Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

"People are actually buying Spell Tags? I only listed them to fill out my inventory. Their spiritual power is pretty ordinary, and they shouldn't be of much use to true psychics."

Initially, Hikaru believed that these tags would sell well, but after reconsidering, he realized that true psychics likely had access to much higher-quality materials. His own Spell Tags were rather average—perhaps not even worth their attention.

Yet, to his surprise, some had sold.

The shipping would once again be handled through Blackthorn City, and the Charizard would likely be the one picking up the orders.

The destinations included Ripple Town in Unova, Ecruteak City in Johto, Pallet Town in Kanto, and… Mt. Pyre in Hoenn?

"Huh, another order from Hoenn? Another customer from a far-off region."

"But wait—Mt. Pyre? That place isn't exactly a mailing address… It's a sacred site where the spirits of deceased Pokémon are laid to rest. Do they even have a postal service there?"

Without a Pokémon Center, receiving deliveries would be impossible.

Hikaru hesitated. Normally, cross-regional shipping wasn't supposed to be free, but since he had no existing customers in Hoenn, this wild client—whoever they were—was a great opportunity. He couldn't pass it up.

Fine, free shipping it is! Consider it an investment in expanding his market.

Just like when he offered free shipping for that Unova customer last time!

Mt. Pyre was run by an elderly couple, whom Hikaru recalled were the grandparents of Phoebe, one of Hoenn's Elite Four.

"Could it be that Phoebe bought these charms?"

Or perhaps it was another psychic.

Many psychics and mediums trained atop Mt. Pyre, after all.

Hikaru quickly processed the orders and waited for Charizard to pick them up. However, for the Hoenn order, he opted for express delivery—he wanted to leave a good impression on this new customer.

Since it was express shipping, Charizard likely wouldn't be the one handling it. Instead, it might be a Dragonite that would transport the package to Olivine City, where it would then be shipped overseas to Hoenn.

Compared to Unova, Hoenn was much closer to Johto.

In the northwest region of Johto, there were ruins left behind by ancient Hoenn settlers. They had built the Burial Tower, a site dedicated to the worship of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza.

The actual shipping destination couldn't be Mt. Pyre itself, of course. Instead, it would be sent to the nearest cities: either Slateport City or Lilycove City.

Hikaru made a note of this and sent an email to inform the client. Then, he stepped away from the computer and started his work for the day.

The entire day was spent crafting.

The stones gathered while clearing land had finally found a use—through ancient sculpting techniques, he could create artifacts to sell. These newly crafted "faux antique artifacts" looked and even felt entirely authentic. If Hikaru didn't label them as replicas, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Of course, for them to be considered "antiques," they needed to be embedded with Relic Fragments. Fortunately, he had saved half a piece. He had Doublade cut it in half—one portion for future use and the other split into even smaller fragments.

In truth, ancient sculptures could also be made using "Old Stone", but Hikaru still had no idea where to source that material.

Meanwhile, Doublade took this opportunity to train its stone-cutting technique. Now that it had learned Brick Break, it could finally smash these damned stones properly!

Forget Rock Smash! Who needs Rock Smash!

And unexpectedly, since Doublade had two swords now, its efficiency had increased—not just because there were two blades, but also because both minds were competing with each other. Each one wanted to prove it was the real Doublade through superior stone-carving skills.

"（⊙╰X╯⊙）!!!!!"

"Yoooh! Yupppp!!"

At this point, Hikaru could only sigh as he watched the two swords fight each other again.

In the soft soil, Berries had also been planted. Just like the flower shop girl in Hoenn had once said in the games, Berry cultivation is incredibly simple—just bury a seed, or even the whole fruit, and the plant will grow on its own. They sprout quickly, too.

Not to mention that Petilil was there to take care of them.

However, some materials were starting to run out.

One such material was Curly Fern, a type of throwable item used in crafting. Its curled, spiral-shaped leaves could be unrolled to form natural packaging paper. But neither the village nor the Wanderer had any.

Curly Fern was one of the ingredients needed to make Sticky Glob.

If that were the only missing ingredient, other ferns could serve as substitutes. But Sticky Glob also required Mud Balls and Hollow Acorns.

Mud Balls were simply hardened clumps of dirt—easy to obtain. However, Hollow Acorns were naturally hollowed-out acorns with their insides eaten away, making them distinct from normal Berries.

Acorns were used to craft Poké Balls, and while they were scattered throughout Johto, they were still relatively rare. In this ancient land, they were even harder to find.

In Johto, there was a Poké Ball craftsman, Kurt, whose backyard was home to a whole forest of Acorn trees.

"The only Acorn I have is the one Petilil brought me—a White Acorn."

This basically confirmed that Petilil's habitat contained Acorn trees. But venturing into the Shinto Forest would require thorough preparation, and he wouldn't be able to explore too deeply.

At the same time, Hikaru pondered the mystery of the three crystallized fragments.

The Walking Wake Crystal had somehow been carried out of the dream world, but the other two had more mysterious origins.

The Brilliant Crystal was described as a manifestation of Tera Energy, which Hikaru recognized—it was the Tera Raid dens from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, clusters of massive, pillar-like crystals.

Those could only be found in Paldea and at the mountaintop lakes of Kitakami.

As for the Ancient Crystal… It was tied to the Regi trio—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

Hikaru knew of it—it existed in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was depicted as a square, semi-transparent, ancient-looking crystal engraved with mysterious patterns, and its effects were closely linked to the three Regis.

Perhaps this crystal was the very source of the Regi trio's "Clear Body" ability.

If that were the case, then could this ancient crystal be used to craft a "Purity Pendant"?

"A Clear Bell, a Purity Pendant—there are quite a few items that could be crafted from these crystals."

Hikaru spent the entire day carving, producing a number of artifacts.

As the crafting process concluded, information about the artifacts appeared for identification.

『You have completed an artisan craft!』

『Artifact: Small [Ancient Statue]—Shinto Ruins Style.』

『Description: A statue carved in an ancient style, modeled after a Snorlax. It boasts incredibly realistic craftsmanship and a deceptive antique finish, with its sculpting style said to originate from the ancient Shinto Ruins. Due to the embedded Relic Fragment, it has become an inexplicable artifact—collectors may pay a high price for it.』

『Artifact Effect: Calmness—Slightly soothes external forces and calms the mind.』

『Knowledge Gained: +1.』

『Ancient Sculptor: Your crafted items exude an ancient aura, enhancing your carving skill by +25%!』

『Different "Ancient Artifacts" possess unique effects, varying based on craftsmanship and artistic style.』

Shortly after, new clues about a rare material surfaced:

Material Clue:

[Rare Material: Sturdy Ore]

[Location: Near the Ancient Spirit Peak foothills, unnamed plateau in the northwest, southwestern Quartz Plateau caves, mountain paths, Shinto Forest, Rocky Ruins, outer unnamed forests, southern forests, eastern hillside woodlands.]

[Associated Craft: Lure Food Crafting.]

"Sturdy Ore, huh?"

While not classified as rare, it was certainly useful. If he couldn't find a source, he'd have to buy it from the Wanderer. This ore was beneficial to the body—essentially rock salt.

Now that Hikaru had pinpointed its gathering locations, he nodded in satisfaction.

As for the statue's design, Hikaru chose Snorlax over the more traditional Rhydon.

Why? Because everyone used Rhydon statues—ancient people used them, modern people placed them at Gym entrances, and they were everywhere. If his sculptures weren't unique, why would anyone be interested?

Also… Snorlax was much easier to carve than Rhydon!

Maybe, once his sculpting skills improved, he could try making figures of human characters, turning them into collectible stone figurines.

Those would surely sell far better than ordinary stone carvings!

"For example, if I got official approval, I could make figurines of Champions from different regions… Those would be a guaranteed hit—"

"No, wait, there's no way I'd get that kind of approval."

Hikaru shook his head. To get that kind of official licensing, he'd need connections with Champions—something far beyond his reach for now.

But… what if he sculpted Arceus instead?

Volo would definitely become a big customer!

"Right, I promised to craft some artifacts for him last time… Might as well make a few Arceus statues."

...

Time passed, and night fell.

Hikaru finished his first Arceus statue, infused with a profound ancient aura.

For some reason, he felt that this Arceus sculpture radiated an even stronger antique presence than the Snorlax one.

"Is it because Arceus' image is inherently tied to ancient mythology?"

『Artifact: Small [Classical Ancient Statue] (Premium) — Shinto Ruins Style.』

『Description: A "premium" sculpture carved in an ancient style, modeled after Arceus—the legendary creator deity of Sinnoh. As it represents myth itself, this statue's antique essence has been elevated, making it highly coveted by collectors willing to pay a fortune.』

『Artifact Effect 1: Powerful Insight (Once per Pokémon) — A faint echo of Shinto's ancient music can be heard from the sculpture. When a Pokémon listens to it, they may randomly learn a powerful move that is normally only accessible after evolution. The stronger the Pokémon before evolving, the stronger the move learned.』

『Artifact Effect 2: Radiant Birth — Under the influence of this sculpture, Pokémon hatched from eggs will be born with enhanced potential, and there is a chance for them to hatch/shiny encounter a Pokémon of a different color.』

『Mysterious Inscription: "The life born from an egg will one day perish, only to be reborn anew."』

"This quote… It's from the ancient Johto legends about eggs."

"And… different colors?" Hikaru muttered before suddenly realizing something.

This was a shiny farming tool!?

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]