Near the entrance to the venue, Korrina waited until she spotted the Fighting-type girl from Galar whom she had met once before.
Bea studied her. Her tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and her expression softened.
Then she gave a quiet laugh and handed Korrina a white envelope.
"This is what the Sage mentioned..." Korrina said.
"It's a letter of endorsement from the Galar region," Bea explained. "You need one to enter our Gym Challenge. In Galar, the challenge is a sporting event, so unlike in other regions, Trainers cannot simply visit and challenge the Gyms whenever they want."
"In other words, anyone capable of receiving a letter of endorsement in Galar must be a formidable Trainer."
"I'm giving this one to you."
"The Champion Cup begins around the middle of each year, during the height of summer. However, the challengers' Gym battles continue from summer until winter. You can take on the challenge at any point during that period."
"Becoming Galar's Champion won't be easy. Several other powerful challengers will be appearing this year...!"
"Good luck."
...
"I witnessed an exhilarating tournament, saw the legend of the Shadow Synergy Stone repeat itself, and even learned how the calamity was quelled. My wish has been fulfilled."
Master Glenn bid everyone farewell.
He was returning to the Ferrum region.
"If you ever visit Ferrum, I'll treat you to some fruit! It's all fresh, completely natural wild fruit gathered from the mountains!"
Someone stared at him in astonishment.
"Wait, Master. You really are a fruit vendor?!"
"That's merely a personal hobby," Master Glenn said with an awkward cough. "Although I occasionally trade fruit for travel expenses."
So Master Glenn really was Akuma himself!
"That's him, all right!" Hikaru quipped.
Now Glenn could finally declare with complete legitimacy:
["Kid, no squeezing the fruit unless you're buying!"]
Two dragon fruits, please.
Remove the seeds, then embed every seed into a seedless watermelon.
Make sure not a speck of fruit pulp remains visible.
"Ahem. Now that the tournament has ended, the Heroes of Aura must return to their respective homes."
Riley would return to Iron Island, Maylene to Veilstone City, and Candice to Snowpoint City...
Hikaru had already told Candice everything he knew about the mechanisms and secrets of the [Snowpoint Temple].
There should not be anything else she needed to ask him for the time being.
"Take these with you," Hikaru said. "It took me a little while, but..."
Candice's eyes widened.
"What?! Where did all these gloves come from? Did you buy them wholesale?"
Maylene was equally dumbfounded.
"But it hasn't been very long since you received the crafting notes, Teacher Hikaru. Are you saying you manufactured this many pairs of gloves in such a short time?"
Riley picked up a pair in amazement.
"These are made with Adamant Ore and Lustrous Pearls. They're Sinnoh minerals. Aren't these the materials we brought with us?"
Hikaru wagged one finger.
"Rapidly crafting items happens to be one of my special skills."
"Don't tell anyone! It's a proprietary technique belonging exclusively to me as an artisan. I refuse to pass it down!"
If people learned about something like an Item Printer, wouldn't his soul as a craftsman shatter into pieces?
He needed to apply for an exclusive patent immediately!
Although the machine had originally been developed by those "I reckon this should work" students at Blueberry Academy...
Ahem.
This was not abandoning the spirit of craftsmanship.
It was called keeping up with the times!
"In the future, I'll even be able to mass-produce rare Poké Balls. Times change!"
The three Trainers from Sinnoh had no idea what he was talking about.
Even if Hikaru told them, they would never be able to reproduce it anyway!
Hikaru turned toward "Mr. Akuma."
"Master Glenn, about the Shadow Synergy Stone..."
"Hmm? What about it?" Glenn asked.
The events in the Ferrum region actually took place on a timeline ten years after Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
Considering Pokkén Tournament belonged to the era of Generations VI and VII, setting its events so far in the future had been remarkably bold.
After all, even the World Tournament in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 had devoured the original Black and White timeline.
Everyone still looked almost exactly as they had during the Platinum era, and their character art had not changed.
"This concerns Elder Walter..." Hikaru said.
Glenn rubbed his chin.
"You know Elder Walter?"
"No, I've never met him. However, Elder Walter is one of the leaders of the three great tribes of the Shadow Synergy lands. His is a legendary clan of recluses."
"There are four prominent recluses in total. The fourth is named Alyssa... Ahem, but she isn't the subject I wanted to discuss. She's merely a contingency plan."
"At the moment, she presumably hasn't surpassed you and become the strongest Champion in Ferrum."
"Elder Walter's tribe has passed down stories concerning the darkness for generations. More accurately, stories about the Shadow Synergy Stone."
"However, those who delve too deeply into Synergy Stones, particularly people born with unusual talent, may become bewitched by the Shadow Synergy Stone."
"There is a girl named [Anne]. She can restrain the Shadow Synergy Stone's power by entering Synergy with a powerful Pokémon."
"She should still be very young."
"The object capable of purifying the Shadow Synergy Stone's power is the Origin Stone passed down through Elder Walter's clan. It takes the form of a brooch worn by Anne."
"It was once part of a certain Synergy Stone and possessed incomparable energy. Long ago, it suppressed an overloaded Shadow Synergy Stone and prevented total destruction."
"In the end, it expended all its energy to purify the Shadow Synergy Stone. It became the brooch it is today, nothing more than an inconspicuous little rock."
"An unremarkable stone, much like a Mega Stone whose power has yet to manifest."
"Therefore, intense battles are the method for replenishing its energy..."
Master Glenn froze.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Is that all? That's unexpectedly simple!"
"When it comes to battling, Trainers from Ferrum are better at it than anyone from any other region!"
"Very well. I'll make good use of this information."
"Thank you for your help! You truly deserve to be called a Sage."
Afterward, Silver also received a pair of gloves.
He slipped away to an unoccupied corner and experimentally used them to gather Aura. He struck a dramatic pose, then hurriedly looked around.
After confirming that no one had seen him, he sighed in relief.
"My true path toward becoming stronger is only beginning. It's all thanks to Mr. Hikaru..."
"Hmm. I should get some juice first. I'll buy some for my friends too."
With that thought, he headed back toward the Aprijuice Stand to buy drinks to take with him.
Then...
"Oh my! Customer, you're incredibly lucky! You're our one-thousandth customer, so you'll receive free juice and a complimentary Pokémon massage! Why don't you take out your Poké Balls and give it a try?"
"That's right! It's today's special service, celebrating the birth of a new hero!"
"That's right, meow! Ahem, that's right! What a refreshing feeling!"
A suspicious trio had appeared behind the Aprijuice Stand.
Silver's expression immediately changed.
"Where is Mr. Eusine?"
"Huh? Eusine?" Jessie blinked. "Who's that...?"
"Oh, I remember!" Meowth said. "We saw him back when we stole the Clear Bell in Johto..."
"Hey, Meowth!" James shouted. "You can't say something like that!"
"Sorry, customer. He's feeling a little lightheaded!"
"We're only working part-time here. There's absolutely nothing suspicious going on!"
"Nothing suspicious?" Silver repeated.
His red hair suddenly began drifting despite the absence of wind.
Ripples of Aura spread from his body.
He raised one hand in an incredibly dramatic pose and closed his eyes.
While the trio stared blankly at him, his expression abruptly changed.
He whispered a single name.
"Giovanni."
The trio recoiled.
"What?!"
Silver's fists clenched with an audible crack.
"I knew it. You three know [Giovanni]!"
"I thought I'd seen you somewhere before. You appeared in Kanto... You're members of Team Rocket!"
"What?!" the trio cried. "He can read minds?!"
What was going on?!
"That so-called [Poké Ball massage] carried a trace of malice," Silver continued. "You were obviously plotting something!"
"You bastards! You're members of Team Rocket, yet you dared appear in front of me!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth would serve as the first blood sacrifices on his path of revenge!
The trio pressed their faces together, drenched in sweat and trembling with fear.
"W-Wait a second!"
"This twerp..."
"Red hair. Didn't we hear something about a person with red hair while we were in the organization...?"
There had once been a red-haired female Team Rocket Executive named Ariana...
No, not her.
Someone else.
"Hey, my hair is red too," Jessie said.
"This isn't the time for one of your routines!" James cried. "Besides, your red hair looks completely different from his!"
Meowth's cold sweat poured down his face.
"How should I put this...?"
"This feels really, really bad!"
For reasons unknown, the Aprijuice Stand suddenly exploded.
Silver dusted off his hands and watched as the trio flew into the sky and became a distant star.
"If I encounter you again, I won't let you off with merely being blasted away!"
"Team Rocket is still active? Giovanni and Archer are both gone, yet they can somehow still pay their employees..."
"This calls for harsh measures!"
"The owner of this stand has terrible judgment when hiring people. Fortunately, I arrived in time to correct everything..."
Aura truly was useful.
Silver had gained yet another powerful tool for maintaining peace in Johto.
Next time, he would surely come one step closer to Ethan...
"Hey! Where did the people I hired go?"
A girl's voice sounded behind him.
That familiar tone made Silver's entire body stiffen.
"Lyra...?!"
Oh no!
"Hey! Isn't that Silver?" Lyra said. "What are you doing here? Did you enter the tournament? Have fun...?"
"Wait. Why did my stand explode?!"
She stared at the shattered wreckage of her stand and the Aprijuice splattered everywhere.
Her fury erupted instantly.
"You bastard! What did you do to the cheap employees I paid good money to hire?!"
"Listen carefully, Silver. You're going to repair this Aprijuice Stand and sell another one thousand drinks!"
"Marill, use Aqua Jet on Silver!"
Lyra was furious!
"Wait!" Silver cried in horror.
Any Pokémon but that Marill!
It was not because Marill was particularly strong.
The problem was that Lyra's Marill had originally belonged to her mother.
That Marill always gave off a smell like a filthy old rag!
Once that smell touched you, it never came off!
"Hmph... Aaaaaaah!"
...
The Indigo Plateau.
After the tournament had completely ended, Bruno, Karen, and Koga appeared there.
They gazed toward the northern lands.
Blue crystals lay scattered everywhere. The First Lucario's power had suppressed the World Tree's immune cells and restored the lava-like creatures to their original forms.
However, as members of the Elite Four, they still had important matters to address.
"The person discovered near the Tree of Beginning..."
Once the incident ended, Lance conducted a search around the World Tree. He also requested the assistance of Trainers living near Rota and the Indigo Plateau's elite Trainers.
Eventually, they found the explorer in a corner along the Tree's outer perimeter.
"It appears the immune cells released her after the World Tree returned to normal. She exhausted most of her strength and fled back here."
"She has no idea what happened deeper inside."
"The records concerning the World Tree must also be sealed..."
The masked Will located Kidd Summers and used Teleport to bring her back to the Indigo Plateau.
Kidd was a world-famous explorer who held numerous exploration records.
The first thing she faced when she opened her eyes was...
The Indigo League's current Elite Four and its fourth Champion!
"Ms. Kidd, are you awake?" Lance asked.
Kidd held her aching head.
"You're... Lance, Champion of the Indigo League?"
Lance's expression remained stern.
"I didn't expect you to recognize me."
"That will make this easier."
"Allow us to explain the disaster and harmful consequences caused by your unauthorized expedition."
"Your actions nearly caused the entire Indigo Plateau to collapse!"
"From this day forward, expeditions into mysterious locations must receive authorization from at least two members of the Indigo Elite Four."
"Otherwise, they will be treated as unlicensed investigations or illegal activity. Depending on the severity of the situation, they may be classified as criminal offenses or major crimes."
Will laughed softly.
"Every region has its own laws. Slowpoke Tails cannot be eaten in Johto, while flying is prohibited in Alola."
"This incident has taught us that different locations require different regulations."
"Fortunately, we managed to stop the disaster before it was too late," Karen said. "However, as the person responsible for triggering this incident, you must submit to an investigation by both the Kanto and Johto Leagues. You will also be detained."
"Being a tourist does not grant you the right to ignore local laws and regulations."
"Installing a transmitter inside the World Tree and using it to search for Mew would ordinarily qualify as a standard investigative procedure," Koga said.
"However, shouldn't you have studied the exterior before investigating its interior?"
"If you had discovered the World Tree's true nature earlier, all of this might have been avoided."
"The northern lands' entire ecosystem nearly collapsed," Bruno added. "Disturbing one part nearly destroyed the whole."
"There should have been more responsible ways to conduct this investigation."
"If you took these risks merely to break another world record, or because you believed most places in this world posed no danger, then your reasoning was fundamentally mistaken."
"That includes the time you became the first spacewalker and set a world record."
"Unfortunately, you nearly died during that attempt as well."
"You probably have no idea what kinds of Pokémon live in outer space. You should consider yourself fortunate that a certain Pokémon did not enter your section of space at the time."
Kidd stared blankly as the Elite Four interrogated her.
Still, she already understood that she had caused an enormous disaster.
She had never expected those orange slime molds to suddenly emerge from the World Tree.
As she fled, she provoked a huge number of them into chasing her. The Legendary giants had also blocked her path along the way.
Strangely, when she awakened later and escaped, the giants were nowhere to be seen.
It was almost as if they had deliberately allowed her to leave.
"I..." Kidd opened her mouth, but she did not know how to answer.
Perhaps she had focused too much on setting world records and overlooked many important responsibilities as an explorer.
"Could you wait a moment?" Kidd pleaded. "I need to speak with my partner, Mr. Banks of Castelia City."
"I've done something that may be impossible to undo..."
"I'm sorry, but our decision concerning you is a notification, not a request for your opinion," Lance said.
"Your expedition partner, Banks of Castelia City, is currently being investigated by the Unova League."
"We need to determine whether this expedition was sponsored by a major corporation or conducted merely as an expensive hobby for a wealthy individual."
"We have already discussed the situation with the Unova League and its local Champion."
"They had no objections."
...
Near Sinjoh, Green and Mewtwo stared in awe at the towering wall of blizzards rising from the earth.
"So this is the entrance to the [Sinjoh region]," Mewtwo said. "How could such an enormous wall of blizzards have formed? It's incredible..."
"Nagamasa, did you truly endure such a harsh life...?"
"There's a blizzard raging ahead," Green said. "Wouldn't it be better for the Manager to stay here?"
It was called a region, but no one lived there anymore.
Almost all traces of its history had disappeared.
Compared with even the northern lands surrounding Rota, it was far more...
Green rubbed her arms and shivered.
"Primitive and freezing."
"To think we would see something like this after arriving through Teleport."
"Did the rainbow light truly guide you back here? The Aura of happiness reached the heavens, but if this is the destination Ho-Oh chose for you..."
"This isn't moving. It's bone-chilling!"
"No. You should call it [pure and solemn]," Hikaru corrected.
"Thank you for bringing me here. You should set out on an adventure with Mew now."
"Leaf also has a Mew. I wonder whether she's currently at Mount Silver or wandering around somewhere else."
"Leaf..." Green laughed. "I was planning to look for her."
"But before that, I need to return to Pallet Town. There's still someone I haven't defeated."
She exchanged a glance with Mewtwo.
Mewtwo sighed helplessly, while Green flashed an excited grin.
Surpassing Red was unrealistic.
But defeating Blue should be perfectly possible!
"Let's go crush Blue first!"
The first Champion of the Indigo League was about to fall once again!
"By the way," Green added, "the academic degree and research paper from Celadon University are connected to the study you participated in, aren't they?"
"There's only one week left before the results are published."
"It's sure to create an even greater sensation. You might become a world-famous rising scholar."
"Well, you're already almost there anyway!"
"But Celadon University will probably need to mail you something afterward..."
"I obviously can't list Sinjoh as my mailing address," Hikaru said. "But I also own a house in Sinnoh, and someone there can receive it for me. I've already asked her."
"Besides, the award ceremony will be held online."
"I'll return before then."
Hikaru turned toward the "little pink cat" beside him.
"Guildmaster, I'm counting on you."
"Mew!"
Guildmaster Mew floated beside everyone and proudly patted its chest.
Of course a Guildmaster would help the "team leader"!
Time to use [Transform]!
Transform allowed Mew to assume the form of an opposing Pokémon and use exactly the same moves.
As the ancestor of Pokémon, Mew possessed the genes from which everything had originated.
It could transform into any Pokémon, even one it had never seen!
All it needed was a description or a drawing!
Hikaru pointed ahead.
"There's only one Pokémon capable of shoveling through that wall of blizzards!"
"A Pokémon once known as the Lord of the Tundra, one of Hisui's ten great Pokémon."
"One of the legendary hero's ten companions..."
"Hisuian [Avalugg]!"
"The ice armor covering its lower jaw is harder than steel and can easily crush boulders. Avalugg uses it to plow through deep snow and charge along treacherous mountain paths!"
The colossal pseudo-Avalugg, an [Ice and Rock-type], roared and charged forward.
It might have been Guildmaster Mew transformed into another Pokémon, but it perfectly reproduced Hisuian Avalugg's ferocious disposition.
Then again, perhaps the Guildmaster was deliberately performing its own "terrifying dragon roar."
"Use [Mountain Gale]!"
The wall of blizzards collapsed with a deafening crash.
A tremendous opening appeared within it.
Hisuian Avalugg charged into the storm like a snowplow, tearing open a path through the snow.
At the end of that road...
Hikaru's homeland rested beneath the ancient sacred peak.
The sealed Sinjoh Ruins lay within!
Then...
After Hikaru bid the Guildmaster farewell and returned to the area near the Sinjoh Ruins, his Arc Phone reacted.
Victini lay across Hikaru's head, while Core No. 5 maintained a stern expression and said nothing in an attempt to look cool.
A light, graceful sound reached Hikaru's ears.
It was the sound of a flute.
The Celestica Flute's heavenly melody echoed into the clouds before changing pitch and transforming into the Azure Flute.
Light flashed before him.
The whisper of Almighty Sinnoh sounded throughout the area.
["The transcendent Almighty has awakened and is now deep in thought."]
["What will happen, I wonder? These hateful feelings will cross three thousand years..."]
["This time, the Pokémon that were 'granted lightning and transformed into lords' will receive true divine thunder, not the thunder of Giratina's rage."]
["It is similar to what he once did. After all, the birth of the 'lords' was made possible by the power he bestowed."]
["Now, however, he probably believes the choice he made at the time was wrong."]
["Furthermore, Oblivia's [Shining Orb] has disappeared."]
["At this rate, both Sinjoh and Hisui will meet their end."]
["History never unfolds exactly as we imagine. It is always filled with unexpected changes."]
"Hmm. In other words, there's no other choice."
"Then let us offer up the Eternal Battle Reverie and ensure that [Pokémon battles] continue smoothly."
"History has already been changed beyond recognition anyway."
That was the nature of a world containing every region.
Even a tiny change in a spin-off title could drastically alter the timeline of the mainline games.
It might even...
In any case, the true hero had been waiting for a long time.
"Was that scamming... Ahem. I mean, was that text message sent?"
"Has the chosen child arrived?"
["Don't describe it so strangely."]
["Summoning the correct person from another time and space is a sacred and solemn act."]
["Besides, from the perspective of the present, it has already been completed. If you are referring to the past, then it has not happened yet."]
["Your wish was one of the causes behind the current situation."]
"My wish?"
["The wish you made to Jirachi sealed the Ultra Wormholes. As a result, the person who should have appeared in Hisui never arrived."]
["Therefore, how are we supposed to fill the missing gap?"]
["I am referring to the [Path of Solitude] introduced by Ingo."]
["We can hardly return to Unova now, arrange for the hero you promised to meet to challenge the Multi Train with you, and then throw that person into the past..."]
"Uh, no. That really wouldn't work."
"So this is still a story I started."
"But I acted with the best intentions!"
"Ultra Wormholes deserve to be crushed without mercy. Even if it were only for my personal safety, I had no choice but to make that wish."
"Besides, that Dark God is still watching me from everywhere and chasing me down whenever it gets the chance."
["Precisely."]
["Ever since the incident in Sinjoh, everything else has merely been a matter of time."]
["And here..."]
["The feelings that transcended time have reached this place as well."]
["Can you hear it? That nostalgic voice?"]
Some claimed she quelled the frenzy of Jubilife Village's ten great Pokémon, became a hero, and remained in the village forever.
Others claimed that the Galaxy Team member who earned all ten stars was never truly her, and that the real girl had been banished long ago.
Still others claimed the journey through time had never happened at all.
They said it was merely a legend invented by Almighty Sinnoh.
This story began with a single smartphone.
Hikaru froze.
Within the golden light, he faintly heard a girl singing.
"I set the bones of Pokémon
adrift upon the river."
"I let my memories flow on,
adrift upon the river."
"And to the ocean they will flow,
perhaps around the world they go."
"How many bones in days now gone
have I now set adrift from me?"
"How many bones in days to come
will I yet set adrift to sea?"
"While every gift with which I part
takes a sliver of my heart."
"You at the farthest end of heaven and earth,
do you know that I understand your heart?"
In a certain world, inside an ordinary home...
It was 4:29 in the morning.
A girl with a face almost identical to Dawn's stared at her phone.
A Pokémon game was displayed on her computer, where Professor Oak was introducing a brand-new world.
Then cracks appeared across her phone's screen.
Garbled text emerged.
["Would you like to begin the game?"]
["The game that will determine your future has been selected."]
["Will you board the train?"]
["An infinite land awaits you."]
"...?"
The girl looked around.
"Where is that voice coming from?"
Then brilliant light swallowed her whole!
(End of Chapter)
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