Chapter 42 Who on Earth is Buying These Sculptures
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After purchasing the Arceus statue, Professor Rowan had also ordered a Slugma statue while he was at it. Its description claimed that it could warm the surrounding area, functioning like a fireplace without the need for flames. It seemed quite practical.
“There must be some kind of heating device inside the statue. Still, the effect is remarkably similar to Slugma’s natural traits. Wherever Slugma gather, the ground temperature rises. In colder regions, some people raise Slugma and let them move about inside the fireplace, thereby heating the entire house.”
“Come to think of it, they still can’t ship these directly? They have to transfer them from Johto to Kanto, and then from Kanto to Sinnoh. The shipping fee is a little steep.”
As Professor Rowan pondered this, he went back to examine the descriptions of the other statues.
The Slugma statue provided heat. The Charizard statue made flames burn more fiercely.
Scyther increased the force of slashing attacks. Charmander made the air grow scorching hot.
Dragonite made it less likely for one to suffer a status condition. Xatu could foretell one event each day.
The Snorlax statue could calm external forces and soothe the mind. Calm external forces? What was that supposed to mean?
“Hmm… No matter how I look at it, something feels wrong. Surely the products from this shop aren’t fraudulent? If they don’t work, I’ll have to file a complaint… That Oak fellow, recommending that I follow such a strange shop. If I’ve been swindled out of my money, it’ll all be Oak’s fault!”
“That’s two hundred thousand!”
“There’s also Gengar and Lairon. Their functions are… Wait, why has Lairon been taken off the shelves?! ‘This item is no longer available for purchase’… Has it sold out?”
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Sinnoh Region, Battle Castle.
A young butler stood staring at the screen of his Pokétch. He wore a standard tailcoat on his upper body and purple trousers below, while his oddly styled slicked-back hair made him look even more distinctive.
“It appears to be a rather old statue. The Snorlax statue can soothe the mind to a small degree.”
“Hmm. Could the person who made this statue be a psychic?”
He was Darach, the castle valet of the Battle Castle, one of the facilities in the Battle Frontier. The person he served—the true master of the Battle Castle—was a young woman named Caitlin.
Caitlin possessed powerful psychic abilities. In truth, she should have been the true Frontier Brain. However, whenever her emotions grew intense, her formidable psychic powers would immediately run out of control. As a result, she had been forbidden from participating in battles.
The girl had gradually come to recognize her own immaturity and resolved to change. After a period of training and hardship, she was now about to embark on a journey to the distant Unova region, where she would surely accomplish something extraordinary.
Perhaps it would take only a few months before he heard that his young mistress had made a name for herself there.
Hoping to help her master the psychic power within her more quickly, Darach—the all-purpose butler—began searching online. Before long, he found the Traveler’s Workshop through a web search on his Pokétch.
“Hmm. If this statue truly has the power to calm a restless mind, perhaps it could also suppress her psychic outbursts and help Miss Caitlin gain even finer control over her abilities! I’ll give it to her as a farewell present.”
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…………
Johto Region, Ecruteak City.
“Although Professor Elm was the one who recommended it…”
A strange workshop, a strange maker, and strange yet astonishingly powerful talismans!
Morty sensed the spiritual power contained within the talismans. It was worlds apart from the power he had cultivated himself.
“What extraordinary spiritual energy. It feels as though it comes from another world—yes, almost like the power of the spirit world.”
“The artisan who made these talismans must be a powerful spiritual practitioner!”
Spiritual practitioners were a kind of medium. Through arduous cultivation of spiritual energy, they acquired unique abilities. Morty’s greatest pride was his clairvoyance, which allowed him to see whatever a client wished to see through spiritual power, regardless of the distance between them.
Morty was also a seeker of Ho-Oh.
At first, Professor Elm had recommended the shop to him and asked him to investigate its wares. It was, in effect, an official commission. Yet only after purchasing the talismans did Morty realize that his spiritual power and that of the artisan were apparently worlds apart.
The difference did not lie in the quantity of spiritual energy, but in the methods by which it was used and in its source.
“I acquired my spiritual power through cultivation. But the artisan who made these talismans may have been born with it.”
“People like that do exist.”
Morty himself was one such person, as were other renowned psychics. Phoebe, one of the Elite Four of the Hoenn region, had also gained her powerful spiritual abilities only after training on Mt. Pyre.
Some psychics recovered after standing on the brink of death and suddenly found themselves able to see ghosts. Their spiritual powers had awakened in response to a summons from the spirit world.
Those born with spiritual abilities were exceedingly rare. Yet whenever one appeared, they displayed extraordinary talent.
Morty slowly exhaled. These talismans had indeed been of tremendous help to his training, including the cursed talismans. He had even tested their functions with his Gengar and the others, and they were undeniably powerful!
The mediums, shrine maidens, prayer leaders, and spiritualists gathered at the Ecruteak Gym to cultivate their spiritual energy had also praised the talismans without end.
“Perhaps I should invite that artisan to Ecruteak City.”
Morty muttered inwardly. Once the thought arose, he found it impossible to suppress. But if he invited the artisan as a guest, would he be asking him to share his cultivation insights, or to make a batch of talismans on the spot?
Neither request seemed particularly polite.
“I’ll have to prepare a gift. I’ll give him my own experiences and insights into cultivating spiritual power.”
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Morty took another look at his Pokémon. Whether it was Misdreavus or Gengar, they seemed to be extremely fond of these talismans.
These unique talismans could strengthen their Ghost-type energy!
They were exceptionally well suited for raising Ghost-type Pokémon!
Moreover, Gengar and the others had sensed that the talismans contained the energy of a Pokémon they had never encountered before.
Because of this, Morty used his clairvoyance once more. This time, however, he did not peer into Lightmoss. Instead, he searched for that Pokémon.
In the end, Morty saw a Pokémon shaped like a sword. It was remarkably lively, and he had never seen anything like it before!
Through his clairvoyance, he observed that the Pokémon seemed extremely close to its master, bound to them by a deep connection.
“Powerful… innate spiritual ability. Yes… if it is this person, perhaps he might be able to… see Ho-Oh.”
Morty thought of Ecruteak City’s ancient legend. Even the rigorous training he had undertaken was meant to fulfill one part of that old legend.
In Ecruteak City, people had worshiped Pokémon as gods since ancient times.
And according to legend, a legendary Pokémon would descend before a Trainer who possessed true strength.
That was what the legend said… Morty had always believed in this beautiful tale. From the moment he was born, he had trained in secret here, enduring hardship after hardship.
In the past, Morty had believed that he himself would be the one to summon the legendary Pokémon to this land.
Yet reality was cruel. No matter how much he trained, Morty still could not summon Ho-Oh.
He knew that he had not been chosen by the legendary Pokémon… But that did not mean his future had vanished. Until he saw the light of that future, he would continue training!
And this time, perhaps…
“A powerful Trainer… This artisan possesses such astonishing innate spiritual talent, as well as a unique Ghost-type Pokémon.”
“Those born with such extraordinary power are usually burdened with some kind of destiny. The more I think about it, the more excited I become!”
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