Heat Rotom scampered out with a mischievous giggle to get to work.
As long as Hikaru didn't call it, Rotom could play inside the C-Device until the end of time.
Hikaru even wondered if Fennel had secretly added some special function into the C-Device.
But since Fennel hadn't sent any message yet, it was unlikely she'd pushed brand-new software in such a short time.
"What do you do in there every day, anyway?"
Curious, Hikaru asked Rotom.
He hadn't known—until he asked—how surprising the answer would be.
"Ri-ri-ri~ (I cobbled together an app!)"
Riding the C-Device's system privileges, Rotom ran a full analysis of the hardware, then—self-taught—scribbled out some "code" of its own!
It was probably a chunk of Fennel's dormant scaffold code left in the C-Device. After all, code is a glorious pile of janky hacks—if it runs, it ships.
No matter how much of a genius Dr. Fennel was, she still had the occasional "hacky" commit.
Of course, Hikaru had also made an indelible contribution along the way.
"Let me see what you cooked up!"
"Infrared Link, IR! You can trade Pokémon, battle, exchange friend codes, and run a compatibility test…"
"Why is the compatibility test flagged in red? Planning a mass rollout on the net?"
"Hold up—shouldn't writing apps be a job for Porygon?"
Rotom is indeed software-adjacent, but not in the same way Porygon is "software incarnate."
Rotom excels at controlling and perfectly operating programs; when problems arise, a programmer still has to patch them. Porygon, though? That creature can write its own patches.
"You… you actually pushed it live! The C-Device really does have network capability. You exploited that little gap to deploy it, didn't you?"
"Let me check… Compatibility Tester—91% positive reviews on launch day? This went live yesterday!"
It was, in fact, a feature the C-Device meant to ship with, and Dr. Fennel had already spec'd it out—but because Hikaru had rushed the timeline, it hadn't been added yet.
Now Rotom had extracted the "code" and slapped it up early.
"But how did you know which questions to use for a human relationship test?"
"Ro-tom (I scraped the net and aggregated it)~"
"An online AI, huh!"
Hikaru could already imagine Dr. Fennel's bafflement—and simmering annoyance—when she discovered her micro-app had somehow launched ahead of schedule.
"When we're done here, I'll let her know…"
He also noticed that the review thread had turned into a discussion board full of relationship questions—and, somehow, live matchmaking!
Hmm… yikes, some of these IDs looked familiar… was that Lorelei?
Welp. That tracks!
Rotom, however, felt it had simply done something fun. App dev was a blast; it could play forever without getting bored.
Humming happily, it baked a mountain of macaron cookies—successfully luring Victini's sweet tooth.
"Ti-ni!"
Victini drooled, poking its fingers together. The aroma overwhelmed its senses. Between keeping up appearances and filling its tummy, it chose the latter without hesitation!
It wasn't like it had much of an image to maintain anyway!
Crunch-crunch-crunch!
Watching Victini devour the treats, Hikaru thought of how the anime Victini adored Cilan's macarons.
Sure enough, these fragrant baked goods were real crowd-pleasers for Pokémon!
Jubilife Muffins and Poffins were also baked treats; the latter even boosted friendship.
Victini blinked at Iron Valiant and Lady Lilligant, suddenly a little embarrassed. It offered them some cookies, but they both shook their heads.
They didn't eat the same way.
[I'm energy-driven.]
"Doré~ (Photosynthesis~)"
Victini's ears twitched. Half understanding, it gulped the cookie in its hands.
It had seen many Pokémon before, but not these two!
All right then—full belly. Speak your wish, human!
Victini patted its belly. It realized Hikaru hadn't asked for "limitless energy," only muttered something about a V-Wave.
Victini didn't understand. Victini was a hungry little Mythical.
Hikaru picked up Riolu's Great Ball and tapped into the Aura of Time.
Ripples of aura that transcended time and space spread through the room. Victini tilted its head—the human before it was radiating a strange power, one that reached across distant spacetime, as if it were linking to something in the boundless cosmos…
Victini contemplated quietly. Though its head seemed empty, that very emptiness made for the clearest connection.
And just like that—it linked!
Across the infinite, from some far grand universe, came the echo of a seasonal monsoon—
"Ti-ni!"
Victini's eyes blazed. Its limitless power gathered at its fingertips and burst forth in a brilliant wave of aura!
[Victini has learned V-Wave!]
[V-Wave is not a move. It is a peculiar seasonal wind. Victini's power can resonate with this wave!]
[C-Device has recorded "V-Wave"!]
"Tini-tini!"
Victini was astonished. It stared at its little paws. At the instant it linked to the V-Wave, the whole world felt different!
Even though the V-Wave here was faint, it was still there!
Without another word, Hikaru pulled materials from the Link-In space and began crafting the V Roulette. All it needed was special forest wood—nothing too rare.
He used timber from the Link-In Forest, and even the Link-In Tree donated two branches to serve as the V Roulette's victory pointers.
Lady Lilligant raised a frond and explained the steps to Iron Valiant.
See? Now's when the "carving" starts. Didn't you want to learn?
As a senpai, Lady Lilligant did her duty—teaching Iron Valiant how to carve wood with precision.
For Iron Valiant, though, it was simple—she could just analyze instead of "eyeballing" it.
[A bit different from stone carving.]
Iron Valiant's pixel-eyes blinked. She recalled Hikaru's stone-carving handiwork. Wood shared the essence of carving with stone, but differed in detail—softer, lighter, subtler.
"Ti-ni?"
Victini watched their work with bright curiosity. The retro-styled wooden wheel was already taking shape.
Oh! It even had its own forehead sigil engraved!
Victini touched its little head and flashed a V-sign.
Nice!
The symbol of infinite victory!
"Wood for the body, and five sockets for wondrous gems… we'll substitute Release Orbs for the universal material."
Hikaru inlaid five Release Orbs. The V Roulette was complete!
[Secret Tool: V Roulette (Victory Roulette)!]
[Description: A special wheel that senses and alters the V-Wave. You can review and forecast the next 11 days of V-Wave attributes, or change today's V-Wave attribute (Pokémon type).]
[Normally usable once per day. With Victini's power—or enough currency from the Mystery-Dungeon world—you can pull it without limit.]
[Each day's V-Wave grants 3 fixed effects + 2 random effects, for a total of 5 buffs to Pokémon matching the day's attribute! The attribute changes daily; matching-type Pokémon gain an edge that day.]
[Fixed effects (3):]
[Power Up — Attack & Sp. Atk ×1.5]
[EXP Up — EXP gained ×1.35]
[PP Saver — Moves sometimes don't consume PP]
The instant the V Roulette was finished, Hikaru felt a curious pulse!
[Acquired: V-Wave!]
[Description: A special "aura of victory," not standard Aura, and thus lacking Aura's usual capabilities. It gathers the world's current V-energy to amplify your Pokémon.]
[Note: By condensing your own V-Wave, you can choose which type to amplify. You can amplify only one type per day. Once invoked, the day's V-Wave is locked; use the V Roulette to change which type is boosted!]
"In most Pokémon worlds, the V-Wave is faint—world balance and all that. In the Mystery-Dungeon world, though, V-Wave is a seasonal wind that returns at set times each year."
"Good. I've obtained the Aura of Victory!"
Here, the V-Wave's effects were absurdly strong. In the Mystery-Dungeon world, it was much milder.
Buffs lose bite when everyone gets them; if you're strong and I'm strong, no one's stronger.
Now that he had every amplification in hand, he could finally face Primal Dialga (the azure Dialga) in his ultimate stance.
This challenge should go smoother than the last two!
"Ti-ni~"
Victini fluttered, circling in midair.
It had also received the victory wave!
It didn't really get how, but it had grown stronger—and it was all thanks to this strange visitor!
He fed it. He powered it up. What a good guy!
But… you really don't want limitless energy?
Victini cocked its head, puzzled.
The victory wave shines brightest paired with infinite energy. Was this really okay?
"Thanks, but I have an even greater power."
In the Pokémon world, believing in yourself and your partners truly yields immense strength.
Emotion, will, and knowledge—these are the source of power for humans and Pokémon alike!
"Ti-ni!"
Victini felt Hikaru's intent and danced for joy. Then his next words gave it a tiny headache.
"Two hundred years here must be lonely. How about I take you out to meet a new friend?"
Go out?
Victini's life was nearly endless; two centuries weren't long. But this cramped place had become both its shackle and its cage.
Sure, if it wanted, it could blow the whole lighthouse sky-high with Searing Shot or V-create!
If Team Plasma grunts could manage it, a Mythical like Victini certainly could!
But… it was attached to this place.
"That magnate locked you here both to keep others from coveting your power…"
"…and out of genuine care and love."
"So even after two hundred years, you wouldn't destroy the things here."
"But you can't stay forever."
"Your legend is already known. One day, someone else will come seeking great power."
"So—I know a more interesting place. A secret spot where no one bothers you—and no one dares to."
"No one will chase your power. Your legend will remain a legend."
"Don't worry about coming back, either. I have a unique technique. Once everything's ready, I can open a door of warped space here. Even across vast distances, we can pass straight through."
"But I'm thinking—if I find a third teammate for our expedition, or if I craft Dimensional Rings, then even without that little djinni—Hoopa—we can hop the world at will."
"Join my Exploration Team! Let's head to worlds unknown and start a marvelous adventure!"
Victini didn't understand some of the details, but it could feel Hikaru's sincerity.
That feeling couldn't be faked. At the same time, Victini saw a sliver of the memories Hikaru shared.
A tiny Pokémon like a pink kitten winged toward a far horizon. What lay at the end of the sky?
"That's the direction of the Tree of Beginning."
"The Pokémon named Mew—ancestor of all Pokémon—one of them dwells within that legendary tree."
Victini's interest grew—mainly because Hikaru said "we can come back anytime," which sounded great.
And while it all sounded like fantasy, Hikaru had already hand-crafted a special tool right in front of it! Victini's eyes sparkled brighter.
Fun. It sounded very fun!
Victini floated onto Hikaru's head. It took a long look at the cozy little nest it had lived in for two centuries—reluctant to part—but the new world was beckoning!
Hikaru smiled.
"Then I appoint you as a member of the Mythic Exploration Team! Member No. 1: Victini!"
"Your codename is V-mon!"
Member Victini—with Victory Star to boost accuracy, and its signature Searing Shot—its marksmanship is second to none!
"Here—your Exploration Team Badge!"
[Item: Exploration Team Badge (Link-In Medal)!]
[Description: A badge granted to members by the Wigglytuff Guild in the Mystery-Dungeon world—proof of an Exploration Team!]
[Like the Rescue Team Badge, it triggers a strange power that can warp clients and outlaws out of Mystery Dungeons and send them to the Wigglytuff Guild. As your team rank rises, the badge changes appearance. — In this world, a destination has not yet been set.]
[Note: By guild rules, only the leader holds an Exploration Team Badge. Badges forged with the Link-In Tree are distributed to teammates; the leader's badge gains an extra Rally effect.]
[You can craft a Pokémon Exploration Team Kit to outfit your teammates!]
[Note: Victini has been appointed to your team! You may also recruit Victini to your Defense Team or Rescue Team!]
[Items forged in this world keep their authentication in the Mystery-Dungeon world. You may freely enter the Wigglytuff Guild and Rescue Team Base!]
Ahem!
Join the Wigglytuff Guild? Hard pass!
The Guildmaster's fees are daylight robbery!
(End of Chapter)
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