Chapter 152: Password

"Password!" two expressionless lackeys asked Amu, who was wearing bandages and armor before them.

"Swift as the Wind." Amu stared at them somewhat nervously.

However, upon hearing the correct password for the day, the two simply walked past him.

Kato Rin stepped out from the side at this moment. The armor he had been wearing was now on Amu.

This was something Amu wanted to test—to see if these walking corpses could tell that there was an extra outsider among them...

If discovered, Amu would immediately release his Pokémon and join forces with Kato Rin to silence them.

"It seems blending in is quite easy after all! Provided that truly only two people are conscious," Amu judged.

At the same time, Amu patted his armor and asked, "Can you give me this armor afterward?"

Amu had seen at first glance earlier that Kato Rin's armor was crafted from the shed carapace of a Pupitar during its evolution!

Not only could it defend against Pokémon attacks, but it was also the raw material necessary for the evolution of a Rhyperior.

"We have a custom of being buried in our armor," Rin refused decisively, staring intently at the armor on Amu as if considering whether to strip it off him right then and there.

"When we reach the Pure Land, it will surely be a world without combat. If you're still wearing armor then, people will laugh at you," Amu persuaded, refusing to give up.

"It's useless to give it to you. I'm afraid... the moment we leave the folds of time, this armor will instantly turn to dust," Rin emphasized.

"Give it to me anyway, we'll talk about that when the time comes," Amu said, patting his armor as if "binding" it to himself.

Kato Rin: ......

At that moment, the surroundings flashed suddenly, as if a light had been turned off and immediately switched back on.

"Huh? What is this..."

"The ripples of time are beginning to appear," Kato Rin said calmly.

"Then let's... split up!" Amu tried his best to remain calm as well.

Kato Rin would go to intercept the other two spirit-form practitioners of the Kato family—although they were Gastly, their power was likely not inferior to typical Elite Four members.

According to Kato Rin, a thousand years ago, their [Spirit-Form Technique] was far from this strong, at most equivalent to level forty or fifty Gastly. Its more important purpose was to use the [Spirit-Form Technique] to communicate with Ghost-type Pokémon, rather than for direct combat!

However, perhaps because a thousand years had passed, or perhaps due to the influence of the ripples of time, the Gastly they transformed into had grown stronger—even surpassing the trump card Pokémon of their era. Although ordinary clansmen lacked clear consciousness, they could all use the [Spirit-Form Technique] to transform into level forty or fifty Gastly...

Following that, relying on the Kato clan's bandages and battle armor, Amu had "blended in" all the way to the ambush site—otherwise, with everyone else in a state of muddled consciousness, someone would have long since noticed an unfamiliar fellow wearing high-tier battle armor.

Amu's spiritual sensitivity stirred the power remaining within the bandages left by Aoi, allowing him to sense the exact location and formation status of the ripples of time.

However...

Once he truly got close, Amu discovered that he might not be able to stay hidden much longer!

Because the other walking corpses had all transformed into Gastly by this point, their "bodies" were littered all over the path.

Under these circumstances, for Amu to continue approaching in human form looked extremely conspicuous...

Enduring the skeptical gazes of two "Gastly," Amu took another two steps closer to the ripples of time, only to find several more Gastly drifting out from the surroundings, all staring straight at him. Amu had no choice but to retreat for the moment.

The ripples of time had not yet appeared, and Rin had not made his move yet, so Amu could afford to wait a little longer.

The sky gradually grew dim and uncertain, day and night echoing each other like a bitter, unending quarrel...

"Is it not time yet? No... what am I even talking about time for now!" Amu realized immediately that time here had already fallen into disorder.

Disregarding whether the other Gastly found it peculiar, Amu dashed directly toward the direction of the ripples of time!

"Swift as the Wind, Swift as the Wind, Swift as the Wind..." Amu chanted today's "passcode" repeatedly as he ran.

Anyone unaware would have thought Amu was shouting for someone named "Swift as the Wind" to come out and play...

A group of Gastly were also bewildered. After all, their consciousnesses were already hazy, and now they watched this "weird person" perplexedly as he sprinted past, shouting the password the entire way.

At the same time, a sound of "magnificent" battle drifted over...

Amu looked up and saw three Gastly floating in the air, locked in a fierce skirmish—though all were Gastly, each possessed the imposing aura of a Ghost Monarch!

One struck with Ghost Gate Wide Open, another countered with Night-Daze...

"Rin? How could you... What are you trying to do!"

"The wind... has been enough..."

"Damn it! You intend to stop me as well? Step aside!"

"Fire, do you still not understand? It has already passed! It has been... a thousand years! Our era... has already ended!"

"The one who doesn't understand is you! As long as we capture Celebi, we... no, I can travel through time and space, return to a thousand years ago, and stop everything..."

"Huh? What did you say? You actually..."

Amu suddenly realized there was some good news—he had originally thought Rin would have to fight two opponents alone, but right now, it seemed the other two... were not entirely of one mind?

As he ran, Amu suddenly felt his feet go soft, followed by a chill all over his body...

Glug-glug-glug—

Amu had no idea what was happening. In an instant, he found himself in the middle of the ocean, choked down a few mouthfuls of water, and then instantly returned to the island.

The sudden shift in space and time caused Amu to lose his balance and take a fall before he could even react.

Before he could stand up, he suddenly felt himself immersed in seawater once again...

Repeating thus, he was tossed about miserably!

"Cough, cough, cough... ugh!" Amu lay prone on the grassy ground, spitting out water.

Neither he nor Rin had anticipated that the space-time surrounding the ripples of time would be so unstable!

"Who goes there?" At that moment, a stern shout rang out.

Hearing this, Amu hurriedly yelled, "Friendly forces! Swift as the Wind!"

"Huh? Did you get the date wrong?" The newcomer looked at Amu with a baffled expression.

Only then did Amu realize that the person walking toward him was actually... a human?

Immediately afterward, both Amu and the other person noticed... the battle armor the other wore was exceedingly high-tier!

At the same time, Amu was surprised to discover that this person was accompanied by a Pokémon?

Weren't there supposed to be no Pokémon here?

What kind of Pokémon was that?

It looked as though it were draped in a tattered cloth, disguising itself as a doll, but through some of the holes, the dark, murky Ghost-type energy inside could be seen...

Mimikyu! Amu realized it was a Mimikyu—not all Mimikyu in this world wore Pikachu disguises; wearing whatever they liked was their own preference.

For instance, the one right before him was draped in a rather awkward cloth doll that looked somewhat like a pig...

At that moment, the look the other person directed at Amu grew increasingly suspicious, and with greater severity, they asked, "Password!"