After leaving the forest, Gary made a clear decision.
He would return to the village and obtain Gracidea again using the same method as before. But this time, things would be different.
If he encountered another Shaymin that tried to play tricks again, he would not hesitate.
He would fight.
And he would fight seriously.
"Arcanine, stop here."
"Woof."
Arcanine slowed down obediently and came to a halt. Gary dismounted smoothly, recalled Arcanine into its Poké Ball, and immediately released Articuno instead.
"Kreee—ah!"
With a powerful beat of its wings, Articuno lifted Gary into the night sky, heading north toward Floaroma Village.
By the time Gary arrived, it was already past 1:00 a.m.
The village was silent. Most lights were off, and only a few lanterns flickered faintly along the stone roads. Professor Oak would certainly be asleep by now, which meant Pokémon transfers would have to wait until morning. If Gary wanted more Gracidea, he would also need to wait for the flower shop to open.
"This time… I misjudged badly," Gary muttered.
In the theatrical version, Shaymin often appeared weak, timid, and fragile. Based on that impression, Gary had assumed that the strongest Shaymin in the group would be at most Elite-level.
He had been wrong.
Very wrong.
There were two Champion-level Shaymin, and several others not far behind.
"That was on me," Gary admitted silently.
It wouldn't happen again.
Next time, he would teleport all his main combat Pokémon. If Shaymin tried to go back on their word again, he would handle it directly.
Gary shook his head slightly, amused and irritated at the same time.
"I never thought I'd be tricked by Pokémon one day."
Not all Pokémon were innocent, kind-hearted beings. Even among Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, there were those with mischievous—or outright shameless—personalities.
After all, Sinnoh had once a Togepi born with malicious tendencies.
After a quick shower, Gary lay down to rest. Since Shaymin moved mainly at night, there was no urgency during the day.
Exhaustion caught up with him quickly.
The Next Morning
A gentle fragrance drifted into the room.
Soft.
Fresh.
Floral.
Gary's brows twitched as he slowly opened his eyes.
"…Hm?"
The scent was unmistakable.
Flowers.
Not just any flowers—this was the clean, refreshing fragrance of Gracidea.
Gary sat up abruptly.
"What…?"
The first thing he noticed was the open window.
A cool breeze flowed in, carrying the scent deeper into the room.
"I clearly closed it last night…"
Confused, Gary swung his legs off the bed. As he reached out to steady himself on the mattress—
His hand pressed into something soft.
Warm.
Furry.
"Mi!"
A small startled cry rang out.
Gary's heart skipped violently.
He jerked his hand back and looked down.
There, curled comfortably on the edge of his bed, was a small green Pokémon with white fur and a pink flower blooming on its head.
Above it floated clear data.
[LV75 Shaymin | Legendary]
"…Shaymin?!"
Gary froze.
This wasn't just any Shaymin.
This was the leader of the group from last night.
The Legendary-level one.
Shaymin blinked sleepily, then yawned.
"Why are you screaming so early in the morning?" a familiar voice echoed directly in Gary's mind.
"You… why are you here?" Gary asked, still stunned.
Shaymin stretched lazily, her petals fluttering slightly.
"Obviously, I'm here to keep my promise," she replied. "Hurry up and use a Poké Ball to capture me."
Gary stared at her.
"…What?"
"When did you even come?" he asked.
"I followed you back last night," Shaymin said casually. "After settling my companions, I came over. You were already asleep, so I didn't bother waking you."
Gary fell silent.
He had expected many things—but this was not one of them.
"You actually came back…" he murmured.
"So?" Shaymin tilted her head. "A deal is a deal."
Gary felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Last night, he had genuinely thought he'd been tricked.
It turned out—
He had misunderstood Shaymin.
"Wait a moment," Gary said.
He jumped out of bed, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out an Ultra Ball. Without hesitation, he tossed it gently toward Shaymin.
Shaymin didn't resist.
The Ultra Ball opened, enveloping her in red light.
Click… click… click.
After three brief shakes, the ball fell still—resting quietly on the bed.
[Ding! Task Triggered: Conquer the Gratitude Pokémon Shaymin]
[Reward: Master Rare Candy ×3]
[Gold Crown ×1]
[Ability Enhancement Stone ×1]
[Ability Expansion Stone ×1]
[Ding! Task Completed. Rewards have been placed in the Space Backpack.]
Gary's eyes lit up instantly.
"So generous?"
He hadn't expected such a rich reward for conquering just one Shaymin.
Without even checking Shaymin's full data, Gary immediately opened the Poké Ball again.
A flash of light.
Shaymin reappeared on the bed.
"…That's it?" Shaymin asked, blinking.
"Yes," Gary replied. "It's done."
Shaymin stared at him.
"…Didn't you say you wanted photos and proof?"
"Oh, right."
Gary calmly pulled out his camera, raised it, and snapped a picture.
Click.
"Okay," he said. "All finished."
Shaymin: →_→
She stared at him in disbelief.
"That's… boring," Shaymin complained. "I thought you humans liked complicated rituals."
Gary shrugged.
"No need."
Shaymin snorted lightly.
"Don't bother me again for something like this," she said. "I'm leaving."
Her body glowed faintly.
Golden light enveloped her as she transformed into Sky Forme, wings unfurling gracefully.
With a soft flap, she exited through the open window, disappearing into the morning sky.
Gary stood there for a moment.
Then smiled.
"So Shaymin really is a Gratitude Pokémon," he said softly. "Just… a tsundere one."
After getting dressed, Gary headed downstairs to the Pokémon Center lobby, still in a good mood.
What he'd thought would be a long hunt had resolved itself unexpectedly.
That was a genuine surprise.
He walked over to the transfer terminal and dialed Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"Gary?" came a familiar voice. "Why are you calling so early?"
The person on the line was Tracey Sketchit.
"Tracey," Gary said, "help me transfer some Pokémon."
"…Which ones?"
"Charizard. Machamp. Moltres. Zapdos. And Tyranitar."
There was a long pause.
"…Gary," Tracey said slowly, "are you planning to overthrow the Elite Four?"
"I'm not doing anything dangerous," Gary replied calmly. "I'm just preparing to capture something. I'm worried my current lineup isn't strong enough."
"What are you trying to capture?" Tracey asked, shocked.
"You'll find out after I succeed," Gary said. "Transfer them over."
"…Alright," Tracey sighed. "Give me a few minutes."
More than ten minutes later, the transfer completed. Gary stored several Pokémon he no longer needed at the moment—mainly Ice-types, which wouldn't be very useful for his next destination.
Stark Mountain.
Fire-type territory.
Carrying too many Pokémon also meant higher daily costs for food and care.
Efficiency mattered.
A New Enhancement
Gary released Arcanine once more.
"Woof!"
He mounted Arcanine and rode out of Floaroma Village, the morning sun warming the land.
As they ran, Gary reached out and stroked Arcanine's thick fur.
"System," he thought, "use the Ability Expansion Stone on Arcanine."
He didn't intend to let such a valuable reward sit unused.
Arcanine would be crucial at Stark Mountain.
[Ding! Ability Expansion stone successfully used.]
"Rrr—woof?!"
Arcanine suddenly stopped mid-run and looked back at Gary, eyes wide with surprise.