Chapter Text
—Present Day—
“Bzz… Zzt zzt-zzz-zzz-zzz! (Wow… That’s incredible!)”
Rotom was very astonished after listening to Asta and Oshawott’s tale. The Plasma Pokémon can clearly tell that neither Asta nor Oshawott were joking around, so everything that happened back then must be true.
“Zzz zzz-zzz bzz bzz bzz zzt-zzt-zzz zzz zzt-zzt Bzz-zzz-zzz zzz zzz-zzz zzz-zzz-zzz zzz Zzt-zzt-zzz Bzz-zzz-zzz zzt zzt zzz zzz. (Not only did you guys encounter a Shiny Pokémon, you also encountered a Mythical Pokémon on the same day.)”
“Yep. Oshawott and I have been working our butts off after seeing how strong and cool they are,” Asta said with glee.
“Zzt zzz zzz Bzz-zzt-zzz zzt zzt Zzz-zzz-zzt zzt zzt zzz Zzz-zzz-zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz. (So it was Keldeo that made Oshawott want to learn Sacred Sword in the first place.)”
Oshawott nodded. “Osha osha osha wa wott-wott wa-wa wa osha! Wa wa osha Oshawott wa Oshta wa! (That’s why I am putting more effort into my training! So I could use Sacred Sword and keep Asta safe!)”
Rotom smiled wholeheartedly at Oshawott and turned to Asta.
“Zzt bzz zzz zzz zzz zzz-zzz bzz-bzz-bzz… (There is one thing I cannot overlook…)”
“Eh?”
Asta looked at Rotom with a confused expression. Then, the next thing he knew, Asta got zapped by Rotom’s Thunder Shock.
“AAAAAAAAH!”
“Oshta! (Asta!)”
Asta wailed loudly, while Oshawott watched in surprise. Rotom then stopped electrocuting Asta.
“What was that for, Rotom!?” Asta shouted.
“BZZ ZZT-ZZT-ZZT! (YOU IDIOT!)”
Asta and Oshawott are taken aback by Rotom’s outburst. They can tell that the Plasma Pokémon is angry. Really angry.
“Bzz zzz zzz zzt zzz-zzz bzz zzz-zzz zzz zzt!? Zzz zzz zzz bzz zzz-zzz-zzz zzt zzz bzz zzt zzt zzz zzz bzz zzz! (How could you put yourself in danger like that!? You could have been seriously hurt or killed if that tree landed on you!)”
“Wott wa Oshta wa… (Yeah, but Asta was…)”
“Bzz zzz zzz-zzt Zzz-zzz-zzt! (You be quiet, Oshawott!)”
“O-Osha… (O-Okay…)”
“Bzz zzz zzz-zzz bzz-zzz zzt Bzz-zzt-zzz zzz zzz bzz. Bzz zzz zzz zzz zzt zzt-zzz zzt zzz bzz zzz Zzt-zzz zzt zzz zzz zzt bzz zzz zzz-zzz zzt zzt. Zzz zzz zzt zzz zzz zzt zzt bzz zzt zzz zzz zzz bzz-zzz zzz zzt zzz zzz. Zzt zzt!? (You were really lucky that Keldeo saved your life. I know you were just trying to help the two Thievul, but you need to be more careful next time. Now I don’t want you to put yourself into any more danger like that again. Got it!?)”
“Y-Yeah… Got it,” Asta said nervously, knowing what Rotom was telling him.
“Bzz. (Good.)”
Asta sighed in relief after Rotom had calmed down. As much as he doesn’t want to make anyone else worry, Asta would always come rushing to other’s aid, even if he gets hurt in the process. Just like when he rescued Yuno 10 years ago.
“Ready to go home, you guys?” Asta asked.
“Wott. (Yeah.)”
“Bzz zzz zzz. (Let’s go home.)”
As Asta was about to jump off the tree branch, he spotted someone who’s near the Grimoire Tower.
“Hm? Hey, that’s…”
The person standing idly in front of the entrance to the Grimoire Tower is none other than Yuno. And standing right beside him is Dartrix. They were both simply staring at the Grimoire Tower until they sensed the presence of two people and two Pokémon right behind them. They turned around and saw the two young nobles and their respective Persian from earlier. The blonde noble and Perseus are glaring aggressively at Yuno and Dartrix. The light brown haired noble and Percy, on the other hand, are looking nervous and are more concerned about their friends’ behavior.
“H-Hey, don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too far?” The light browned haired noble asked his friend worriedly.
“Nya purr nya. Nya nya purr purr nya nya purr purr nya. (Master’s right. I don’t think we should be doing this.)”
“Nya purr purr purr! (Silence, Percy!)”
The blonde noble and Perseus glared and growled at their friends, causing them to flinch.
“We should’ve been the stars who outshines everyone else today!” The blonde noble exclaimed as he turned his attention back to Yuno. “But that guy ruined that! He’s nothing but a peasant, yet he gets the four-leaf clover!? I’ll make him pay!”
“Wait!”
The light brown haired noble tried to stop his friend, but he wouldn’t listen to him. The blonde noble opened his grimoire, causing it to glow a fiery light.
“I’ll turn that precious grimoire of his into ash!”
The blonde noble unleashed his flame magic on Yuno, but before it could land a hit, Yuno used his magic to create a powerful tornado around him and Dartrix without using his grimoire. Thanks to Yuno’s magic, the flame magic didn’t cause damage to him or Dartrix. The two nobles and two Persian are all taken aback. And so are Asta, Oshawott, and Rotom, who have been watching the whole thing from the tree branch.
“He blocked my flames without even using his grimoire!” The blonde noble shouted incredulously as he regained his composure and turned to Perseus. “Perseus, destroy his grimoire with Night Slash!”
“Nya purr purr! (With pleasure!)”
Perseus ran towards Yuno as he leaped high and the claws of his right forepaw turned pitch-black. But just before Perseus could pounce on Yuno, Dartrix used Leaf Storm on him, causing tremendous damage on the Alolan Persian.
“Nyaaaa!”
Perseus screamed in pain and fell onto the ground. The Alolan Classy Cat Pokémon tried standing back up, but he doesn’t have enough strength to fight any further due to taking so much damage from Leaf Storm. As a result, Perseus fainted and was unable to battle.
“Perseus!”
The blonde noble rushed to his Pokémon’s side, with his friend and Percy following him from behind. The light brown haired noble and his Pokémon stared at Yuno and Dartrix with an astonished look on their faces.
“That guy didn’t even order his Pokémon to fight… And yet, that Dartrix protected him and took down Perseus with only one move…”
“Purr… purr purr purr… (This… This is unbelievable…)”
The blonde noble realized that he had no chance of beating Yuno as he began to lose his composure again. Running out of options, he looked at the light brown haired noble with a desperate expression.
“D-Don’t just stand there! Do something!”
“But…”
Perseus, who had just regained his consciousness, stared back at Percy.
“Purr nya nya purr! (Help us out, Percy!)”
“Nya… (I…)”
“Do it!”
“Nya! (Now!)”
The light brown haired noble and Percy flinched at their friend’s outburst. They stare at Yuno and Dartrix once more, but they’re too hesitant to attack them. They know their friends are very upset about being outshined by a peasant with a four-leaf clover, but neither of them have what it takes to defeat Yuno and Dartrix. Also, it wouldn’t be right to attack someone and destroy their grimoire, even if they are a peasant. Just then, metal chains suddenly spring from the walls outside of the Grimoire Tower.
“Wh-What the…!?”
“WAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Nya purr! (Master!)” Perseus and Percy shouted in unison.
The light brown haired noble and the blonde noble got ambushed and are tied up to the walls by the chains, with the former getting knocked out and the latter looking at the chains in fear. Perseus and Percy are both completely shocked by the sudden appearance of the chains, along with Yuno, Dartrix, Asta, Oshawott, and Rotom.
“What’s going on here?” Asta muttered in bewilderment.
Things are getting more and more strange when everyone suddenly hears footsteps.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. Destroying that grimoire would be such a waste.”
“Nya? (Huh?)” Percy muttered in confusion.
“Nya… nya purr…? (Who… goes there…?)” Perseus said as he rose back up.
The two Classy Cat Pokémon spotted a man who’s coming their way. Or rather, the man was walking toward Yuno. The man in question was the one who summoned the chains, which are his magic attribute. He was also inside the Grimoire Tower earlier, watching the participants receiving their grimoires from the shadows. Once the man stopped walking, everyone got a clear look on what he looked like. He has a tall and slender body. He has messy and wavy, long black hair. He’s wearing a black full bodysuit and a dark red cloak. He also has a grimoire of his own and a burn mark on the left side of his face. He took a glimpse at the blonde noble, who flinched at both his cold gaze and his burn mark.
“Don’t bother. Resisting will be a waste of your time. My Chain Magic: Magic-Binding Iron Chain Formation restricts the magic and movements of those it captures,” he clarified with a menacing look on his face.
The Chain Magic mage then hears growling noises. He turned and saw Perseus and Percy, growling at him. The two Classy Cat Pokémon are clearly upset at the Chain Magic mage for attacking their masters. However, the Chain Magic mage didn’t falter–he just continued smiling and threw two Poké Balls up in the air. Both Poké Balls have opened, letting out Dhelmise and Seviper.
“Dhel.”
“Seviper.”
Dhelmise, the Sea Creeper Pokémon, is a Ghost and Grass type Pokémon that is made up of a ship’s wheel and an anchor, held together by a mass of green seaweed. The seaweed is actually Dhelmise’s true body, and it partially envelops the thick, curved bottom of the anchor, leaving empty spaces that resemble sharp teeth. The seaweed continues upward to cover the thin shank of the anchor and the spindle of the wheel. Five individual strands of seaweed stick out from the small hub like a star. The anchor is a rusty brown mottled with dark spots, and the ship’s wheel is lavender on the outside with a yellow inner rim. A compass, which resembles an eye, is set into the yellow ring-shaped component on one side of the wheel.
Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokémon, is a Poison-type serpentine Pokémon. He usually scrunches up like an accordion. His entire body is mostly covered in black scales with several markings; there are yellow hexagon markings that run from his head to his tail, small yellow bumps where it touches the ground, and various purple scar-like marks. Seviper has elongated red fangs protruding from his upper jaw and fierce red eyes. His tail is shaped like a blade and is partially red.
One look at Dhelmise and Seviper made Perseus and Percy feel uneasy. Even Rotom, who is good at analyzing other people, Pokémon, and things, could tell that Dhelmise and Seviper are more experienced in battle than the two Classy Cat Pokémon. However, Perseus and Percy regained their composure and ran toward the Chain Magic mage in hopes of saving their captive Trainers.
“Seviper, use Poison Tail. And Dhelmise, use Anchor Shot,” The Chain Magic mage said to his Pokémon.
Seviper jumps toward Perseus as his tail begins to glow purple and makes a direct hit on the Alolan Persian. After taking damage from Seviper’s Poison Tail, along with the damage taken from Dartrix’s Leaf Storm from earlier, Perseus got knocked out in an instant. As for Dhelmise, it shoots its chain toward Percy, wrapping the Kantonian Persian with its chains and inflicting tremendous damage on him. Even though it was just one hit, Percy got taken down instantly. Both Perseus and Percy have been defeated by the Chain Magic mage’s Pokémon.
“Good work, you two,” The Chain Magic mage said.
“Perseus! Percy!” The blonde noble cried as he desperately began calling for help. “Someone! Anyone! Please help–”
The Chain Magic mage knocked the blonde noble out cold by hitting him once on the head with one of the chains he summoned.
“Sorry about that. I just don’t want you to cause any ruckus. But don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you or anybody here. Now then…”
The Chain Magic mage turned to Yuno, who’s clearly cautious of him. He then immobilized Yuno by using Magic-Binding Iron Chain Formation once more and used another chain to snatch the four-leaf clover grimoire.
“I’ll be taking that. That’s what the man of the day gets for lingering around here for too long,” he said as he took Yuno’s grimoire.
“That jerk…!” Asta muttered angrily, still watching from the tree branch.
“Who the hell are you?” Yuno asked the Chain Magic mage as he remained being stoic and cautious.
“Heh heh heh… Until recently, I was once a well-known Magic Knight called Revchi of Chain Magic. But as you can see, I’ve been kicked out. Now, I’m just a wretched ol’ thief.”
“But why bother steal my grimoire? It’s meaningless. Only those–”
“Only those who have been chosen to be the owner can use a grimoire,” Revchi interrupted Yuno. “However, there are plenty of underground collectors who would gladly pay a ton of money for a four-leaf clover grimoire. You may have been chosen by the four-leaf clover, but you’re still a little hatchling who just received a grimoire. How unfortunate for you that I happened to be here. Your legend will be over before it could even begin!”
Even with his eyes closed, Dartrix is glowering at Revchi for taunting Yuno. And it’s not just Dartrix–Asta, Oshawott, and Rotom are also glaring at Revchi from a distance. But before Asta and the others could jump in and save Yuno, Dartrix flapped his wings and flew straight to Revchi so he could retrieve Yuno’s grimoire.
“Dartrix, wait!” Yuno shouted.
Revchi smirked. “Hmph. Such a brave Pokémon. Too bad it won’t stand a chance against my Dhelmise and Seviper. Take it down.”
Dhelmise and Seviper nodded simultaneously as they both charged at Dartrix. Dhelmise used Anchor Shot, but Dartrix evaded the move and used Leaf Storm.
“Flamethrower,” Revchi said to Seviper.
Seviper used Flamethrower by spewing fire out of his mouth. Flamethrower has easily weakened Leaf Storm by burning the leaves and landed a direct hit on Dartrix. The Fire-type move was super effective, but Dartrix hasn’t lost yet. The Blade Quill Pokémon aims for Revchi’s left hand that is holding Yuno’s grimoire and uses Leafa*ge. However, Seviper was quick enough to slice Leafa*ge in half with Poison Tail. Unbeknownst to Dartrix, Dhelmise used Anchor Shot to attack him from behind without him noticing.
“Dartrix, look out!” Yuno cried.
Dartix turned his head around, but it was already too late for him. He got attacked from behind by Dhelmise’s Anchor Shot. Taking so much damage from Flamethrower and Anchor Shot has greatly weakened Dartrix. Revchi took this opportunity to finish off Dartrix.
“Now, Seviper! Finish Dartrix off with Poison Tail!” Revchi shouted.
“Viper! (Yes, sir!)”
Seviper swung his poisonous tail at Dartrix, which is both super effective and critical. Seviper’s attack was so powerful that it sent Dartrix flying. Dartrix landed harshly on the ground next to Yuno.
“Dartrix!” Yuno cried.
“Dartrix! / Wott-wott! (Dartrix!)” Asta and Oshawott cried in unison.
“Bzz zzz… (Oh no…)” Rotom mumbled.
To make matters worse, Dartrix got poisoned from Poison Tail.
“Damn it! You’re poisoned!” Yuno cursed, worried about his Pokémon.
“Heh heh heh! Your Pokémon put up a good fight, but I’m afraid the match is over! You lost the battle, and now you’re going to lose your grimoire!” Revchi said, gloating at Yuno.
Yuno clenched his teeth and glowered at Revchi, along with Asta, Oshawott, and Rotom. Revchi then noticed Yuno’s pendant with an intrigued look on his face.
“Oh ho! That pendant looks like it’s worth a lot of money, too. I’ll be taking that as well…” Revchi said as he’s about to walk closer to Yuno.
Unable to watch and do nothing any longer, Asta jumped off the tree.
“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” he screamed with all his might until he bumped into the wall and fell onto the ground.
“Oshta! (Asta!)” Oshawott cried as he also jumped off the tree, only for him to roll in midair and roll on the ground until his face hit the wall.
“B-Bzz zzz zzz zzz-zzt? (A-Are you guys okay?)” Rotom asked while it’s heading toward Asta and Oshawott with a sweatdrop on its face.
Despite all the mishap, Asta and Oshawott quickly rose up and glared at Revchi.
“What do you think you’re doing, you thief!? / Wott wott osha Oshawott osha!? (What do you think you’re doing, you thief!?)” Asta and Oshawott exclaimed in unison.
“Z… Zzz zzz. Zzt… Zzt zzz-zzz. (O… Oh, wow. They’re… They’re okay.)” Rotom whispered in bewilderment.
“Asta! Oshawott! Rotom!” Yuno shouted.
“Coo… Coo hoo hoo hoot… (Wh… Why are you guys…)” Dartrix mumbled weakly due to taking so much damage and being poisoned.
Revchi stared at Asta and sneered. “Oh, I remember you. You’re the sad, pathetic lad who didn’t even get a grimoire.”
Oshawott and Rotom glowered at Revchi, who’s obviously making fun of Asta for not getting a grimoire during the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony. However, Asta isn’t completely bothered by Revchi’s insult. He’s more upset at him and his Pokémon for taking Yuno’s grimoire and injuring Dartrix.
“Oh, so you saw that, huh! Yeah, that’s right! I’m that sad, pathetic little kid! A grimoire is a precious thing that belongs to its rightful owner! Now give it back to Yuno, you big jerk!” Asta demanded.
Oshawott nodded in agreement and glared at Dhelmise and Seviper.
“Wott osha osha Wott-wott wott Oshawott. Osha osha Oshawott Oshawott wott wott wott wott! (What you both did to Dartrix was unforgivable. I’ll show you guys what a real Pokémon battle is like!)”
Revchi, Dhelmise, and Seviper all chuckled in amusem*nt.
“The outside world is a place where wicked deeds such as this can be overlooked. But you’ll be dead before you have a chance to see that world for yourself, lad.”
“Dhel dhel-dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel. (Any Pokémon can fight however they want in battle, whether they were ordered to or not.)”
“Sev vi vi vi viper sev sev Seviper vi Seviper viper sev vi Seviper. (Too bad you won’t get the chance to experience a Pokémon battle in the outside world.)”
One look at Revchi and his Pokémon made Yuno and Dartrix feel uneasy, especially when a page from Revchi’s grimoire began to shine. Yuno and Dartrix turned to Asta and the others to warn them about what’s coming.
“Asta, Oshawott, run!” Yuno cried.
Despite his condition, Dartrix slowly got up and turned to Rotom.
“Hoot-hoo… coo coo-coo hoo hoot… Hoot hoot hoo hoot coo coo coo hoo hoo hoot…! (Rotom… don’t worry about us… Take those two with you and get out of here…!)”
Rotom was reluctant to leave Yuno and Dartrix behind, but it nodded in acknowledgement and was about to convince Asta and Oshawott to run. However…
“No way.”
“Wott wott osha Oshawott osha. (We’re not leaving anyone behind.)”
Rotom can tell that Asta and Oshawott are not backing down. The Plasma Pokémon smiled and decided to back them up instead.
“I’m not going to run away from a disgraced bastard like him!” Asta exclaimed while sprinting toward Revchi.
“Oshawott wott wott osha Oshawott Oshawott wott wott osha! (And I won’t back down against his Pokémon, no matter how strong they are!)” Oshawott exclaimed while he took out his scalchop and sprinted with Asta.
“I may be a thief, but I was also a Magic Knight back in the day. A mere boy such as yourself is simply no match for me!”
Revchi summoned numerous chains with blades attached to each of them and lunged them to Asta and Oshawott. However, Asta and Oshawott have evaded the chains with ease. Despite that, Revchi hasn’t lost his nerves.
“I’ll take care of the boy. You two take care of his little partner,” Revchi said to both Dhelmise and Seviper.
“Dhel! (Right!) / Vi (Right!)” Dhelmise and Seviper answered simultaneously.
While Asta’s running to Revchi, both the Sea Creeper Pokémon and the Fang Snake Pokémon lunged themselves at Oshawott in order to stop him from reaching their Trainer.
“Osha Oshawott! (Get out of my way!)” Oshawott shouted.
“Viper viper sev Seviper. (I don’t think so, you little brat.)” Seviper replied.
“Dhel dhel dhel-dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel dhel. (Just like earlier with that Dartrix, it’s two-against-one.)” Dhelmise said.
“Bzz zzt zzt-zzt-zzt! (Make that two-against-two!)” Rotom said as it used Thunder Shock to attack Dhelmise and Seviper; the former was able to evade the Electric-type move, but only the latter got zapped.
Seviper glowered at Rotom. “Viper…! (Why you…!)”
“Bzz zzt zzz bzz Zzz-zzz-zzt. Zzt zzt zzt! (I’ve got your back, Oshawott. Let’s do this!)”
“Osha Osha! (Thanks, Rotom!)”
With Rotom fighting by Oshawott’s side, the odds are now even. Oshawott used Tail Whip to lower Dhelmise and Seviper’s defense and proceeded to attack the latter with his scalchop. Seviper got hit, but Oshawott’s attack hardly did a lot of damage.
“Sev. Viper Seviper? (Hmph. Is that all you got?)” Seviper asked as he began to retaliate. He used his long body to constrict Oshawott by using Wrap, a Normal-type move that wraps and gradually squeezes the target.
“OSHA!” Oshawott cried in pain.
“Zzz-zzz-zzt! (Oshawott!)” Rotom yelled, trying to use Thunder Shock to stop Seviper. However, Rotom got hit by Dhelmise’s Power Whip.
“Dhel dhel dhel dhel. (You’re facing me now.)” Dhelmise said to Rotom.
With Dhelmise blocking the way, Rotom had no choice but to fight the Sea Creeper Pokémon. Since Ghost-type moves are super effective against Ghost-type Pokémon, Rotom used Shadow Ball on Dhelmise, who is part Ghost. But Dhelmise easily dodged Shadow Ball and used Phantom Force. By using Phantom Force, Dhelmise vanished somewhere, causing Rotom to wonder where and when Dhelmise will strike. And then, out of nowhere, Dhelmise appeared right in front of Rotom and attacked. The impact of Phantom Force sent Rotom flying as it crashed onto the ground next to Yuno.
“Rotom!” Yuno cried.
“O… sha…! (Damn… you…!)” Oshawott cursed while being squeezed by Seviper.
“Vi Viper~. Vi vi vi Seviper viper vi viper vi vi viper. (Ah ah ah~. I should be more worried about your Trainer, if I were you.)” Seviper said, eyeing Asta.
Oshawott gasped and glimpsed at Asta. “Oshta…! (Asta…!)”
Asta continues to run toward Revchi while dodging the chains. He successfully managed to get behind Revchi and attempted to attack him with his right fist, but he got caught by the chains. Revchi noticed something amiss when the chains touched Asta, but he put that aside for the time being.
“This isn’t over…! I’m not done yet!” Asta yelled as he struggled to take one step toward Revchi while being constricted by the chains.
“No… You’re finished,” Revchi said as he unleashed an offensive spell on Asta by controlling the chains that didn’t bind him. “Dance of the Pitless Viper!”
A barrage of Revchi’s chains attacked Asta as if they were ferocious snakes jumping in to snatch their prey. Asta received one more blow from the chains to his gut.
“Gaaah…!” Asta coughed in pain as he was sent flying by the impact of Revchi’s chains and crashed into the walls. Wha… What a heavy blow… So this is the power of mages from outside this village. There’s no way I can defeat people like him with just my physical training.
“Oshta! (Asta!)” Oshawott wailed as he struggled to escape from Seviper’s clutches. “Oshawott! (Let me go!)”
“Seviper. (If you insist.)” Seviper said as he threw Oshawott to Dhelmise. “Seviper viper! (He’s all yours, Dhelmise!)”
With Oshawott being thrown to Dhelmise’s way, the Sea Creeper Pokémon used Power Whip on the Sea Otter Pokémon. Not only is Power Whip super effective against Oshawott, it also broke the top half of the scalchop. The force of Power Whip sent Oshawott flying as he fell onto the ground, along with his broken scalchop.
“Wa… Wa wott… (So… So strong…)”
Oshawott got constricted by Seviper again. At the same time, Revchi walks up to the injured Asta and stomps on his left shoulder with his right foot.
“You see, lad? You’re no match for me. But I’ll admit, you put up a good fight until the end,” Revchi cackled.
“It’s not over. I’m not finished yet… I’m going to be… the Wizard King,” Asta whispered without even looking at Revchi.
“What was that? You’re going to be the Wizard King?” Revchi asked mockingly.
“Yeah… I have worked hard for a really long time to make my dream a reality. Even if I don’t have a grimoire today… being the Wizard King is the one thing I’ll never give up on,” Asta declared.
Revchi cackled again. “I see… Well, since you worked so hard, let me tell you exactly why you should give up. These chains can tell me the magical power of anyone they touch. And you have absolutely no magic at all.”
Asta was completely shocked when Revchi confirmed that he doesn’t have any magical power within him.
“You must’ve been born that way. No wonder you couldn’t receive a grimoire or even use magic. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be born without magic in a world where magic and Pokémon are everything. It almost makes me pity you,” Revchi said while cackling loudly.
“Oshawott wott! (Shut your damn mouth!)”
Revchi turned his head and looked at Oshawott, who shouted just now and glared intensely at him, while keeping his right foot on Asta’s left shoulder. However, Revchi wasn’t intimidated by Oshawott’s glare. Instead, he just thought of something.
“Come to think of it, your little partner only used Tail Whip back in the tower and during our battle,” Revchi said to Asta as he pulled out a magic item. “Does it even have other moves? Only one way to find out.”
Yuno takes a look at the magic item in Revchi’s right hand and realizes what it is.
“That’s… a Pokétome. ”
A Pokétome is a magic item that physically resembles a hand-sized grimoire, but it works rather differently. What a Pokétome does is magically record a Pokémon’s data with a Scanner Stone, a small gemstone that’s embedded on the back cover. The user’s magic is required to activate the Pokétome. Once activated, the Scanner Stone will lit and analyze the Pokémon. After the analysis is complete, records of the Pokémon will magically fill in the blank pages of the Pokétome. The user can scan Pokémon as many times as they can for any revision of the specific data, such as the Pokémon’s Ability, gender, moves, height, and weight. Having a Pokétome around is handy for every Trainer and Magic Knight.
Revchi uses his own magic to activate his Pokétome and analyze Oshawott. Once the scanning is complete, Revchi’s Pokétome opens up on its own. An illustration and written records of an Oshawott magically appear on two pages. Revchi looks at the written records of Oshawott, which says:
0501: Oshawott
Sea Otter Pokémon
Type: Water
“This Pokémon fights with the scalchop that is placed on its stomach. Not only is the scalchop used for fighting, it is also used to crack hard berries.”
Specific data of this Pokémon
Ability: Torrent
Gender: Male
Height: 1’8”
Weight: 13 lbs
Move(s): Tail Whip
Revchi cackled. “What’s this? It only has Tail Whip? That Oshawott doesn’t even have a single attack move whatsoever.”
“Wott…? (What…?)”
Just like Asta, Oshawott was completely shocked by the revelation. Dhelmise and Seviper are both laughing at Oshawott, along with their Trainer.
“Oh, this is just too perfect,” Revchi said as he put his Pokétome away and looked at Asta again. “Don’t tell me that you’ve been battling other Pokémon with that Oshawott for such a long time. If so, that makes me pity you even more. I may not know how long the two of you have been together, but I can imagine that the little blue runt can only use Tail Whip since the day it was born. Not only is there a boy like you who can’t use magic, there is also a Pokémon that can’t even use one attack move as well. Oh, what a delightful surprise! Hahahahahahahaha!”
Asta and Oshawott are too shocked to say or do anything. Neither of them could move or make Revchi take back what he said. His words about them not having any magic or an attack move really took them both by surprise. Asta in particular can feel his hands trembling slightly.
What? What the hell…?
For the first time in their lives, Asta and Oshawott are beginning to feel utterly hopeless. Both of them have lost the will to fight. Feeling absolutely lost, Asta and Oshawott have their eyes half-closed.
Heh heh… Then no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to use magic…
No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to use Sacred Sword or any attack move…
“I never thought someone as pathetic as you two would actually exist. You certainly won’t ever become the Wizard King or even find a job. And your little partner will never win in any Pokémon battle if it can’t learn one attack move. I’m sure your friends, the great genius and his feathered companion, have been making fun of you two as well.”
Revchi continues to mock Asta and Oshawott as he repeatedly stomps on the former’s left shoulder.
Seviper drew his face closer to Oshawott. “Viper viper? Vi vi viper vi viper? Vi vi viper. Viper viper Seviper vi. (What’s the matter? You’re not going to fight back. Oh, wait, you can’t. You can’t use an offensive move.)”
“Dhel dhel dhel-dhel dhel-dhel dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel. (And your only weapon over there is broken.)” Dhelmise said mockingly, eyeing on Oshawott’s broken scalchop.
Neither Asta nor Oshawott are fighting back. As a matter of fact, they actually agree with Revchi and his Pokémon.
Yeah, maybe. Yuno’s so amazing that he was chosen by the four-leaf clover. Compared to him, I… I’m probably getting in his way just by being around him.
Dartrix is so great that he learned a powerful move and evolved before me. I, on the other hand, couldn’t do any of that or even win in a Pokémon battle.
Oshawott must be really disappointed in me. Heh. Of course he is. I don’t have any magic within me, after all. I don’t deserve to be his Trainer…
Of course Asta’s disappointed in me. I couldn’t learn a single attack move for 15 years. I don’t deserve to be his Pokémon…
“There isn’t a single thing you and your Oshawott could do in this world. You two should just give up on everything right away. Both of you were born to be worthless losers!” Revchi shouted, with Dhelmise and Seviper cackling.
He’s right. No matter how much effort I put in, I guess there are some things that can’t be helped.
No matter how much effort I put in, I’ll never catch up to Dartrix, Honedge, or Keldeo.
Asta and Oshawott closed their eyes, ready to accept their defeat.
I… I might as well just give…
“Hey! / Hoot! (Hey!)”
Just before Asta and Oshawott were about to give up on everything, Yuno and Dartrix interjected.
“Who are you calling worthless losers?”
“Hoo hoot-hoo-hoo hoot… coo coo hoot-hoot hoo-hoo… coo coo hoot! (If anyone here… is a worthless loser… it’s you three!)”
Revchi, Dhelmise, and Seviper all turned their attention to Yuno and Dartrix, who are both looking at the depressed Asta and Oshawott.
“Asta…”
“Hoo-coo-hoot… (Oshawott…)”
“It’s true that you won’t ever become the Wizard King, no matter what.”
“Coo coo-coo hoo hoot… hoo hoo… hoo hoo-hoo hoo coo coo hoot-hoo-hoo hoot-hoot. (No matter how hard… you try… you’ll never win in a Pokémon battle.)”
Revchi snickered. “You hear that? Even your friends are telling you that it’s impossible.”
“Sev! Seviper vi viper? (Ha! Why am I not surprised?)”
“Dhel dhel dhel dhel-dhel-dhel-dhel dhel dhel dhel dhel dhel. (Of course it’s impossible for the likes of you.)”
There was no response from either Asta or Oshawott. However, Yuno and Dartrix weren’t done talking yet.
“That’s because I’m the one who’s going to be the Wizard King!”
“Hoot coo-coo coo… hoot hoot hoo hoot-hoot hoo hoo… coo coo-coo-hoo hoot! (That’s because I… don’t plan on losing to you… or anyone else!)”
Hearing Yuno and Dartrix say that made Revchi and his Pokémon puzzled. Just then, Rotom regained its consciousness and slowly rose up from the ground.
“Bzz zzz zzz Zzz-zzt zzz Zzz-zzz-zzt zzz zzz zzz-zzz zzz zzz. Zzt zzz zzz zzt-zzt zzz bzz-zzz-zzz zzz bzz bzz. Zzz-zzt zzz zzt zzt zzt zzt bzz bzz bzz-zzz zzz-zzz zzt zzt zzz zzz-zzz bzz bzz. Zzz Zzz-zzz-zzt zzz zzz-zzz bzz bzz bzz zzz-zzz zzz-zzz-zzz zzz-zzz zzz zzt zzt zzt zzz zzz zzt zzt bzz-zzz-zzt. Bzz bzz-zzz zzz-zzt zzt zzt zzt Zzz-zzt zzz Zzz-zzz-zzt zzz zzz zzt zzt bzz bzz! (I have known Asta and Oshawott for a really long time. They both worked harder than anyone else I know. Asta has what it takes to be a better Magic Knight than you ever once were. And Oshawott will never back down to any Pokémon, even if they are strong or have the type advantage. I believe without a doubt that Asta and Oshawott can make their dreams come true!)”
Rotom’s declaration actually made Asta and Oshawott open their eyes, albeit halfway. Revchi and his Pokémon, however, are rather baffled; the former doesn’t even know what Rotom was saying. As for Yuno and Dartrix, they both smiled proudly at Rotom and glared at Revchi once more.
“Asta is no loser.”
“Hoo-coo-hoot croo croo hoo-hoo. (Oshawott is no loser.)”
“Asta is…”
“Hoo-coo-hoot coo… (Oshawott is…)”
Before they finish their statements, Yuno and Dartrix are beginning to remember the day they were both saved by Asta and Oshawott. The day they all made a promise together. The day the two pairs became rivals.
—10 Years Ago—
It was a dark and snowy night at the Forsaken Realm. The five year old Yuno was entrusted by Father Orsi, who went to one of the neighboring villages to ask the mayor to spare him enough food for the church to make it through the winter, to deliver a very important letter to the mayor of another village. Rowlet is, of course, accompanying Yuno so he wouldn’t have to be alone. Yuno and Rowlet made it to the village and delivered the letter to the mayor. Afterwards, both of them are heading back home to Hage.
On the way home, however, Yuno accidentally bumped into a man with short dirty blonde hair. Yuno apologized, but the man didn’t mutter a single word. The man just stood still with a grin on his face, which Yuno and Rowlet find absolutely disturbing. He knelt down and placed his left hand on Yuno’s right shoulder. At first, it might seem like it was a reassuring pat on the shoulder; however, it was anything but that.
The man socked Yuno on his abdomen with his right fist, causing the latter to kneel down and writhe in pain. With Yuno on his knees, the man took that opportunity to take the pendant off of the boy’s neck. It was no mere accident–the man was planning to steal Yuno’s pendant so he could exchange it for money.
“That’s my pendant… Give it back…” Yuno said with a painful expression.
The thug snickered. “No can do, kid. I’m gonna exchange this jewelry for some cash.”
“Give me back my pen–”
Unfortunately for Yuno, he got kicked by the thug just before he could finish his sentence. The blow from the kick knocked Yuno down onto the snowy ground.
“Hoo-hoo! (Yuno!)” Rowlet cried as he quickly flew to his Trainer.
“Hmph, what a miserable little brat,” The thug said mockingly. “Something this extravagant is too nice for a poor orphan like you to have.”
Rowlet glared at the thug as he flew toward him to get Yuno’s pendant back.
“Coo hoot hoot hoot hoo Hoo-hoo hoot hoot! (You give it back to Yuno right now!)”
“You want it back? You’ll have to go through my Cacturne first!”
The thug tossed a Poké Ball in the air, letting out a Pokémon called Cacturne.
“Cacturne.”
Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokémon, is a Grass and Dark type Pokémon that resembles a green scarecrow made of cacti. Cacturne’s face has two big holes where his yellow eyes go, and six smaller holes that represent a grinning mouth. Numerous spikes are sticking out of his arms, legs, and around his neck. Because Cacturne is male, three small dark green rhombi extend down the front of his body. On top of Cacturne’s head is what appears to be a dark green hat with spiky tips. One look at Cacturne made Rowlet feel uneasy, but the latter shook his head rapidly.
“Hoo… Hoo hoo hoo hoot-hoot! Hoo hoot hoot hoot Hoo-hoo hoo-hoot hoot. Coo coo coo hoot-hoot hoo hoo hoot hoot coo-coo-coo. (I… I won’t be afraid! I have to get Yuno’s pendant back. Since I’m part Flying, I should have the advantage.)”
Rowlet composed himself and charged straight to Cacturne. He’s using Wing Attack to attack Cacturne, but the Scarecrow Pokémon easily avoided the Flying-type move.
“Cacturne, use Needle Arm!” The thug shouted.
“Cac cac cac. (You got it.)” Cacturne said, with his arms glowing green and using them to hit Rowlet.
Even though Needle Arm wasn’t too effective against a Grass and Flying type like Rowlet, the difference in power between him and Cacturne are clearly obvious. Rowlet took so much damage that he got blown away and fell onto the ground.
“R-Rowlet!” Yuno cried as he stood up and rushed to his Pokémon.
“You see that, kid? Your Pokémon’s too weak to beat my Cacturne,” The thug said, taunting Yuno.
Yuno lifted Rowlet up and stared at the thug and Cacturne. His body is trembling, and tears are rolling down his cheeks. Never in the five years he spent at Hage has Yuno ever come across a man so ruthless that he would hurt a child and take their precious belongings. Yuno is afraid of going up against such a man, but he couldn’t give in; he intends to fight back so he can retrieve his pendant.
“Give it back to me… It’s mine…” Yuno said, creating a small gust of wind in the palm of his right hand.
“Hahaha! Are you kidding me? You seriously think you can beat me with magic like that?” The thug asked mockingly as he showed Yuno his own magic. “You get it now? There’s a big difference between your magic and mine. In this world, magic and Pokémon are everything. So tell me, kid–do you and your Pokémon want to fight us and die?”
Both the thug’s words and cold stare made Yuno flinch, which also caused the small gust on his right hand to vanish. Yuno looked away from the blonde thug’s gaze and began to cry once again. Seeing Yuno cry saddens Rowlet, causing the Grass Quill Pokémon to shed tears as well. Yuno and Rowlet felt ashamed of themselves for their own cowardice and incompetence during battle. All they can do now is close their eyes and continue to cry. However, much to Yuno and Rowlet’s surprise, help has finally arrived.
“YUNOOOOOO!”
“WOTT-WOOOOOOTT! (ROWLEEEEEET!)”
It was none other than the five year old Asta and Oshawott who arrived in the nick of time to save Yuno and Rowlet.
Earlier, everyone at the church had been waiting for Yuno, Rowlet, and Father Orsi to come back home in time for dinner. However, neither of them have returned from their respective trip. While everyone knows that Father Orsi is capable of looking after himself, they are more concerned about Yuno and Rowlet. Asta and Oshawott figured that something must’ve happened to those two, so they headed off to search for them by themselves. Once Asta and Oshawott made it to the village, they spotted Yuno and Rowlet, being cornered by the thug and his Cacturne. The moment they saw Yuno’s pendant in the thug’s grasp, Asta and Oshawott knew that their friends were in trouble. So, they immediately rushed to the scene to retrieve Yuno’s pendant.
Right after they joined the battle, Asta and Oshawott jumped up and seized the thug, causing the magic he showed Yuno earlier to disappear. They tried to reach for the pendant, but they got overpowered by a single swing of the thug’s arm.
“Asta!”
“Hoo-coo-hoot! (Oshawott!)”
Yuno and Rowlet are surprised that Asta and Oshawott have found them. But more than that, they’re worried about what’s going to happen to them.
“Who the hell are you brats!?” The thug asked angrily.
Asta and Oshawott manage to get back up, despite taking a big hit just now.
“That belongs to Yuno! Give it back!” Asta exclaimed as he and Oshawott charged straight to the thug and grabbed hold of him.
“Get your filthy little hands off me, you stupid brat!” The thug shouted, punching Asta in the nose, which made him lose his grip.
“Oshta! (Asta!)” Oshawott cried while clinging on the blonde thug’s shirt.
“Get off me, you dirty little Pokémon!”
The thug grabbed Oshawott, threw him on the ground, and kicked him real hard.
Yuno and Rowlet are greatly shocked at seeing Asta and Oshawott get hurt by the thug. However, neither Asta nor Oshawott are giving in. They both begin to charge at the thug once more.
“I’m not done yet! / Oshawott! (I’m not done yet!)” Asta and Oshawott exclaimed simultaneously.
The thug and Cacturne are both taken aback, but the former is getting annoyed.
“Why, those little… Cacturne, deal with that pesky Pokémon!” he said, pointing at Oshawott.
“Cacturne! (Got it!)”
Asta got punched by the thug again before he could seize him. He persevered and tried again, only to get punched in the face once more. But no matter how many times he gets pummeled, Asta refuses to back down and continues to strike back.
Oshawott was also trying to seize the thug, but Cacturne got in the way. Seeing that he had no choice but to battle, Oshawott used Tail Whip on Cacturne. With Cacturne’s defense lowered, Oshawott drew his scalchop and jumped up to attack. But before Oshawott could land a direct hit, he got struck by Cacturne’s Needle Arm. Oshawott tries to attack again, but he keeps getting pummeled by Cacturne. But despite both the type disadvantage and the difference in power, Oshawott continues to rise up and fight back.
“Not yet!”
“Knock it off!”
“Oshawott! (Not yet!)”
“Cac cac cac! (Cut it out!)”
“Not yet!”
“Damn brat!”
“Oshawott! (Not yet!)”
“Cacturne! (Quit it!)”
“Not yet!”
“Enough already!”
“Oshawott! (Not yet!)”
“Cacturne cac! (Stay down, twerp!)”
The conflict between both teams continues to drag on. Yuno and Rowlet couldn’t do anything, except for watching Asta and Oshawott getting brutally injured by the thug and Cacturne, respectively. But no matter what happens to them, Asta and Oshawott will not stop until they get Yuno’s pendant back.
“Not yet! / Oshawott! (Not yet!)”
Even though they are badly wounded, Asta and Oshawott continue to strike back. Seeing them getting closer again and again causes the thug and Cacturne to lose their nerves.
“All right, you asked for it!” The thug shouted, ready to use his magic on Asta. “Cacturne, use Energy Ball on that damn Pokémon!”
“Cac Cacturne! (I’m on it!)”
The thug and Cacturne released their own special attack at the same time. Asta and Oshawott took a direct hit from the thug’s magic and Cacturne’s Energy Ball, respectively, causing them to fall on the ground. With Asta and Oshawott down, the thug and Cacturne are certain that they have won. However, the battle is far from over.
“Not yet…”
“Oshawott… (Not yet…)”
Asta and Oshawott are back on their feets, even after receiving such a big blow. Everyone was completely shocked that those two managed to recover, especially the thug and Cacturne.
“I can’t… believe it…”
“Cac… cac Cacturne… (How… in the world…)”
Both the thug and Cacturne were too stunned by what they just witnessed, giving Asta and Oshawott the opportunity to charge at the former once and for all. Asta managed to grip the thug’s shirt while Oshawott ran past Cacturne and gripped the thug’s leg.
“I’M NOT DONE YET! / OSHAWOTT (I’M NOT DONE YET!)”
Asta and Oshawott’s glare actually frightened the thug. He couldn’t bring himself to get those two off of him like he did earlier or even order Cacturne, who is equally frightened, to do so. Finally, the thug gave in and dropped Yuno’s pendant on the ground, causing Asta and Oshawott to let go.
“Fine, you can have that stupid thing back! I’m out of here! Cacturne, return!” The thug said, returning Cacturne to his Poké Ball and walking away. “Sheesh, what the hell’s with those two? They just don’t know when to quit.”
Now that the battle’s over, Asta picked up Yuno’s pendant from the ground. He and Oshawott walked up to Yuno and Rowlet with smiles on their battered faces.
“Yuno! We got your… pendant… back…”
Due to sustaining so much damage from earlier, Asta and Oshawott got fatigued and collapsed on the ground.
“Asta!”
“Hoo-coo-hoot! (Oshawott!)”
Yuno and Rowlet quickly rushed to their side.
“Are you two all right?” Yuno asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry about it. This is nothing,” Asta replied with a smile, despite his injuries.
Tears began to fall from Yuno and Rowlet’s eyes yet again.
“I’m so sorry… I’m thankful you two got my pendant back, but…”
“Hoo hoo hoot hoot coo-coo coo coo. Coo coo hoot-hoot… (You guys got hurt because of us. We’re so sorry…)”
“Wa wa Wott-wott. Wa wa Osh-osh wa Oshawott Oshawott wa. (Come on, Rowlet. You and Yuno got nothing to apologize for.)”
“Didn’t I tell you? Oshawott and I will always back you guys up,” Asta said.
“Asta…” Yuno muttered.
Both Asta and Oshawott sat up and looked in the same direction where the thug walked away.
“Magic and Pokémon are everything in this world, eh?” Asta whispered. “All right, then. My mind’s made up. I’m gonna be… the Wizard King!”
Yuno and Rowlet looked at Asta in surprise. Oshawott, on the other hand, knew exactly what Asta was talking about and smiled at him.
“Asta?” Yuno said confusedly.
“Do you remember the storybook that Sister Lily read to us?” Asta asked Yuno. “The one about how the first Wizard King beat that giant demon?”
“Yeah, of course I do,” Yuno answered. “I also remembered you saying that you want to become the Wizard King right after Sister read that story to us–just like what you said just now.”
Asta nodded. “Exactly. I want to be someone cool and strong like the Wizard King when I grow up. That way, I’ll make everyone happy by keeping them safe and giving them nicer things!”
“That’s right–you did say that. But what brought this on all of a sudden?” Yuno asked.
“…You know how people like us always get mistreated, right? Well… I’m gonna prove to everyone that even if you’re poor… or an orphan… you can still become someone amazing. That’s why, I’ll work real hard so I can show people like that jerk that a poor orphan like me… can become the Wizard King!” Asta declared with a big smile.
Both Yuno and Rowlet were stunned by Asta’s words. There’s no doubt in their minds that Asta is actually being serious about becoming the Wizard King.
“You really think so…?” Yuno asked. “Can people like us… really be amazing?”
“Yep!” Asta answered instantly. “Anyone can be amazing if they work hard enough! Even you, Yuno!”
Yuno was stunned by Asta’s words once again as he wiped off the tears from his eyes with his arm. Rowlet then turned to Oshawott, wondering what the latter thinks.
“Hoo-coo-hoot coo coo hoot hoot hoot hoo hoo hoo? (Oshawott, do you feel the same way as well?)”
“Osha! Oshawott–osha Oshawott wott wa wa wa–wa wa Oshawott! (You bet! Anyone–even Pokémon like you and me–can be amazing!” Oshawott responded with certainty. “Wa osha wa wa wa wa osha Oshawott wa wott Oshta wa Oshawott! (I’m gonna be strong so I can learn Sacred Sword and make Asta the Wizard King!)”
“Hoo? Coo coo hoot-hoot-hoot? (What? Are you serious?)” Rowlet asked in surprise.
Oshawott nodded. “Osha! Wa Oshta wa wa wa wa wa wa Oshawott wott wa wa osha wa wa Oshawott wa osha osha! (Oh yeah! If Asta said he wants to be the Wizard King, then it’s my duty as his Pokémon to make it happen!)”
Rowlet was amazed by Oshawott’s words and resolve. He really looks up to the Sea Otter Pokémon for his brave and caring nature. Oshawott’s the type of Pokémon that Rowlet wished to be; someone who’ll always keep their loved ones safe and face any challenges, no matter how difficult it will be. Rowlet rubbed off the tears from his eyes with his wing.
Now that they stopped crying, Yuno and Rowlet stared back at Asta and Oshawott with determined looks in their eyes.
“I’ll… I’ll never cry ever again.”
“Hoo coo-coo hoot hoot. (And neither will I.)”
“I’ve made my decision…” Yuno said as he stood up and continued to look at Asta and Oshawott. “I’ll become the Wizard King, too!”
Now, Asta and Oshawott are stunned by Yuno’s declaration.
“I’ll get stronger so I can keep you and everyone else safe! And I’ll make everyone happy so we can all have nicer things! No matter how difficult it will be, I won’t give up on becoming the Wizard King!” Yuno declared loudly.
Rowlet flapped his wings as he flew up to Yuno and perched on his shoulder.
“Coo hoo-hoo hoo hoot-hoot coo coo coo coo-hoot hoo-hoo-hoo coo coo-coo coo coo coo hoo-hoot coo-coo hoo-hoo. Coo coo coo coo coo hoot hoot hoot Hoo-hoo hoo-hoo hoo Croo-hoo Hoot hoot-hoot! (I’ll also get stronger so I can protect everyone and never lose in a battle ever again. And most of all, I’ll make sure that Yuno becomes the Wizard King someday!)”
Asta and Oshawott heard Yuno and Rowlet loud and clear. Both of them smiled and stood up to face the Wind Magic boy and the Grass Quill Pokémon, who in turn smiled back at them.
“You guys are serious, huh? Then that means… Yuno…”
“Asta…”
“Wott-wott… (Rowlet…)”
“Hoo-coo-hoot… (Oshawott…)”
“You’re my rival! / Osha wa-wott! (You’re my rival!) / Coo coo croo-croo! (You’re my rival!)”
From that day forward, Asta and Yuno–together with Oshawott and Rowlet, respectively–are officially rivals to see which one will one day be the next Wizard King.
—Present Day—
Asta and Oshawott have always done the unthinkable. They gave us the courage to move forward when we were too scared to even move. No matter how far we went ahead, those two managed to catch up to us in no time. It’s because they never gave up that they’ve always been that way. To most people, they’re both loud and obnoxious idiots who don’t know when to give up. However, they’re more than just that. To me, those two are…
Since that day, I continue to grow stronger so that I’ll never lose in another battle. I must get stronger to protect Yuno and everyone else. And to ensure that he becomes the Wizard King. But more than that, more than anything… I won’t allow something like the tragedy back home in the Spade Kingdom to happen ever again. …Yuno and I were only able to make it this far because of Asta and Oshawott. It’s because of those two that we’re stronger than before. It’s because of them that I evolved and learned powerful moves like Leaf Storm and Brave Bird. To me, they’re more than just idiotic foster brothers. They’re…
Once they’ve finished recollecting the past, Yuno and Dartrix begin to proclaim their earlier statement that Asta and Oshawott need to hear.
“Asta and Oshawott are our rivals! / Coo-coo coo Hoo-coo-hoot hoo hoo croo-croo! (Asta and Oshawott are our rivals!)”
The instant their words reached their ears, Asta and Oshawott’s eyes widened.
“What? You considered these two as your rivals?” Revchi asked, utterly baffled. “A worthless brat who has no magical power? And a worthless Pokémon who has no attack moves?”
“Dhel-dhel-dhel-dhel. (Ridiculous.)”
“Seviper viper vi-viper vi viper viper vi Seviper? (What could these losers possibly do without any means to fight back?)”
Despite all the physical and emotional pain from earlier, Asta’s hope and will to fight came back to him, thanks to Yuno and Dartrix. He slowly moved his right hand and gripped Revchi’s right leg tightly.
“Huh?”
As soon as he felt his leg getting grabbed, Revchi turned to Asta, who’s glaring intensely at him.
“I’m… I’m not done yet!” Asta said while gripping Revchi’s leg harder.
Seeing Asta’s eyes, as if they’re telling him to get off him, caught Revchi off guard. He quickly moved his right foot away from Asta, who immediately stood back up.
“And you…”
Asta glared at Seviper next, causing the Fang Snake Pokémon to flinch.
“Let go of my Oshawott!”
Asta ran with all his might and tackled Seviper. The impact from Asta’s tackle causes Seviper to lose balance and loosen his grip. Thanks to that, Oshawott is now free from Seviper’s clutches as he fell on the ground.
“Grr… Seviper… (Grr… Why, you little…)”
However, Seviper has already regained his composure and began to retaliate by attacking Asta with a swing of his tail. The blow from Seviper’s attack sent Asta flying as he crashed into the wall.
“Oshta! (Asta!)”
Oshawott’s expression immediately went from shock to anger. He glared at Seviper with immense rage in his eyes. There’s no doubt that Oshawott is angry at Seviper for harming Asta, but he’s more angry at himself for being unable to stop it.
…What am I doing? All I did was wallow in pain and almost gave up. Yet, Asta managed to recover and got hurt trying to save me. But that was supposed to be my duty! I swore to myself and to Licita that I would keep him safe. I let them both down… But even so, I’ll never forgive anyone who hurt Asta and let them get away with it!
Oshawott reached for his broken scalchop and picked it up as he charged at Seviper with the intention of taking him down.
“Oshawott! (You bastard!)”
“Sev? (Huh?)”
Seviper turned to Oshawott, who jumped up in the air and was about to strike. However, Seviper easily countered Oshawott before he got the chance to hit him. Oshawott fell to the ground, but he already got back up and lowered himself into a fighting stance.
“Seviper vi viper vi. Vi viper vi viper vi viper? Viper viper viper? (You gotta be kidding me. You’re going to fight me again? With that broken scalchop?)” Seviper asked.
Oshawott remained still in his fighting stance without muttering a single word.
“…Vi. Viper Seviper. (…Fine. I’ll fight you once more.)”
Seviper sighed in annoyance and positioned himself to face Oshawott.
“Viper Seviper vi viper vi. Viper viper vi vi vi Seviper vi viper viper. (Once I’m done with you, your Trainer’s next. That way, neither of you will have the gall to face me again.)”
Hearing that remark caused Oshawott to make his first move. He is, of course, aware that he’s being provoked, but that’s not stopping him from thrashing Seviper. Despite using a broken scalchop, Oshawott landed a direct hit on the Fang Snake Pokémon. However, Oshawott’s attack didn’t do much damage. Now, it’s Seviper’s turn to attack as he uses Poison Tail on Oshawott. Although he has taken damage from Poison Tail, Oshawott didn’t get poisoned as he got back up and charged at Seviper once more.
As the battle drags on, Oshawott and Seviper continue to clash against one another, but the results remain the same: Oshawott still does little-to-no damage, while Seviper inflicts major damage. But no matter how many hits he takes, Oshawott will never surrender. He keeps fighting back again and again, which is starting to get on Seviper’s nerves.
“Vi viper viper Seviper. Viper vi sev-sev Seviper! (I’m getting tired of this crap. Using Wrap oughta finish you!)”
Tired of the Sea Otter Pokémon’s perseverance, Seviper used Wrap to capture Oshawott and put an end to the battle. Oshawott gets caught as he’s being squeezed by Seviper’s body.
“Vi vi vi sev sev vi-vi Seviper. (I’ll squeeze you real good until you pass out.)”
But even though he’s getting squeezed, the pain didn’t work on Oshawott at all. Oshawott glared intensely at Seviper, which made the Fang Snake Pokémon even more irritated as he squeezed harder.
“Sev sev vi vi? Sev sev sev sev vi vi viper viper. Sev sev vi vi-viper! Vi vi Seviper! Seviper viper viper sev sev sev sev VI vi vi vi viper!? Sev sev-sev Seviper! (What’s that look for? It was the same with that Trainer of yours. Don’t get full of yourselves! You guys are nothing! You’re supposed to know your place, yet both of you DARE look at me like that!? You’re gonna regret that!”
The irritated Seviper tightened his grip on Oshawott, yet the pain still had no effect on the Sea Otter Pokémon whatsoever.
“Osha wa wa… Oshawott… (I won’t give up… Not this time…)” Oshawott muttered to himself. “Oshawott Oshawott… Oshawott wott wott Oshawott…! (Remember, Oshawott… Remember what you’re fighting for…!)”
Oshawott took a glimpse at Asta, who’s been watching the battle the whole time while kneeling on his knee. Asta, however, wasn’t worried about his Pokémon nor did he have to do a thing because this is a battle between Oshawott and Seviper, and he believes without a single doubt that Oshawott will be victorious.
Oshawott smiled at Asta as he closed his eyes to recall what he’s been fighting for–it wasn’t to win or to get revenge. It wasn’t even about Sacred Sword either. It’s something truly worth fighting for in Oshawott’s own opinion: to prove that Asta can be somebody amazing in the future. To prove that Asta has a place in the world of Pokémon where magic is everything. And most of all, to prove that Asta can become the Wizard King.
As soon as Oshawott opens his eyes, he’s using whatever strength he has left to free himself from Seviper’s Wrap. Seviper noticed as he tried to squeeze Oshawott even harder. However, Oshawott’s strength is actually quite stronger than Seviper’s Wrap. No matter how hard Seviper squeezes, Oshawott keeps on resisting. And finally, Oshawott has freed himself from Seviper’s Wrap.
“Sev!? (What!?)”
“Dhel dhel-dhel-dhel-dhel! (That’s impossible!)”
“It actually freed itself from Wrap!?”
Revchi and his Pokémon are completely shocked that Oshawott, a weak and small Pokémon, has actually escaped from Seviper’s Wrap. What freed Oshawott wasn’t just sheer willpower alone, it was his resolve and efforts from 10 years of training with Asta that gave him the strength to free himself. And with that, Oshawott attacked Seviper in the face with his broken scalchop.
“SEVIPER!” Seviper cried in pain.
The force from Oshawott’s attack, which has no real power whatsoever, has actually inflicted pain on Seviper. Right after that, Oshawott jumped backward away from the Fang Snake Pokémon.
“Vi viper viper sev sev Seviper sev…? (A puny attack like that actually hurt…?)” Seviper said in disbelief. “Vi… Vi vi vi viper! (No… No, that can’t be right!)”
Now that Oshawott gained the upper hand, he jumped up high in the air, ready to deliver the finishing blow on Seviper.
“Osha osha osha… osha osha Oshawott… wa osha osha wa osha… Osha wa Oshta wa Oshawott! (Even without a move… even without Sacred Sword… and even without my scalchop… I will make Asta the Wizard King!)”
With Oshawott coming closer, Seviper is starting to lose his nerves, but he snaps out of it as he’s about to counter with Poison Tail.
“Sev vi viper vi vi viper viper! (I’m not losing to a weakling like you!)” Seviper exclaimed.
But then, something unexpected just occurred–the broken scalchop suddenly emitted an ocean blue light, much to everyone’s surprise. Not only that, the length of the light started to extend, forming into a sharp and powerful blade, albeit still broken. Oshawott, on the other hand, is completely unaware of the sudden change in his scalchop; he was too focused on the battle to notice his scalchop’s new shape. There’s only one explanation to the light that enveloped the scalchop–Oshawott has learned a brand new move.
Asta was silently gazing at Oshawott and his scalchop in astonishment. But, at the same time, he felt more proud of his Pokémon for learning a new attack move.
That move… It looks similar, but it’s not Sacred Sword. What could it be…?
Revchi and his Pokémon, however, couldn’t believe what they’re seeing.
“This… This can’t be happening!” Revchi shouted incredulously. “That Pokémon shouldn’t have any attack moves, and its scalchop was supposed to be broken! What’s going on here!?”
Desperate for answers, Revchi quickly pulled out his Pokétome and scanned Oshawott once more. Shortly after that, he immediately checked Oshawott’s specific data on the revised page. According to the revised page, Oshawott did in fact learn a new move that replaced Tail Whip, much to Revchi’s disbelief.
“No! How can this be!? The blue runt learned Razor Shell!?”
“Dhel!? (What!?)”
“Seviper!? (Seriously!?)”
Razor Shell is a physical Water-Type attack move that inflicts damage on the target with sharp shells. Not only that, it also has a chance to lower the target’s Defense stat. Asta and Rotom are amazed that Oshawott’s new move is Razor Shell.
“Razor Shell… So cool…!” Asta muttered, with his eyes glimmering with excitement.
“Zzt-zzt zzt zzt zzt bzz bzz-zzz-zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz… Zzz zzz-zzz zzz-zzz zzz zzz Zzz-zzz-zzt. (After all these years, you finally learned a new move… I’m really happy for you, Oshawott.)” Rotom said with a smile.
Yuno and Dartrix never had any doubts about Oshawott. They have been watching their rivals training for a long time, after all.
“Took him long enough,” Yuno said with a smile.
“Coo coo coo coo hoot hoot. Hoot hoot hoot… coo coo-coo coo… hoo hoo-hoo hoo-hoo hoot. (I knew you could do it. There’s no way… you couldn’t learn… a single attack move.)” Dartrix said with confidence, even though he’s still poisoned.
Oshawott is close to attacking Seviper, who’s losing his nerves even more.
“S-Seviper viper! (G-Get away from me!)” Seviper shouted with a hint of fear as he’s about to hit Oshawott with Poison Tail.
However, Oshawott easily evaded Poison Tail and landed a direct hit on Seviper with Razor Shell.
“SEVIPEEEEEEEEER!” Seviper cried in agonizing pain.
Even though Oshawott isn’t as powerful as Seviper, the blow from the former’s Razor Shell has actually inflicted critical damage on the latter. It was so devastating that it knocked Seviper out cold as he fell to the ground, which makes Oshawott the winner.
“Unbelievable… Seviper… lost…?” Revchi whispered in complete disbelief.
“Dhel dhel Dhel-dhel-dhel…? (To that Oshawott…?)” Dhelmise added, equally shocked.
In contrast to Revchi and Dhelmise’s surprise, Yuno, Dartrix, and Rotom smiled at Oshawott for defeating Seviper all by himself. As for Asta, he silently gazes at Oshawott with a stunned expression on his face.
“Oshawott… you…”
In all the years Asta and Oshawott had a Pokémon battle with Yuno and Dartrix, they could never win a single match against those two. Seeing Oshawott learn an attack move and win a Pokémon battle for the first time made Asta speechless. But more than that, it made Asta proud of his Pokémon even more.
Once Oshawott finished breathing heavily from exhaustion, he raised his scalchop up in the air and let out a loud scream of victory.
“OSHAWOOOOOOOTT!”
Afterwards, Oshawott and his scalchop are being enveloped in bright light, causing everyone to react again. Such light can only mean one thing.
“Oshawott…” Asta muttered in astonishment.
“Is that…” Revchi whispered in bewilderment.
“Dhel dhel dhel… (It can’t be…)” Dhelmise said in disbelief.
“Zzz zzt… (This light…)” Rotom muttered in wonder.
“He’s evolving,” Yuno added with a smile.
“Coo hoo-hoo hoot hoot. (It’s about damn time.)” Dartrix said with a smirk.
With Oshawott evolving into a new Pokémon, his form begins to change slowly. Even the broken scalchop is growing back to its original shape through evolution. Once the evolution is complete, the surrounding light fades away. As a result, Oshawott has evolved into Dewott.
“Dewott!” The Discipline Pokémon yelled.
As a Dewott, his form is physically different from when he was an Oshawott. Dewott’s body is primarily light blue. He has small black ears, a pointed crest at the back of his head, a reddish pink nose, and long white V-shaped whiskers. He also has three fingers on each of his black paws. His feet and flat tail are black. Around Dewott’s waist is a large, dark blue, fringed arrangement of fur. Dewott is known for wielding two scalchops; the first scalchop that grew back after evolving is still in Dewott’s right paw, while the second scalchop is attached to his right thigh.
Everyone, especially Asta, was stunned at the sight of Dewott. Yuno and Dartrix, however, weren’t too surprised in the least. Similar to Asta, they’re both very proud of Dewott for learning Razor Shell and evolving at once. Neither of them ever had any doubts about their rivals. Not even a little. They knew it’s only a matter of time for both Asta and Dewott to finally catch up with them.
“You… You actually evolved…” Asta said in utter amazement. “That’s so awesome, Oshawott…!”
“He’s not Oshawott anymore,” Yuno corrected Asta. “He’s Dewott now.”
“Dewott…” Asta whispered as he was about to get up until he kneeled back down and grunted in pain due to the attack he took from Seviper earlier.
“Dewa! (Asta!)” Dewott cried as he immediately rushed to his Trainer. “Dew dew Dewott? (Are you all right?)”
“I’m fine. But more importantly… you did it, buddy! You really did it!” Asta said with glee.
“Dewott? (Did what?)”
“You finally learned an attack move, won in a Pokémon battle for the first time, and evolved into Dewott!”
“Dewott! Dew dew wa-wa-wott wott-wott wa wa wa wa wott… Dewott!? (That’s right! I was actually able to win for the first… Wait, what!?)”
Dewott’s eyes widened as soon as he heard the two things he never thought he would hear. However, the Discipline Pokémon just recalled that he did in fact learn and use Razor Shell earlier. In order to confirm he evolved, Dewott looks down to check his body. Seeing both his new form and two scalchops really took him off guard.
“Dewott wott! Dew dew wa wa wa wa WOTT Dewott! (Holy crap! I did learn a new move AND evolve!)” Dewott shrieked.
“I knew you could do it, buddy!” Asta said with a big grin. “I never doubted you for even a bit! I’m so proud of you, Dewott!”
“Dewa… (Asta…)”
“You really are amazing, pal,” Asta added in a slightly sad tone. “In fact, you’re even more amazing than I am. Unlike Yuno, I couldn’t use magic or get my own grimoire. Sorry for being so pathetic, Dewott. You deserve a better Pokémon Trainer than me.”
“Dewott dew! (That’s not true!)”
Asta gasped faintly at Dewott’s outburst.
“Dew dew Dewott Dew-Dewott Dewott wa wa Dewa! Dew Dewott wa wa-wa wa wott wott Dewott dew-dew wa wa wott-wott wott wa-wa Dewott wott. Wa wa wott wott dew dew dew wa wa Dewott… Dew dew Dewott wott wott wott wott Dew-Dewott wa-wa-wa dew Dewott. Dewott wott wott Dewott wa wa wa dew-wa wa wa wa wa-wa Dewott. Dew Dewott dew wa wa wott dew wa-wa wott. (You’re the only Pokémon Trainer for me, Asta! You still love and accept me as your partner, even when I didn’t have any attack moves. I can’t tell you how much that makes me happy… If you don’t want me to be your Pokémon anymore, then I’ll leave. But know that I’ll never leave you just because you don’t have any magic. I’ll always be by your side, no matter what.)”
“Dewott…” Asta muttered as he smiled again. “Thank you. I’m really glad to have a Pokémon like you. And don’t worry–there’s no way I’ll ever leave you either. I’m going to keep fighting, but I can’t do this on my own. So, Dewott… please fight by my side!”
“Dew Dewott dew dew wa wa wott. Dew dew dew Dewott wa wa-wa wott! (You didn’t need to ask me that. I’m with you until the very end!)” Dewott answered without a second thought.
“Thanks, partner!” Asta said with gratitude as he and Dewott gave each other fist bumps.
Now that Asta and Dewott are back in action, they are ready to once again face Revchi and Dhelmise, who have been quiet and tense by the sudden turn of events.
“Sorry you had to see us looking so pathetic, you guys,” Asta said to Yuno, Dartrix, and Rotom. “Just hang in there, all right? Dewott and I… are gonna take these guys down!”
“Dew-wa-wott! (Together!)” Dewott added as he drew out his second scalchop.
Just then, another unexpected turn of events suddenly occurred–a mysterious object flew out of the hole in the wall and presented itself to Asta. Everyone was absolutely shocked at the sight of the object that appeared right before their eyes. The object in question is a murky, pitch-black grimoire that’s shrouded in blood red light. On the front cover is a five-leaf clover insignia. However, nobody seems to notice the five-leaf clover, due to how murky the black grimoire is.
“A… A grimoire…?” Asta asked in awe.
“I knew it,” Yuno said with a smile. “There’s no way that Asta wouldn’t be chosen!”
“Coo… Coo hoo hoot… hoot hoot hoo-hoo… hoo-hoot…! (Yeah… There’s no way… that could ever… happen…!)” Dartrix agreed.
The black grimoire opened on its own, and a massive greatsword that’s just as black and murky as the grimoire came out of it. The black greatsword thrust itself to the ground, right in front of Asta.
“Dewott…? (A sword…?)” Dewott whispered in confusion.
In spite of what he just witnessed, Asta stood up and grabbed the handle of the black greatsword without any hesitation.
“Is that sword his magic…?” Revchi asked incredulously as he subconsciously dropped Yuno’s grimoire on the ground. “But that’s impossible…! He doesn’t have any magic within him! What in the world is that grimoire!?”
The three leaves of a clover represent faith, hope, and love. Within the fourth leaf dwells good luck. Within the fifth leaf… resides a devil.
What appears to be a silhouette of a devil vaguely looms over Asta. However, only Dewott, Revchi, and Dhelmise were somehow able to sense the presence of a devil. Dewott just silently stares at the black grimoire and the black greatsword, while Revchi and Dhelmise are starting to freak out.
“Wh… What the hell are you!?” Revchi exclaimed as he’s about to attack Asta with his magic once more. “You little trash with no magical power!”
“Dhel dhel dhel dhel! (Take this, you freak!)” Dhelmise shouted as it’s using Anchor Shot to hit Asta.
Revchi and Dhelmise have launched their respective attacks toward Asta. However, Dewott jumped in and deflected Dhelmise’s Anchor Shot with Razor Shell, while Asta easily lifted the black greatsword off the ground and used it to slash Revchi’s chains, causing them to literally disappear. Revchi and Dhelmise couldn’t believe what they just saw with their own eyes.
“My magic… has been… nullified…!?” Revchi stuttered in utter disbelief.
“Dhel Dhel-dhel Dhel… dhel dhel… dhel dhel Dhel-dhel…!? (My Anchor Shot… was blocked… by that Dewott…!?)” Dhelmise stuttered in the same manner as its Trainer.
“Dewott… use Razor Shell,” Asta said to his Pokémon.
“Dewott. (Gladly.)” Dewott replied as two of his scalchops changed shape once more.
Now it’s Asta and Dewott’s turn to strike; they both dashed toward Revchi and Dhelmise at such a tremendous speed.
“Even without magical power… I will be the Wizard King!” Asta declared real loudly.
With Asta and Dewott coming closer, Revchi and Dhelmise screamed in terror.
“Not giving up…”
“Dew Dewott dew… (Not giving up…)”
“IS MY MAGIC! / WA WA DEWOTT! (IS MY MAGIC!)” Asta and Dewott yelled in unison as they hit Revchi and Dhelmise, respectively.
The attack was so powerful that it sent Revchi and Dhelmise flying until they crashed into the wall, knocking them out cold in the process. As a result, Asta and Dewott have won. With the battle finally over, Asta and Dewott were starting to feel a bit weary and breathed heavily from exhaustion.
“Since I couldn’t use any magic, I’ve been building up my muscles…” Asta said while catching his breath. “Looks like all those years of training have finally paid off… for the both of us… Right, buddy…?”
“Dew… (Yeah…)” Dewott responded with a weary smile.
Just then, the black greatsword suddenly started to move on its own, forcing Asta to let go of it. The black greatsword then levitated in the air as it magically put itself back inside the black grimoire. Shortly after that, the black grimoire closed itself and headed toward Asta, who instinctively grabbed it and stared at it in amazement.
“This is… my very own grimoire…” Asta whispered. After a few seconds, he began to cheer. “All right! I don’t know how, but I finally got a grimoire! It might look tattered and murky, but I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life!”
Asta laughed with joy as he rubbed his cheek on the black grimoire with affection. Dewott, on the other hand, seems to have mixed feelings. While he’s happy for Asta that he finally got a grimoire of his own, Dewott was more wary of the grimoire in question, as well as the black greatsword that Asta used earlier. Dewott also couldn’t help but have suspicion on the demonic presence from before that’s undoubtedly coming from within the black grimoire. This caused Dewott to have a few questions in his mind.
This presence… Who and what are they? Why did they choose Asta? And most of all… why am I suddenly reminded of…
For the time being, Dewott decided to put his suspicion aside and celebrate with Asta.
“Asta… Dewott…”
Asta and Dewott stopped celebrating once they heard a voice calling out to them. The voice came from Yuno, who was free from the chain since Revchi was defeated. He, Dartrix, and Rotom are all smiling at Asta and Dewott.
“Yuno, Rotom! Are you guys okay?” Asta asked with concern.
“Yeah,” Yuno answered nonchalantly.
“Zzz zzz-zzz zzt zzt zzt zzt! (We’re okay, thanks to you two!)”
“Dew dew wa-wa dew Wott-wott? (And what about you, Dartrix?)”
“Hoo coo coo coo Hoo-coo… Coo coo Coo-hoot. Coo…! (Yeah, I’m all right, Osha… I mean, Dewott. Urgh…!)”
Dartrix grunted in pain and collapsed, but Dewott managed to catch him.
“Wott! Dew Dewott Dewott wott wott wott Dewott! (Crap! I almost forgot that you’re still poisoned!)”
“We better head back to the church right away so Chansey can cure him!” Asta said worriedly.
Yuno nodded. “Right!”
Rotom looked behind and noticed something. “Zzz zzz! Zzt! (You guys! Wait!)”
“What is it, Rotom!?” Asta asked.
“Zzz! (Look!)”
What Rotom just found on the ground are three Oran Berries and a Pecha Berry. They were right behind Yuno when he was still trapped by the chains.
“Those are Oran Berries and a Pecha Berry!” Yuno said.
“But how did they get here?” Asta asked in confusion.
“Zzz zzz zzz zzt… (I don’t know, but…)”
Rotom explained that it felt a presence of another Ghost-type Pokémon from behind when Asta’s grimoire appeared right before their eyes. However, Rotom was too distracted by the black grimoire at the time to look behind and see who it was. Of course, the Ghost-type Pokémon in question couldn’t be Dhelmise. Even though Rotom couldn’t speak human language, Asta and Yuno can understand the Plasma Pokémon clearly. Asta and Dewott somewhat have an idea on who the Ghost-type Pokémon could be, but they weren’t too sure.
“Whatever the reason, we better give Dartrix the Pecha Berry right now,” Yuno said as he ran to pick up the Pecha Berry.
After Yuno fed his Pokémon the Pecha Berry, Dartrix is now cured of the poison at last. Now that Dartrix is okay, everyone sighed in relief. Next are the Oran Berries–since there are three of them, the Oran Berries must be for Dewott, Dartrix, and Rotom. Once they all took a bite of the Oran Berries, Dewott, Dartrix, and Rotom regained some strength and energy.
“I wonder what kind of Pokémon was able to give us those berries without being detected?” Yuno wondered.
“I’m… not sure. But whoever they are, we owe them a debt. Besides, I have a feeling that we’ll get the chance to meet them someday,” Asta said, with everyone nodding in agreement.
“Dewott. (You’re right.)”
“Bzz zzz zzz zzt zzt zzt zzz-zzz zzz-zzz zzz. (I hope to thank them in person someday, too.)”
“Hoo hoo hoo hoot-hoot-hoot coo coo-coo coo hoo-hoo hoo hoot hoot. (I have no intention of staying in someone else’s debt twice.)”
“Speaking of debt… you two saved us yet again,” Yuno said to Asta and Dewott. “Someday, Dartrix and I will repay you guys for this.”
“Hoot hoot. (That’s right.)”
Hearing Yuno and Dartrix say that made Asta and Dewott a bit confused.
“Asta… do you remember the promise we made back when we were kids?” Yuno asked with a grin.
“Coo coo hoo-hoo-hoot coo coo-coo hoo hoo Coo-hoot? (Do you remember our promise as well, Dewott?)”
Asta and Dewott were astonished by Yuno and Dartrix’s words, yet they both smiled back at their rivals. Rotom smiled in relief since the bond between those four is still the same as back then.
“So you do remember our promise,” Asta said. “I almost thought you had forgotten all about it, but you were just making fun of us.”
“Dew dew-dew wa wa wott wott. (You really had us both fooled.)”
“Zzt zzt. (Me too.)”
“Croo-croo Hoot-hoo hoot Hoo-hoo coo coo hoot hoot hoo-hoo. (Sorry, Rotom, but Yuno and I have our reason.)”
“Neither of us have any interest in being too friendly with our rivals,” Yuno responded. “That said, you guys are the ones who gave me and Dartrix hope that day. Even if you’re a poor orphan, a commoner, or even us… we can still become even more amazing than anyone else in this world. And to prove that…”
“To make Sister Lily and everyone else happy…”
“Croo croo croo-croo coo coo coo hoot hoot hoot… (To grow stronger and keep our loved ones safe…)”
“Dewott wa-wa-wa wa wa wott wott wott wott dew Dewott… (To show everyone that we have a place here in this world…)”
Just like that snowy day 10 years ago, Asta and Yuno gave each other their signature fist bump, with Dewott and Dartrix doing the same with each other. Rotom watched the two pairs with a smile on its face. Even though Rotom wasn’t with those four that day, it felt as though this wasn’t the first time the Plasma Pokémon watched Asta and the others fist bumping one another at all.
“Let’s see which one will become the Wizard King! / Dew dew wa wa wa wott-wott wa Dewott Wott! (Let’s see which one will become the Wizard King!) / Hoot hoot coo coo coo hoo-hoo hoo Hoot-hoot Hoot! (Let’s see which one will become the Wizard King!)” Asta, Yuno, Dewott, and Dartrix said simultaneously.
It’s been a couple of hours since Revchi and his Pokémon were arrested by the Magic Knights after their defeat. Regarding the two nobles, Perseus, and Percy, they all had their injuries treated right after Revchi’s arrest. But according to Drouot, the two nobles have decided not to take the Magic Knights Entrance Exam after witnessing Revchi’s power. Instead, Asta and Yuno will be the ones taking the exam. In the middle of the night, Father Orsi and Sister Lily paid a visit to the Grimoire Tower so they could meet with Drouot and ask him about Asta.
“I can understand Yuno… But are you sure it’s okay to let Asta take the exam as well?” Father Orsi asked.
“Well, he’s saying he wants to do it,” Drouot replied. “Do you really not want him to take the exam?”
“It’s… It’s not that I don’t want him to, but…”
“Could it be that… you’ll feel really upset and lonely if Asta goes to the Royal Capital?” Drouot asked in a teasing manner.
“Oh my! Is that true, Father?” Sister Lily asked with glee.
“Y-You got it all wrong, you two!” Father Orsi yelled in embarrassment. “I’m just saying that if Asta’s going to fail the exam anyway, then he’s better off not taking it in the first place. And even though Dewott has gotten stronger after evolving, he might not stand a chance against the Pokémon in the Royal Capital. A-Also, the children and the Pokémon will miss Asta and Dewott very much if they left with Yuno and Dartrix! They’ll have no one else to play with! So you see? They’re the ones who will be upset and lonely! Not me!”
However, neither Sister Lily nor Drouot seem to take Father Orsi’s words seriously. If anything, Sister Lily just giggled with joy, while Drouot continued to tease the old priest.
“Don’t look at me like that, you two…” Father Orsi murmured as he cleared his throat and proceeded to ask Drouot a different question. “By the way, about the book that Asta obtained… Is it really a grimoire? How could Asta obtain it when he can’t even use magic?”
“I don’t know,” Drouot answered instantly, causing both Father Orsi and Sister Lily to be shocked. “But I do know this–now that Asta obtained a grimoire, he should have no trouble taking the exam.”
“That’s not the issue here, Tower Master…” Father Orsi added.
“Father, I know how you feel, but I think you should let Asta and Dewott go to the Royal Capital,” Sister Lily said with a smile.
Father Orsi looked at the nun in surprise. “Sister!?”
“I would feel a little sad to see those four go. But as their Sister, I have to be very supportive and let them do what they want to do.”
“That’s true, but… No, you’re right,” Father Orsi admitted. “As the man who raised them, I have to let Asta and Dewott do what they want to do.”
“Good for you, Father,” Drouot said with a smile. “And besides, if Asta does fail the exam, he and Dewott will come back home anyway.”
“O-Oh, you’re right!” Father Orsi yelled with a grin. “Yuno and Dartrix will be fine, but Asta and Dewott will come back soon enough! I feel so much better already. Well, Sister and I will be heading back to the church now. Have a good night, Tower Master.”
“Good night, Tower Master,” Sister Lily said with a friendly bow.
“Good night, you two,” Drouot responded.
“Hoot hoot! (Good night!)” Hoothoot chirped.
After Father Orsi and Sister Lily left the Grimoire Tower, Drouot made a grim expression as he recalled Asta’s grimoire.
That grimoire… Could it really be…
Meanwhile, on top of the colossal demon’s skull, Keldeo and Doublade–the evolved form of the Shiny Honedge–are staring at Lumiere and Pikachu’s statue.
“Lumiere… Pikachu… it’s been 500 long years since we last fought together. I’m not nearly strong enough to master Secret Sword yet. But once I transform into my Resolute Form, Doublade and I will put an end to 500 years of pain and suffering that our enemy has caused once and for all,” Keldeo said with resolve.
“Kiru kiru ru ru kiru kiru ki ki kiru. Kiru kiru ki ki ki kiru ru ru-ru ru. (Master, I, too, will grow even stronger once I evolve. I will gladly be your shield until the very end.)” Doublade said earnestly.
“Thank you, Doublade. But please don’t throw your life away just for my sake. There may come a time when we will no longer be master and apprentice.”
“Kiru. Ru ki-ki ki ki Kiru ru ru-ru ru. (Nonsense. You’ll always be my Master, no matter what.)”
Keldeo smiled at Doublade as it turned around and looked at the church from afar.
“Asta… Dewott… They’ve gotten much stronger since our last encounter. Don’t you agree, Doublade?”
“Kiru Kiru. Ru ru ki kiru. (Indeed, Master. They aren’t like before.)”
“You know… I get the feeling that you’ll be joining those two someday.”
“Kiru… ki kiru ru? (Master… you’re joking, right?)”
“Who knows. It could happen,” Keldeo said in a jovial manner before it made a serious expression. “Anyway, you sensed it, too, didn’t you? The devil within Asta’s grimoire?”
“Ki. (Yes.)” Doublade responded in a serious tone.
Earlier, Keldeo and Doublade were watching Asta and Dewott’s battle against Revchi and his Pokémon on top of the Grimoire Tower. Doublade was the one that placed the four berries behind Yuno and the others when no one was looking. Doublade told Keldeo that they should lend them their aid, but Keldeo insisted that they just remain on standby and watch. In the end, Asta and Dewott prevailed, even without their help.
“Kiru ki ki kiru ru ru kiru ki ki ki Kiru? (Do you think it’s wise to leave the grimoire with the boy, Master?)” Doublade asked.
“That’s a good question,” Keldeo replied. “However, I doubt anyone but Asta can use the power of Anti-Magic.”
“Ru. (True.)”
“We may not know what that devil could be plotting, but I believe that we can leave the grimoire in Asta’s hands. It’s up to him to decide if the Anti-Magic devil will be his enemy or ally.”
“Kiru ru Kiru. Ru kiru ru? (Very well, Master. Shall we go then?)”
“Yes,” Keldeo responded as he glanced back at Lumiere and Pikachu’s statue once more. “We’ll see you soon, Lumiere, Pikachu. And we’ll be seeing you three soon as well.”
And with that, Keldeo and Doublade have departed Hage Village. Right behind Lumiere’s statue is an anti-bird with peculiar eyes, horns and two tail feathers that’s shaped like an arrow, a Klefki, and a Magearna who’s in a dormant state due to missing its Soul-Heart. What sort of connection do those three have with Keldeo and Doublade? That’s a different story for another time.
—6 Months Later—
It is now summer. The sun has risen. Today is the day that Asta, Dewott, Yuno, and Dartrix leave Hage Village and head to the Royal Capital to take the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. Everyone is bidding the four farewells.
“Take care, you guys,” Father Orsi said with a smile.
“Be sure to write a letter for us, okay, Yuno?” Recca pleaded.
“I will,” Yuno replied with a grin.
“Good luck, you guys!” Aruru said jovially.
“Come back soon!” Hollo said with a frown.
“They’ll be back soon… Asta and Dewott, that is,” Nash added, with Cyndaquil nodding in agreement.
“Aw, come on, Nash!” Asta retorted.
Dewott frowned. “Dew dew Dew-wa-wa! (Not cool, Cyndaquil!)”
Nash and Cyndaquil walked closer to Asta and Dewott.
“But you know… If you really do get into the Magic Knights… then I’ll believe in possibilities. I’ll believe that I can be greater, like you said. And then one day, I’ll get into the Magic Knights, too!” Nash said to Asta with enthusiasm until he turned his head away. “I mean, that’s only if you do get in.”
“Sure thing,” Asta replied with a smile. “I’ll be waiting for you!”
Nash crossed his arms, but he made a small grin without showing it to Asta.
“Cyn cyn cyn cyn Cyndaquil quil quil quil-quil quil cyn cyn quil-quil. (You may have learned Razor Shell, but one attack move won’t be enough.)” Cyndaquil said to Dewott.
“Dewott Dew-wa-wa. Wott wott Dewott wa wa-wa wa wott. Dewott wott wott Dewott Wott wott. (You’ll see, Cyndaquil. One day, I’ll learn a couple more moves. And then, I’ll learn Sacred Sword, too.)” Dewott said with a smile.
Cyndaquil turned away from Dewott, but he also made a small grin like his Trainer.
“Asta, Yuno… Before you guys go, take these with you,” Father Orsi said as he handed Asta and Yuno a bunch of Poké Balls and a Pokétome of their own.
“Poké Balls and Pokétomes?” Asta asked incredulously.
“Father, where did you get the Yul to afford all these?” Yuno asked in astonishment.
“You guys don’t need to worry about that,” Father Orsi responded. “Just think of these as parting gifts. You’ll need them if you want to catch or learn more about Pokémon.”
Yuno smiled. “I see. Thank you, Father.”
“Hold on… Old man, is it me, or is my Pokétome different from Yuno’s?” Asta asked in confusion.
Apparently, Yuno’s Pokétome is light green, while Asta’s Pokétome is red-orange with a black screen on the front cover and a pointy protrusion on top of both covers.
“Also, why are you giving me this since I obviously can’t use any magic?” Asta asked again.
“Ah, yes. I was about to get to that,” Father Orsi replied. “Your Pokétome is special–it doesn’t need magic to be activated.”
“What?”
“All it needs is a certain Pokémon,” Father Orsi said as he called out to one of his Pokémon. “Rotom!”
“Zzz zzz-zzz Zzz-zzt! (Right away, Father!)”
Rotom moved swiftly as it literally went into the screen of Asta’s Pokétome. Asta’s Pokétome began to levitate as the screen lit up with Rotom’s face shown. Smaller lightning bolt-shaped appendages have also appeared.
“Rotom?” Asta asked in utter astonishment.
The Rotom-possessed Pokétome faced Asta’s direction. “Yes, Asta?”
“…HUUUUUUUH!? / …WOOOOOOOTT!? (…HUUUUUUUH!?)” Asta and Dewott screamed in disbelief.
Everyone but Father Orsi are also shocked at hearing Rotom actually speak in human language.
“What’s wrong, everyone?” Father Orsi asked calmly.
“ What’s wrong!? Didn’t you hear Rotom speak just now!? How is it speaking!? Or rather, what the hell happened to Rotom!?” Asta asked incredulously.
Father Orsi chuckled. “Well, you know how Rotom can change into multiple forms by possessing specific magic items? The same applies to Pokétome. I mean, Rotom Pokétome, specifically–or Rotome for short. When Rotom possesses a Rotome, it will change into its Tome Form. In its Tome Form, Rotom can scan any Pokémon by activating the Scanner Stone with its own power, instead of magic. Which suits you perfectly, Asta.”
“Allow me to demonstrate,” Rotom said as it turned around and activated the Scanner Stone with its power to scan Dewott. “Scanning complete. I shall now read Dewott’s data.”
Rotom opened itself to reveal Dewott’s page.
“Dewott, the Discipline Pokémon. A Water-type, and the evolved form of Oshawott. Dewott masters its use of two scalchops through strict training. This Dewott is male. Dewott’s ability is Torrent. Dewott’s height is 2 '07 ". Dewott’s weight is 54 lbs. Dewott’s move is… Razor Shell.”
Asta and the others are amazed at Rotom. They knew Rotom is very good at analyzing people, Pokémon, and things, but seeing the Plasma Pokémon make an analysis in its Tome Form is really something.
“Hang on…” Asta said as he realized something. “If you’re giving me a Rotome… And Rotom is possessing my Rotome… Does that mean…”
Father Orsi nodded his head. “That’s right. I’m lending you my Rotom so it can travel with you as your Rotome. That way, you can analyze as many Pokémon as you want without using magic. Also, Rotom is going to make sure that you and Dewott will stay out of trouble.”
“Is he serious? You’re really gonna come with us?” Asta asked Rotom.
“Of course,” Rotom answered eagerly. “I’ll be in your care, Asta.”
Asta smiled widely. “Me too! I’m so psyched that we get to travel together!”
“Dewott Dewott Dewott! (Welcome aboard, Rotom!)” Dewott said with enthusiasm.
“Thanks, Dewott!” Rotom replied as it turned to Yuno and Dartrix. “Yuno, Dartrix… Even though I’m sticking with Asta and Dewott, I’m looking forward to our adventure together.”
Yuno and Dartrix smiled back at Rotom.
“Yeah.”
“Coo-coo. (Likewise.)”
Everyone else is smiling at Rotom and the others. They’re all going to miss those five, but they know that they’ll do just fine.
“All right, we’re heading off now,” Yuno said as he and Dartrix started to leave.
“Hoo-hoo coo-coo-coo. (Farewell, everyone.)”
“Hey, Yuno! Dartrix! Wait for us!” Asta said as he, Dewott, and Rotom followed Yuno and Dartrix. “Come on, you cold and handsome jerk! Just because we’re rivals doesn’t mean we can’t get along!”
“Dew wa wa dew dew wa-wott Wott-wott! (I won’t lose to you again, Dartrix!)” Dewott said to Dartrix.
Yuno and Dartrix, however, ignored their rivals while moving on ahead.
“Hey!”
“Wott wott-wott wott! (Don’t ignore us!)”
Rotom sighed lightly with a smile. “Some things will never change, do they?”
“Have a safe trip! / Raoh raoh raoh raoh! (Have a safe trip!) / Machoke choke choke! (Have a safe trip!) / Lo lo lo lo! (Have a safe trip!) / Chansey Chansey! (Have a safe trip!) / Kanga kanga! (Have a safe trip!) / War Wartortle! (Have a safe trip!)”
Everyone but Nash and Cyndaquil are waving Asta and the others goodbye.
“See ya. / Cynda. (See ya.)” Nash and Cyndaquil muttered in unison.
“Bye, you guys!” Asta shouted as he and the other four waved back.
Sister Lily watched Asta and the others go with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Asta, Yuno, Dewott, Dartrix, Rotom… I wish you all the best of luck.
And so, Asta and Yuno’s quest of becoming the Wizard King has finally begun. The Royal Capital is a long, long way from Hage Village. But with their Pokémon by their side, Asta and Yuno will take on any challenges and adversaries in order to reach their goal.
—The End—
