Chapter 246: Pokémon of Dreams and the Moon

When the nightmare dissipated, Nacrene City ushered in another peaceful day, which seemed no different from the day before.

Gym Leader Lenora of the Nacrene Gym looked at the empty meteorite display case. She learned about the specific events that happened last night from Professor Juniper.

"I didn't expect that meteorite to be alive, and it was a Pokémon."

Cosmic viruses mutating into Pokémon is undoubtedly a powerful piece of evidence for the origin of Pokémon. That is to say, what can be confirmed now is that not only do Pokémon exist on this planet, but even the oldest Pokémon themselves may have come from the universe.

"Change the label of this display stand. The meteorite is gone, so we can't let visitors look at the empty glass. Before, Brycen excavated some fossils and ancient objects in Twist Mountain, so use those to fill this display case."

"Cosmic nightmare... The universe is also one of nature, the boundless and vast empty universe."

"In short, thank you for solving this incident, otherwise the entire Nacrene City would have been trapped in a nightmare."

Lenora thanked Xiang Guangtai sincerely and planned to send her private collection as a gift, which was a precious bone.

Although it was also a precious bone, the source of the skeleton was different. Lenora is known as the Mother of Natural Skeletons. When she was young, her father, who often mined in the mines, would often bring bones back, which made Lenora have a soft spot for skeletons.

Xiang Guangtai looked at the claw-like bone in his hand.

In the legends of Sinnoh, there are also things related to skeletons. It is said that after eating Pokémon caught in the sea or rivers, wash the bones clean and put them back into the water carefully. In this way, the Pokémon will regain its flesh and return to this world.

The Pokémon eaten in this legend is the white-striped "Basculin," and only this kind of Basculin can evolve into the Ghost-type Basculegion.

【Precious Material: Dragon's Hook Claw (Precious Bone)!】

【Description: A claw bone fossil of an ancient Dragon Pokémon, indestructible, faintly attached with incredible power. Perhaps you can use this hook claw to forge a pair of dragon claw gloves.】

【Effect: After letting a Pokémon carry it, when a Dragon-type move hits the opponent, the opponent takes an additional 30% damage from the move.】

"And this... I have indeed seen you on the news, and Burgh also told me yesterday that he strongly invited a trainer to have a Gym battle."

"This Basic Badge will be given to you as one of the gifts. After all, you saved the entire Nacrene City. Being able to make a Pokémon from the universe a partner already shows your strength."

"I was also fighting something in the nightmare yesterday, but I couldn't beat it at all. That should be the nightmare of that cosmic Pokémon."

Lenora said, handing a Basic Badge to Xiang Guangtai, which was also a sincere thank you.

Xiang Guangtai did not refuse this time.

Mainly because the Tree of Connecting added a buff to the Insect Badge before, which can obtain extra knowledge from the badge.

Xiang Guangtai: "This is really..."

"It doesn't matter, just take it! With your strength, even if you challenge the Gym, the result won't change! The badge issued by my Gym is the Basic Badge. Do you know? The first travelers usually choose the Striaton Gym, and then the Nacrene Gym."

Lenora explained: "The Striaton Gym will tell novice trainers what attribute restraint is, while the Nacrene Gym values the basic ability of trainers. Those who can get the Basic Badge prove that their Pokémon have excellent quality. That is to say, theory is theory, and no matter how complete the preparation is, it cannot be fully applied to actual combat."

"But for someone as powerful as you, this kind of test is obviously unnecessary. I occasionally award badges to trainers I recognize. Gym battles are just a way to test strength."

"And, I know you are actually not a challenger of the League..."

Lenora suddenly laughed:

"But it would be a pity if someone as powerful as you didn't participate in the League competition. Pokémon battles contain many meanings... Growing stronger with Pokémon, there are new changes every day."

So, the Tree of Connecting also connected to the Basic Badge.

【Obtained: Basic Badge.】

【Description: A symbol of defeating the Nacrene Gym, although it was obtained without a Gym battle this time. The design concept is the purple book spine! Holder of the Basic Badge! Use the knowledge you have gained!】

【Effect: Proof of participating in the Pokémon League and opening the door, it is a reward item...】

【Note 1: The Tree of Connecting is connected to the Basic Badge! Acquired knowledge—Environmental Harmony!】

【Ordinary is the background color of the world. You can harmonize the conflicts of their energy or knowledge in any system. The "adaptability" of your special abilities such as Psychic, Spirit Ability, Heart Power, and Creation Power has increased.】

On the other side, although Professor Juniper really wanted to study Deoxys, and even her eyes glowed with substantial desire, the remaining rationality told her that Xiang Guangtai would probably not agree to this request.

After all, that is Xiang Guangtai's friend. How can you give your friend to others for research? So Professor Juniper asked Lenora if there were any new meteorites in the Nacrene Museum.

Lenora couldn't laugh or cry: "How could this be? Meteorites are not common things, let alone meteorites with cosmic viruses attached. Where do you think this is! This is Unova, do you think this is Hoenn!"

"The ones exhibited outside are precious treasures!"

But Xiang Guangtai remembered.

In the animation, the Nacrene Museum really has a second meteorite, the Night Meteorite, which was once used by the Ancient City as an artificial sun and possessed powerful power, and could even change the weather.

However, it is still some time before the heroes embark on their journey, so the excavation work of the Ancient City obviously hasn't dug up that special meteorite. Speaking of which, that meteorite lost its follow-up because the original plot was changed.

Whether it can be excavated from the Ancient City is still unknown.

However, Deoxys transmitted fluctuations.

If you want to "study" or "know" it slightly, it doesn't matter.

After all, it had just been born, and it didn't know much about many potential powers of this new body. If someone could help, that would be even better.

"Really! Then thank you!"

Professor Juniper was happy. She looked curiously at Deoxys in the Master Ball. That Master Ball was floating in mid-air because of Deoxys's mental power.

"What is your hometown like?"

【"It is a sacred field full of brilliance, but that kind of light is different from this world..."】

One person and one Pokémon chatted like this, and soon immersed themselves in academic exchanges. Lenora, the Gym Leader on the side, was a little ashamed, and she was also very surprised that there were Pokémon that could communicate with humans without obstacles.

Therefore, compared to Deoxys, who came to this place from the other side of the universe, Lenora cared more about the name of Mesprit that appeared in the conversation between Professor Juniper and Xiang Guangtai.

She understood that the Nacrene Museum might have been chosen by that Pokémon a long time ago, as a place to carry the memory and wisdom of Unova, which gave Lenora a sense of mission.

"Talking to alien Pokémon, this is simply like the plot of Pokémon Hollywood... No, Pokémon Hollywood hasn't filmed such a plot now."

Assistant Curator Hawes pushed his glasses and marveled at everything he saw at this time.

The museum is closed today, resting for a day, and the exhibits need to be readjusted.

Xiang Guangtai took the opportunity to distribute new medals to Lenora and Hawes.

Curator Lenora was very puzzled at first, but when she held the medal in her hand, she suddenly heard some "echoes" and looked around in surprise.

Xiang Guangtai: "It seems you can hear it, the voices made by those cultural relics, that is the voice of nature and history. This Psychic medal can help you better feel their existence, and sometimes it will have some special effects."

Lenora was amazed. She had liked skeletons, fossils, and history since she was a child, and she could feel the faint incredible power transmitted from these items, but it was the first time she felt it so clearly like today!

"This medal is incredible... this feeling, it seems to make me understand those cultural relics better!"

"Thank you, I will accept it with gratitude!"

Lenora was really very happy. She looked at Xiang Guangtai and pondered slightly: "However... being able to make this kind of prop, maybe you have some kind of mission."

"But that is the supernatural field. Regardless, I sincerely wish you to complete your mission."

Xiang Guangtai smiled: "Just helping a friend."

As an envoy of Sinnoh, the mission he possesses is to constantly move forward, help the weak world will like the Tree of Connecting, and this is not a journey without return.

Next, Xiang Guangtai is going to find furniture designer Miss Miss Zitan, which is also the purpose of coming to Nacrene City.

Professor Juniper, in order to continue talking to Deoxys, planned to follow Xiang Guangtai all the way.

"What is your destination next? If you are not in a hurry, do you want to go to Nuvema Town?"

Professor Juniper highly recommended Xiang Guangtai to stay in Nuvema Town for a while!

And to be honest, not only Deoxys, but also the other Pokémon beside Xiang Guangtai, except Riolu, were all she hadn't seen before!

No, that Riolu also seems a bit different! Professor Juniper was a backpacker before and had met many trainers with Riolu as partners, but no Riolu could give her such a wonderful feeling.

She wanted to use more time to study these special Pokémon!

Xiang Guangtai looked at the blue puppy on his shoulder: "Humans can also perceive it, this is the Aura from the stars."

"From the stars?! Is it related to the universe again!" Professor Juniper exclaimed.

To her, the Xiang Guangtai in front of her is a human treasure, simply like a trainer who only appears in legends.

Like the twin heroes in the founding legend... about the same!

Xiang Guangtai: "Speaking of which, I also have a few questions I want to ask you."

"Is Champion Alder in contact with you, and is Professor Fennel living in Striaton City now?"

Professor Juniper was a little surprised: "Eh? How do you know Fennel?"

Hmm, Fennel... Juniper and she were college classmates and also very good friends, but some of Fennel's research was whimsical. She seemed to be studying the content of legendary dreams, and now it seems that she hasn't produced any results...

"She should live in Striaton City. If you want to see her, I can help... but why?"

"Because she is studying the Pokémon Dream World." Xiang Guangtai pondered slightly and didn't tell Professor Juniper some important news immediately: "I know the existence of this world, so I want to see her. I need her help with some things."

"Eh? Pokémon Dream World?! You also think that world exists?"

Professor Juniper was quite surprised: "Although Fennel thinks that many Pokémon have entered the Dream World, and there are indeed legends related to the Dream World circulating in various places, as far as I know, it seems that no one has entered the Dream World."

"So, this story is just like a... old and distorted rumor."

"There used to be a research institute for dreams and dreams. That is the Dreamyard in the suburbs of Striaton City. Of course, initially they wanted to develop a special energy, and later an explosion occurred... The entire institute was destroyed."

"Although there are still some researchers studying persistently in the ruins, they seem to have cooperated with some Psychics, I heard."

For this kind of thing, Xiang Guangtai is not surprised.

Most companies and organizations in the Pokémon world, no matter how big they can make, are basically pondering energy at first.

"As for Champion Alder, I don't know his whereabouts for the time being, I'm sorry. After all, his hometown is in Floccesy Town in the west of Unova. Compared to me, Skyla, who gave you the Master Ball, should know more."

Xiang Guangtai fell into thought.

In the mouth of the Chief Ranger, Alder stayed in Nacrene City for a long time before, perhaps because he felt the breath of Mesprit left here, but he couldn't activate the celestial might of the universe, so he left?

The Tree of Connecting said that Alder might be lost in another world, but it was just a guess. In short, he is not in the Connection World here.

And Xiang Guangtai asked Shauntal, but she went to find Marshal, one of the Elite Four, but still didn't get news of Alder.

They didn't care.

After all, Alder is the kind of champion who disappears frequently. In short, it would be abnormal if he appeared every day.

"Oh, Alder? I have seen him before."

Lenora interrupted the conversation between the two at this time:

"Before, Champion Alder wandered in front of the museum for a long time, staying here for about two days, saying that he felt an incredible breath. It should be this Pokémon, or the existence you call Mesprit."

Mesprit...

Memory and wisdom. Alder is the oldest champion. Among all champions, he is not known for his strength, but for his memory and wisdom.

Although he is often criticized as the weakest champion, there is no doubt that in the process of the heroes embarking on their journey later, Alder did what a qualified guide should do.

By the way, Alder's ancestor was in the tents of the Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan in the Hisui era. A painting hung on the wall, and the person with the exaggerated hairstyle of half the sun has many similarities with Alder.

Alder's ancestor is also a Sinnoh person. Thinking about it this way, he might have really seen something from the Lake Guardians. Speaking of which, isn't the heart void next to Floccesy Town!

"Then I will trouble you to help."

So, what needs to be confirmed most now is how far the research on the C-Gear has reached.

And Professor Juniper was also very happy. After all, being able to stay with Xiang Guangtai for a while is a rare research opportunity!

Whoosh, I'm really lucky this time!

"Of course! I will help! In fact, I am not completely negative about the Dream World, just skeptical, but hearing you say that the world exists, I am also a little convinced!"

"After all, I witnessed incredible things! A researcher I know once said that half of the world can be explained by logic, and the other half can only rely on feeling."

Professor Juniper was in a good mood, but Xiang Guangtai claimed that the next itinerary was to find a furniture designer named Miss Zitan, which made Professor Juniper curious again.

"Miss Zitan! I know her! She is indeed a well-known furniture designer in Nacrene City, especially good at designing some fairy-tale style and retro-style furniture. Let me think, her studio should be in..."

Under the guidance of Professor Juniper, Xiang Guangtai soon arrived at Miss Zitan's studio.

In the Black/White era, this studio didn't have too gorgeous signs, but there were many color signs in the Black/White 2 era.

"Yes, yes! This is an excellent design inspiration!"

Before entering the warehouse, Xiang Guangtai and Professor Juniper heard the excited shouting from inside. The blonde Miss Miss Zitan was like possessed, drawing hard in the warehouse. Beside her were more than a dozen discarded draft papers, and the picture she was drawing looked extremely like a certain product that would only appear in a nightmare.

In short, just one look made people feel that this thing was very "maverick"!

"Nightmares gave me inspiration. How about this dark furniture? Very eye-catching, right!" 【

"Nightmares gave me inspiration. How about this pitch-black furniture? It's very eye-catching, isn't it!"

"Ah? Have guests arrived! Wait a moment, I'll be finished drawing in a second!"

"The nightmare theme is expressed through color, material, and shape: dark tones, flowing lines, and glowing elements. Using dark wood and deep purple fabric, added with stardust-like decorations, it has the feeling of a nightmare without losing the fantasy of Pokémon."

"Memories, fragments, mirrors. A display cabinet of delusions! The cabinet surface is covered with irregular mirrors, the reflected images are slightly distorted, and the drawer handles are semi-melted colored glass."

"Ah wait, I still need to add star elements. I saw the pitch-black cosmic starry sky; these are interior decorations that can only be seen in dreams!"

"Ah no! There's still something wrong somewhere. I just feel like it's missing a little something, just a little, inspiration is hard to summon!"

"I am conceiving a wonderful piece of furniture that can only be seen in dreams."

【Connection Mission: Furniture that can only be seen in dreams.】

【Rewards: Release Jade x2, Dream Design Draft x1, Proof of Genius x1, Dream Projection x1.】

【Note 1: As a genius furniture designer, Miss Miss Zitan doesn't even know herself that she possesses a unique 'Dream Talent.' She can project real-world objects into dreams; this dream ability can also be regarded as a special superpower. Her dreams can freely convert between reality and dreams, so the dream realm has become the place where she draws inspiration. However, this connection is unstable, which is why she needs the help of others' voices to help her find inspiration.】

【Note 2: This assistance will be regarded as a "display," which helps maintain the hearts of people in Unova within the dream realm. Human dreams cannot be connected to the dreams of the Pokémon world; they are composed of one's own dreams. Therefore, once a crack appears in the hearts of people in the dream, the hearts of people in reality will also fall apart.】

Xiang Guangtai nodded.

This mission could be completed immediately. After completion, he would probably be able to obtain the same "passive ability to transform dreams into reality" as Miss Zitan.

Team Plasma also said similar things during the Black and White era, wanting to make people want to abandon Pokémon in their dreams, so they could use this dream energy to manipulate people's hearts. But their research on dreams never grasped the essentials, and in the end, they had to abandon that plan.

Unova's art, the talent of color artists, the drawing techniques of myths, and... the artistic styles obtained from various artists after the exhibition.

Using them at this moment is just right!

Absurdism, panic, boiling, darkness, and Darkrai.

"Are you looking for inspiration? Then how about looking at this?"

Miss Miss Zitan turned her head with some helplessness. She saw Xiang Guangtai walk straight to a drawing board and start painting on his own. At first, she was a little puzzled, but then she saw Professor Juniper walking over as well.

"Oh, Professor Juniper?"

"Did you only just notice me?" Professor Juniper was a bit helpless.

Come to think of it, Miss Zitan is not the type of person who often immerses herself in artistic creation, but today she must have been stimulated by nightmares to become so self-forgetful?

"That person is..." Miss Zitan wanted to ask about Xiang Guangtai's identity, but before she could finish her sentence, her eyes were firmly attracted by Xiang Guangtai's draft.

Melancholy, silence, gloomy and withdrawn.

Absurd, fearful, dark and boiling.

"That Pokémon is! That's it, this is the style I wanted to draw!"

Xiang Guangtai: "Is that so? However, furniture that is too dark and melancholy might lead to an increase in people's suicide rates. It's not bad as an art piece for appreciation, but it might not be very suitable as furniture."

"Therefore, we still need to add another one."

Then the brush seemed to come alive under Xiang Guangtai's hand. Beside that dark Pokémon, a Pokémon flickering with pink radiance appeared. The sense of horror in this picture instantly decreased, replaced by a dreamy and bizarre feeling!

"Ah..." Miss Zitan stared blankly at the second Pokémon!

That's right, this is the style. She actually only realized now that piling up nightmare elements might not be a good thing, and once the second Pokémon in front of her was added, the feeling the whole work gave people instantly became completely different!

And, and these two Pokémon can be paired! Their styles are like a perfect contrast; if made into furniture, they will definitely sell well!

"Oh... although I am not an artist, I can also see that the artistic gold content of this work is very high."

Professor Juniper stared carefully at the two Pokémon. To be honest, as a Pokémon professor, the two in front of her were also ones she didn't recognize.

After all, in the Unova region, Darkrai had never appeared, and there were no relevant records. Only near the Strange House was there a suspected sighting of this guy, and Cresselia was even more so, with no eyewitness records.

"My inspiration is gushing out!"

Miss Zitan walked quickly behind Xiang Guangtai. Although the painting was not yet finished, the dreams in her mind had already appeared continuously, outlining various novel dream furniture in her dreams:

"What exactly are these two Pokémon?"

"The Pokémon of dreams and the moon, Darkrai and Cresselia. They symbolize nightmares and sweet dreams." Xiang Guangtai responded to Miss Zitan, and at the same time, he immediately received feedback.

【Rewards: Nacrene City—Recognition of Dream Furniture Designer Miss Zitan! Dreams +100%, Furniture Design +100%, Amazingness +100%!】

【Description: The work you painted filled Miss Miss Zitan's mind with dreams. The furniture she designs in a dream state will have unique effects when brought into the dream realm, making dreams come true! In a dream state, it will attract a special Pokémon—Musharna.】

(End of chapter)