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The Illuminati incident caused significant commotion not only within China but also sparked widespread discussion in foreign countries.
The death of Hermes, one of the three legendary sword masters, was a devastating loss for the Illuminati organization. Their dark networks had struggled to fully infiltrate the core power structures of China, making their activities in the region rare in recent years. The latest contact between the two dated back fifty years, when China was far from being as powerful as it is today.
The Illuminati had previously antagonized Western countries, but now they had completely forged an enmity with this sleeping eastern giant.
Western nations were quietly pleased—the cancer that was the Illuminati had finally come to plague China. And China, which had been taking advantage of anti-Illuminati crusade activities, would definitely contribute seriously to the fight against this common enemy.
At the provincial headquarters of the Pokémon Center, Roy lay on the hospital bed with his Vulpix perched on his left shoulder while Nebula sat on his right, contentedly chewing on energy cubes.
Under official orders, all students who participated in the field survival test, along with their Pokémon, were transferred to the best local Pokémon Center in the province for examination and treatment. Roy was among them.
Despite repeatedly insisting he wasn't injured, the officials and school administration were concerned about potential complications and forced everyone to undergo rigorous inspections to prevent any lasting effects. Simultaneously, authorities were thoroughly investigating whether any Illuminati remnants remained in the vicinity.
For the students' safety, Roy and the others were prohibited from leaving the facility.
"Momo~" Nebula's face showed pure bliss.
The small Pokémon was allowed eleven energy cubes daily, the same amount as Vulpix. Over the past few days, Nebula had become completely obsessed with these treats, always "delicately savoring" each bite, afraid of rushing through the delicious food.
"You're really enjoying your meal, aren't you?" Roy poked Nebula's body with mild annoyance. "Meanwhile, Lucario, Vulpix, and I are getting rusty being stuck in this hospital..."
"Fortunately, I can be discharged tomorrow. Otherwise, I'd end up with serious back problems from this bed."
The comprehensive examination and observation period lasted three days, and today was the final day. These three days had made Roy extremely restless, as neither he nor his Pokémon had any place to train.
"Momo~" Nebula patted Roy's shoulder in perfunctory comfort before burying itself back into its meal, continuing to savor each bite.
Vulpix leaned over and gently licked Roy's face in a tender gesture of comfort.
"At least you're still my caring little one," Roy said with a smile.
He picked up Vulpix, rose from the hospital bed, and announced, "Let's go see how Elekid is doing."
During his three-day hospital stay, Roy's activities were limited to the Pokémon Center. Besides checking his phone and reading online commentaries about the incident, his only pastime was visiting Elekid's treatment sessions.
Leaving the ward, Roy walked confidently to the door of a medical room. The nurse guarding the entrance smiled and insisted on chatting with him. After Roy complimented her beautiful manicure, she reluctantly opened the door and let him enter.
'First day she changed her hairstyle, second day she changed her contact lenses, third day she changed her manicure... what would she change on the fourth day?' Roy wondered to himself. 'Well, I'm not sure if she changed anything under her uniform, and I couldn't see that anyway. I'm just curious, absolutely no other thoughts.'
Inside the room, Elekid and five other Pokémon were cooperating with treatment, being examined by various medical equipment.
Over the past few days, under the meticulous care of the doctors and nurses, the stress responses of the Pokémon had eased considerably, and they now obediently took their prescribed medications.
The medical team tried different methods each day to address the problem of electrical energy running out of control in Elekid's body.
Today's treatment plan involved using a Raichu with the Lightning Rod ability to absorb the excess electrical energy from their bodies.
Except for Elekid, all five other Pokémon had already received this treatment. The results were obvious—all five still showed pain on their faces.
This approach wasn't working for them.
Elekid was the sixth to be treated. A plump Raichu stood beside Elekid, its lightning-bolt tail touching the Electric Pokémon as it absorbed the energy from Elekid's body.
Soon, the electric energy was drained, and Elekid collapsed weakly to the ground.
Electric-type Pokémon were like this—too much or too little electrical energy in their bodies produced negative conditions. A precise balance had to be maintained.
Thunder and lightning itself is a violent and difficult-to-control energy. These Pokémon, after being injected with the "Power of Zekrom" by the Illuminati, had lightning in their bodies that had completely gone berserk—power that didn't belong to them at all.
The foreign lightning constantly damaged the integrity of their cells, causing excruciating torture.
Pikachu in the anime had experienced something similar. On his first day in the Unova region, Pikachu lost control over his electricity after being struck by Zekrom's lightning, resulting in a loss to a novice trainer's Pokémon. Later that same day, Zekrom appeared again and reclaimed the foreign lightning from Pikachu's body, curing him.
Meanwhile, the Raichu released all the absorbed electrical energy into a Charge device nearby, unable to store this alien lightning in its body for long.
"Blay!" Elekid, who was resting, spotted Roy standing at the door and raised his hand in greeting.
Roy walked over with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Bray! Bray!" Elekid patted his chest, indicating that after the treatment, his pain had been greatly relieved.
Just then, a voice spoke up behind them.
"This Lightning Rod solution cannot cure their condition, but it can significantly relieve their pain."
The speaker was the head of the medical team, a renowned doctor in China. His name was Edward, and Roy always addressed him as Doctor Edward.
Doctor Edward explained, "Right now they don't feel pain because the electrical energy in their bodies has been drained. When the electrical energy naturally regenerates, they'll soon feel pain again. Since they're Electric-type Pokémon, we can't drain the electrical energy from their bodies too frequently."
"Once a day is the limit—it provides relief but not a cure."
Speaking on this matter, Doctor Edward showed sympathy and sadness, adding with righteous indignation, "Their cells have been damaged for too long. Even if these Pokémon survive, their lifespans won't be long. For the rest of their lives, they'll continue to suffer from electrical pain every day... those poaching gangs truly deserve death."
Roy had never experienced the pain of "electricity piercing through the heart," but according to Doctor Edward, the pain level was 12—comparable to the pain a woman experiences during childbirth.
Roy continued chatting with Elekid, observing its condition.
Ten minutes later, Elekid recovered some electrical energy, but suddenly showed an expression of extreme pain. It collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently and foaming at the mouth.
"What—"
The sudden change caused expressions of astonishment among the medical team members.
A nurse quickly rushed forward, administered a sedative to Elekid, placed him on a stretcher, and carried him into a medical cabin.
"Doctor Edward, what's happening?" Roy asked anxiously.
The other five Pokémon hadn't shown Elekid's severe reaction after their electrical energy was restored.
"We need to investigate the specific reasons," Doctor Edward said, shaking his head thoughtfully.
After contemplating for a moment, he continued, "I have a rough theory."
He didn't hold back and directly shared his speculation.
"Elekid has survived the longest among these experimental Pokémon, relying on sheer willpower and vitality. Its cells have been eroded by alien lightning for so long that Elekid may have developed a kind of resistance to maintain a delicate balance in its body. When we extracted the electricity, it seemed to relieve the pain, but we actually destroyed this balance."
"The regenerated alien lightning has become more ferocious than before, and the pain Elekid will suffer will intensify. I fear even its lifespan will be shortened..."
"I'm afraid we made a mistake in our treatment because we were too eager to help," Doctor Edward admitted guiltily.
The sudden deterioration caused by the alien lightning had parallels in human medical cases. Some cancer patients, before surgery, despite unbearable pain, maintained a fragile balance with considerable time left to live. But after surgery, their cancer cells suddenly deteriorated, spread, and metastasized, leading to death not long after.
Roy remained silent. He couldn't think of a solution to counter the 'Power of Zekrom.'
The medical team had already tried similar approaches using electrical energy items from the PokéMart, such as "Lightning Rods" and "Charge Devices."
The results were the same—temporary relief, but no cure.
However, there was one item that had a high probability of curing Elekid.
Unfortunately, Roy couldn't afford it.
[Phoenix Feather: Feathers shed by the legendary Phoenix possess the 'Nirvana Resurrection' ability, capable of bringing the dead back to life. Price: 5 billion PokéDollars.]
If such an item could perform the miracle of resurrecting life, surely it could handle mere alien lightning.
But that price... Roy estimated he would have to wait until his name was known worldwide before he could ever afford such a treasure.