Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World-Chapter 156

[Check this fic: Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team]

Inside the forge, many already-finished crafted items and unique tools were neatly placed—these tools had already provided Hikaru with a wealth of knowledge! But the task of creating sample tools was put on hold early. Instead, Hikaru began sculpting a "Statue of Gratitude."

It turned out that the strange customer among the group of dolls was...

"It's Mewtwo!"

From the moment the name "Ai" was mentioned, Hikaru had already deduced the identity of the customer. After all, in today's world, only three beings might still know that name. And among the three, only one had psychic powers—who could it be? So hard to guess...

Of course, it wasn't hard to guess at all!

Ai—a girl who had a major impact on Mewtwo's childhood. More precisely, the Ai Mewtwo knew was actually Ai No. 2, not the real Ai herself. (It's Amber)

In the first movie Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back, Mewtwo's early days were shown. Mewtwo was born as part of a Team Rocket experiment. In a far-off region called Guyana, Team Rocket discovered a fossilized eyelash of Mew and attempted to create the most powerful Pokémon using it.

Thus, Team Rocket enlisted the help of a scientist named Dr. Fuji. Dr. Fuji had a daughter named Ai who had died young. Hoping to resurrect her, he cooperated with Team Rocket. He cloned Kanto's starter Pokémon—Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur—trying to uncover the secret behind Pokémon's resilient vitality through cloning, aiming to develop resurrection technology.

Dr. Fuji's research wasn't fruitless. Before cloning the three starter Pokémon and Mewtwo, he had already developed a "consciousness clone" of Ai. This clone, together with the other Pokémon clones, was kept in special capsules. His ultimate goal was to give true life to Ai's cloned consciousness.

Ai's consciousness connected with Mewtwo's, and in their dreams, they met the three Pokémon clones. Ai taught Mewtwo about the world—the sun, the wind, sunsets, stars, the moon, and "life"—so Mewtwo no longer felt alone.

In the dream, Mewtwo watched as the three clones gradually faded. Their bodies died, and eventually even Ai No. 2's consciousness vanished. This caused violent emotional waves within Mewtwo, and Dr. Fuji had to inject a large dose of tranquilizer to calm him down. Over time... Mewtwo gradually forgot those memories.

"With the help of the Calyrex doll, the deepest scars of the heart were slowly healed, and so those forgotten memories have returned... To wish to meet the departed again—isn't an easy thing."

To soothe Mewtwo's deep emotional scars, Hikaru crafted a Charm of Courage and gave it to him. Incidentally, this charm was the very first one made using an O-Protective Stone—and it turned out surprisingly powerful!

Hikaru held the sculpture in his hands, examining its details.

[Crafted Item: Ancient Statue (Exquisite)] — A hybrid style of the Ancient Castle and Sacred Ruins.

Description: A statue sculpted in imitation of ancient styles, depicting a human girl named "Ai No. 2." Crafted using Gratitude White Stone. Whispering thanks to the statue may yield an unbelievable response.

Effect: Echo of Gratitude — Allows specific individuals and Pokémon to recall cherished people and memories, connecting their hearts regardless of distance. Writing a message of gratitude on the statue will accurately transmit heartfelt feelings to the girl. When combined with certain other statues and items made from strong psychic materials, one may even see a departed person.

Required Combinations: Tapu Fini's statue (also carved with Gratitude White Stone); Cloth of the Spirit World / Ghost Gem.

Tapu Fini... One of the guardian deities of Alola's islands, it watches over the Ruins of Hope and possesses extraordinary power. It is said to allow the living to meet with the departed by weaving the worlds of the living and dead together with its mists.

Hikaru stared at the statue and tried expressing thanks—but it didn't seem to work.

Was it because he didn't have anyone he truly wanted to thank?

Thinking for a bit, Hikaru glanced around at the Pokémon nearby and smiled gently. His confusion seemed to melt away.

If he didn't have someone he sincerely wished to thank... then he would express his gratitude to the Pokémon around him!

With that thought in mind, Hikaru gave his thanks.

All around the forge, whether working or resting, the Pokémon felt a telepathic pulse. They sensed something from Hikaru's heart, though it was a little hazy and indistinct.

"Yohhh?"

Doublade floated over from the nearby spiritual-energy room, blinking its eyes curiously. It had no idea what Hikaru had just done, and then noticed the strange girl-shaped statue.

That statue was made from the Gratitude Stone?

Who was it?

Doublade looked at the statue and heard Hikaru's voice:

"Do you have someone you wanted to thank? From long ago?"

Yoh? Someone to thank?

Doublade twitched its ribbons, rubbing its hilt as it looked at the statue. It vaguely recalled something, but nothing felt particularly important. Back in the ancient kingdom, it hardly had anyone it could consider a friend—maybe a few Pokémon at most.

But then it remembered a fellow Pokémon it used to get along with.

It was a mysterious Pokémon that could change form and even fly. Every quiet night, it would come and play with Doublade.

Like a beam of light, it had brightened the dull and monotonous life of a sword... But sadly, their time together didn't last. War broke out soon after. The rest was history—already known to Hikaru.

Haha, the kingdom fell.

"A shape-shifting Pokémon... Ditto?"

"Don't tell me it was Mew."

"Yohhh (No idea)!" Doublade responded nonchalantly—it had no idea who its friend really was. They just met secretly to play together every night.

Hikaru chuckled. "You're so careless. And the tool companions you mentioned before—were they the goods carried by that traveling merchant? You mentioned them once before. Have you remembered anything more about that traveler?"

Doublade waved its ribbons. "Yohhh~"

That guy's face was so fuzzy! But the personality it remembered... greedy. Typical merchant! It wasn't even close to him—he just caught Doublade to sell it as an exotic novelty!

But those "tool companions," it remembered very clearly! A massive cauldron, a beautifully crafted sword, a mysterious jade stone, and an ancient scroll...

"Wait a second?"

Hikaru's expression turned odd.

Those four items... sounded very familiar.

"Cauldron, scroll, sword, jade... Aren't those the Treasures of Ruin?" Hikaru said, opening the document he got from Laira and pulling it up on the computer for Doublade to see.

"Yohhh?" Doublade's eyes widened! freewebnøvel.com

Whoa, hold on—aren't those my old "goods companions"? How did a thousand years pass, and now they're legendary? Even worse, they apparently caused national destruction?

Wait, they survived? They weren't inanimate tools, but actual Pokémon?! When Doublade was captured and kept in that merchant's wagon, it used to talk with them constantly—why did they never reply?

"Maybe they were annoyed by you and went evil. That's one way to explain lingering resentment," Hikaru muttered. Then snapped his fingers. "Come to think of it, I mentioned Wo-Chien before—so you knew it, huh? Small world."

For Doublade, that truly counted as an incredible past encounter.

It flipped through the document again and again. At first, it had the bold idea of unsealing the four and recruiting them as kingdom powerhouses. But once it saw the legends of ruin and destruction, that idea was immediately abandoned.

Better leave them sealed! Even if it considered them "old acquaintances," who knows how they'd react to seeing it again?

It's been a thousand years—nobody remembers anyone! And with their history of destroying nations... Doublade was just about to help build a new kingdom, it didn't want those four turning around and blowing it all up!

"I see. But I'd still love to meet them. And I'm curious about the sacred stakes that sealed them—what kind of craftsmanship was used?"

For a craftsman like Hikaru, treasures like the Ruin Pokémon and the Legendary Titans were immensely appealing. Meeting them—or even scraping some materials off their "true body tools"—might lead to crafting something extraordinary.

"Yohhh~" Doublade sighed heavily.

Well, if its Trainer wanted to see them, it couldn't really object anymore...

Abandoning those former "companions turned strangers," Doublade began reminiscing about that playful partner Pokémon during the kingdom's days. And for Hikaru, this was merely a small interlude.

He soon began carving the statue of Tapu Fini, sending Doublade to fetch spirit-infused cloth from the ghost-type room. With the help of the Spooky Plate and the Spirit World Cloth gifted by Dusknoir, crafting high-psychic items had become much easier.

When the statue was completed, a soft mist began to drift through the forge.

(End of Chapter)

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