Master Craftsman of the Elven World

Chapter 449 Water City, Buried Tower, Ancient Times

During the daytime of the same day.

In the southern seas of the Johto region lies the water city of Odomare.

It is hailed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Within the city are the famous "Great Cathedral" and the "Tower of the Sun".

This building was constructed out of gratitude for the legendary Pokémon that protected the city.

Here, Ash, who was traveling in the Johto region, came to Altomare to participate in the annual Pokémon Water Contest, where he met the Pokémon Latias and Latios, who possess amazing moves.

Latios is the older brother, and he has a blue color like the sky and the sea.

Latias is the younger sister, possessing a fiery red color even more intense than the sunset.

They share a deep bond and together guard the city's treasure, the "Heart Drop."

However, the phantom thief sisters, Sanna and Lian, have their eyes on this treasure.

In order to obtain the Heart Drop, they set their sights on the twins of the Water City.

Latias can transform into a painting girl named Kanon, playing and strolling through the streets of Alto Marley. In a small square with a water tap, Ash and Pikachu encounter the "mysterious girl" that Latias has transformed into.

Accompanied by the melodious sound of an accordion, the mysterious girl walked into the intricate and crisscrossing city streets, a city that resembled a maze.

Meanwhile, female thieves from the outside world, using a device similar to the Silver Observation Mirror, saw through the girl's disguise. They attempted to capture her and force her to hand over the Heart Drop.

At this critical moment, Ash and Pikachu crossed the maze and, as if by fate, came to the girl in danger and rescued her from the perilous situation.

From that moment on, the mysterious girl remembered the boy with Pikachu.

The three arrived at the Grand Cathedral, but Ash was unaware that the female thief's surveillance cameras were already watching him. Inside the cathedral, they encountered Mr. Bengle, the museum's guide.

Suddenly, Xiaozhi noticed a girl packing up her art supplies on the second floor. It was the same girl from earlier!
Ash decided to investigate. He told Misty and Brock that he had something to do and asked them to wait for him at the Pokémon Center. He ran out of the museum and, after seeing the girl, he and Pikachu chased after her. At this moment, the flight monitor caught up with Ash.

Following the girl's footsteps, the boy began to run without regard for anything else, running out of the church, across the bridge, and through several streets.

At the foot of a bridge, Ash called out to the girl on the other side and asked her why she had run away without saying anything, but the girl had no idea what he was talking about.

The boy was equally puzzled, so he continued on with Pikachu, only to get lost at a city crossroads.

Just when he didn't know where to look,

He turned around suddenly and saw the girl quietly gazing at him from the bridge.

As they continued into the alley, Xiaozhi, increasingly puzzled, followed them into the alley.

After walking through the wisteria-covered corridor, I lost sight of my target at the crossroads.

He began searching aimlessly. Just as he was standing by a bridge, marveling at how the city was like a maze, he saw the girl again, but she had nothing with her.

The girl smiled and ran to the other side, waving to Ash to follow her.

Exotic architecture, running boys, elusive girls, a mesmerizing accordion, a lively rhythm, and accompanying music.

In the fading days of summer, visitors almost melt into this hazy world.

After a chase, Ash saw the girl standing in front of a wall, sunlight falling on her, dappling the shadows of the trees. Then, she smiled and disappeared through the wall.

Pikachu then followed him into the wall, and Ash decided to go through it as well.

After passing through the tunnel, Ash and Pikachu arrived at a beautiful garden.

He continued walking and saw the girl again. He chased after her and saw her swinging on a swing on the other side of the pond.

The girl deliberately lured the boy over.

Because the girl really liked the boy.

Latias, in the form of a mysterious girl, imitates the behavior of a human girl and wants to play with the boy she likes.

In this secret garden that existed long ago.

But as the boy was about to walk over, the windmill beside him started spinning.

Then, waves surged up in the distant pool, as if something had rushed over, creating waves, then flew into the woods, turned back, and rushed towards Ash.

Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt but missed, and was knocked to the ground by that thing. Ash quickly bent down to check on Pikachu's condition, but that thing charged at him again.

At the critical moment, the girl stood in front of Ash, and the thing stopped instantly and revealed its true form: Latios!
Ash remembered the statues on the two pillars in front of the Grand Cathedral. Latios shouted, seemingly telling the girl to move aside, and assumed an attacking stance, but the girl shook her head and refused to move.

"Latias, would you like to play with this child?"

An old man named Bengrave stood with a girl named Canon, who was holding a drawing board, and asked the mysterious girl these questions.

The girl smiled and nodded, then pulled Xiaozhi onto the swing, while she stood on the swing herself.

"Isn't Latias the name of a Pokémon?"

Xiao Zhi was a little confused.

So, the swing stopped.

The girl behind him emitted light and transformed into Latias.

Ash was startled and fell to the ground. Latias flew over to help him up and happily circled around him after seeing that Ash was alright.

But innocent love blossomed here, and neither the boy nor the girl from another race knew what would happen next.

When a person possesses unlimited power and evil desires, an irreparable tragedy can occur.

When the tracking equipment arrived at the secret garden, the female thieves from the outside world also began their activities.

As the sun set and the boy left the garden, while the twins of the water city flew carefree, they invaded the ancient garden, stole the Heart Drop, deciphered the ancient stone tablets, and...
They captured Latios.

Latias knew he had to do something to save his brother, and at this critical moment...
The first person the girl from another race thought of was the boy she used to play with, the one who ran around in the water city.

Even though it's already late at night.

But in my heart, there seems to be a ray of light, just like the sunlight.

After a fierce chase, a battle with Aerodactyl and Kabuto revived from the Grand Cathedral, and then using Latias's Misty Ball to break through Aldormare's defense mechanism "Water Whirlwind," Ash and Latias finally arrived at the Grand Cathedral at top speed, albeit with some stumbles!
Before that enormous instrument!
Latios, who had been having his energy drained but, unlike in the original work, did not struggle recklessly and deplete his strength, suddenly brightened up when he saw his sister and the boy in the hat arrive.

The memories of the day are fading; now, focus on the present!

The phantom thief sisters who were operating the machine failed! She attempted to use Odomare's technology to manipulate the water flow and capture her sister and the boy, but her sister awakened the "Mist Ball" technique, shattering the water whirlwind, which caused the machine to malfunction and go berserk!
Great opportunity, now is a great opportunity!
"Pikachu, one hundred thousand volts!"

The Pikachu beside the boy injured one of the Phantom Thief Sisters, and taking this opportunity, he rushed into the church and rescued Canon and the old man Bengrave.

Despite his physical discomfort, Latios nodded slightly, watching the boy's brave and fearless performance.

Outside the machine that trapped him, his sister Latias was desperately trying to rescue him, attempting to stop the machine by jamming it!

The boy was also helping, but why did he use "Sacrifice Charge" directly?!

That's incredibly brave! How could the human body be so resilient?
As expected, the boy suddenly rammed into him, but was immediately repelled by a light blue energy shield!
"Ladi!"

Hey, are you okay?

Latios had intended to ask that question, but seeing the boy sway and stand up as if nothing had happened, it immediately felt that it was completely unnecessary to ask it.

Of all the humans I've ever met, no one has a stronger physique than you. By the way, are you really human?
At this moment, his younger sister Latias used the Mist Ball again. A bright light accompanied her body as she crashed into the out-of-control equipment. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the boy, Miss Canon, and Old Man Bengle finally pulled him out of the equipment!
Success! But it's not over yet!

Latios, catching its breath, recalled what the human craftsman had said in its dream: the Heart Drop would be lost tonight, triggering a massive tsunami that would engulf the entire island!

Sure enough, the heart droplet had changed from its original azure blue to a filthy blackish-red!

If it is touched again, the drop of water in the heart may explode and disappear!

And now, there's no way to find a new drop of heart water!

"Ladi."

Is that so?

Latios understood everything. If he wanted to save the island, with the Heart Drop destroyed, the only way was to sacrifice his own life.

Therefore, the legendary Pokémon in the dream, and that mysterious human, looked at him with those eyes and said those strange things.

Death had already chosen me, and my soul was destined to ascend into the universe. Legend has it that our race came to this world from a distant heaven.
If I hadn't entered that dream, the ancient legend would have been repeated tonight, and this time, I would have had to give up my life and soul.

"Lati!"

Latios took out the flute it had hidden from its feathers and urged Ash to hurry up!
Come on, young man!
Come and play this flute!
The fate of Odomar is in your hands!
"Flute?"

"Latios, what kind of flute is this? I've never seen it before?"

The girl and the old man guarding the secret garden, Canon and Mr. Bengrave, were all stunned when they saw the Flute of Infinity.

They are the guardians of the secret garden, as well as the boatmen and painters of this island. Since long ago, they have been welcoming countless Pokémon from the outside world and taking care of Latios and Latias, who were born here.

However, they had never seen this flute before; it was as if it had appeared out of nowhere!

But at that moment, Ash suddenly thought of something.

"A flute?"

Right, it was not long ago.

Not long ago, I saw the same thing in the "Shrab's Forest," and the solution was also a flute.

In the final moments when the Celebi that Yukinari knew and protected was controlled by Team Rocket executives and went berserk,...

A portal through time and space suddenly opened!

A shrine appeared inside, playing a pure white flute!

She played wonderful music, and then countless rabbis poured in from different worlds and times!
Then, the crisis was resolved!
"Whenever a crisis occurs, a Pokémon with a flute always appears."

"But where did the flute come from?"

Xiao Zhi didn't have time to think about these things, but as a sports student, he couldn't understand these problems either.

However, from Latios's expression, Ash realized that if he didn't play the flute at this moment, something dangerous might happen!
Although I can't play this instrument.

But there's no time to think about that now!

Ash put the flute to his lips, and then, as if naturally, some kind of power was generated!

Wonderful music emanated from the flute, and in a daze, past memories flooded back, and faded recollections regained their brilliance!

My journey from Pallet Town, everything I experienced, and the formidable enemies I defeated!
And also, those things I've fantasized about in my dreams.

Finally, what appeared before him was a vast expanse of azure sky, a distant blue expanse, and a rainbow sweeping across the distant mountain peaks. Memories of Ho-Oh flooded his mind, and the rainbow-colored feather he kept in his clothes began to glow!
"Is this...is this all you need?"

"Wow, that's amazing! You play so beautifully!" Kanon looked at Ash with an astonished expression, but Ash quickly waved his hand, "No! I just put the flute to my lips, and it automatically played music!"

"What kind of flute is this? Latios, what's wrong with you?"

As the ancient music finished playing, Latios suddenly heard a sound.

That was the call of one's own kind flowing in one's blood, which could be heard even across distant worlds, and it was almost identical to the sound of the Flute of Infinity!

So, have they arrived?!
The outside world was invisible from inside the cathedral, and at that moment, disaster struck.

At this moment, the boy's two companions also arrived.

An orange-haired girl holding Togepi.

A young man with brown hair wearing a green vest.

Everyone's here, Latios thought to himself.

The out-of-control instrument, having lost its "power source," stopped. One of the two female thieves said, "Seriously, what happened? The colors have all changed. How are you going to compensate me?"
Damn it, this disaster was caused by you stealing the Heart's Water Drop!

The blonde female thief, Sanna, placed her hand on the tainted drop of heart water, and old man Bengrey shouted out!
"do not touch!"

No, it's too late.

Latios watched this scene silently, watching the drop of heart emit a bright light, blasting the female thief into the device, and watching the filthy drop of heart explode and disappear into stardust.

Seeing the instruments in the Grand Cathedral emit red lightning again, it began to go berserk.

When an evil person uses the Heart Drop, their heart will be corrupted, the drop will disappear, and the city will be lost as well.

Everything was exactly as the craftsman in my dream had described.

I beg you, Flute of Infinity, please, you absolutely must, save this island.

[The craftsman from my dream, please bless this island!]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Near the capital, in the sea surrounding Azure City.

"Latios, Latias, did you just hear that?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be the sound of the Flute of Infinity!"

The boy, wearing a white hat, a red and black shirt, and black shorts, stared in astonishment at the surging sea.

Beside him were two more Pokémon with infinite numbers!
Latios of Hoenn: [I heard it! That's right, it's the call of the Infinity Flute! This sound can cross vast oceans and time-space, reaching all the way to the isolated island in the south.]

Even if they are far away in Hoenn, they will rush to investigate upon hearing the flute's call!

[I can sense it! Our clansmen near the Johto region have all mobilized!]

Latias of Hoenn: [I can't believe that besides Steven and Yu, there's anyone else who possesses the Infinity Flute?]

"I have a bad feeling; the sea current isn't right!" Latios of Hoenn seemed to remember something: "That direction... it should be Alto Mare, the Water City! That's a beautiful town our race often visits."

[In ancient legend, Odomare was once struck by a tsunami, and it was our ancestors who protected the island with drops of heart water.]

"Since the Flute of Infinity has summoned us, we must go and see for ourselves. Yu, you stay here and investigate; we'll be right back."

[Super Evolution!]

Latios and Latias from Hoenn underwent Mega Evolution in mid-air, becoming "Mega Latios" and "Mega Latias"!
In this state, their flight speed will reach the pinnacle of all Pokémon!

Hypersonic speed of Mach 4!
Two Mega-Evolved Infinity Pokémon, responding to the call of the Infinity Flute, raced at top speed towards Otomare in the Johto Sea!

Yu, the Hoenn champion who was left behind by her two companions, touched her hat with a helpless expression.

"Yes, I did come to the Johto region at Daigo's request, since I'm very familiar with this area."

I moved from the Johto region to Hoenn, but I never expected to come back in this form.

Because of Rayquaza's disappearance and everything that has happened in Hoenn recently, something rather strange happened, and I returned to the Johto region in search of Rayquaza.

In the Johto region, Rayquaza was sighted, which is why people are searching for it in the nearby seas.

In the sea and cliffs northwest of Azure City.
It seems to conceal a very ancient and rather fragmented legend.

"I'm Yuu, are you Mr. Daigo?"

Xiaoyou activated the PokéDevice:

"The investigation has indeed yielded some results."

"Rayquaza does seem to be located in the Johto region, and it is highly likely that it is related to a ruin called the Burial Tower. However, more detailed information is not available."

"It's possible that the entire mountain range to the west of the city is part of that tower!"

"If you know someone, especially someone who is very knowledgeable about the legends, they should know something, right?"

(End of this chapter)