Palafin's mood right now could be summed up as shock—total shock.
Sure, out on the open sea, there are Pokémon that can trade blows with it.
But a human who can actually arm-wrestle it? That's straight-up not normal!
"Pop!"
Palafin hadn't expected that what was supposed to be a simple act of justice—making these evil Tinkaton stop persecuting the Steel-type Pokémon around here—would turn into something like fighting the Demon King!
With its own strength… could it really win?
"Guren!"
Palafin was still thinking about how to defeat this abnormal human when a blast of intense sunlight yanked its attention away.
When it turned its head, it saw that enormous Armarouge holding a violently burning sunlight spear in its hand!
And then—
Those Falinks started shouting and hollering as they swarmed in, surrounding it completely!
Hmph, the enemy force is pretty huge!
Superheroes always end up facing desperate situations!
At a time like this, use Jet Punch—
No, that move's not strong enough!
Use Wave Crash!
In a dangerous situation like this, Palafin didn't have time to think. It immediately wrapped itself in fierce torrents, the water blasting outward like a storm and a whirlpool!
Wave Crash, a 120-power Water-type physical move—cover your whole body in surging water, then slam into the opponent, while you also take a hefty amount of recoil damage!
Basically, it's the Water-type version of Flare Blitz!
However, the "light spear" in that fire knight's hand didn't feel any less dangerous. Even with its entire body shrouded in water, Palafin still had the instinctive sense that it might get dropped in one hit!
What kind of move was that? Just looking at it screamed danger!
Hikaru: "Palafin is doubly weak to Grass. If it eats a Solar Beam, it goes down on the spot."
"This isn't some ordinary move. It's the oldest of sunlight miracles, carrying an immense power."
Along with Hikaru's voice, Armarouge—furious at what it felt was an insult to its sovereign—had already fired off that ancient miracle: Solar Beam!
Even without the same-type attack bonus…
This special sunbeam had a base power of 200, utterly outpacing nearly every other move in the game—practically nothing could compete!
If it were Tera Grass, you'd get a 1.5× modifier, meaning that even without any boosts, the move's power would soar to 300!
But if you went Tera Grass, then you couldn't use that "forbidden ultimate move of Tera Fire."
An incomparable, massive radiance flooded the world!
Palafin's swirling water was swallowed whole by the Solar Beam and forced back completely. In the violent explosion of light, the Hero of the Sea had barely made its debut before it was utterly defeated!
Palafin: "…man!"
"Uh, the cry checks out—Palafin's name comes from iruka (dolphin) and man (person/hero), after all!"
———
When Palafin falls into danger, the red "chest muscle" on its chest flashes over and over, like an Ultra Hero's timer light.
Hikaru shook his head.
A weakness on the chest that flashes like a beacon is a setting that's already shown up on a bunch of Pokémon—Starmie, Deoxys, and plenty of others.
So what, you're all really from the Land of Light?
But those other two are space superheroes, and you're Earth's local superhero?
Palafin.
Champion of the Oceania Circuit.
The Ocean Ranger.
"Got knocked back to your base form."
One sunlight spear had deleted Palafin outright. After losing its Hero Form, Palafin was basically no different from the Pokémon called Finizen—this was Palafin's ordinary form.
And something that's basically a fish—once it gets on land, it can only flop around. Either that, or it's like a Magikarp, hopping and hopping, with nothing else to do.
Sure, dolphins are mammals, but the Pokémon world probably doesn't care about that.
"Mm… Pop…"
Finizen's eyes were full of pain as it lay on the ground, the blowhole on its head puffing out water like a salted fish.
It had come out planning to show off, to stand up for the Pokémon around here—then it crashed the moment it hit land. Was it still too green to be a real hero?
Also, isn't this supposed to be the starter area? What kind of newbie zone has high-level Pokémon like that showing up? You're way too strong!
Hikaru: "The Demon King camping the starter village—that's what you call foresight."
"And you've got one thing wrong. Tinkaton attacking Steel-type Pokémon is an ecological trait. Even humans can't just 'fix' that. I've already been talking with the village chief about switching their forging over to a different direction."
"This place is basically the Monster Hunter materials-processing department."
"But even so, you, Palafin, punishing evil and promoting good—that's part of Paldea's ecology too. We're the accidental variable here."
Hikaru gave Palafin some medicine. Palafin gradually recovered, then blinked.
"Pop."
You, Steel Alchemist… you don't seem as evil as I imagined!
Hikaru: "Steel Alchemist… that title's a little ominous. And shouldn't 'alchemist' be an old-fashioned label by now?"
In the Pokémon world, people who use "mysterious science"—like Nikola of Kalos—are also called alchemists.
Honestly, there isn't much difference. They really can cobble together all sorts of bizarre ancient-tech contraptions.
"You didn't hear this legend from older Palafin, did you? And you haven't seen humans in ages, have you?"
"Pop." Palafin blinked again.
Humans… I've seen them. Just never up close.
But when it comes to being a hero, I'm still new at this.
So if I see evil, I can't let it slide! That's what the heroes before me taught me!
Hikaru snapped his fingers.
"Right, right. The Tinkaton village is at the nameless ruins of the West Sea. Up on the cliff here, the Icerend Shrine is sealed, and there aren't any gentle landing spots nearby."
"You'd have to cross long stretches of wilderness and caves to reach the plains and see human towns—and before I got here…"
"This mountain was guarded by the Open Sky Titan, so it was even less likely anyone would show up."
If this were an RPG, this really would be a perfect starter village.
Cut off from the world, full of blacksmith villagers. A Hero NPC can spawn offshore. The nearby mountain seals an ancient Demon King. There's a not-too-strong big bird blocking the airspace. Sometimes a mysterious grinding spot spawns. Fries occasionally fall from the sky.
"…In RPG terms, isn't this the part where you recruit the defeated enemy into your party?"
A sudden idea struck Hikaru. He looked at Palafin and said:
"We're heading to Area Zero. It's… well, it's a really dangerous place. Violent monsters everywhere, and maybe even enemies that truly threaten the entire region. Want to come with us and train?"
"Pop?!" Palafin froze for a split second—then started excitedly slapping its tail!
Whoa, there's a place like that?
I've never even heard of it, but it sounds insanely fun!
I'm in, I'm in!
Steel Alchemist, I'll team up with you for now!
Heroes always dream of fighting strong enemies and showing what they can do.
That never changes!
"Exactly, exactly. Want to become a true hero? There's plenty of evil in the world worth fighting!"
Hikaru clapped happily.
Newbie heroes always crave achievements.
Maybe we'll have other chances to work together later, too.
I already talked that Tera Steel "big teacher" into going to the League to fill in as an Elite Four member.
Maybe later I can even get Palafin to fill in as an Island Kahuna!
"In Paldea, isn't that kind of wasting you? Nothing interesting happens in these four seas."
"If you went to Alola, wouldn't it be a much wider world?"
[Palafin joined the party!]
"Have you ever thought about switching jobs? Jumping ship to Alola, maybe?"
Hikaru mulled it over internally, but didn't say it out loud yet.
Palafin was still too immature—there were a lot of things it couldn't judge properly.
Better to recruit it first, take it through Area Zero once, then talk.
"Guren?" Armarouge looked at the excited Palafin, then looked at Hikaru.
Hmm. So the party has a knight, soldiers, and a superhero?
This Palafin… is kind of like what I was, when I first set out on my adventure.
Hikaru counted on his fingers. "A warrior—aka a superhero. A knight of the sun. A Roman legion. Mounts. A mage and a healer. But a knight is already both melee and ranged, so this is basically an RPG demon-slaying squad."
"And spectators?" Hikaru casually ruffled Victini's head. "But Victini's part of the expedition team, not the demon-slaying squad."
Victini threw up a peace sign. "Tini~"
"Agaas?" Even though nobody mentioned Miraidon just now, Miraidon had detected a keyword.
A mount, huh?
Fine. I'm just a mount anyway. Nothing wrong with being a mount—serving the boss is my whole job.
If Boss Hikaru hadn't kicked off that Iron Rebellion in the Future City, I'd probably be out in the suburbs right now, scavenging trash with Duraludon.
And sure, the Future City wasn't bad—free maintenance and all—but coming to the modern world is way more open and exciting!
"You're learning fast, you." Hikaru glanced at the snickering electric dragon, then cleared his throat lightly.
"The Trainer is the healer, so the party's build is already complete… if we don't count our other partners."
On the two strings of Poké Balls hanging from his backpack, Deoxys's psychic power let the Pokémon chat with each other even inside their balls—like having party voice chat.
It made Hikaru feel like he was the one being left out.
Hey, you guys—how are you bullying your Trainer?
"Right. Here's fine—I'm going to forge Shun!"
Hikaru looked over at the meteorites nearby.
He'd use the meteorites as materials, following the same process as when he made the Red Chain.
Sure, there wasn't that occult amplification from Heart's Hollow here, but if he was only making a big weapon with a slightly special power, it should still be doable, right?
A greatsword to carry the flame!
"Geh?"
Hikaru heard Aegislash's puzzled voice from inside the Poké Ball.
"Don't worry about it. They're both greatswords, but their ecological niches are different."
"The Sword of Shun is for parries. It doesn't have crazy raw power. It's a sword, but it leans more toward defense."
"And swords aren't just for knights. I can use it too."
Aegislash thought for a moment.
Oh… that's true!
You made that high-tech hand cannon before, after all!
So as a Trainer, you're basically 'sword-and-gun as one' now?
"Exactly. And if I put on the armor Yong, I can cosplay Archie. Gold wore something like that once too."
Hikaru nodded slightly, then kept thinking.
"While I'm at it, I should also make a sacred stake. Used for sealing, it's a normal tool—but if you use it in combat, isn't it basically a spear?"
"The knight's weapon is handled. Add the shrine's sealing lid, and isn't that another kind of greatshield?"
"Shun is made from a mysterious material that reflects all attacks. With crystallized material like the Red Chain, you can achieve the same effect. Purify it using meteorite ore!"
"And if you're talking about similar materials, I do have a piece… a long time ago, I got this black-gold from Registeel. I've treasured it ever since!"
Hikaru opened the Dream Ball and the Cherish Ball!
"Raaagh!"
"Guuuh~"
Walking Wake—long overdue for some fresh air—swung its head, looked at this familiar meteor-fall site, and roared at the sky!
Well, "long overdue" wasn't entirely accurate. It had gotten out during the seven-days-and-seven-nights training. And Archaludon had climbed to the mountaintop to learn Draco Meteor—mission accomplished.
"Guururuu~!" Walking Wake let out a meaningless roar, purely venting emotion.
"We're about to head back to Area Zero. Maybe we'll see other Paradox species… Gouging Fire, Raging Bolt, or other Walking Wake—but you've never lived in Area Zero either."
Hikaru looked at "Husky-Wave." The Paradox beasts weren't the true Legendary Beasts, so they didn't count as Legendary Pokémon—more like Ultra Beasts.
That meant in the ancient era, they had their own populations, rather than being one-off creations like the Legendary Beasts supposedly are (even though Crown Tundra gave us shiny versions, and the Fiore and Oblivia regions had their own Beasts too… hard to say that wasn't Ho-Oh's doing).
"Hmph." Walking Wake snorted. It didn't feel any warmth toward those ancient "rivals." Back then, it was all about fighting each other for food—what was there to reminisce about?
If anything counted as companionship, it was the Archaludon it hadn't even fought alongside yet!
Archaludon immediately came out and started inspecting the meteorites on the ground, while Armarouge was busy grabbing the overexcited village chief.
The moment Tinkaton saw Archaludon's back, its eyes practically started shining!
No way!
An unseen composite metal!
Hikaru pointed toward an open area not far away. "Alright, Walking Wake, Archaludon—hit that open ground. Same open ground as always!"
"Use Draco Meteor!"
With the roars of the Water Dragon and Steel Dragon, a bright spatial裂 seam opened in the sky. Massive meteorites and shooting stars rained down from space, slamming into the distant open ground like artillery bombardment. Plenty of them even smashed into the cliffside and the coast!
Dust billowed. Scattered embers and the smell of scorching drifted through the air—but the Tinkaton chief and the other villagers were cheering like it was a festival!
Hikaru quickly returned the meteor-munching Archaludon to its Cherish Ball. Otherwise, the chief might snap and swing a hammer, knocking Archaludon off the cliff—and that would be a disaster.
Then he called Armarouge over to join the forging that it had been waiting so long for!
Sacred flame and mysterious blue flame burned in a crisscrossing blaze. Even the toughest materials could be heated and scorched.
Sword and spear, under hammer strikes and psychic shaping, gradually took form!
[Legendary Craftwork: Sword of Shun (Greatsword)!]
[Description: A replica forged in imitation of the weapon from legends of the ancient god Arceus. The Sword of Shun is a counterfeit of the ancient legendary Pokémon-hunting blade. It is made from a material said to parry any attack, capable of reflecting Pokémon moves. However, each reflection consumes the wielder's mental energy!]
[Effect: Move Parry!]
[Note: Certain exceptionally powerful moves cannot be returned (for example, Gold's Typhlosion once unleashed firepower beyond the norm and shattered the Sword of Shun).]
"Ancient heroes who inherited the first god's power."
"Like gods themselves, they wielded a greatsword of 'parry.'"
"Before the Hero's distant plane…"
"There is that terrible ancient sword—long since existing—driven into Sinnoh's history."
The Sword of Shun came from a gift in Pokémon Adventures, given by the mysterious Sird.
For a time, she was treated as the幕后 mastermind of multiple arcs, even a hidden ultimate boss.
Because later arcs had continuity issues, her appearance was abrupt—and her disappearance just as abrupt.
She first appeared as an executive of Team Rocket.
Then she helped Team Aqua and Team Magma.
Later she resurfaced as a member of Team Galactic.
And afterward, the story even hinted she had countless ties to Team Flare.
By the XY arc, after Lysandre died, Sird vanished without a trace.
After the Sun and Moon arcs, she disappeared from the manga entirely.
Maybe because later arcs no longer had villains capable of carrying her ambitions.
Or maybe because as time passed, characters aged, the protagonists' side grew stronger, and in the new era, Sird couldn't realistically return as an "outdated boss."
Still, from her past words and actions, you can glimpse a sliver of her true identity.
Once, Sird said this—
[Since you can use a sword to harm the friend you once staked your life beside… then we'll use fangs and claws to harm friends.]
[Those granted new life must have a new name.]
"Fangs and claws… among the people I know, there's only one person who'd say something like that."
"That would be Volo!"
And in Sinnoh's legends…
"Fangs and claws" represents the gap between humans and Pokémon—it's a phrase with special meaning.
So that lawless woman who rampaged through the manga…
Perhaps she, too, was one of the never-revealed Celestica People!
[Legendary Craftwork: Sacred Golden Spear (Sacred Stake).]
[Description: A short spear that radiates golden light and carries a holy aura. A tool forged by fusing the crafting techniques of the "Golden Needle" and the "Sacred Stake." Made from a Huge Gold Nugget and meteoric-iron crystals; it does not possess mythic power.]
[Note: "Golden Needle" is a thrown item from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon world. It is said to be forged from immortal gold, capable of dealing 20 points of thrown damage.]
[Effect 1: When used as a thrown item, its power is equivalent to a Huge Gold Nugget: 130.]
[Effect 2: When used as a sealing implement, it is treated as having the same effect as the Sacred Stake. The stakes can weaken the power of evil Pokémon; using eight stakes can seal an evil Pokémon.]
[Effect 3: Ghost-type attacks have no effect on Psychic-type Pokémon.]
Staring at the golden short spear in his hand, Hikaru's gaze flickered.
The first two effects didn't need explanation—they were simply the original power of the Huge Gold Nugget and the stake.
But the third effect was the true might of this legendary craftwork, and it was extremely interesting!
Because that effect was a callback.
In Generation I, Ghost-type attacks were indeed ineffective against Psychic!
And in that era, Psychic was unbelievably strong—so strong that when Lugia's typing was being assigned in Generation II, they felt Psychic better conveyed a Pokémon's "power," and didn't give it Water typing.
However, Generation II introduced the Dark type to rein in Psychic, and also removed Psychic's resistance to Ghost. That boosted Ghost's penetration, while Psychic gradually slipped into a rough spot.
Hikaru: "A Pokémon holding the Golden Spear will possess a sublime power… ignoring Ghost-type matchups and reclaiming Generation I glory?"
"And with the power of Prism Star, I can teach Miracle Eye—the anti-Dark technique—to all Psychic-type Pokémon. That way, Psychic's multiplier against Dark goes from 0 to 1, and it'll also calculate the second type!"
"Then against a Dark Pokémon with a combined typing—like Poison/Dark—the 'super-effective' result becomes triple damage?"
And on top of that, you're back to Gen I's Ghost immunity—shutting off a massive weakness. A true evil-slaying weapon, huh.
Mm. And there's still a shield.
Come to think of it, there are plenty of shield-type items.
Not to mention the "Rusted Shield" of the Hero of Many Battles and Aegislash's "King's Shield."
In the card game, Metal Core Barrier, Metal Disk, Rock Wall, Crystal Wall, and Reserve Shield can all be considered special shields—and each has its own powerful effects.
Even the lids of the four shrines—aren't those a kind of sacred shield, too?
And in the battle items of the mainline games, there's also a "shield-class" item.
That is—
Ability Shield!
[A cute and unique shield. When held, the Pokémon's Ability cannot be changed by the opponent.]
Just as Hikaru was inspecting his handiwork…
"Little" who had been serving as both power supply and oven this whole time, crawled out of the C-Gear device in the backpack.
Then, under Hikaru's gaze, it giggled as it slipped into the Capture Styler.
"Hm?"
"So, Little—thinking of swapping into a machine body and trying a different feel?"
(End of Chapter)
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