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"Even without a foundation in battling, you're still quite strong."
Li Xiang praised Honedge.
Honedge curved its sapphire-blue single eye, happily swaying its body.
During the earlier move-testing session, it had already vented all the anxiety from arriving in a new environment, its resentment towards Li Xiang, and the tension of facing Incineroar.
Now it felt refreshed and utterly comfortable. Its mind had suddenly become clear.
"Roar~"
Incineroar twisted its arms, also in a good mood.
Honedge's attacks weren't particularly strong; for Incineroar after using Bulk Up, they were basically just an intense massage.
No big deal.
Although it was a little tired, it was a pleasant exhaustion.
'So I'm already this strong now.'
Incineroar looked satisfied at its own muscles. The usual grueling training and taking hits clearly hadn't been in vain.
"Alright."
Li Xiang clapped his hands. "That's enough for today. This venue can't handle you guys. Let's do the night training outside."
Training Pokémon in a wooden venue basically meant the venue was done for.
"For now, follow behind Incineroar and the others. Do whatever Rotom does," Li Xiang said to Honedge.
Honedge swayed its body in agreement. It was also curious about what night training was.
'Exercise? If it's exercise, I'm good at it from chopping wood all the time!'
Result. Half an hour later.
Clang!
Honedge fell to the ground with a ding, eyes closed, refusing to get up no matter how much Li Xiang called.
As if it had passed out completely.
"Too high intensity?"
Li Xiang crouched down and poked Honedge's body. "Hey—can you hear me? You can stop if you can't handle it. No need to push yourself."
He never forced his Pokémon to train. Each Pokémon had its own limits; there was no need to force it.
Hearing his words, Honedge slowly opened its eye, then instantly closed it again. It was unclear if it had understood.
"Rest inside the PokéBall for a while."
Seeing this, Li Xiang took out the painted ball he bought in the afternoon and recalled Honedge into it.
....
The next day.
Yan Hu agreed to Li Xiang's request and brought him to Triple Village again.
The senior brothers and sisters didn't come along; they had gone to play in the outer area's natural park.
The weather was nice today, perfect for playing near the shallow sea.
He heard there was a beach in the natural park. Not sure if they would go though.
Li Xiang carried Honedge on his shoulder, lost in thought as he followed behind Yan Hu.
This guy.. no girl.. was still asleep, completely unresponsive, like it had bit the dust.
If not for its vital signs being fine under his Aura sight, he'd really think something had happened.
'So lazy.'
Li Xiang couldn't help but complain inwardly. As a sword, a ghost whose main body was made of metal, just getting up at 4:30 AM for training made it so angry it wanted to draw its sword and slash someone.
It passed out completely after just half an hour of training.
Could this even be called a Pokémon?
Even the simple-minded Metang was better! When it first arrived, at least it woke up when called and could persist till the end in training.
However, this also showed that Honedge was just all talent and uniqueness, no substance. Usually lazy and accustomed to slacking, it completely couldn't handle sudden training or early mornings.
"Taro!"
Yan Hu stood at the workshop entrance and called out.
Outsiders weren't allowed near the temple. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, the two decided to go through Nagayama Taro.
"Coming!"
From inside the workshop, Nagayama Taro emerged, his face smudged with black. He took off his thick gloves. "Sister Yan Hu! Li Xiang! What brings you here?"
"Mr. Nagayama, I have some questions about Honedge and would like to ask Mr. Shimazaki and the Sword Spirit. Could you help introduce us?"
Li Xiang lifted the Honedge on his shoulder.
Nagayama Taro glanced at it, his expression neutral, and nodded. "Okay, please wait inside my house. I'll go ask right away."
With that, he didn't even wash his face, turning and running towards the temple.
The two waited in his house, chatting idly about this and that.
Senior Sister Yan Hu was very tactful. She didn't ask much about Honedge or delve into why Li Xiang had returned to Triple Village. She simply played the role of a guide perfectly.
Li Xiang felt very favorably towards her for this.
These days, few people could curb their curiosity and be so generous and decisive. Truly worthy of being one of the masters of the Zhenxing Liu Tong Wu style.
Before long, Nagayama Taro returned. He said Mr. Shimazaki had agreed to let them in.
"No, I won't go in. I'll wait outside." Yan Hu smiled. "Hurry along, Junior Brother. Ask clearly whatever questions you have. No rush."
Li Xiang nodded. "Thank you, Senior Sister. Sorry for the trouble."
"It's fine."
Yan Hu silently cracked sunflower seeds.
Nagayama Taro then brought Li Xiang to the temple entrance. "Remember the way?"
"I know it, but you're not coming in either?" Li Xiang was surprised.
"I have things to do, and your senior sister is waiting alone at my house. I need to go entertain her."
Nagayama Taro smiled, not giving Li Xiang a chance to respond before turning and leaving.
'These two…'
Li Xiang watched his retreating back, unsure how to evaluate them.
He stepped into the temple.
The Honedge in his arms instantly opened its eye, broke free from his embrace, and flew deeper inside. Putting on the airs of 'Look, I, have returned!'
Similar to how Corviknight acted when visiting its parents at the conservation base.
Its shy personality was really cat-like.
Li Xiang didn't know how to evaluate her and quickly walked towards the shrine.
When he came yesterday, he had only seen Honedge and Aegislash inside the temple. But today, coming in alone, he discovered many Doublade and normal-sized Aegislash hidden in the shadows, silently watching him.
'Were these all transformed humans?'
Li Xiang looked at them, an inevitable sense of strangeness rising in his mind, as if experiencing the uncanny valley effect.
After some thought, finding it hard to bear the feeling like a cat scratching his heart, he released Riolu.
"Take a look."
He said quietly.
No need for much explanation. When Riolu saw those Aegislash, it understood everything.
Aura activated, its blue eyes scanned over.
"Riolu."
Riolu shook its head, indicating they weren't what Li Xiang thought.
The Aura was that of Pokémon, and the forms were also those of Pokémon.
"Was I overthinking it?"
Li Xiang pondered for a moment, thanked Riolu, and recalled it into its PokéBall.
Then, he quickly arrived near the shrine.
Shimazaki Masao, Aegislash, and Honedge were already waiting.
Additionally, there was a Doublade in front of Aegislash.
"Uncle Shimazaki, Lord Sword Spirit."
Li Xiang greeted them both.
Shimazaki Massao didn't respond but looked at Aegislash. "Will you tell him, or shall I?"
[I will.]
The giant Aegislash opened its eyes, its single purple pupil emitting a captivating light.
[It seems you already know quite a bit.]
"Under Aura, nothing remains hidden. I couldn't not know."
Li Xiang said seriously, "I hope you can give me an explanation, to put my mind at ease."
[An explanation... Very well. But before that, please listen to a story.]
Aegislash's single eye shifted slightly, looking towards the sky.
It said….
Four hundred years ago, there was a brilliantly talented swordsman. With his superb sword skills and a sword forged from a meteorite, he made a renowned name for himself in the surrounding regions.
Honor, status, money, and beautiful women followed.
The swordsman was satisfied and, amidst the praise of those around him, lived peacefully for over a decade.
However, one day, war suddenly broke out.
Though a strong fighter, the swordsman was still human. With his family by his side, he had no choice but to accept the lord's conscription and go to the battlefield.
And the battlefield was a place full of surprises.
Just as the swordsman was about to return laden with honors and achievements, he was ambushed.
Injured, his physical condition deteriorated drastically, and past ailments continuously plagued his body.
To the extent that, after leaving the battlefield, his strength declined precipitously, nearly turning him into an invalid.
To avoid being hunted by old enemies, the swordsman quietly left the lord's lands with his family and a group of followers, seeking seclusion in a remote place.
It was a veritable paradise, rich in resources, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, completely untouched by the war.
The swordsman laid down his sword, enshrined it, and completely embraced a reclusive life.
But, the good times didn't last. The warring lords also discovered this land, conquering cities and seizing territory, building their own fortresses.
The place where the swordsman hid was also exposed to these people.
In an instant, both sides were sharpening their knives towards this small village, trying to bring it under their own rule. The swordsman attempted to take up his sword again to resist but helplessly discovered he was too old.
By now, he was no longer the man he once was. He could no longer wield that sword.
Faced with the encircling jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards—vicious enemies, the swordsman was in agony.
Finally, one day, he prayed to a star that fell from the sky—
"Wait a second." Li Xiang raised his hand, interrupting Aegislash, lost in its memories.
[What is it?]
Aegislash asked curiously.
"Praying to a star? Why pray to a star? Do you mean the stars in the sky?"
Li Xiang struggled to control his expression as he asked.
[No, a star that fell from the sky, hanging low, shimmering with light.]
Aegislash answered this way. [Praying to a star is a legend. It is said that a star fallen from the sky can grant any wish of anyone, simply through prayer.]
'Dammit! It's Jirachi!'
Li Xiang's face darkened. He felt the presence of legendary Pokémon in this world was just too strong.
Anything slightly special was related to those usually unseen beings!
The story continued….
The swordsman prayed to the star, wishing he could wield his sword again to protect his family.
The star agreed.
And so, the next day, the swordsman reached the end of his lifespan and passed away. But his soul, with the star's help, merged with his most treasured sword.
The subsequent story was similar to what Nagayama Taro had told. Just with a few more details.
But what troubled Li Xiang the most was still that star.
Legend said Jirachi appears once every thousand years, for seven days, granting wishes each time.
In the manga, it was three wishes; in the anime, there didn't seem to be a limit.
But Li Xiang knew the lousy, unreliable aspect of this Wishing Star.
In the movie, when Max wanted snacks, Jirachi teleported a bunch over. Yes, teleported, not created out of thin air.
The villain Butler wanted to revive Groudon.
It created an Earth Monster instead, one that recognized no one.
It was slightly better in the manga, but it still created a Sea Monster, and the wishes were limited to three.
Now, hearing Aegislash tell it like this, the swordsman's wish was to pick up the sword again and protect his family.
As a result, he became a Honedge, literally "picking up" the sword, and could protect his family.
This was very much in the style of movie Jirachi.
Wanting it to fulfill wishes 100% according to the wisher's intent?
Impossible. Dream on.
It would always pick some embarrassing, terribly unreliable/unexpected way to grant them.
Swordsman Shimazaki was the prime example!
Fortunately, he made his wish over four hundred years ago. Jirachi wakes once a millennium.
It had little to do with Li Xiang.