Chapter Five: The Sticky Pill, the Very Reason for a King

Honedge voiced its protest, though its mind was currently caught in a whirlwind of brainstorming—if, as a sword, it could even be said to have a brain!

To be defeated head-on like this—this human was simply not human; he was even more formidable than the knights of old who wielded weapons!

Come to think of it, with all those strange tools he used, could it really be called a fair fight?

Of course it could!

This guy had done it all himself!

He hadn’t used a Pokémon to fight it; he had faced it personally. No matter what tools he used, that was his way of fighting, and those tactics weren't underhanded at all... to be able to withstand its moves and counter-attack... such a powerful human, the defeat he had dealt was undeniable!

Forget it. The gem was never going to be recovered anyway; consider it a gift!

"Yo... yo! Yo-yo..."

In Honedge’s perception, the human before it seemed somewhat different from how he was during the battle, though it couldn't quite put its finger on why. Perhaps his aura had changed?

Guang Tai’s expression, meanwhile, shifted to one of surprise.

Watching Honedge make those "yo-yo" sounds... he suddenly seemed to understand the creature's mood. Those strange cries, transmitted into his mind, seemed to automatically translate into a comprehensible system of language, carrying a light, hollow echo.

From these "words," he could grasp the general meaning. Even as he listened, vague, spectral symbols flickered in his mind—perhaps these were the psychic characters that could be transcribed?

Was this what spirit-medium knowledge felt like?

"Are you saying that since you lost to me, the 'gem' is a gift? Is that what you mean?"

"Yo?"

Honedge’s blue eye widened in shock!

Huh? He could understand what it was saying?

"Come to think of it, Pokémon have a high aptitude for understanding human language, while humans can only guess at Pokémon language. It’s an interesting phenomenon."

Guang Tai muttered to himself before asking, "But you aren’t a Pokémon from this region... Even though I found you in these ruins, why did you end up sleeping here as an artifact?"

"Yo... yo!"

Honedge stared at Guang Tai, deep in thought.

It reasoned that since this human had defeated it and now held it under his control, his strength surpassed its own. Faced with such a powerhouse and an honest, heart-felt defeat, it couldn't be stubborn or deceptive—that would not befit the spirit of a knight.

So, it briefly explained that it had been brought by a traveler skilled in magical arts and presented to a certain king. There had been several other Honedge brought along, all of which were bestowed upon the knights under the king's command, each granted a gemstone.

"A sword from a kingdom long ago? So you were a tribute brought by a traveler. That makes sense. In ancient times, merchants would bring rare Pokémon and goods to distant lands to promote cultural exchange, which indirectly caused some Pokémon to develop regional forms... You don't even remember the name of the kingdom? How careless."

Guang Tai teased, and Honedge spun around in the air, letting out a protesting "yo-yo" chime.

It wasn't carelessness! Pokémon simply didn't bother remembering trivial matters unrelated to their masters! Why dwell on such things?

"It doesn't really matter. That kingdom is likely long gone. A kingdom near the Johto region... there do seem to be some ruins north of Mt. Moon, and even a small kingdom that has survived to this day."

The Pokémon world was dotted with strange, small kingdoms located in the corners of every region, each possessing its own set of peculiar laws and maintaining a fairly high social status.

But long ago, these kingdoms hadn't been as small and weak as they were now; they might have been juggernauts that dominated entire regions.

Starting from the Sinjoh Ruins and heading southeast into the Mt. Moon mountain range, one would indeed encounter the ruins of such kingdoms.

Honedge emphasized that the traveler with the magical arts had carried many treasures, and it was merely an exotic Pokémon captured and offered as a gift.

Just as Guang Tai had said, merchants traveling the world often did such things, bringing unique products from one region to another, weaving them into the local culture and civilization, and even altering the local natural environment and ecology.

For Honedge, yesterday felt like it was still fresh in its memory—the towering castle and the armored, weapon-wielding soldiers, all turned to dust after a single sleep.

The ancient country had vanished, taking with it every record of the monarch, not to mention those glorious memories—everything was gone.

But if it was gone, it was gone; there was nothing to be done. It was, after all, just a sword; it couldn't manage such grand affairs.

However, one thing remained undeniably true.

Honedge couldn't think about overly complex matters, but since the country had fallen and a thousand years had passed—even if it didn't want to admit it—the fact remained: as a knight's blade, if there was no master to serve, there was no point in independent activity.

Of course, its time as a wandering knight hadn't lasted long, as it had now been captured by another human.

But at the same time, Honedge was contemplating something.

Something rather bold.

It was a secret a predecessor had once told it.

The first king did not rely on bloodline; he was chosen by a certain magical beast (Pokémon). The king relied on that beast’s power to establish the nation and rule over many lives.

Since the king of the past was dead, then... the new object to serve, someone with the same qualifications as that king, was right in front of it!

After all, this guy had truly defeated it head-on. If it were someone like this, he would surely be capable of becoming a qualified...

Honedge became quite excited, leaping up and down before Guang Tai, offering its suggestion!

"Yo!"

"Yo~ yo?"

Mighty youth!

Do you wish to become a king!

Power—no, Sticky Barb, is the very reason to be a king!

"A king? Why would anyone want to be something like that?"

"Ruling over people and Pokémon... hey, isn't this the villain's path? Why would a Pokémon actively encourage its master to become a villain?"

Guang Tai waved his hands repeatedly, finding Honedge's proposal far too strange.

"You say you want to help me become a king... do you really choose kings so casually? Besides, what’s the point of being a king in the modern world? And you say I should rule over other Pokémon and humans...!"

"Come to mention it, the final evolution of Honedge, 'Aegislash,' does have similar descriptions... it can discern the qualities of a king, and the one it chooses becomes the new monarch... but there are many people in the world who own an Aegislash, and none of them have become kings."

Honedge grew excited: "Yo!"

Hey, you know quite a bit!

That's right, it's me—or rather, my evolution!

But Guang Tai immediately poured cold water on Honedge's enthusiasm:

"But it's the job of an Aegislash to choose a king, isn't it? As a Honedge, you don't seem to possess the ability to select one. And it seems that those who did follow an Aegislash to become kings eventually saw their nations fall, didn't they?"

"Just like your kingdom."

Honedge stared blankly at Guang Tai.

Man and sword gazed at each other for a long while.

Honedge blinked its eye, then suddenly used its blue ribbon to scratch its hilt:

"Yo!"

Ah, so that’s how it is. No wonder the country fell.

It was my evolution’s fault all along!

Well, that’s that, then!