Chapter Six: Writing in Progress, Please Do Not Power Off...

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Yet the lone sword sheath seemed unwilling to give up. It carried an attitude of “I have many good ideas that will surely help you be crowned king,” and its piercing sword cries grew even sharper. It was quite eager, with a strange kind of excitement, and the tone of its calls began to change! When the tone shifted, Kōtai suddenly realized it could no longer grasp the general meaning of the sheath’s cries. This new tone wasn’t its usual call but an imitation of something else... The information contained in this Pokémon language was far too vast; Kōtai couldn’t fully comprehend it, likely limited by its current knowledge.

It was still a novice, after all.

However, seeing that Kōtai seemed not to understand its meaning, the lone sword sheath blinked and appeared to ponder something. Under Kōtai’s curious gaze, it opened the door by itself, ran out into the rain, and wrote characters in the muddy ground. This surprised Kōtai greatly.

A Pokémon... can write!

But on reflection, since the written language in the Pokémon world might have evolved from unknown totems, it wasn’t so strange that some higher-intelligence Pokémon could write human script. Yet... these were ancient characters.

Whenever ancient scripts were involved, a relic enthusiast like Kōtai was of little use; deciphering required an archaeology master like Cynthia. If that kingdom was jointly founded by the people of Sinnoh and the Old City, could these characters be the script of Ancient Sinnoh?

They did resemble the unknown totem writings somewhat—weren’t those just Romanized Japanese? But only similar, not identical.

It seemed that unlocking knowledge depended on deciphering the first character. Kōtai would have to tackle this later when it had time.

After staring a while, Kōtai shook its head helplessly. “Though I don’t know what you wrote, it should be something good, right?”

“I see. Those earlier cries I couldn’t understand must have been you imitating ancient speech. No wonder it sounded awkward and incomprehensible.”

“But I must tell you: royal power is never eternal.”

The lone sword sheath’s single eye locked onto Kōtai, deep in thought.

Then, controlling its body, it made a sword-swinging gesture, circled around Kōtai a few times, and emitted excited sounds!

It was thinking this way:

Though kingship usually required bloodline, what use was bloodline when the nation was destroyed? Rumor had it the First King was once an ordinary person, chosen by predecessors to be king.

Since the past king was gone, it was time to choose a new one!

That would make the sheath the blade and sword of the king, and since the kingdom’s fall was caused by Aegislash’s shield counterpart, it was none of the sheath’s concern!

In fact, the former king had long shown signs of incompetence—something the sheath had noticed early on.

Better to establish a new ruler.

It seemed the human was illiterate, unable to recognize the characters it wrote. That was a passage the sheath had heard during the previous king’s coronation ceremony, meant for crowning... Yes!

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That was an unknown poem, stored behind the throne by the king.

[Humans receive the life of a beast, and in turn entrust their own.]

During the era when the country existed, though it was a Pokémon, the sheath could write. Many human knights tried to form contracts with it, but it never favored them!

But this one was different. Defeating it hand-to-hand with a tool meant it had earned the right to use the sheath. This would make him stronger, because... there was a great barrier between unarmed and armed combat!

“Yo~~”

The sheath suddenly shook off past concerns, excitedly spinning around with a new purpose.

Kōtai watched its excitement with some speechlessness.

In theory, though a Ghost-type Pokémon, members of this sheath’s family, possessing ancient swords as their core, usually showed little emotional fluctuation. Why was this one so emotionally volatile?

And its personality... was it careless?

Careless Pokémon tend to have increased special attack but reduced special defense, prefer astringent tastes, and dislike bitter ones.

“Yo~ yo~”

The sheath hovered over the damp earth. Kōtai’s attention returned from the writing to reality; staring at the characters too long felt like it was being mentally drawn in.

Speaking of which, there were important matters to attend to!

Kōtai called the sheath inside, wiped the water off it with a towel, then grasped the hilt and examined the blade and scabbard.

“Yo...? Yo!”

The sheath didn’t know what Kōtai was doing, rolling its eyes and watching.

“Hmm... your body, as an ancient relic, has slept so long. Under natural outdoor preservation, you must be somewhat rusted?”

After careful inspection, Kōtai confirmed it lacked the luster of modern crafted weapons, with deep red marks and brown substances on it.

“Definitely rusted.”

Swords left unmaintained long-term deteriorate, and the harsh outdoor environment only worsens it. Though the sheath was a Pokémon, many Pokémon shared the material properties corresponding to their forms.

For example, Aegislash, being metallic-bodied, had poor corrosion resistance, rusted easily, and disliked rain.

As a tool specialist, Kōtai had some experience repairing tools, implements, even antiques. Coincidentally, it had just acquired a new polishing technique and hadn’t finished grinding evolutionary stones.

Perfect to do both together.

“Remove the rust, clean it thoroughly, polish anew, wipe away residual impurities...”

The sheath immediately emitted “yo yo” cries!

Oh, re-polishing the blade?

It had often been done by craftsmen before.

But now Kōtai also saw another layer of information:

[Rare Material: Aged Cloth.]

[Description: Worn cloth from the sheath’s body, gradually absorbing the vitality of living beings. When the ancient sword became a Pokémon, this cloth became part of it.]

[Involving the sheath in crafting might yield something...]

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[Clue: Soaking worn cloth in a spiritual environment for several days produces aged cloth. Some haunted locations may be ideal for this process, and combining with Ghost-type Pokémon’s power can speed it up.]

[Known haunted site—Abandoned Workshop (Home).]

[Abandoned Workshop: A somewhat ominous workshop long deserted. The old house breeds resentment; recently, someone died here.]

[Spiritual level—Low: Causes discomfort but no paranormal incidents.]

Kōtai: “.........?”

My home is a haunted place...?

Oh right, someone did die here—me!

Moreover, this workshop was an abandoned building left by my father. Though abandoned not long ago, it was deep in the forest far from the village. The previous owner found no visitors at all.

Add a genuine Ghost-type Pokémon, and yes, it’s a haunted site.

Then looking again at the sheath’s blue ribbon...

Aged cloth...

Such ghostly materials should unsettle one’s heart, but knowing my home is a haunted place, that unease instantly vanished.

So it’s fine!

Come to think of it, was unlocking talisman crafting because of this cloth?

Many Pokémon’s decorations are ordinary objects, but their attributes fuse them to the Pokémon’s being. Such items can be replaced.

Kōtai returned indoors, the sheath floated in behind, and Kōtai glanced back.

As a tool specialist, having an ancient sword as an initial Pokémon... it made sense, didn’t it?

With that thought, Kōtai took out a brand-new notebook.

It was meant for work records.

But looking at the sheath, a strange feeling stirred within, so Kōtai picked up a pen and began writing today’s events in that fresh notebook.

Using a method remembered from long ago.

Recording in progress, please do not close...

The notebook opened to a new page:

“Lone Sword Sheath, a Pokémon from ancient times.”

“Somewhat careless personality.”

“Met at the abandoned workshop home.”

“Dislikes bitter tastes.”

“Tends to be easily overconfident.”

Record complete.