A move name Cynthia had never heard before echoed like a thunderclap in her ears.
Volo's Garchomp, its body riddled with battle scars, had clearly survived countless battles. With its twin claws spread wide, the dragon's body visibly swelled, and a violent aura surged forth—concentrating entirely into those claws glowing with a brilliant green light!
"Dodge it!"
Cynthia's eyes sharpened, and her Garchomp instantly took to the air, narrowly avoiding the Dragon Claw strike! Though the move didn't touch the ground, the claw's sheer force still tore through the earth, sending rocks flying!
Cynthia noticed the flaw—Volo's Garchomp slowed down slightly when unleashing such a powerful move.
"My Garchomp's pretty strong, wouldn't you say?" Volo kept his eerie smile. "Years of training, tempered in life-or-death battles—and battle techniques passed down from ancient times!"
"'Ferocity'—a technique that boosts the move's power, dealing tremendous damage… but slows the user down afterward."
"Your Garchomp is highly mobile. Then, how about this?"
"Dragon Claw: Agility!"
Volo's Garchomp growled as its speed abruptly surged. The orange-yellow aura around it turned into a bluish-green wave. Cynthia again commanded her Garchomp to dodge, but it was too late—Volo's Garchomp blurred forward in a flash!
"Counter it with Dragon Claw!"
Cynthia's Garchomp lashed out, claws glowing. But Volo's Garchomp struck faster—its second Dragon Claw connected hard!
"'Agility'..." Volo still wore that calm, amused grin, now clearly in control of the first match. "It boosts execution speed but slightly lowers power. Only intense training lets one master such techniques."
"Your Garchomp hasn't learned this fighting style yet, has it? Mastering both approaches lets you adjust power and speed during battle—making you a nightmare for opponents!"
"Hmph… what kind of fighting style is that?" Cynthia furrowed her brow, feeling a trace of pressure. But after a deep breath, she quickly reset her mindset. That pressure gave way to a thrilling excitement.
The tense anticipation before a fight—what Pokémon would the opponent use? What moves would be unleashed? These feelings stirred her soul.
This moment—this thrill—is why she loved battling Pokémon.
"Every Trainer brings their own emotion into battle. And Pokémon—feel those emotions. They give it their all. You can see who a Trainer is just by how their Pokémon fight."
Cynthia's eyes gleamed, and her Garchomp—having taken a hit—recovered and suddenly showed a massive power boost!
"I gave my Garchomp a Weakness Policy!"
"A Garchomp that excels in both speed and power—use Swords Dance!"
It was as if a roaring battle theme suddenly blared in the background. Blue swords lit up around Cynthia's Garchomp.
『You've witnessed a Champion-level Trainer battle. The exchange between two masters—silent yet profound—has granted you the skill: "Champion-Level Training Knowledge." This comes from Cynthia and Volo's unique training styles. Use it wisely.』
『You've learned the battle styles "Ferocity" and "Agility"! You can now teach these methods to all your Pokémon through aura transmission!』
『Aegislash has observed and judged a Champion-level battle and gained: "Brilliance of Life"—a special knowledge born of the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. After every battle with another person or Pokémon, your connection, strength, and vitality with your Pokémon will increase.』
Hikaru quickly finished crafting the key item as Unown swirled around him. The ones from Johto whispered among themselves, clearly terrified of the person who once sealed them away.
"Unown... Unown..."
The Unown now gathered around the Arceus statue Cynthia had brought. The ones native to Shinto seemed to be training the "newcomer" Johto Unown, while also delivering new requests to Hikaru.
Crafting the Millennium Wrist was only the beginning. Originally, it should be followed by granting the bearer the Flute of Shinto. But Shinto had no royal-class Pokémon. None had ever been blessed by Arceus. So even holding the flute would be meaningless.
And so, Hikaru was asked to travel to the Spear Pillar in Sinnoh, carve the true Flute of Shinto there, and deliver it to the chosen one.
"Wait, you want me to go to Spear Pillar? Isn't it hidden now?"
After the Hisui era, no one had been able to find Spear Pillar. It must exist in an alternate space now.
So they're treating me like a divine courier again, huh? Can't I get a better reward this time?
As if reading his grumbling, the Unown conveyed Arceus's will—its expectation for Hikaru, heir of the Shinto.
"Unown Unown~ (The Sinnoh Almighty says it will grant you a blessing—the Blessing of the King~)"
"Unown Unown~ (And it'll teach you how to craft the Time-Space Ball, the Arceus Phone, and other valuable treasures~)"
"Alright, I'm in!" Hikaru clapped his hands.
Blessing of the King and two high-grade items? The artisan in him couldn't resist such a contract!
Come to think of it, when he first received crafting methods and Creation Power from the Guardian Stone… Arceus had already been watching him. Just like how it had been watching the people of Origin Valley.
There were actually many people in this world closely tied to Arceus—Michina's descendants, the Origin Valley folks—they had all received blessings.
Shinto might be even older, but now… perhaps he was the only one left?
Maybe there were still a few villagers… but they hadn't gained Arceus's attention.
"…Wait a sec." Hikaru froze.
The Arceus Phone? That thing was a trap!
If he accepted it, didn't that mean he'd be working freelance for Arceus?
Back in the Hisui era, a certain someone had been forced to run errands for Arceus. "Meet all the Pokémon," it had said. Now it wouldn't tell him to "collect every material," right?
No way… don't tell him Arceus actually knew that materials science was the future?
Almighty Arceus, atop the Hall of Origin…
"Then could I… chip off a tile from the Hall of Origin to study?"
Unown: "…"
They'd seen many humans blessed by Arceus—but none had ever asked to pry up the floor of its temple! As expected of the heir of Shinguu—his ideas were special.
"Unown? (Are you trying to build a new Stage of Light? If you earn the right to challenge It, maybe you could?)"
Even the Unown weren't sure.
Hikaru had only been joking.
Challenging Arceus? That was way too far off. He had orders to fulfill and people to guide first.
Time to check on the newly finished pendant:
『Crafted Item: Millennium Wrist Pendant (Mythical)』
『Description: Must be crafted within the Shinto Ruins to receive the blessing of the Sinnoh Almighty. A Mythical-grade item that strengthens bonds and power between human and Pokémon. Presenting the pendant to someone recognized by Arceus will grant them divine protection and blessing.』
『Effect 1: Arceus' Blessing – Dispels inner anxiety and maximizes the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. May cause mysterious transformations. Friendship level instantly reaches maximum.』
『Effect 2: Mystery Orb – A primordial egg that requires Arceus's power to hatch. On the Stage of Light, place the pendant and choose the corresponding emblem. The Unown will create the egg. Without Arceus's intervention, it cannot become a Legendary Pokémon and remains as rare crafting material. Choosing this disables Effect 3.』
『Effect 3: Divine Phantom (Limited) – Stand in the center of the Stage of Light, raise the pendant, and you may summon a phantom of Arceus. The phantom possesses Arceus's full power and cannot be caught. Defeating it grants the Blessing of the Hero of Legend. This effect can only be used by someone chosen and acknowledged by Arceus.』
(End of Chapter)
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