Revival Herb? What's that?
Honedge tilted its eye in confusion while Hikaru signaled for it to wait. Soon, he retrieved a small box containing pale golden, diamond-shaped "gems" from the living room cabinet.
"Revival Fragments. Though they all share the same shape, some are natural minerals while others are artificially crafted. However, their effects are identical."
"By using two plants—Revital Herb and Heal Grass—and processing them through a series of refinement steps, you can create Revival Fragments."
Hikaru handed one of the fragments to Honedge.
Honedge grasped the pale golden "gem" with its blue spectral hand, and its eye immediately widened!
A surge of powerful vitality radiated from the fragment!
A faint, ghostly purple energy spread from Honedge's body. Soon, the Revival Fragment gripped in its blue ribboned-hand vanished into nothingness.
"Absorbed? It can be used even without HP depletion? As expected, this isn't like the game world. The Revival Fragment, capable of restoring HP, indeed possesses a strange life energy."
"So, it really does eat using that blue ribbon-like hand."
According to its lore, Honedge drains the life force of those who grab its hilt, wrapping its blue cloth around their arm until they collapse.
It seems that it only does this out of hunger.
That makes sense. In the Abyssal Ruins of the Unova region, there's an ancient inscription that says—To eat is to obtain all life.
Those with mouths eat with their mouths. Those without… adapt in their own ways.
However, Revival Fragments are about three times the price of regular berries, averaging around 1,500 Poké Dollars per piece. Compared to regular food and vegetables, that's quite expensive—almost as much as some large-sized ingredients. If Honedge were to eat these daily, it would be quite a financial burden.
If possible, to cut down on expenses, Hikaru figured he should cultivate a small farm near his cottage and grow some vegetables and berries himself. After all, he was going to be working here for quite some time.
"Well, you're full, but I haven't eaten yet."
It was already late. Hikaru moved toward the kitchen, looking at the stone chimney and the neatly stacked firewood—cut by the previous owner during their outings.
Thankfully, the former owner had at least done some basic preparations. Otherwise, Hikaru would've found himself in a rather dire, woodless situation.
He rummaged through the storage chest and pulled out some ingredients:
A good amount of onions.
Butter, a small bag of flour, and Moomoo Milk.
A few berries and some mushrooms he had recently foraged.
When traveling long distances, securing fresh ingredients can be difficult. Apart from berries, most normal vegetables have a limited shelf life. Among them, onions last the longest at room temperature—up to a month.
Berries, on the other hand, are truly mysterious natural foods. They can be stored for long periods without rotting, and different varieties contain unique nutrients.
Hikaru decided to make a hearty stew with these ingredients. It's a common cooking method, where cheap and easily accessible ingredients are thrown into a pot and simmered. To enhance the texture and flavor, some ingredients would first be pan-fried or sautéed.
In the Pokémon world, apart from regular ingredients, berries are often used in stews.
In the distant Galar region, their famous Curry is made using berries as a base ingredient.
Just as Hikaru started preparing the ingredients, a certain sword Pokémon darted into the kitchen in a blur!
The New King was cooking personally!
As a knight, how could he not assist?
When it comes to slicing ingredients, wouldn't using its own blade be much faster? After all, it was razor-sharp!
Honedge hovered over the cutting board, unsheathing itself with a crisp metallic sound! Its blue ribbon-hand caught the falling scabbard while its blade gleamed with a faint green light!
Honedge used Fury Cutter!
Super effective on cabbage!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
A whole onion disintegrated into fine shreds at blazing speed! The blade moved so fast that afterimages trailed behind it!
Using a Bug-type move to chop vegetables—it was as smooth as silk. No wonder, since vegetables belonged to the Grass-type.
"Oh! So Fury Cutter can be used ? I never considered using an ancient sword for chopping food since… well, you're not a kitchen knife."
Hikaru was stunned. Meanwhile, Honedge was brimming with pride, its single eye gleaming confidently as it slightly tilted its blade upward—as if boasting.
It completely ignored the fact that its blade was now covered in onion bits and juice, forcing Hikaru to quickly step back.
A knight's duty is to assist his lord. Chopping mere ingredients? A trivial task! If needed, it could slice everything in this kitchen with ease!
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Really? You seem quite experienced. Alright then, I'll leave chopping the berries to you as well."
He never expected Honedge to have such hidden talents. Hikaru originally thought that, after being bestowed upon a knight by an ancient king, all it did was cut down enemies.
But apparently, it had also been used for food preparation.
Well, at least this made things easier!
Hearing Hikaru's praise, Honedge's eye burned with passion!
New King, witness my skill! It's not that I'm weak—it's just that your power surpasses mine! But when it comes to cutting ingredients, I'm absolutely superior! Cheap kitchen knives? Evolve once before stepping into my domain!
The Next Day – June 7th
The early summer rain had stopped, and as the sun rose, the ancient land awakened once more.
Hikaru had a deep, restful sleep. The exhaustion from yesterday had completely vanished.
After tidying his bedding, he glanced at the time.
Honedge had not been stored inside a Poké Ball. Instead, it stood against the corner of the wall, its blade tip resting on the ground, and its hilt pressed against the wall's crevice.
It resembled how ancient soldiers would lean their weapons against walls for easy access. It seemed Honedge still retained this old habit.
Hikaru gazed at the sleeping ancient sword, lost in thought.
Should he make a weapon rack for it?
In the Pokémon world, there's a field dedicated to studying Pokémon ecology. Professors like Birch and Rowan are prominent researchers in this area.
Different Pokémon have different preferences for their living environments.
Although Honedge had mentioned the legend of the sword in the stone, surely no weapon would enjoy being embedded in ruins for a thousand years, enduring wind and rain.
Even Zacian's Rusted Sword, the true blade of a hero, decayed after 3,000 years. If that legendary sword could succumb to time, what about other ancient swords?
Today was another busy day.
The house, storage, and work areas all needed tidying up. The land outside was no exception.
Hikaru first headed to the storage area, retrieving a wooden board and a solar-powered generator.
In the wilderness, one of the essential survival tools was a portable solar power supply.
He set it up outside to soak in sunlight and store energy.
His cottage was a short distance from the village, but not too far. Beyond his front yard lay vast land, overgrown with weeds, scattered rocks, and fallen branches carried by the wind.
Yesterday's rain obscured his vision. But with today's clear skies, Hikaru could survey the distant scenery, recalling the map on his wall.
Towering ancient peaks, ruins, and temples, a distant village, and natural paths leading out of the valley.
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