"Choose one from here?"
Ethan began to look around, sweeping his gaze over each of the valuable pieces displayed there.
"Huh?"
"What is this?"
Suddenly, a dark blue object completely attracted his attention.
On the label of that object, it read: "Dark Blue Blade."
But unlike a conventional sword, that "blade" was long, thick, and segmented into several sections.
"Our exploration team found it in some ancient ruins. After bringing it back, we also conducted research on it. We discovered that it contains a kind of mysterious power, but we never found a way to activate that force."
Following Ethan's gaze, the principal also looked at the dark blue blade and immediately began to explain its origin to him.
"An object of unknown use?"
Ethan, however, narrowed his eyes.
Because that dark blue blade looked extremely similar to the horn of a Pokémon he remembered very well.
That Pokémon was called Keldeo, a Water and Fighting type, and it was also a Mythical Pokémon.
Keldeo had the appearance of a foal, with the body and the horn on its head being cream-colored; it possessed a red mane, as well as dark blue structures that protruded outward as if they were eyelashes, and it had light blue fur on the nape of its neck and around its throat. Its large fluffy tail was also light blue.
That was Keldeo's usual appearance.
However, when it acquired its Resolute Form after learning the move Secret Sword, its horn lengthened, became thicker, and appeared segmented, taking on precisely that dark blue color, as if it were a sword used by a swordsman.
And the dark blue object Ethan now had before him was identical to Keldeo's transformed horn in its Resolute Form.
"Could this be Keldeo's broken horn in its Resolute Form?"
Thinking of that possibility, Ethan froze for an instant.
When Keldeo adopts the Resolute Form... can its horn really be cut off?
After all, it was a Mythical Pokémon! And furthermore one in its full state, whose strength would surely already have reached the Legendary level.
"If this really is Keldeo's horn... then this is something incredible."
Ethan looked at the dark blue object again and then turned his gaze toward other treasures on the level of the Life Orb, hesitating slightly.
"Then I choose this dark blue blade. The other treasures are valuable, yes, but they aren't very useful to me. On the other hand, as a Pokémon Professor, unknown objects like this interest me much more."
After a brief hesitation, Ethan made his decision and lifted the dark blue blade to examine it more carefully.
"Pokémon Professor, huh... All right. I'll respect your choice." The principal hesitated for an instant and then nodded.
That dark blue blade was undoubtedly very valuable, but in the end, they still did not know how to use it.
Given that, it was better to leave it to Ethan. Perhaps he would be able to discover the secret hidden within that dark blue blade.
...
"Is this dark blue blade really Keldeo's resolved horn?"
"Or perhaps it's only some kind of ritual vessel made by the people of the Pokémon world to venerate Keldeo..."
After returning to the dormitory where he was resting, Ethan held the dark blue blade in his hands and began to study it.
"If this dark blue blade really were Keldeo's resolved horn, how could the force contained within it be activated?"
At the same time, in his mind, he also began constructing possible lines of research.
If even Ironvale City Pokémon University had not been able to discover how to use that dark blue blade, then conventional methods surely would not work.
"The resolved horn... That is the form Keldeo adopts after learning the move Secret Sword. If I follow that line, then the move Secret Sword is probably the breakthrough point."
"But Secret Sword is a move exclusive to Keldeo. Without knowing the principle behind that move, it's impossible to research it. Although there is another move very similar to Secret Sword... and that is the move Sacred Sword."
Ethan reflected to himself. If it was a matter of how much someone knew about Keldeo, then probably he, as a transmigrator, was the one with the most knowledge in this entire world.
In the anime, Keldeo's Secret Sword move had been taught by the three legendary swordsmen: Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion.
And those three legendary swordsmen could not learn the move Secret Sword, but they could master the move Sacred Sword.
Because of that, Ethan felt that Secret Sword was very likely a superior evolution of the move Sacred Sword, and that there had to be some relationship between the two moves.
If his supposition was correct, then to decipher the secret of that dark blue blade, perhaps the research should begin precisely with the move Sacred Sword.
"Sacred Sword... Apart from the three legendary swordsmen, the other species capable of learning that move are Honedge and Kartana."
"Ah, right. In addition, Oshawott's evolutionary line can also inherit it, though the conditions to inherit the move Sacred Sword are too demanding. The probability of finding an Oshawott that knows that move is really far too low."
"So, in the end, the target can only focus on the Honedge line. Besides, its final evolution, Aegislash, is already a very powerful Pokémon in itself; perhaps I could think about capturing one."
At the same time, Ethan also began considering the potential usefulness of that dark blue blade. If it really was Keldeo's resolved horn, then it was a legendary-level item.
And perhaps, from that horn, it might also be possible to find the path for a Pokémon to take the step toward the Legendary level.
"The Legendary level, huh..."
Thinking of that, Ethan could not help but sigh.
Within the League's system of power classification, the Legendary level was above even the Champion level. It was, truly, the absolute pinnacle.
However, apart from the Legendary Pokémon that were born with legendary power by nature, there was not a single common Pokémon that had managed to reach that level purely through breeding.
Because of that, discovering how to make an ordinary Pokémon reach the Legendary level had always been the supreme goal of all researchers.
In the Pokémon world, there was even a saying: if any scholar managed to find the method to make a common Pokémon reach the Legendary level, then they would, without any dispute, be a legendary Pokémon Researcher.
"The Legendary level... it's still a little far away from me. But the research of this dark blue blade and the capture of a Pokémon capable of using Sacred Sword can begin to be prepared from now on."
"Someday, without fail, I will touch that level."
Ethan smiled slightly and stored the dark blue blade in his spatial ring.
He could begin the preparations for that line of research, though for now, his priority was still the study of life energy.
And, at the same time, Ethan believed that the mastery of life energy also constituted one of the paths to reaching the Legendary level.
...
Time passed very quickly.
Three days later, Ethan left Ironvale City Pokémon University with his graduation diploma in hand.
At the same time, he had also obtained the qualification to enter the Champion's Road.
He would only need to wait until the start of the next term, in January of the following year, to officially enter the Champion's Road.
And during that time, Ethan still needed to continue accumulating experience and resources.
Right now, he was already on his way to Stonefield Town, because the Steel-type resources he had requested from the Pokémon Researcher Guild had finally arrived.
(End of chapter)