Chapter 415: Poke Ball Crafter Mewtwo!
~Third POV~
[Hisui Region, Later, Jubilife Village]
With high spirits, Rei showed off his Poke Ball making skills to Mewtwo, Azure, Pikachu, Eevee, and Pichu (Mew). The process took less than an hour to produce a finely crafted Poke Ball that lay in his hand.
Rei smiled proudly as he showed his skills to them puffing his chest out, as he handed the Poke Ball to Azure with a confident voice, "Look at this! Isn't it far more refined than the ones you buy off the shelf?"
Azure examined it briefly before nodding in agreement, "It is."
Clearly, Rei had the skills. Azure couldn't help but ponder, gazing at Rei, 'He seriously has some skill, almost – no below Kurt's level. If he were given the materials for a Master Ball, he could probably pull it off.'
Rei turned to Mewtwo with a grin and asked, "Well? Want me to show it again?"
Mewtwo shook its head gently as it replied telepathically, 'There's no need, Rei. I believe I understood it now.'
Rei nodded as he gestured to the furnace and tools, responding, "These are the tools and the furnace I use to make Poke Balls. Feel free to use them."
But to Rei's shock, Mewtwo shook its head gently again, stating with a confident grin, 'No need. I won't require them.'
As a Psychic-type with multiple abilities at its disposal, Mewtwo didn't need conventional tools. It had seen other Pokémon conjure flames, water, or ice with ease. And when it came to shaping materials, no mold was better than Telekinesis.
*Shiii*
Before Rei could process what was happening, Mewtwo was already crafting a Poké Ball in midair using its psychic powers. Mewtwo was done in seconds, but commented telepathically, dissatisfied with the result, 'No… this is far from perfect. Several areas can be optimized. What if…'
Mewtwo tossed the ball to Azure, then began trying again. With each subsequent Poké Ball, Mewtwo's speed and precision improved drastically. By its fifth attempt, it had matched Rei's level…
By the tenth, it had started crafting other variants. By the twentieth, it had mastered the entire Poké Ball catalog.
Roughly 2 hours in, Mewtwo was simultaneously crafting 4 or 5 different types of Poké Balls at once. Rei stood there, stunned as he muttered in disbelief, "It's only been a few hours and… it already reached master craft level in Poke Ball production… Azure, what is this Pokémon?!"
Azure chuckled helplessly, shaking his head, stating, "That's Mewtwo, my partner. The Strongest Pokémon in the world."
Rei's head turned, hearing Azure's claims in disbelief as he thought, gazing at Mewtwo, 'The strongest Pokémon in the world?!'
Before Rei could even comprehend Azure's words, a cheerful, familiar voice rang out, "Hey! Heey! Heeey!!"
Rei's eyes flickered as he turned his head slightly. There she was, Akari, running towards him, her delicate face lit up with joy.
The excitement in her expression seemed to carry into her every step, quickening her pace as Rei replied casually, "You're back, Akari—"
*Wooosh*
Rei mustered his energy and went to greet her. But the girl brushed right past him, rushing towards Azure as she greeted him, "It's been ages, Azure! You're finally back!"
Hearing her words behind him, Rei froze as if struck by lightning. Azure looked at the girl standing before him as he calmly replied, "I told you last time we'd meet again."
Akari puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance as she replied, "Hmph! Who knows if you meant it? You've been back for ages and didn't even come looking for me. If I didn't come back as I did, surprised seeing you here by chance, I wouldn't have known you returned. And to think I missed you, jerk!"
She lightly smacked his shoulder, but a bright smile quickly spread across her face, uttering, "Still welcome back!"
Azure grinned as his Pikachu, Eevee, and Pichu (Mew) greeted her. Akari smiled as she pointed at them, "See? Even your own partners know to greet me!"
Azure rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he had no defense. But then Azure asked curiously, "Yeah, sorry about that… but moving on from this, I've heard what happened. Need any help?"
Akari paused, hearing his words, before nodding her head, stating, "Nah. I've got this. But if you insist, I don't mind extra help."
Akari smiled, hearing that, as she didn't get much help from others, including Rei, in her time of need. But meeting someone like him was greatly appreciated.
Azure then asked as his gaze drifted downward from Akari's face, finally settling on the deep and mysterious pouch, "How far are you from your goal now?"
Hearing his question, Akari smirked as she boldly declared, "Hehe! I'm almost there! I've already encountered most of the Pokémon in Hisui and recorded their data in the Pokedex App you gave me! It's been a godsend to just scan, record, and be done! Saves me a lot of time, it really does."
Azure smirked, hearing that he helped her out. But then, knowing the game plot asked curiously, "So what stage are you at right now? Have you passed the trials of the Lake Guardians?"
Akari blinked, hearing his question before grinning as she explained, "The Lake Guardians? Oh! You mean the three from the lakes? Guardians sound grand, but I like 'sacred mushrooms' better. Kinda fits, don't you think? Of course it does! I'm amazing! Check this out!"
With a sheepish grin, Akari reached into her pouch and retrieved a special red chain, which floated above her hand like it had a will of its own. Azure remarked, examining it closely, "That's pretty unique."
A long time ago, he'd seen the red chains that Cyrus used to control Dialga and Palkia—those were forged with modern science, meteorite shards, and the power of the Lake Trio from the anime. But this one was fundamentally different.
Cyrus's red chain could outright control the two deities of time and space. Akari's on the other hand, merely suppressed their own powers as Azure thought, 'The key distinction is that her chain was created by the Lake Trio themselves. But both shared one trait… they were ridiculously fragile.'
One shattered chain had led to the creation of the Origin Ball. But the Akari exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! I almost forgot, I came back to Jubilife Village to find Prof. Laventon and Commander Kamado!"
Caught up in the joy of returning with an old friend, Akari had completely forgotten her original purpose as she apologized, "Sorry, Azure. I've got something important to take care of. I'll show you more of Hisui's charm later!"
Azure grinned as he saw Mewtwo was still busy as he thought, 'I suppose I'll have to wait a bit before Mewtwo fully masters the process.'
Knowing this, Azure nodded as he responded with a thumbs up, "Do what matters most to you. But no worries, I'll follow behind if you need back up."
*GRAB*
But Akari's response was to grab him by the wrist as she dragged Azure along, leaving Rei and Mewtwo behind. Rei muttered, heartbroken, "… I've been here the whole time…"
Mewtwo gazed at Rei and merely shook its head, uttering to itself, 'Poor fool.'
//////
[Hisui Region, Later, Jubilife Village – Galaxy HQ]
Prof. Laventon sighed, having just finished reviewing Akari's latest accomplishments, and stated, "As expected of Akari—not only did she survive in the wild, she even passed the Lake Guardians' trials and acquired the Red Chain… too bad Commander Kamado isn't in the village right now."
Akari exclaimed in surprise, "What? Commander Kamado's not in Jubilife Village?"
Akari turned to Captain Cyllene of the Survey Corps. Cyllene answered, her voice cold as ice, "That's correct. The Security Corp reported seeing strange shadows, possibly Pokémon beyond the space-time rift. Commander Kamado personally led a team to investigate the temple of Sinnoh atop Mt. Coronet."
After a moment's pause to think, she issued a formal order, "As Survey Corps Captain, I hereby assign you, Akari, to proceed to Mt. Coronet in your capacity as a surveyor. Use the Red Chain to resolve the situation."
Akari saluted with enthusiasm, "I got it!"
Cyllene added as she turned away, issuing another order, "And remember I still expect you to return without becoming another corpse in the wild."
With that, she retreated into her office to resume paperwork. Laventon encouraged her warmly, "Good luck, Akari. I believe you'll resolve this safely and return in one piece. And I trust you'll assist her, Master Sky?"
Prof. Laventon looked at Azure, leaning his back against the wall, and replied, "Yup! Someone got to have her back."
Prof. Laventon sighed in relief, but then paused, looking around confused, asking, "Wait… where's Rei? Wasn't he standing guard? You didn't see him when you came in?"
Akari blinked at the question. Then she realized that Rei had been visibly upset and ignored, but she thought, 'Too late to worry about now. He'll bounce back quickly. He'd be fine… I hope…'
Shaking her head, Akari returned to the task at hand as she met her gaze with Azure's as she asked, "I'm heading to Mt. Coronet now. Azure, want to come with me?"
Azure met her gaze, but gently shook his head as he stated, "Send me your Hisui region map. I'll meet up with you later. I have Mewtwo have you a Psychic Tracker if things get dire, we'll pop up."
Akari nodded her head, sending info to him as she stated in a determined tone, "Okay then! I'll go meet up with Irida and the others, and we'll investigate the summit together. Once we're done, I'll show you around Hisui properly."
Without hesitation, she set off on her mission. In moments, the massive headquarters fell quiet again. Only a few staff members and Cyllene remained, along with Azure with his Pikachu, Eevee, and Pichu (Mew).
Though the others kept to their tasks, they all watched Azure cautiously out of the corners of their eyes, wary of him. They remembered that Kamado requested to never offend him or make him an enemy.
But when he was gone for months, Kamado's rash actions in exiling Akari would've resulted in her death in the wild. They assumed Azure wouldn't return as he was gone for months since his last visit, but now that he appeared again, the sense of unease returned as Azure kept a calm expression.
Even Cyllene's Alakazam trembled in fear, staring at him. The Psi Pokémon could feel the unfathomable Psychic power overflowing from Azure, but its attention was on Mewtwo, busy crafting the Poke Balls that almost made it faint, sensing its psychic waves.
Cyllene's mind echoed as Alakazam warned her with a frightened tone, 'Miss C-Cyllene… I-I'm afraid that K-Kamado offended someone he shouldn't have exiled. His psychic abilities and… monster are too overbearing-g…'
Cyllene's fist tightened as her knuckles turned white, hearing her Alakazam's warning. She carefully observed him as he opened the map Akari had sent and began studying Hisui's geography.
His focus landed on the base of Mt. Coronet. That area caught his attention as he muttered, "There it is…"
He found the location labeled Clamberclaw Cliffs. Azure remembered well a secret path that led to the Ancient Cavern. He didn't know much about what was inside, only that it housed many Pokémon fossils and, more importantly, the mysterious Origin Ore.
At least if it was accurate with his own Arc Phone info provided. Before reuniting with Akari, Azure planned to visit the cavern and secure that precious resource first. Exiting the HQ, Azure ran into Mewtwo teleporting in.
*Swf*
Mewtwo responded with a curious expression as it spoke telepathically, 'I've mastered all I could Master about crafting Poke Balls. And I sense you have some plans in mind with me learning this?'
*Pop*
Azure released his Dragonite, leapt onto its back, responding, "Yeah. I needed to come back here for their unique resources. Plus, something that we might need in the days ahead, just to be on the safe side."
*Fwp*
Dragonite took off to the mountain range as Mewtwo nodded, following close behind. Rei could see Akari and Azure both gone in the distance, muttering, "They're gone… all gone… why didn't anyone wait for me? So unfair!!"
/////
[Hisui Region, Coronet Highlands – Clamberclaw Cliffs]
*Zoooom*
Soaring once again across the sky of Hisui, gazing down at the land below, Azure felt a sense of excitement greater than he anticipated, muttering, "Been a while flying in the sky. Been a while exploring…"
*Fwp*
Without technology and living conditions here that were nowhere as advanced as those in the modern era, but in this era, closest to myth, it was easier to approach the peak of the world and uncover its deepest truths. As they flew across the plains and mountains, Dragonite and Mewtwo headed straight for the foothills of Mt. Coronet.
Under Azure's guidance, they soon reach the remote cliff, with barren, yellowing stones stretching across the land. Finding an entrance to the Ancient Cave on such a massive cliff was no easy task.
Even though Akari's map was detailed, it only marked the general location of the Ancient Cave without specifying an exact entrance. But Azure had a cheat his Arc Phone as he opened it muttering, "Let's see… according to this, the entrance of the Ancient Cave should be around… there!"
After a glance, Azure realized that the entrance to the Ancient Cave was just nearby as he uttered, "Let's go check it out."
*Wooosh*
Azure called to Dragonite, who flew ahead, leading the way into the cave. The cave, despite its unique name, wasn't much different from an ordinary one. However, what made it special were the ancient murals that could be found only a few meters in, and the visible Pokémon fossils scattered along the walls.
They weren't Azure's target. But it would be something worthwhile for him as he commanded, "Mewtwo, see if you can sense anything within the cave that contains special energy."
Mewtwo nodded as Azure knew the Origin Ore were said to contain incredible power, and according to myth, they were linked to the power of the Sinnoh Grand Deities (Arceus). From the fact that the Origin Ore created from these stones could more easily capture the Origin Time-Space deities, it seemed the power contained within these stones was connected to Arceus.
*Shiii*
Mewtwo's eyes flashed as it used its Aura to detect the energy around the field of vision. Mewtwo raised an eyebrow as it replied mentally, 'I sense a special energy. Please follow me, Master…'
As expected, after sensing the energy for only a moment. Mewtwo floated upward and led Azure towards the source of the power.
Along the way, the Pokémon living inside the cave grew increasingly agitated upon sensing the intrusion of Azure; their eyes glowed red as they prepared to attack and drive him away. But then Mewtwo unleashed its Pressure Ability, uttering coldly, '… if you peons dare to get in our way… prepare yourselves for trouble.'
*THUMP*
Unleashing its Pressure the red lights of the Wild Pokémon immediately faded, petrified, sensing Mewtwo's power. One by one, the Pokémon gave friendly smiles, waved, and swiftly ran away from them.
Mewtwo snorted disdainfully as it telepathically commented, 'Pathetic. At the very least, they should've fought back…'
Azure sighs, hearing Mewtwo's response, but before long, they reach a corner of the cave, his eyes scanning the stone wall where a peculiar, crimson-colored Origin Stone was embedded. He brought out another Poke Ball, declaring, "Tyranitar, I need your help here, old pal."
*Pop*
Tyranitar appeared as it looked at the Origin Stone with its head tilted, observing it. Azure commanded, "Tyranitar, dig it out.
Tyranitar nodded as it stepped forward, and brown light glowed from its claws as it began to use Dig to carve its way through. It made sure to carefully manipulate the stone digging it out without any damage.
*RMBL*
*RMBL*
After a few moments, several pieces of Origin Stone had been carefully excavated and fell to the ground. Azure smiled, grasping a few as he stated, "Good work, buddy. But no need to be careful if what I read here was right… This should be an Origin Stone vein here; we could probably get tons here. So… go all out."
Whether the stones had a significant purpose for the people of Hisui didn't matter to them, as it would be lost to history. Tyranitar, hearing this, immediately understood and saluted with an eager grin, "Ty? Tyranitarr! (Really! Then dig a hole, I go! Clearly, I yearned for the mines!)"
*RMBL*
*RMBL*
Tyranitar began to dig furiously, its claws cutting into the rock face with wild intensity. And within moments, it had carved out a large hole in the wall.
Seeing that Tyranitar was getting increasingly into it, Azure quickly stopped the rampage and used psychic power to gather the stones into a line before storing them in his [Sub-Space], "Okay, big guy, that's enough. Stop!"
Having stored a large amount of them, he smiled. Then he turned to Mewtwo as Pikachu, Eevee, and Pichu (Mew) played with the Origin Ore, "Mewtwo, do you think this stone can be incorporated into a Poké Ball?"
Mewtwo, who levitated by his side, responded, 'It's difficult, but I can try.'
Mewtwo picked up an Origin Stone, took a pre-made Poké Ball, and began the attempt. Azure gazed as he muttered curiously, "I wonder how Akari is doing right now…"
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter!