mortal danger, as Zapdos's real target wasn't them.

Today, witnessing the terror of Zapdos, a low-level Legendary, Yuga truly believed that the first-level Legendary indeed possessed the power to destroy the world.

Melotic had expended too much energy in the battle with Zapdos. As soon as the battle ended, it sank to the seafloor, not even bothering with the bald Zapdos that it had thrown onto the shore.

Of course, Zapdos was in a miserable state right now, and it was impossible for it to cause any more trouble.

As they looked at the grounded Zapdos, Yuga and Mr. Drake exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.

However, the immediate priority was to rescue the stranded water-type Pokémon. If they died on the shore, all their previous efforts would be in vain!

Because these Pokémon were injured, they needed the help of medical Pokémon.

However, they couldn't rely on Chimecho anymore. Although it had broken through to the Elite level in the crisis, it was currently unconscious.

Yuga checked Chimecho and found nothing physically wrong with it. He was worried about its mental state, but psychic power was invisible and intangible, so he couldn't examine it. He would have to wait for Chimecho to wake up.

Recalling Chimecho into its Poké Ball, Yuga sent Dragonite to the small island to bring his other Pokémon back and began treated to the water-type Pokémon himself.

Most of the Pokémon were paralyzed due to the lightning attacks, so Sawsbuck's Aromatherapy had a significant effect.

Originally, If Chimecho had been awake, a single Heal Bell would have instantly dispelled the paralysis on these Pokémon.

However, with Chimecho injured, they had to rely on Sawsbuck's Aromatherapy for healing. It took quite an effort, but eventually, the Pokémon were safe.

Pokémon and humans have different physiologies. As long as the injuries aren't immediately fatal, they can recover quickly with treatment.

Once their injuries were treated, the next step was to return them to the sea.

The smaller Pokémon had no issues, but giants like Wailord required everyone's cooperation.

Fortunately, the island's Pokémon came out to help, so while there were many stranded water-type Pokémon, there were also plenty on the island to assist.

The larger Pokémon were transported by the strong Pokémon, with Yuga, a human with less strength, carrying smaller Pokémon like Goldeen, Remoraid, and Lanturn back into the water.

This sea area was exceptionally rich in water-type Pokémon due to Melotic's protection. In addition to the water-type Pokémon from the Hoenn region, there were also many from the Sinnoh region.

What surprised Yuga the most was that he actually saw four or five Phiones here.

Even though others don't know, how can Yuga not know?

Phione was the offspring of the Water-type Mythical Pokémon, Manaphy.

Could it be that this sea area was also home to Manaphy?

Manaphy was a rare Mythical Pokémon that could breed with ordinary Pokémon, although it could only produce Phione as it offspring.

Of course, Yuga wasn't particularly interested in Phione; they weren't overly powerful Pokémon. Besides, behind Phione might be Manaphy itself, and he didn't want to provoke that.

He carried the Phiones towards the shore, but as soon as he placed them in the water, the giant Pokémon, Melotic, anxiously stuck its head out of the water.

Upon seeing Melotic, the Phiones immediately swam over joyfully.

Melotic, seeing that they were safe and sound, breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, nothing happened to them!"

It even sent a grateful look towards Yuga.

Melotic had witnessed Yuga and Chimecho's performance earlier and knew that thanks to them, many water-type Pokémon, including the Phiones, had been saved.

Melotic hadn't expected the Phiones to venture out of their underwater nests. If they had stayed put in their nests, even Zapdos wouldn't have been able to harm them.

Outside was a different story; Phiones were not particularly strong, and ordinary Pokémon had the ability to harm them.

Their mother, Manaphy, had entrusted Melotic to look after the Phiones before going on its ocean patrol. Every year, there had to be a period when Manaphy wasn't at home.

Watching Phiones and Melotic's affectionate interactions, Yuga couldn't help but wonder, "Could this Melotic and Manaphy have an affair?"

He quickly dismissed this thought from his mind, and as he watched Melotic and the Phiones swim back into the sea, Yuga turned around to continue helping other stranded Pokémon.

Once all the Pokémon were safely back in the sea, Yuga was so exhausted that he almost collapsed, leaning on Dragonite to catch his breath.

On the other hand, Mr. Drake, who was nearly sixty, seemed as robust as ever. He worked just as hard as Yuga, but he didn't look flushed or out of breath.

For the sake of his pride, Yuga maintained a calm and composed appearance. Losing to an older person would be too embarrassing for him.

Now, the remaining issue was how to deal with Zapdos.

Looking at the still unconscious Zapdos, both Yuga and Mr. Drake were puzzled.

With the super-strong recovery abilities of Legendary Pokémon, Zapdos would probably recover in no time.

Then, they would have another problem on their hands.

While Melotic's power could rival that of Legendary Pokémon and it could defeat or injure Zapdos, it wasn't a Legendary Pokémon and couldn't cause permanent harm due to the divinity exclusive to Legendary Pokémon. Given some time, Zapdos would likely recover quickly.

He remember the reason why Dragonite's mother's injury was so difficult to recover from was because of the divinity of Zapdos.

As for the option killing Zapdos directly, it's not the option.

There's a secret agreement between the League and the orderly Legendary Pokémon. The Zapdos was a member of the orderly Legendary Pokémon, and while capturing it would be acceptable, taking its life would cause a major uproar.

Other Legendary Pokémon would find out, and it would lead to chaos.

At this moment, Dragonite standing beside Yuga seemed restless.

Sensing Dragonite's unusual behavior, Yuga incredulously asked, "What are you thinking? Please don't tell me you want to drain Zapdos dry!"

Dragonite blushed and nodded.

Yuga was baffled. "No! Not that kind of 'drain'... I mean, this Zapdos is different from the one before. It's a genuine peak Level 2 Legendary Pokémon now, and its Electric-type power is connected to its essence. Your small body can't handle it!"

Yuga explained the situation to Dragonite, but Dragonite insisted on giving it a try, saying that it was worth the effort.

Yuga was genuinely concerned but couldn't dissuade Dragonite.

So, to the astonishment of Yuga and Mr. Drake, Dragonite mounted Zapdos.

A golden bead hidden within Dragonite emitted golden electric streams, connecting Dragonite and Zapdos. The Electric-type energy from Zapdos began to flow out along these streams, entering Dragonite's body.

Mr. Drake hesitated to speak.

He had noticed before that Yuga's Dragonite was exceptionally skilled with Electric-type abilities, which was unusual for a Dragon-type Pokémon.

Now, it could even absorb Zapdos's power?

"Your Dragonite..." Mr. Drake started, but he couldn't find the right words. He was worried that this process might harm Zapdos.

Yuga gave Mr. Drake a reassuring look.

"Don't worry; nothing bad will happen."

He believed that if Zapdos survived and recovered from situations in the past when it was less powerful, it would certainly be fine now.

With Yuga's assurance, Mr. Drake felt relieved. He trusted that Yuga wouldn't take risks in such a situation.

But was it really going to be okay?

Zapdos looked rather miserable, even though it was unconscious. The continuous outflow of Electric-type energy made its body twitch uncontrollably.

Of course, Dragonite wasn't having an easy time either. The intense Electric-type energy coursing through its body was undoubtedly painful.

Dragonite's agonizing roars tugged at Yuga's heartstrings.

However, Dragonite knew it couldn't handle such immense Electric-type energy, so it stored it all in the golden bead within its body.

Though it wasn't visible to others, as the Electric-type energy accumulated within the bead, the bead itself became increasingly brilliant.

Dragonite didn't go too far and only absorbed about half of Zapdos's Electric-type core energy. This wouldn't endanger Zapdos's life but would prevent it from recovering and causing more trouble in the short term.

As Dragonite absorbed about half of the energy, Zapdos woke up and, upon seeing what Dragonite was doing, it wished it could scratch both Yuga and Dragonite with its talons.

"This is outrageous! Do you treat all birds like this? Am I just your energy extractor? Once wasn't enough, and now this!"

Zapdos thought angrily. But it was too injured to do anything but stare helplessly as Dragonite had its way with its body.

When Dragonite finished absorbing the energy, Zapdos looked utterly defeated, mouth agape, and its gaze distant.

Dragonite, on the other hand, fell into a deep sleep due to absorbing too much energy. Yuga recalled it into its Poké Ball.

Sensing Dragonite's absence, Zapdos regained its senses and gave Yuga a fierce glare.

"Don't look at me like that! Your core energy might be precious, but you've caused harm to so many Pokémon today. Taking half of your core energy as punishment is fair!" Yuga shrugged, feeling confident now.

With half of its core energy gone, it would be impossible for Zapdos to recover quickly.

Zapdos glared at Yuga once again: If it weren't for the two of you here, do you think I'd be driven to madness and hurt so many Pokémon? I'm well aware that I've gone mad, and it's not pleasant!

Zapdos still believed that Yuga and the others had provoked it first, thinking that the Dratini it had captured before was Dragonite's descendant.

It considered the Dragonite from over a thousand years ago as its true form.

Yuga decided it was time to clarify things with Zapdos and asked Mr. Drake if they could have a private conversation for a moment.

Mr. Drake nodded and moved away from the scene. While he knew Yuga had a special ability to communicate with Pokémon, he respected their privacy and didn't eavesdrop.

With Mr. Drake gone, Yuga turned to Zapdos. "I can see that you're quite upset with me and Dragonite."

Zapdos rolled its eyes dramatically: Do I even need to say it? It's a matter of life and death now!

"You probably still think it was Dragonite and I who provoked you all along."

"But the fact is, you captured Dragonite when it was still a Dratini, injured its mother..."

Yuga proceeded to explain the entire sequence of events, including their time travel experience, to Zapdos.

Zapdos was dumbfounded by the revelation. This can't be true... How could things have turned out like this?

Seeing Zapdos so visibly shaken, Yuga continued, "At this point, it's hard to say who was right or wrong. If you're willing, how about we call it even?"

In reality, Yuga could have stopped Dragonite from bullying Zapdos back when it was young and injured.

However, he chose not to intervene because he knew that if Dragonite didn't bully Zapdos thousamd years ago, he and Dragonite might never have crossed paths.

Ultimately, he had his own selfish reasons.

Of course, one of the reasons he didn't stop Dragonite was Celebi, who warned against altering the past.

Zapdos snapped out of its stupor and vehemently rejected the idea of calling it even: Even? Dream on! Our grudge, yours, that Dragon's, runs deeper than the mountains and wider than the sea. There's no way we can just call it even. I will never forgive!

Seeing Zapdos's fervent refusal, Yuga found himself in a dilemma. Continuously feuding with a Legendary Pokémon didn't seem like a viable solution.