Hikaru rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work!
Harvesting medicinal herbs required processing them into traditional medicine. This way, he could refine his pharmaceutical crafting skills and unlock new materials.
For the sapling cultivation, Hikaru chose a hillside to plant the tree. Once the initial planting was done, Celebi confidently patted its chest, signaling that everything was in good hands!
The Oak Woods sapling was planted on a nearby slope, and Celebi used its powers to accelerate its growth at an unbelievable rate. The sapling rapidly passed through its growth stages—taller, thicker, stronger—until it transformed into a towering tree!
Hikaru watched in awe at this miraculous scene, while Celebi flew over, grinning expectantly, as if waiting for praise.
"You really are amazing!"
Hikaru didn't hold back on his compliments. "With a tree this big, I can finally produce that special charcoal."
"Plus, I can carve even stronger wooden sculptures from Oak Woods timber!"
And where there's one, there's two—who's to say Celebi can't fetch another Oak Woods sapling?
"Maybe one day, after gathering all sorts of unique saplings, I can plant them around the workshop and create a Forest of Wonders—a blend of trees from different regions, each with its own special abilities and characteristics."
Just imagining such a landscape filled Hikaru with excitement.
Of course, transplanting foreign tree species could sometimes lead to ecological imbalance. However, as Hikaru glanced at the vast and seemingly endless Shinto Forest, he wondered—
Would this massive forest even care about a few new tree species? The sheer number of towering trees in Shinto Forest was beyond count!
Besides, Digletts frequently gnawed on tree roots and seemed to have no particular preference. That alone acted as a form of natural ecological control.
Once the planting was complete, Hikaru had Doublade cut the branches from the enormous oak tree, gather the wood, and store it properly. Meanwhile, he and Petilil began preparing traditional medicine.
Celebi curiously observed both processes—watching Doublade practicing Fury Cutter while chopping trees, before eventually drifting over to the workshop entrance to check out Hikaru's herbal crafting.
Floating in midair, Celebi watched as Hikaru processed the herbs.
Petilil shook the leaves on its head, and Hikaru plucked one to mix with previously collected herbs for drying.
At Hikaru's command, Petilil swayed its head. Even after a leaf was plucked, new ones would sprout immediately, as long as it had enough energy.
Petilil used Sunny Day!
A powerful sunlight beamed down, helping dry the herbs. This was the traditional sun-drying method, which removed moisture from medicinal ingredients using solar energy.
However, sun-drying wasn't suitable for all herbs. Some required oven-drying, especially berry-based medicines, while others needed shade-drying to preserve their medicinal value.
Different drying techniques had to be used accordingly—fire pits, heated walls, or burning agricultural waste, branches, and firewood to provide the necessary heat. Juicier medicinal fruits, for instance, needed to be quickly dried at temperatures between 70–90°C to prevent nutrient loss.
Hikaru also recalled that more advanced traditional medicine could incorporate spores to alter medicinal properties. Pokémon that could use Spore, such as Parasect, might play a role in medicine-making. Additionally, ingredients from Pokémon—like Toxicroak's venom or Seadra's spines—could be used for medicinal purposes.
Something to experiment with in the future.
Meanwhile, Celebi flitted back and forth, observing the drying herbs on one side and Doublade's rapid swordplay on the other. Time flew by, and within an hour and a half, Hikaru's first batch of dried herbs was complete.
"Alright, time to grind them!"
Hikaru moved the dried herbs into the medicine-crafting room, prepared the grinding tools, and began processing them.
Before long, he had produced his first batch of traditional medicine!
『Crafting Process Complete!』
『Obtained: Unique High-Quality Medicine!』
『Description & Effects: Carefully processed medicine that significantly restores a Pokémon's HP but has an extremely bitter taste, reducing Pokémon friendship. However, if given to Pokémon that like bitter flavors, it increases their friendship instead.』
『Knowledge Acquired: +1』
『Potion Compatibility: Combining medicine with specific berry juices creates different flavors, improving Pokémon friendship and enhancing vitality.』
Hikaru blinked. "Huh? So I don't have to worry about medicine lowering friendship anymore… Berry Medicine Juice? That sounds a bit unappetizing. Would it actually taste good?"
Right on cue, Petilil's crafting bonus popped up.
『Petilil assisted in the process, gaining experience and growth!』
『Acquired Knowledge: Herbal Cultivation – +5% efficiency in growing medicinal herbs.』
『Learned Move: Grassy Glide.』
Petilil noticed the change in its abilities, spun around once, and then suddenly slid across the floor—Grassy Glide!
A surge of green energy sprouted along its path, forming a grassy terrain. However, the workshop wasn't very spacious, so Petilil crashed into a wall, leaving it dizzy. Celebi quickly flew down, laughing as it helped the dazed Pokémon up.
"Be careful when using new moves," Hikaru chuckled.
Then, new material hints appeared.
[Material: Soft Sand]
[Locations: Rock Mountain Ruins, Smoky City, Deep Caves, Natural Sand Piles, Rage Lake Shore, Olivine Beach]
[Corresponding Craft: Unique Glassmaking Technique]
Oh, Soft Sand! That's the item that boosts Ground-type moves!
"Glassmaking, huh? Looks like my forge will be getting more use. I heard that glass artworks sell really well in Kanto."
Hikaru took a juice extractor from the cabinet—it was shaped like a Seadra.
Placing harvested berries inside, he blended them into juice. Then, following the newly acquired knowledge, he mixed the medicine into different juices, creating four servings of Berry Medicine Juice.
"Alright, who wants to try?"
Doublade had already returned, and Hikaru placed the four juices in front of the three Pokémon, taking one for himself.
"Don't worry, I didn't use any bitter-tasting berries."
Oran Berry + High-Quality Medicine (Heal Herb)
Hondew Berry + High-Quality Medicine (Vital Bloom)
Sitrus Berry + High-Quality Medicine (Royal Leaf)
Petilil eagerly approached first. However, instead of drinking from the cup, it dipped its head-leaf inside, absorbing the Hondew medicine juice. A moment later, it let out a delighted exclamation!
"Hondew Berries have a mild spicy taste. Mixed with Vital Bloom, they can cure a Pokémon's status condition."
Seeing Petilil's excitement, Celebi followed suit and took a sip—this time, properly drinking from the cup.
As expected, Celebi's eyes sparkled in surprise. It had chosen the Oran Berry + Heal Herb blend.
"Oran Berries have a mix of flavors, and when combined with Heal Herb, they greatly restore a Pokémon's HP."
The last cup was for Doublade, though its method of drinking looked somewhat eerie. Its red ribbons touched the cup's surface, the two hilts fought over the drink, and ghostly energy slowly absorbed the liquid.
Its two eyes widened in delight.
"Of course, this one has Royal Leaf! It's known as the 'King of Herbs'—reduces Pokémon fatigue and increases move usage limits."
Hikaru also drank his own blend—Hondew + Revival Herb + Pecha Berry + Royal Leaf. The taste was indescribable—bitter, sweet, sour, and astringent, all mixed together. The effect?
Fully restores a fainted Pokémon's HP and boosts vitality!
He felt his exhaustion fading, his body surging with energy.
"If I fully master Berry Juice Crafting… could I create Nutrient Drinks?"
Nutrient Drinks—Pokémon stat boosters!
The three Pokémon swapped sips before turning toward Hikaru's cup with eager eyes. Celebi sat on his lap, Doublade hovered behind, and Petilil clung to his shoulder, all pleading for more.
"Alright, alright, I'll make more!"
As Hikaru surrendered his drink, an Unown E quietly observed from behind an old pendulum clock.
The Unown E watched from the shadows, its gaze fixed on the lively scene of Hikaru and the Pokémon interacting.
It was also part of this home, after all. In fact, this place was originally its residence!
The last time it had messed up, it hadn't dared to show itself. Now, seeing everyone so happy together, it couldn't help but feel envious.
I… I have to find the right time to reveal myself!
Unable to bear the cheerful atmosphere any longer, Unown E phased through the walls with its psychic power, vanishing into the outside world.
Meanwhile, Hikaru was still immersed in the excitement of his discoveries.
With the new crafting knowledge and materials, his workshop was steadily progressing. The idea of using berry juice to counteract the bitterness of traditional medicine had been a breakthrough. Not only could it prevent a decrease in Pokémon friendship, but it could even enhance their bond!
Hikaru took out his notebook and recorded some new notes.
Celebi – Pokémon from Shinto Forest
Ability: Natural Cure
Met in front of the abandoned workshop
Dislikes spicy flavors
Now that the medicines and juices were successfully crafted, Hikaru turned his attention to his next goal—crafting the best-quality charcoal from Oak Woods.
With the massive oak tree grown by Celebi, he had more than enough wood to begin production. The next step was to start burning and refining the material.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day!
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