[Goodbye, Friend]

Vessa’s soul gradually faded, eventually transforming into a familiar form in Hikaru’s memory—a cluster of violet ghostly flames.

Dusknoir opened its belly, absorbing Vessa’s spirit flame inside, and waved toward Hikaru.

“Farewell, powerful human! Next time, I’ll bring some materials from the spirit world to exchange for your talismans!”

“Yo~no!” Dusknoir cast a glance at Regirock. Now that it could leave this place freely, the legendary giant likely wouldn’t be keeping an eye on it anymore!

“These stones around the graveyard are yours to handle as you wish. The spirits that needed rest have all found peace. Now, this place is just an ordinary cemetery!”

“Yo~woo!”

Doublade removed the talismans from its body and handed them over to Dusknoir in one go, making the ghost Pokémon overjoyed!

“With these talismans that guide spirits to the afterlife, I’ll be way ahead of my peers in terms of job efficiency! When I get promoted and earn a raise, I’ll be sure to take care of you all! If you ever die, I’ll open a VIP passage for you to reincarnate quickly!”

Doublade (expressionless): “…”

What are you even talking about?! That’s not the kind of ‘care’ we need!

Behind Dusknoir, a hazy vortex of time and space emerged—an entrance to the spirit world. As a civil servant of the spirit world, Dusknoir could freely open these portals. Its figure gradually dimmed and disappeared into the vortex.

…

“What an incredible sight,” Steven stepped forward, sighing as he watched the spot where Dusknoir vanished.

Though the Elite Four’s Phoebe often talked about ghosts being around, Steven had never actually seen one before. This experience was an eye-opener for him.

And then there was the Gratitude Stone, capable of preserving a soul and conveying one’s will across the ages. How exactly was such a stone formed? Steven’s heart was filled with excitement as he gazed at the tombstone and the surrounding white stones.

As for why the ghost girl, Vessa, had expressed gratitude toward Hikaru, Steven didn’t feel the need to probe too much—it was Hikaru’s personal matter. Besides, he hadn’t heard Vessa’s words just now, as he lacked spiritual power.

Instead, he pondered internally:

“Hikaru truly must have a rich past. Some people can’t be judged solely by their age. Sacred places like Shinto hold secrets beyond the comprehension of the outside world.”

With that, Steven gained a bit more insight into why Hikaru possessed so many extraordinary abilities.

Honestly, this felt like encountering a hidden NPC in a game!

A secretive craftsman from Shinto, whose goods even messengers of the spirit world sought to purchase. Not to mention, every Pokémon Steven had encountered since arriving here seemed vastly different from those outside.

They were all… incredibly intelligent!

As for the Life Orb, a gem of extraordinary rarity, its formation had long been a mystery. But now, Steven had essentially figured it out.

It was a crystallization of soul and life.

Perhaps not only human souls, but also those of Pokémon, could form something similar. That would explain why these gemstones were so precious.

Now that he thought about it… similar orbs had been discovered before.

“So, the Life Orb has a composition similar to the mysterious crystal…”

Back when Steven attended the Fossil Conference in Pewter City, he had gone there because of the discovery of a peculiar crystal. After analysis by Pewter’s top rock experts, it turned out that the beautiful, elegant crystal was none other than the Soul Dew—a special crystallization formed from the souls of Latias or Latios!

The Soul Dew could awaken their latent powers, and their spirits resonated with it!

“That’s another mystery of stones solved—no, actually two!”

Besides the Life Orb and Gratitude Stone, Steven’s gaze landed on a deep-colored Tablet.

Come to think of it, he had seen a similar deep red plate before, tucked beneath a computer at Hikaru’s workshop. But since it didn’t seem particularly special at the time, he had assumed it was just an ordinary stone artifact and hadn’t paid much attention to it.

Now that he looked at it again, he realized—back when he was excavating rocks, he had seen similar objects in the collections of certain stone fanatics.

Meanwhile, Hikaru examined the Life Orb and the Dread Plate, lost in thought.

If things had played out differently, maybe he would have acquired certain knowledge that allowed him to free Vessa from Spiritomb’s grasp. Or perhaps, in some way, he had traveled even further back in time.

Time travel was nothing unusual in the Pokémon world.

In many historical incidents, time travel wasn’t just an accident—it was an inevitable part of history itself.

From the altered timeline in the Hoenn region’s Pokémon Adventures, to Eagun traversing through time fragments, and even Professor Oak and Ash experiencing their own time-traveling events in the anime—such occurrences were commonplace.

And then, there was the true purpose of the Gratitude Stone—to craft the Azure Flute!

The divine statues along Mount Coronet’s ancient pathways in the Hisui era—if Giratina’s words were to be believed, they had likely been sculpted using the Gratitude Stone. In that case, it made sense why the Azure Flute, an ancient mystical artifact, could summon the descendants of the ten hero Pokémon.

“Let’s meet again in the future.”

Hikaru murmured as he stepped away from the tombstone, heading toward a large white stone nearby.

This was an unused Gratitude Stone. The ancient people of Shinto had built cemeteries around these stones, hoping for something beyond words.

Regirock stepped forward, lifting the Gratitude Stone, then led the group toward the cemetery’s garden.

The garden was enclosed by carefully arranged stones. Sparse trees surrounded the area, and it was located atop a small hill. Sunlight reached the flowers within, and it almost seemed as if the trees had intentionally avoided shading this sacred space.

“This is the Gracidea Flower,” Steven recognized them instantly. They were sold in some flower shops in the Hoenn region. Though rare and precious, Gracidea Flowers were not difficult to cultivate artificially.

[Unlocked: ‘Shinto Cemetery’ & ‘Ancient Garden’!]

As night approached, Hikaru had Lilligant collect some of the flowers and dug up some soil from the garden before the group left the Shinto Forest.

Steven was particularly pleased with this trip. Not only had he uncovered the secret of the Life Orb, but he had also obtained an unknown type of Gratitude Stone. He also took the opportunity to inquire about the mysterious plates.

Hikaru responded simply, explaining that they were special artifacts that could enhance Pokémon abilities. However, their method of creation was unique—even he couldn’t replicate them. If Steven wanted to learn more, Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, would have better insights.

Steven understood. Devon Corporation wasn’t the kind of company to recklessly claim such relics for research. He knew better than to force the issue when it came to items with clear mystical origins.

As for accommodations that night, although the workshop was small, it could still fit two people. However, the only empty space was the fourth ghost room.

Steven simply chuckled.

“No need to worry about my sleeping arrangements. I often work in the wild, and I have a certain move that can help with this. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay there.”

Steven turned his gaze toward a massive oak tree near the workshop.

Hikaru was puzzled. Was Steven planning to set up a tent under the tree?

“What are you going to do?”

“It’s simple! Metagross, use Secret Power!”

At Steven’s command, Metagross’s eyes shone with a powerful energy. The Normal-type move ‘Secret Power’ altered depending on the environment, and when used on special trees, bushes, or caves, it triggered a unique effect!

Steven smiled.

“Have you heard of Super Secret Bases? I can even teach your Pokémon this move!”

(End of Chapter)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep