On July 4th, the weather was clear.
Hikaru woke up early, grabbed his tools, and headed to the open area outside.
Regirock stood there, staring blankly at the wildflowers by the roadside. It remained motionless until Hikaru appeared, at which point it happily made a sound and raised its arm.
Was it greeting him? Its voice was distinctly chanical, yet this ti, it clearly expressed joy.
Was it happy because it could help humans again? Or was it because it had found a new friend?
Hikaru wasn't sure, nor did he particularly care. The bond between him and his Pokémon would develop over ti. Even with all his knowledge, emotions couldn't be nurtured overnight.
Lilligant tended to the berries, and when she looked up and saw a green berry, she excitedly ran over to inform Hikaru.
The Micle Berries had ripened!
"Oh, I can make a Rare Candy now!"
Hikaru picked the Micle Berries, and perhaps due to the knowledge he had gained about berries, these ones had grown exceptionally large and plump, with quite a generous yield!
Before Daigo arrived, Hikaru decided to prepare the Rare Candy.
But before that…
He had Regirock help transport so stones, assigned Lilligant to continue tending to the herbs, sent Doublade to collect firewood, and then returned to his house to turn on the computer.
As expected, the Ancient Bracelets had sold well. Other items like Charcoal, Focus Sash, Cleanse Tag, Spell Tag, Old Wooden Sculpture, Twice-Pickled Vegetables, and Glass Whistle had also received a decent number of orders.
The sheer number of custor IDs made Hikaru's eyes blur.
[Burning Passion], [Lightning Expert], [Riddle Master];
[Fiery Enthusiasm], [Endless Flas], [Heart of Fear]…
A lot of them seed to be Fire-type trainers, huh?
It looked like his Charcoal was a particularly successful product, attracting many trainers skilled in Fire-type moves.
So custors even left unique ssages and emails.
[The Awakened]:
"...Did you know? The move Hidden Power can actually be discovered through ditation. In other words, everyone has the potential to possess Hidden Power. I awakened mine at the Lake of Rage through ditation, and now, I'm sharing this with you."
"Your product is incredibly useful to . I foresaw this through Future Sight, so I've already purchased it. Consider this my advance gratitude—just accept it."
"Comprehension and Application of Hidden Power".PDF
Hikaru was stunned. After downloading the file, he realized it was an actual guide on how to train psychic abilities!
No—it wasn't just about psychic abilities. The first step was to grasp the corresponding ntal energy through ditation, and only then could one begin learning Hidden Power.
Hikaru recalled sothing.
At the Lake of Rage in the Johto region, there was a strange, chubby man who could be found in the upper left corner of the lake during high tide by using Surf. He would give out the TM for Hidden Power and tell the player that this power could be unlocked through ditation!
Yes—Hidden Power was actually a move humans could use! Like Aura or Psychic powers, it wasn't exclusive to Pokémon; humans could learn it as well.
However, across the entire Pokémon ga series, that one chubby man was the only person who had ever demonstrated mastering Hidden Power through ditation.
"This 'Awakened' person is incredibly generous… I haven't even shipped his order yet." Hikaru muttered, feeling increasingly numb to how often psychics casually used Future Sight in daily life.
He added the person as a friend, intending to invite them into the Doll Collectors' Group, only to realize they were already in it!
Seriously? Just like that 'Psychic Girl'? Or had soone else invited him in?
Hikaru checked the group's total mbers—one more than before!
Even though he hadn't sent an invite, these people had sohow found the group number and joined through unknown ans. Psychic powers sure were convenient…
A new ID caught his eye—[aning of Existence].
Just from the na alone, it seed like this person had so kind of psychological burden.
Hikaru ssaged him:
"You also want a Calyrex plushie? Another case of Future Sight?"
After a brief silence, the other person replied with a simple:
"Mm."
However, within the group chat, the other psychics seed curious about these two newcors. Unsurprisingly, the habitual abuser of Future Sight, Elite Four Grimsley, was the first to speak up:
[@aning of Existence]:
"I sense that your psychic abilities are extrely powerful… The future is difficult to foresee when it cos to you. Your strength far surpasses mine. How exactly did you train?"
[aning of Existence]:
"…Don't use Future Sight to pry into others. That's a terrible habit. My psychic abilities are innate. Unless necessary, I don't plan on interacting with you all much. Please understand."
[Grimsley]:
"No, no—sorry, I didn't directly pry."
[Caitlin]:
"Hah~ This is troubleso. Grimsley, you really should try to curb your habit of overusing Future Sight every once in a while."
[Grimsley]:
"…I just suddenly had a strange feeling."
[aning of Existence]:
"It's probably because my presence unsettled you. The internet can transmit not just spiritual energy but also psychic power. Since you're actively training Future Sight, you instinctively sought out.
In reality, the problem lies with . Now that you understand this, the misunderstanding should be resolved. But as I said before, unless absolutely necessary, I'd rather not interact with you all."
[Caitlin]:
"So even among psychics, there are people like you. It's fine. This is just a shopping group, after all. Everyone is here just to buy things."
[The Awakened]:
"Hoohoo… For psychics, ditation is far more important than chatting in groups… Today, I shall ditate once more… Hoohoo…"
[Psychic Girl]:
"I understand your feelings. I also used to dislike social interactions, but so things in life can't be avoided. If you ever have any ntal struggles, you can talk to ."
[aning of Existence]:
"Thank you for your kindness. Let's end today's conversation here."
The conversation between the psychics wrapped up quickly. However, there was still one non-psychic in the group.
[Ice Doll]:
"…Why are there so many psychics in this group? Isn't this supposed to be a plushie collection group?"
At this mont, Hikaru completely agreed with that sentint.
The second ssage he received was from Dragon's ssenger.
[Dragon's ssenger]:
"Thank you so much for the Focus Sash last ti! I apologize for not sending a ssage sooner—I was too focused on my training. It wasn't until my Focus Sash wore out that I rembered I hadn't left a review.
As expected, my bond with my Pokémon is unbreakable. Your item not only reinforced that realization but also helped defeat one of the most important rivals in my life!"
"Your items are truly useful, so I plan to recomnd them to other Dragon-type trainers. It's only right for a loyal custor like to help others overco their struggles with Ice-types!"
"One more thing—I'm not sure if you have any Dragon-type Pokémon, but extra knowledge never hurts. If you ever catch one in the future, this will be useful. Take it as a token of my gratitude. I've finally broken through my ntal barriers and can now climb to even greater heights!"
"Raising and Training Dragon-type Pokémon".PDF
Hikaru knew that Dragon's ssenger was none other than Lance. But in his ssage… who exactly had he defeated?
A lifelong rival… could it be Lorelei?
"This is useful too. Knowledge is sothing you can never have too much of… though, honestly, no one has the ti to master everything. But I do have professional knowledge on Dragon Tars."
"Oh, right…" (Sends a ssage)
"Do you have any Dragon-type materials? I'd like to purchase so from you."
Lance quickly replied:
[Dragon's ssenger]:
"When it cos to Dragon-type materials, the best ones are scales, fangs, claws, hides, and whiskers! But… they're incredibly rare! Alright, since you asked, it would be too distant to talk about 'purchasing.' You've helped a lot—I'll send you so good stuff!"
"Also, please keep developing items that can enhance Dragon Pokémon—especially those that help against Ice-types!"
Ice-types weren't the only problem—Fairy-types were also a major issue. But then again, neither Kanto nor Johto had Fairy-type trainers…
"The rest of my packages have also arrived in Blackthorn City and should be shipped out soon."
The next ssage ca from an old custor, Ancient Explorer. Unlike before, this ti, she didn't send a ssage in the Ghost-type Trainer Group but rather sent a private email.
"I'll let you in on a little secret. Paldea has so mysterious legends, and since you're a craftsman, how about taking a trip here soti? I might have found sothing valuable."
"Oh, and this docunt is quite interesting—you should take a look. It supposedly leads to mysterious treasures. If you're interested, let know."
"The Fall of the Paldean Empire".PDF
Treasures of the Paldean Empire?
The Treasures of Ruin, perhaps?
Hikaru downloaded the file and read through it carefully. Sure enough, it detailed the legends of the Treasures of Ruin—Paldea's four Ruinous Legendary Pokémon:
Chien-Pao (The Sword of Ruin)
Ting-Lu (The Vessel of Ruin)
Wo-Chien (The Tablets of Ruin)
Chi-Yu (The Beads of Ruin)
During the ancient Paldean Empire, a rchant brought four artifacts from the Far East—a vessel, tablets, a sword, and beads—and sold them to the Paldean king. That very night, the treasures transford into Pokémon and wreaked havoc, destroying the royal city!
It turned out that the artifacts had absorbed countless desires and curses, and once they fell into the king's hands, his overwhelming greed imdiately awakened them.
In the end, the king summoned a Pokémon trainer to subdue the four Pokémon, sealing them within four shrines using a total of 32 sacred stakes—eight for each. Only those free of worldly desires could break the seals.
Before a certain "tomb-raiding lady" unearthed these records, the Treasures of Ruin had been mostly unknown.
Hikaru now had a pretty good guess about Ancient Explorer's true identity.
"This level of hinting is way too obvious…"
"Raifort?" Hikaru muttered to himself.
But still, those vessel, tablets, sword, and beads—for a craftsman like him, these artifacts were extrely appealing.
Just as the Regi trio were treasures to sculptors, these artifacts were practically irresistible to a craftsman.
And then there were the sacred stakes used to seal Legendary Pokémon… those were fascinating in their own right!
...
This one ca from a new custor.
[World Without Heart]:
"Does your King's Rock really make Pokémon obey?"
"Not 'obey.' It's about 'recognition.'"
Hikaru corrected him while analyzing this suspicious userna, adding the person as a friend.
[World Without Heart]:
"…Regardless of the wording, the outco is the sa. These aningless disputes over terminology only make the world worse."
"Let ask you—have you heard of the Red Chain?"
Hikaru: "…"
Alright. No need for further analysis. This guy was Cyrus.
The Red Chain could be made in two ways:
Using the power of the Lake Guardians combined with a teorite. The traditional thod, where special tools granted by the Lake Guardians could be forged into a Red Chain.
And the sole purpose of this item?
To bind Dialga and Palkia.
"No, I don't know about such an item. Apologies. Is there anything else you'd like to purchase?"
Hikaru responded.
[World Without Heart]:
"I see… If you ever discover a power strongly tied to the legends of Sinnoh, I hope you'll inform . That power is necessary for creating a new world."
"You might not take my words seriously, but gathering information isn't sothing I expect for free."
"If you're a craftsman, then this docunt should be of use to you. Consider it a fair exchange."
"The Deconstruction and Assembly of Machinery".PDF
"This docunt covers the structure and assembly of various modern technological devices, including Exp. Shares, Power Amplifiers, and more. These aren't particularly complex designs."
"If my technology interests you, the Galactic Foundation welcos you. You might want to think about it."
"I'll purchase your King's Rock. As for the rest, I'll take one wooden sculpture for now."
"Rotom—you're aware of this Pokémon, right?"
"Of course," Hikaru replied. "Do you have one? My wooden sculpture can be customized for it."
[World Without Heart]:
"No, I don't own a Rotom. I just need a simple sculpture."
Hikaru responded:
"I see. So you two were separated. But don't worry, my friend—life will always bring different souls together, and new possibilities will be born. One day, you'll et that Pokémon again."
Cyrus remained silent for a long ti.
Just as Hikaru was about to move on to processing other orders, a new ssage popped up.
[World Without Heart]:
"…Thank you, unknown craftsman."
(End of Chapter)
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