"I didn't expect to meet you here! So that's what Boss Clay meant when he said he found help!"
"Nice to meet you! I'm Shauntal, one of Unova's Elite Four! I love writing novels! I know you already know that, but let me introduce myself properly anyway!"
"By the way, I didn't expect the shopkeeper to be so young! You even look younger than me!"
Though they'd often interacted online, this was their first time meeting face-to-face. Shauntal seemed a little flustered, even blushing—not out of girlish shyness toward a boy, but more like someone embarrassed that someone else had read her rambling, mumbled-out writing.
Hikaru wasn't surprised in the slightest.
In the special episodes, Shauntal had always been shown writing novels in secret. If someone caught her, she would get flustered but still eagerly ask for feedback—just like now.
"Hm, you want me to read your novel? But didn't you say this chapter isn't finished yet?"
"Wait, are you guys really searching for Alder?"
Seeing how the Elite Four were just wandering around, Hikaru had his doubts, but Shauntal quickly raised her hand. "We really are! But we just can't find him, there's nothing we can do. Champion Alder always disappears without warning—though there's no need to worry. He's the Champion! Nobody could possibly defeat him."
"Well, we don't need to search anymore. I already know where Alder went." Hikaru sighed and closed the notebook in his hands.
Yep, this notebook was one of the Spiritbound Notebooks he had sold to Shauntal.
Shauntal giggled, clearly in a very good mood. "The notebook you sold me is amazing, Shopkeeper! Whenever I battle with it in hand, inspiration just explodes out of me—I can't even contain it! The flow of ideas is incredible!"
"I'm glad you like it. But… why are you in Chargestone Cave?"
"Because I received an official challenge from someone special recently. Even though I'm one of the Elite Four, it'd be embarrassing if I lost. So I came here to do a bit of special training."
Shauntal flipped to a page in her notebook. "Look! This is him!"
"Do you know Thunderbolt? That's the first thing he said to me. I didn't learn his name until after the battle—it was Denji."
Hikaru was surprised. "Denji? The Gym Leader from Sunyshore City in Sinnoh."
Also known as the Fourth Lightning of Waveride Denji.
Shauntal proudly raised a finger. "That's right! The man known as Sinnoh's strongest Gym Leader!"
"The first time we met, he challenged me right away. It was really intense, but I barely came out on top. It wasn't an official match, though. He's going to challenge me again soon in a full 6v6 battle. I want to be ready to win for sure—so I came to Chargestone Cave to hone my skills!"
She patted her shoulder and grinned with pride.
Hikaru's expression turned strange.
So it was around this time?
Denji challenged Shauntal?
But based on her later novels, she'd battled a lot of Trainers—not just Denji, but also Gardenia, Alder, Bertha, Agatha, and even Looker!
From the way those stories ended… it seemed like Shauntal won every time.
Just then, Shauntal began curiously inspecting Hikaru's Pokémon.
"I've seen some of them on the news, but I didn't realize you had so many Pokémon with you!"
"Wait—is this a Torterra?"
She stared at Gugu uncertainly. The main reason was that Gugu's appearance was drastically different from a typical Torterra—not just in color, but also the shape of its tree and body. It radiated a sacred, mysterious aura.
And then there was that enormous dragon—
Shauntal's expression turned serious.
"A legendary dragon…? But something feels off."
She eyed the gems in Walking Wake's arms and the Aegislash behind them, whose massive shield had been turned into a makeshift basket, packed full of stones!
"You guys—are you scavenging?"
Hikaru coughed. "Ahem, I prefer the term 'gathering materials.'"
Shauntal looked even more confused.
"Is this really how a legendary dragon behaves? I mean, it does look majestic and powerful… but something still feels missing."
Maybe it was the aura? Or the sense of legend?
"In certain ways, it definitely qualifies as a legendary," Hikaru said, patting Walking Wake's mane. The dragon raised its head proudly.
The legendary dragons of Unova couldn't yet return to their true forms. But Walking Wake came from the distant past—wasn't that enough to call it a true legendary?
Shauntal's eyes moved to Entei.
A massive lion-like Pokémon.
Definitely not native to Unova—she'd never seen one before.
"This is a friend of mine, not one of my Pokémon. We're just traveling together." Hikaru introduced Entei. "You've heard of Entei, right?"
Shauntal blinked. "Wait… You mean the legendary Pokémon from Johto?"
Hikaru smiled. "That's right. But my friend here isn't one of the Entei from Ho-Oh's entourage, so don't mix them up."
Entei studied Shauntal quietly.
"Your soul is very strong."
As a being born from illusion, Entei could sense the strength of a person's inner spirit. It also retained part of the true Entei's powers—enough to glimpse into the hearts of others.
Shauntal's soul was powerful. Her mind was complex, but not evil—overflowing with curiosity and a hunger for discovery. Entei found her fascinating.
But Shauntal jumped when she heard Entei's voice.
"It spoke!"
"Hmph… Pokémon speaking isn't all that rare. The languages of Pokémon and humans do share common ground."
Entei gave a rumbling chuckle. After the initial shock, Shauntal was overtaken by curiosity once more.
The sight before her was like something from a dream! Her inspiration was bubbling over again!
And then there was that odd little Pokémon on the shopkeeper's head, constantly absorbing electricity and twitching.
Its spasms… actually looked kind of elegant?
But more importantly—
"Shopkeeper, you must be really strong! I always suspected you were a powerful Trainer, and now I'm sure of it."
"I have a request. Would you accept a battle with me?"
Her eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
There were plenty of skilled Trainers in Chargestone Cave, but honestly, they couldn't compare to an Elite Four member. Most only had two or three Pokémon—barely a warm-up.
But this Trainer's team…
Her gaze fell on the Master Ball at Hikaru's waist.
One that hadn't been opened.
Even without whatever mysterious Pokémon that Master Ball held, the team in front of her was formidable. Even Pokémon like Riolu, which hadn't evolved, carried an invisible pressure. Some of them were goofing off like scavengers, but Shauntal could feel the weight they carried.
These were no ordinary Pokémon. Their appearance might fool a casual observer, but a closer look revealed something deeper.
"They're strong… really strong."
The shopkeeper must have been a former Gym Leader or Elite Four member, right?
Shauntal mused, though someone else had already asked Hikaru that once before and been shut down. She couldn't remember who. Oh well, if he didn't want to talk about it, no point pushing.
"A battle with an Elite Four member…" Hikaru looked tempted, but shook his head. "I'm interested, but sorry. I've got something I need to do."
He stroked Sawsbuck's leafy mane. "This friend of mine is heading home. I'm escorting it to Mistralton City. Another time, maybe. Plus, Boss Clay is waiting for me."
"Mistralton City?" Shauntal tilted her head.
Hikaru explained Sawsbuck's origins and said escorting Pokémon home was part of a Ranger's job. Shauntal's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're helping the Rangers?"
Then she made a face like she'd just figured something out—leaving Hikaru confused.
Unbeknownst to him, Shauntal was thinking: For the Rangers to trust him with fieldwork, he must be incredibly skilled. So many identities… The shopkeeper's past must be a mystery!
"In that case, I'll go with you!" Shauntal said with a bright smile. "Maybe I'll find some good material at Twist Mountain!"
"My training here is mostly done anyway! I've already battled almost everyone in Chargestone Cave, even took down a few wild Pokémon bosses. Right now, I'd say I have a 98% chance of beating my challenger!"
As she spoke, she studied Hikaru's Pokémon and began jotting notes.
"You sure you're not a Pokémon researcher?" Hikaru asked.
Shauntal chuckled. "Nope, I'm a pure novelist! But novelists need lots of material! Your Pokémon are so unique… I think if I used you as a model, I could write a bestselling story!"
"Even though we've never met before, you've always had this mysterious aura. I feel like so many fascinating things have happened around you. Just imagining it all makes my mind race. So yes, I'm really looking forward to this journey!"
"Is that so? Well, you just might find some amazing material," Hikaru replied with a smile.
They reached a stone staircase. At the top was the exit of Chargestone Cave. Pale light trickled in from outside… along with dull explosions and a cacophony of noise.
Mistralton City. The city where flowers dance on the wind. A place where petals gather with every breeze.
But now, dark clouds loomed over its skies. The wind howled… as if some great force was about to arrive.
"Deeeer…"
Sawsbuck grew restless, scanning the gloom with wary eyes. Old memories returned. It nuzzled Hikaru, then stared toward a particular direction.
Its home was there.
Mistralton's buildings weren't tall. Their red rooftops were the city's signature.
Nestled among vast farmlands and greenhouses, the architecture blended industrial practicality with pastoral simplicity. Around it sprawled lush vegetable fields, and in the distance stretched the gray runways of the airport.
Sawsbuck stopped in front of an old red-roofed house and knocked with its antlers. But after several attempts, no one answered.
Its owner had likely moved away, leaving the house abandoned.
Sawsbuck's eyes dimmed. It had feared this moment. The local Pokémon Center had failed to contact its former trainer—because they no longer lived here.
"This house… is this Mr. Waldo's place?"
Shauntal blinked. "So this Pokémon belonged to Mr. Waldo?"
"I heard about him back at the Season Research Lab," Hikaru replied.
Shauntal nodded. "He's a famous painter. Traveled the world in his youth. He even did illustrations for one of my novels. But there's been no news of him this past year."
Hikaru stepped closer to the door.
"I can feel intense emotions from inside. Disappointment, sorrow, pain, confusion… The owner of this house went through something very hard."
Shauntal gaped. "Wait, what kind of power is that?"
"One kind of psychic ability," Hikaru replied. "The world is full of emotions. Some psychics can sense them—traces left behind by souls, or natural emotions lingering in places."
Shauntal's eyes lit up. She immediately wrote down everything he said. Hikaru raised a brow. "Didn't Caitlin ever show you anything like this?"
In the special episodes, Caitlin had displayed powers allowing her to connect with people across great distances, without needing precise locations.
"Caitlin, huh? I know she goes berserk when she loses control, but thanks to the tool you sent her, she's gotten much better at managing her powers. I've never heard about emotion-sensing before, though. Neither she nor any other psychic I know has ever mentioned that! So psychic powers must have different types!"
"To me, Caitlin's abilities seem more like hand-to-hand explosions," Shauntal added. "I once saw her lose it and destroy an entire building!"
"Hey, what kind of emotion am I feeling right now?"
"Curiosity. Wonder. Joy. Bursting with inspiration and energy," Hikaru said. Then added, "Also, Shauntal, your face gives everything away."
"Ahaha, how embarrassing! I've never been good at hiding how I feel. Comes with being a novelist, I guess."
Hikaru continued reading the emotional traces. The feelings in the house trailed off… toward a distant place.
"The Celestial Tower."
He looked at Sawsbuck. "Let's head to that tower. Your trainer must have left something there."
Shauntal scribbled in her notebook furiously.
"The traveler and deer returned to their homeland. Painful memories drifted through an empty home. Summer vines curled over the eaves. The traveler's power could sense the world's feelings. A hollow soul had departed—to the tower where just spirits sleep."
"N-sama's target has arrived—sooner than expected. The earlier intel was accurate. Though we lost him in White Forest, he was sighted in Mistralton by our operatives. He clearly made some kind of deal with Boss Clay, probably to head underground in Twist Mountain."
In Mistralton's outskirts, one of the Dark Triad reported to a robed Sage.
Rood's gaze was serious. The public speech in Mistralton had just begun. Compared to the festive Raven City, Mistralton always carried a faint sorrow.
Because here, many Pokémon were laid to rest.
People visited the Celestial Tower to mourn. It was said the tower had mysterious powers—making people feel a renewed desire to live. They rang the bell to honor the past and soothe the spirits of lost Pokémon.
"The plan was simple. Vio gives the first speech in the city, I handle the one in the Celestial Tower."
"Twist Mountain has also shown signs of activity, so Smura took a team to investigate. According to Sage Ryoku, that Trainer and Boss Clay went deep into the Deserted Castle. Maybe Twist Mountain also houses ancient psychic remnants like that one. Lord Ghetsis takes this possibility seriously."
"The speech at Celestial Tower should go well."
"After the loss of their Pokémon, people will better understand our message. Battles bring suffering. Friends get hurt."
Rood didn't look at the Celestial Tower—but at a different direction along Route 7.
The sky grew darker. Winds screamed, as if some great power—or powers—were closing in.
"Before our 'King' begins his invitation, let's prepare the stage. The people in the Celestial Tower will be the audience of this duel. If the King wins, they'll abandon their Pokémon."
"And if he loses—"
"That's impossible."
"Because the ones our King seeks to invite… are the legendary Pokémon!"
"We are blessed… to bear witness!"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]