Just kidding. Three Bidoof charging into the village and gnawing on the wooden houses, followed by a Mr. Mime putting up invisible walls, would already be enough to bring Jubilife Village to its knees. There was no need to unleash any powerful Pokémon inside.
The villagers would not even be able to get through the front gate. They would immediately be hit with a giant message saying, [Come back and explore this area later.]
Jubilife Village was doomed.
"Then once that girl returns, we'll have her give it a try," Kamado said. "But what if she fails? She may have talent, but she has yet to accomplish anything."
Irida answered him with unwavering determination.
"No, she won't fail! Even if she loses the first time, she'll succeed in the end! Everyone begins small. Only through constant trials and experience can we grow. I understand that now."
"As long as the Swordsman is here, we cannot fail. We will surely earn an audience with Almighty Sinnoh! All of this is the heavens' choice, made so that Hisui's history and this vast expanse may be passed down through the ages!"
For once, Adaman did not argue with Irida. Instead, he voiced his agreement.
"Our beliefs may differ, and our customs may not be the same, but whether we laugh or grieve, time passes for us all at the same rate. According to Hikaru, that is an obscure myth passed down in White Forest!"
"To protect Jubilife Village, Commander Kamado, you have to eliminate anything that might threaten it. We all understand that. Even Hikaru understands, which is why he has never entered the village. He kept his distance and maintained only the proper amount of contact..."
"But now that balance has been broken! We must show our convictions!"
"Commander, if you truly wish to create a new history in Hisui and establish a new land where people may live peacefully without conflict, then you must show your conviction as well!"
"Even if it is not for the sake of the past or the future, we must do this for the present!"
"They say Hisui's forgotten history was filled with conspiracy, mistrust, and betrayal. We cannot repeat those mistakes. If we do, Almighty Sinnoh will grieve, and time itself will stop!"
"The Celestica Ruins, the ruins in the Michina Wilds, the Shrouded Ruins, and the Solaceon Ruins all bear records left behind by those mysterious Pokémon called Unown. Every one of them proves what Hikaru told us."
"[The ancient ruins passed down through the ages symbolize the endless flow of time bestowed by Dialga!]"
Ever since the Galaxy Expedition Team landed in Hisui, it had maintained a delicate balance with both the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan, doing everything possible to prevent conflict. This was the first time the leaders of both clans had spoken to Kamado with such determination and force.
"Conviction..."
Kamado shook his head. If he possessed any conviction of his own, it was his determination to protect the village and prevent it from meeting the same fate as his homeland.
He had to make it strong enough to withstand frenzied Pokémon, quell the noble Pokémon, and face the prophesied Day of Reckoning.
Then he remembered something.
Two years ago, when he and Beni first arrived at Prelude Beach, they had found a tablet engraved with an inscription. Kamado had always sensed some kind of power within it, so he had kept it safe all this time.
"Could some power have guided me to Hisui as well...?" Kamado murmured.
"After my homeland was destroyed, I became a stranger with nowhere to go. I wandered from place to place with the Galaxy Team before finally coming here to settle and build a new home. As its commander, what am I supposed to do before this age of chaos and frenzy arrives...?"
"The climate is changing, and the land itself is growing unstable. If this continues... If a god intends to erase everything from this land, won't history merely repeat itself? All our years of work will come to nothing... Were all the choices I made in the past, along with all my suspicions and caution, mistakes?"
"Do pride and humiliation even matter now...? Yes, of course... If the village ceases to exist, then what have I been protecting all this time?"
Kamado recalled several things Professor Laventon often said.
[I am a scientist. My work is to identify the patterns within the facts I observe. To me, facts are everything!]
[Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays their own image!]
If he led everyone away from this land now, the situation could still be salvaged. But after they had finally managed to put down roots here, were they supposed to abandon everything when success was nearly within reach?
"Galarian legend also speaks of heroes who saved the world," Kamado said. "But when frenzied Pokémon destroyed my homeland, no hero came to save me. No sealed power appeared to rescue us. Those stories were nothing but falsehoods..."
"But perhaps things are different here. If finding that tablet on the beach was also the guidance of some will... then even if I don't believe in myths, it seems I have no other choice!"
"I understand now! Jubilife Village will send someone to fight alongside the Diamond and Pearl Clans. We will drive back the Alpha Pokémon roaming nearby and lend that girl all the support we can!"
"And that person will be me! At present, Cyllene and I are the only people in the village capable of fighting Pokémon ourselves!"
"Of course, neither of us is strong enough. After a single battle, we may need a very long time to recover... But if we want the people of Jubilife Village to live peacefully upon this land, then we have no choice but to fight!"
"We cannot understand one another without fighting! We must overcome the fear within our hearts...!"
Of course, there was one other person capable of fighting: Beni, the old man who ran the village canteen. However, Beni needed to remain behind as the village's final line of defense.
While the three leaders were still discussing their plans, Cyllene came upstairs from the first floor.
"The advance party sent to investigate the Obsidian Fieldlands has returned to resupply," Cyllene reported. "Akari and Professor Laventon are both back. And there is one more person with them."
Her expression turned grave as she looked directly at Kamado.
"The Lightning Swordsman has come as well! This is the first time he has entered Jubilife Village since we encountered him!"
"I'm certain Akari must have received guidance from him. Shall we test her in battle? We have reached a critical moment, haven't we?"
Many people in Jubilife Village had already met Hikaru. Some had even encountered him often enough in the wild to become fairly well acquainted with him, and he was a regular at the ramen stand. Even so, the sight of the Swordsman actually entering the village caused quite a commotion.
Everyone knew that he had stayed away to ease the other villagers' fears. In truth, however, his status as a warden of the Pearl Clan made many things much more convenient.
A man wearing a backpack, who normally looked as though he had been welded to his little stool, abruptly rose to his feet and headed down Floaro Main Street to greet the group entering the village.
"Hello! This is certainly a rare sight. I never thought you would actually come to the village... The goods we've been receiving from you have been selling exceptionally well. Ingredients, Repels, all kinds of medicine, handicrafts, Pokémon drops... Even the village has acquired many more decorations."
"The Repels have been especially popular. Captain Cyllene uses them herself! According to our sources, a Repel was the key item that allowed her to capture her Scyther... That information is a closely guarded secret of the Ginkgo Guild!"
The man greeting Hikaru was Ginter, leader of the Ginkgo Guild and an ancestor of Volkner. Aside from possessing the same classic "Minato Namikaze hairstyle" as Volkner, his hair was gray rather than blond.
It was worth noting, however, that several of the female merchants in the Ginkgo Guild had blond hair. Presumably, Ginter would eventually marry one of them.
"Are you planning to do business here from now on?" Ginter asked. "Or perhaps open a ramen shop? Beni, the owner of the Wallflower, has been worrying about that. He's been trying to add a few new dishes to his menu, but he still hasn't managed to create them... Apparently, the flavor of his broth isn't quite right."
"I heard the Ginkgo Guild has been selling the goods you buy from me at rather steep prices," Hikaru replied.
"Well, the mountain roads are difficult to travel, and the wilderness is filled with dangerous Pokémon," Ginter said. "We have merely raised some prices by a reasonable amount. Only a tiny bit... Besides, you never come to the village yourself. You have to let us make a little profit."
When he saw Akari peeking out from behind the others, his manner became far friendlier.
"Ah, the Survey Corps' rising new recruit... The more actively the Survey Corps investigates Pokémon, the more business opportunities we receive. You might call it an investment in the future. Swordsman, did this girl and our learned professor bring you here? There is actually something I wanted to ask you."
As long as a customer had money, a merchant would be their most loyal partner and friend.
Most members of the Survey Corps could not even throw a Poké Ball properly, yet this "girl from a distant land" could. Not only could she catch Pokémon, but she was also quite skilled in battle.
She must have been a highly trained expert!
Ginter nodded to himself.
He had long heard that Captain Cyllene possessed the second-greatest swordsmanship beneath the heavens. Even her relative had displayed remarkable talent and strength at such a young age. The Galaxy Team's future was truly bright. Its fortunes could only continue to rise!
Of course, the distance between second-greatest and greatest was roughly equivalent to three thousand universes...
The Galaxy Team paid generous rewards for investigating wild Pokémon. After all, this work was performed for the village's benefit. The strangers who had traveled here from distant lands also made ideal customers.
They lacked many basic necessities in Hisui, meaning purchases were an unavoidable part of their lives.
"Have any of you seen a blond merchant?" Ginter asked. "The one I asked about while I was outside, Volo. I've even gone all the way to the Ancient Retreat, but I still can't figure out where that brat is slacking off!"
"He's obsessed with ruins and myths. He never does any proper work, and he doesn't even care when I dock his pay. I truly have no idea what goes through his head!"
"Volo?" Hikaru said. "I was beginning to find it strange that I hadn't seen him despite doing business here for so long. It's almost as though he's deliberately avoiding something, isn't it? Still, I've never gone to the Ancient Retreat myself."
"I suspect he may be searching for his own roots somewhere in Hisui. That might explain why he is always disappearing. Aren't there others in the Ginkgo Guild searching for their roots as well? For example... Legend speaks of a vanished village near Avalanche Slopes. It appears to have been another settlement inhabited by the ancient Celestica people."
"According to an old journal, humans and Pokémon once lived together and even married each other long ago. That village was where such a union took place. I believe it involved a Froslass."
"Oh! What an extraordinary legend!" Professor Laventon exclaimed. "In that case, it seems perfectly understandable for Volo to disappear. He must have been drawn to it. That merchant is quite the fascinating fellow... But members of the Ginkgo Guild receive a basic salary? I thought all your earnings came from marking up your goods, with each merchant making only what they managed to earn themselves..."
"We are still a proper guild, so of course we pay a basic salary," Ginter replied. "But it seems none of you know where he is either. Sigh... I only hope we don't find his corpse lying somewhere in the wilderness. He does have Pokémon companions, but that man... How should I put this...?"
"Volo...?" Akari suddenly said. "I met him before. He's the merchant with a Togepi, right? 'I desire, therefore I am'... He stared at my... phone. No, my survey device for a while, then gave me a Super Potion and disappeared."
She turned to Hikaru.
"Is there something wrong with that merchant?"
"He told me he'd be cheering for me during my Galaxy Team entrance trial. He said that if the Galaxy Team gained another member, it would also mean another customer for him!"
Ginter stared at her in shock. A moment later, his face twisted with fury.
"That bastard! He came back without telling me! I thought he was dead!"
Volo had indeed seen Akari's Arc Phone. However, there were currently no rumors claiming that she had fallen from the sky. Although the device greatly interested him, he had not immediately started investigating it. Giving her a Super Potion had merely been a merchant's instinct to invest in a prospective customer.
Besides, Volo already knew the Lightning Swordsman possessed an identical device.
Hikaru nodded to Akari.
"That man is driven by a profound obsession. Everything he desires revolves around Almighty Sinnoh. As I told you, he wants to uncover his own roots, which is why he never stops studying mythology."
"If someone possesses even the slightest connection to Almighty Sinnoh, no matter who they are, Volo will observe them or even use them, so long as they carry something connected to the Thousand-Armed Wheel. You could say that is simply part of a merchant's nature."
"Of course, it is also the heart of his personal obsession... Do you remember the places I told you about?"
"Several ruins, and... Turnback Cave?" Akari answered.
"You may run into him around there," Hikaru said. "Of course, he could also be somewhere else. A long, one-hundred-and-fifty-year journey through myth is about to begin. In the end, he will reach my homeland and meet the existence he longs to see, along with a certain woman... Volo, Cynthia, Cogita, Arceus... That is where his conviction lies."
"But before you go there, you must complete your pilgrimage to the other noble Pokémon... We didn't come to the village to investigate Volo's long history of skipping work."
As Ginter spoke with the group, the doors of Galaxy Hall opened. Kamado emerged alongside Adaman, Irida, and Cyllene. This time, however, Kamado was dressed in Galarian armor. The sight startled many of the villagers, who had no idea what their commander was planning to do.
Kamado went straight to the point.
"Lightning Swordsman! It has been some time. This is your first visit to Jubilife Village. For the past several dozen days, our two sides have maintained a fragile balance while continuing to communicate and develop an understanding of one another... Many doubts still remain in my heart, but the unrest among the Alpha Pokémon and the frenzy afflicting the nobles have already begun!"
Irida stepped forward and breathed a sigh of relief.
"You've finally returned. I was wondering when you would appear. I heard you had gone in pursuit of flames floating through the night. If I hadn't known how powerful you were, I might have thought those ghosts had bewitched you!"
Then her gaze shifted toward Akari, who was wearing a headscarf.
"I see. You met her, and that is why you returned so late... Then she must be..."
Irida nearly called Akari the person spoken of in the prophecy, but fortunately, she stopped herself in time.
Although many people were spreading rumors about the identity of the Child of Prophecy, the leaders had yet to make any official announcement. As a result, the subject had become a constant source of speculation.
Cyllene quickly stepped in to cover for her.
"This is Akari of the Survey Corps, the newest member of our Galaxy Team. Although she is still a new recruit, she is exceptionally reliable. She possesses remarkable talent, along with outstanding throwing skills. I believe she will be able to assist us in the upcoming quelling operation!"
"Akari, these two are Adaman, leader of the Diamond Clan, and Irida, leader of the Pearl Clan."
"Now, let us proceed to the training grounds!"
After receiving permission from Kamado and the two clan leaders, Cyllene led everyone away so they could avoid attracting most of the villagers' attention.
Once they reached the training grounds, Irida took a deep breath and fixed Akari with a determined stare.
"Your trial begins now... I know this is sudden, but prepare yourself!"
"To the Pearl Clan, the noble Pokémon are extremely important. If your power can truly help us... then before we entrust this task to you, show me your conviction!"
"My conviction is to preserve our history and customs. It is the courage to face this vast land of Hisui without fear! What about you? What conviction drives you to investigate this land and survive here?"
"The battlefield ahead cannot be reached by anyone who lacks conviction! That is the warning the Lightning Swordsman gave us! We must restore the history that was severed and ensure that everything in Hisui continues to exist, so that this space and the foundations of this world may endure forever!"
"Please battle me!"
"We'll use a Pokémon battle to find out what kind of stage awaits you. Consider it a test, a means of confirming your strength!"
Adaman stepped forward and added his own explanation.
"She's right! Show Irida your conviction right here! The Pearl Clan has already pledged itself. Now let the Diamond Clan and the Galaxy Team work together to solve this crisis and face a brighter future!"
"Battling us clan leaders is also part of your pilgrimage! Everyone in this land must have something they refuse to abandon, whether they belong to the Diamond Clan, the Pearl Clan, the Galaxy Team, the Ancient Retreat, the Ginkgo Guild, or the people of the Michina Wilds!"
"Even the wardens who once had no idea what they wanted to accomplish appear to have discovered convictions of their own! That is something worth celebrating!"
"We have survived together across a thousand years, calling ourselves descendants of the Celestica people. Now we have gathered here once more. What meaning lies behind it? Time will reveal the answer."
"If we want... I mean, if we want to fight side by side, then we need dependable strength and trustworthy companions! Show us your conviction. If you do, we will become your claws and fangs!"
"Perhaps the hearts of the ancients have faded during the passage of countless years, but we still possess treasures and wishes that matter to us! Even if we eventually go our separate ways, the world we inhabit now is undeniably real!"
"Raise the winds of change and show us what you can do!"
Irida whispered silently within her heart.
She concentrated.
Then she sent out Glaceon!
"A Pokémon as dear to me as a brother or sister... I helped Eevee evolve! Cold winds of the Alabaster Icelands, people of the Pearl Settlement, heart of Almighty Sinnoh, lend me your strength! I will make you tremble before Glaceon's freezing cold!"
Her unspoken thoughts continued.
[If you truly are the one chosen by the Lightning Swordsman... If you truly are the Child of Prophecy who can lead all three of our groups into tomorrow, the final hero of this era, then let this battle alongside my partner grant me the strength to help you...!]
[Hikaru is watching from right beside us. It's making me so nervous... But even if I'm still inexperienced, I have to give this battle everything I possess. My training in the Cobalt Coastlands was not for nothing!]
[The heart is also part of space. I pray that when Palkia manifests in this world, the barriers separating us will disappear and reveal a limitless expanse. Whether we are alive or dead, we will all meet again in the same world!]
[Akari, if you truly are a hero, then defeat me and take your place upon the stage of light!]
Akari suddenly smiled.
"I heard your voice. You want to help me... Thank you."
"I'll do my best! I'll do my best to... reach that stage! Because that is my... It's not just my mission. It must also be the world that God wishes to see."
"That's right. There must be a reason I came here... I'll discover it during this pilgrimage!"
Her thoughts spread outward like ripples, flowing into the space around them and apparently reaching Irida's heart as well.
[My heart is filled with uncertainty and loneliness. Even though I've come here, this place isn't my home.]
[That's right. If disaster had struck at the same time I fell from the sky, the people here would surely have feared and hated me.]
[Especially if I hadn't been called the Child of Prophecy.]
[Professor Laventon would still have helped me, but Captain Cyllene might not have trusted me right away. As for everyone else...]
[Even if conflicts and terrible events arose later and I was driven out of the village, perhaps I wouldn't have been surprised. I might have thought, "So this day has finally come..."]
[But everything has changed now! Did I really never want to become one of them...?]
[No!]
[Otherwise, I would always be the strange girl who fell from the sky. I would have to keep helping the people of Hisui, strangers just like me, quell frenzied Pokémon before I could earn their trust. I would have to obey everyone else, working tirelessly and desperately just to scrape out a life on this land!]
[Before I met Mr. Swordsman, the only ones I could really talk to were Pokémon...]
[The partner Pokémon the professor gave me smiled, so I began to smile too. Talking to Pokémon became the happiest and most relaxing part of my life in this world.]
[I used to be so frightened, anxious, and afraid... But all those feelings are gone now! This journey has been filled with joy and happiness. There is no more sorrow or pain!]
[My history has changed too, hasn't it?]
[These goggles are a symbol of courage... So I must set the light of courage flowing and transform it into thunder. Only then can it shine in every direction!]
"Flowing light becomes thunder, illuminating all directions... Divine Thunder!"
Irida stared at her in shock.
"How do you know that?! Wait, your thoughts just reached my heart. Could this be...?"
Akari assumed a battle stance.
"This is Mr. Swordsman's Aura! I've already learned a little! Now I'll turn fear into courage!"
"Then let's battle... No, Oshawott, prepare to exchange blows!"
Mijiu gripped its scalchop and crashed into the Glaceon before it. Under Irida's stunned gaze, the light surrounding the shell grew brighter, longer, and sharper!
At last, it transformed into a sword!
"Mijiu!"
Oshawott gripped its scalchop sword, spun around, and unleashed a brilliant slash!
Here it comes! Don't be afraid! The Long Sword hero has arrived!
Now watch those damage numbers!
"What is that thing?!" Irida cried. "Glaceon, use Ice Beam!"
"Gather the light into a sword..." Akari called. "Foresight Slash into Spirit Helm Breaker! Bring it down directly on its head!"
"Strong Style, Sacred Sword!"
Its power changed from 90 to 110. With a two-times type advantage, that became 220!
When Sacred Sword attacked, it ignored all changes to the target's evasiveness!
When Sacred Sword attacked, it ignored all changes to the target's Defense!
This was not a move Oshawott could learn on its own. It had to be taught through a Mirror Herb.
It was a secret art!
"The road has been illuminated, and the path ahead is clear. Both strength and courage have appeared before me! I want to become one who inherits courage. Within the light, may victory be ours!"
After a single slash defeated Glaceon, the light of evolution began to shine around Oshawott!
It could evolve now!
Akari silently recited the words in her heart, and her thoughts reached Irida once more.
[Light is the surest protection. It will remain beside me.]
[People do not love me. They only love a certain radiance that happens to flow through me!]
(End of Chapter)
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