Chapter 414: Return to Hisui!
~Azure S. POV~
[Kanto Region, Weeks Later, Pallet Town – Sky Airship]
The sky above Pallet Town shimmered with the golden hues of a setting sun, casting long shadows over the town and my floating airship. I stood on the deck, gazing at the distant hills that had been my home.
The past few weeks had been a blur of rest, training, and preparation. After conquering the Battle Frontier, I'd taken a well-earned break, restoring my Pokémon and planning my next move.
But with the knowledge I possessed, inaction was not an option. The future was riddled with conflicts that I could help shape, and my instincts told me where to start. I needed to revisit Hisui in the past—before the events I knew would happen.
With Pikachu and Eevee by my side, I patted their heads, both eager for the journey ahead. Baby Mew, already transformed into a Pichu, fluttered in my arms, sensing the anticipation in the air.
I had gathered the essentials—supplies, Poké Balls, and crucial strategies. Most importantly, I asked Celebi for some help. The Time Traveler Pokémon had assisted me before when I first ventured into the past.
*Ripple*
Celebi soon came out from the Time Ripple as it chirped happily, "Bei! (Sup Azure! Ready for another time travel adventure!!)"
I smirked, standing up as Pikachu climbed over my shoulder, Eevee on my head, and Pichu (Mew) snuggled in my jacket. I replied happily, "Yup! Need a return trip to Hisui! And this time closer to Jubilife Village if possible."
Celebi gave me the thumbs up. And then it worked its magic…
*RIPPLE*
Celebi's emerald leaves glowed, enveloping us in a swirl of multicolored light. Within moments, the familiar sensation of time travel washed over my body, and I braced myself as the world shifted around me…
*FLASH*
Time for another adventure! The return of Hisui!
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[Hisui Region, Some Time Later, Jubilife Village]
*FLASH*
When the light faded, we stood at the outskirts of Jubilife Village in the Hisui Era. The air felt different—cleaner, filled with the scent of wildflowers and the distant calls of Pokémon. The bustling town of modern Pokémon Legends was not yet what it would become, but I recognized the place all the same.
Pikachu tugged at my sleeve, his eyes wide with wonder. Eevee barked in excitement, while Pichu spun in delight. A familiar sound caught my attention, and I turned just in time to see a figure approaching.
My breath caught in my throat—Rei. His expression shifted from surprise to recognition, and I knew, without a word, that my journey here had only just begun.
Rei's eyes widened in recognition as he caught sight of me. He took a step forward, his posture shifting from neutrality to something more respectful.
He murmured, his voice filled with surprise, "Azure. It really is you."
I chuckled and gave a small wave, "Hello, Rei. I hope you remember me."
He nodded, his expression thoughtful as he stated happily, "Of course! I never forgot what you helped us with—helping develop that idea for the Poké Blocks. It made a real difference. The Galaxy Team was much more prepared for the dangers Hisui had to offer and our exploration efforts!"
His gaze flickered over to Pikachu and Eevee, his lips curling into a small smile as he continued, "You still have them with you then."
I nodded as he gestured towards both Pikachu and Eevee, replying casually, "They've been with me every step of the way."
I crouched down slightly, letting Eevee climb onto my shoulder while Pikachu perched on my head. Even Pichu (Mew), who had been spinning around in pure delight, now perched on my shoulder with a happy hum.
His expression softened as Rei stated, gazing at me with a knowing expression, "You really are still the same, aren't you? Fiercely determined, yet kind enough to help even those who might not repay the favor."
I gave a small chuckle as I helplessly replied, "I think I've always been like that."
Rei considered me for a moment, then his expression turned more serious as he asked somberly, "You've come a long way since the last time I saw you. If you're here, you must be looking for someone."
I met his gaze, my fingers tightening slightly on the hem of my cloak, bluntly asking, "Yeah… I'm looking for Akari."
Rei's eyes darkened, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, slowly, he sighed, muttering, "That's… a complicated story."
I studied his face, searching for an answer. His hesitation told me more than he was willing to say out loud. The tension in the air thickened, and I knew that whatever had happened since I left Hisui was significant.
Rei rubbed the back of his neck, then gave a short laugh as he explained, "Let me take you somewhere. If you're looking for answers, I suggest you talk to the people in the village. Some of them might know more than I do."
I nodded, following his gaze toward the nearby buildings. Whatever had happened, I was determined to learn the truth.
I followed Rei's gaze, the weight of his words settling in my mind. I asked, my voice steady, though my hands clenched into fists at my sides, "What happened?"
Rei hesitated before finally speaking in a hushed whisper as he grimaced, "After you left Hisui, Akari worked with the Noble Pokémon to stabilize the red sky. For a time, it seemed like they might succeed. But then—things changed. The sky turned crimson once more, and the space-time distortions grew worse. The Galaxy Team feared that using the Noble Pokémon's power was causing this."
I felt a familiar ache in my chest. I already knew where this was going—Team Galaxy's leader, Kamado, had lost faith in Akari. Rei exhaled as he continued, "Kamado accused Akari of being the reason the sky turned red, of manipulating the Nobles in a way that only made things worse. He didn't believe that Akari was trying to help. So they were cast out of the Galaxy Team."
The words were like a punch to the gut. I pressed, "And Akari?"
Rei's expression remained solemn as he continued, "They were exiled from Jubilife Village as well. The Galaxy Team's orders were followed, and the village locked its gates to them. None of the clans were willing to take them in either, fearing they would bring more trouble than she was worth."
He shook his head, expressing his inner thoughts out loud, "But to me, though? It was a cruel betrayal."
I clenched my fists, anger and frustration boiling in my chest. The Akari I knew, the person who had fought so hard to protect Hisui, was now left with nowhere to turn.
I wanted to say something more, to argue that Akari wasn't to blame, but the truth was that I already knew where this was headed. Still, I couldn't just stand here and do nothing. I mumbled, half to myself, "But Akari wouldn't give up…"
Rei gave a small, knowing smile, hearing my words as he explained, "No, she wouldn't. Volo found her, I believe. They brought Akari to someone named Cogita, an old explorer who knew of the Guardians of the Lake. They were planning on creating a Red Chain to stabilize the world."
I nodded, the pieces falling into place. My mind raced through the events I had seen, the events I already knew would happen. Akari would return in time, just as the game foretold, but for now, they were lost.
Exhaling out loud, though it seems like I'll find my chance to meet up with her again. Coming to Hisui, I came for something other than mere Pokémon this time around. I came to teach my Pokémon to craft Poke Balls.
Calming my breathing down, I then asked Rei calmly, getting his attention, "Thanks for letting me know. But is there a store around here that sells Poke Balls? I need to stock up. I forgot to restock for my trip."
Rei smiled, seeing I was calmed down as he replied calmly, "You're welcome. I'll show you over to The Ginkgo Guild over here; they'll sell you all kinds of stuff. I'll take you, as it has been a while."
Rei led me towards the HQ of the Galaxy Team. It was so that the Ginkgo Guild was set up to the right of the Galaxy HQ building. They arrived shortly after.
The guild setup was simple: a wagon packed with merchandise. Next to it, a silver-haired man with a lazy expression sat on a stool, while a short-haired woman stood nearby, alert and attentive, seeing both arrive as she greeted them, "Rei, here to buy something? We just got a fresh batch of goods. Wanna take a look? Oh, and who's this beside you?"
Having been a long while, I guess people forgot about me. But I wasn't here for long, though, as I asked kindly, "Just a humble traveler from afar that came to visit an old friend. I'm here to buy some Poke Balls."
The woman smiled as her eyes lit up as she explained to me, "We've got all sorts of rare items from across Hisui! Take your time and have a good look! Browse freely, Ginkgo Guild's got just about everything."
The woman showed off her wares in no time, and a dazzling array of items appeared before my eyes. Evolution stones of every type, Dragon Fangs, Poke Blocks, Recipes…. You name it, they had it.
Seeing them, I couldn't help but ask, "Do you take trade-ins?"
The woman nodded as she explained that the trade-ins will be significantly lower than the resale price. Makes sense to me, as prices wouldn't be that low, it wouldn't make sense for a reputable guild to scam customers outright.
With that, I offloaded all my excess Evolution Stones and outdated gear, trading them in for a decent sum of Hisuian currency. With that out of the way, I asked, "Do you have any manuals on crafting Poke Balls?"
I'm kind of in need to get them as soon as possible. It's mostly so that I could get the Origin Ball that was crafted using fragments of the Red Chain and Origin Ore. I did my research to prepare for this adventure.
The woman nodded as I paid for the manual. As for whether I could master Poke Ball crafting in such a short time and reach the level needed to make an Origin Ball? I wasn't worried about that.
After all, I had the Max-Level Poke Ball crafting potential in my belt. Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's Poke Ball crafting prowess was insane. The custom-made Dark Balls it once forged could not only capture already-captured Pokémon, but they could even absorb the original Poke Ball itself.
Granted, only the Anime Mewtwo did that, not my Manga one. But crafting an Origin Ball? That was well within Mewtwo's reach.
Having the manual, I then asked for the materials needed, buying several standard Poke Balls, a copy of each specialized variant for reference, and a bulk supply of raw crafting materials. By the time I was done, I wasted my mostly earned Hisuian currency but I got what I wanted.
The woman smiled happily at me, obtaining the materials into my spatial bag (hidden in my [Sub-Space]) as she yelled excitedly as we left, "Thank you for your purchase! Come back any time! Oh, and if you start crafting Poke Balls, we're happy to buy them too!"
Waving her back, we left for a secluded area of the village as Rei asked curiously, "What now, Azure? Want to try some of the local activities, maybe get a haircut, buy a new outfit, take a photo or two?"
I shook my head as I stated, "Nah. I'm crafting some Poke Balls."
Rei blinked as he looked at my spatial bag, and he stated bluntly, "Wait, what? Didn't you just buy a whole bunch, though?"
Shrugging my shoulders, Rei sighed as he led me to his usual crafting workspace. Under his gaze, I got the Master Ball from my belt, explaining, "Hold up, I'm gonna need your help. Come on out, Mewtwo."
*Pop*
Mewtwo materialized out of the Master Ball in a meditative state. Rei's eyes opened wide, seeing Mewtwo opening its eyes, and uttered in shock, "What's that Pokémon?! I've never seen it before!"
Ignoring his surprise, I handed the crafting manual to Mewtwo and began bringing out the raw materials as I said calmly, "Spend some time studying this. It shouldn't be difficult for you to do."
Mewtwo, using Telekinesis, levitated the manual as he murmured telepathically to me in a confused voice, 'Poke Ball crafting? Ancient artisan method? Quite the unusual request, Master. I'd half expected a training regimen, a thesis, or a secret technique, but this? Well… I'll see to it, I suppose…'
Still, Mewtwo didn't ask any questions. It flipped through the manual at lightning speed, his expression seemingly shifting to genuine curiosity.
Out of curiosity, Mewtwo had once looked up modern Poke Ball manufacturing techniques using a spare Rotom Phone I got him – those followed industrial production line methods. Handmade Poke Balls, however, were unfamiliar territory for it…
But Mewtwo kept reading, placing its hand over its chin as it muttered, genuinely impressed, telepathically stating, 'This is… interesting. So, you do that… then this… and finally that… Oh, I see how it works now.'
Minutes later, Mewtwo closed the book, deep in thought. Then it returned the manual to me, as I just finished placing the materials it needed for practice. Rei blinked in disbelief and muttered, "You're done?"
To Rei's genuine surprise, Mewtwo answered telepathically, speaking for all of us to hear, 'Yes. It wasn't very difficult. But I think I've got the hang of it. I'll need to try it out to confirm my work.'
Rei was stunned as he began a tangent, seeing Mewtwo telepathically speak to him in an excited tone, "You can talk!! No wait – it's telepathy?! Incredible! Can you show me a live demonstration? I'd love to see one crafted on the spot!"
I chuckled seeing Rei's expression as Mewtwo nodded. I'd ask Rei for a live demonstration of how a Poke Ball was made as we both paid attention closely as Pikachu, Eevee, and Pichu (Mew) watched in curiosity…
I could only grin mentally behind the scenes. If I have Mewtwo create this, then I'll have him create either a mass production of Master Balls or even better… Mewtwo Balls. The very same one is his Anime Counterpart, who captured the Pokémon already inside the Poké Balls.
Honestly, I can't wait for Mewtwo to make it. And when he does, I'll have an Origin Ball ready for my timelines Creation Trio.
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A/N: Hope you like the chapter!