Chapter 98: Strike First
Even among the generally disliked category of Ghost-type Pokémon, the Honedge evolutionary line represents one of the most dangerous small groups within it.
According to legend, they are spirits formed when the souls of the deceased possess ancient swords, often appearing near ancient battlefields where death energy converges.
In the wild, they frequently employ various illusions and dreams to lure humans or other humanoid Pokémon into grasping them. Then, they use the blue ribbon at the end of their sword hilt to tightly wrap around the victim's arm, absorbing their life force!
Occasionally, they will even manipulate the hosts whose souls they have drained completely, using them like puppets.
In the past, many folk legends about zombies and sword ghosts had their shadowy figures behind the tales.
This is a class of Pokémon with an extremely high danger level. Those potentially more dangerous than them are limited to only a few types, such as Cofagrigus, which enjoys mummifying people.
Monica, for a moment, stared wide-eyed at Arthur.
"You... you shouldn't be so reckless! Honedge, that's really not something to joke about."
The staff member standing nearby also cast his gaze over, looking as though he wanted to add his own words of persuasion.
Who would have expected Arthur to strike first, directly speaking before they could?
"I understand the procedure. I will sign the life-and-death waiver and related liability agreements first. Additionally, I have already turned sixteen years old. According to legal principles, I already possess the capacity for independent action. You don't need to find my guardian to confirm again."
When he first transmigrated, his blood test was measured at fifteen. Fortunately, the administrative staff back then were rather casual about it and allowed him to choose his own birthday.
Arthur had chosen a birthday early in the year at that time. Consequently, half a year had passed, and his current legal age had already reached sixteen.
This saved him quite a lot of trouble.
The staff member was momentarily rendered somewhat speechless, blocked by this preemptive interception.
Purchasing Pokémon does not require waiting until the age of eighteen; sixteen-year-olds enjoy fully independent rights of choice.
Therefore, this time Arthur didn't even need Eleanor Vance to come and help sign as a guardian.
In terms of procedure, the staff member truly couldn't stop him. He could only weakly advise, "This... if you are willing to sign the relevant liability agreements, then naturally there's no issue. However, we generally still recommend that you reconsider carefully."
"It's no problem. I have already considered it very clearly."
Seeing that neither of them could persuade him, they had no other option for the moment. They could only proceed normally with guiding the way, leading him upstairs.
They took the elevator up to the seventh floor. Along the way, the staff member guiding them made numerous requests for instructions and reports.
Thus, within a short period, the news quickly spread throughout the entire Ghost Tower. Before long, people from various departments all knew that a particularly bold young man had come today asking to see a Honedge right off the bat.
"Someone really wants to see a Honedge? And they're sixteen? Is this real or fake?"
"Isn't it just? I really don't know why someone so young is so eager to court death."
"My heavens, don't his parents care? Or perhaps he has some special background?"
"No matter how special, sixteen is still too young, right? Could he possibly have been learning how to subdue Ghost-type Pokémon since he was in the womb?"
Instantly, various sounds of discussion spread wildly through corridors, hallways, offices, and various work-related WhatsApp groups.
Meanwhile, Arthur, the central figure of the entire incident, had already calmly finished signing various liability waiver agreements and was currently putting on the special insulation gloves provided here.
These black gloves extended all the way past the elbow and possessed a certain efficacy in insulating against Ghost-type energy, capable of maximally reducing the life-draining effect should Honedge's ribbon wrap around him.
This was also the first time Arthur had worn such things.
He couldn't help but sigh with emotion at the significant changes brought about by the technological progress of the new era.
However, even with the insulation layer provided by the gloves, danger still existed.
Before formally going to make contact with the Honedge, Monica offered her advice one last time, "I don't see any obvious traces of residual Ghost-type energy on you. You probably haven't had contact with Pokémon of this attribute before, right? For a first attempt, I strongly advise you to reconsider. For an enthusiast, Honedge's danger level is really not suitable as a starting Ghost Pokémon."
Arthur could perceive her good intentions.
This young woman had quite a kind heart.
But he still merely smiled, then raised an index finger and waggled it in front of her face.
"You've mistaken one thing. I never said that I was at the 'enthusiast' level."
Saying this, he decisively turned around. Having put on the gloves properly, he walked straight into Honedge's separate enclosure section.
Leaving Monica standing there on the spot, staring blankly.
Less than a second later, she quickly shook her head and muttered, "Damn! So young and you haven't learned anything useful, only learned how to show off?"
The number of people in this world with rich experience in handling Ghosts wasn't large to begin with; she refused to believe that some random person she met asking for directions was actually a master among them.
However, she didn't yet know that reality sometimes truly is just this full of drama.
Arriving inside the section, Arthur found himself in a very bright and spacious indoor area. As far as the eye could see, there was no furniture or furnishings, only scattered swords and pieces of armor lying on the ground, creating a rather desolate atmosphere.
The scene before his eyes somewhat resembled a scene from a certain anime Frogadier had watched before: Innate Bounded Field—Unlimited Blade Works.
Hidden among these old swords on the ground were Honedge, shaped exactly like single-edged swords.
The perimeter of the section was enclosed by glass partition walls. Staff members directed from the outside, their voices transmitted in real-time to Arthur via an earpiece.
"Mr. Arthur, currently at your eleven o'clock position, fifty-six meters away, behind a suit of silver half-armor, there is one Honedge. Its life signs indicate it should still be dormant at this moment."
"You may approach it, attempt to awaken it, and engage in initial communication. If it is willing to accept you, you can try to bring it out. If you require assistance, you can contact us at any time via the earpiece."
At this moment, even the staff member directing from outside the glass wall appeared visibly nervous.
The professional rescue team stationed at the Ghost Tower was already in position long ago, each team member's face taut with tension, wearing a grave expression, ready at a moment's notice to rush into the area and perform a rescue.
This clearly demonstrated the psychological pressure exerted by Pokémon like Honedge.
Monica stood to the side, merely watching this setup made her involuntarily start swallowing nervously.
Therefore, she truly couldn't understand why that sixteen-year-old little shota inside could possibly still be smiling at a time like this.
Acting tough should have its limits, hey!
However, Arthur genuinely didn't feel like he was acting tough.
Upon hearing the instructions, he immediately walked quickly and arrived beside the nearest Honedge.
At this moment, the staff member's command came through the earpiece again.
"Try using the other swords on the ground to clash near it. The sound of swords clashing can quickly awaken it. After that, it will depend on how you communicate with it."
"Absolutely avoid rashly touching their sword body before the relationship is sufficiently close. Even more importantly, do not attempt to grasp their hilt. That will stimulate it to immediately begin absorbing life energy."
"Oh, heavens! What are you doing?!!"
Initially, this staff member was directing normally, explaining normally, everything seemed fine. But suddenly, the scene before his eyes scared him into letting out a high-pitched scream, nearly causing him to jump up on the spot.
It wasn't his fault for overreacting; the scene on the other side of the glass wall was simply too shocking.
Arthur was seen walking straight over without saying a word, grabbing the Honedge's hilt, and drawing its sword body out from its sheath!
Just like when he had intercepted the staff member's persuasion downstairs earlier...
His style had always been like that, emphasizing one principle: Strike First.
(End of Chapter)
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