Professor Oak refused to let Gary touch the box again.
He also refused to let Lucian open it immediately.
“First, we need to make sure it doesn’t contain any dangerous substances,” he explained while placing the container inside an isolation chamber.
“It was stored more than thirty years ago, and no one properly documented its contents.”
Gary watched from the other side of the glass.
“I found it.”
“You took it from a shelf without permission,” Daisy replied.
“That still counts as finding it.”
“You also nearly dropped it.”
“But I didn’t.”
“Because I caught it.”
Lucian stood in front of the chamber without taking his eyes off the box.
It didn’t look special from the outside.
It was a small container made from dark wood, with rust-covered metal clasps and a nearly illegible label.
However, the system had reacted as soon as he read the words “Mount Moon.”
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Beldum floated behind him.
The Pokémon had been restless since they entered the room.
It wasn’t behaving as it did when it wanted to train or when it sensed a threat.
This was something different.
Curiosity.
And something else that was more difficult to identify.
A sense of recognition.
Lucian placed a hand against its metallic body.
“Can you feel something?”
Beldum released a faint vibration.
“Inside the box?”
The Pokémon moved forward several inches.
Oak looked up from the controls.
“Keep it away from the chamber until we finish the initial tests.”
“It isn’t trying to approach out of normal curiosity.”
“That doesn’t change the safety regulations.”
Lucian nodded.
“Stay here.”
Beldum didn’t seem pleased, but it obeyed.
Growlithe sniffed the air and sneezed.
“You too,” Lucian said.
The Fire-type sat down.
Daisy rested her arms against the edge of a table.
“How long will it take?”
“Less time if all of you stop asking questions,” Oak replied.
Gary raised his hand.
“I have a question.”
His grandfather closed his eyes.
“Of course you do.”
“Can it explode?”
Daisy took a step backward.
Oak turned toward her.
“It will not explode.”
“I wasn’t moving away.”
“You just hid behind Lucian.”
“I can see the screen better from here.”
Lucian looked over his shoulder.
Daisy was indeed standing behind him, although she was trying to pretend she was only observing the screen from a different angle.
“The box is showing no temperature changes,” Oak reported.
“There are also no signs of dangerous radiation, accumulated gases, or unstable elemental energy.”
Daisy stepped out from behind Lucian.
“I knew nothing would happen.”
Gary pointed at her.
“You hid.”
“Go play with your Blastoise.”
“It isn’t a toy. It’s a collectible figure.”
Oak activated the mechanical gloves inside the chamber.
The metal fingers removed the first clasp and then the second.
The lid slowly opened.
Inside were six small glass containers wrapped in cloth.
Each one had a label displaying a different date and location.
There was also a thin notebook.
Oak used the mechanical arms to open it.
Most of its pages were yellowed, but the ink remained legible.
“The samples were collected by a researcher named Tobias Halden,” he said.
“He worked with one of my mentors for a time.”
Lucian recognized the name.
“Halden published a study about the Clefairy of Mount Moon.”
Oak looked at him.
“You read it?”
“My grandfather has a copy.”
“Does he also possess copies of every document that exists in Kanto?”
“Not every document.”
Daisy leaned toward Lucian.
“That means he has a lot of them.”
“The family library is extensive.”
Oak turned several pages.
“The official study described the habits of Clefairy, their relationship with Moon Stones, and their gatherings during certain lunar phases. This notebook seems to contain notes Halden didn’t include in the published version.”
Lucian moved closer to the glass.
“Why did he exclude them?”
“That is what we’ll try to discover.”
The professor read in silence for several minutes.
His expression, which had initially been curious, began to turn serious.
“He mentions an underground chamber here.”
“Inside Mount Moon?” Daisy asked.
“Yes. He claims that a group of Clefairy descended into it once every month. Halden tried to follow them, but his instruments stopped working whenever he approached.”
Elena’s compass felt heavy inside Lucian’s pocket.
He remembered how its needle had spun out of control during the storm on the island.
“What kind of instruments?”
“Compasses, magnetic readers, and a device designed to measure lunar energy.”
Lucian looked at Beldum.
“Magnetic fields affected the equipment.”
“That would be the simplest explanation,” Oak replied.
“However, Halden wrote that the measurements didn’t match a normal magnetic field.”
The system appeared before Lucian’s eyes.
Optional Objective in Progress
Analyze the ancient samples from Mount Moon.
Relevant Information Detected: The notes describe possible interference produced by the Astral Resonance Network.
Analysis Progress: 10%
Recommendation: Identify the sample connected to the underground chamber.
There were six containers.
Lucian read their labels through the glass.
Five held gray fragments or shining dust.
The last contained a dark piece, barely larger than a coin, crossed by silver lines.
Beldum vibrated.
The dark fragment moved inside its container.
Everyone fell silent.
Gary was the first to speak.
“It moved.”
Oak checked the readings.
“The chamber is completely stable.”
“Beldum did something,” Daisy said.
Lucian closed his eyes and focused on his partner’s presence.
Beldum wasn’t using Confusion.
Its psychic energy remained calm.
The reaction was coming from somewhere else.
From within its metallic body.
“It isn’t moving the sample,” Lucian said.
“The sample is responding to it.”
Oak studied the sensors.
“Bring it closer slowly.”
“You just said it needed to stay away.”
“The conditions have changed.”
Lucian looked at Beldum.
“Only a little. If you feel pain or anything unusual, move back.”
The Pokémon advanced.
The fragment’s silver lines began to emit a faint glow.
Growlithe stood and positioned himself beside Lucian.
Daisy took Gary’s hand and led him several steps backward.
Beldum moved closer again.
The fragment struck the sides of the container.
Once.
Twice.
Then it remained suspended in the center of the glass.
Oak moved quickly across the controls.
“I’m not detecting any external psychic energy.”
“Beldum isn’t using a move either,” Lucian assured him.
“Then there must be some form of resonance between their metallic structures.”
A pressure passed through Lucian’s mind.
It wasn’t painful.
It felt similar to what he experienced when he attempted to synchronize his powers with Beldum during training.
The fragment seemed to release a pulse.
Beldum responded.
And through their bond, Lucian could feel it as well.
A slow heartbeat.
Deep.
Distant.
For an instant, the room disappeared.
Lucian saw darkness.
Not a room without light, but an immense, empty space covered in stars.
In the distance, silver lines connected shining points like a network stretched across the sky.
One of those points was dark.
Another flickered beneath a mountain.
Lucian opened his eyes and stumbled backward.
Growlithe barked.
Daisy grabbed his arm.
“What happened?”
Beldum had moved away from the chamber.
Its body trembled slightly.
The fragment fell to the bottom of the container and stopped glowing.
Oak deactivated the instruments.
“No one approach it.”
“I’m fine,” Lucian said.
“I didn’t ask if you were fine. I want to know what you felt.”
Lucian sat before answering.
He couldn’t explain the system window, but the vision had come from the stone and his connection with Beldum.
Oak needed to know.
“I saw something.”
The professor approached.
“An image?”
“A dark space filled with stars. There were lines connecting several points.”
“How many?”
“I couldn’t count them. One was dark, and another was located beneath a mountain.”
Oak looked at the box.
“Mount Moon.”
“I think so.”
Daisy was still holding his arm.
“Did the stone show you a vision?”
“Or it reacted to my powers.”
“You aren’t going near it again.”
“I never touched it.”
“You know what I mean.”
Gary peeked out from behind Daisy.
“Did you see Pokémon in space?”
“No.”
“Spaceships?”
“No.”
“Then it was a boring vision.”
Oak pointed toward the door.
“Gary, go find one of my assistants.”
“Which one?”
“Anyone you find, and please don’t pick up any more boxes on the way.”
The boy ran out of the room.
Oak looked at Lucian again.
“Have you ever experienced anything similar?”
“No.”
“Not even during your psychic training?”
“I can sense emotions and presences. Sometimes I share impulses with Beldum, but I’ve never seen something that wasn’t in front of me.”
“It could have been a psychic memory stored inside the mineral,” Oak said.
“Some stones preserve traces of energy for years.”
Lucian slowly shook his head.
“It didn’t feel like a memory.”
“Then what was it?”
He looked at the dark fragment.
“A map.”
The blue screen appeared again.
Partial Analysis Completed
Object Identified: Fragment of Deteriorated Astral Mineral.
Condition: Inactive.
Affinities: Steel, Psychic, and cosmic energy.
Original Function: Unknown.
Detected Connection: Inactive node of the Astral Resonance Network.
Exceptional Compatibility Registered: Beldum.
Warning: Prolonged exposure may cause mental overload or alterations in the Pokémon’s magnetic field.
Mission Progress: 20%
Lucian felt relieved upon reading the warning.
“We need to keep Beldum away from the sample.”
Oak raised an eyebrow.
“A moment ago, you wanted to analyze it.”
“The reaction was too intense. A second exposure could be dangerous.”
The professor studied him for several seconds.
“I agree.”
He didn’t ask why Lucian had changed his mind so quickly.
Not yet.
Daisy crouched in front of Beldum.
“Does anything hurt?”
The Pokémon released a negative vibration.
She placed a hand on top of its head.
“You don’t need to prove that you’re strong all the time.”
Beldum looked at Lucian.
“She’s right,” he said.
Daisy smiled.
“I want to hear that again.”
“Don’t abuse it.”
One of the assistants entered with Gary.
Oak ordered him to transfer the entire chamber to a room protected against magnetic fields.
No one would open the containers without specialized equipment.
While the assistant worked, Lucian used the external gloves to retrieve Halden’s notebook.
“I want to read the notes.”
“Only the pages that aren’t contaminated,” Oak said.
“And you’ll do it with supervision.”
“I can help,” Daisy offered.
“Perfect.”
Lucian looked at Oak.
“Why does she need to supervise me?”
“Because if you find something interesting, you’ll forget to eat.”
“That only happened once.”
“Three times,” Daisy corrected.
“Once on the island and twice here.”
Lucian remained silent.
Oak closed the chamber.
“I’ll also inform your grandfather.”
“There’s no need to worry him.”
The professor released a humorless laugh.
“An unknown mineral just caused a psychic vision in his only grandson and reacted to a Beldum descended from the colony his family protects. Believe me, it’s necessary.”
Lucian couldn’t argue with that.
On Celestia Island, Elena was trying to convince Absol that an evaluation wasn’t a form of torture.
She wasn’t succeeding.
The Pokémon remained on a measuring platform with her legs stiff and a distrustful expression.
Doctor Miriam was trying to place a small sensor against her side.
Absol growled.
“It will only measure your heartbeat,” Elena explained.
The Pokémon bared her teeth.
“She isn’t going to steal your heart.”
Miriam looked at the girl.
“Your explanations aren’t helping.”
“I’m trying.”
Chansey approached with a Berry in her hand.
Absol looked at the fruit.
Then she looked at the sensor.
Chansey moved the Berry in front of her.
The Pokémon stopped growling.
“That’s bribery,” Elena said.
Miriam attached the sensor.
“It’s called cooperation through positive reinforcement.”
“She gave her food so she would accept.”
“Exactly.”
Elena made a mental note of the method.
Although Absol had decided to become her partner, that didn’t mean she trusted everyone at the breeding center.
She allowed Elena to approach, tolerated Adrian, and seemed to respect Arcanine.
She maintained a cautious distance from everyone else.
The evaluation was intended to determine her general condition, physical development, and any possible problems caused by living alone in the mountains.
“Her weight is appropriate,” Miriam said while reviewing the results.
“She’s well-fed, and her muscles show that she regularly travels long distances.”
“How old is she?”
The doctor examined her fangs.
Absol didn’t seem to appreciate the procedure.
“She’s young. Probably between two and three years old. She’s no longer a cub, but she hasn’t yet reached full maturity.”
Elena stroked her neck.
“That means we’ll grow together.”
Absol leaned her head toward her.
“When can she train?”
“After we remove the bandage.”
“How many days?”
“Five, if the wound continues to heal properly.”
Absol growled.
“I didn’t decide that,” Elena repeated.
Miriam looked at them both.
“You’re already starting to resemble one another too much.”
The door opened, and Adrian entered the room.
His expression was serious.
“Elena, I need to speak with you.”
She tensed.
“Did I do something?”
Her father looked at her.
“It’s concerning that this is always your first question.”
“I’m still grounded. I haven’t had an opportunity to do anything.”
“That argument doesn’t reassure me either.”
Adrian showed her the communicator.
“Professor Oak called from Pallet Town. Something happened to Lucian.”
Elena immediately stood.
“Is he hurt?”
Absol stepped off the platform and moved beside her.
“No. At least not physically.”
“What does that mean?”
“They found some ancient samples from Mount Moon. One of them reacted to Beldum and caused Lucian to experience a vision.”
Elena frowned.
“A vision of what?”
“I want to speak with him.”
“You’ll have to wait. He’s resting, and his grandfather is already heading to the communications room.”
Elena looked toward the door.
“We can listen to them.”
“No.”
“I only want to make sure he’s all right.”
“Lucian will call you later.”
“That could take hours.”
Adrian crossed his arms.
Absol looked first at the man and then at Elena.
The girl slowly extended a hand toward the communicator.
Her father raised it out of her reach.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“I wasn’t going to do anything.”
“I know you.”
Absol sat down.
Judging by the movement of her tail, she appeared to agree with Adrian.
Elena looked at her.
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
The Pokémon looked away.
Lucian’s grandfather appeared on the laboratory’s main screen.
He didn’t look pleased.
“Samuel.”
Oak sat in front of the monitor.
“Before you start shouting…”
“My grandson has been under your care for less than a week.”
“Five days.”
“That doesn’t make the situation better.”
Lucian sat to one side with Beldum and Growlithe.
Daisy remained nearby, although Oak had told her that she didn’t need to attend.
She had ignored him.
“It wasn’t the professor’s fault,” Lucian said.
His grandfather looked at him through the screen.
“I want to hear him explain what happened.”
Oak recounted the discovery of the box, Halden’s notes, and the fragment’s reaction.
He didn’t conceal any details.
The old man’s expression changed when he heard the mineral’s description.
“Did you say it was dark with silver lines?”
“That’s right.”
“Show it to me.”
Oak shared a photograph taken from inside the chamber.
Lucian’s grandfather remained silent.
“You recognize it,” Oak said.
“I’ve seen something similar.”
Lucian leaned toward the screen.
“Where?”
The old man didn’t answer immediately.
“In our family archives.”
“Why have you never shown it to me?”
“Because I considered it a legend.”
Oak enlarged the image.
“What does the legend say?”
Lucian’s grandfather took a deep breath.
“It says that before settling on Celestia Island, the Starfall family studied fragments of metal that fell from the sky. According to the records, some of them reacted to Psychic- and Steel-type Pokémon.”
Lucian looked at Beldum.
“What did they use them for?”
“The documents aren’t clear. They speak of pathways between stars, sanctuaries, and places where the world’s energy was connected.”
The Astral Resonance Network.
Lucian maintained a calm expression.
“Are there any fragments left on the island?”
“Not that I know of.”
“And the records?”
“They’re protected.”
“I want to read them when I return.”
His grandfather narrowed his eyes.
“First, I want to know exactly what happened to you.”
Lucian described the vision.
The stars.
The lines.
The inactive node.
The point flickering beneath a mountain.
When he finished, the old man looked even more concerned.
“Do not bring Beldum near that stone again.”
“We’ve already made that decision,” Oak replied.
“And don’t try to analyze it using your psychic powers.”
Lucian remained silent.
“Lucian.”
“Understood.”
Daisy glanced at him as if trying to determine whether he truly intended to obey.
His grandfather also knew him far too well.
“Samuel, keep the sample inside a secure chamber. I’ll send copies of the relevant documents.”
“I thought you didn’t share the Starfall archives with anyone outside the family.”
“I usually don’t.”
Oak smiled.
“I knew you would eventually admit that you trust me.”
“I trust that I don’t want my grandson injured beneath your roof.”
“I’ll consider that progress.”
“Don’t.”
The call ended shortly afterward.
Lucian remained seated.
The system hadn’t given him a random mission.
His family had been connected to the Astral Resonance Network long before his birth.
Perhaps even before they settled on the island.
Daisy touched his shoulder.
“You promised you wouldn’t approach the sample again.”
“I said I wouldn’t expose Beldum to it.”
“Your grandfather said you shouldn’t analyze it with your powers either.”
“I don’t intend to.”
Daisy stared at him.
“What?”
“I’m trying to decide whether I believe you.”
“I haven’t lied to you.”
“But you look for ways to obey someone’s words while ignoring what they meant.”
Lucian didn’t answer.
Daisy pointed toward the hallway.
“We’re going outside.”
“I still need to read the notes.”
“Later.”
“Daisy.”
“Your grandfather said you need to rest.”
“My grandfather is on the island.”
“I meant mine.”
Lucian looked at Oak.
The professor pretended to be focused on the photograph of the fragment.
“I’m not getting involved,” he said.
“That means you’re on her side.”
“It means I value my peace of mind.”
Daisy took Lucian’s hand and pulled him along.
Growlithe immediately stood.
Beldum followed them.
“Where are we going?”
“To the garden.”
“What for?”
“To do something normal.”
“I need a more precise definition.”
Daisy opened the door.
“I’ll teach you how to make flower crowns.”
Lucian stopped.
“No.”
“Swablu needs accessories to practice her performances.”
“You can make them yourself.”
“I need help.”
“Gary can help you.”
From the hallway, Gary raised a crooked crown made from leaves.
“I already made one.”
Daisy examined the object.
“I need a different kind of help.”
Lucian looked at the laboratory, the archives, and the room where the sample had been stored.
Then he looked at Daisy.
He hadn’t won that argument.
“One hour.”
“Two.”
“One.”
“One and a half.”
Lucian sighed.
“I accept.”
Daisy smiled.
As they walked into the garden, Beldum floated beside Lucian.
The Pokémon was still curious about the stone, but it also felt somewhat tired.
Lucian placed a hand against it.
“We’ll wait.”
Beldum released a vibration.
It wasn’t an easy promise for either of them.
However, both were beginning to understand that some secrets shouldn’t be pursued before they were ready.
Inside the protected room, the fragment remained motionless within its container.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then one of its silver lines lit up.
Far away from Pallet Town, deep beneath Mount Moon, something responded with a faint pulse.
Once.
And then it returned to sleep.
End of Chapter 17