Jubilife City was crowded and full of prying eyes, so Looker stayed behind to handle the aftermath. After that, he also had to head straight to the Valley Windworks to keep watch and investigate. Just like in the original plot, only earlier.
On Hikaru's side, he had already sent Cynthia a ssage.
Valley Windworks. Soon. Team Galactic.
The ssage was extrely short, but Hikaru knew Cynthia would definitely go. Even if what he was doing looked a little like fortune-telling, Cynthia herself had so of that mystic knack too. Volo was even worse. Really, all the Celestica people were like that.
And while he was at it, he still had one important thing to hand over to Cynthia - the Arceus outfit.
Lucas had really wanted to stay and see what this Prince of the Sea actually was, but because he had to deliver docunts to Canalave City, he couldn't remain behind. He could only say goodbye to Dawn with regret. Wendy called over her Staraptor, and before leaving, she said to Hikaru:
"The thing the three princes of the crystals in Almia were worried about - you're not planning to tell a little more? There should be things we need to stay on guard against next, right?"
Hikaru spread his hands. "Remote observation really isn't convenient. Anyway, look into the Linework Plateau - the Nurié Plateau. But be extra careful. No, forget it, don't go in too deep. Just observe it remotely and do a light exploration at most."
"One of Almia's crystals can subtly corrupt people's hearts, so it's extrely dangerous. My advice is this: be careful of the Angel Company. Just like Team Galactic, they look like an energy developnt company on the surface, but inside, they've already changed."
Wendy thought for a mont. "Understood. I'll tell Professor Hastings. The Nurié Plateau is a huge stretch of land, after all."
"As for the more specific details, wait until you get there. Since you said nothing's going to happen soon, then I guess it really will be fine for now."
Hikaru said, "You have to leave room for young heroes to grow. You can't do everything for them. And besides, I really do trust your strength. With your power, and the power of the young heroes who may appear, you'll definitely be able to handle it."
"That said, trouble in this world really does co one thing after another."
That was normal enough. After all, several of the NDS-era titles had been released in clusters, so there were just a lot of events packed into Generations Four and Five.
The ga tiline had originally been stretched out so much that people barely even brought it up anymore. Then after Pokémon Masters EX started, people from all eras got pulled together into one giant free-for-all.
And in Pokémon Adventures, because the early tiline had collapsed so badly, later on they compressed everything from the RGB arc onward, all the way to XY and the Oga Ruby/Alpha Sapphire remake material, into just four years. The Sun and Moon events happened roughly half a year after XY. On average, every few months, so villain trying to destroy the world would pop out.
Wendy said, "The way you talk really does remind a little of Champion Alder. You kind of sound like a guide. But whatever. I trust you."
"Bye. See you later... no, I guess it'll be a whole bunch of months before we et again!"
"Oh, and Dawn-chan, if anything happens after the prince's egg hatches, make sure to tell us right away! We need more experience with this kind of thing too. Hikaru here said there are still two more princes that haven't been found yet. That's going to be a lot of searching!"
"Okay! I'll hatch it seriously!" Dawn nodded hard in agreent, though inwardly she had no confidence at all. Still, it'd be fine. Probably.
Wendy noticed the tension in her and struck a cool pose. "You're the Hero of the Sea. Don't be so nervous!"
Dawn looked a little embarrassed, then turned to Hikaru again, still not really understanding.
She was just a girl from Twinleaf Town. What hero was she supposed to be? It was all so strange. Why did people keep saying she had sothing to do with the Hero of the Sea?
Maybe, during the stretch of road they would travel together next, she would get her answer.
Wendy waved goodbye to the two of them, grabbed Lucas, and hauled him right up onto Staraptor's head in one smooth motion. Speaking of which, Wendy's Staraptor was enormous. In the Hisui era, it would have been at least an alpha.
"Lucas-kun, you'd better hold on tight! My Staraptor is fast! In the blink of an eye, we'll be in Canalave City!"
"O-Okay!"
Watching the Staraptor beat its wings and disappear into the sky, the two of them had by now already left Jubilife City.
Only then did Dawn open the special container holding the Prince of the Sea.
The blue egg looked like polished jade, giving off a faint glow. The prince seed able to sense Dawn's pure heart, and was sending out psychic ripples in response.
In an instant, Dawn heard the prince's soft murmur.
"Huh... I heard it."
"Of course you did. You're a descendant of the hero." Hikaru smiled, then asked her, "Then can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead?" Dawn nodded, confused.
Hikaru's expression grew a little more serious. "Before you left ho, did you happen to pick up sothing that looked kind of like coral and kind of like a Pyukumuku? Or maybe like a clay xun flute. Purple in color. It can produce a strange sound when you blow into it."
He had once received a task: go to Spear Pillar, carve the Celestica Flute, and hand it to the person it was ant for.
And that person, of course, was Dawn.
But Dawn only shook her head blankly.
"Huh? I've never seen anything like that. It sounds really weird... Is it so kind of antique? Or was one of my ancestors soone famous?"
Hikaru said, "Of course they were famous. It's just that people today don't rember anymore."
"But if they were famous, then why doesn't anyone rember?"
Hikaru replied, "At the very least, in the mory of certain Pokémon, your ancestors probably still have quite the fearso reputation."
No mory. No Azure Flute.
Hikaru gave a faint nod.
It seed that perhaps history's "correction" and "overwriting" had not yet begun.
Hisui's story, when you got down to it, had so strangely glaring mismatches with Sinnoh. Especially after a span of 150 years, even the map itself had started to differ.
The biggest changes were along the Cobalt Coastlands and Firespit Island. It was as if the land had split apart entirely. And sohow, in the northeast, the Battle Zone had appeared out of nowhere. So people thought the Battle Zone was simply Firespit Island, but in reality, the terrain and the amount of landmass were completely different.
Rather than saying Firespit Island beca the Battle Zone, it would be more accurate to say it beca the Sinnoh League's headquarters.
"I see. Then this flute is for you."
Hikaru pulled a pure white flute from his backpack.
"It's already been carved. All that's left is to wait for you to carry it where it needs to go."
"...When you suddenly say things like that, it kind of puts on the spot." Dawn looked distinctly flustered now, even uneasy.
She had only been collecting Pokédex data, wandering around, and beating Gym Leaders for badges along the way. So why did it suddenly feel like so huge mission had been dropped on her shoulders?
First the prince, and now so flute. Had her ancestors really left behind so kind of task?
For a mont Dawn felt a lot of pressure, but Hikaru's laughter quickly washed it away.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just move freely. Go wherever you want. As for Professor Rowan's assignnt, just handle it normally."
"Everything will turn out to be the best possible choice."
"But before that, do you know those weird Team Galactic people?"
Hikaru thought about how the Team Galactic grunts Dawn was originally supposed to beat up had ended up getting beaten up by him instead. Which ant Dawn had lost her first chance to co into contact with them.
But at that mont, the invisible hand of Jubilife TV had stepped in again.
Dawn raised her Pokétch. Today's headline was playing on it. "I already watched it. Sobody fild your battle."
"These weird people who wanted to steal Xiao Hui and the professor's research data... they really don't look like good people."
Hikaru said, "You'll probably run into that bunch again soon. So, for a certain matter... I want you to catch a Pokémon."
"You want to catch a Pokémon? Why...? Though if it helps complete the Pokédex, that actually sounds kind of nice. It's part of Professor Rowan's request anyway."
"What kind of Pokémon is it?"
After Wendy had left, Hikaru took out the illegal Capture Styler he had made. Accompanied by a flash of crackling electricity, little Rotom popped its head out from the device with a mischievous giggle.
Dawn jumped in surprise, then imdiately beca curious. "Whoa! What is that?! That's so cool!"
Hikaru said, "Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. Its body is like electricity, so it can enter certain machines. It looks almost like a spirit powered by electrical energy. It's an incredibly bizarre Pokémon."
"It sneaks its ion-made body into all kinds of machines, and its favorite thing is using them as bodies to pull pranks and scare people. But so far, there have only been a very small number of sightings and capture records."
"At present, Rotom is known to have five battle forms, and depending on the form it takes, its type changes as well. It's an exceptionally rare Pokémon that can freely alter its own typing."
"A long ti ago, in the Sinnoh region, there was a boy who discovered Rotom. Would you like to hear a story?"
Hikaru looked ahead and realized Dawn's walking speed was absurdly fast. He actually had to stride out properly just to keep pace with her.
They had only just left Jubilife City, and it already seed like the next location was visible ahead.
If she didn't stop in the wild to gather Pokédex information, then with Dawn's pace she could probably travel all across Sinnoh and beat everybody up in under two months.
That efficiency was way higher than Ash's.
"A story? What kind of story? Is it about this weird Pokémon?"
Dawn reached out and tried poking Rotom, only for a burst of electricity to zip through her whole body.
Crackle!
Watching Dawn get run through by lightning, spit out a puff of black smoke, and then continue talking like absolutely nothing had happened, Hikaru was suddenly full of emotion.
The descendant of a super Hisuian really could not be underestimated.
In a certain sense, only a super Pallet native could match that.
"In a hidden room inside a building in Eterna City, a story like this is recorded."
As Hikaru and Dawn headed toward Eterna Forest, he began telling her the story of Cyrus and Rotom.
"A long ti ago, in the sun-drenched city of Sunyshore City, there was a boy who loved machines. He was very diligent, had outstanding scientific talent, was calm by nature, and loved Pokémon too."
"However, because his parents placed excessively high expectations on him and raised him with an elite-style education, the boy's emotions gradually turned withdrawn and isolated."
"He didn't get along with anybody. He always played alone, and worked hard at his studies."
"The boy often built strange little machines, and his eting with it happened very suddenly..."
"That day, the boy had lost a toy robot he had made. When he finally found it again, a Pokémon jumped out from the motor of a lawn mower nearby."
"So the boy stood there holding the robot, staring at that Pokémon. The Pokémon floated lightly in the air and approached him with an expression of wonder."
"It seed to be giving off electricity, making the air around it crackle like it might split apart. Just when the boy was thinking that if it got any closer, his face would get zapped too, that Pokémon suddenly seed to smile."
"Heeheehee~" little Rotom gave an amused laugh, and Hikaru smiled at Dawn. "Yep. Just like that."
"At that mont, the boy understood that he and it could beco friends. So he decided to call this strange Pokémon 'Rotom.'"
"The reason was simple. It ca out of the motor of a lawn mower. You can see the connection between Motor and Rotom, right?"
"The boy wrote this: Rotom is an amazing Pokémon. It can make itself disappear without a trace, but even more amazing than that, it can enter all kinds of machines. And once it goes inside, it can make those machines move."
"The boy and Rotom were inseparable at all tis. Even though the electricity Rotom released ant the boy couldn't touch it or hug it, he didn't mind. Because he felt that his heart and Rotom's heart were always tightly connected."
"Then one day, sothing happened."
"The boy looked at Rotom floating in the air and decided to scare it for once, just for a change. But Rotom was probably startled too badly, and it released a much wider range of electricity than usual. The boy was knocked unconscious. And when he woke up, Rotom was gone."
Dawn blinked.
Knocked out by electricity... huh. Actually, that didn't sound that bad.
But in this story... no, that wasn't the point. The point was the bond between the boy and Rotom.
Dawn dimly realized sothing. "And then?"
Hikaru nodded.
"So the boy desperately searched everywhere for it, calling out anxiously."
"Don't take it to heart. I'm completely fine. Let's play together like we always did."
"I have so much I want to say, but I can't find the friend who was willing to listen. That was how the boy called out."
"At last, the boy found a toy robot in a junkyard. Their eyes t, and for so reason, it waved at him."
"At that mont, joy welled up inside the boy. He thought this, and wrote this down..."
"'In that instant, I understood. That was Rotom. I ran straight toward Rotom and hugged it with all my strength. And just like that, I said so, so many things to it.'"
"'Every ti I spoke, the robot's eyes lit up happily. I'm sure that was because the Rotom inside was giving off so much electricity. At that mont, I felt that I understood Rotom better than ever before.'"
"'And I also understood one more thing.'"
"'We'll always be together.'"
Dawn's heart trembled slightly, and she understood a little more.
But new questions had also appeared, so she continued asking:
"Then why didn't this Rotom go with the boy?"
"The Pokémon you want to catch, Hikaru-san... is it that boy's Rotom? They promised they'd always stay together, so why do you want to catch it?"
Hikaru glanced at Dawn. "The boy's parents later died because of certain events."
"His grandfather took him in. Saying 'took him in' is a little strange when they were blood relatives, but that old man, in trying to live up to the expectations of the boy's parents, educated him in an almost chanical way. Even the old man himself couldn't really say whether that ca more from hope or from grief."
"And so, the boy's heart closed itself off. He began to think that the heart was an innate flaw."
"He started reading philosophical books. Spirit and Matter, The Existence of the Heart, Beyond Ti and Space, What Is the Continuum of Space-Ti, The Universe and the Galaxy, The Origin of the Universe, Structure of Mysteries, Perpetual Motion..."
"And then he ca to one conclusion."
"Because the heart is flawed and fragile, people feel pity, kindness, and pain. The reason the world becos worse is because of that very thing. It is the source of all conflict in the world. Emotion is unstable and fleeting. In the end, it disappears."
"Once you die, there is nothing left."
"So he cast away all emotion and set his sights on creating a perfect new world without hearts. And because of that, he chose to part ways with Rotom."
"After he made that choice, so people did witness Rotom controlling electrical appliances. At the ti, so even said they should consider it a new Pokémon. But when the ti ca to examine it, that machine Pokémon vanished just like that. It never appeared again, and no one was able to find it."
"But I think the boy's way of thinking is wrong."
"Even though I have a way to contact him, if it's only talking to him, the effect is minimal. I've spoken with him before, and it achieved very little."
"But you and he share an invisible bond, just like your ancestors and his once helped one another."
When Akari had been expelled from Jubilife Village, it was Cyrus's ancestor Zisu... no, Starly? Wait, no - it was his ancestor who had helped her. That ancestor had never doubted Akari, and that in turn corresponded to the fated clash between Dawn and Cyrus.
Hikaru said, "Dawn, consider this my personal request. Because of so work I need to do, I'll only be traveling with you as far as Eterna City."
"The paynt is this white flute. Don't underestimate it. This flute carries a spell."
"In the past, it was called the Celestica Flute. Long ago, it could summon certain Pokémon to help you travel, taking you to any place you couldn't otherwise reach. Now it has lost that power. However, the final spell attached to it is still effective. That spell is -"
"'et all Pokémon!'"
"With this flute, you'll be able to encounter every Pokémon and complete the Pokédex. And once you fulfill the conditions to activate that spell, if you play the Celestica Flute at the summit of Mt. Coronet, it will change. In other words, it'll beco the strange coral-looking thing I told you about..."
Dawn said, "...The white flute is really pretty, but that coral flute sounds like it has a really weird appearance."
The Azure Flute really was kind of ugly.
Even Hikaru thought so, but it couldn't be helped. That was just what it looked like, so he could only shrug helplessly.
"That form of the flute is called the Azure Flute. As for what it does, you'll find out when the ti cos. Though it's also possible you may never need it."
"But if you et that boy in the future, then you must show him your strength. Defeat him. Take along his friend, and tell him this..."
Hikaru thought to himself that he might as well beco the third mountaineer in Sinnoh's story.
So he borrowed that man's words.
"The beginning of the world was the instant human beings developed feelings. Only when the heart existed did the world begin to move."
"Pokémon and humans are beings made of the sa substance. That ans they possess the sa kind of heart and the sa way of thinking."
"They are forms of life capable of understanding one another."
"That is precisely why he was able to beco lifelong friends with Rotom, and why he could rember that friendship. Rotom is the existence that connects the hearts of people and machines."
Dawn nodded thoughtfully. "That's a little too philosophical for . I don't think I really understand it. But I feel like if I keep traveling, soday I probably will, right?"
Hikaru thought, naturally, that was a little philosophical. After all, that mountaineer called himself a philosopher.
A hidden character who only appeared in the second playthrough, and whose views were the exact opposite of Cyrus's.
"Of course. Philosophy is complicated. But before you can make soone else understand, you first need the strength to surpass him."
"Look how fast we're going... There's a huge lake over there."
Northwest of Oreburgh City, northeast of Jubilife City, near the Ravaged Path.
Near Route 204, Hikaru saw a lake that by all rights should not have existed in Sinnoh. No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't that it shouldn't exist.
Sinnoh only had four major lakes: Lake Verity, Lake Acuity, Lake Valor, and the Hidden Spring.
And yet in truth, there were other lakes in the region too, such as the one before them now.
This lake had no legendary Pokémon and no eerie, terrifying legends surrounding it. Its story began a hundred years ago. If you counted back, that lined up exactly with the era after Team Galactic had finished its expansion into Hisui and large numbers of immigrants had arrived in Sinnoh.
Still, with the ani world folded in, the migrant population and indigenous groups from the Hisui period might have been even greater than expected. And there were settlents that had no dealings with the Diamond Clan, the Pearl Clan, or Team Galactic, such as...
"That over there is Alamos Town!"
The movie location of the battle at the Space-Ti Towers.
Unexpectedly, it was right between Jubilife and Eterna. Sinnoh's fifth naless lake was here too.
The main part of Alamos Town sat on a plateau at the center of the lake, with bridges connecting the plateau to the mainland. Around the town were wooded hills and highlands.
"What is that? A tower?! You can see it from this far away!"
Looking at the massive landmark rising in the center of Alamos Town, Dawn couldn't help marveling at how huge the world was.
Hikaru said, "The landmark building of Alamos Town is the Space-Ti Towers. The tower on the right symbolizes ti, and the one on the left symbolizes space. A hundred years ago, the genius architect Godey designed and built them. Alamos Town also has a perfect garden, and many Pokémon live in the lake and the gardens around it. Rumor says a mythical Pokémon even dwells there."
"One hundred years. That number is pretty delicate, isn't it? Because a hundred and fifty years ago, Sinnoh's population was still very sparse. It was only after the era of great expansion that outside settlers gradually beca more common here."
"And there's also a legendary lody passed down here: Oración. That ancient song can calm even the most violent anger, returning all things in the world to peace and tranquility, and allowing everything to be born anew."
Of course, there was no way the battle at the Space-Ti Towers could happen now. Dialga and Palkia still hadn't been fully understood, and Ash was still in his Hoenn period. Even if the main worldline's bias toward the ga tiline had made Ash's journey a little lonelier, the existence of Michina had already been confird.
In that case, the DP movie events would naturally still happen as usual.
Just not now.
Still, since this involved ti and space, maybe Cyrus in this worldline would co here to investigate.
But in the end, the result could only be disappointnt, because these towers had no power to summon the gods of ti and space.
"Outside settlers... Were my ancestors outsiders too?" Dawn caught the hidden aning in Hikaru's words. In the gas, Dawn could be a little impulsive, but in so situations she was unexpectedly perceptive.
That was what it ant to be bold yet observant.
Hikaru said, "Outsiders? Well... your family ca from very, very far away."
Dawn said, "I've never been this curious about my ancestors before. Alamos Town sounds really interesting, but going over there would an crossing the lake or making a detour, and that's too far. Besides, we'd be going the wrong way, and Alamos Town doesn't even have a Gym."
"Forget it. It's better to keep heading for Eterna Forest for now."
She sounded a little regretful, saying it was better not to go there right now. If she got interested later, she could always co back.
And all those stories Hikaru had told her left her with a strange feeling now, one that was also transmitted into Manaphy's egg.
"Mm! The prince is talking again!" Dawn shrank her neck back a little as if pricked. "It says that tower is beautiful! Huh? Can a Pokémon inside an egg actually see the outside world? Or maybe..."
Hikaru said, "Pokémon inside eggs have a vague kind of consciousness and can communicate with the outside world. But once they're born, those mories gradually fade and hide away, just like with human babies. That cos from Professor Elm's research."
Dawn said, "Co to think of it, I still don't know what powers the prince has."
Hikaru replied, "Oh? Then do you want to hear the story of The Sea's Legend? Though I've already told it once to soone else. Anyway, Manaphy has a move called Heart Swap. That's the root of how it can resonate with all living things."
Near Floaroma Town.
The battered Jupiter leaned against a tree, panting as she rested. She clenched her teeth. Thinking back on the one-sided defeat she had suffered earlier, and that bizarre sense of terror and total manipulation, made her feel like needles were stabbing into her back.
"All the way from Jubilife City to Floaroma Town in one go... heh. Deep under Sinnoh, the underground tunnels unexpectedly connect this far away. That's really convenient."
After resting briefly, Jupiter contacted Team Galactic headquarters and reported the failure in Jubilife City. But the response she got from HQ was this:
They had already seen it on the news.
And then a girl's voice, dripping with mockery, ca through the communicator.
"You look pretty pathetic. You actually got beaten into that state by so random Trainer on the road? And you call yourself the strongest Commander?"
"Shut up, Mars!" Jupiter ground out through clenched teeth. "That person wasn't an ordinary Trainer!"
"The Sinnoh League's investigation into Team Galactic has already made it harder and harder for us to operate. We camped there for days, just waiting to kidnap Professor Rowan and get the important research data from him. But because we didn't want to attract attention, we didn't use any heavy equipnt..."
"If we'd used a helicopter for a direct kidnapping, things wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"I think the next step can't be delayed any longer. Has the plan still not co down yet? It has to be moved up imdiately!"
"That Trainer is really strong. In battle, he saw through every move I had. Soone like that shouldn't be in a place like Sinnoh. I've never seen him before. He's not in our files on any well-known Trainers either!"
"If we want to obtain a massive amount of energy, then we need to imdiately begin our raids on Fuego Ironworks and the Valley Windworks!"
Mars giggled. "Heehee. The plan's already been settled. Don't be so impatient."
"The Bringer of War - target: the energy inside the power plant. The Bringer of Joy - target: the Pokémon statue in Eterna City. The Bringer of Old Age - target: the sleeping Pokémon. Those are the newly clarified mission objectives."
Jupiter said, "I see. So I'm going back to Eterna City to investigate the Pokémon statue... But right now I'm not in very good shape. And that Trainer has his eye on ..."
"But as long as we start moving, that's enough. Fine then. To make sure the operation succeeds without fail, I'll go with you to seize the power from the Valley Windworks. I'm already in Floaroma Town, right near the plant. Tell the date of the operation."
Mars replied, "Even though our activities are being suppressed, that's fine. We can kidnap the windworks manager and his daughter and force them to provide us with a large amount of energy. The original plan was... However, our investigation shows that three days from now, there seems to be so kind of special festival in Floaroma Town near the Valley Windworks."
"Apparently it's a celebration for the season when flowers bloom all over that area. So the Valley Windworks employees will all go out, leaving only the people on duty behind. Security will also drop sharply. That'll be the perfect ti for us to move."
"We'll enter the plant ahead of ti."
"I don't like you very much, but since you're coming too... heh. Then let's make this one big."
Celestic Town.
Cynthia received the ssage Hikaru had sent.
After reading it once, she pushed all the docunts at hand aside.
For now, everything else had to be set down.
"Destination: Floaroma Town."
(End of Chapter)
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