Chapter 240: The Gift of Pledge Plains and the Trial Stone

Pledge Plains, the place where one of the legendary Swords of Justice, Virizion, slept. It is said that Virizion woke up in the depths of this forest and became active on the land of Unova again.

The Bug Pokémon led Xiang Guangtai to this hidden plain. Unlike in the game, Pledge Plains is quite difficult to find. Even if Virizion left, one can feel that the residual atmosphere and power of the place still linger, and dozens of round boulders are scattered around, just like some kind of ancient ruins.

Dozens of four-leaf clovers emitting hazy faint light sway here with the wind, slightly different from the four-leaf clovers brought back by other Bug Pokémon. The brilliance of these four-leaf clovers is brighter.

And most of the Bug Pokémon living in other areas of the forest have never been to Pledge Plains. Seeing so many four-leaf clovers, besides surprise, they made happy sounds one after another.

From now on, this will be the secret garden for Pokémon in the forest!

The Venipede leader wriggled its small feet and turned to hiss at Xiang Guangtai.

Finding a large number of lost four-leaf clovers is indeed worth being happy about, but there are more important things here. Look, over there!

Hmm? Speaking of which, what is that straight wooden stick in your hand?

"This is the best magic stick in the forest!"

Xiang Guangtai played with the Pinwheel Branch. This thing can be made into a so-called magic wand. In the real world, a magic wand probably refers to a prop like the Aura Guardian's staff, but in other worlds, magic wands seem to have different powers.

It's better to say that holding this inconspicuous straight branch, he can also cosplay as a jungle mage or something. Anyway, mages also exist in the Pokémon world, just very few.

The Venipede leader blinked.

Its small brain doesn't support it to think so deeply.

Forget it, but that stick looks really cool, I really hope I can find one too!

This is its praise!

After entering Pledge Plains with the Bug Pokémon, because Virizion had long since left, and the timeline had not reached the period of Black 2 and White 2, there was only a brilliant sea of flowers that made people feel at ease, lacking a mysterious Ranger responsible for notifying Virizion's whereabouts.

And, in the depths of Pledge Plains, the Venipede leader brought Xiang Guangtai to a broken stone.

That stone appeared in a dim green color, like a stele, with a flower crown on it, which seemed to have grown together with the stone long ago, blooming quietly, and would not wither even in winter.

This is something that the Bug Pokémon accidentally found. They heard the echo of the forest. After Xiang Guangtai left the Hidden Grotto, the whole forest was making light sounds.

【Crafted Item (?): King's Flower Wang Guan in a Dream.】

【Description: Items that appeared from the dream after the dream rift was broken... When exactly, who left it here, and what life it was used to commemorate, is already unknown. Legend has it that this is something left by the king of the Ancient City or the Abyssal City. The flowers on this flower crown seem to come from dreams, and have mutated under the action of the power of stars from the universe, becoming a kind of special flower. It seems that only those recognized by the forest can take it away.】

【Special Plant: Dream Flower.】

【Medicines that can be made: Highest Level Potion, Max Revive (missing meteorite fragments).】

【Effect 1: Coronation—Put a flower crown on a Pokémon, it will obtain special Pokémon power, the power of nature will nourish it, constantly restoring its life and physical strength. Besides this, what kind of power it will obtain remains to be confirmed.】

【Effect 2: Friendliness with all Pokémon +100%, Legend +100%, Recognition +70%. Pokémon with dream fragments and star fluctuations will obey the king's orders.】

And the stone below is... gray and dusty, covered with cracks, in the shape of a sphere, about the size of a fist.

【Crafted Item (?): Fantasy Keystone.】

【Description: Fantasy Stone, it seems to be something that fell from the universe and the sky to a certain world a long time ago, falling with a huge dragon meteorite in the distant era.】

【This stone is the same thing as the Trial Rock of Pinwheel Forest and the meteorite of the Nacrene Museum. Because Pinwheel Forest was once connected to the Entree Forest, the power of Pledge Plains was transmitted to this stone, making it also produce the same power as "Pledge Plains" and "Entree Stele", which can gather the will of life.】

【Effect: Fantasy Stone can inject different natural energy into any jewel, and can also temporarily become a substitute for any jewel. It produces incredible echoes and connections with certain Pokémon. Similar stones exist in places where legends circulate in various parts of Unova. They appear in the outside world in different colors, and seem to be splits of something called "God Stone". Fantasy +100%, Legend +100%, Universe Secret +100%.】

【Fantasy degree can increase the probability of you and Pokémon encountering magical items, Legend degree will make you and Pokémon closer to legends or leave legends, guided as heroes or warriors, Universe secret can make you and Pokémon know part of the mysteries from the universe.】

【Use the mystery of rock to drive its power!】

In other words, Guang Tai felt the voice of another world from this stone.

This was not an item from this world, but something from another world; because he had found the Forest Seal Stone, the things hidden within the Field of Thought were revealed.

Was the power that let Virizion sleep here the will of humans or the will of Pokémon?

Or, was it the collective will of life itself?

Come to think of it, it seems like in the game... Guang Tai began to search nearby, and with the help of the Bug Pokémon, he found some evidence.

Sun Stone.

Legend has it that, like the Moon Stone, it is a special meteorite that fell from the cosmos; in the game, there is a Sun Stone near the Field of Thought.

And as for the Trial Rock outside Pinwheel Forest, if you use a Fighting-type Pokémon to attack it every day, it will drop a Star Piece. That giant rock seems to have life; even if a part of it is smashed, it will quickly grow back, as if it were alive.

That's it, Pinwheel Forest and Nacrene City were once a large-scale meteorite impact zone!

Speaking of which, the shape of that fantasy wedge stone... why does it look a bit like the Dragon Stone of the black and white dragons? Could this thing be a "God Stone"?

"Thank you, Venipede, and, everyone."

"May I take this thing with me?"

The Bug Pokémon nodded; they could feel that this stone was not a product of this world, and the forest had already agreed.

It was of no use staying here, and what the forest needed was not treasure, as that would only attract the covetousness of humans and evildoers.

To thank the Bug Pokémon for their help, Guang Tai used some of the berries they brought to make Pokéblocks, giving the Bug Pokémon in the forest a wonderful feast. As for those four-leaf clovers, Guang Tai only picked a portion of them and replanted the rest using a special cultivation method.

Torterra prepared suitable soil for the four-leaf clovers, using Mud-Slap and Earth Power to till the soil.

For Pokémon, the Lost Four-Leaf Clover increases their luck, makes it easier for them to find delicious berries, and can also be taken as different herbal medicines; it is an extremely rare and precious item for Pokémon in nature.

And Guang Tai cultivated a large pile in a short time. When golden, sand-like energy radiated from Guang Tai's palms, those transplanted four-leaf clovers and three-leaf clovers grew up in a short time.

The originally scarce Lost Four-Leaf Clovers began to become more and more numerous; visibly, many ordinary three-leaf clovers also began to shine, becoming four-leaf plants!

"Ven..."

The leader of the Venipede looked at the four-leaf clovers, then at Guang Tai; its small brain did not understand what kind of power that was just now.

However, even in the whole world, not many people know of the "Power of Creation." Only the lineage of the Hall of Origin in Kalos can, like the ancients of the Hall of Origin, accept the power from Arceus and carry out punishment and creation.

The Field of Thought was covered in flowers and full of four-leaf clovers. The Bug Pokémon were rejoicing among them, and some Grass-type Pokémon that had joined halfway through out of interest were also dancing hand-in-hand. There were many Cherubi and Cottonee here, all common Pokémon in Unova.

And there was also a Kricketune playing melodies for everyone?

It was playing music while thinking. Guang Tai could read its heart; like the leader of the Venipede, ever since they came to the Field of Thought, they felt that there was a magical power here, making them constantly start to think.

This was the unique energy from this land, gathering the will of life, making them constantly think, thereby becoming smarter and stronger.

"This flower crown is just right for Lilligant to wear. However, the seeds of the flowers left over from the distant era have taken root and sprouted in the Field of Thought, and still maintain a posture of blooming. They are flowers from the dream, and also from the stars."

It had a somewhat mysterious and romantic meaning.

Guang Tai took out the flower crown and also called out Lilligant. Under the gaze of many Pokémon, he crowned Lilligant at this moment.

"Lilli?"

Lilligant adjusted the flower crown on her head, which just happened to form an outer ring, encompassing her original Victory Wang Guan.

A magical starlight surged from the flower crown into her body; although it was very faint, it was full of nostalgia and happiness.

At the same time, it was as if it were waiting for something... When it met Lilligant, it was like finding a home.

This made Lilligant a little puzzled.

But... perhaps it didn't matter?

In any case, she was very happy now! She lifted her skirt and began to dance among the Pokémon, stirring up the Teeter Dance, making the Pokémon joyful and jubilant.

The happy time lasted for quite a while. Because some Pokémon had temporarily left their trainers to come, they now had to go back to find them. The other Bug Pokémon also happily dispersed. From then on, this Field of Thought would become a wonderful place for them to hold secret gatherings and ceremonies!

Thump!

Before leaving, a fruit fell from a tree.

Pinwheel Forest was "seeing off" Guang Tai, Torterra, and the Tree of Connecting.

【Berry: Throat Spray Fruit.】

【Description: A rare berry that does not exist in the regular Berrydex. It possesses the power to heal the throat. If given to Meloetta, it has special effects.】

【Effect: Can heal the throat. After consumption, the power of sound-based moves increases by 20%, and it will not be affected by the move "Throat Chop".】

【Craftable Item: Throat Spray!】

And when Guang Tai traveled with the Bug Pokémon and left the Field of Thought to say goodbye to each other, not far away, several Rangers had found their way over, along with some of the Bug Pokémon's trainers.

They were lost in this natural labyrinth, which was also an incredible thing for the Rangers. Even though the roads nearby were familiar and they often walked them, they could never find the intended location.

An older Ranger knew why, so he stopped searching.

"The forest has a will. If it doesn't want us to see something, we shouldn't resist. The Pokémon that left will return soon... Look over there!"

The Ranger pointed into the distance. They saw Guang Tai and a large number of Bug Pokémon. Those Bug Pokémon kept slipping into the grass and disappearing before people's eyes, and the woods around that human looked somewhat psychedelic and unclear.

The female Ranger, Bonnie, also saw her Kricketune. That guy was holding a blade of grass emitting a dim, faint light in its hand and was trotting toward her, and that human...

Beside him followed a Torterra of a strange color, a Pokémon that looked like a giant sword, a slender and beautiful Pokémon, and a Riolu wagging its tail stood on the human's shoulder.

Soon, that human disappeared. The Bug Pokémon were seeing him off. This scene stunned the Rangers.

"Merging with nature, being so wild that even Pokémon can't detect him, but that person... he is like nature itself!"

"A person blessed by the forest; I once heard that such people exist in distant regions."

"That guy is simply like the leader of the Bug Pokémon! Is there such a trainer? The world is truly incredible; all kinds of magical people exist!"

The Rangers tried to find Guang Tai, but the forest had its own will. After chasing for a few steps, they found that they hadn't closed the distance at all, and that person had already disappeared from their sight with his Pokémon.

"It's truly incredible. Could he be a ghost?"

"Don't say such things; I'm very afraid of ghosts! Anyway, my Kricketune is back!" Bonnie crouched down and curiously pinched the blade of grass emitting a dim, faint light.

What kind of grass was this? She had been patrolling Pinwheel Forest for so long and had never seen this kind of plant!

Looking at the Kricketune in front of her again... Huh? Did its body become more lustrous? And it seemed to have become a little stronger?

Did it eat something good?

Kricketune pointed in the direction Guang Tai had left, which made the Rangers even more curious.

"A person who can live in harmony with nature... If he could come to be a Ranger, he would surely become a Chief very quickly," a Ranger said, while also thinking that the Unova region actually had appointed Chief Rangers, so he dialed Altano's Poké-number.

"Hello, hello, Mr. Altano? There is a magical thing I want to report to you... Huh? Your tone is very good; are you no longer depressed? That's really great."

"We met a particularly magical trainer in the forest, with Pokémon..."

"Hmm? You know him?!"

Compared to the Rangers' discussion of this matter, the other trainers, as well as backpackers who came to the forest to explore, some did not see Guang Tai and only waited for their own Pokémon to return, while some saw a glimpse of Guang Tai and approached with curiosity and enthusiasm but lost their way, though the return trip was unexpectedly smooth.

"Ah!? What happened just now! I saw the Pokémon following that person looked very strong, and I was thinking of finding him for a battle!"

A certain Youngster scratched his head. He found that the road he used to know suddenly became difficult and unclear, but when he turned his head, he found that his Venipede had returned and had brought back a glowing four-leaf clover.

"Yay! Venipede, you're back! Did your mysterious ceremony finish? I'm so sad I didn't see it!"

Venipede rubbed against its trainer's calf and nodded to comfort him.

It's okay, you didn't see it this time, and actually, you won't see it next time either.

Just give up on that thought!

"Hey, I feel like you were despising me just now..."

"Ven... (That's right)."

"Ha! You're comforting me, right? I knew you cared about me."

"Ven... (Not at all)."

For a young boy, there were still many novel things in the outside world. Although he missed some interesting stories, there were more wonderful futures waiting for him, so the Youngster and his Venipede dived back into the forest to continue his forest adventure.

This summer was still very long, and it was a good time to go out and catch bugs.

Thump... thump.

The leader of the Venipede guided Guang Tai, not following the main road, but detouring from the forest to the outside of Pinwheel Forest. Here, the trees became slightly sparse, the shrubs became more numerous, and there were a large number of rocks and puddles of various postures.

The Venipede's poisonous tail lifted up and pointed straight in one direction.

You can see it from here!

That huge rock stood abruptly on a highland; you can see it by crossing the grass in front and climbing the stairs!

"Thank you for your help." Guang Tai took a Rare Candy out of his backpack as a thank-you gift.

The leader of the Venipede was initially confused by this food, but after it tasted it, all its abilities grew in an instant, making it look up at Guang Tai in surprise and nod again in approval!

Good stuff, really good stuff!

Thank you, human!

As expected of someone chosen by the forest, he is quite generous; you can't see this good stuff outside!

It shook its poisonous tail and happily slipped back into the forest.

Here, Guang Tai and his Pokémon climbed the Trial Stairs. Just like in the game, there were several Fighting-type trainers practicing martial arts here, turning around and fighting, exercising their martial arts with each other. Seeing Guang Tai appear with his Pokémon, they greeted him very enthusiastically:

"Oh, are you also here to strike the Trial Rock and exercise your body and mind?"

"Yes, a... friend asked me to come here and take a look," Guang Tai replied.

The so-called friend was the Tree of Connecting.

According to the request of the Tree of Connecting, he had come here.

"There are many unknown things in Pinwheel Forest, and the Trial Rock is one of them. Martial artists and Fighting-type Pokémon will strike this rock to prove their strength! It is very hard! And it only reacts to Fighting-type Pokémon!"

"If it's not a Fighting-type move, ordinary attacks are ineffective against it. Let me see your Pokémon, little brother. Oh! Isn't there a Riolu! This is a very rare Pokémon!"

"I am Kentaro! A trainer determined to become the strongest martial artist! Although I am still weak now... but my future is promising!"

Although the Karate Black Belt who spoke called Guang Tai little brother, his age was actually not much older than Guang Tai's; he just looked too mature because of constant training. Following him was a Timburr.

"Awoo!"

"Doku!"

Timburr waved the timber in its hand, enthusiastically demonstrating to Riolu how to strike this hard boulder! It was like a senior patiently teaching a junior, which made a drop of cold sweat appear on Riolu's forehead.

That... in terms of aura, Riolu could judge that the Timburr in front of him was much weaker than himself, and he came from the Rock Cave of training; the Pokémon there were all on the same level as the Pokémon of Victory Road...

However, it was rare to meet such an enthusiastic Pokémon, and a true master always keeps the heart of an apprentice. Thinking this, Riolu also began to earnestly ask Timburr for advice.

Timburr was also very proud. It swung its timber—

Watch closely! This is the secret move... Rock Smash!

With a bang, the surface of the Trial Rock was shattered, and some stone fragments fell, looking like stars.

"This is the process of honing the Trial Rock. After breaking it, you sometimes get something called a Star Piece. Some people seem to love this kind of stone, but I don't care. The magical thing about this stone is that the broken part will recover as before the next day. Magical, right!"

Kentaro stroked his chin and introduced it to Guang Tai: "You should try it too! If you want to exercise your Pokémon's striking power, this stone is an excellent object for honing!"

Guang Tai placed his hand on the boulder.

【Mythical Material: Trial Rock.】

【Description: A special, huge meteorite that fell from the cosmos a long, long time ago. After coexisting with the Unova land, it formed this posture. It possesses its own life and is a very strange cosmic object; it seems to harbor some kind of powerful force! More information about it remains a mystery; it is only known that if you shatter its shell, special "Star Pieces" will fall.】

【Effect: Shatter the Trial Rock to obtain Star Pieces. Through repeated strikes on the Trial Rock, Fighting-type power will be enhanced, which can accelerate the evolution and growth of Fighting-type Pokémon. Some kind of powerful energy is slowly seeping out from the Trial Rock! It only reacts to Pokémon with the Fighting type.】

【Note: Use the "Mystery of Rock" on the Trial Rock to awaken it! Obtain "Star Power (VSTAR)". It is said that this is the power of Arceus from heaven, presented to the world in the form of comet power!】

【Craftable Items: Hard Amulet, Power Amulet, Time Fragment (Cosmic Amulet)!】

Guang Tai thought for a moment and used the Mystery of Rock.

This boulder began to respond!

The stones of the Pokémon world have power; rather, the most powerful things are stones!

Arceus used the Creation Trio's Orbs to pass power to the world; the legendary Sinnoh Temple was also built with stones from Mt. Coronet; the three illusion stages were also carved from rock; the White Stone that passed the gratitude of crossing time and space before the Spear Pillar; the legendary giant rock that brought the power of Mega Evolution; and the super-huge meteorite that was plotting to crash into the world...

A great power from the cosmos was hidden deep within the Trial Rock! The moment it touched Guang Tai's Mystery of Rock, it began to be awakened!

Regarding the Trial Rock, in the game, if you beat it once a day with a Fighting-type Pokémon, it will drop a Star Piece, and Star Pieces are considered meteorite debris.

Among wild Pokémon, only Staryu, Starmie, Jirachi, Minior, and Meloetta carry them. Among them, the two Mythical Pokémon are gifts, and the Staryu family is actually a tribute to Ultraman.

So the Trial Rock should indeed be a large meteorite.

Speaking of which, could there be a sleeping Jirachi inside this stone? Was Jirachi distributed during the Unova era?

Lilligant walked over, and Kentaro, the Karate Black Belt on the side, immediately widened his eyes: "Oh oh! What kind of Pokémon is this?! So beautiful!"

And Timburr's performance was more direct; its eyes turned into hearts.

Beautiful Pokémon are always loved, and Pokémon's courtship is even more bold and straightforward, but Lilligant only responded with an awkward but polite smile. At the same time, when she was in the ball, she already knew the special nature of the Trial Rock in front of her. She touched Riolu and then concentrated fully!

Guang Tai pointed to the rock:

"Both of you, use Helping Hand on each other."

"And then, use 'Brick Break' on the Trial Rock at the same time!"

Riolu and Lilligant used their maximum power attacks at the same time. When the power of the two Fighting-type Pokémon impacted the Trial Rock, a violent energy fluctuation was generated inside the Trial Rock, which had been awakened by the Mystery of Rock!

A powerful cosmic aura violently spread outward!

In the Nacrene City Museum, not far from Pinwheel Forest, a meteorite placed in an exhibition cabinet suddenly emitted a faint light!

The old tourist on the side hurriedly called over a man wearing glasses:

"Hey, Deputy Director Hawes! Look quickly, the museum's exhibit is glowing!"

At the same time, layers of aurora appeared faintly in the sky over Nacrene City; they were extremely dim, yet beautifully shocking.

(End of chapter)