The Ability Shield was a very distinctive held item. It was introduced in the Scarlet/Violet era and is sold at the Delibird Presents shop in Mesagoza. And its powerful effect didn’t just work in standard battles.

It could even prevent wild Terastallized Pokémon in Tera Raid Battles from wiping out a Pokémon’s Ability.

As for the Metal Core Barrier, Hikaru already knew how to make it. But the Ability Shield was a bit harder to wrap his head around. After some rough thinking, he concluded it was likely a product developed only after studying Terastallization.

In other words, its material was some kind of specific Tera crystal.

To test that theory, Hikaru, Tinkaton, and the Tinkatuffs began processing Tera Shards. In Paldea, you could often pick up bits of Tera crystal, and Hikaru had collected plenty along the road. Some of those were being kept to help Ogerpon repair its masks—and to craft new ones.

But a special mask required wood from the Timeless Woods, which made Hikaru think again about the repair conditions for the Adversity Charm.

Kitakami was somewhere he was definitely going to take a trip to.

Under the forging of Sacred Fire and blue flame, a golden Ability Shield was produced. At the same time, Hikaru carefully checked its effects.

[Unique Craftwork: Ability Shield (Ability Shield).]

[Description: It was originally meant to be a cute shield with personality, but after being forged with unique craftsmanship, its style became closer to the medieval era. With gold worked into its materials, it also turned into a solemn, dignified gold.]

[Effect 1 (Inactive): The holder Pokémon’s Ability cannot be changed, removed, or ignored. This applies even in Tera Raid Battles.]

[Note: Requires intense Terastal energy to activate. After losing Terastal energy, the item’s effect will gradually weaken until it disappears.]

[Effect 2: Half Reflect (While holding a shield, this is treated as the move Reflect being active). While the shield is raised, damage from physical attacks received from opponents is halved. If multiple Pokémon are on your side of the field, damage is reduced by one-third instead.]

“Mm. So it really is an item tied to Terastal power. But as long as it’s recharged in time, the Ability Shield can be used indefinitely. And the Reflect effect… that’s fused in using the crafting technique from the Half Reflect Necklace.”

Psychic energy could sometimes be infused and turned into a crafted item.

The Half Reflect Necklace was a neat little tool held by Blue in the Pokémon Adventures manga—basically like the Trainer was keeping Reflect up at all times during battle.

“Not bad. With this shield, plus the golden spear, a knight’s kit is complete.”

Hikaru handed the shield to Armarouge. The great knight tested its weight, then strapped it to his back.

“Fighting with sword-and-shield and fighting with spear-and-shield are completely different styles… but this really does make you hard to crack now—at least on the physical defense side.”

Still, Armarouge was carrying more than two items!

In formal competitive battles, you couldn’t use things like that. Whether to fight with the shield or fight with the spear—he’d need to make a proper decision.

“Papu~”

For Hikaru, time passed quickly while forging. And at some point, Palafin—still in its Zero Form—had opened a little puddle off to the side and was splashing around in it with Maschiff.

“Wow… Palafin can punch out a huge hole with one hit. Now the village even has a pond. They can raise fish in it day-to-day and stuff.”

Raising fish, huh… Paldea had plenty of Cetoddle everywhere. Not only could you eat them, you could also use them like torpedoes to blast invading enemies—wasn’t that basically an automatic defense mechanism?

Seeing his teammates had waited quite a while, Hikaru packed up as well. He repeatedly went over the orders with the village chief and even drew portraits of the customers.

“Don’t smash the customers with the Gigaton Hammer, okay?”

“Wakaka.” The chief happily swung the huge hammer, and it wasn’t clear whether he’d listened.

The Tinkatuffs behind him were also laughing, clack-clack-clack.

Hikaru checked the Capture Styler. Rotom popped out of the C-Gear, dove into the Capture Styler, and the device’s performance improved dramatically—first of all, its battery instantly filled to max.

As for whether the number of circles needed during captures would decrease because of that… he’d have to find out in real combat.

Later, once he overturned Boss Cyrus, he could even have Cyrus help modify these devices. Maybe that would unlock a brand-new Rotom form…?

[Special Item (Special Pokémon Form): Capture Rotom — Capture Styler!]

[Description: The Capture Styler is the technological crystallization of the Ranger Union. It is an extremely advanced device. Currently, only a small number of people can manufacture and upgrade it. It was created by Professor Newleaf (Professor Simbara).]

[Description: Go to Team Galactic and invite their leader, Cyrus, to perform a technical upgrade adapting the Capture Styler and Capture Rotom. Perhaps this can unlock Rotom’s special form!]

[Description: Estimated typing — Electric/Ground or Electric/Fighting!]

[Estimated moves it can learn — Earth Power / Aura Sphere.]

[Note: Your Capture Styler is an illegal device! It has no registered serial number with the Ranger Union. Use with caution!]

“Illegal Styler—yeah, I know!”

“But on the other hand… I’ve never seen the more advanced Top Styler or Wrist Styler. Is it possible those are still in development?”

“And if I develop them first, then what happens?”

At that point, Professor Newleaf would probably be staring blankly like:

I haven’t even finished technical validation yet—where did you get that?!

“But letting Cyrus examine the Capture Styler is still too dangerous. There’s a risk of leaking the Ranger Union’s core technology. I’ll wait until I catch Boss Cyrus and… correct his personality first.”

After leaving the starter village, Hikaru led the demon-slaying squad straight toward Rayquaza’s ruins.

Since Palafin couldn’t stay in its Hero Form while on land, Hikaru used a Dive Ball to temporarily store it and carry it along.

Still, that didn’t count as officially becoming a partner, so for now Hikaru didn’t plan to write it into the team record.

Unless Palafin was willing to travel to distant regions and begin its heroic journey.

“Guren.”

Armarouge strongly supported Palafin’s dream.

Seeing this hero of the seas try to accomplish something astonishing—something that could become a legend passed down—felt like looking at his own dream from back then.

It hadn’t been long, but what he had experienced was something the past countless years had never contained.

Only by leaving one’s hometown could a new future be opened. Armarouge understood that clearly now.

If you wanted to grow, you had to leave home.

And a hometown… was a place meant to be missed.

“An unnamed ruin north of Cortondo Town… Paldea has so many things like this that these ruins are left out in the wilderness, becoming homes for wandering wild Pokémon. And this ruin faces the towering mountain ranges to the northeast—and that’s northwest of Mesagoza, where the Pokémon League is.”

The squad quickly arrived at the roadside ruin. There was nothing inside you could really call a clue, but luckily, because basically nobody ever came here—and because it was remote, far from the arenas and the Olive Roll Fields—this place hadn’t been “picked clean.”

At least, no one had looted it recently.

Then again, Paldea didn’t really have Trainers who were “rock collectors,” and there weren’t “ruin maniacs,” either. So if a ruin preserved a meteorite, generally speaking, the treasure-hunting students wouldn’t take it—because they simply couldn’t recognize what it was.

“Found it!” Hikaru quickly discovered a meteorite in the ruin, and judging by its age—wow. It was the real deal at a glance!

[Cosmic Material: Ancient Meteorite.]

[Description: A stone from outer space that fell long ago. Its surface is pitted and hard. It feels faintly warm to the touch. It is said that similar meteorites have fallen all over the world, and some meteorites possess the properties of “Gran Meteorites.”]

[Effect: Give it to Rayquaza, and the meteorite will become Rayquaza’s power. Alternatively, use a move on the meteorite to offset abnormal surges in natural energy. This effect can only be used once.]

[Effect: Give it to Deoxys to switch Deoxys’s form.]

Hikaru: “It feels kind of warm. Yep—this description fits that kind of meteorite.”

“Normally, this kind of meteorite is used to change Deoxys’s form, and it’s also linked to Rayquaza in terms of power. It carries cosmic energy. And the effect of canceling abnormal natural power… that’s a shared power among the meteorite fragments in Pokémon Adventures. As long as it’s related to a Gran Meteorite, it has similar abilities.”

“And the Gran Meteorite… is the Rainbow Meteorite.”

In Paldea’s game progression, to obtain this meteorite, you had to buy it at the auction market in Porto Marinada.

Man, Hayek’s hand really was blessed—this market sold everything. It was on par with the Treasure Bazaar in Stow-on-Side in Galar!

“Of course, in reality, a fully grown Deoxys doesn’t need meteorites to freely change forms. So this meteorite isn’t really useful for the Warrior of Light—uh… well, it’s not totally useless. It’s pretty nice as food.”

As Hikaru muttered that, he heard Deoxys’s voice.

[Meteorites like this, coming from the distant cosmos, usually carry a special space virus—our pre-birth state. It holds cosmic energy, and it allows our prototype form to persist for a long time, in the form of a virus.]

[Just like the meteorite that gave birth to me back then. So after my kin complete their evolution, meteorites like this become the core of a crystal.]

[But the power in this meteorite seems insufficient. Or rather… another force suppressed its energy and erased most of its cosmic power. Even the space virus was wiped away.]

Hikaru: “Ah… that’s probably because of the ‘zeroing’ phenomenon.”

“According to investigations, two million years ago—or one million—Paldea’s crust underwent dramatic changes. That massive meteorite that brought Stellar crystals and Terastal power… gave some Pokémon a special Ability capable of erasing the influence of all power.”

“No matter what, it still has residual cosmic power. And since Terastal power also comes from outer space, they share certain traits.”

“There are four stones total. Bring them to Rayquaza. My task is complete.”

With the ruin investigation successfully finished and four ancient meteorites in hand, Hikaru immediately led everyone toward Medali.

There was no need to cross the Asado Desert. Just head northeast along the ruins, cross hills and mountains, cut through the road near Artazon for a shortcut, and you could reach Medali quickly.

Aerodactyl, Genesect, and Miraidon in its flying form easily cleared the peaks and crossed the watery lowlands.

After passing over the highest mountain dividing the two cities, the view opened up all at once!

In Paldea, the region where Medali sat—like Cortondo Town—was a rare stretch of flat plains.

The town’s buildings had a modern “standard style.” Simply put, they were ordinary, with no special flair. But even if the buildings themselves lacked character, the town’s planning was fascinating—like a maze, interwoven and complex.

It was also a town with a nostalgic atmosphere. With its thriving food culture, eateries lined up one after another like in a metropolis.

“Medali’s Treasure Eatery is a Paldean restaurant famous for meals that can change a Pokémon’s Tera Type. The Medali Gym Test is held here, too. Larry is a regular.”

“In Scarlet/Violet battlefields, Treasure Eatery is also a fairly common stage.”

“And then there’s a place that isn’t flashy, but is actually very capable: Sushi High Roller. It’s a restaurant chain, and most likely cross-regional.”

“In Paldea, Sushi High Roller only sells sushi. However, it has branches in Lumiose City in Kalos and in Malie City in Alola. The former is an expensive high-end restaurant with meal prices reaching 500,000.”

“The latter is also high-end and sells Z-Power meals, but it only costs 4,000. And you can share tables, so it’s a bit more approachable.”

So who exactly owned this chain…?

Maybe it would be like the Rotom Phone company lore: introduced as an app in Gen 8, but the owner and related personnel were characters who belonged to Gen 9—like Nemona.

And maybe, by Gen 10, the chain would still appear and even spin off a brand-new character…

“You really know your high-end restaurants across the regions.”

A listless voice appeared behind Hikaru.

At the moment, Hikaru was standing near Sushi High Roller’s entrance, holding Palafin’s Dive Ball, touring the town together with Armarouge and the Falinks.

Hearing that drained-sounding voice, Hikaru turned around in curiosity.

It was a completely ordinary-looking salaryman. But saying he had no distinguishing features wasn’t quite right.

Beneath that plain, unremarkable face were strange, blocky-looking eyes. There were heavy dark circles around them, and his hair was slicked back a little. Maybe it was fatigue from overtime—there were even some white strands mixed into his hair.

The salaryman shook his head helplessly as he looked at Sushi High Roller’s shining sign.

“Sushi High Roller really is a high-end chain across multiple regions. They tailor their operations to each place based on local culture and customs.”

“A 500,000 meal price is hard to imagine. Only somewhere like Lumiose City could support that kind of spending.”

“Unfortunately, even in Paldea, where the food industry is strong, their prices still aren’t exactly cheap.”

“For the four-piece seasonal sushi set, each item costs 2,000. If you want the special menu, you have to go to Montenevera on Glaseado Mountain. But I hear it tastes amazing, so even in that icy environment, visitors still come in a steady stream.”

“And the special set even costs 4,000. It’s more expensive than the famous delicacies at the Blueberry Club.”

“That kind of thing… is just too expensive for someone like me.”

“So Treasure Eatery is great. Tasty and cheap. The grilled rice balls are really good…”

The person who had appeared beside Hikaru was none other than Paldea’s Elite Four member, Medali Gym Leader, famous overtime worker and anti-overtime advocate, walking contradiction, low-motivation icon—Medali’s Inokashira Goro, the Solitary Gourmet, Larry!

As a Gym Leader, Larry’s type was Normal. He claimed that, just like his own state, Normal was best—plain and unremarkable, no special features.

But as an Elite Four member, Larry had been ordered by a certain superior to battle using a different type, so his specialty shifted to Flying.

His evaluation was, “A master of Normal-types, though among Gym Leaders his strength is average. His main job is as an employee in the Pokémon League’s business department, but his performance isn’t good. He likes to eat.”

But in truth, Larry’s strength wasn’t weak at all.

Honestly, he called himself a man with no special features, yet he was loved even more than many other characters, and he had all sorts of bizarre nicknames.

There was also that famous line: “Use the move working adults excel at—Facade,” and the meme about it “not being very effective” on the wealthy.

Not to mention all those meme images with the “Mr. Golden Toilet” and Arceus…

Hikaru said, “Nice to meet you! Uh… you’re Larry-san, right?”

Larry nodded listlessly.

“That’s me. I know you. A master of Steel-types, the Zone 10 boss of Black Tower, our new colleague.”

“Chairwoman Geeta already told me you were back. But running into you at Sushi High Roller… that really is a coincidence.”

Larry continued in the same drained tone.

“Originally, I should say ‘nice to meet you’ too, but your restaurant review made me forget.”

“I’m not used to beating around the bush. You’re going to explore Area Zero, right?”

Hikaru nodded. “It’s a commission from Chairwoman Geeta, and I also have an important reason to go to Area Zero. Simply put, I need to meet Professor Sada. And I also need to check on Area Zero’s recent situation.”

Larry nodded, looking even more dispirited.

“If it’s work assigned by the chairwoman, there’s no reason not to complete it.”

“As for the rumors about a monster in the desert… yeah, they’ve been pretty loud. Some people say it’s a monster that ran out from Area Zero. I don’t know where that rumor started, but there’s no sign the Area Zero gate has been opened. If anyone could operate it… only Professor Sada could.”

“Forget it.” Larry shook his head. “That’s not within my job scope. I just need to stay here.”

“I’ll open the Area Zero gate for you. Area Zero is dangerous—you need to be careful. I’ll wish you a safe journey in advance.”

Larry usually didn’t say much, but if it involved work or food, he’d make an exception.

After speaking, he paused again and said to Hikaru, “But… this is still my first time meeting the new Elite Four member.”

“And since I’m your senpai… if you don’t mind, how about I treat you to a meal before you go into Area Zero?”

“I prefer Treasure Eatery, but since it’s my first time treating a kouhai, if you don’t mind, let’s eat at Sushi High Roller.”

For Larry, eating a meal was effective socializing.

But most of the time, he still preferred tasting good food alone.

After all, Larry’s archetype was “The Solitary Gourmet.”

And he rarely treated people to meals.

Maybe he’d only treated Rika and Hassel?

And just as Larry finally made up his mind to treat someone…

A commotion broke out near Medali. People were shouting about something, and one of Larry’s acquaintances appeared near Sushi High Roller.

“Larry! Go take a look—something happened over at that research facility!”

“A visitor got attacked by an unknown Pokémon!”

“Research facility…” Larry’s gaze shifted slightly.

Most residents didn’t know what the research facility by the Area Zero gate was for. Even researchers nearby didn’t truly know, because Terastal research was a League secret. Only Professor Sada’s team was qualified to enter and conduct research there.

And the Area Zero gate itself… hadn’t been opened for a long time. It was a facility used to observe conditions inside the Great Crater of Paldea—Area Zero—and to conduct preliminary research.

“Sorry.” Larry sighed, forcing himself to perk up. “I don’t know what happened, but I’ll have to postpone the meal.”

“Something dangerous might be going on. I need to take a look. You wait in the restaurant for a bit, okay?”

“Save the treat for later, Larry-san.” Hikaru smiled and waved a hand.

“I’ll go with you. I was planning to enter Area Zero directly anyway.”

At the same time, Hikaru felt puzzled.

The barrier at Area Zero’s entrance got breached again?

What is this, the Land of Light—anyone can just come and go whenever they want?

“Could it be Arven who opened it? It seems that before the main story begins, the only one who entered the Area Zero gate years ago was Arven.”

“And when he went in that time, the Area Zero gate was… lit up.”

(End of Chapter)

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