Chapter 59 Your Will of a King, I Acknowledge It!

Of course, before tomorrow arrives, today's work still needs to be done.

Kwang-tae stared at the stone slab, falling into deep thought, wondering what kind of intersection he would have with the legendary Pokémon this time.

So, he decided not to think about it for now.

The beeping sound of the computer urged Kwang-tae, and also urged Petilil and Doublade!

Although this busy life was somewhat tiring, it felt really great!

Petilil skipped along, and when she came to the front of the computer with Kwang-tae, she suddenly asked Doublade.

"Wawa?"

If your utopian nation is realized, senior, will all Pokémon work together with Kwang-tae?

Doublade answered with some confusion:

"You-woo...."

Kings don't work, you know!

Eh?! Petilil tilted her head.

"Pet?"

If they don't work, then why can they be called a king? Shouldn't a true king work alongside everyone else and serve as an example?

"You... you-woo?"

Doublade was also stumped by the question and began to ponder it itself.

That's right, why follow that old model to build a nation? Come to think of it, it had no idea why kings didn't have to work; it just assumed that was how it was because the kings back then didn't work.

Now that it thought about it, something really didn't seem right, did it?

It wasn't that someone was recognized only after becoming king, but rather that only someone who had been recognized could become king?!

Is... yes, that's right, it should be like this!

"You-woo!"

Doublade indicated that it had found a new nation-building philosophy! A world where all people and Pokémon can live without worry, and everyone has their own proper job—this was the kind of world it wanted to build...!

Kwang-tae heard Doublade's voice. Although he didn't know what Petilil had asked, Doublade was still promoting its villain-like nation-building philosophy, and didn't it sound more and more bizarre the more one listened?

Come to think of it, a world where every Pokémon has a job and every Pokémon lives in harmony actually exists.

This must be referring to the Mystery Dungeon world, right? To the Pokémon world, the Mystery Dungeon world is probably a parallel world?

"Oh, the client's request is... huh?"

Kwang-tae saw the content of the "client's" email, but his expression turned peculiar.

[What I want to talk to you about today is the topic of liberating Pokémon. We humans have lived together with Pokémon until now, and we are indispensable partners to each other—perhaps many people think this way, but is that really the case? Could this just be wishful thinking on our part...]

"This format is so familiar. Isn't this the speech propaganda of Team Plasma? Ah right, when Team Plasma was first active in Unova, they didn't seem to be an illegal organization yet, but rather a religion-like group."

"Has promotional email reached even Sinnoh?"

Kwang-tae originally thought so, but in the final paragraph of the email, a special sentence was attached:

[You are an item craftsman? Then are you aware of two things known as the Light Stone and the Dark Stone?]

[I am Ghetsis, Ghetsis of Team Plasma, a man striving to realize true equality between humans and Pokémon!]

[If you know the whereabouts of these two stones, please be sure to reply to me. I will be extremely grateful and will offer a generous reward. Let us work together to realize a wonderful world of life equality!]

Kwang-tae: "......"

"Could this also be from the Antiquarian..... No, it should be Mr. Bourgeois!"

Kwang-tae initially thought this might be a new client found for him by the Antiquarian, but upon second thought, are there any archaeologists in the Unova region?

If it's Undella Town, the only one that comes to mind is Cynthia.

But Cynthia only has a villa over there....

It's summer now, so it could indeed be Cynthia, but if it were Cynthia, it would be impossible for her to recommend a guy like Ghetsis to him as a client. Besides, he doesn't even know Cynthia.

Therefore, there is only one truth!

And that is Mr. Bourgeois!

Team Plasma's activities in Unova are gradually increasing. In order to find the two ancient stones, Team Plasma would definitely inquire of Mr. Bourgeois Mayor, who loves collecting antiques.

"Oh my, this client is not easy to deal with. Although I know the locations of the Light Stone and the Dark Stone, I cannot tell him."

Kwang-tae replied to the email:

"Do you have anything you wish to purchase? I am temporarily unaware of what the stones you mentioned are. I am very sorry."

And soon, a reply came from the other side.

["I see... Apologies, it was wishful thinking on my part. It's just that I have asked many antique collectors, and none of them know what these two stones actually are, which is why I held onto a glimmer of hope and asked someone residing in a foreign land like you."]

["Since I have inadvertently disturbed you, I offer you my deepest apologies. To show my sincerity, I would like to place an order for a piece of craftsmanship. I wonder if you accept custom statues here?"]

Hah, this guy is quite polite. Before his facade breaks, Ghetsis is quite good at playing the righteous gentleman.

"Yes, what would you like customized?"

["Hydreigon, are you familiar with this Pokémon? What I need is a large sculpture, not a small one."]

"Of course, no problem. Custom large-scale sculptures start at 400,000 yen."

Ghetsis's ace Pokémon is Hydreigon. Perhaps to use it for Team Plasma's propaganda.... Kwang-tae really couldn't figure out what he wanted with this sculpture, but the sculptures he carved all possessed special effects, especially now that he had gathered even more ancient rocks, so he didn't have to worry about running out of sculpting materials.

["Ah, then there is no problem at all! There is one more thing. I saw that your shop has an item called the 'Proof of Kingly Demeanor'. From its appearance, it is indeed different from ordinary Kings Rocks, and its effect is to make Pokémon more obedient...."]

["I would like to purchase this item."]

"That's not obedience, that's recognition."

Kwang-tae corrected him, while also understanding what Ghetsis meant. He wanted to find the legendary dragon and make that dragon recognize him, or rather, recognize his adopted son N.

Of course, as for Teacher N, the nominal king of Team Plasma, Ghetsis merely regarded him as a puppet to control the legendary dragon.

At this current point in time, he wondered what state N was in.

"As for the price, it's marked right there: 200,000 yen."

Kwang-tae actually wasn't entirely certain about the pricing of this item. The flinching effect of a normal Kings Rock wasn't particularly dazzling, after all, it was an evolution item, but combined with the unique effects after his own processing, this recognition +20% should work on all Pokémon, right?

However, for someone like Ghetsis, money was simply not an issue. He had secretly amassed a huge fortune using Team Plasma, and he placed the order almost very grandly.

"Thank you for your patronage." After thinking for a moment, Kwang-tae added:

"A Pokémon that will recognize you will ultimately recognize you. For one that doesn't, no matter how many such items you buy, it's useless. Items cannot determine everything; in the end, it still depends on the bond between the human and the Pokémon."

"So, do you have a bond with your own Pokémon? Or is this bought for someone else to use?"

In fact, the answer was already obvious.

["It is for our king."] Ghetsis replied. ["He will become the legendary hero. To that end, it is imperative that the legendary dragon recognizes him. Do you know the nation-building legend of Unova?"]

["How on earth can a world of constant strife among all peoples be unified... It is by appearing beside the heroes who pursue truth and ideals, bestowing knowledge upon them, and baring fangs at those who threaten them—the white and black dragon Pokémon! The figures and power of the hero and the Pokémon melt everyone's hearts into one, thus creating Unova!"]

["Once again! If the hero and the Pokémon can be revived once more in this Unova......"]

["Our king shall join forces with the legendary Pokémon! To forge a new utopian nation! This is precisely the reenactment of the legendary hero nation-building tale widely circulated throughout Unova! And I am busy striving for this great cause!"]

["A brand-new world where humans and Pokémon can live equally! Do you believe this is right?"]

["By the way, I once traveled the world, collecting various knowledge and seeking out people with shared interests. I have now gathered six sages who share the same ideals and goals as myself."]

["You are capable of crafting miraculous items. If you also have the willingness, or if you also recognize our ideals... please be sure to come to the Unova region and join our cause. You shall be the eighth sage....."]

Kwang-tae inwardly scoffed, this act was truly convincing.

"A-equal world where both humans and Pokémon can live brand new sounds wonderful indeed, but I'll pass on the position of sage. I'm just an ordinary craftsman."

The idea of creating a utopian nation is indeed great, but it's a pity that you, Ghetsis, merely want to use this reason for personal gain and accumulation of wealth.

Fooling the brothers (referring to the other six sages) is fine; once the brothers are fooled by you, they'll just laugh it off and serve time in prison, so don't fool yourself too!

At this moment, however, Doublade leaped out!

"You-woo?!"

Its two eyes stared intently at the computer screen. Kwang-tae explained the meaning of these words to it, and Doublade quickly began to get angry!

Who does this guy think he is, trying to build a nation just like our new king?

So what if you have a team?!

"You-woo~~!"

"You-pu~~!"

Kwang-tae, let's not do business with this guy! Piss him off!

"Business still needs to be done, don't worry, everything he said is a lie." Kwang-tae explained to the two Pokémon, but Petilil couldn't read computer text nor did she understand any nation-building ideals, so she had absolutely no reaction.

Sometimes having too much knowledge is also a burden!

"Pet?"

Petilil tilted her head.

Doesn't know how to read, super cute, shaking her head.

"A true hero has indeed appeared, but the final outcome won't be like what he's propagating. Monarchs, new kings—these are just religions used to brainwash believers. Some people have weak minds and are easily deceived by their propaganda, but such people are inherently unsuited to be Pokémon trainers in the first place."

"Don't be blinded by superficial ideals and speeches; look at what he actually did. Didn't you just say it yourself? It's not that someone is recognized only after becoming king, but rather that only someone who has been recognized can become king."

Kwang-tae patted Doublade, and only then did Doublade start to feel better!

That's right! It has to be our king!

Your kingly will, I recognize it!