NOVPUB"Ta-da! — Job's done!"
Hikaru struck a dramatic pose, raising one arm and spreading his fingers as if showcasing a masterful work of art!
And what he was presenting was, of course — Registeel!
The Steel Titan's body had been polished to a spotless shine. What was once a dull metallic exterior now gleamed like a mirror, so reflective that the faces of both Pokémon and people could be seen warped in its curved surface — turning into giant, stretched-out plates that looked hilariously silly.
"Yowu~"
Doublade tapped at Registeel's surface with its ribbon.
Too smooth! It couldn't even get a grip!
"Beep-beep-beep—" Registeel's circular LED face flashed a round sequence. Its hands waved awkwardly, clearly trying to express just how amazed it was by Hikaru's craftsmanship!
Though it was a Black Steel Pokémon with a body hard enough to never show damage, even metal had a fatigue limit. Go beyond that, and the material weakens. Normally its incredible durability and regeneration rate would mask that—until now.
Never before had Registeel felt this relaxed and refreshed. Power surged from within—it felt like it had returned to the moment it was first created!
"Sha-sha-sha-li—Regi—" Regirock waved its stone arm.
So, feeling better now, bro? That craftsman is a mysterious blacksmith living nearby. His skills surpass even the ancient people of Hisui! He's like their true successor. His enhancements work wonders on us Titans!
"Beep-beep-beep—Regi?"
Registeel was confused at first — then suddenly enlightened!
If that's the case, no wonder I lost!
Still… what a shame. With this kind of power standing before me, I can't protect the Earth Plate anymore. And my dream of turning this land into an iron production zone… it's over, just a fantasy…
"Don't be so down!" Hikaru patted the towering metal monolith. "Honestly, your plan to change the entire geological structure was pretty dangerous!"
"Did the ancient people of Hisui do something like that?"
"Beep-beep-beep—" Registeel nodded. Yes, back in its active era, those who held the Earth Plate did do such things.
They transferred fertile lands over and transformed the environment to support human life. After all, the natural climate and terrain of Hisui were harsh — even Pokémon struggled to survive here without fighting each other. The people had to reshape the earth just to make it livable.
"But drastically altering the land… if the Black Steel Temple is built entirely on iron ore, then over-mining would cause the ground to collapse. Removing too much ore weakens the structure and could lead to sinkholes or groundwater flooding."
"The temple might even cave in. And if there's too much iron, it'll oversaturate the soil, making it acidic — that kills roots, slows growth, even wipes out plant life. Nature has its limits. Cross them, and bad things happen."
Registeel's circular LEDs flickered.
It didn't really understand all that… it just wanted to revive the glory of its temple. But the idea of the temple collapsing made it uneasy.
"It's understandable. Without this knowledge, it's easy to make dangerous mistakes. The ancients could do those things because they knew the land and made proper plans."
Hikaru placed a hand on Registeel's body, sensing its regret and confusion. He snapped his fingers.
"How about I teach you a unique forging craft?"
"Beep-beep-beep?"
Registeel had always sensed that Hikaru, like itself, was a fellow artisan. Now that Hikaru offered to teach it special techniques, the previously despondent Titan lit up with energy — not that its expression ever changed.
"He cheered up quick. Is he… a workaholic?"
Sensing this shift in emotion, Hikaru just smiled and got to work. He rummaged through the temple and found some ancient forging tools — clearly left behind by the old temple builders.
Once, long ago, this temple really had been a giant smithy.
The technique Hikaru would teach Registeel was Flame Forging — one of his earliest and most reliable techniques. While Registeel watched, Hikaru pulled out a stone box. Inside were glowing-hot charcoal pieces, which he poured into the forge.
"Beep-beep-beep?" Not enough charcoal?
"This isn't ordinary charcoal," Hikaru replied. "It's blazing charcoal made from the massive trees of Petalburg Woods, using a special firing method. Hotter, longer-lasting!"
"Lilligant, use Weather Ball — Fire!"
The elegant Pokémon summoned an illusory sun inside the forge. Then three fireballs burst forth, stunning Registeel.
That's a Grass-type… using Fire-type moves?! And casting Sunny Day inside the forge?!
Hikaru grabbed some materials and started hammering away. The blazing forge stirred Registeel's memories—it felt like a scene from the temple's golden age. Those distant blacksmiths of old overlapped in its mind with the human now working before it.
The iron blank quickly took shape, passing through multiple forging stages—until it became a functional tool!
A small hammer.
Hikaru remembered that ancient smiths often used two hammers — a large one for striking, and a small one for guiding or fine tuning.
The old small hammer left in the temple only had a 10% forging bonus. So Hikaru decided to forge a brand-new one as a gift—to build friendship with the Steel Titan.
[Crafted Item: Bullet Forge Hammer]
[Description: A tool forged from Pokémon materials and scrap metal using special flame forging techniques. Enhances Steel- and Fire-type energy.]
[Effect: Quick Forging — Forge Speed +25%, Special Technique: Bullet Punch]
Hikaru raised the mini hammer, rubbed his chin, and handed it to Registeel.
The Titan held it—and immediately felt a strange connection. It was as if the hammer fused with its being. A warm current spread inside — Fire-type energy. It didn't boost its power, but it increased its heat tolerance.
And its Steel power did rise. When it lightly swung the small hammer…
A silver flash sliced through the air like a bullet!
Bullet Hammer?
"Beep-beep-beep!" Registeel's pitch rose — it wanted to learn this forging style!
"Great. Then from today onward… we're friends, right?"
"Beep-beep-beep! Regi!" Registeel agreed, visibly excited. This small hammer would be a massive help in its future smithing.
Meanwhile, Regirock had wandered over to Steven's side while he was too deep in ore analysis to notice.
With a quiet tap, Regirock signaled Steven, then rummaged through the mineral pile and pulled out several pieces of black-and-silver ore resembling crushed iron. It held them tightly, handing one to Steven.
At first Steven was puzzled, but after feeling the ore…
His eyes widened — the steel energy within it was incredible!
"Beep-beep-beep—" Registeel noticed Regirock rummaging through the temple and grumbled in annoyance — until it saw Hikaru holding a small hammer. Reluctantly, it let it slide.
Hikaru picked up one of the stones.
[Rare Material: Black Steel]
[Description: A special metal formed by fusing multiple ores in precise ratios under extreme pressure. Considered an unknown alloy.]
[Effect: Greatly enhances the Steel energy of Steel-type Pokémon! Extremely hard — only Pokémon with the moves "Heavy Slam" or "Crush Grip" can forge it.]
[Unlocked Craft: Smelting Craft (B+)]
[Description: Fuse known materials to create new ones. Recipes exist, but even with a formula, smelting has a high failure rate. Use with caution.]
[Smeltable Items: Iron Ball (Black), Magma Stabilizer, Mysterious Stone]
[Gained Knowledge: Raw Strength — Strength +100%]
The legendary Black Steel — acquired!
Hikaru chatted with Registeel, learning that it did know Heavy Slam.
But he hadn't decided how to use the Black Steel yet — so he just stored it safely for now.
Meanwhile, Bloodmoon Ursaluna had been waiting patiently, nearly falling asleep.
"Sorry! I really want to set out soon, but I've still got one last thing to do."
Hikaru asked Ursaluna to wait a bit more. He gathered some soil and ore from the temple, had Doublade fly outside to sketch the temple's appearance, then used spiritual paper to draft a blueprint.
With mud, iron, and stone, he crafted a miniature temple figure.
Next, he carved runes into the temple's outer floor. Using Doublade's Sacred Sword, they etched spell-like patterns into the ground. Hikaru placed sacred stone and iron chunks at the center—psychic-charged relics.
As he pressed his hands to the ground—he felt the pulse of the earth's power!
"Doublade, Unown — use Hidden Power and Awakening Power on the temple and the model — simultaneously!"
(End of Chapter)
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