Chapter Thirty-One: "Congratulations, Honedge has evolved into Doublade!"
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Lightmoss touched the enormous gem and examined its composition.
The knowledge of the Ancient Treasure Hunter activated.
[Precious Material: Walking Wake’s Crown Crystal.]
[Description: It possesses properties similar to those of a Water Gem, but its appearance is closer to that of a crystal. Compared with Suicune’s crystalline crown, Walking Wake’s crown is much larger, and the material composing it is somewhat different. The tips of the crown are lighter in color and more translucent, seemingly infused with the energy of Terastalization.]
[Acquisition Clue—Brilliant Crystal: Crystals formed from highly concentrated Terastal energy rising from beneath the earth. They appear as enormous, glittering crystals and can be found in the Paldea region and Kitakami.]
[Acquisition Clue—Walking Wake’s Crystal: Obtained from Walking Wake’s crown. As a part of the Pokémon’s body, the crown suffers wear over the years and may be replaced. It is a part of the Pokémon’s body.]
[Acquisition Clue—Ancient Crystal: A type of crystal that appeared long ago and contains incredible power. It can convey a Pokémon’s will, allowing the hearts of humans and Pokémon to connect. It can be found in the Iceberg Ruins, Rocky Mountain Ruins, and Blackthorn Ruins.]
He had obtained clues for three different crystals all at once!
Unfortunately, he had not obtained a single one of them. One could not demand too much from the Dream World... To acquire materials from the Dream World, he would have to wait until the Dream Research in the Unova region produced results.
He had no idea whether the research there had succeeded yet. He would search the internet for relevant information when he returned.
Lightmoss’s body grew increasingly dim. He set down the Heavy Ball and waved his hand.
“Thank you. Until next time... No, perhaps we’ll never meet again.”
After all, Walking Wake was a Pokémon from another world, one far beyond their reach.
“Roar...?”
Walking Wake narrowed its eyes slightly, seeming puzzled. It glanced at the ball Lightmoss had tossed onto the ground, then bit down on it. It had memorized Lightmoss’s scent.
It wanted to eat more Pasho Berries.
Ripples of space-time rose around Walking Wake. It seemed that some power from beyond the boundaries of time and space was calling to it. Before long, it vanished together with the Heavy Ball.
In the instant before it disappeared, the appearance of the Heavy Ball seemed to change. It transformed into a pink Dream Ball.
............
At the same time, Unown E, which had been searching for a nonexistent Ghost-type Pokémon, did not appear in the real world. Instead, when the dream shattered, it was flung directly back into the rift in space-time where it had originally lived.
Many other Unown inhabited that rift. It was one of their homes.
Something was calling through the fractures in time. The Unown discovered not one but several beings that resembled Pokémon. Those “Pokémon” were being summoned from other timelines to an extraordinarily distant land.
Unown E sensed a familiar power. As it watched the Pokémon traveling along the timelines, it saw one that was exactly identical to the “fake Suicune” that had just appeared in the dream!
Moreover... why was the direction in which that creature was being summoned different from that of the other Pokémon? It seemed to have taken a huge detour.
.........
The dream shattered.
Lightmoss gradually awoke in bed, while Honedge stirred from the corner of the room.
“It feels as though something came into the room... Could it have been a Ghost-type Pokémon?”
Lightmoss sensed something abnormal in the atmosphere, but for the moment, he could not locate the source.
Only the material information deeply imprinted in his mind told him that the dream he had just experienced had been more than an ordinary dream.
He was still wondering about it when his hand suddenly touched something on the bed.
It was a blue crystal, almost exactly the same color as Walking Wake’s crown!
Thoughts surged and gathered in his mind.
[Walking Wake (Dream) has been captured!]
[Due to the Dragon Tamer profession’s knowledge, a bond with Walking Wake has begun to form!]
[Due to the Symbol Plate, you and Walking Wake have formed a powerful connection. Perhaps the two of you will meet again at some point...]
[Obtained Precious Material: Walking Wake’s Crown Fragment!]
[Knowledge Acquired: 1]
[Dream Treasure Hunter: Sometimes, you will passively enter a Pokémon’s dream. Each time you enter a dream, there is a chance that you will bring something out of the Pokémon’s Dream World.]
[Crafting Quantity Obtained: 1]
[Crystal Processing Craftsmanship (C+): A rare craft capable of processing any crystal. By processing crystals, they can be transformed into certain designated special items. All crystal ornaments you craft will possess a slight mind-cleansing effect.]
[Possible Item to Craft... Clear Bell.]
[Possible Craftsmanship Required: 3.]
Perhaps the two of them would meet again at some point...
What a stroke of luck!
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Lightmoss’s thoughts immediately began to run wild.
If Walking Wake’s crystal could also be used to make a Clear Bell...
For Ho-Oh, a bell made from Walking Wake’s crystal would not be officially authorized.
But if it really managed to summon Ho-Oh, would it find anything strange about it?
The tone of this bell is wrong. Why does it sound as if a dragon is roaring too?
“And then there’s the Dream World—the Pokémon Dream World? So the dream in the Burned Tower just now wasn’t my dream, but a Pokémon’s? Walking Wake’s dream? But why?”
Could an ancient Paradox Suicune dream of the modern, ordinary Ho-Oh?
It had.
Oh, right. The Burned Tower actually belonged to Lugia.
“If it were the Entralink Forest in Unova, a Pokémon appearing in a dream could be brought out of the Dream World... The Pokémon in the dream would appear there in physical form in exchange for Berries. Though rather than materializing, it would be more accurate to say that it had been summoned from somewhere else.”
“I captured Walking Wake? I suppose I should visit the Entralink Forest sometime. Maybe I could summon Walking Wake there.”
“However, the Entralink Forest seems to be a secret location unknown to the people of Unova. I wonder whether the C-Gear function for entering the Dream World has been developed yet.”
There were many secret places in this world. The Shendu Lands, where he lived, were one of them!
Of course, in theory, for Walking Wake to come to this world, it should have been summoned by a time machine. It ought to have appeared in the Paldea region instead...
Lightmoss shook his head, driving away his tangled thoughts, and began to focus on the names of the three crafts.
Flame Forging, Crystal Processing, and Ball-Net Weaving.
He had already obtained one of them, and Forging was clearly the easiest to acquire next.
“There really is a forge in the workshop...”
“Huh?”
Lightmoss muttered to himself. Honedge also groggily came to, then discussed the events of the dream with him. This left Lightmoss thoroughly astonished.
Was the Honedge in the dream the same Honedge as the one in reality?
“Are our dreams connected?”
“Yo?”
Human and sword stared at each other for a long while, both finding the matter utterly miraculous.
Lightmoss went over to the workbench and noticed something unusual.
The word formed by the Plates should originally have been Suicune. But at some point, the Dragon Plate, which had been pressed beneath the computer, had touched the Symbol Plate resting on the workbench, as though the two had been drawn together.
The word had therefore changed into Walking Wake, forming a long string of Roman letters across the table.
The discovery left Lightmoss extremely surprised!
“What an incredible event! If I assemble the words for Entei and Raikou, could I encounter Gouging Fire and Raging Bolt in the same location within the Dream World?”
“Perhaps I should try it after I become stronger?”
“Hmm? Honedge?”
Lightmoss received no response. He turned his head to look.
Suddenly, he saw a change taking place in Honedge!
A faint white radiance appeared around Honedge’s body. It seemed confused, sensing its body beginning to change.
The single sword gradually began to split apart!
Under Lightmoss’s astonished gaze, Honedge... evolved!
Could defeating Walking Wake in the dream really grant experience? The Dream World was indeed an important branch of the Pokémon world’s mythology...
Oh, of course!
Lightmoss slapped his palm.
If Berries, material fragments, and even Pokémon could be brought out of the Dream World, then mere experience points could naturally be obtained as well!
“Yoo-oo~”
Accompanied by a strange, resonant cry, two swords appeared before Lightmoss, crossing each other in the shape of an X. Its—or rather, their—eyes and ribbons had turned magenta. A shield had appeared behind them, with the two scabbards seemingly fixed to it.
[Congratulations! Honedge has evolved into Doublade!]
[Moves Learned: Retaliate, Iron Defense.]
“(⊙X⊙)?”
Doublade seemed unable to understand what had happened. But soon, “they” realized...
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“Yo-oo, Yoop!”
Lightmoss, someone is imitating my face! (x2)
.............
Johto region, Celebi’s Forest.
Suicune, resting peacefully, suddenly awoke and looked around.
It had just had a dream. In the dream there had been Unown, a human, an unfamiliar sword-shaped Pokémon, and... a dragon Pokémon that looked remarkably similar to itself, yet was completely different.
Suicune itself had seemed to turn into a camera, able only to watch as those few creatures engaged in a chaotic battle beneath the Burned Tower. They slashed, breathed fire, and sprayed streams of scalding water!
Hey, this was the tower of Legendary Pokémon. How could you people behave so recklessly?
No... wait?!
Why was it the Burned Tower?
“Uu...?”
Suicune abruptly rose to its feet, realizing that the dream might not have been ordinary. Perhaps it foretold something. Could the Burned Tower have been dismantled? Although the tower belonged not to Ho-Oh but to Lugia, if the Burned Tower were destroyed, would the Bell Tower not be affected as well?
The Unown also seemed to have become more active. The Unown in the Ruins of Alph...
Were they responsible for the origin of this dream?
Perhaps it should ask the Unown again.
With unease weighing on its heart, Suicune prepared to set out. Ignoring the hour, it leaped across lakes and forests, mounted the northern wind, and headed straight for Ecruteak City.
............
Galar region, Slumbering Weald.
Dense fog filled the lakeside near the Heroes’ Ruins. Within the shifting haze, the silhouette of a Pokémon appeared.
It was not a real Pokémon, but some kind of projected illusion.
It appeared to be a large canine Pokémon with red and blue coloring. Red covered most of its body, while blue was concentrated on its legs, tail, and head. One ear seemed to be missing a piece, with a tuft of fur sticking up from it. Wound-like patterns covered its body, and its face resembled a small shield.
The Shield King, Zamazenta, appeared before the ruins in a puzzled state of illusion. It stared at the weathered shield placed within the ruins and could not help but wonder.
It had thought someone had taken the shield away... But the shield was still here. Then why had it dreamed of someone wielding it?
It seemed to have been knocked away by something. Zamazenta had not seen clearly.
How strange.
It seemed the hero who would wield the shield would not appear for a long time yet... The shield had been left here too long. It had already rotted away.
Zamazenta paced through the forest for a while. Finding no one who had trespassed into the forgotten ancient woodland, the illusion faded, and everything became as though it had never been there.
............
Unova region, Entralink Forest.
This was a forest at the center of Unova, shaped like a Poké Ball when viewed on a map. It was an extraordinary place, closely connected to other worlds.
Yet very few people in Unova knew of this mysterious forest. It was one of the secret locations in the Pokémon world.
Walking Wake shook its head and gazed at the deep forest around it. There was no one there, and the silence was frightening. Some power had just dragged it through space-time, but for some reason, it had landed in this forest.
Where was that humanoid dragon?
Where had its enormous Trainer gone?
It set the pink Poké Ball to one side, then began observing the forest...
Come to think of it, why didn’t this forest have any Pasho Berries?!
Walking Wake grew annoyed and continued searching. Before long, it unknowingly reached the edge of another Pokémon’s dream. It stared curiously at the pink mist, within which appeared enormous dragon Pokémon resembling itself...
“The real world is here...”
“The ideal world is here...”
Two equally immense voices rang out.
Walking Wake scratched its chest.
“Roar!”
What were the creatures inside those two clouds of mist babbling about? Did they have any Pasho Berries or not?
The two clouds of mist: “.........?”
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