"To travel through the sprawling city of Wyndon, please use Wyndon's dedicated Flying Taxis or the monorail."
"Look. Wyndon is a magnificent city, isn't it? Long ago, this place was only a small town. I was the one who made it what it is today—the largest and most prosperous city in all of Galar."
"It's no less impressive than Lumiose City!"
Chairman Rose and Hikaru formally began their discussion inside Wyndon's largest hotel, the Rose of the Rondelands.
Still, Rose was an extremely famous man. As Chairman of the Galar League, his daily schedule was packed full. Work, work, and more work. At the same time, he had to deal with interviews from reporters all across Galar.
That was where his secretary, and Macro Cosmos's vice president, Oleana, proved her worth.
The cool, aloof woman had the staff block the reporters outside. Meanwhile, Rose's meeting with a stranger made them all intensely curious. They were convinced this was definitely a new explosive headline.
Hikaru said, "The reporters here... really do resemble Kalos reporters. In how they behave, I mean."
"You mean the way they always crowd around celebrities and start interviews without permission?" Chairman Rose brushed at his hair. "That is simply what commercialization is like. If they fail to obtain explosive news, won't they lose their jobs?"
"So every now and then, one should let these reporters see a celebrity appear, let them feel some warmth, and give them news capable of drawing public interest. That is the kind of warmhearted philanthropist I am."
"But please rest assured. What happens here will not be heard by anyone else, aside from those who need to know."
"My creed is that action is justice. Because of that, I often make various decisions without offering any explanation whatsoever. Therefore, I believe I have done nothing truly terrible up to this point. What made an Elite Four member from another region direct such suspicion toward me?"
Hikaru said, "You have a crystal on you."
Rose fell silent.
The Chairman's frivolous expression grew slightly more serious.
No one else should have known about the commercial cooperation with Altru Inc. Could it be that the Paldea League also had a business cooperation agreement with Altru Inc. regarding energy development or mechanical manufacturing?
But even then, how could the crystal be explained?
A faint voice seemed to whisper inside Rose's mind.
Do not answer.
But the voice was so weak that Rose assumed it was some kind of psychological suggestion and shook his head slightly.
What could not be said?
The only thing that puzzled him was how this Elite Four member knew about the fragments that had been dismantled from those machines.
And were those pitch-black fragments the crystals President Blake had spoken of?
That instead refreshed Rose's spirits and stirred his interest.
"Please elaborate." Rose's lips curled into a smile. He sensed that this item might be connected to energy.
Hikaru also watched Rose in puzzlement.
"Today is the opening ceremony, and the main tournament begins tomorrow. So let's not waste too much of each other's time. Your schedule is busy, and I also want to see exactly which contestants will appear in the opening match."
Rose laughed despite himself. "That may be true, but we still need to wait for one person here. She should be arriving soon."
"Speaking of which, my work is extremely busy. But if I want to, I can still squeeze out quite a bit of time. Some tasks can simply be canceled in the face of higher-level talks."
"Then, before that young lady arrives, I am all ears. Although I suspect what you are about to say should have nothing to do with the legends of Galar."
Hikaru said, "Do you have some kind of deal with Altru Inc.?"
Rose said, "...This information. How should I put it? I originally intended to deny it, but you seem to have seen straight through my thoughts."
His tone gradually evened out. In Hikaru's eyes, he saw certainty. Add in the sudden blue flash from earlier...
Hm.
Chairman Rose fell into brief thought.
Though Rose did not care who helped him as long as it meant realizing his ideals, Altru Inc... Did it have some incredible hidden darkness behind it?
Rose could not help making a joke.
"Could it be tax evasion? Our company is a proper enterprise, you know!"
"But." He changed the subject. "Although this is our first time cooperating with that company, they are a large enterprise with quite a reputation in the world. They operate in oil energy and seem to have seventy years... or rather, sixty-nine years of history."
"Purely from a historical perspective, Macro Cosmos is still a new enterprise compared to Altru Inc."
"When it comes to energy development, our company's energy utilization is no lower than Devon Corporation's or the Space Development Agency's. There are also other companies... such as the Aether Foundation. Unfortunately, those companies guard their technologies very strictly, which is quite regrettable."
Hikaru nodded.
"After all, Altru Inc. has had three generations of presidents, while Chairman Rose, you are only one generation. And as a corporate president, you are the same as Altru Inc.'s first president: someone who built everything from nothing. You have also exhausted yourself for Galar's development. That part is very worthy of respect."
Rose smiled from the heart.
"You flatter me. I merely made a minor contribution to Galar's development."
Being praised by the strong and being flattered by the weak were two completely different feelings.
At that moment, it felt as if all his hardships from the past had been acknowledged. Chairman Rose's mood quickly became pleasant.
Rose stroked his chin.
"But commercial cooperation is very normal. Did you perhaps uncover our corporate secrets? As far as I know, Paldea also has a giant enterprise, and like us, it has ties to the Pokémon League."
"Or are you acting as a business representative, hoping to join in after spying on our corporate transaction records? Haha. I do not particularly mind, but President Blake would probably be very displeased."
Hikaru said, "That President Blake should be Blake Hall, correct?"
"Altru Inc. in the Almia region is a massive oil-energy enterprise and oligarch. In recent years, they seem to have been planning to remodel and rebuild the Almia region, especially with an urban redevelopment plan for Almia's gateway and central port town, Pueltown."
"However, because the development plan is somewhat forceful, the local residents appear to be opposed."
Urban redevelopment, he called it.
Both were central cities of their regions.
Both had a tower under construction nearby.
Both had machines that emitted electricity.
Both development plans were also led by a major corporation.
If the place had not been specifically identified as Pueltown, people who did not know better might think they had arrived in Lumiose City.
Come to think of it, this idea had already appeared in side works many years ago.
These excellent inspirations and plot motives could be seen again and again in all kinds of earlier works, and they were constantly reborn in later generations.
Rose said, "Oh my. Something as major as demolishing and rebuilding a town cannot be done by force. I have dealt with that president before, and I could sense that he is rather forceful. Large enterprises must soothe society and fulfill their corporate responsibilities."
"Hearing you discuss this part truly piques my curiosity. It also brings back distant memories of Wyndon's construction."
Hikaru said, "The reason that plan began was because Altru Inc. found something that could be called... an infinite dream energy."
Rose's gaze sharpened at once.
As the saying went, in a business meeting, the most important thing was to grasp the hearts of the participants. You had to strike directly at the place that was weakest and most desired.
"Interesting! That president did indeed say to me, 'For the bright future of Galar and Almia!' He also spoke of the development of dream energy. To think I would learn such explosive news here."
The point of exchanging technology was to complete the final piece of the puzzle. Perhaps they, like him, had found something that could serve as an energy source.
But Chairman Rose then became puzzled again.
Altru Inc. drilled for oil, so the products they sold publicly were all petroleum. They were unlike Macro Cosmos, which also had mining, gas, wind power, and hydropower projects. And he had never heard of the Almia region having any special minerals or things like Wishing Stars.
Then this was a corporate secret?
Rose said, "Oh my, you have handed me this information for nothing. I hardly know what to say. Given your identity as one of Paldea's Elite Four, I doubt you would speak without reason. Mm. Energy is an extremely important thing. Since such a precious thing as infinite energy exists, I instead feel that I must deepen our cooperation with Altru Inc."
"Although we have already begun deep cooperation with them."
That was right. Some of the fragments had already been fed to that thing. After being fed, its power had clearly risen.
The one or two pieces he had kept were merely for analysis.
After all, both sides were exchanging technology and cooperating while intending to use each other. No matter what Blake Hall's thoughts were, at least what he had provided was fully effective for reviving the Darkest Day.
"Then what compensation do you want? You may state any condition you like. As Chairman of the Galar League, I will not accept this information for free."
Hikaru shook his head.
"I don't need compensation. I know that infinite energy is extremely attractive to you, Chairman Rose. I also know that you are not the kind of character who listens when others advise you. But I am leaving you a warning."
"You said you have already entered deep cooperation with them?"
"Correct." Chairman Rose spread his hands. "The specific contents are trade secrets within our commercial cooperation. I can only say that I have no comment."
Something had gone wrong.
That was what Hikaru thought. And judging from Chairman Rose's expression...
This president had not fed the Shadow Crystal fragments to Eternatus, had he?
"You really shouldn't eat just anything. You'll ruin your stomach."
Hikaru could only sigh.
"The infinite energy that Altru Inc. is developing comes from the raw ore of the fragment you are carrying. And that so-called infinite energy is actually fake."
"It is an extremely dangerous thing, Chairman Rose. You had best not think about using it to do anything. If convenient, my only condition is that I would like to know how you obtained that fragment. But I suspect you will not say."
Rose nodded.
"Unfortunately, I have no comment on that either."
"Looking at it this way, you do not seem to be the sort of person one would call a corporate spy. Nor do you know everything. It seems our confidential communications were not leaked."
Hikaru said, "Of course. No one monitored your communications with President Blake. As the head of a major company, you should have some confidence in your own confidentiality programs."
"The reason I know is something else entirely."
"If I don't tell you, you won't understand how terrifying this thing is. If I do tell you, you will become mad and covetous. But either way, I think saying it is better than not saying it."
"I'll repeat the warning. The Shadow Crystal can cloud a person's mind, make them mad and unreasonable, and is an extremely dangerous object. Once one remains in contact with it for too long, one will fall into a nightmare from which they cannot awaken."
"That thing responds to the user's heart. If you make a wish to it, that wish will be fulfilled in a distorted form."
"Once, over the course of the past three thousand years, that crystal absorbed endless darkness and negative emotions from the hearts of people all over the world. It became what it is now and polluted that land."
"Very similar to the Darkest Day you seek, isn't it? You cannot hold this thing steady."
Although it was the power source of a side-story region, in terms of status and its setting as something that called forth darkness, it was extremely similar to Eternatus. And its setting of gathering the darkness in people's hearts corresponded even more closely to Dark Matter, the final boss of the Mystery Dungeon world.
It was hard to imagine that this was something the king of Almia could have created. Since Pokémon Ranger was a side work and almost impossible to replicate, why the King of Almia obtained the Dark Soul and became that way still could not be explained.
Chairman Rose's expression immediately grew heavy. But then he spread his hands.
"The Darkest Day is merely an interesting legend. I, Rose, am simply very interested in Galar's legends. It is just like the legend of Wishing Stars. It was precisely according to this legend that we developed the Dynamax Band and used Professor Magnolia's Power Spot Detector to find the locations of various Power Spots."
"Because of that, Galar was reborn!"
"Wishing Stars are like Peace Stars."
"So perhaps we may find some new energy and technology within the legend of the Darkest Day as well. We have always been committed to improving the living standards of Galar's people and striving to become number one in the world. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Rather, it should be an extremely peaceful wish and action, should it not?"
Hikaru said, "...Right now, you reign over the land of Galar like a king."
"And the Shadow Crystal was also once a king's possession."
A Dragon Quest version of Galar had all the necessary elements: king, hero, and evil dragon.
But was Chairman Rose the king, or was he the Demon King?
As a king, he was a little too willful.
As a Demon King, he did not go far enough when causing trouble.
Chairman Rose pondered for a moment, then replied with a serious expression.
"...A king? There is no king in Galar. Please do not use the titles of the past to describe me. Compared to the greedy royal family, I, as League Chairman, can say this without shame."
"I devote myself entirely to Galar."
Hikaru said, "So you have already received sponsorship from the royal family. The so-called hidden celebrities, the people claiming to be descendants of the heroes of the sword and shield. Sordward and Shielbert?"
Rose said, "It seems I accidentally revealed some strange information. But all of that is unimportant. The so-called royal family of Galar has yet to prove its identity. In my eyes, they are merely oddly shaped people driven mad by legends."
"To think you would know of people like that."
"When I was young, Galar had quite a few such people. I suppose they could be called remnants of ancient society."
Of course, he himself had not been bewitched by legends. The answers he had now were precisely what he had obtained after practical investigation and verification.
"But through this conversation..."
"I can sense it."
"You are the same as certain people I have encountered before."
Chairman Rose closed his eyes and let out a regretful sigh.
"You do not understand. You truly do not understand my worry and urgency, or why I am so warmhearted. If you were willing to join Macro Cosmos, perhaps I would share it with you in detail. But not now."
Granted, Chairman Rose had not yet spoken to Leon about energy depletion.
But considering the relationship between him and Professor Magnolia, from their passionate cooperation at the beginning to their later coldness, Chairman Rose might once have hinted at something similar to Professor Magnolia.
Chairman Rose said, "Therefore, please let the matter of Almia end here."
"I already know enough information. It is truly astonishing. Thank you very much for providing it. I will make proper use of it."
"But ancient things are nothing to fear. Even if a Dark Soul from three thousand years ago were to awaken, there would be nothing to dread."
"Besides, this has already become no different from a fairy tale. If you want me to believe it, I must carefully investigate and verify it first. Words alone prove nothing."
"Nor will I allow my will to be shaken by one tiny crystal."
"As my creed says..."
"My heart and actions are utterly unclouded."
"They are all those of justice!"
That interesting phrase, especially the latter half, seemed to echo the content of a certain character. In fact, it really was written on Rose's League Card.
He believed that action was justice, and because of that, he often made decisions without offering explanations. Though evaluations of him were mixed, Macro Cosmos's growth to its current scale was the result of his dictatorial rule.
Text drafted by his secretary.
To solve Galar's energy problem, he personally investigated the Darkest Day, which was said to have caused a heaven-and-earth-altering disaster in ancient times.
Even that part was included. But players who never read League Cards probably thought Chairman Rose spent the entire journey acting like a walking riddle.
Hikaru thought that although Chairman Rose knew that energy-development companies like Devon Corporation had special tricks, he did not know what kind of energy they were actually using.
Of course, if Chairman Rose obtained something as useful as life energy, he would definitely use it heavily.
And when it came to dispatching corporate spies, Macro Cosmos was the expert.
After all, it had infiltrated the Aether Foundation, stolen the data on Type: Null, and even manufactured new Type: Null.
Chairman Rose's objective was to have Type: Null provide endless energy. To think he could actually investigate that information.
Was this the Pokémon League?
Wasn't this Assassin's Creed: Galar?
It was hard to say whether Devon Corporation's confidentiality technology was simply excellent, or whether the Aether Foundation's security was too poor.
And he would rather go all the way to Alola to steal intelligence than go next door to Kalos and steal the design blueprints for the ultimate weapon? He was probably worried about causing a diplomatic incident.
Although three thousand years later, there were still people who held hatred for one another, in formal settings and under normal circumstances, the people of both sides did not care about the legends of their old nations. In the Pokémon world, forgetting and historical gaps seemed to be commonplace.
After all, it was so they could stuff more historical events into the blank three thousand years.
For a story to feel complete and weighty, it needed mythology and history, even if only a few fragments of them.
Hikaru said, "I expected your answer."
He could not exactly beat up Chairman Rose here. That would become—
Shocking! Paldea Elite Four Member and Unova's New Champion Attacks Chairman of the Galar League! His True Identity Was Actually a Terrorist! International Police Announces Severance! Professor Juniper and Professor Rowan Express Deep Grief Over the Incident. Next, We Interview the Champions of Unova, Paldea, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and Ask Them to Comment—
With Galar's media style, they would definitely embellish everything and write a giant essay. Even jumping into the Rhine would not wash him clean after that. It would instantly become front-page news in every region.
He could not then roar "Gwa!" and spin the magnetic field to the ninety-ninth heaven, defeating the whole world by himself.
Hikaru said, "Therefore, let's make some corresponding preparations. If you feel unwell later, silently recite this... Let's call it a spell."
"Awaken the light buried in darkness. Vatona, and Nage. This is Vatonage. It is also called fusion."
Chairman Rose did not take it seriously. Instead, he was rather interested in the structure of the spell.
"It feels like something a witch-shaped person like Opal would say. In any case, it fits Galar's traditional atmosphere very well."
Hikaru said, "Aside from that, I have one extra question. It has nothing to do with business. Can you answer it?"
Rose said, "Of course. As long as it does not concern secrets, I will tell you everything I know."
Hikaru said, "Do you know about the November Litleon meteor shower and the return of the Millennium Comet?"
Rose said, "I know. Very well, in fact. Because Galar's Wishing Stars have been increasing continuously because of it. It is as if they have fallen in overwhelming numbers to grant people's wishes."
"Twelve years ago, the same constellation, the same meteor shower, the same rare astronomical phenomenon caused Galar to begin rising rapidly from that point onward, becoming the prosperous land it is today. Because of that, even now, I continue to collect large quantities of Wishing Stars. I need their energy to convert into electricity."
"And now, twelve years later, the meteors have unexpectedly arrived once again. So, these are things brought by the Millennium Comet! Which means that until the next millennium, no new stars will fall to earth."
"The great comet's cycle is one thousand years, my friend!"
"A human life is only one hundred years long. To see the meteor showers brought back by the Millennium Comet twice in a single lifetime—what incredible fortune that is! How many generations must live and die across a thousand years to call forth seven nights of light?"
"Time vanishes in the blink of an eye. The opportunity disappears just like that. Are we to do nothing and simply spend this millennium as we are? I have waited my entire life, from the previous twelve years to this twelve years! And yet, there will be no next twelve years!"
"I will seize this opportunity."
"I imagine that is the answer you wanted, correct?"
Hikaru nodded.
Stars were born.
Stars were extinguished.
Exactly one millennium.
The Darkest Day's resurrection progress bar had skyrocketed, but that had been within expectations. He had already thought of it while in space.
After all, the Millennium Comet had brought back far too many things. Its influence was not limited to the Hoenn region, but extended across the entire world. Whether old regions or new regions, even regions whose fog of war had not yet been lifted, all were the same.
Besides, even the Meteorite had come. The power of the voice of the stars could not be resisted.
Hikaru said, "The wind that illuminates the world will blow here."
"I hope the moment when that great wind must appear never comes."
Because systems could not coexist, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Terastallization, and Dynamax all came from the stars.
Therefore, only one transformation could exist at the same time. For now, that was how it worked.
Rayquaza carrying the Meteorite and using Mega Evolution versus Eternamax Eternatus?
Even if you ate the entire Shadow Crystal and expanded your influence range all the way to Kalos, there would be nothing to fear.
Under the influence of Altru Inc.'s Altru Tower, the Shadow Crystal's area of effect could expand to more than eight hundred kilometers in every direction. When its power rose to the hidden fourth level, it could cover all of Almia's mainland.
It was an extremely powerful thing, formed from the king's Dark Soul.
If it were then combined with the Darkest Day, it would truly be a repeat of the lost event from three thousand years ago.
And just as Hikaru knew...
The Shadow Crystal's function of distorting wishes could erode people's hearts, pushing them to act toward the result of their distorted wish.
This thing... was practically the Holy Grail!
Hikaru thought to himself:
"Galar, England, Uther Pendragon, King Arthur, the heroes of the sword and shield... the great red dragon, Lucifer, crystals, the Black Grail, and the Dark Soul that corrodes humanity."
One look at the Shadow Crystal.
Diagnosis: no humanity.
"Is this some Lostbelt fused with the world of Dark Souls?"
"Could seven heroes, led by King Arthur, appear here at the same time and fight over the Shadow Crystal as the Holy Grail?"
"Then, without question, aside from Rose, the one who has longstanding grudges with the Black Grail and represents the role of king is Calyrex!"
"Class: Rider!"
Heroic Spirits with legends tied to certain mounts, not limited only to living creatures, qualified for this class. Though their ability values tended to be lower than those of the Three Knight classes, that could be compensated for by the performance of the mount described in their legends.
Glacial Lance, Star-Shattering Snow!
Noble Phantasm Release!
Rank: A++!
Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm!
Attack range: 1 to 99. All opposing Pokémon that could be attacked!
Maximum targets: 1,000 people! It would create countless will-o'-wisps and icicles, then rain them down on the opponent like Draco Meteor or Icicle Spear!
The big-headed king restored to his peak would at least have to be a Grand Servant, right?
And as for himself, his best partner was Aegislash. Aegislash's design inspiration also had...
"Could it be that I'm Saber? No, Merlin?"
Now this really was a once-in-decades, or even once-in-a-thousand-years situation. The energy within Wyndon's ley lines would accumulate to a level capable of supporting the descent of a dark vortex. And then the Darkest Day, plus the Shadow Crystal, with the power to instantly grant any wish, would appear in Wyndon!
(End of Chapter)
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