Chapter 381: Power
Chapter 381: Power
"Bellossom!" Upon spotting Yuga, Bellossom put down her pruning shears and quickly flew over to him.
"I'm back, Bellossom!" Yuga's return brought joy to Bellossom, who eagerly led him inside and busily attended to his needs.
After dinner, Ryuichi arrived as promised and escorted Yuga to meet Mr. Kuni'o.
Upon reaching Mr. Kuni'o's place, Ryuichi stepped aside, and Mr. Kuni'o gestured toward a chair opposite him, saying, "Please, have a seat."
Yuga nodded and respectfully took a seat. Ever since he had learned of Mr. Kuni'o's identity, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous when facing him.
"Don't be too formal. Relax; I won't eat you," Mr. Kuni'o said, speaking in a gentle tone with a smile on his face. This was the first time Yuga had seen a second expression on Mr. Kuni'o's face since he had met him, and it helped alleviate some of his nervousness.
Mr. Kuni'o pushed a cup of tea toward Yuga and then noticed the chattering Chatot perched on Yuga's shoulder.
"Your Chatot..."
Mr. Kuni'o's sentence trailed off as he saw the Chatot's pupils suddenly contract, and it stopped chattering abruptly.
Yuga glanced curiously at his Chatot. Why had this usually noisy bird suddenly gone silent?
"Ryuichi must have told you about me, right?" Mr. Kuni'o inquired.
Yuga nodded slightly. "Yes."
"Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Mr. Kuni'o asked.
Yuga pondered for a moment and replied, "I would be honored to be your apprentice, but I'm curious about why you chose me."
Mr. Kuni'o took a sip of tea and then nodded. "Come closer."
Although Yuga didn't understand why Mr. Kuni'o wanted him to move closer, he complied, rising from his chair and approaching Mr. Kuni'o's side.
As Yuga did so, the Chatot on his shoulder became flustered and started fluttering its wings.
Once Yuga stood by Mr. Kuni'o's side, he watched as Mr. Kuni'o extended a hand bathed in a radiant green light towards him.
Yuga was amazed by this mysterious ability. He couldn't help but gaze in wonder at Mr. Kuni'o's hand.
Mr. Kuni'o gently placed his hand on Yuga's chest, and Yuga felt as if something were being drawn out of him. This sensation was familiar; it was akin to what had happened when Celebi had blessed him back when they encountered the Spectra Celebil within the Guardian Bead.
Just as Yuga had suspected, a bright green orb quickly emerged from his chest and floated silently into Mr. Kuni'o's hand.
"Do you know what this is?" Mr. Kuni'o asked, looking at Yuga.
Yuga shook his head.
Although he had seen this before, he still had no idea what it was.
"This is a seed of Celebi's Blessing."
Celebi's Blessing seed?
Yuga remembered the system mentioning the presence of a power left by a Grass-type Mythical Pokémon within his body. Was it really Celebi?
"But how did it end up inside me? I don't recall ever meeting Celebi!" Yuga asked in confusion.
Mr. Kuni'o returned the green orb back into Yuga's body and replied, "That's a question only you can answer. I have no way of knowing."
Yuga racked his brain but couldn't recall any encounter with Celebi.
Mr. Kuni'o noticed Yuga's furrowed brows and gently tapped the table, saying, "Don't dwell on it if you can't remember; it's not essential."
Yuga asked, "So, you're taking me as your apprentice because of this Celebi's Blessing seed?"
"That's one of the reasons."
Of course, there were other factors, like the investigations and observations conducted on Yuga, which Mr. Kuni'o didn't disclose.
"Because you also possess a similar seed in your body?" Yuga continued.
The green light emitted from Mr. Kuni'o's hand earlier had the same aura as the one within Yuga.
"They are not the same," Mr. Kuni'o explained. "I possess Celebi's complete blessing, whereas yours is just a seed."
Yuga suddenly realized. That was why the green light displayed by Mr. Kuni'o seemed more profound and expansive.
"Do you know why I wanted you to come and see me before February 22nd?"
Yuga shook his head.
"It's because only on that day can the seed within you sprout, awaken, and transform into a true Celebi's Blessing," Mr. Kuni'o explained.
"In its seed form, you can't control Celebi's Blessing. To harness it, you need to awaken it."
Yuga inquired, "But how can I awaken it?"
"I will tell you on that day. I'm sure you're curious about what Celebi's Blessing can do."
Yuga nodded, as he had no knowledge of this.
"You must have heard of the Viridian Power."
Yuga was familiar with this; it was said that children born near the Viridian Forest had a very slight chance of awakening mysterious power and this power later called the Viridian Power. This power could heal Pokémon, communicate with them, and was highly regarded, on par with other mystical abilities like Psychic Abilities, and Aura Mastery.
Mr. Kuni'o explained, "In reality, the Viridian Power is a part of Celebi's Blessing. It's only referred to as the Viridian Power near the Viridian Forest in the Kanto region, but its essence is Celebi's Blessing."
In this world, it was rumored that there were a few Celebis no one knew about, but each continent was said to have one. While the authenticity of these claims was questionable, the vast Viridian Forest that spanned both the Kanto and Johto regions did exist.
Celebi's type was Grass and Psychic. The Grass type granted the Viridian Power its healing abilities, while the Psychic type allowed for communication.
But the Viridian Power was simply a local term used by Kanto residents; its true essence was Celebi's Blessing.
After listening to Mr. Kuni'o's explanation, Yuga finally understood the nature of what resided within him.
They continued to chat for a while, and then Mr. Kuni'o said, "It's getting late. You should return to rest. Come see me again tomorrow; there are some matters we need to discuss."
Although curious about what Mr. Kuni'o wanted to discuss the next day, Yuga refrained from asking too much. He would find out tomorrow.
As he left Mr. Kuni'o's residence, the Chatot returned to Yuga's shoulder and exclaimed, "That old man is too scary!"
Yuga rolled his eyes. "What makes you say that? He's a Trainer with the title of Master!"
The Chatot retorted, "Exactly! He's a Trainer with the Master title!"