Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 448 Sacrificial Dance, Phoenix King Descends

"Mr. Natsume!"

A crisp call pierced the twilight, carrying the unique vigor of a young girl.

Sakura—the girl who had received ancient dance steps from him at the beauty pageant—hurriedly came forward.

Behind her, four older sisters, dressed in simple practice clothes, had a mixture of tension and a sense of mission that was almost tragic on their young faces.

"You've arrived!" Sakura's voice trembled slightly, filled with the relief of seeing her pillar of support. "Tomorrow, we'll do our best to dance the dance you taught us!"

Natsume nodded, his gaze sweeping over them like a calm lake: "Sincerity moves mountains."

He did not hand over the crucial transparent bell he was carrying to anyone.

The small bell, warm and smooth as jade, with a gentle, star-like radiance, was carefully kept close to his body, pressed against his chest, as if he could feel its subtle pulse.

It is the only key to awaken the dormant gods, and this key must be waved by them personally at the most crucial moment.

The day of the sacrifice is at noon.

The blazing sunlight, like molten gold, poured down on every corner of Yuanzhu City.

The plaza in front of the bell tower and the surrounding streets had long been completely swallowed up by a dense, dark mass of people.
The air was as thick as solidified resin, and a strange silence permeated the air.

This is not devout focus, but more like a numb waiting for an old ritual, a weariness of having long been estranged from ethereal legends.

Many people have empty eyes, their gazes wandering in the air or onto the back of their neighbors' heads, their faces etched with a sense of routine.

Several elderly people with white hair, leaning on canes, strained their cloudy eyes to look at the towering spire, muttering under their breath, "Ah, the old rule, no matter how well you jump, Lord Phoenix King won't be able to see it. Back in our ancestors' time, it really could attract the divine bird."

Their tone carried a serene indifference, devoid of worldly cares, but deeper beneath lay a profound sense of loss, worn down by the passage of time.

The stylish young people seemed somewhat distracted; some were looking down at their phones, others were idly interacting with their Pokémon, and occasionally they would glance up at the top of the tower.

Natsume took in all of this.

High in the sky, a few wisps of thin clouds drifted aimlessly, like lazy bystanders, setting off the huge and frozen stage below.

"Boom--!"

"Boom--!"

"Boom--!"

Three ancient, heavy chimes, like sighs, crashed down from the top of the Bell Tower, striking everyone's heart like an invisible hammer.

In an instant, even the faintest whispers vanished, and an absolute, suffocating silence enveloped everything; even the wind seemed to be nailed to the spot by this solemnity.

At the top of the tower, a delicate and ethereal bell sound suddenly rang out, like a mountain stream dripping onto a stone plate, or like the whisper of an elf, breaking the deathly silence.

The sacrificial dance began.

The sound of bells rose and fell with the unseen dance steps, sometimes light and lively, sometimes solemn and slow, weaving a long-lost ballad with a touch of melancholy, which flowed laboriously in the frozen air.

The crowd instinctively looked up, and countless gazes were fixed on the towering spire that reached into the clouds.

Although the dance moves were not visible, the melodious bell sound, tinged with a subtle sadness, seemed like an invisible thread, pulling at some sleeping corners.

"She danced so well. The sound of that bell is so touching," a middle-aged woman murmured, wiping the corner of her eye.

“No matter how good it sounds, it’s all for nothing,” someone muttered from the side, their voice extremely low. “The Phoenix King… won’t be coming back for so many years.”

The whispers were like pebbles thrown into stagnant water, causing no ripples and quickly dissipating into the heavy silence.

Natsume stood at the very front of the crowd, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

The whispers and sighs of those around him reached his ears clearly, but he merely raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing an elusive, faint smile.

His mind was as taut as a bowstring, his spirit highly focused, and all his senses were sharpened to the extreme.

With his palm pressed against his chest, he could clearly feel the warm outline of the transparent bell and the faint, almost imperceptible warmth flowing within it, even through his clothes.

Natsume could "hear" the girls at the top of the tower's every devout spin and every precise step. Their pure intentions were drawing upon the ancient energy in the air, which was as thin as a wisp of smoke. It gathered and swirled with difficulty, like the faint breath from the nostrils of a sleeping giant.

In the air, something vast and silent seemed to be being cautiously and tentatively stirred by this faint call.

The dance reached its most intense climax!
The bell at the top of the tower suddenly became rapid and high-pitched, like dense drumbeats frantically pounding on a taut, heart-wrenching string, carrying a desperate, almost tragic, calling power! The thin clouds in the sky seemed to be violently stirred by this invisible wave of sound, and began to tumble and deform uneasily.

Right now
Natsume's eyes flashed with lightning speed, and he no longer hesitated.

Without any further announcements or movements, he suddenly reached into his robes and pulled out the unremarkable transparent bell, which, under the blazing midday sun, resembled the purest crystal, simple and unadorned.

He raised his arm, drawing an arc that gathered all his strength, and swung it forcefully towards the top of the bell tower!
"bite----------!!!"

A clear, resonant cry, beyond description, suddenly tore through the heavy, stagnant air!
The sound was so pure and untouched by dust, so distant it seemed to come from the end of time, and with unparalleled penetrating power, it instantly drowned out all the bells at the top of the tower and shattered the deathly silence of the square.

It is like an invisible yet dazzling torrent of light, carrying a powerful force that cleanses the soul and connects heaven and earth, shooting straight into the sky!
The crowd erupted in an uproar, and countless gazes turned in astonishment from the top of the tower to Natsume.

"what is that?!"

"What is he holding in his hand?!"

"Such a loud sound! My God, it's coming from him!"

Those in the front row saw his arm-waving motion and the peculiar bell, and their shocked gasps spread like ripples.

A miracle occurred the instant the utter silence was shattered.

The enormous bronze bell at the top of the tower, symbolizing the core of the ritual and having been silent for countless years like a sleeping behemoth, seemed to be completely struck by this clear sound that transcends time.

"Buzz————————!!!"

A deep, resonant sound, as powerful as the heartbeat of the earth and filled with sacred majesty, erupted from the top of the tower with overwhelming force.

At the same time, a soft, yet powerfully imbued with a vast and boundless life force, milky-white beam of light shot up from the top of the tower without warning, like the spear of an awakened deity, piercing straight into the sky!
"Wow—"

A clear phoenix cry that shook the heavens and earth and made the soul tremble exploded like the first thunderclap at the beginning of time!

The ancient majesty and boundless vitality contained in that voice made everyone's heart stop beating abruptly.

High in the sky, ten thousand golden rays, like a molten golden waterfall, poured down with a roar, instantly engulfing the entire Yuanzhu City.

Towers, buildings, streets, crowds—everything was bathed in a sacred gold, eclipsing even the midday sun.

Amidst countless pupils wide open in utter shock, almost bursting at the seams, beside the figures of five dancers trembling violently, barely able to stand, their faces streaked with tears—

A colossal, breathtakingly beautiful, and divine bird, bathed in endless golden divine light, slowly descended.

Its body is covered with shimmering, golden feathers that seem to have been forged from the core of the sun, and its long, colorful tail trails like flowing rainbows, creating a dreamlike trail of light.

The blazing flame, symbolizing eternal life, leaps and rises between its magnificent wings.

Its majestic yet compassionate gaze, like two brilliant stars, seemed to pierce through the mists of time and space, carrying a hint of scrutiny and a complex emotion of long-awaited reunion, as it looked down upon the city it had once resolutely abandoned.

Ho-Oh!

Legend has it that the God of Life and Fire, who had long since vanished from the human world, descended once again atop the Bell Tower in Yuanzhu City on this day when humanity had almost buried all hope in the dust. Guided by the devout call of a lost ancient sacrificial dance and the pure sound of a bell that pierced through the hearts of all ages, he transcended long periods of despair and unspeakable pain!

The deathly silence was utterly crushed.

Deafening screams, incredulous shouts, and cries of joy swept through the city like a tsunami, and the crowd erupted in cheers!
The old people who had been sighing just moments before were now trembling with excitement, their withered hands gripping their canes or the arms of those around them, and tears streaming down their faces like a burst dam: "He's back! He's back! The Phoenix King has really returned!!"

Numbness was replaced by ecstasy, and alienation was completely melted away by the burning light of faith.

The young man's mouth dropped open, unaware that his phone had slipped from his unconscious hand. His face was filled with shock and bewilderment at the sight, which defied his understanding. He was then completely captivated by the pure and sacred beauty, leaving him with only instinctive awe and excitement.

The transparent bell in Natsume's hand had returned to calm, as warm as ever, as if the earth-shaking power just now was just an illusion.

He gazed calmly at the sacred and colossal figure atop the tower, the golden divine light illuminating his deep eyes.

Natsume could clearly feel the astonishing heat emanating from the golden ring in his arms, as if he were holding a tiny sun.

The successful summoning is just the beginning.

Next comes the moment that will truly determine our fate.

Hoopa's prayer and his promise to the giant Dragonite will soon find their final answer under the power of this legendary Pokémon.

(End of this chapter)