"I'll be taking this headpiece. But even if you say it's a gift… I can't exactly accept your stuff for free."
"I'll trade you this instead."
Hikaru tossed over a strangely shaped amulet. Raifort-san caught it, then immediately pushed up her glasses, staring at the charm in her hand in disbelief.
"This is at least… a 150-year-old antique…"
Hikaru complained that, in truth, he hadn't even made it that long ago. But well… he had plenty of ways to make an "antique" look properly aged.
"In ancient Sinnoh—back when Sinnoh was called Hisui—there were three kinds of protective charms passed down to safeguard the body. The one I'm giving you is called a Warding Charm. As long as you carry it, you won't easily fall into status conditions."
"This is a blessing from the Almighty Sinnoh. In other words, it's something of the gods. Use it well. And whatever you do, don't take it to play mind games with ancient kings' ghosts."
Raifort-san's eyes lit up. "Then this really is a great item. But… the god you mentioned—can we talk about that in detail?"
"Not for now. You have nothing to do with Sinnoh." Hikaru waved it off, refusing to disclose Sinnoh-related matters.
Then, to the slightly disappointed Raifort-san, he continued.
"Alright then, Raifort-san. I gave you something good, so you should tell me…"
"Which waterfall is the Firescourge Shrine hidden inside?"
Raifort-san's gaze flickered slightly. She looked toward one of the waterfalls in the distant cascade and pointed.
"That one."
"Based on my investigation over the past month, I finally found the correct waterfall that hides the shrine. Using the power of water to seal fire—ancient tamers really were being perfectly reasonable."
"But finding the shrine is useless. You need to pull out the stakes—"
"No need to make it that complicated." Hikaru waved his hand.
The Pokémon around him immediately gathered in, startling Raifort-san so badly she jumped.
"What are you doing… Whoa. We're flying. We're all flying!"
Riolu grabbed her and hauled her up into the air. Raifort-san stared in disbelief at this "flying squad"—a bunch of guys who looked completely incapable of flight on the ground, yet were now each showing off their own methods of airborne movement.
Of course, there were also some that truly couldn't fly—like the little snail and the leopard, who were being lifted by psychic power while striking poses, and Charcadet, who held its head high and proudly slapped its own armor.
Following Raifort-san's directions, they soon arrived at the waterfall that concealed the Firescourge Shrine. Aegislash looked at the massive waterfall and indicated that this time it would not be going in.
This great waterfall was the perfect sparring partner for practicing "swordsmanship."
"Take this." Hikaru pulled out a scroll from his chest and handed it over.
It was a reward he'd obtained earlier after driving off Kartana, and it was a completely unreasonable martial art by Pokémon-world standards—a blade technique meant to cut down invisible enemies.
This was originally Bruno-san's secret art in Pokémon Adventures. He once taught it to Blue, allowing Normal-type moves to strike Ghost-type enemies.
Blue's Scyther, using this martial technique, unleashed the Normal-type move Slash and cut Elite Four Agatha's Gastly to death in a single strike.
Once you learned this martial art, you no longer had attribute blind spots. You could also handle enemies that were invisible or extraordinarily fast.
Aegislash studied the scroll outside the waterfall. Riolu also said this area was a great place to train, and that it might even lead them to encounter something outrageous.
It had sensed a very powerful presence nearby, tracking them.
"Oh, a really strong aura? Don't tell me it's that Kubfu with no teacher?"
Hikaru glanced over the mountains but found nothing unusual. So he and Raifort-san stepped into the waterfall.
The sealed space holding Chi-Yu was extremely cramped—just a small cave—so this time Hikaru recalled his larger companions.
"Wait. So those were all your Pokémon?" Only now did Raifort-san realize that the odd assortment of Pokémon gathered together weren't wild locals at all—they were trained by Hikaru.
But then again, he was Elite Four. Aside from a main team, having a second team or third team was normal. What Trainer didn't have dozens of Pokémon? It was just rare to see someone like him carrying them all around at once.
Just look at the number of Poké Balls hanging off that backpack. There were a lot.
Still, there were also ones not inside their balls.
Raifort-san looked at Victini, who was chewing on little biscuits as if none of this mattered, and she rubbed her chin, studying it with a speculative expression.
"Hold on. This Pokémon—if I'm not mistaken, then it's…"
"You'd be better off being mistaken." Hikaru smiled at her.
That immediately made the tomb-raiding lady raise both hands. "Alright. I said nothing."
Even so, Raifort-san had traveled in Unova before. She was already vaguely guessing the truth.
"He's even keeping Victini at his side… Who can possibly stand against him? They say any Trainer favored by Victini will obtain eternal victory…"
Raifort-san rubbed her brow, then looked at the shrine ahead that was glowing with blue light.
"Alright. You didn't pull out the stakes. So how are you going to unseal the Treasure of Ruin?"
"With this." Hikaru took out the Interdimensional Ring.
Under Raifort-san's horrified gaze, he placed the Interdimensional Ring directly onto the blue Firescourge Shrine.
Then—inside the pitch-black ring—two crimson eyes flickered into view.
"It's here. The Beads of Ruin. Chi-Yu."
"Charcadet, get ready for battle. For you, among the Four Treasures of Ruin, Chi-Yu is the weakest."
Hikaru looked at Charcadet. The little knight swung its small fire hammer, battle lust surging.
But Chi-Yu in the ring didn't rush out immediately.
It abruptly absorbed the heat in the surrounding air, and then—
Nothing happened.
"Huh?"
Even Raifort-san, who had been prepared to witness the power of a Treasure of Ruin, scratched her head in confusion.
Inside the ring, those eyes seemed not to understand what was going on either. The large, pretty pupils carried a crystal-clear kind of "fish-brain."
"We're starting the battle now~"
"Chi, chi-yu…?"
Hikaru tapped the rim of the ring—like knocking on a door.
Only then did the sealed little fish wake up as if from a dream.
Oh.
So I'm free now.
What, so the one who broke the seal wants to challenge me?
Then… let me warm up first.
Don't rush, don't rush. No need to rush.
The flame-burning little fish bounced up and down inside the ring. It started slow, then gradually sped up, and then—
It took another deep breath of hot air. This time, the inhalation was full and strong.
"Chi-chi-yu!"
Ready!
Chi-Yu's aura began to rise.
One, two—
Three.
Boom!
"Chi-yu!"
A powerful blaze erupted explosively from within the ring.
One of the strongest Fire-type moves: Overheat.
On the battlefield, the little fish wasn't big, but its output was brutally violent. With up to 135 Special Attack, a Choice Specs Chi-Yu using Overheat or Dark Pulse, paired with its Ability Beads of Ruin to lower the opponent's Special Defense, could break through many bulky walls that were notoriously hard to crack in serious battles.
Chi-Yu was busy.
Beads of Ruin, drop their Sp. Def.
Nasty Plot, and they're done.
At the same time, Chi-Yu's design was also extremely beautiful—its shape harmonious and elegant. Fire, goldfish, and magatama fused together so perfectly it felt inevitable.
That fierce flame burst from the ring, forcing Raifort-san to stagger back several steps in shock.
But then—reflected in her glasses—the flames began to contract. That tremendous blaze continuously surged toward Charcadet's body!
Like ash starving for flame, becoming kindling within a burning inferno.
Let the fire burn.
"Flash Fire as its Ability. But it can swallow even that level of flame?"
"And… why does Chi-Yu not look like a calamity at all? Is its nature a little off?"
Raifort-san found it unbelievable.
Charcadet's common Ability was indeed Flash Fire. After all, legend said it was born from charcoal. But the firepower of a Treasure of Ruin was not the same as an ordinary Fire-type Pokémon's flames—this was an entirely different order of magnitude. Even with Flash Fire, it might still be too much to "swallow."
And Chi-Yu's behavior made even less sense to her.
Hikaru, however, looked thoughtful.
"A Slowpoke nature, boosting Special Attack, but not good at defense…"
"Chak-donk!"
At this moment, Charcadet had devoured every last bit of the calamitous fire.
The power of its flames surged to the maximum.
Flash Fire: when hit by a Fire-type move, it absorbs the flames, greatly strengthening the Fire-type moves it uses!
"Come on. Try what we were thinking earlier."
Hikaru took out the Tera Orb.
"I checked Charcadet's Tera Type with my device. There's no doubt about it. The Tera Type is, of course—"
"Fire."
Naturally.
Although every Pokémon has a single Tera Type, in the games, wild Pokémon's Tera Type has a high chance of matching one of its own types.
And Charcadet only had Fire, so its Tera Type was obviously Fire as well.
Hikaru: "Let me show you a sealed combat style, alright?"
"Your calamitous fire—versus a knight's crimson lotus flame. Which one is stronger?"
"Terastallize. Prepare for battle."
Hikaru threw the Tera Orb.
This was his first time using Terastallization in Paldea. As dazzling crystals converged and detonated into radiant brilliance, a shining red flame-candle—symbol of Fire Tera—appeared above Charcadet's head.
Then it burst in a glorious flare.
Around Charcadet's neck, bound with attribute-resistant thread, was a chunk of black charcoal that burned without end.
Charcoal: increases the power of Fire-type moves by 35%!
Now, with Terastallization, even if Burn Up was used, the Fire typing would not disappear. Fire Tera would also provide an additional 2x power modifier, and on top of that, Charcoal's 1.35x increase.
Then add Flash Fire's 1.5x boost. As for even stronger Fire-energy amplification beyond that—there was no way to calculate it.
The power had already exceeded 500.
"Use the maximum-power Infinite Burn Up!"
"Don't let desire crush will. What the Treasures of Ruin represent—isn't it infinite greed? Use the will of fire to shatter that greed!"
Charcadet swung its hammer, whirling, and its body suddenly ignited in a blaze that would never go out.
A Fire-type attack whose typing would not vanish, whose power surpassed Overheat and Flare Blitz—a forbidden, taboo ultimate technique.
Since you're not planning to come out of the ring—
Then I'll charge in.
A knight carries the fire onward. This flame will burn until the end of the world.
Vmm—
At last, the goldfish in the Interdimensional Ring sensed danger.
The slowpoke little fish, drifting helplessly as if swimming through empty air, finally panicked and burst out from the ring, tail whipping wildly.
Chi-Yu.
It looked like a goldfish. Most of its body was yellow, and its tail and fins resembled a cluster of burning flames.
Its pupils were huge and black, taking up most of its eyes.
"That's the Beads of Ruin… It's so beautiful." Even Raifort-san couldn't help but admire it. "Look at its eyes. Those are magatama from the Eastern nations."
"Because magatama are sacred, people used to wear them in offerings and rituals. Most people wore a single one like a pendant around the neck. But Chi-Yu wears four of them!"
"Are these ornaments for paired parts of the body, like ears and wrists? Or does it mean the ritual was carried out by four people…?"
"Magatama were once used to exorcise evil. What did they experience, to end up being called calamity?"
Hikaru: "Look. There are two magatama around each eye. The color of the magatama gradually fades from the drilled end, and when it gets excited, the magatama around its eyes emit golden light accompanied by a brief red glow."
"They're glowing gold right now. It's already in a frenzied state."
Chi-Yu was warming up.
Warm-up complete. Full power, 100%.
"Magatama that sparked countless conflicts gathered jealousy. That jealousy wrapped around flames and became Chi-Yu."
"It can control 3,000-degree flames, melting rock and sand into a sea of lava, then swimming leisurely within it!"
"The four-magatama arrangement exists to suppress an eye called the 'Evil Eye.' They say once a person gives birth to jealousy, an Evil Eye will be born."
"Curved magatama are vessels that carry divine power and souls. A jade fish is a symbol of divinity. In some ancient Eastern region, it was treated as a burial treasure, representing something precious—and that is exactly the root cause of the calamity Chi-Yu brings!"
Raifort-san murmured thoughtfully, "So that's how it is. A fish-shaped jade artifact… so the thing that draws calamity isn't just the magatama. The fact that it became a fish symbolizes jealousy itself. A jade fish, endowed with divinity, igniting with jealous fire…"
Hikaru: "In legend, there's a kind of red gem called a Fire Jewel, able to generate heat. And once such a jewel shatters, it changes from an auspicious sign into an ominous one."
Raifort-san's eyes gleamed as she stared at Hikaru, this "friend" of hers.
At first, she'd only thought he was a slightly mysterious shop owner from a hidden place.
But he could recite all sorts of ancient legends like it was nothing.
It really was…
"What a waste you don't raid tombs."
Raifort-san muttered softly, letting that one line slip out. But it truly was how she felt.
Hikaru pretended he hadn't heard the tomb-raiding fanatic's whisper. He focused entirely on the battlefield.
"Chi-yu!"
Chi-Yu was slammed left and right by Charcadet. After absorbing Chi-Yu's flames, the little knight became like it had been injected with adrenaline—Infinite Burn Up simply would not stop.
Even though Chi-Yu resisted Fire at double effectiveness, every impact was a Fire-powered charge with 700+ power. Even with 120 Special Defense, it couldn't withstand that!
What kind of monster is this?
Why is my fire getting absorbed by the other side?
The muddle-headed Chi-Yu still hadn't grasped the situation.
Wha—what—what?
Why aren't my moves working?
"Chi-yu, chi-yu~!"
I'm the 3,000-degree lava fire!
You're just 1,000-degree charcoal fire!
We're clearly in a superior-subordinate relationship, so don't get it wrong!
Damn it, why?
Hikaru: "So the Burn-Burn Fruit beat the Magma-Magma Fruit. Interesting."
At times like this, you had to mention Magcargo with its 10,000-degree body temperature.
Even Primal Groudon would have to bow twice before leaving.
And Charcadet was extremely proud of itself.
I endured Entei's sacred flame baptism!
When it comes to upper limits on scorching heat, I'm completely different from the past. I've been reborn.
Chi-Yu struggled chaotically in midair, spitting flames everywhere. But each time it spat fire, Charcadet's strength rose again.
Finally, the little goldfish realized it couldn't keep fighting like this, so it hurriedly changed its approach.
It twisted its body in midair, and an invisible lightbulb lit up over its head.
Nasty Plot, Nasty Plot.
Use your brain.
Special Attack sharply rose!
Two stages of Nasty Plot offset Overheat's drawback while increasing output. At the same time, the muddled feeling cleared, and Chi-Yu's eyes truly brightened.
Looking at Charcadet, which was wreathed in flame and swinging its hammer around like a living cinder-king, Chi-Yu's mind spun up a plan.
My brain is back.
I won't use Fire-type moves anymore. It's not like I can't hit with anything else.
Eat my Dark Pulse!
Pah-ji.
A cloud of smoke slammed into Chi-Yu's face, resetting its stat changes.
Clear Smog.
Charcadet swung the smoke, and at the same moment Chi-Yu's Dark Pulse roared out with a boom!
A hammer blazing with Fighting spirit smashed down hard onto the little goldfish's forehead.
Chi-Yu's eyes spun into spirals, unable to tell north from south, and Charcadet pressed the advantage, swinging its hammer again and again.
Chi-Yu's Special Defense was excellent, but its physical defense was quite fragile. The little fish was a true glass cannon, so after being hammered a dozen times, it was finished.
In battles, the little fish was basically positioned as a glass cannon as well.
Charcadet raised its hammer.
It used Close Combat!
"Chi-chi-yu?!"
The slowpoke little fish had finally completed its warm-up, only to be smashed back into its original form with a single hammer.
Among the Four Treasures of Ruin, it had the strongest Special Attack—but because of Flash Fire, it couldn't unleash its strongest output at all, and its Dark-type big move was limited to Dark Pulse.
And honestly, aside from a couple of Dark-type signature moves with 90 base power, the rest were simply unbearable…
A Master Ball flew out, capturing the unconscious little fish on the spot.
Charcadet swung its fire hammer, hopping up and down in excitement.
This was its full-power state, its strongest moment. Among the Four Treasures of Ruin, there was actually one that got completely suppressed by its Ability!
Raifort-san: "C-caught it? You keep saying you won't let me have the Treasures of Ruin, but you're going to use it yourself?"
Hikaru: "If you used it, chances are you'd cause a disaster. I'm different. It sounds hypocritical, but that's simply the truth, Raifort-san."
"You've seen the power of the Treasures of Ruin. In the distant past they might have been overwhelmingly strong, but for modern Trainers with a bit more strength, their power still isn't enough."
"Also, I'm researching the Treasures of Ruin in order to restore the true 'treasures.' If I succeed, I'll sell them to you cheap. What do you think?"
"I mean the tablet, the vessel, the sword, and the beads—restored to how they were before those merchants sold them a thousand years ago."
"These four treasures have different powers. The bamboo slips record history, so they might be slightly less direct. But the other three are all divine objects."
Raifort-san grew interested. "So you're planning to reforge the true treasures—without the calamity?"
"But historically, what makes treasures precious is that they've been tempered by time, and enhanced by all kinds of legends until they become beautiful."
"Still, if I could witness an auspicious treasure with my own eyes, that wouldn't be bad either. Your study of history and legends is stronger than mine, and you're also a craftsman. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to witness a miracle. Heh."
"By the way, your Pokémon are worth studying too… That Charcadet used a move I've never seen. What exactly was that flame-bathed technique?"
Raifort-san sometimes gave up shockingly fast. Once she realized she wasn't strong enough to control a Treasure of Ruin, she would decisively abandon the idea. That was how she was in the games, too.
Even so, she still occasionally said chuunibyou lines like, "Let me manipulate you as my puppet," and the like.
Raifort-san rubbed her brow. "Whew. Looks like from now on, raiding—no, I mean, exploring ruins—will require more caution. Actually, I'm planning to do some proper work too."
The academy in Mesagoza has a huge number of books, right… If the Treasures of Ruin are off the table now, then I can only look for other treasure.
And speaking of treasure, the ancient books collected by the Paldean Empire from every region were obviously the best target.
Now that she was being watched by an Elite Four, even if he was an acquaintance… she had to prepare more carefully.
Hikaru laughed inside.
So the history teacher was finally going to start work?
But Director Clavell, the overseer, still hadn't arrived yet.
"The flame-bathed move is a secret technique called Burn Up. It surpasses Overheat. It's a taboo ultimate—strictly forbidden."
At the same time, Hikaru wrote down his record.
'Chi-Yu, a Pokémon unsealed from an ancient shrine.'
'Met in front of the Firescourge Shrine.'
'Slowpoke nature.'
'Likes bitter flavors, hates sour flavors.'
'A bit muddle-headed.'
"You'll be called Bubbles!"
But, Bubbles, you can't learn Dragon Pulse.
Of course, that was because Chi-Yu was a goldfish, not a carp. Otherwise, even among Magikarp there existed special individuals that could learn Dragon Rage.
Mm.
And also…
Near the shrine, that powerful aura—faintly present, coming and going?
——————
Near the Firescourge Shrine.
Watching Hikaru and his group of Pokémon depart through the sky…
On another mountaintop, a gray little bear clutched two bamboo shoots and wore a grim expression.
History recorded a passage like this:
Kubfu often traveled together with people into unexplored regions to trade and explore.
Kubfu that came to distant lands eventually became wild, settling down in the mountains.
(End of Chapter)
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