Chapter 47: The Answer Beyond Time

The Flower Festival ended smoothly, and Arezu successfully became the Warden for the Queen. After expressing her deep gratitude to Summer, her life became busy, as she now had three Pokémon to care for.

Summer, meanwhile, temporarily stayed in the Diamond Settlement. He occasionally guided the Diamond Clan members in tree planting, did some carpentry, answered Adaman's questions, and performed with Thwackey for the children. His days were quite leisurely.

Then he had a question: why was this time travel lasting so long? Was there something still unfinished?

As usual, Summer went to Adaman's tent today to help him with his questions. After spending several days together, Summer understood why Adaman became the leader of the Diamond Clan at such a young age.

Adaman was very responsible towards the Diamond Clan, personally handling every matter. His bold and straightforward nature won the love of the wild land's inhabitants. His thoughtful and detailed approach, along with his consistent emphasis on the value of time, earned the elders' approval.

Of course, another crucial point was his grandfather, the previous leader. But Summer believed that even without this connection, Adaman would eventually take on the leadership role. He was destined to lead the Diamond Clan in this era.

"Summer, you don't really belong to this era, do you?"

Adaman's sudden question caught Summer off guard, but he answered frankly:

"Yes, that's right."

"Whoa, I thought you might try to hide it."

"And you're not very surprised either."

They exchanged a smile. Summer was so candid because Adaman worshipped Sinnoh, the deity of time. Adaman's lack of surprise was for the same reason.

"Your knowledge, the occasional unknown words, and your different worldview... Do you know, Summer?" Adaman said while stroking the Leafeon beside him.

"People in this land fear Pokémon, but you can befriend Thwackey as if he were a close friend. You are the same with other Pokémon. That's why I thought you didn't belong to this era."

"Don't you want to know about the future?" Summer asked, as most people were curious about it.

Adaman shook his head and said sincerely, "Your presence is the best answer. People and Pokémon becoming partners is undoubtedly the best future."

"As expected of the Diamond Clan leader, your awareness is really high."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I asked about your identity with a purpose." Adaman stood up, picked up a wooden box, and opened it.

Inside was an outfit similar in style to the robe Adaman wore, but it was badly worn. There were also miscellaneous daily items, several notebooks, and a finely crafted statue.

"These are my grandfather's belongings, and I want to ask you to solve a mystery he left behind. It's about the Diamond Clan's treasure, the Adamant Crystal, and only you can solve it, Summer!"

It turned out that Adaman's grandfather had a strange experience in his later years. He claimed he got lost in the Shrouded Ruins and woke up on a bustling street with tall stone buildings on both sides, where people and Pokémon laughed together like in a dream.

Returning to Hisui, he was very excited, believing he had traveled through time, which proved the existence of Sinnoh. When he shared this miraculous experience with the settlement, everyone was puzzled and speculated that the old man was hallucinating due to his excessive faith in Sinnoh, thinking he had traveled through time.

Adaman's grandfather was very stubborn and proud. When people refused to believe him, he was furious and never mentioned it again. People gradually forgot about it.

No one knew the old man had left a huge problem: the Diamond Clan's treasure, the Adamant Crystal, was hidden by him. It wasn't until after his death, when sorting through his belongings, that people found the treasure was missing.

The entire Diamond Clan was anxious, and the only information they had was the old man's last words.

"The name of the future, I hid the treasure there!"

After speaking, Adaman's expression was quite helpless. That stubborn grandfather had caused so much trouble for the Diamond Clan. Even in death, he wanted to prove his experience was real. Adaman had worked hard to restore normalcy to everyone's lives, feeling his grandfather was inconsiderate.

"The name of the future?" Summer repeated the old man's last words, looking thoughtful.

"It seems tricky to you too, right? Time is such an abstract concept. How can it have a name?"

"Adaman, you think I can solve this because my and Thwackey's presence resemble the world your grandfather described, right?"

"Yes, that experience deepened his faith in Sinnoh. He hoped that beautiful world would become the future, for his descendants to enjoy it."

"He didn't think about our future!" Adaman said, half annoyed, half amused.

It seemed Adaman's grandfather was a devoted follower of Sinnoh. Suddenly, Summer caught a crucial piece of information. The future Hisui was indeed called Sinnoh!

"Adaman, I have the answer."

"What, really? Do you know where the Adamant Crystal is?!" Adaman looked excited.

The treasure was in Sinnoh, and the only item here with the name of Sinnoh was the statue among Adaman's grandfather's belongings. Its shape was similar to Dialga, now worshiped by the Diamond Clan as Sinnoh.

"That statue, I think the Adamant Crystal is inside it."

"What! Okay, let me handle it." Adaman decided to break the statue himself, as it would be disrespectful for others to destroy the statue of Sinnoh.

He took a deep breath, picked up a small knife, and thrust it into the wooden statue. Suddenly, he felt the knife tip hit something hard. Was Summer's guess correct?

Adaman's expression changed from unease to excitement. With a few swift cuts, he exposed the glowing blue gem inside.

"The Adamant Crystal! It was in the statue all along. I can't believe it was so close!" Adaman exclaimed.

"That's great, Adaman."

"Yes, thanks to you, Summer. Summer, your body!" Adaman turned to thank him, only to see Summer's body becoming transparent.

"Is it time already..." Summer said with a helpless expression.

"Sinnoh is so cruel." Adaman was reluctant to see Summer go. He felt like a reliable older brother who could solve any problem.

"It looks like we have to part ways, Adaman. Please say goodbye to Arezu for me, and tell her to rely more on the people around her."

"I will. Oh," Adaman suddenly remembered something, hurriedly taking two items from his pocket and pressing them into Summer's hand. "Take these, Summer. A small gift, the Diamond Clan's emblem, and a Sun Stone for Leafeon. The Diamond Clan will remember you!"

"I'll cherish them." Summer left these words and disappeared with Thwackey before Adaman.

"Did they return to his time together? Sorry, Sinnoh, I shouldn't have called you cruel." Adaman smiled, his eyes flashing with determination. "Alright, I need to work even harder. After all, we must make that future a reality!"

(End of Chapter)