Chapter 49: The Rocky Mountain Ruins

Next day, June 27th.

When Hikotai awoke from his slumber, he realized that some foreign weight had somehow settled upon him during the night.

Celebi was resting quietly upon his chest, its tiny form heavy enough to leave him slightly short of breath.

Meanwhile, Doublade remained leaning diagonally against the corner of the wall at a precise 45-degree angle, now split into two separate swords, propped up even more steadily than before.

Petilil, as usual, remained outside in the soil, refusing to venture indoors.

This workshop was certainly getting lively.

Three Pokémon—though one of them wasn't captured by him, they felt all the better as companions.

Hikotai stared straight up at the ceiling, not daring to move a muscle. After a short while, however, Celebi seemed to wake up as well. It stretched lazily, kicking its tiny legs upward with a light and cheerful cry!

"Sela~!"

Seeing Celebi awake lifted Hikotai's spirits, though there was one detail that tickled his desire to tease: the dark circles around Celebi's eyes looked uncannily like the result of severe sleep deprivation...

Never mind, that was the sort of observation best kept to oneself!

"Good morning."

Hikotai greeted the mythical Pokémon, and Celebi fluttered its little wings to take flight. Only then did Hikotai manage to sit up. Seeming to sense that Hikotai was feeling a bit sluggish, Celebi fluttered back down onto his head, closed its eyes, and began to hum softly.

The sound was exquisite, resembling the chime of distant bells drifting down from the sky.

Heal Bell restored Hikotai's condition completely!

"Oh! I feel fantastic now!"

"Let's get breakfast started first!"

Hikotai stroked Celebi for a moment before heading to the kitchen.

Today's menu called for something rather unusual.

Ever since acquiring the Sturdy Stone, he had yet to make any crafting bait, and now was the perfect time to put that technique to use.

In the Hisui era, crafting bait essentially consisted of bait ingredients mixed with corresponding plants or minerals, while the bait ingredients themselves were simply rice balls or flour doughs.

Come to think of it, using rice would make it a rice ball, whereas using flour would make it a steamed bun, wouldn't it?

Musing to himself, Hikotai set to work making the bait. After steaming the rice and kneading it into balls, he added the matching Sturdy Stone. The rice ball gradually turned a pinkish hue, completing a basic "Mineral Bait."

However, pondering for a moment, and recalling the lore of bait-crafting, he decided to incorporate a few extra components.

"Celebi, can you use Magical Leaf?"

Hikotai looked toward Celebi, who was curiously examining the mineral bait and looking rather tempted by it.

"Sela!"

Though Celebi didn't understand why Hikotai asked, it complied immediately, conjuring a flurry of glowing magical leaves.

Hikotai folded those leaves into the mineral bait, tossing in some finely chopped berries as well.

[Crafting project completed!]

[Crafted Food: Mineral Bait.]

[Effect: A blend of minerals, magical leaves, berries, and bait base. Possesses a strong attraction for Grass-type and Rock-type Pokémon. Mixing in other special crops may yield unique results.]

[Bonus Effect: Lush Grass Feast — For a moderate duration, Grass-type energy rises significantly, fostering the growth of Grass-type Pokémon!]

[Skill Acquired: Culinary Adept — The food you prepare becomes more delicious, Deliciousness +15%]

Well, did he just accidentally make a "Lush Grass" dumpling?

Hikotai looked at the lush grass bait in his hand and handed it to Celebi, who snatched it immediately and began to devour it with gusto!

Truly delicious!

Hikotai stretched his limbs. At that moment, Doublade also awakened, drifting leisurely from the corner, while outside the window, Petilil's leaves appeared, swaying and bobbing as she eagerly peeked into the room.

Everyone was awake!

Hikotai opened the window and scooped Petilil inside, then swiftly whipped up several more dumplings. Both Petilil and Doublade were overjoyed, especially Petilil, who felt a surge of boundless energy coursing through her body after consuming the lush grass dumpling!

"Wawa!"

The leaves atop Petilil's head seemed to grow just a fraction larger!

"Today, let's head to the Shinto Ruins. I need to gather all the supplies necessary to venture deep into the forest."

***

After everyone finished breakfast, Hikotai began gathering his field gear.

He donned his work clothes, strapped on his material pack, and loaded his carving and repair tools. Nor did he forget to pack the "Shine Moss" required by Celebi.

"Sela!"

Celebi suddenly flew over to her little stone sculpture and hoisted the tiny carving into her arms.

"You want to bring this along?"

"Sela!" Celebi nodded. She was quite fond of the sculpture, though she suddenly began looking around anxiously before gliding over to Doublade and whispering something in secret.

"Yooh-oo~" Doublade swayed its blades, translating for Hikotai:

Celebi wants to trade some other fine treasures in exchange for this sculpture.

"Labi~!" Celebi cried proudly, expressing her intent!

During her travels through time, she could acquire all sorts of rare treasures from different eras! Trading those items should be more than fair, right?

After all, she couldn't just take his things for free!

"A Celebi sculpture... if this thing is placed in the forest shrine, it'll probably become like a wild Pokémon save point where they can remember old moves, won't it?"

Hikotai chuckled. "In that case, I'll look forward to your gift next time."

"Sela~~!" Celebi nodded, then proudly lifted her chin as if to promise that her next gift would certainly not disappoint him.

As Hikotai and the two Pokémon stepped outside, Petilil trotted up to greet them.

"Nobody's guarding the house today, so let's all go together."

"Wawa~!"

Petilil shook her leaves, clenching her skirt-like base into tight little fists!

She had been waiting for this moment; she had trained and worked diligently over the past few days and was now strong, very strong!

"You're full of spirit, though we might not necessarily run into those Hisuian Voltorb today."

Hikotai squatted down to stroke her leaves before embarking on the path to the forest with his three companions.

Meanwhile, after Hikotai and the Pokémon departed, a Turtwig poked its head out from a nearby thicket deeper in the woods, watching them leave with a hint of envy.

Having companions must be wonderful.

At least nobody was around today, meaning it could rest here during the daytime, soak up some sunlight, and help the plants on its back grow even healthier.

With no companions of its own, it had to rely entirely on these "special grasses."

And slowly grow stronger in solitude.

Atop the workshop roof, the Unown E stared down at the Turtwig. It had noticed this little fellow frequenting the area over the past couple of days... it was one of the creatures brought by Celebi.

It showed no intent to disrupt the land, so it was worth watching a little longer.

...

Celebi led the way ahead, first passing through the outer woodland where they had felled trees previously, before pushing deeper inward until they reached the vicinity of the Apricorn trees where the Black Apricorns had been found.

From there, the route guided by Celebi shifted toward the northwest.

"Huh, is it really in the direction where that Voltorb rolled off?"

Hikotai stroked his chin while patting the items on his belt. Just in case, he pulled out a bottle of Max Repel and the Stealth Spray he had previously purchased from Melli.

Max Repel Effect: Weak wild Pokémon will not appear at all.

Stealth Spray Effect: For a short period after use, your footsteps become silent, making it difficult for wild Pokémon to detect you.

Petilil looked about alertly, maintaining a battle-ready posture at all times.

The sprays proved remarkably effective; the surrounding Pokémon seemed to have cleared out entirely. Along the way, Hikotai collected numerous material drops left behind by Pokémon and even discovered a new vein of Sturdy Stone.

They walked for an unknown duration, venturing deep into the northwestern expanse of the forest, yet not a single anticipated battle occurred. Neither powerful wild Pokémon nor the Hisuian Voltorb family made an appearance.

Celebi suddenly flapped ahead and waved its tiny hands:

"Sela!"

We've arrived, this is the ruin! Let's harvest the stone first!

It was a collapsed ancient tree lying horizontally across the midst of the woods, surrounded by other leaning trunks. Something destructive seemed to have happened here.

"Doublade, use Slash."

Hikotai gave the order. While blocked paths usually called for Cut, this particular tree was simply too massive.

Doublade drew its blades instantly!

Double-speed Slash, cancel!

"You didn't really need to cancel that..." Hikotai scratched his head, watching Doublade swiftly carve a huge notch into the tree trunk before leading his three companions inside.

Ancient trees blotting out the sky, deep green undergrowth, towering unidentified plants, and moss carpeting every surface amid damp soil and humus-rich earth—until, after passing through this rather gloomy belt, the path opened up into sudden brightness.

A relatively spacious clearing materialized before Hikotai's eyes. This place was not entirely natural; it had clearly been cleared by human hands, for the gates of the ruin stood open with strange signs of repair. One wall had collapsed, exposing the interior landscape.

Hikotai led his three Pokémon into the ruin. The moment he stepped inside, he instantly sensed something amiss.

Why did the patterns on the floor of this ruin look somewhat familiar? They looked rather like... an H?

"Could this place be... the Rock Peak Ruins?!"

Gazing deeper into the ruin, he saw that the main structure was earthen-colored, seemingly built from mud bricks mixed with stone. In successive eras, the Rock Peak Ruins were always the resting place of the legendary giant Regirock, though their locations varied across regions, requiring different methods to unlock their doors.

Hikotai walked further inside. Just like the Rock Peak Ruins elsewhere, there were no superfluous chambers, only a main hall housing a damaged giant stone statue.

Signs of ancient battles scarred the surroundings.

Hikotai felt a momentary trance. As he looked upon the battered ruin, the scene before him gradually shifted into a phantom illusion, reverting to how the ruin must have looked in its pristine prime!

He shook his head sharply, banishing the illusion as thoughts and information flooded his mind.

I see—that illusion just now was... the knowledge gained from the "Ancient Inscriptions" acquired earlier!

So that was what the twenty-percent boost in understanding ruin knowledge actually meant! It allowed one to perceive a ruin's original appearance and comprehend its hidden mechanisms and arcane scripts!

Aided by this newfound knowledge, Hikotai quickly spotted a large quantity of iron ore in a corner obscured by rubble, alongside... a pale purple stone resting quietly on the ground.

It was an "Evisolite" (Eviolite)!

Hikotai hurried over to pick up the Eviolite, verifying its authenticity as automatic knowledge flooded his mind. However, because he had already obtained an Eviolite previously, it did not trigger any new crafting recipes.

"Yooh-oo~!"

Doublade spotted the Eviolite and became instantly ecstatic!

It's back, our old stone is back!

"I'll polish it up for you properly when we get back."

"Yoop~!"

Neither sword was arguing anymore; their moods instantly lifted into joyful high spirits!

...

Not long after Hikotai and his group entered the ruin, a massive Scyther landed near the felled giant tree, staring in utter astonishment at the cleanly cleaved timber!

"Chaa...!"

A powerhouse!

The Scyther sharpened its scythes, its eyes filled with vigilance as it spotted the footprints on the ground.

Did an outsider human wander in...?!

This level of "blade technique" was altogether too formidable; it would pose a severe obstacle to its dominance over the outer forest!

"Chaa...."

A black ghostly giant, a giant bear shrouded in peat, a stone giant, and now a human who could cleave ancient trees in two?

Troublesome fellows were multiplying by the day.

That giant bear wandering into the outer forest was already a major headache, and the commotion caused by the awakening of the stone giant had left the entire place in turmoil, and now even humans were meddling in their affairs.

Yet, for reasons unknown, it inexplicably felt no urge to attack this human... What on earth was going on?

Every time the Scyther tried to advance along the footprints, its desire to battle plummeted drastically, baffling it to no end. In the end, it could only flap its wings and retreat in wary bewilderment!

That human is weird! Today... I'd better just go harass that rock giant instead!