The blades of Doublade, overlapped into one, suddenly enlarged. Unlike the usual Sacred Sword used by others of its species, Doublade's blade radiated a unique light—reminiscent of the Sacred Swords of the Swords of Justice!
Cobalion's Sacred Sword was blue, Terrakion's was brown, and Virizion's was green—each seemingly corresponding to their respective types.
Doublade's, however, glowed with a deep, ghostly purple, as if imbued with spectral energy. Beneath that ghostly hue, a layer of silvery metallic gleam flickered—unyielding and sharp.
This was the Sacred Sword enlightened through the essence of the Swords of Justice. While it appeared ghost-type, the move was still Fighting-type at its core—only its visuals had slightly changed, just like the trio's unique versions.
In a blink, the fused blades struck directly at the weak spot of the barrier!
Sacred Sword—a move that slashes at the target with a blade, ignoring any stat changes and dealing direct damage!
Crack—
BOOM!
The psychic barrier that had resisted most attacks was helpless against a move that ignored all stat modifications. Doublade's sword cleaved it open, spiderweb cracks exploding outward from the impact!
The barrier—shattered!
"Now's our chance!"
The illusionary Entei—Gouging Fire—roared, flames erupting and instantly flooding the cracks in the broken barrier!
The raging fire flowed through the fissures and scorched the Unown inside, scattering them in disarray!
The Enteis burst into the Unown's inner sanctum. Gouging Fire gathered all its remaining strength and unleashed a final, brilliant blue-white flame—
Perhaps… it really was Sacred Fire?
The blaze blasted all the Unown into the air. As the shockwave erupted, the fantasy collapsed, and the psychic-powered white orb at the heart of the barrier exploded with a BANG!
The Unown fell from the sky like rain, slamming into the ground with chaotic thuds. Alongside them tumbled the "Symbol Tablets." These ancient relics glowed faint blue before crackling and dissolving into sparkling dust.
Another ancient treasure lost to history.
Aside from the portion still in Hikaru's hands, the rest of the tablets had exhausted their energy from resonating with the Unown and disappeared.
At the same time, the portal to the space-time rift opened. One of the Unown finally woke up, startled by the crowd, but upon spotting Hikaru, it immediately rushed toward him excitedly!
Help at last! That gang of Unown—they kidnapped me!!
"I was just napping in Sinnoh and got yanked over here out of nowhere! So unfair! I'm definitely gonna give those little punks a good scolding!" Hikaru comforted Unown E and looked toward the panicked Unown still flying around like headless Combee.
As expected… compared to these, the Unown from Sinnoh were much more civilized. At least they just sat motionless in ruins, guarding ancient secrets—or just goofing off.
White-green light shimmered as the Unown's powers disintegrated. Molly's heart-born world began to collapse, and among the Entei, the illusionary Gouging Fire also began to shine with that same light.
"Molly… Molly…" Entei murmured softly, calling out to his daughter.
"Dad?"
"Thank you… for calling me 'Dad.'" Entei smiled gently. "I'll return to your dreams now. I was never meant to exist… I'm just going back to where I came from."
He turned to the other Entei.
"If fate allows, we'll meet again—"
"No… we probably never will," he interrupted himself, shaking his head. At last, he looked toward the real Entei before slowly crystallizing.
"Farewell," the real Entei nodded, respectfully seeing off this recently-met "kindred spirit."
Entei had been created with powerful emotions and a defined personality. In his charge just now, Entei had felt his burning sincerity and passion.
As a father—he was more than qualified. A fleeting life paving the way for a new one—that was his purpose.
And it had been fulfilled beautifully.
At the same time, Gounging Fire also began to glow.
It growled low, expressing its joy that the nightmare had ended. Finally—no more strange voices calling its name in dreams, spreading wild emotions.
It would return now… back to its ancient dream.
Back to its own body.
"Hmm… the Entei Squad disbanded already?" Suicune quipped, gently poking the real Entei with its ribbons. The real Entei just looked sheepish.
Entei Squad? That was just a throwaway comment! He was utterly loyal to Lord Ho-Oh!
No faction-forming here!
Still… wouldn't it be nice to have a couple extra brothers to call in for backup?
"Rooar," Gounging Fire looked at Hikaru and gave a small nod—a farewell.
This was a good collaboration. Thanks for the help, human.
If we ever meet again… maybe I'll treat you to something good.
Hmm… maybe some grilled Torchic eggs?
Hikaru blinked and slipped his hand into his coat pocket.
Inside was a strange material—it hadn't crystallized and vanish like the rest. It had been stored in the same container as the Scorching Charcoal.
[Material: Gounging Fire's Scale]
[Description: Though called a scale, it's covered in fur. Protected by mysterious energy, it survived intact.]
[Effect: Boosts growth slightly when given to Fire/Dragon-type Pokémon. Can also be used to craft special TMs.]
[Craftable Moves: Scaleshot, Dragon Cheer]
Wait—
Hikaru's eyes widened—when Gounging Fire vanished, the Scorching Charcoal he gave it also disappeared!
It… took it with him?
Ha! Looks like there's a real chance they'll meet again someday. After all, Gounging Fire was a real, living Pokémon. For it, this might have just been a dream-training session from ancient times.
Molly approached the dissolving form of Entei. Meanwhile, Hikaru bent down to pick up a fallen picture book—it was Molly's fairy tale book, which had dropped back into the hall as the dream world collapsed.
[Artifact: Picture Book of Myth and Fairy Tales]
[Description: A strange storybook recording rare legends. It seems the depicted events may have really happened long ago. An unknown girl rode a fantasy Entei, a mighty king commanded the Unown to build a crystal tower, and in the end, the power ran wild and caused devastation. —Is this really appropriate for children?]
[Effect: When Unown gather, outcomes tend to mirror those in the story. Prophecy +50%, Mystery +30%, Artistry +80%]
[You read the book, understood its tale, and resolved its predicted calamity. You have gained new knowledge.]
[Knowledge: Myth Illustration (Secret) — Your drawing, coloring, and artistry +300%, Mystery +100%. Allows you to craft unique illustration-type items. Replicas gain the same effects as originals but are one-time use only.]
[Craftable Items: Rainbow Feather, Silver Feather (starting from Clear Feather, needs Fearow feathers), Unown Field Notes, Unown Pokédex, Ancient Poems, Worn Letters, Legendary Notes, Evil Scroll, Water Scroll, Hero's Mural (Eldore Town), Birth Relief (Aspen Town), Cathedral Stained Glass (Alto Mare), Crimson Book, Violet Book, Secret Treasure of Zero, Galar Chronicle]
[Note: Many of these items are meaningless. Some have no effect even if used.]
Whoa! Movie-version loot really hits different!
"But… honestly, most of these illustrated items are pretty useless. Like the Rainbow and Silver Feathers—if you can only use them once, what's the point? Mass-producing fake heroes?"
"Well, they work great as crafting materials. For example, you need a Rainbow Feather to make a Clear Bell. This way, no need to bother Ho-Oh!"
He could just imagine Ho-Oh shouting:
"Where'd this even come from?! Ten thousand fake heroes?!"
And then Marshadow would dash in and start throwing punches!
As for the rest… Unown notes, those are junk.
Crimson Book, Violet Book—sold in every back alley of Paldea, they're just magazines.
Secret Treasure of Zero? Just something written by a certain professor.
Galar Chronicle? Stealing Sonia's work feels a bit wrong.
Ancient Poems and Legendary Notes are just scribbled drafts of weird tales.
The Worn Letters, though, had some use—they were messages from the dead to the living, able to bridge the world of spirits and the real world.
Pretty useful, honestly.
The Evil and Water Scrolls?
Those were used to evolve the Pokémon called Kubfu.
But the only place that mass-produces Kubfu is the Isle of Armor, and they already have official scrolls—who would want bootlegs?
"Daddy…"
On the other side, Molly gazed at the departing Gouging Fire… then turned to the real Entei.
Hmm… identical in appearance, but this one… wasn't her dad.
Entei and Suicune didn't immediately leave. Instead, they turned to Hikaru. They had helped resolve the crisis—but what really mattered…
What was fake-Entei exactly?
What connection did it have to Entei?
That thing didn't even know where it was—it just thought it was dreaming! It had some intelligence, but clearly most of its stats were dumped into strength!
"Don't cry." Hikaru thought for a moment, then pulled something new from his bag.
A quick hand-carved item.
Using dreamwood, Clefairy fur, and Xatu feathers—he carved it quickly, dazzling everyone with his speed.
It was just a little "item," after all.
"Here." Hikaru handed the crescent moon–shaped, feather-like ornament to Molly.
Her big eyes blinked in wonder. "What's this?"
"This is the Lunar Feather, from a Pokémon called Cresselia. Well, a replica, but it works the same."
[Artifact: Lunar Feather (Replica)]
[Description: A high-quality imitation made using Aspen Town craftsmanship and special materials. Emits a gentle moonlight and wards off nightmares.]
[Note: If you wish to see someone again… you may encounter them in your dreams. After all, dreams can be a form of reunion.]
"You'll see your dad again in your dreams. With this, you won't suffer nightmares anymore. And maybe… just maybe… he'll return to your side."
In this brief, false dream world… only that love was real.
With that, Hikaru handed back her fairy tale book.
And this wasn't just comforting words.
If Entei could appear in Molly's dream, then it could potentially reach the world of Pokémon dreams. And if it did reach that world…
See you in Entralink!
Unova sure is a magical place!
"Then… what about my real dad?"
Molly pressed on. Hikaru glanced toward the Unown, who were only now recovering from their daze, wobbling as they tried to escape back to their dimension. Hikaru shook his head.
Make a mess and run away, huh? These little punks…
Honestly, the Unown were more childish than Molly.
"You're not going anywhere."
A black-and-red sigil appeared on Hikaru's hand. With Unown E bolstered by its ally, it floated up and finally shouted in fury!
Yes! You guys kidnapped me and made me work! You're not going anywhere!
Apologize!
"Unown…" The rest of the Unown gathered nervously. They were scared of the chaos they'd caused!
But…
We'd still do it again!
Still, Hikaru's sigil drew their attention, and his powerful aura locked the space down. Against Psychic-types, Ghost energy was super effective!
That's why spirit users usually didn't fear psychics—after all, they wielded similar elemental power.
"Unown!"
The ghostly aura sent shivers through the Unown. The sigil… it felt familiar. After a closer look—
Wait—wasn't that Giratina's sigil?!
"Unown…?"
They stared, full of question marks.
Where did this human come from?
Why did he have Giratina's symbol?!
That was the rampaging counterpart of the god of creation!
Waaah! The aura pressed down on them—Unown panicked and apologized profusely!
No no no, we'll never do it again! Sorry, so sorry!!
"This child's parents… you dragged them into your dimension while they were researching you, didn't you? I know you don't like being disturbed, so you took the scientists into your realm—but that's no place for humans to live!"
"After abducting this girl's father, you then came running to grant her wish? You're the cause of all this chaos!"
Hikaru scolded while keeping the aura locked down. The Unown trembled, looking deeply wronged.
"The power given to you by the Sinnoh High One wasn't meant to be abused!"
"Unown?!" The Unown were stunned!
This human knew about the Sinnoh High One?!
That one…
"If you mess around again, I'll send Giratina into your dimension to 'play.'" Hikaru threatened.
And it worked!
Hearing that the raging dragon could enter their world—their eyes widened in horror!
NOOOOOOO! Giratina eats Unown! One bite each! We don't wanna face the Wrath of the Distortion Dragon!
The Unown repeatedly apologized, and only after Hikaru confirmed their repentance did he release the aura lock. The Unown immediately opened a dimensional tunnel—two orbs of light appeared on the other side.
The abducted humans were being returned! Though… they'd appear exactly where they vanished.
"Molly…"
A weak voice called from beyond the portal. Molly's eyes lit up.
"It's Daddy's voice!"
She remembered. She recognized it now.
Soon, Professor Shuli and his wife would return from their respective ruins.
The incident of the Crystal Tower's self-proclaimed king… had finally come to an end.
"Excuse me… Mr. Hikaru, there's something I'd like to ask."
Misty suddenly spoke up with a serious expression.
"You wouldn't happen to be… the craftsman from Shinto, would you?"
"Leaf once mentioned it. Do you know her?"
Hikaru blinked at the unexpected question—but before he could reply, Entei let out a low growl, interrupting her.
Entei and Suicune turned toward Hikaru with curious eyes.
Humans—your story can wait.
We have questions.
About the ancient dragon.
About where you come from.
About your ability to make stone tablets.
You're wrapped in more mystery than we are, and we're the Legendary Pokémon!
A Legendary Human… does that exist?
"Hmm…" Suicune growled.
Hikaru sighed. "Ah, you're asking about Walking Wake and Gouging Fire? Honestly, they don't have much to do with you two. Think of them as ancient versions of yourselves from another timeline. They're called Paradox Pokémon."
"We don't know if you came first—or if they did. But that's why you're connected. As for how they came here—only one showed up, and I summoned it."
"As for me—yes, I'm from the Shinto Ruins. That's where the new world began. I am a descendant of the People of Shinto .
But even if I tell you that… you probably wouldn't understand."
Entei and Suicune exchanged looks.
You're kidding, right?
Summoning Pokémon from other timelines…
Crafting ancient tablets no one in the modern world could ever reproduce…
From the ruins Ho-Oh once mentioned?
Wait—
Don't tell us you're some kind of humanoid Ho-Oh?!
Ho-Oh's… illegitimate child?!
Or are you just some ancient monster even older than we are?!
(End of Chapter)
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