[Mission Complete!]

[Reward: Release Orb ×3, Phantom Mechanics ×1, Triple Acceleration Energy ×3, Mysterious Pulse ×1.]

[Phantom Mechanics: Knowledge used to construct illusion-based machines, seemingly stolen by the Link-Up Tree from someone in Nimbasa City. Machines created from this can project illusions—and also dispel them.]

[Craftable: Illusion Dispelling Ring, Illusion Core, Pen-style Camera.]

[Triple Acceleration Energy (Capsule): Can be used at any point in battle. When targeted by an attack move, it instantly triples one of your Pokémon’s stats. This energy will always activate before your opponent’s move.]

[Mysterious Pulse: A strong emotional pulse from another world lingering in the elevator of Marvelous Bridge. Strengthens your spirit-sensing powers. You’ve learned “Soul Emotion,” allowing you to gather and infuse specific emotional energy into a soul to guide it.]

[Note: A soul’s strength is not only born of negative emotions—intense positive feelings can also create radiant spirits.]

Clearly, Rotom could be seen as a Ghost born from positive emotion, right? Even though “mischief” and “pranks” aren’t exactly noble traits, Rotom always seems so cheerful and delighted when it’s causing trouble.

With that in mind, most Ghost-type Pokémon seem to enjoy scaring people—they’re delighted when doing it. While many are born from sorrow or negativity, they appear genuinely joyful while wandering the wild.

That said, some Ghost-types are also happy while draining others’ life force. Compared to regular Pokémon, their understanding of morality and virtue is… a bit blurrier.

Hikaru pondered this.

There was another Ghost-type Pokémon born of positive emotion: Gimmighoul from Paldea. According to legend, it was formed by passionate souls seeping into coins.

[Note 2: The power of souls seems able to trigger temporal vortices… The Link-Up Tree itself cannot explain what this power truly is.]

Hikaru paused in thought.

Anything related to time is always mysterious. Even though Dialga—the deity of time—gets beaten up often, that’s only because…

Well, when “time” becomes a Pokémon with an HP bar, of course it can be defeated.

Considering how long the workers had suffered under Rotom’s mischief, Hikaru didn’t release the three Rotom yet. Instead, he stepped into the elevator.

Without Rotom sabotaging things, the elevator ran smoothly and swiftly. With a single whoosh, he arrived on Marvelous Bridge. And at midnight, a rare scene unfolded atop the bridge.

A massive crowd was jogging across it—everyone worried the opposite elevator might break again, so they were long-distance running across the bridge!

“Move it, move it! Rest once we reach the other station!”

Humans and Pokémon alike ran with energetic spirit. Especially those coming from Hikaru’s side—fresh off Ukulele’s music, their fatigue was gone, leaving them brimming with boundless energy. The excitement began to resonate across the bridge as a powerful emotional wave!

Hikaru’s spirit sense detected this emotion clearly. His psychic and solar aura also responded strongly. Through his insight, he even saw people’s souls blazing with vitality—some, especially strong ones, bore a kind of aura similar to heroic willpower.

They must be elite Trainers!

“I’m burning up—I won’t lose this race!”

“Let’s see who reaches the other side first!”

Just like that, a spontaneous competition broke out. Bystanders happily joined in with no hesitation. Trainers and Pokémon raced joyfully, completely ignoring the fact that it was the middle of the night.

Cheers echoed across the Marvelous Bridge, shocking those on the opposite side.

People from Black City, White Forest, Village Bridge, Ripple Town, Undella Bay…

They’d dragged their weary bodies to the bridge, hoping to quickly cross to the other rest station—only to hear a roaring chorus of cheering from the far side, followed by a herd of runners dashing like crazy in their direction!

“I’ve got rare Pokémon for sale! Hey kid, wanna buy a Magikarp? Just 500 Pokédollars!”

Just like in the games, the Magikarp salesman had appeared—this time emerging from the elevator among the runners, seizing the chance to start hawking his wares.

And honestly, in Unova, Magikarp is rare. Compared to the overabundant Basculin, Magikarp’s distribution is pretty limited—even in the games.

Hikaru clapped a hand on the old man’s shoulder. The salesman gave him a puzzled look—then Hikaru opened his palm.

Psychic Shatter.

Selling Pokémon was not okay. Even though the Magikarp salesman was basically a comedic NPC—and Magikarp itself a punchline Pokémon—trading Pokémon is a taboo topic. Aside from this one joke character and the Celadon Game Corner, who else sells Pokémon?

That’s right: Team Rocket and Pokémon poachers.

Even the Celadon Game Corner was also a Rocket front.

And considering how many Magikarp salesmen there are, maybe they’re part of a whole family line—like the Nurse Joys?

A family that exclusively fishes Magikarp?

“Ugh… What did I just say? I was trying to sell Magikarp?!”

“I… I remember now. My first Magikarp, how hard I worked to catch it… and then I got greedy, turning Magikarp into some kind of luxury product to sell. Did I ever stop to think about how Magikarp felt?!”

“They may be dumb and dopey… but they’re watching me! I’m a terrible person!”

“I—I need to release them!”

That freaked Hikaru out—he quickly grabbed the man’s arm!

Whoa, whoa! He only wanted the guy to empathize with Magikarp, not go throwing them into random ponds!

Letting Magikarp loose in Unova?! That’s how you get a real-life invasive species crisis in America!

Hikaru persuaded him: Magikarp couldn’t survive in Unova’s waters—it’d get bullied by Basculin. Better to keep them close and raise them. One day they’d evolve into Gyarados and crush all the Shorts Kids, restoring Trainer honor!

The old man finally nodded. He felt pure inside, full of newfound strength!

“Thank you, lad! I almost lost myself in Magikarp trafficking. You saved me—and them!”

“I was going to make a quick buck and head to Black City… but now I’ve changed my mind. I’ll go to White Forest instead!”

Hikaru gave him a weird look.

This guy… he’s really obsessed with Magikarp. Even smugglers have more variety, and this guy only focuses on one species?

After saying goodbye—though not really, because the guy sprinted ahead with new energy—Hikaru remained in the back half of the crowd. As the front runners charged ahead, waving to the distant rest station in a victorious gesture, they weren’t the only ones who were stunned.

Standing at the edge of Marvelous Bridge was a girl watching it all unfold in silence.

Purity of heart. Fiery passion. That invisible energy rained over her like gentle sunlight, giving her the illusion of truly being alive. She quietly watched the people pass by—so full of life. The Pokémon were brimming with joy too.

The girl clutched her chest, letting the midnight sea breeze blow through her hair… but her strands no longer moved with the wind.

Memories of sorrow and confusion swirled in her soul. But now… just a little, they were fading.

“Ah, there you are. Hey.”

Hikaru walked up behind the skirted girl and greeted her casually.

This girl was his goal tonight.

The ghost of Marvelous Bridge.

The dark soul of the Strange House near Route 14.

The girl turned to look at him. She looked just like she had in life, her spirit unnervingly solid. If not for being a spirit medium, no one would’ve known she was a ghost.

Hikaru sensed the echo of the spirit world in this place—deep and unfathomable.

But sending her away here would mean nothing.

Her nightmare and lingering regrets weren’t gone yet. They’d need the Lunar Wing, and the nightmare would have to be purged.

This was merely a projection of her soul.

“Don’t worry—Cresselia sent me.”

Her eyes widened. She wanted to speak, but as a projection, she couldn’t.

In the fragments of memory that remained, only her parents, Abra… and Cresselia remained.

Hikaru channeled his spirit power.

The bridge’s atmosphere of excitement and joy gathered into a shining orb of energy.

The girl touched it—and those positive emotions surged into her soul.

The negativity faded. Her appearance seemed more like her living self. Her calm face began to show emotion. Then, Hikaru’s blue crystal pendant began to glow.

Her sorrow and fear ebbed away. She looked genuinely curious and joyful now. Unable to speak, she simply walked around Hikaru, pointing to herself, then to a direction.

“How’s it feel? Life’s passion flowing into your soul—strong enough to hold back even nightmares.”

“I know what you mean. You’re pointing toward Route 14, right?”

“I’ll rescue you from your eternal nightmare. That’s what Cresselia asked me to do. You’ve waited on this bridge for that Pokémon, wanting to return the Lunar Wing.”

Hikaru voiced her lingering regret. Seeing her saddened expression, he reassured her:

“Don’t worry—Cresselia didn’t avoid you because it doesn’t care. Maybe it had more urgent matters. That’s why I came.”

“I’ve probably already found the one who trapped you in the nightmare—and the one who gave that nightmare shape. They may be two different Pokémon. Weren’t your parents researchers?”

She was startled. But faced with this strange big brother figure, she nodded hard.

Ah, “big brother,” huh?

Truth is, she was older than Hikaru when she died. Marvelous Bridge had only just been built back then.

“Did your parents study dreams?”

It was a theory Hikaru had. He began explaining while she listened silently.

The Strange House in Route 14 had tons of books—only a researcher’s home would. Even if they didn’t work directly at the Dreamyard, they clearly studied dreams. When their daughter fell into eternal nightmare, they desperately researched dream-related Pokémon—trying things like Musharna to eat dreams—but failed.

Eventually, they even pursued faraway myths of Darkrai and Cresselia.

Yet nowhere did they find mention of Munna’s evolution—Musharna.

Because at the time, no one yet knew it existed.

Musharna only appeared in the Dreamyard. Even in later generations, it’s notoriously hard to obtain. Unova simply didn’t know it.

Back then, Route 14 was far from Striaton. The internet wasn’t what it is today. Her desperate parents scoured myth after myth for salvation.

And maybe the theory could go even deeper—

If Pokémon can emerge from dreams as real beings, and Professor Burnet saw the Forces of Nature in dream fissures, perhaps Musharna and Musharna originated in the dream world?

Maybe Musharna, always sleeping, never truly wakes—its Hidden Ability represents this. But Musharna, with a regular ability, reflects reality itself. That fits the “opposite yet equal” theme of Black & White.

In Galar, you can find Musharna in various foggy locations. And in the Pokémon world, fog often symbolizes “mystery”… or “the other world.”

No Pokémon can create foggy weather. That alone says something.

The girl listened, stunned. She never imagined this mysterious “big brother” knew so much.

If only they’d met sooner… maybe things would’ve been different. Her scattered memories began to stitch together.

She tried to speak—tried to smile—and mouthed the words:

“Please return the Lunar Wing to that Pokémon. Even if I couldn’t make it… thank it for me.”

“And thank you… for coming to help me.”

Then she bowed to Hikaru.

“It’s okay. Just wait a little while longer—I’ll be there soon.”

“You can believe in me. Because I’m not just here because of Cresselia. From my own heart—helping others doesn’t need a reason.”

Then Hikaru chuckled.

“But going by age, I should be calling you onee-san.”

She blinked, a distant memory stirring. Then she smiled faintly, closed her eyes—and faded from the bridge.

If only I’d lived long enough to meet you for real…

I’ll wait in that nightmare, carrying the passion of everyone here… waiting for you to complete my wish.

She returned to the dream.

But this time, the nightmare wouldn’t be pure darkness. It would be filled with joyful memories and bright feelings. The spirit of life would protect her soul—keeping sorrow and fear at bay.

“Whoa—wait, she… she disappeared?!”

A startled voice behind Hikaru broke the silence. Although the runners had blocked most views, a few people nearby saw what happened.

One of them was a strange gentleman. The elderly man dabbed his face with a handkerchief, rubbing his eyes—thinking it had been a hallucination.

But Hikaru knew he’d been watching the whole time—especially him.

“You’ve been watching a while now, haven’t you? No need to act so shocked. There’s plenty of supernatural stuff in this world. So, how much of that conversation did you catch?”

Hikaru asked him directly. The old man paused.

“…Not much. Just… it seemed like a very sad story.”

“Well, I caught some of it. Your conversation just didn’t seem right, so I came over thinking you were pestering a poor mute girl…”

“But you… you’re not normal.”

“I’ve seen psychics and spirit mediums before. But I’ve never actually seen a ghost. Today’s a first. Are you one of those legendary helpers—someone who fulfills a ghost’s wish? That’s something right out of a video game.”

“Name’s Scott, by the way. You mentioned a few terms I didn’t catch. Anyway, I’ll be seeing you up ahead! Are you heading to Black City? Or to challenge Black Tower?”

Hikaru replied, “No, I’m passing through Black City to reach White Forest.”

Scott looked him over for a long moment. Then shook his head.

“No—you give me an honest vibe.”

“I bet you’ll stop in Black City. I can feel it. You remind me of two others I met once…”

“That was on the S.S. Anne back in Vermilion Port. I was investigating a certain Trainer.”

“We will meet again! Excuse me, I’ll be going ahead!”

Once Scott had gone, Hikaru heard a voice—Deoxys.

[A life trapped in nightmare… what sort of Pokémon caused it? And why? Was it instinct—or something more?]

[I know you’ll save her—but even so, let me say it once more… please, help her.]

“Of course. That’s what a Warrior of Light must do!”

(End of Chapter)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep