Terrance counted them. Fifteen Cherrim scattered in all directions and fled at once.
However, their sense of direction was quickly disrupted by Mismagius, forcing them to gather back together.
“Why are you running so fast… I’ve already forgotten which one it was.”
On the first floor, Cherrim were not predators, but neither were they pushovers. It was said that when Cherrim bloomed, they released all the anger they had kept suppressed. If you lacked the strength and happened to encounter them in their Sunshine Form right after they bloomed, then you were on your own.
The Cherrim before him clearly showed no signs of releasing their anger. That was because they had not yet accumulated enough energy. For that very reason, they traveled while singing and constantly searched for new places to stay, all to avoid encountering their natural enemies.
After falling into Mismagius’s illusion, it did not take long for the Cherrim to realize that their freedom had been restricted. Their strong instinct to fight back quickly drove them to gather their power and attempt a breakout.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, ten Cherrim used Sunny Day, creating a blazing sun with extraordinarily intense sunlight. But not every Cherrim was enjoying the sunlight this time. Of the fifteen Cherrim, only five began absorbing the sun’s energy.
The moment the solar energy entered their bodies, those five Cherrim instantly changed forms. The Cherrim Terrance had locked onto, the one possessing top-tier vocal talent, was among them.
Soon, those Cherrim transformed into forms that looked as though they were wearing short skirts and hair made of pink cherry blossom petals. In addition, they had two small berry-like spheres decorating their hair like ornaments.
Short, thick stems, pink arms, and short yellow legs… that was their new appearance.
After changing forms, Cherrim actually became even cuter, looking less threatening than before.
However, if anyone dared underestimate the Pokémon groups within the Super-Ancient Pyramid, even a veteran Trainer who had fought in the Champion League would end up getting beaten badly.
“Mismagius, Mystical Fire.”
As the five core Cherrim, filled with anger, fiercely whipped up a blizzard-like storm of falling petals and charged toward Terrance and the others, Terrance gave his command without hesitation.
The instant he spoke, flames resembling Will-O-Wisps collided head-on with the incoming petal storm. To Mismagius’s surprise, despite holding the type advantage, its Mystical Fire failed to burn away the petals immediately. Instead, it was forced to withstand the rapidly rotating force of the petals and showed signs of breaking apart.
“Use your full power.”
Only after Terrance spoke again did Mismagius’s Mystical Fire finally break through the Petal Blizzard, the fiery serpents scattering in all directions as they began pursuing the Cherrim.
These Cherrim all possessed the Flower Gift Ability. In Sunny Form, Pokémon with Flower Gift, along with their allies, received boosts to Attack and Special Defense. With all fifteen Cherrim gathered together and activating Flower Gift simultaneously, and with ten of them further using Helping Hand to enhance their companions, the five core Cherrim temporarily gained strength beyond their limits.
That attack just now was enough to threaten most veteran Trainers. But clearly, that level of power was still insufficient to break through Mismagius’s Mystical Fire. Terrance had seen far too many coordinations like this within the Super-Ancient Pyramid. These Cherrim were actually relatively harmless since their individual strength was not particularly high. Otherwise, they would have been even more dangerous. On some floors, he had even encountered Pokémon groups whose coordinated teamwork gave them the power to threaten Top Trainers.
“It’s you!”
As Mystical Fire rampaged past them, the three red gems on Mismagius’s body began to glow with an eerie light. Its eyes lit up as well, and it chanted a strange incantation. Its entire Hypnosis sequence flowed seamlessly, and in less than half a second, one of the Cherrim was pinned in place. By then, all of its companions had already fled, afraid that Terrance would try to keep them as well.
Under the impact of Mismagius’s illusion skill, the Cherrim lost consciousness without any surprise and was struck directly by Terrance’s Poké Ball. After shaking a few times, the Cherrim was successfully captured by Terrance.
“With this, the fourth member of the Pokémon Diva Idol Project is secured. As long as I can find Jigglypuff, the project can finally begin operating,” Terrance muttered to himself as he looked at the Poké Ball and released Cherrim again.
For the Pokémon living within the Super-Ancient Pyramid, concepts such as “Trainer,” “capture,” and “Poké Ball” were almost nonexistent. As a result, after emerging from the Poké Ball, the Cherrim still looked at Terrance with hostility.
For Pokémon in the outside world, most would display obedience after being captured, because the concepts of “Trainer” and “capture” were already ingrained in their bloodline. They understood that being captured was not necessarily a bad thing but rather a mutually beneficial partnership. Many Pokémon would even leave their homes on their own to search for a Trainer they approved of. Of course, there were Pokémon that rejected humans, but they were relatively rare. Inside the Super-Ancient Pyramid, however, those rare cases had clearly become the norm.
“Mismagius, help calm it down,” Terrance said.
The next moment, the soul-soothing bell chime produced by Mismagius entered Cherrim’s ears and reached its heart, slightly reducing its hostility. Even so, Cherrim continued to watch Terrance cautiously.
“Don’t be so nervous. I believe you won’t regret being captured. Next, I’ll explain the outside world to you. If you’d rather stay here, I won’t force you. At the same time, I’ll also take you back to reunite with your group,” Terrance said directly.
Mr. Yoshi had once told Terrance something: some of the Pokémon within the Super-Ancient Pyramid did not particularly enjoy living here. Because they had been isolated from the outside world for so long, many of them were filled with curiosity toward the world beyond and the unknown. By approaching them from that angle, most Pokémon would not refuse being captured.
This was especially true for the lower-floor Pokémon within the Super-Ancient Pyramid, who were even more eager for a change in their living environment.
There was no sun within the Super-Ancient Pyramid. For a phototropic Pokémon like Cherrim, the outside world was actually much more suitable. Terrance was counting on that fact.
At this point, the Rotom Pokédex proved extremely useful. Its holographic projection technology quickly immersed Cherrim in the beauty of the outside world…
In less than twenty minutes, the Cherrim had latched onto Terrance and refused to leave. It wanted to see a real sun rather than an energy construct created from energy, and it also wanted to see whether the brightly lit stage simulated by the Rotom Pokédex was truly as gorgeous as it appeared.
“It seems you’ve already made your decision.” Terrance smiled faintly.
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