Just as recorded in the legends of the King of Almia and the Three Princes, the black crystal was the source of darkness born from the king's heart, while the crystal formed from the Three Princes tears possessed the power to dispel darkness.
Next, as long as he could find the blue crystal and the yellow crystal, he would be able to fully dispel the power of the black crystal and help Darkrai regain its sanity!
"What did you do to the Shadow Crystal?!" Disbelief filled the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer's eyes.
The black crystal was a sacred treasure passed down through his tribe. He had never imagined that any power could weaken it!
Aven's eyes sharpened slightly at the name. So that's what it's called… the Shadow Crystal.
"Nothing much. I simply found a way to cleanse its darkness," Aven replied calmly, his voice steady, though inwardly he carried the newfound knowledge of the crystal's identity with a quiet resolve.
As he spoke, a special black Poké Ball appeared in his hand—one crafted from metal used in magical beast gear.
With a soft click, the Poké Ball opened, and a beam of white light shot out, gradually taking the form of Darkrai. At the same time Darkrai appeared, energy began to surge continuously from the black crystal.
Darkrai floated silently in midair. After sensing the power of the black crystal, it drifted toward Aven and hovered quietly beside him.
Although part of the black crystal's power had been expelled by the red crystal, it was still far from enough to free Darkrai completely from its influence.
Darkrai had yet to regain its rationality. It could only mechanically obey the commands issued through the black crystal. And since the black crystal was now in Aven's hand, Darkrai naturally followed Aven's commands.
At the same time Aven held the black crystal, he could feel waves of dark energy flowing into his body, establishing a peculiar connection between himself and Darkrai.
However, as the dark energy entered his body, the red crystal in his other hand simultaneously emitted a soft glow, purifying the darkness within him.
"It seems relying on the red crystal alone still isn't enough," Aven murmured, his gaze lingering on Darkrai.
Then, he slowly raised the black crystal and looked toward the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer in the distance. "Darkrai—Nightmare."
As his voice fell, Darkrai immediately moved. Nightmare energy gathered between its hands and surged toward the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer, enveloping him completely!
"Damn it! Don't come any closer, Darkrai! I am your true master!" terror filled the Grand Sorcerer's face.
He knew all too well what would happen if he were swallowed by Nightmare move—he would fall into horrifying dreams. This was his favorite method of tormenting his enemies, but he had no desire to experience it himself!
Darkrai, however, ignored his hysterical screams. The energy of the Nightmare spread outward, completely engulfing the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer.
"Damn it!" the Grand Sorcerer growled as his consciousness rapidly blurred, and he fell directly into a nightmare.
At the same time, Aven closed his eyes. Using the connection between himself and Darkrai, he entered the Grand Sorcerer's dream directly, observing everything within it from a third-person perspective.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly—or perhaps it passed in only an instant.
Aven slowly opened his eyes again, deep exhaustion evident within them.
"Aven, are you alright?" Mira immediately looked at him with concern.
"I'm fine. I just received too much information all at once. I'll be alright after a short rest."
Aven forced a smile, then retrieved his Poké Ball and recalled Darkrai back into it.
His gaze then shifted to the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer in the distance. Terror was etched deeply onto the sorcerer's face—he was clearly still trapped within his nightmare.
Aven looked away, placed both the black crystal and the red crystal into his backpack, and immediately sat down on the spot to meditate.
"Garde~"
Seeing this, Gardevoir closed her eyes as well. Psychic energy continuously gathered around her, transforming into waves of healing energy that enveloped Aven.
Heal Pulse had the effect of restoring mental fatigue, and it was obvious that the exhaustion on Aven's face eased significantly.
This finally allowed the other Pokémon nearby to relax. What worried them most was Aven's condition, especially since Darkrai's Nightmare power was involved.
"Sorry for making you worry. I'm much better now," Aven said as he opened his eyes and smiled at Gardevoir.
Lilligant, Froslass, Rhyperior, Heatran, and Azelf all let out sighs of relief. Then they looked at Aven with curiosity, clearly eager to know what he had seen.
"This Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer truly comes from the Almia Region."
"Later, the Sorcerer Organization found him and brought him to the Kalos Region, allowing him to obtain even greater power."
"When he came to the Sinnoh Region, his initial goal was to subdue Darkrai. Later, during their investigations, the Sorcerer Organization discovered a method on the Sinnoh Region to unseal the Demon God Hoopa."
"However, even the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer doesn't know the most crucial method for unsealing Hoopa. He only knows that the key lies with the Lake Guardian Trio."
"It seems that if we want more information, we'll have to find the brown-robed Grand Sorcerer—the one truly in charge," Aven sighed softly.
The brown-robed, blue-robed, and green-robed Grand Sorcerers all came from the distant Unova Region. This time, the brown-robed Grand Sorcerer was the chief leader of their operation in Sinnoh.
As Aven organized and recounted the information he had obtained, he also found it surprising that Darkrai had not been subdued by the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer in Almia, but rather in Canalvein City, located in the southwestern part of the Sinnoh Region.
Like Marina City, Canalvein City was a coastal city. Moreover, Canalvein City bordered Verityheart City, and unlike Marina City and Aspiration City, which were separated by the Coastal Mountains—Canalvein City and Verityheart City had frequent exchanges.
This was the extent of Aven's knowledge regarding Canalvein City and Verityheart City. As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Mira and Azelf, who undoubtedly knew much more about these places.
"Darkrai was discovered near Canalvein City by the Sorcerer Organization?" Azelf asked in surprise. Lake Verity was Mesprit's territory, yet it had never heard Mesprit mention this before.
"That's right. Of course, Darkrai's habitat wasn't entirely within Canalvein City—it was located in the wastelands nearby."
"It seems we must find an opportunity to travel to the other side of the Sinnoh Region. Now that we possess long-distance maritime capabilities, sailing along the coastline to Canalvein City won't be too difficult."
Aven made up his mind. Perhaps Darkrai's former habitat could provide him with even more information related to Darkrai. Moreover, according to legend, areas once inhabited by the Nightmare Pokémon often saw traces of the Lunar Pokémon.
Cresselia, the Lunar Pokémon—possessed the ability to dispel nightmares, including those caused by Darkrai. If someone tormented by nightmares gazed upon it, it could even heal the scars within their heart.
For this reason, Cresselia was often said to follow in Darkrai's footsteps, dispelling the nightmares Darkrai left behind. As a result, regions where Darkrai had lived often bore traces of Cresselia as well.
If he could find Cresselia near Canalvein City, there was a real chance he could use its power to awaken Darkrai's will. This had always been one of Aven's envisioned methods for saving Darkrai.
"Heading to Canalvein City?" A hint of anticipation appeared on Mira's face.
The lord of Verityheart City was also one of Sinnoh's three royal candidates, yet the two had never had the opportunity to meet. If she could accompany them this time, perhaps she would finally meet that ruler—an exciting prospect indeed.
"Yes, this matter should be placed on the agenda as soon as possible."
"Azure Town is currently preparing for maritime trade, and the prosperous Verityheart City would be an excellent trading partner."
Aven nodded. At the same time, he thought of Mesprit. The last time Mesprit had left in great haste, leaving them little chance to converse properly.
Once they reached Verityheart City, he would definitely visit Lake Verity to meet Mesprit properly and discuss matters related to intimacy, bonds, and emotional power.
This time, he had crushed the Sorcerer Organization, captured four Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, and obtained the Key Stone in the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer's possession—successfully assembling the complete set of Mega Evolution items.
Next, what he needed to do was research the power of Mega Evolution. And Mesprit, who governed emotional power, might be able to help him quickly activate the resonance between the Mega Stones and the Key Stone.
"At the same time, the Almia Region lies west of the Sinnoh Region. To travel from Aspiration City to Almia, one must pass through Canalvein City and Verityheart City."
Aven closed his eyes, recalling the memories he had extracted from the Black-Robed Grand Sorcerer. Within them, he found navigational routes connecting the Almia and Kalos Regions.
According to those memories, he was highly confident that he could successfully reach both the Almia and Kalos—opening exchanges between regions and spreading the Pokémon League system to those lands as well!
(End of Chapter)
TN: Heart City -> Verityheart City – supposedly near Lake Verity and probably Jubilife City
Water City -> Canalvein City – probably Canalave City
I hate the city names the author makes, all of them are AUs so every new chapter Chatgpt or Googletranslate will translate it to a different word and will leave me guessing if this is a new city or not. I'm even sure if Verityheart City is really a city but the translation sometimes refers to it as a city and sometimes as a lake.