Chapter 47

The special effects of Celebi's statue include move re-learning and protection from wild Pokémon attacks in the forest—highly practical abilities!

At the same time, Hikaru recalled the Pokémon: Celebi - Voice of the Forest movie. In that film, when Ash and his friends entered the forest with Celebi, they were not attacked by any wild Pokémon. In fact, led by Ursaring, the Pokémon even guided them along the way.

Celebi, known as the guardian deity of the forest, is revered by all Pokémon and has left behind many unique legends across different eras.

As for move re-learning, while Pokémon in the real world of Pokémon rarely forget moves they've learned, there are exceptions.

For example, "moves that can be learned before evolution but become unavailable after evolving."

"Tiii!"

Celebi caressed its own statue, looking very pleased!

At the same time, it sensed a mysterious power contained within the statue. While it couldn't fully comprehend it, it felt a deep connection to it.

It was quite similar to the ancient statues carved for it by humans!

Afterward, Celebi flitted around Hikaru's workshop, poking here and touching there. When it saw moss being cultivated in some flower pots, it reached out and touched them.

Immediately, Hikaru received feedback from the system:

[Rare Material: Luminous Moss]

[Description: A single-use glowing moss. If the Pokémon holding it is hit by a Water-type move, its Special Defense will increase.]

[Knowledge Acquired: +1]

[Moss Mastery: If Luminous Moss is transplanted onto a rock, there is a chance it will transform into "Mossy Rock."]

『Celebi has completed a crafting task, gaining experience and growth!』

『Learned the move: Helping Hand.』

Hikaru chuckled inwardly. Well, I just gained myself.

In the Pokémon world, many names are derived from plants, and Hikaru was no exception. Hikaru refers to a type of moss, which also happens to be a battle item. For Pokémon weak to Water-type moves, this luminous moss can help them resist Water-type attacks effectively.

"If it were transplanted onto a Pokémon like Onix, maybe it could make them resistant to Water. What should I call a Pokémon like that? Mossy Onix?"

"If an Onix covered itself in a layer of moss over time, could it even develop a Grass typing?"

While contemplating, Hikaru completed another crafting process—this time with Celebi's help. The moss cultivation technique was successfully developed, unlocking a new material hint!

[Rare Material: Unique Woodland Sapling]

[Obtaining Locations: Oak Woods / Viridian Forest / Petalburg Woods / White Forest / Santalune Forest / Glimwood Tangle]

[Corresponding Craft: Unique Tree Cultivation Technique]

"Bii!" Celebi gazed happily at the glowing moss in the pot, appearing carefree and joyful, as if nothing could trouble it.

As for the Symbol Plate and the Arceus statue, Celebi had already secretly examined them the previous night!

"Labi!" Celebi pointed at the glowing moss, expressing its wish.

Now that the shrine was repaired, Celebi hoped to transplant some of these glowing mosses as decorations.

Hikaru hadn't expected such a request, but it was a great idea! Adding moss as a decoration would enhance the shrine's aged and sacred atmosphere. He gave Celebi a thumbs-up.

"That's a brilliant idea!"

"Bii!" Celebi puffed out its chest proudly.

Hikaru laughed as well.

"Looks like you approve of my craftsmanship. Then tomorrow, we'll help you restore the shrine. You've helped me out a lot, after all."

"But to properly restore ancient carvings and ruins, I'll need Ancient Rocks or Ruin Stones. My supply of stones from the Shinto Ruins is almost depleted."

Hikaru scratched his head. Ruin Stones were the easiest to acquire, but he lacked a good mode of transportation, making travel to the Shinto Ruins inconvenient. Besides, the ruins served a special purpose, and if he kept returning, Grandpa Yama and Wataro would probably think he was restocking supplies.

"Do you know where I can find Ancient Rocks or Ruin Stones?"

Hearing Hikaru's question, Celebi pressed its tiny hand to its chin, lifted its little head, and its eyes gleamed with recollection.

Before long, it exclaimed excitedly!

"Tiii!"

Yes, there was a ruin!

Northwest of Shinto Forest, there was a collapsed and ruined structure. It wasn't anything important, and there was nothing valuable inside—only some strange stones.

As for why it collapsed, it seemed to be due to a Pokémon battle?

That ruin had been in ruins for a long time!

"Labi!"

Celebi detailed the state of the ruins while Doublade translated with a series of eerie yo-yo-yo sounds. Meanwhile, Petilil swayed its leaves, pondering how it should handle battles with Voltorb when it returned to the forest.

In Shinto Forest, powerful Pokémon marked their own territories. If one invaded another's domain, battles would break out. It wasn't surprising that some unfortunate ruins had been destroyed in the process.

As for Ancient Rocks, Hikaru wasn't even sure what qualified as one. Was it defined from a geological standpoint?

If so, then there were way too many possibilities. Would a rock from a thousand years ago count? What about one from a hundred million or a billion years ago?

That said, the Pokémon world hadn't existed for that long.

"Anyway, let's go check out the ruins tomorrow!"

Now that Hikaru had Celebi's statue, he could safely venture deep into the forest. The wild Pokémon wouldn't attack him—this effect was far superior to that of the Cleanse Tag!

The Cleanse Tag could repel weak wild Pokémon, but against stronger, higher-level ones, it lost its effectiveness.

At that moment, Celebi suddenly spoke:

"Bii!"

Recently, many Pokémon in Shinto Forest had been acting restless, even leaving their habitats.

"Huh? Is that so?" Hikaru recalled the Scyther incident mentioned in the village. However, Celebi simply patted its tiny chest confidently, as if to say there was no problem at all.

"Tii, bibi, labi!"

No worries! Just follow me inside, and those Pokémon won't attack us!

It held its head high and puffed out its chest, looking quite different from the Celebi Hikaru had seen in the anime.

Could this Celebi's personality be… arrogant? Or perhaps bold?

Hikaru took out a Pecha Berry and offered it to Celebi. It happily accepted and ate it without hesitation. However, when Hikaru handed it a Figy Berry, Celebi shook its head.

Figy Berries restore one-third of a Pokémon's maximum HP but cause confusion if the Pokémon dislikes spicy flavors.

"Oh, I see. Your nature is Bold."

No wonder it actively approached him. Normally, Mythical Pokémon weren't fond of interacting with humans, but a Bold-natured Pokémon would be curious enough to try new things.

"Tii?"

Celebi floated onto the workbench, nibbling on the Pecha Berry while tapping Hikaru's arm with its tiny fingers.

Do you need any other materials?

After Doublade translated, Hikaru thought for a moment and replied:

"Could you get me a sapling from Oak Woods?"

In Johto, the best-quality trees came from Oak Woods. Hikaru had chopped many trees from the outskirts of Shinto Forest but hadn't triggered any new crafting techniques. He wanted to cultivate a tree from Oak Woods to see what made it special.

Even charcoal made from Oak Woods had mysterious effects.

Now was the perfect time to use the new crafting knowledge he had obtained.

"Tii~"

A sapling from Oak Woods?

No problem!

Celebi confidently patted its chest again. While the Celebi worshiped in Oak Woods wasn't her, all Celebis could use the shrines scattered across different regions to travel through time.

Without hesitation, Celebi soared outside. Under the watchful eyes of Hikaru and his two Pokémon, it performed a time jump!

A radiant glow of time energy swirled, and soon, Celebi returned—using its psychic power to carry an Oak Woods sapling, gently placing it in front of Hikaru!

"Tii!"

Celebi beamed proudly, tilting its head high.

Time travel is amazing, right?

It had instantly traveled to Oak Woods, pulled out a sapling, and returned! Since Oak Woods had a shrine, she could teleport there directly.

"That's… incredible!"

Even though Hikaru had seen this countless times in games, witnessing it in reality was an entirely different experience. His praise was genuine.

Celebi puffed up even more proudly!

As soon as Hikaru touched the sapling, information flooded into his mind:

[Rare Material: Oak Woods Sapling]

[Description: A unique sapling from Oak Woods. Although the entire forest consists of oak trees, they cannot be found growing elsewhere. Once fully grown, the oak tree can be used to create top-quality 'charcoal.' In the shadow cast by its canopy, time is considered 'nighttime.']

[Acquired Crafting Knowledge: +2]

[Unique Charcoal Crafting (C-): Gained knowledge of crafting the finest-quality charcoal. Charcoal burned from Oak Woods trees possesses special effects.]

[Unique Sapling Cultivation (C+): Saplings from specific forests can be transplanted anywhere while retaining their original forest's special properties.]

Two new techniques related to trees—just as Hikaru had anticipated when he first discovered clues about them.

So, that's how it works!

Hikaru had noticed that both of the material hints Celebi had provided earlier included Oak Woods. He had assumed that each crafting technique corresponded to a single material, but that wasn't entirely correct. Some materials could be linked to multiple techniques—it just required the right conditions to trigger them.

Still, even if he hadn't obtained the second crafting technique today, he could always acquire it by visiting another forest. Crafting knowledge wouldn't disappear, and neither would the materials.

"I thought today's workload would be lighter, but it looks like I've got a lot more to do!"

(End of Chapter)

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