Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

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June 25th, clear weather.

As planned yesterday, Hikaru is heading into the outer forest to gather wood.

High-quality wood will be used for carving wooden sculptures, while common lumber is for firewood. The workshop's stock of firewood is running low.

Hikaru takes along the stone sculptures of both Doublade and Petilil, straps on a wooden frame for carrying firewood, and grabs his lumber axe.

"Yooo-oo (⊙╰X╯⊙)~"

Doublade waves its red sashes toward Petilil before drifting after Hikaru.

In the evenings, Petilil rarely goes inside the house. Even when Hikaru invites her, she says she feels more comfortable in the soil—going indoors doesn't give her the same sensation.

Hikaru knows this relates to the "knowledge" he bestowed on this land. Thanks to the Fertile Land effect, the place brims with vitality, so for Petilil, who loves being in the soil, staying outside is more comfortable than going indoors.

"Okay then, I'll leave the place to you!"

Last night, Hikaru explained the plan in writing and told the two Pokémon. Petilil lifts her little skirt edges, trying hard to mimic a waving motion, while the three leaves on her head sway in the breeze.

"Peti~!"

The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back!

There aren't any wild Pokémon around here to worry about, and only Diglett ever come by the house—though they usually remain in the village once the tilling season ends.

Plus, if some Pokémon did show up, Petilil could use Sunny Day + Solar Beam to drive it away.

Petilil balls up the hem of her skirt like a tiny fist!

She feels she's in top shape right now, afraid of no one!

As soon as Hikaru and Doublade head into the forest, that same Pokémon that had been secretly following Petilil quietly slips from near the workshop into the forest as well!

Petilil, meanwhile, turns around in confusion.

There it is again, that strange sense of being watched… Wait, it's gone?

They pass a small creek of snowmelt and enter the sun-dappled outer forest.

This area is merely the edge of the Shendu Forest's zone of influence. No powerful Pokémon reside here, and villagers often come to chop firewood. But since it's a bit farther out, the villagers prefer woodlots closer to the village.

Hikaru, however, doesn't see any abandoned woodlots around—perhaps they lie in another direction from where he's walking.

"Let's just cut trees around here."

So he thinks. He picks a spot that's not easily noticed and buries half of Petilil's stone sculpture at the roots of a fairly large tree.

The sculpture can spur trees to regenerate quickly.

Moreover, in this world, trees already grow fast by nature.

As soon as Hikaru places the statue, he senses a strange vitality emanating around certain nearby trees. It's hard to describe, but he figures it's due to having made the Symbolic Tablet, which boosted his mental acuity—thus allowing him to notice these unusual changes in the environment.

Trees, too, are living things. When their vitality shifts, he can feel it.

The forest around him rustles as though stirred by a breeze.

"…It's like they're trying to talk. Right, maybe I'll try that Psychic training Kazuki mentioned—though it's daytime."

Hikaru stares intently at one of the trees for a while.

Slowly focusing, he seems to hear the voice of the woods. But in an instant of distraction, his concentration breaks, and that curious feeling disappears.

"Huh? It really worked?"

It's just ordinary concentration, but Hikaru wonders if the Symbolic Tablet is granting him a beginner's aptitude for Psychic power.

Doublade, for its part, is perplexed to see Hikaru talking to a tree. Both of its sword-forms are itching to try out their blade skills by chopping wood.

"Alright, let's get started. Doublade, use Cut! Chop off those thick branches!"

"Yo~!"

Both of Doublade's blades flash white; delivering a double cut, they slice off a large tree branch in one go!

The branch crashes to the ground with a thud. Doublade's two consciousnesses each feel supremely cool in that split second.

Though it was just cutting wood…there's something else too!

Suddenly, the two blades turn on each other in rivalry, letting out a "Yoop!" and "Yooo!":

Left Sword: I definitely struck faster just now! Right Sword: Clearly I was the faster one!

"Well, even split into two minds, it's still got that same dramatic personality," Hikaru mutters. Then he instructs them:

"Don't fight, Doublade. Once you evolve, those split minds will merge again. For now, keep using Cut!"

"Yoop! (⊙)╰!"

"Yooo! (⊙)╰!"

Both blades respond at once, then glare at each other again!

Left Sword: You were calling me! I'm the real main body! Right Sword: No, you were calling me! I'm the real main body!

"You're both doing great!" Hikaru can't help sweating a little.

Fortunately, both swords know their task is most important at the moment, so they keep their rivalry internal. Following Hikaru's instructions, they flash their blades up and down, chopping branches left and right!

Chop, chop, chop—lumberjack style! Double the speed!

Hikaru directs Doublade to hew off hefty limbs, while for thinner-trunked trees, they simply fell them outright.

By midday, they've gathered plenty of wood. Thanks to the Doublade stone sculpture, they have a +5% faster chopping speed, and though that might not sound huge, it noticeably cuts the overall time when you do it for hours.

The forest rustles gently. Petilil's statue continues releasing its vitality. Hikaru thinks about using his knowledge to turn this part of the woods into a Fertile Land. Along with Petilil's stone carving, the forest would continuously regrow, allowing repeated harvesting.

Ordinarily, logging requires rotating the logging area to avoid deforestation. Overharvesting one spot can devastate the ecosystem.

But in the Pokémon world, forests recover quickly. Ordinary logging probably wouldn't impede the trees' growth much anyway.

"In Johto, near Azalea Town, there's that well-known charcoal shop. They keep Farfetch'd and gather premium lumber from Celebi's sacred oak groves, ensuring clean water and fresh air. It's amazing."

"That charcoal shop also appears in the games—the little side story where you chase after Farfetch'd."

"Speaking of which, I've been burning through plenty of wood myself. Maybe I should try making 'Charcoal' this time. Though it won't match that famous Farfetch'd shop, it should help me learn about crafting and firing techniques related to flames."

As Hikaru and Doublade venture deeper into the forest, the small, grass-green Pokémon from before appears once again near Petilil's stone carving, silently watching.

Radiating a gentle glow, she curiously pulls the statue from the soil, turning it over and over to examine it.

It can actually help trees regrow?

She blinks, her eyes brimming with intrigue.

That human is truly amazing!

...

Johto region, Azalea Town.

Steven was the first to spot that Hikaru's workshop had new updates, so he quickly logged in to take a look—only to discover they were just small statues.

Though the stone sculptures were described as having special effects, they appeared rather dubious at first glance.

Stone carvings… Indeed, from everything he's learned so far, that craftsman's "family trade" does revolve around carving.

Steven paid a visit to Mr. Steel, who isn't too familiar with the Hoenn Champion personally. Yet when he hears Steven is inquiring about a certain craftsman, Mr. Steel immediately realizes the reason.

"Oh, you must be talking about him. Last time, Bugsy came by asking questions about these matters. I never expected even Hoenn's Champion would come searching."

Mr. Steel is a bit puzzled. From what he recalls, Hikaru's craft skills weren't particularly famous—just ordinary, really. Moreover, Bugsy and the others seemed more interested in special stones than the craftsman himself.

Hmm, maybe that kid's changed careers to selling materials now?

Still, the fact these people hold him in such high regard is probably a good thing. If they become familiar with him, maybe they'll visit Mr. Steel's shop more often, too. Many craftsmen without significant renown or unique techniques rely on a base of loyal customers for their income.

"He used to be quite skilled at carving—wood sculptures, stone sculptures, all that. It was originally a Johto craft style, but his family later moved way out to Sinnoh. Then, some years back, I heard his father died. I'm not sure where he is now… rumor says he came back near Johto."

Mr. Steel reflects. Craftsmen moving to other regions is perfectly normal.

Johto has its own famous carvers—Pryce of Mahogany Town is a renowned ice-sculpture artist. Trying to outdo him in sculpture would be nearly impossible. Meanwhile, Sinnoh is also very fond of various carving arts; relocating there was probably a good idea.

"I see… Thank you very much."

Steven takes the information he needs and departs Mr. Steel's place, heading for Azalea Gym to meet Bugsy.

Once Steven's gone, Mr. Steel, still curious, wants to check on Hikaru's online workshop store to see how his skills have progressed. But he himself isn't very savvy online, so he calls on his granddaughter:

"Chihui! Help Grandpa follow this online shop—I don't know how to use it!"

(End of Chapter)

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