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During the previous battle, Roy had wondered why he hadn't seen Cosmog, concerned it might have been caught in Dragonite's Draco Meteor attack...
Dying tragically in an unknown area-of-effect attack would have been quite the 'embarrassment for a Legendary'.
But thinking logically, the best way to contain a Pokémon like Cosmog—with no combat ability except Teleport—wouldn't be a cage, but a Poké Ball.
Roy suspected that Cosmog had likely been kept on Hermes' person, one of the Illuminati's Swordbearers.
'Cosmog must have escaped during the chaos...'
Roy glanced toward the lake where the battle had reached its most intense phase.
Facing Frances, Hermes must have been fighting at full capacity with no energy to spare for Cosmog, who had seized the opportunity to escape. Perhaps Hermes had even intentionally released Cosmog, thinking, "If I can't have it, then neither the Chinese government nor the Pokémon League should have this mysterious Pokémon either..."
If that were the case, just the residual energy from the battle between the two powerful trainers would explain why the fleeing Cosmog was covered in bruises and had passed out here, only to be discovered by Elekid.
After deducing what had happened, Roy approached Elekid and extended his hand.
"Let me see it."
"Elekid."
Elekid obediently handed Cosmog over.
It no longer showed hostility toward Roy... though it maintained a wary and hostile attitude toward other humans.
After retrieving a Max Potion from his bag, Roy sprayed it on Cosmog's body.
The items produced by his mysterious system were definitely high-quality products.
Roy had never seen anything more effective than system-provided items. Under the healing power of the Max Potion, the injuries on Cosmog's body quickly vanished.
Soon, its eyes trembled slightly before slowly opening, and it uttered drowsily:
"Co~"
"You're awake?" Roy smiled. "This is a shelter. You're safe... you've escaped from the Illuminati."
"Co!"
Cosmog sat up suddenly, alarmed, and quickly scanned its surroundings with vigilance. After ensuring that the vicious Hermes was nowhere to be seen, it sighed with relief.
"co-co!"
It expressed gratitude to Roy, nuzzled against his face, and indicated it wanted to leave—to escape as far away as possible.
Not a chance.
How could Roy let a Legendary Pokémon simply walk away...
Although this Legendary seemed useless at present—not even matching a Rattata—it had incredible potential!
A true late-bloomer, the ultimate endgame character. Once it reached level 53, opponents would be instantly overwhelmed!
When Cosmog evolved into either Solgaleo or Lunala, it would immediately rival the power of a Mythical Pokémon.
Recalling the contents of the research log, Roy had an idea and quickly retrieved an Energy Cube from his bag.
"Don't worry, you look exhausted. Eat this first."
Cosmog eyed the Energy Cube curiously, hesitated for a second, then consumed it.
Instantly, its expression changed to one of delight at the explosion of flavors.
"Pew~"
It stared at Roy with wide, sparkling eyes, its expression clearly saying 'I want more'.
"Oh? You can eat more?"
Roy was slightly surprised. Energy Cubes were highly concentrated energy crystals. For novice-level Pokémon, ten cubes could satisfy their energy needs for about ten days without exercise.
Cosmog wasn't even as strong as a wild Rattata—how could it still be hungry?
After considering it, Roy realized there was probably no danger in Cosmog consuming too many Energy Cubes—at worst, they'd be wasted. He retrieved two more Energy Cubes and handed them to Cosmog.
The small Pokémon gulped them down eagerly, chewing slowly as if savoring a peerless delicacy, its face showing pure bliss.
Roy had no doubts—if this were a cooking show, Cosmog would have received a perfect score.
The diary hadn't lied; this guileless Pokémon would eat whatever it was given. If Roy had malicious intentions, he could have taken advantage of this naive creature countless times.
"Pew~" Cosmog continued gazing at Roy expectantly.
"You want more?"
Roy sensed something unusual.
There was no visible effect, yet after consuming three Energy Cubes, even his Lucario would have been satisfied.
Roy suddenly remembered Cosmog's evolution requirements from the games...
Cosmog's evolution didn't require collecting special items, fragments, or meeting specific conditions.
It simply needed to reach certain levels.
In the games, at level 43, Cosmog evolved into Cosmoem.
In its Cosmoem form, except for learning "Cosmic Power," it remained a weak Pokémon with minimal offensive capabilities.
Upon reaching level 53, it would evolve into either Solgaleo, the Sun Pokémon, or Lunala, the Moon Pokémon.
Of course, games and reality couldn't be directly compared. Many moves and mechanics portrayed in games manifested differently in reality, their true nature worth careful consideration.
But the game information still provided an important reference point.
Could it be that in both the Cosmog and Cosmoem stages, the Pokémon was in a state of energy accumulation? Perhaps all its biological mechanisms were dedicated to gathering energy as efficiently as possible, explaining its lack of combat effectiveness. Fighting would only waste energy, so it maintained only the basic "Teleport" ability to escape danger.
Once the energy reached a certain threshold, a dramatic transformation would occur—changing it from a seemingly harmless Pokémon into a powerful Legendary.
Accumulating enough energy to become a "Legendary"...
The energy required would be astronomical.
Through natural development, it might take hundreds or even thousands of years to meet this energy demand.
The Energy Cubes seemed to accelerate Cosmog's energy accumulation, explaining its eager reaction.
Roy gave Cosmog another five Energy Cubes.
Sure enough, after consuming them, Cosmog looked at Roy pleadingly.
Weak, helpless, pitiful, and somewhat pathetic.
"No more, you've had enough."
Roy rejected its seemingly bottomless appetite.
He couldn't calculate exactly how much energy Cosmog needed to accumulate to evolve, but he knew that even if he spent all his current points, it wouldn't be sufficient.
The reason was simple.
Could Roy create an Elite-level Pokémon by spending all his accumulated points?
If not, then how could he possibly satisfy the needs of a Legendary?
"Pew~" Seeing Roy's firm stance, Cosmog lowered its head in disappointment.
"But..." Roy adopted a sympathetic expression and muttered, as if to himself: "You really are pitiful, helpless and abused by those villains. I deeply sympathize with your situation... I'd love to take you in, but you have no battle capability. I heard you're not even as capable as a Rattata—naïve, slow, and gluttonous."
"You probably don't realize that the Energy Cubes I just gave you were specially prepared for my own Pokémon. They're valuable items that greatly enhance training efficiency. Each one is worth about half a month's food expenses for an ordinary Pokémon. I barely have enough for my team."
"Pew~" Cosmog looked deeply ashamed.
"Oh well... I guess that's that."
Roy sighed faintly, adopting an expression suggesting he was making a great sacrifice.
"I'll do this out of compassion."
"You can stay with me and be my assistant Pokémon."
"I'll give you some Energy Cubes daily. What do you think?"
Roy raised his head slightly, his expression cool and detached, as if he were offering Cosmog a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
"Co~~!!"
Cosmog rushed forward without hesitation, grabbing Roy's leg and crying out with overwhelming emotion.
Nearby, Elekid witnessed this precious moment of "early human taming a Legendary Pokémon."
Elekid thought Roy must truly be a good person. The gleaming Energy Cubes were obviously valuable, yet he gave them to Cosmog—a Pokémon with no relation to him. He'd even provided a Potion earlier, saving Elekid's life...
But something still bothered Elekid.
Were Energy Cubes really such precious items that could greatly improve training efficiency?
Remembering the faces of its enemies and the pain it had endured all this time, Elekid clenched its fists.