“So this is Mirage Kingdom?”
After leaving Mauville City, Terrance traveled far from civilization, crossed the desert, and arrived at a remote region.
Here stood a sovereign monarchy outside the political framework of the Pokémon League—Mirage Kingdom.
“The fact that it never joined the Hoenn League yet still maintains its independence and autonomy is probably related to the environment here.”
The place was simply too barren. There were virtually no resources, making it unsuitable for sustained development.
Moreover, while it was called a kingdom, it was not much larger than a small town. Its population was small, and its military strength was said to be pitifully weak.
Over the past few days, Terrance had been following behind Ash and the others, though he never disturbed them. He was merely keeping an eye on Team Magma and Team Aqua.
At the same time, he had also been training Frogadier and Togetic. Since both had accumulated considerable experience before evolving, they had once again reached the point where evolution could occur at any time.
As for Frogadier, because the special training involved too many elements and it had not yet mastered them all, Terrance did not plan to let it evolve in the near future.
Togetic, however, was another matter. It was time for it to evolve again.
It only had a handful of moves before evolving, while powerful moves like Extreme Speed, Sky Attack, Aura Sphere, and Air Slash could only be learned after evolution. These moves were the ones truly worth putting effort into. Now, it had completely digested its previous accumulation and honed its Metronome in this form to perfection. To help it grow faster, Terrance had long been looking for an opportunity to let it evolve.
For Togetic to evolve into Togekiss, a Shiny Stone was required. However, for Terrance, Fairy Aura alone could technically induce the evolution even without a Shiny Stone. Still, a Shiny Stone contained certain special energies that Fairy Aura lacked—energies capable of altering the body itself. After careful consideration, Terrance decided it would be better to proceed cautiously and acquire a top-quality Shiny Stone.
After investigating, Terrance discovered that top-quality Shiny Stones did exist, but only two or three were circulating throughout all of Hoenn, and each had been bid up to astronomical prices…..
Although he already intended to purchase a Shiny Stone, Terrance did not do so immediately. It was not because he couldn’t afford one. Rather, during this time, he had found references in ancient texts to an even more perfect evolution method for Togepi and Togetic.
“Togepi Paradise… the sealed power… does it really exist?”
Terrance shook his head. Whether it existed or not, he still intended to look for it. After all, it was along the way.
Arriving ahead of Ash’s group, Terrance reached the location of Togepi Paradise—Mirage Kingdom.
This kingdom possessed a very unique tradition. According to legend, the kingdom’s first king, queen, and citizens all deeply worshipped Togepi. As a result, a Togepi temple was established here. In fact, anyone wishing to inherit royal authority was required to possess a Togepi and receive its recognition.
For an independent kingdom so closely tied to Togepi, perhaps there truly were secrets related to Togepi hidden here. Driven by curiosity, Terrance had quietly slipped in to investigate.
…
…
Terrance’s arrival went completely unnoticed. Neither the soldiers nor the citizens of Mirage Kingdom discovered that he had entered the kingdom.
It wasn’t that Terrance didn’t want to openly pay a visit. Rather, the circumstances of this kingdom were somewhat complicated.
“It’s clearly a small feudal state with monarchical sovereignty, yet its technology isn’t backward at all.” After observing the local customs and conditions, Terrance smiled and shook his head.
“According to legend, Togepi Paradise lies beyond the mirage, a separate little world. Aside from Togepi, outsiders supposedly can’t enter. I wonder if the Mirage royal family possesses a method of getting there… The ancient texts mention that the passage is somehow connected to the Togepi Temple, but all the buildings here look practically the same. Which one is the temple, exactly…?”
After arriving here, Terrance found himself troubled by this problem.
Concealed by Mismagius, Terrance strolled openly through the streets, and no one could see him.
However, under such circumstances, he had no way of gathering useful information. Terrance was considering whether it might be appropriate to ask a passerby for directions…
Eventually, Terrance finally figured out that the temple was located within the royal palace. But somehow, without realizing it, he had wandered into a garden and gotten lost.
If his unauthorized entry into the palace went unnoticed, that was one thing. But if he were discovered, an ordinary person would certainly face punishment. On the other hand, if Terrance revealed his identity as an Elite Four, it could potentially spark political controversy.
Of course… with Mirage Kingdom’s strength, even a major interregional corporation probably wouldn’t take it seriously, much less the Hoenn League.
“Who’s there?!”
Being discovered was something Terrance had never even considered. Mismagius had concealed his presence, and unless someone’s psychic power surpassed Mismagius’s and they specialized in detection, it should have been impossible to notice him.
Yet while walking through the garden, Terrance suddenly stopped and looked at the stern-faced woman standing opposite him in surprise.
She appeared to be about the same age as Terrance, with light chestnut-colored curly hair and blue eyes. At first, Terrance paid her little attention, but when he noticed her attire, he let out a quiet “Huh.”
That dress… this woman was probably a member of the royal family.
“Come out! If you don’t come out right now, I’ll call for help!”
Sara stared nervously ahead. Although she couldn’t see anyone, she could sense that something was there.
“How interesting…”
Terrance glanced sideways at the innocent-looking Mismagius beside him and then said, “Forget it. I can ask her about the temple. If things get out of control, we’ll just make her forget we were ever here.”
With that, Terrance’s figure gradually became visible, and Sara caught sight of his “kind and approachable” smile.
“Who exactly are you…?” Seeing someone truly appear, Sara nervously took a step back.
“Don’t be nervous. I mean no harm,” Terrance said quickly.
However, Sara clearly wasn’t convinced. Her eyes carefully examined him as she said, “That’s a lie. You’re carrying dust released by Togepi. That dust is filled with an ominous aura. You might not be a good person.”
“Huh?” Terrance was instantly dumbfounded.
Dust released by Togepi… what was that?
Dust released by Togetic, on the other hand, he had heard of. Supposedly, Togetic would approach kind-hearted people and sprinkle them with happiness and warmth, something known as “joy dust.”
Because this dust was a form of energy that had never been properly researched and whose effects remained unknown, it had never received much attention. But at this moment, Terrance felt as though Togetic had somehow set him up.
“Why does the dust on me feel ominous??? Isn’t what Togetic scatters supposed to be ‘happiness’ and ‘warmth’?? What in the world has it been doing?”
Terrance wasn’t in the mood to think about that right now. He knew what his Togetic was like. However, the fact that Mismagius’s concealment couldn’t block this kind of energy was certainly a new discovery.
Moreover, the girl before him could actually sense this energy. Her identity was clearly not ordinary either.
“I am Princess Sara of Mirage Kingdom. Outsider, state your purpose!” Princess Sara suddenly adopted a solemn expression.
“Me?”
Terrance scratched his cheek and thought for a moment about how he should explain himself.
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