Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

Officer Jenny and her team had already left downstairs. Although the reporters were still eager to dig out more headlines from Molly, Professor Shuri's assistant and the mansion's butler had courteously shown them the way out.

Now, only Professor Shuri and the people directly involved in this incident remained.

Team Rocket's trio took the opportunity to slip away. Before leaving, they didn't forget to thank Hikaru for his support.

"Promotion and raise, here we come! What a fantastic feeling!"

They had to work even harder now—get more funding, capture more rare Pokémon...!

But first and foremost—they had to catch Pikachu!

The trio, lost in their daydreams, floated away in their balloon, while Hikaru watched them go, completely satisfied.

Mission accomplished. Everyone happy!

"With the green tech from the trio, I can really start handcrafting high-grade items like in the games."

Of course, in the real world, something like a crafting table wouldn't just pop up... or would it?

If he could acquire the ancient mysterious science he had seen in the records, then forget about crafting tables—mass-producing Magearna might even be possible.

The power of science was truly amazing...

"By the way... since I already met James..." Hikaru, on a whim, took the leftover wood scraps from crafting the imitation Lunar Wing and fashioned something.

Craft Item: Dream Crown (Bottle Cap)

Description: A rare bottle cap crafted from wood scraps of the dream world, modeled after the Gold and Silver Crowns. This is an ultra-rare item unobtainable in the real world. Some cap collectors would pay a fortune for it.

Effect 1: +80% chance of obtaining rare bottle caps. +20% chance of finding treasure. For example—20% increased odds of "winning another bottle" when buying soda. Also effective on scratch cards.

Effect 2: Once in the dream world, can be used to give high-growth Pokémon a "dream training" session, raising some of their stats to the max. Consumes this special bottle cap.

Bonus: You have gained the passive skill Bottle Cap Crafting (D+). Combined with your Mythic Illustration Crafting skill, your crafted caps will be considered rare–precious–priceless. They will circulate on the market and hold the same value and collectibility as authentic rare bottle caps.

Hikaru: "..."

What a bizarre craft skill. Strange, sure... but it looked like he could get rich just by making imitation caps!

Suddenly, his eyes caught a glint in the corner of the tower. Hikaru walked over and picked it up. The design on the cap was...

Craft Item: Johto Region Limited Juice Milk Bottle Cap (Green)

Description: A cap from a special beverage once sold only in Goldenrod City, Johto. Now discontinued. To the average person, it's trash. But to professional cap collectors, it's priceless.

Effect: If obtained by a collector, Happiness +100%.

If given to a specific collector in a certain region, it can be used for extreme training. Though not a Gold Crown, it's a limited edition and can provide the same benefits.

He actually found a rare bottle cap!

Then again, finding a limited edition cap would certainly make any bottle cap collector happy.

Why would a bunch of junk in this tower spawn such a cap, though? Could it have been dropped by Molly or Professor Shuri?

As he walked down from the tower, Hikaru saw none other than Professor Oak waiting for him!

"Mr. Hikaru! We thought you had already left! Is something wrong? Was there something else upstairs?"

"No, I was just curious, checking if the space-time structure here is stable." Hikaru casually made something up. After seeing Hikaru use psychic power to grab the Unown and drive them back into the time rift, Ash and the others had no doubt about his words.

Professor Oak's eyes lit up as he approached excitedly!

"Ohhh! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Oak, from Pallet Town! So you're the craftsman Hikaru from Ecruteak? You're so young!"

"The tools I purchased from you earlier have been incredibly helpful for my research—and for other Professors as well!"

To outsiders, Professor Oak might seem like a rigid academic figurehead in the scientific world, but that was just a stereotype.

As everyone knows, in the anime, there's a special recurring segment nicknamed "The Tragedy of Professor Oak."

Professor Oak often brought Pokémon from his magical backyard for educational episodes. In the middle of teaching, he would start poking and prodding them, even touching their reverse scales. The result: a brutal beatdown from the Pokémon!

And it wasn't just common Pokémon—sometimes they were even Legendary Pokémon. Oak had endured everything from Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, Thunderbolt, Psychic, and even Regigigas's Crush Grip. Yet he always survived unscathed and enthusiastically started the next "lesson." Truly a "superhuman from Pallet Town."

Later, another professor followed a similar path—Kukui from Alola, who willingly took a Blast Burn from Incineroar to write a field report.

So, Professor Oak was no uptight scholar—he was a curious, hands-on researcher with a childlike heart and a love for living dangerously.

Thus, when he saw the real effects of the special items Hikaru had created, his curiosity about him only grew stronger!

"I must thank you for resolving this incident. I never imagined we'd meet here! I'll be honest—I'm very interested in those special items. Though I don't personally focus on item-based research..."

Enthusiastically, Professor Oak began discussing his study of the items he'd bought from Hikaru, trying to understand how they worked.

Hikaru could only give a brief explanation:

"Spiritual energy."

"Spiritual?" Oak blinked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Hikaru smiled and nodded. "That's right. Just like this incident with the Unown—heart, spirit, will—they contain power. A real, tangible power."

"But it doesn't always manifest as psychic energy, spiritual power, or aura."

"Sometimes, ancient relics or items carry the thoughts and emotions of people from long ago. These ancient people would imbue their spirit and will into stone, altering its properties. After undergoing a complex crafting process and being shaped into specific Pokémon forms, these objects would gain special effects. That's how I created the 'Ancient Statue' I sold to you earlier."

"Form itself carries power—whether it's the shape of Pokémon, humans, or even gods. Shapes, colors, and even personalities all possess strength."

Hikaru's words deeply shocked Professor Oak. The notion that "personality holds power" had only recently been confirmed by modern research. It was now known that a Pokémon's nature could influence which stats increased or decreased. But in the past, this was not well understood.

Systematic and targeted Pokémon research only began with Professors like Oak and Rowan.

Before that, very few had studied Pokémon scientifically—perhaps only Laventon during the Hisui era. Back then, humans were highly wary of Pokémon.

"So not just personality, but even appearance and color contain power? That's an incredible perspective—I've never thought about it that way."

After all, no one questions common colors or asks why humans are shaped the way they are. Such things are taken for granted—as if they've always existed, without need for scrutiny.

At best, people might speculate: "The human body evolved to survive in nature," or "Color variations serve as camouflage," but...

Beyond that, these phenomena themselves contain unknowable power.

Shape and color affect a Pokémon's abilities—which brings to mind... Regional Forms!

Professor Oak recalled a seldom-discussed area of study that had only recently begun to gain attention among scholars.

"You're very knowledgeable. Is this also knowledge from ancient times?" Oak was increasingly fascinated by Hikaru. Suddenly, he extended an invitation:

"Oh oh! If you'd be willing, how about coming to Pallet Town? I've always wanted an assistant who specializes in ancient knowledge—just like Professor Shuri!"

As he spoke, Oak noticed an Unown E floating up from behind Hikaru.

"Right, right! And the research on Unown still isn't finished... What a headache."

"Professor Oak," Hikaru spoke up. "Regarding the Unown, I suggest you advise Professor Shuri."

"This might sound a bit forward, but I must say it."

"Please ask him to stop researching this topic. If that's not possible, then at least slow the pace of the research. Otherwise, it could lead to an uncontrollable situation."

(End of Chapter)

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