Honedge protested loudly, though its mind was now in overdrive, trying to process what had just happened.
Well, as a sword, it technically didn't even have a brain.
This human was insane.
Not only did he defeat Honedge in battle, but he did it without using a Pokémon—and still fought more fiercely than any knight Honedge had ever encountered!
Actually, was that even a fair fight?
This human fought with his own hands, using his own weapons and tools.
No Pokémon—just his own strength, tactics, and skill.
Honedge had no way to deny its defeat.
You know what? Just keep it.
Honedge floated up and down, though it suddenly sensed something different about this human.
Something about his presence had changed—but Honedge couldn't put it into words.
Meanwhile, Hikaru was just as surprised.
The strange "yo-yo" sounds Honedge made—he could understand them.
It wasn't speech, yet it translated itself in his mind.
It was like receiving information through a system of eerie, mystical symbols—symbols that he instinctively knew he could transcribe.
"Is this… Spirit Knowledge?"
"You're saying… you lost, so you're giving me the 'gemstone' as a prize?"
Honedge's blue eye widened in shock.
He could understand Pokémon speech?!
"Now that I think about it, Pokémon understand human language really well, but humans can only guess at what Pokémon are saying. It's kind of a strange imbalance."
Hikaru muttered to himself, before turning back to Honedge.
"But you're not a native Pokémon of this area. Even if I found you in some ruins, why were you there in the first place?"
Honedge hesitated for a moment.
But after a brief inner debate, it decided—
This human was strong.
This human had defeated it.
A knight could not lie to his superior.
So Honedge told him the truth.
It had once belonged to a traveling sorcerer, who had gifted it to a king in a faraway land.
It had not been alone—many Honedge had been bestowed upon the royal knights.
And each one had been given a gemstone.
"A royal sword from an ancient kingdom, brought as a tribute by a traveling merchant…"
Hikaru nodded, processing the information.
"That makes sense. In ancient times, merchants often traded rare Pokémon and artifacts across distant lands, introducing new cultures and species to foreign regions."
"That even explains how some Pokémon developed regional forms…"
Then, Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"Wait. You don't even remember the name of your own kingdom?"
Honedge spun angrily in circles, protesting.
That's not carelessness!
Pokémon don't waste time remembering useless history!
Why bother thinking about it?
"Besides, that kingdom is probably long gone."
"In fact," Hikaru continued, "if you head east from the Ruins of Alph and enter Mt. Moon's northern range, you'll find ancient kingdom ruins. Some remnants of those old civilizations still exist."
In the Pokémon world, small independent kingdoms still existed, each with their own strange laws and customs.
These kingdoms had once ruled entire regions.
Honedge then added one more detail.
That sorcerer had possessed many treasures—Honedge was simply one of many foreign Pokémon offered as tribute.
"That matches historical patterns. Merchants constantly transported rare goods across distant lands, introducing them into new cultures."
"Sometimes, this even caused environmental changes in the regions they traveled to."
Its memories were fresh.
It could still recall the towering castles, the heavily armored knights…
But in one single moment, it had awakened to find it all gone.
The kingdom had vanished.
The king was long dead.
Even the records of that civilization had faded into nothingness.
All of it—erased by time.
Yet Honedge didn't seem too affected.
It was just a sword, after all.
Still, there was one thing Honedge knew for certain.
A sword must serve a master.
Without a wielder, it had no purpose.
And since it had already been captured by Hikaru—
It had already chosen a new one.
But then, Honedge suddenly remembered a secret—
A story once told by its predecessor.
The first king… was not chosen by bloodline.
The first king… was chosen by a mighty beast.
That king used the beast's power to build a nation—ruling over countless lives.
And if that ancient king was dead…
Then why not choose a new one?
Honedge bounced up and down excitedly.
"Would you like to become a king?"
Power! No—Sticky Mud Balls! That is the reason for kingship!"
Then, after a long pause, he sighed.
"A king? What's so great about being a king?"
"Ruling over humans and Pokémon… Hold on, isn't this a villain's origin story?!"
Why the hell was a Pokémon actively encouraging him to become a tyrant?!
Hikaru waved his hands frantically.
"That's way too crazy! How do you even choose a king that easily?!"
"What kind of sword just casually hands out kingship?!"
"Besides, ruling in the modern world is meaningless!"
"You're talking about controlling humans and Pokémon? This is literally a villain's plan!"
Hikaru suddenly paused, remembering something.
"Now that I think about it, Honedge's final evolution—Aegislash—does have lore about selecting kings."
"It can perceive a person's potential as a ruler, and whoever it chooses will become a king."
"But… there are plenty of Aegislash in the world, and none of their Trainers became kings."
Honedge puffed up proudly.
Exactly! That's my evolution!
Hikaru immediately shut it down.
"Yeah, but that's Aegislash's job. You're still just a Honedge."
"You don't even have the authority to choose a king."
"And by the way, every kingdom that followed Aegislash's rule eventually collapsed."
Honedge stared at Hikaru in silence.
The two locked eyes for a long moment.
Honedge's eye blinked.
Slowly, it rubbed its hilt with its blue ribbon.
"Ah, so that's why our kingdom fell."
"Turns out… it was my evolution's fault."
"Well, never mind then!"