Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World-Chapter 182

When the Symbol Plates and the mysterious engraved wooden tablets spelled out the word Entei, the response wasn't limited to the false Entei inside the Crystal Tower.

Near Ecruteak City in the Johto Region, the real Entei suddenly felt a sharp headache and violently shook its head!

That strange roar echoed deep within its mind.

"Grr…"

A distant, echoing howl rang out. As if being summoned, Entei seized a moment when no one was watching and sprinted toward the outskirts of the city—toward the Burned Tower.

The Burned Tower was once an ancient tower where the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh revived the three Legendary Beasts. It was originally the roost of Lugia but was destroyed in a massive blaze that lasted three days and nights. Three unknown Pokémon perished in the fire and were later revived by Ho-Oh, becoming what we now know as Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.

Thud!

Entei skillfully avoided the humans around the Burned Tower. With a swift glance, it spotted Ecruteak's Gym Leader, Morty, picking up charred wooden planks from the floor inside the tower.

Hmm... A follower of Ho-Oh… Too bad he hasn't earned Ho-Oh's recognition yet. Keep training.

Entei gave Morty a silent blessing and leapt lightly, like a cat, landing gracefully at the base of the tower despite its massive size.

A cold breeze swept through the ruins. From the shadows of the tower emerged a beautiful, panther-like blue Pokémon—

Suicune, another member of Ho-Oh's guardian trio! frёewebnoѵēl.com

"What are you doing here?" Entei growled in a low tone, expressing its confusion. It had only been passing through Ecruteak and hadn't expected to encounter its companion here.

The three Legendary Beasts usually roamed the land aimlessly. Sometimes, they'd wander into other regions. After all, the mission of Ho-Oh's guardian trio was to observe humanity—being vagabonds was part of their duty.

Suicune didn't reply. Instead, it stepped forward, extending its neck. The crystal on its forehead shimmered faintly. Entei understood and lowered its own forehead to touch Suicune's.

This was how Ho-Oh's guardians communicated—sharing information through telepathy without words.

Hummmm...

Entei opened its eyes again.

"So you came here following strange dreams and ancient callings, and have been searching ever since."

"I'm the same."

In that brief exchange, Entei shared last night's bizarre dream with Suicune—causing Suicune to chuckle inwardly.

What the—someone in your dream called you Daddy?

That was a little ridiculous. Its own dream had simply shown a battle from a third-person view—much more normal.

"A human who can create ancient tablets to summon unknown powers," Suicune murmured. "It's confirmed—the power in those dreams is similar to the Unown from the Ruins of Alph. And the person in the dream… is no ordinary human."

"I believe this is a message from Lord Ho-Oh."

"It's not." Entei shook its head firmly.

This was merely coincidence. What did it have to do with the Rainbow Hero's trial? Besides, Ho-Oh wasn't even in Johto right now.

"That person…" Suicune mused, "might be from Shinto. That's what the Unown told me."

Even Entei, who initially didn't care much, fell into deep thought.

Suicune had the closest ties to the Ruins of Alph, and it knew that there was a mysterious connection between the ruins and Ho-Oh. From those ruins, one could occasionally hear a strange melody. Ho-Oh had once said that sound was the Azure Flute, and that it came from a distant place known as the Shinto Ruins, the so-called origin of the new world.

"If we want to find out what those monsters in our dreams are, the answer might lie with that human craftsman who created the tablets."

"You know just as well as I do—modern humans could never create those ancient stone plates. They're far older than we are."

"Yeah, at least ten times older."

The three Legendary Beasts were born 150 years ago, but those ancient plates were at least 1,500 years old.

"…Fine. I admit it's been bothering me too." Entei recalled something odd. "Many ruins in Johto depict my image. It's confused me for years."

"We've only existed for 150 years—why do ancient ruins depict us?"

"Can you sense where the voice calling you is coming from?" Suicune asked.

"Yes. One is from 'a faraway place,' and the other is from the Verdant Plains."

"…Verdant…" Suicune suddenly looked shocked. "I just received news—the Rainbow Hero has recently appeared on the Verdant Plains!"

"Is it a coincidence… or fate? Still think this isn't a sign?"

"Maybe your questions are about to be answered."

Entei remained silent.

Though the events seemed unrelated, the more he thought about them, the more wrong it all felt. There was no time to delay. They had to go to the Verdant Plains—immediately!

At the very least, they needed to witness whatever was about to happen.

Let's just hope it's not another human civil war…

[Artifact: Symbol Tablet]

[Description: Ancient wooden boards from traversing ruins. These are inscribed with symbolic characters modeled after Unown. When attached to Unown or imbued with energy, they become Symbol Tablets. Said to transcend time and space to create all things.]

[Effect: Increases the user's psychic power and draws the attention of Unown. Can be used to summon Unown and manifest what the user's heart desires. There is a risk of being pulled into a time-space rift.]

Hikaru packed all the stone plates and confirmed that the fallen wooden tablets were indeed the same kind Dr. Shuley had once found in a ruin—identical to those described in the movie. Their function mirrored that of the Symbol Plates: both could "create all things" and were essentially channels for Arceus's power.

In fact, in the Shinto Ruins' game storyline, the protagonist could bring Arceus to the Altar of Light and, by choosing one of three emblems—Time, Space, or Antimatter—Arceus would summon a swarm of Unown and begin a new creation. In the end, depending on the player's choice, Arceus would grant them a glowing egg that hatched into a Level 1 Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina.

Thus, Unown might very well be thought of as Arceus's creation code.

They respond to Arceus's mind and will, shaping the world and all within it. But because human minds aren't as powerful as Arceus's, their creations can't last long—they're only temporary.

"You're going to the Verdant Plains?"

"Understood." Mewtwo quickly replied.

Before Hikaru contacted it, Mewtwo had been meditating in the Dream World.

"When I head to Unova, I'll take you along. Some odd Pokémon have appeared in the Dream World. One Zoroark is looking for the Legendary Dragons and claims to serve a hero named N."

"It challenged Walking Wake but failed. Walking Wake told it… if it wanted recognition—"

Mewtwo paused. Even from far away, Hikaru could feel the weird expression on Mewtwo's face.

"—it would have to hand over all its treasures."

"I knew it!" Hikaru slapped his forehead.

So Teacher N is appearing already, huh?

"Walking Wake isn't even a Legendary Dragon. We didn't expose the false rumor, though. When you're ready to go to Unova, I'll head out with you."

From what the anime revealed about Pokémon Rangers, the Oblivia region should be somewhere between Sinnoh and Unova—possibly even closer to Alola.

"Don't move. I'm locking on to your location."

Mewtwo's psychic power was unmatched. Even the combined efforts of other psychics paled in comparison. Even though Hikaru was deep in Shinto, Mewtwo could find him using the coordinates provided.

This was the same Mewtwo that once teleported all cloned Pokémon to the ends of Johto with ease, and could erase Rocket Gang's memory while warping their entire force away in an instant!

Locking on. Teleporting!

Whoosh—!

The scenery around Hikaru instantly changed. The workshop and familiar farmland vanished. In their place came the sound of flowing water and the shimmering glow of crystal reflections. Hikaru narrowed his eyes. As his vision adjusted, he found himself in a crystallized field.

Not far away stood a towering structure like twin crystal spires, blossoming from the base into a radiant crystal flower.

This was Shuley Snodon Mansion.

Night had already fallen. Clearly, the events of the movie had already begun. At this point, Delia Ketchum had probably been abducted by the false Entei to play "mother" to a little girl who had lost her own.

The sunset cast its final rays across the crystal-covered landscape. The expanding crystals had overtaken the grasslands, trees, flowers—even nearby windmills—spreading like waves.

Hikaru crouched and tapped on one of the crystals curiously.

[Rare Material: Crystal of the Heart]

[Description: A physical manifestation of a human's inner heart, created by the Unown. It appears in ancient tales and is tied to fairytale legends.]

[Effect: Crystallizes everything except running water. This crystallization is reversible. Because it's a manifestation of psychic energy by the Unown, the crystals will vanish when their power fades. However, with Genesis Power and the Secret of Stone, they can be preserved forever.]

[Usable in various forging, carving, enhancement, and enchanting processes. Greatly boosts psychic strength. Particularly beneficial to Psychic-type Pokémon.]

[Unlocked Craft: Psychic Artistry (B+)] — Can forge mystical items tied to the heart, such as the Mirror of Bronzong, said to reflect a person's inner self.

[Unlocked Knowledge: Psychic Amplification — A psychic ability that enhances others' mental powers, purifies the mind, magnifies emotions, and more. Related item: special crystals from the Almia Region.]

The owner of the Crystal Tower was a young girl named Molly—a common name, but her surname, Snodon, gave her an air of nobility.

Her father, Dr. Shuley, was a renowned pupil of Professor Oak and well-known for his research into legendary Pokémon.

While investigating Unown ruins, Dr. Shuley had been pulled into a different dimension. Molly's mother had vanished under similar circumstances. Orphaned, Molly took the Symbol Tablets left behind by Dr. Shuley's assistant. Her sorrowful heart summoned the Unown, who sought to fulfill her wish to have her parents back—thus triggering this movie's chain of events.

Now, as Hikaru drew closer, Entei—who had just repelled a group of "uninvited guests" from the top of the Crystal Tower—suddenly felt a sharp headache.

The strange ancient roar echoed violently, like a cursed wraith that wouldn't fade.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Molly, who had been sitting on the bed with Delia, looked worried when she saw Entei return in pain. Entei shook his head.

"It's nothing. Daddy just had a headache—but it's gone now."

"There's nothing up there. It's just you and us here."

Molly tilted her head in confusion and glanced at the TV. "Mommy, look! The news filmed our house! It looks so pretty!"

Delia, who had been mind-controlled by psychic power, could only nod silently. But soon, the TV showed a live broadcast from a reporter: a boy carrying Pikachu was climbing the outer wall of the Crystal Tower, using the flowing water that couldn't be crystallized as his path upward.

Ash's team had begun their assault, and Entei felt irritated. Beside him, Molly excitedly asked her "mother" if that boy named Ash was a Pokémon Trainer.

And just like that, the topic returned to what everyone in this world loved—Pokémon battles.

"Should I drive them off?"

"No… I want a Pokémon battle! But… can I really do it?" Molly was excited at first but quickly hesitated. Entei pushed through the pain in its head and nodded gently, eyes full of tenderness:

"Yes, you can. If that's what you wish for."

"Right! I can do it, can't I!" Encouraged by her "father," Molly lit up again. "I may be small now, but once I grow up, I'll make it happen!"

At that moment, Entei passed through a crystal wall into a pale green dimension. Though Molly's true form still sat beside her "mother," another version of Molly appeared on Entei's back. Empowered by Entei's encouragement, this child version of Molly rapidly matured—becoming a gallant young woman.

Together, they soared toward the dreamlike green plains.

(End of Chapter)

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