Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

"Yuu~!"

In the dream world, one could train inside labyrinths; in the real world, the Duel Arena offered a place to hone one's blade. Among those eager to test their skills here was Doublade. After much effort, it had finally learned Sacred Sword, and now it was time to show off!

Right here, in this arena!

Let's see who my opponent is—oh? Isn't that the Croagunk that always zones out by the roadside?

Sacred—Sword!

Its twin blades crossed, a gleaming arc of sword light condensed—and then...

BOOM! It shattered!

The sacred blade's glow exploded like glass, and the crowd of cheering Pokémon fell silent. All eyes stared, confused, at the Doublade that failed mid-attack. Even Doublade itself seemed puzzled.

Why can't I use it?

"Seems that last time was just a fluke," Hikaru said, rubbing his chin. "A surge of aura had heightened your focus. Now that you've lost that 'pure, calm heart,' you can't call forth Sacred Sword."

Before it became a widely-learnable move, Sacred Sword was the exclusive technique of the Swords of Justice. Its training was unlike ordinary moves. Even basic moves required rigorous practice to master and improve, let alone one like this.

Still stunned, Doublade was suddenly knocked into a spinning frenzy—Croagunk had leapt forward with X-Scissor! That Croagunk, often seen dazing off near the forest path, had just caught it off guard.

And after delivering the strike, Croagunk puffed up its cheeks and returned to a stance, waiting for the next opportunity. The other Pokémon began cheering again, as the atmosphere reignited.

"Yuu!"

Doublade had grown strong enough that regular wild Pokémon couldn't hurt it much—especially since it had a 4× resistance to Bug-types.

The damage was trivial—but its pride had definitely taken a hit.

Still, Doublade didn't lash out. Just as Hikaru expected it to go full "justice knight" and strike from the shadows... it simply scratched its hilt with a ribbon, blinked its eyes, and then… closed them.

"Tch," Croagunk let out a scoffing croak. It wasn't pleased. It flexed, muscle mass increasing—Bulk Up!—raising both its attack and defense. Then, CRACK! With sparks flying, it clashed its fists together and readied a devastating Thunder Punch!

"Whoa, wild Pokémon know some serious moves these days. Move Tutors have their hands full."

"Mmhmm… Doublade is trying to find that 'feeling' again..." Hikaru noticed the aura flowing from its body.

Through unique circumstances, Doublade had gained the ability to sense aura—a signature trait now.

"To become a true Sacred Sword wielder and Hero of the Rainbow, a pure and unwavering heart is essential. Perhaps it's correcting its hasty nature."

So… can a Pokémon's nature actually change?

Perhaps through reflection, experience, or life-changing events, they could mature or become aggressive—changing naturally, without using nature mints.

After all, those mints only altered stat gains, not true personality.

"Gu!"

Croagunk couldn't tell what Doublade was doing. Its fists surged with lightning. After watching it sit idly for a while, confirming it wasn't buffing up or anything… it struck!

BOOM! The Thunder Punch landed flush on Doublade's blade, but it didn't even budge. A layer of aura coated the blade, nullifying the blow's impact.

Doublade, still with its eyes closed, hovered motionless.

Croagunk paused, then—SMACK! SMACK!—unleashed a flurry of Thunder Punches! Dozens of strikes in just a minute! Lightning flew everywhere. Doublade tanked them all without flinching.

Croagunk gasped, cheeks puffed, forehead drenched in sweat.

Can't land a solid hit? This guy's just... tanking me?

Sure, Croagunk often daydreamed—but that didn't mean it slacked on training. Being able to laze about in Ecruteak's forest meant it had some real skills.

Its hands darkened—Knock Off!

A dark-type move that smacked away held items, dealing extra damage if the opponent carried something!

WHACK!—Doublade's "sheath" went flying.

"Hey, that's not a held item!" Hikaru chuckled.

Croagunk glanced at him, waved dismissively.

The thing jumped out of it—so of course it's an item!

Whatever. It only triggers bonus damage once. Hikaru shrugged and focused on the fight.

Dark moves were super effective. Doublade now bore real wounds—but even still, it continued to endure.

Then—something clicked.

Each dark-type strike seemed to trigger a spark deep within Doublade's blade. A pristine aura surged across its edge.

Fighting counters Dark—and symbolically, Sacred Sword is the embodiment of slaying evil.

Doublade recalled the moment Cobalion had cleaved through flames. The technique wasn't about flashy moves, but cutting through an opponent's attacks and energy.

Ghost-type traits granted incredible penetrative power—ghosts were immune to Normal and resisted few. Their wide coverage made them formidable.

Fighting moves, on the other hand, were raw power—high damage, devastating strikes.

Doublade's earlier readings, scrolls, and training now coalesced. It rediscovered its pure state. Twin "Sacred Swords" formed again before Croagunk's wide eyes.

"Gu?" Croagunk stepped back in shock. The crowd erupted in cheers—no one knew what the move was, but it looked cool and powerful, so that was good enough!

"Yuu!"

Doublade opened its eyes.

It had fully grasped the essence of Sacred Sword! Strong aura shaped the twin blades into luminous swords—dark violet mixed with silvery steel.

Then—

Sacred Sword—CANCELLED!

The swords began spinning wildly! Croagunk tried to shield itself—

BANG! The blast sent it flying into the wooden arena wall! It collapsed with spirals in its eyes.

"Reji—!"

On the stage, Regirock raised a fist—declaring the winner.

The audience of Pokémon roared even louder.

They didn't really care who won—as long as the fight was awesome.

The sacred aura faded from Doublade's swords. It clearly couldn't maintain the form for long.

"Maybe it's because Doublade wasn't supposed to learn aura. That made grasping Sacred Sword more difficult. What the Swords of Justice taught is different from what regular Pokémon receive."

Hikaru recalled the anime's depiction of Aegislash using Sacred Sword—a giant glowing slash that looked flashy but lacked finesse. In contrast, the Swords of Justice wielded their blades with elegance.

Perhaps the key difference lay not only in being Legendary Pokémon—but in the power of aura.

In Mystery Dungeon, the starting "light sphere" (Arceus) reads the player's aura, and its color varies by personality—affecting which Pokémon they become.

『Congratulations! Doublade has fully mastered the move Sacred Sword! This version, taught by the Swords of Justice and enhanced by aura, is vastly different from the standard one!』

『To earn the title of True Sacred Sword Warrior, one must travel to Unova, be acknowledged by the Three Swordsmen, challenge the strongest dragon Kyurem, and earn its recognition—after which, a special badge shall be granted.』

『Congratulations! Doublade also learned Close Combat through its intense training!』

『Due to its unique technique (combo-canceling), Close Combat is now Mastered!』

Move mastery had appeared before. It enhanced damage and demonstrated a Pokémon's complete proficiency—a signature move.

In ancient Hisui, mastered moves had extra effects: Strong Style and Agile Style.

"Yuu." Doublade wasn't celebrating. Instead, it floated over to Hikaru, requested a potion, and gently healed Croagunk—waking it up with a healing touch.

At first, it only wanted to show off. But failing to use Sacred Sword mid-fight forced some reflection.

"You switched gears fast, huh?"

"Yuu-woo! (Of course—I am a righteous knight!)"

Doublade waved its ribbons, narrating its spiritual journey.

"Yuu~ woo~ woo~"

A calm heart, a passionate swordsman, a sincere will. As the heart aligned, the aura followed.

Yes! No more arrogance—only purity. Let go of the desire to win, and focus on cutting through.

What mattered wasn't victory—but understanding purpose and righteousness.

"I'm impressed! You really took Cobalion's words to heart. That's some deep insight. You came up with that yourself?"

Being absent-minded had its perks—less likely to overthink. But still, for Doublade to reflect so clearly...

Could this be raw talent?

After all, it once sat in the same shop slot as the Four Beasts of Ruin. Surely it had some gift.

Suddenly, new info appeared in Hikaru's mind:

『Special Sacred Sword requires a "pure and calm heart" to use. When activated, Doublade's nature will shift. Its current nature is "Lax," but in Sacred Warrior state, it becomes "Brave."』

『In Sacred Warrior state, critical hit chance +2.』

"Sacred Warrior, huh? That's pretty neat. But what was that special badge again?" Hikaru wondered, then made a suggestion:

"Now that you've fully mastered Sacred Sword—how about we evolve next?"

"Want to use the Arceus statue first?"

Doublade had been training hard for this moment—eager to pull a strong move from the statue before evolving.

It looked nervous as Hikaru pulled out the statue from his bag. Of course the trainer was prepared.

Dusk Stone? Check. Statue? Check.

Time for the draw!

With a thud, Doublade's ribbon touched the Arceus statue.

"Yuu~woo!"

Please, oh god of creation! Behemoth Blade, please! Or at least Behemoth Bash! Let me yeet my shield at someone!

Hikaru chuckled at the muttering.

Even if Arceus liked it, such things weren't realistic. If it truly wanted Behemoth Blade, maybe it needed to become the Rusty Sword and receive Calyrex's blessing to channel that legendary power.

Without a king's worthiness, such techniques were out of reach.

Then—the music rang.

Ancient, powerful, transcendent. A melody that spanned millennia echoed within Doublade's soul.

And then—light engulfed it.

『Arceus's statue helped Doublade learn a powerful move!』

『Doublade learned Steel Beam!』

Steel Beam—a devastating beam of steel-energy that consumes half the user's max HP. Dubbed the strongest Steel-type move.

But… that recoil.

Its power (140) was immense—but firing part of one's own body explained the damage.

"Yuu!" Doublade was eager to try it—

"Hold it! You'll wreck the arena!" Hikaru yelled, halting it.

"Yuu..."

It calmed down. Upon understanding the move fully, it seemed a bit disappointed.

So strong—yet it hurts me too?

"Legendary warriors always save their beam for the finishing blow. Gotta seal the deal, right?"

Hikaru consoled it.

Honestly, Steel Beam was like a giant hero's finishing move—only used at the last moment. Open with that and miss? GG.

"If you want more custom attacks, we can improvise," Hikaru added.

"Behemoth Blade merges Zamazenta's rusted sword and armor. If we replicate that with props, maybe we can mimic it."

"Didn't you ask me to craft something like that? When we visit Galar, let's gather materials related to the Sword and Shield Kings."

"Or better—Gigaton Hammer? We can turn that into Gigaton Slash!"

"There are also many other cutting moves—Psyblade, Grudge Blade, Aqua Cutter, Mystical Blade, Decapitate, Wave Slash—you can probably mimic them in the Training Labyrinth."

Excited by the promises, Doublade zoomed through the air.

Now it was time—

Hikaru handed over the Dusk Stone. Without hesitation, Doublade grasped it with its ribbon.

Shwooo—

Blinding evolution light engulfed it.

『Doublade is evolving!』

Hikaru hummed the evolution BGM in his head, watching the shape twist and grow—until it became a golden greatsword!

『Congratulations! Doublade evolved into Aegislash!』

"Gehh—!"

Massive. Golden. With a broad blade, guard, and ridge. Its scabbard had vanished—replaced by a round golden shield with triple spiral marks.

The blade's edges were jagged, with two ribbon-arms. Its eyes glowed purple. Its arms and hands had become shadow-black and royal purple.

Aegislash—the Kingmaker.

Said to judge who is worthy of royalty. Those it deems fit become kings. It had followed many rulers, using its psychic power to sway minds, enforcing loyalty. Yet in the end, it would drain their life force, leading to ruin.

"So majestic... this sword is huge!"

Hikaru blinked. Wasn't this Aegislash larger than the anime version?

Could it be… a boss Pokémon?

"Gehh!" Aegislash roared joyfully.

Its previously split consciousness now fully merged—though it had already been syncing for a while.

That was growth.

『Aegislash learned King's Shield, Double-Edge, and Flash Cannon!』

『Due to mastering Sacred Sword with a pure heart, it also gained Shadow Claw, Hone Claws, Whisper, and Taunt!』

"Huh... it's so big." Hikaru looked at it floating above. An idea popped into his head—

Maybe… I could ride it?

In Alola, this thing would be a legit mount!

BEEP BEEP!

Hikaru suddenly noticed his PokéGear buzzing. He opened it quickly.

Besides new commissions and messages from clients—there was something more urgent.

Dozens of unread messages from Cynthia.

"Crap! I've been too focused on the arena and evolution—I forgot!"

She's already here? That's days ahead of schedule!

["I'm at the Shinto Ruins. Strange—I can't find your workshop."]

(End of Chapter)

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