Chapter 5

DuJianQiao protested, and at this moment its mind was undergoing a brainstorm. Though as a sword, it probably didn’t have a brain at all!

To defeat me head-on, this human is no ordinary person—stronger than any knight I’ve faced before!

But using so many strange items—can that really count as a fair fight?

Of course it can!

He fought with his own hands!

He didn’t use Pokémon to battle me—he faced me directly. No matter what tools he used, that’s his way of fighting, and none of it is dishonorable. He withstood my sneak attacks with such strength—his victory over me is undeniable!

Forget it. The gems are gone for good. I’m giving them to you!

“Yoo! Yoo!”

In DuJianQiao’s perception, this human seemed different from how he was during battle, yet it couldn’t pinpoint how—perhaps his aura had changed?

Meanwhile, Guang Tai’s expression turned startled.

Watching DuJianQiao emit those yoo-yoo sounds, Guang Tai suddenly understood its feelings. The strange cries reached his mind and automatically transformed into a comprehensible system language, accompanied by a light, hollow echo.

He could roughly grasp its meaning—and as he listened, faint spiritual symbols surfaced in his mind. Were these the spiritual characters one could transcribe?

Is this Spirit Communication knowledge?

“You’re saying you lost to me, so you’re giving me the ‘gems’—is that what you mean?”

“Yoo?”

DuJianQiao’s single blue eye widened!

Huh? You understand what I’m saying?

“It’s interesting how Pokémon understand human speech well, yet humans can only guess at Pokémon speech. A curious phenomenon indeed.”

Guang Tai murmured to himself, then asked:

“But you’re not a Pokémon from this region. Even if I found you in a ruin, why were you sleeping as an ancient relic here?”

“Yoo-yoo!”

DuJianQiao stared at Guang Tai, deep in thought.

It reasoned: since this human had defeated and subdued it, his strength surpassed its own. Facing such a superior opponent—and accepting defeat with sincerity—it could not lie or bluff. That would violate knightly honor.

So it simply explained: a traveler with magical abilities had brought it here and offered it to a king. Several other DuJianQiao were brought along, all later gifted to the king’s knights and bestowed with gems.

“An ancient kingdom’s sword? So it was a tribute brought by a traveler. That makes sense—in ancient times, merchants often carried rare Pokémon and goods to distant lands, fostering cultural exchange and sometimes even triggering regional forms in Pokémon. By the way, you don’t even remember the kingdom’s name? How careless.”

Guang Tai scoffed. DuJianQiao spun around, emitting a protesting yoo-yoo sword cry.

It’s not carelessness! Pokémon don’t remember anything beyond their masters!

Why think so hard?

“But it doesn’t matter. That kingdom is probably gone. Near the Kalos region, there are indeed ruins of ancient kingdoms north of Mt. Moon—and even a small kingdom still survives there.”

In the Pokémon world, strange small kingdoms exist scattered across every region’s edges, each with its own peculiar laws and considerable social standing.

But long ago, these kingdoms weren’t weak—they may have once dominated entire regions.

Traveling southeast from the ShenDu Ruins, into the Mt. Moon range, one would find remnants of these kingdoms.

DuJianQiao emphasized again: the magician traveler carried many treasures, and it was merely one of the exotic Pokémon captured and offered as tribute.

As Guang Tai said, traders traveling the world always did this—transporting unique local products to distant lands, integrating them into local culture and civilization, even altering local environments and ecosystems.

For DuJianQiao, yesterday’s events still felt vivid: the towering castle and armored soldiers—all turned to dust after one night’s sleep.

The ancient nation vanished, its king’s records erased, let alone its glorious memories—all gone.

But disappearance is disappearance—it couldn’t be helped. After all, it was just a sword. It couldn’t control so much.

Yet one thing was undeniably true.

DuJianQiao couldn’t grasp complex thoughts. Now that the kingdom was gone and a thousand years had passed, even if it refused to admit it, as a knight’s sword without a master to serve, it had no purpose in independent existence.

Of course, its time as a wandering knight hadn’t lasted long—now it had been captured again by a human.

But DuJianQiao was pondering something else.

Something bold.

A secret told to it by a former senior.

The first king wasn’t chosen by bloodline, but selected by a certain demon beast (Pokémon). The king used that beast’s power to build a nation and rule over countless lives.

Since the old king is dead, then—could the one before me now be the new worthy master, possessing the same qualities?

After all, this guy truly defeated me head-on. If it’s someone like him, he must be qualified to become...

DuJianQiao grew ecstatic, bouncing up and down before Guang Tai, making its proposal!

“Yoo!”

“Yoo~ yoo?”

Mighty youth!

Do you wish to become a king?

Power? No—Nián wán—is the true reason to be king!

“A king? What’s so great about that?”

“Ruling humans and Pokémon? Hey, isn’t this a villainous path? Why would a Pokémon actively urge its trainer to become a villain?”

Guang Tai waved his hands repeatedly—DuJianQiao’s suggestion was too bizarre.

You want to assist me in becoming king? You choose kings this casually? And in the modern world, what’s the point of being king? You even want to rule other Pokémon and humans!

“By the way, DuJianQiao’s final evolution, Shieldon, has indeed been described as capable of recognizing royal potential—and those chosen by it become new kings. But many people own Shieldon, and none have become kings.”

DuJianQiao excitedly cried: “Yoo!”

Hey, you know this well!

Yes—it’s my evolution!

But Guang Tai immediately doused its enthusiasm:

“But selecting kings is Shieldon’s duty. As DuJianQiao, you don’t seem capable of choosing kings. And those who truly followed Shieldon to become kings? Their kingdoms eventually collapsed, didn’t they?”

“Just like your kingdom.”

DuJianQiao stared blankly at Guang Tai.

The human and the sword gazed at each other for a long while.

DuJianQiao blinked, then suddenly used its blue ribbon to scratch its hilt:

“Yoo!”

Ah, so that’s why the kingdom fell.

So it was my evolution’s fault!

Then it’s fine!

(End of Chapter)

The Nián wán is the true reason to be king!