If we're speaking strictly about Gimmighoul—they aren't particularly rare in the Paldea region.
No matter where you are, if you occasionally hear the faint clinking of metal, follow the sound and you'll likely find a Gimmighoul lurking in some corner, cackling eerily at its coins.
As everyone knows, being a Ghost-type Pokémon practically requires an urban legend or two—otherwise, it's downright embarrassing.
Naturally, Gimmighoul comes with its own widely circulated myth.
Legend says they can temporarily possess nearby humans using ghostly energy—compelling their victims to do mischievous things—
Like stealing precious ancient coins on their behalf.
After all, this is the wholesome Pokémon world! Anything too sinister would break the atmosphere!
As for Nemona managing to catch a Gimmighoul—Aiden found that entirely plausible.
Her 'Ability' was Own Tempo, after all. She's determined to do what she wants. A mere Gimmighoul couldn't possibly sway her will—in fact, it likely piqued her curiosity instead, leading to its own capture.
Still—don't let Gimmighoul's shy demeanor and pitifully frail appearance fool you. It looks like a strong breeze could blow it away.
But once it fulfills the conditions to evolve into Gholdengo? It becomes a true benchmark of power and elegance.
Thinking this, Aiden narrowed his eyes—closely inspecting the coins inside Gimmighoul's treasure chest.
Half the interior was already packed—roughly five hundred coins, perhaps?
Judging by this, Nemona's luck was pretty good—she hadn't encountered a truly destitute "broke" Gimmighoul.
"By the way, Nemona."
Aiden turned his gaze toward her, smiling gently.
"You should've learned about Gimmighoul's evolution method in school textbooks, right?"
"Mhm! Something about collecting 1,000 special coins?"
Nemona nodded vigorously.
Though she rarely attended classes, as a super-rich heiress her studies had never truly suffered—especially anything Pokémon-related.
According to research by successive professors, Gimmighoul likely originated from a lingering grudge attached to ancient coins—which is why reclaiming more coins became its life's ultimate purpose.
If two Gimmighoul ever meet, they inevitably engage in a shadowy duel over coin ownership.
Winner takes all. Loser gets f*ck all.
And once a Gimmighoul gathers 1,000 coins, the grudges within them resonate to a peak—ultimately forging a protective metallic shell entirely composed of gold coins.
Thus—a perfect Gholdengo is born.
"Since you know the method, keep at it."
Aiden patted Nemona's shoulder approvingly, offering encouragement.
"If you can get Gimmighoul to evolve, it'll surely become one of your most reliable partners."
Excellent typing, a stellar 550 BST with well-distributed stats, powerful Abilities, and a near-perfect movepool—
You're absolutely right—but this is Gholdengo: a Pokémon with three immunities, nine resistances, immunity to most status moves, self-recovery via Recover, and after Nasty Plot? Straight into Make It Rain heaven! Even when dying, it can leave behind a spiteful Memento to ruin your day.
Aside from the tedious evolution process—it's practically flawless.
And if Nemona were the one using it? She'd undoubtedly deliver plenty of surprises to other Trainers!
"Mhm!"
Encouraged, Nemona nodded excitedly.
"Don't worry, Teacher Azure! I've already asked Father to post bulk purchase requests for ancient coins. Gimmighoul should evolve before the Victory Road even opens!"
"I'm fully prepared to give it my all to defeat you on the Victory Road!"
Aiden: Should I be impressed? Only a rich girl would skip the whole "running across Paldea hunting Gimmighoul for coins" grind…
Back when he'd evolved Gimmighoul in-game, he'd spent ages on it.
But facing a Gholdengo-wielding Nemona in battle… that actually sounded fun.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Aiden smiled warmly in response.
For the next while, Nemona chatted with Aiden about her travel anecdotes—"the tragic romance of a pair of star-crossed lovers in Asado Desert," "Glaseado Mountain Gym's design is clearly flawed—just climbing the mountain nearly killed me."
Though he'd never truly journeyed himself, hearing these snippets from Nemona still satisfied his sense of wanderlust.
Soon, she brought up another topic:
"By the way—since I returned to Cabo Poco, a group of students calling themselves 'Team Star' have been approaching me. They want to recruit me into some 'raid group' to challenge you, Teacher Azure!"
"Feels like a weird organization… but their leader Penny's actually pretty interesting—and surprisingly strong!"
"Did you join them?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
His knowledge of the current Team Star was limited. He only knew that—thanks to his influence—Naranja Academy hadn't experienced the severe bullying incidents from the original storyline.
And Team Star—the game's antagonist group—had transformed from an anti-bullying collective into a club that pushed the entire school into hyper-competitive "hustle culture."
So if battle-crazed Nemona had joined, he wouldn't have been surprised.
"Nope! I just became friends with Penny. After all—the first person to defeat Teacher Azure will definitely be me!"
Nemona puffed her chest with absolute confidence.
"And if I'm aiming to become Champion, I should forge my own path, right? I'm really confident in the road I'm walking now!"
After all—I'm Teacher Azure's most personally coached student! If I can't even clear the Victory Road, wouldn't that shame Teacher Azure's reputation?
Graduating as Champion would be the best gift I could give him!
Nemona didn't voice all this aloud—but Aiden read it clearly in her determined eyes.
Under his influence, Nemona truly was shaping up to be Champion material.
And even without the protagonist… Nemona and Penny had still become friends.
If they were willing—he could take them to Area Zero later for another power-up session.
"Oh right, Teacher Azure—one more thing!"
As Aiden pondered, Nemona waved a hand before his eyes and spoke up loudly.
"I saw on the school forum—recently, lots of students traveling have found sword-like objects stuck in the ground. If you pull them out forcefully, they quickly vanish into light!"
"Last night I found something similar near Levincia—and just like the forum said, it disappeared after I pulled it!"
Upon hearing this, Aiden's eyebrows shot up—his expression shifting to one of mild horror.
????
Wait—this generation of students is this reckless?!
After Nemona left, Aiden immediately returned to his room and began scouring the League's internal network for information on the "Treasures of Ruin."
Eventually, he found answers in Naranja Academy's history textbook:
Approximately a thousand years ago—during the Paldea Empire era—a mysterious merchant sold four artifacts brought from the Eastern Lands to the Paldean king.
That very night, the four treasures—the Vessel, the Sword, the Tablet, and the Bead—absorbed excessive human desire and transformed into malevolent Pokémon. They rampaged through the imperial capital, ultimately causing its destruction—a key event marking the empire's collapse.
These four Pokémon, later dubbed the "Treasures of Ruin," were eventually subdued by a powerful Pokémon tamer summoned by the king. They were sealed away in four separate locations.
Beyond the four sealing shrines, the tamer also erected energy-infused stakes around each site to reinforce the seals. Legend claimed only "pure-hearted individuals"—those free of distracting desires—could undo the seals and ultimately purify the Treasures of Ruin.
"Such important artifacts—since they're in textbooks, at least explain their danger to students——"
Aiden scratched his head helplessly.
In-game, the player character yanking out critical anchor points was one thing—but in the real Pokémon world? The same thing was happening!
Should he blame Naranja Academy's teachers for negligence… or just admire Chairwoman Geeta's astonishingly large heart?
Area Zero was already headache enough—what if students accidentally unleashed all four Treasures of Ruin? They wouldn't even have enough manpower to contain them——
How many stakes have students already pulled?
Anyway—he should inform Chairwoman Geeta immediately.
Without hesitation, Aiden placed the call.
To his surprise, the usually stern Chairwoman Geeta responded with unexpected calmness.
"You're already showing real Elite Four responsibility, Aiden."
"But come to think of it—if not for your reminder, I'd nearly forgotten you're not originally from Paldea. So it's natural you wouldn't know about this——"
Geeta paused briefly before continuing.
"No need to worry. This is actually League-sanctioned—and the reason is simple."
"Naranja Academy's founding is deeply tied to this history."
"According to that tamer's prophecy, 'pure-hearted individuals' likely refers precisely to these innocent students—children focused solely on battling."
"That's precisely why, 800 years ago, the Paldean royal family established the original Naranja Academy—to provide a stage for students' growth."
Hm?
Actually… that made sense.
After all, the treasures' rampage was directly tied to absorbing excessive human desire.
But still—this felt way too casual!
Though puzzled by Geeta's explanation, Aiden remained silent—listening as she continued.
"Even the annual 'Treasure Hunt' all freshmen must participate in… was originally designed to encourage them to remove the restraining stakes near the shrines."
"Though—after eight centuries, not a single student has actually managed to catch any of the four Calamities. So we've mostly left it to fate."
"As for the stakes themselves—don't worry. They automatically regenerate by next year. That was the tamer's built-in failsafe."
"Even if all surrounding stakes are removed, the Treasures of Ruin cannot escape their shrines—until they're fully purified and willingly caught by humans."
Geeta's tone carried casual assurance—giving Aiden a clearer picture.
"I understand."
Aiden acknowledged—then suddenly spoke up again.
"In that case… even if someone does catch the Four Calamities, it won't negatively impact the League, right?"
"Of course not. In fact—it'd be a good thing."
"As long as whoever catches them allows the League to study them briefly for sufficient data."
Geeta readily agreed—then offered a suggestion:
"Come to think of it—you're still quite young yourself. You might actually fit that tamer's prophecy. Why not try battling them?"
"Of course—if you're interested, I should give you some warnings first."
Her tone grew serious mid-sentence.
"According to historical records, the Four Treasures of Ruin aren't overwhelmingly powerful—but they do approach Legendary-tier strength."
"Moreover—defeating them is merely a prerequisite. To catch them, you must also purify the desires they embody. That is the fundamental reason none have been caught to this day."
"The Calamity nearest to you… should be Wo-Chien, sealed at the Grasswither Shrine. You could try seeing if you can even enter."
"With your skill level—you should be able to retreat safely even if you can't handle it."
Aiden didn't reply immediately.
The situation had clearly exceeded his expectations.
Truly—Chairwoman Geeta…
How did the responsibility for handling the Four Calamities get so smoothly dumped onto me after just a few sentences?!
I haven't even officially started as a temporary Elite Four—and I'm already being put to work?!
Still——
Aiden was tempted.
For one—the Four Calamities belonged to the Legendary Pokémon classification, likely unique existences.
For another—their prototypes were deeply connected to his homeland in his past life—instinctively fostering a sense of kinship.
If given the chance for close contact—or even capture—he'd certainly want to try.
As Professor Oak's designated "legendary figure," encountering more Legendaries was only natural!
Though… whether he truly qualified as a "pure-hearted individual" remained questionable.
"I'll give it a try."
After giving his answer, Aiden hung up—and began pondering.
According to the Pokédex descriptions from his past life, Wo-Chien's transformation into calamity stemmed from someone inscribing the king's wicked deeds onto wooden tablets—and being punished for it. Thus, the tablets became saturated with profound hatred.
Therefore—the method to purify Wo-Chien's desire was simple:
Didn't he just happen to have a specialist at home? A certain gluttonous Pokémon expertly designed to absorb emotions?
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