Chapter 40: The Wood-Wood-Wood-Woodcutter

June 25th, sunny.

As planned yesterday, I went to the outer forest to gather wood. High-quality timber is used for carving, while common wood is used for firewood; the supplies in the workshop were running low.

Koutai brought along the Doublade and Petilil stone carvings, strapped on a firewood rack, and picked up his felling axe.

"Yo-woo~"

The Doublade swayed its ribbons toward the Petilil and floated along after Koutai. Even at night, the Petilil rarely enters the house. Even when Koutai invites her in, she indicates that being in the soil makes her feel more comfortable, and that feeling vanishes once she is indoors. Koutai knows this is the effect of the knowledge he bestowed upon this land. The "lush land" effect fills the area with vitality, so for a Petilil that loves the soil, staying outside feels more natural than being in the house.

"Please look after the place today!"

Koutai had written down the plan yesterday and informed both Pokémon in the evening. The Petilil lifted her small skirt, trying her best to wave, while the three leaves on her head swayed in the breeze.

"Petil~"

(Go and return quickly!)

There are no other wild Pokémon nearby, so there is no need to worry about attacks. The only ones who might visit the house are the Digletts, but they should be staying in the village now that the plowing season is over. Besides, if any Pokémon did appear, the Petilil could use Sunny Day combined with Solar Beam to drive them off. The Petilil clenched her skirt like a fist—she was in perfect condition and feared no opponent!

After Koutai and the two Pokémon entered the forest, the Pokémon that had been tracking the Petilil quietly emerged from near the workshop and swiftly entered the woods. The Petilil turned her head in confusion. That strange feeling of being watched again... wait? It’s gone?

...

Crossing the snow-melt stream, they entered the outer forest where sunlight filtered through in fragmented patches. This was merely the edge of the Sinnoh forest’s reach, where no powerful Pokémon resided. Villagers often came here for firewood, though it was a bit far, so they generally preferred the forest plots closer to the village. Koutai hadn't seen the abandoned plots, perhaps because they were in a different direction.

"I'll cut trees around here."

Thinking this, Koutai found a spot less likely to be noticed and buried the Petilil statue near the roots of a fairly thick tree, leaving it half-exposed. The statue he buried could rapidly revitalize the trees. Plus, the trees in this world already grew quite quickly. As the statue began to take effect, Koutai clearly felt a strange vitality radiating from the surrounding trees. It was hard to describe, but Koutai guessed it was because his mental strength had increased significantly after crafting the "Symbolic Slate," allowing him to perceive these subtle environmental changes. Trees have life, too; he could sense it when their vitality shifted.

The surrounding woods seemed to rustle, as if a breeze had passed through.

"...It's almost like they want to speak... Right, let me try the psychic training that Volkner mentioned, even though it's daytime."

Koutai stared intently at a tree for a while. As his focus sharpened, he seemed to hear the voice of the forest, but in that moment of distraction, his concentration broke, and he lost the mysterious sensation.

"Eh? It really works?"

It was just ordinary concentration... Koutai mused. Was the mental boost from the Symbolic Slate an introductory talent for psychic powers?

Koutai talked to himself while facing the trees, leaving the Doublade looking puzzled. They sharpened their blades, eager to test their swordsmanship by cutting down a tree.

"Alright, let's begin. Doublade, use Fury Cutter! Cut down those thick branches!"

"Yo~!"

White light flared on both blades of the Doublade simultaneously. With a synchronized slash, they instantly severed a thick branch from the tree! The branch hit the ground with a thud, and both consciousnesses of the Doublade felt incredibly cool in that moment!

Although it was just cutting a tree... there were two matters at hand!

The two swords suddenly turned hostile toward each other, making "Yo-pu" and "Yo-woo" sounds.

Left sword: I was the one who cut the fastest!
Right sword: It was clearly me who was faster!

"Fine, even with two consciousnesses, your chuunibyou personalities haven't changed," Koutai muttered to himself, then continued to command: "Stop fighting! Doublade, the split consciousness will return to normal after you evolve. For now, keep using Fury Cutter!"

"Yo-pu!"
"Yo-woo!"

The two swords answered each other, then immediately glared again!

Left sword: You were calling me! I am the main body!
Right sword: You were clearly calling me! I am the main body!

"You both did a great job!" Koutai was a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, both blades agreed that work was the priority, so they began to compete secretly, following Koutai's instructions as their blades danced, continuously lopping off branches.

Lumberjack, lumberjack! Double-speed logging!

Koutai directed the Doublade to fell the thick branches, and for the thinner trees, they simply cut the main trunks directly. After a busy morning, they had gathered enough wood. Thanks to the Doublade stone carving, even though a 5% speed bonus didn't seem like much, the efficiency gains became apparent over a long period.

The forest rustled; the Petilil statue continued to radiate vitality. Koutai thought that if he could apply his knowledge to this woodland and transform it into a "Lush Land," combined with the Petilil stone carving, he could keep the trees growing continuously, effectively restoring the forest repeatedly. Normally, a key point of logging is frequently changing locations, as constant harvesting damages tree growth, leading to ecological destruction and fragmentation.

However, given the regenerative capacity of forests in the Pokémon world, such ordinary harvesting likely wouldn't affect the trees at all.

"Near Azalea Town in the Johto region, there's a famous charcoal shop. They have a Farfetch'd, and the charcoal makers harvest high-quality wood from the Ilex Forest, which is dedicated to Celebi. It keeps the water clean and the air fresh—it's incredible."

"The charcoal shop also appears in the games... that little side quest where you chase the Farfetch'd..."

"Speaking of which, I've been burning quite a bit of wood lately. This time, I should produce some 'Charcoal'... although it might not compare to that Farfetch'd charcoal shop, it should help me master the craft of charcoal burning or fire-related techniques."

While Koutai and the Doublade were deep in the forest, the grass-colored Pokémon reappeared by the Petilil statue, having been watching from the shadows. She emitted a bright, faint glow and curiously pulled the statue from the ground, examining it repeatedly.

It could actually make trees grow again?

She blinked, her eyes filled with intense curiosity. That human really is quite amazing!

...

Johto Region, Azalea Town.

Steven Stone immediately noticed the new update on the workshop's page. He quickly opened it, only to find that the new items were just small statues. Although the descriptions mentioned some special effects, they seemed like a gimmick.

Stone carvings... Indeed, from the information he had gathered so far, the craftsman's family heritage was indeed stone carving. Steven had visited Kurt. For the Hoenn Champion, Kurt wasn't very familiar with him, but when he heard Steven inquiring about a craftsman, Kurt immediately understood why he had come.

"Oh... him. Bugsy asked me about these things a while ago. I didn't expect the Hoenn Champion to come looking for him too."

Kurt was a bit puzzled. In his memory, Koutai’s craft wasn't particularly famous; he was just an ordinary artisan. Moreover, what Bugsy and the others were asking about was the stone itself, not the craftsman. *Hmm, when did that kid pivot to becoming a materials merchant?* Still, being valued was a good thing. Perhaps if these people grew close to him, they would frequent his shop. Often, without fame or exclusive skills, a craftsman’s income relied entirely on the support of old customers.

"His family was skilled in carving... they were quite adept at both wood and stone carving. This craft originally came from Johto, but his family later moved to the distant Sinnoh region to develop. About a few years ago, I heard the news of his father's passing. I'm not entirely sure where he is now, but I heard he returned to the Johto area."

Kurt reminisced. It was quite normal for craftsmen to move to other regions to develop. The Johto region also had famous sculptors, like Pryce of Mahogany Town, a renowned ice sculptor. Trying to outdo Pryce in the sculpture scene would be a fantasy, and since the Sinnoh region was also keen on various carving arts, moving there to develop made sense.

"I see... thank you."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Steven left Kurt's residence and headed to the Azalea Gym to visit the Gym Leader, Bugsy.

After Steven left, Kurt, out of curiosity, wanted to check Koutai's online shop. After all, he wanted to know how Koutai's skills were faring now, but he wasn't very tech-savvy. He had to ask his granddaughter for help:

"Maizie! Help Grandpa check this online shop; I don't know how to operate this thing!"