Master Craftsman of the Pokemon World

Flames rose in the furnace, and scorching embers sprayed outwards.

Scrap iron and ore were gradually smelted and forged. Neither the original owner nor the current Guangtai were familiar with forging; they had never been exposed to it.

Fortunately, obtaining the craft also provides the correct production process. Moreover, Guangtai had previously obtained forging insights at the Rock Mountain Ruins. Although obtained inexplicably, it was very useful!

Combining the two, even a novice who has never touched forging can create works comparable to excellent artisans.

The rising flames represented power, which easily impacted the worldview of a weak life. The boiling firelight, the powerful hammer, the hard anvil—each strike carried a wild and intense force!

Before long, Guangtai forged a pair of iron gloves. After sewing and combining them with leather, the first forged item was complete.

『Completed a crafting process!』

『Crafted Item: Destruction Gloves.』

『Description: An item made using Pokémon materials and scrap iron, forged with special flames and processing techniques, that can enhance Steel-type energy.』

『Item Effect: Quick Digging—Digging speed +20%, Unique usage ‘Dig’.』

“Dig? Is that a move?”

“.Its crafting materials are Sandslash's spikes and claws, but because it was forged with flames, it only enhances Fire, Steel, and Psychic-type energy, and cannot enhance Ground-type power.”

“Hoo—” Guangtai wiped the sweat from his forehead, rested briefly, and looked at the steel gloves in his hands with some surprise.

Unbeknownst to him, the two Pokémon had already run in. They surrounded the special gloves, exchanging thoughts as if expressing their own opinions.

However, Guangtai shook his head after hearing Doublade's words.

This guy is still peddling the king routine!

Let's take a look at the newly acquired materials!

【Material: Volcarona Scale Powder.】

【Location: Unova Region Ancient Castle (Volcarona), Paldea Region Great Crater (Volcarona), or obtained from a Larvesta evolving into Volcarona.】

【Corresponding Craft: Ancient Firing Process (can create Ancient Pottery).】

“Ancient firing? Good stuff! Volcarona's scale powder—can I buy it online?”

“Probably not.”

“Since I'm going to Unova anyway, I'll save this craft for a few months later.”

Doublade: Forging, ah. Back in the day, my (x2) body was also forged! Back then, I (x2) wasn't even a Pokémon! The things forged by the new king will surely have incredible magical powers!

Cottonee (poking the gloves): Not a Pokémon? What was Doublade-senpai before?

Doublade: Have you heard the story of ancient swords becoming sentient?

Doublade (waving both ribbons): A veteran ancient sword is possessed by the soul of the dead and reborn as a Pokémon—that's me! But there's also an error in that statement, which is that I'm not a human soul, but rather naturally became a Pokémon in a spiritual environment. Many Ghost-type Pokémon are born like that!

Cottonee (clenches fist): Then you must have been a very powerful sword before!

Doublade: No, I'm ashamed to say that after I became a Pokémon, I was captured by a traveler with magical powers and offered to a king. Later, I was chosen by a knight to be his Pokémon. I learned some despicable...learned some truly practical combat skills from that knight!

Later, for some reason, I was left in a warehouse to gather dust. When I woke up again, the kingdom had already fallen.

Cottonee (surprised): Eh! That's too unlucky!

Doublade (perking up): That's right! So now my dream is to assist a powerful person and help them become the new king!

Doublade: Now is the initial stage of the country's founding. If you sincerely join, you'll all be founding ministers in the future!

Cottonee (wiggling ears): No, what you're saying, senpai...I can't understand it at all. Are there any benefits to becoming a minister? If I'm going to follow Guangtai, aren't I already with him?

Doublade (staring blankly): Eh? Benefits...yes, the benefits are...what are they? You can command other Pokémon!

Cottonee (puzzled): But I don't want to command other Pokémon. I am me; why should I command others?

Doublade: Uh.

Doublade: Speaking of which...that's right, I don't even have a work plan after the country is founded!

Doublade fell into contemplation on the side.

No Pokémon cared about its grand nation-building plan.

Cottonee only cared about the gloves made by Guangtai and its own work!

“If the forged items have special abilities, they can also be very useful in production and daily life. The original intention of forging these tools is, of course, to facilitate work.”

“Also, to forge a set of protective gear for Cottonee?”

After so many days of training, Cottonee has become quite strong. With my knowledge and its own experience and growth, it definitely won't lose as badly as it once did if it goes back to battle now!

However, I still need to prepare some defensive measures for it.

Guangtai searched in his mind for special items that could be adapted for the Grass-type.

Choice Specs + Seed Bomb?

But Choice Specs seem to be mechanical items, described as dice that always roll good numbers. I don't know much about mechanics right now.

It's more realistic to forge some protective gear.

Soon, Guangtai forged some protective gear. Unexpectedly, the thoughts gathered in his mind gave a wonderful result:

『Completed a crafting process!』

『Crafted Item: Small Body Armor (Steel).』

『Description: Prevents the wearer from suffering the effects they would normally receive when making contact attacks against opponents. Increases Steel-type energy and move power.』

『Can prevent: HP loss from Rocky Helmet; poison from Baneful Bunker, HP loss from Spiky Shield; ability effects from Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, and Aftermath; ability effects from Flame Body, Static, Cute Charm, and Perish Body.』

『Item Effect: Rebound—Defense increases by 15%, and can return the opponent's impact.』

『Tip: Taking too much damage may cause the armor to break instantly.』

“Oh?”

Guangtai's eyes lit up, and he handed the entire set of small body armor to Cottonee.

“Try it on!”

Cottonee curiously took the body armor, but because its little hands were too short, Guangtai helped it put on many parts.

After being fully equipped, Cottonee's little skirt had an extra layer of iron plates in the front and back, and there was also a small helmet on its head, with three leaves extending from the holes at the top of the helmet.

“Wawa!”

It's a little heavy! Cottonee swayed from side to side, gradually adapting to the new body armor.

At the same time, Cottonee felt like it could use a new ability! This feeling was different from the feeling when learning a move!

“Cotto?” Cottonee was very puzzled and looked at Doublade.

“Cotto!”

Doublade-senpai, can you battle me?

“Youwu.”

Doublade also woke up from its (x2) state of contemplation. It moved its hilt and pointed at Cottonee while glancing at Guangtai.

“It's okay; now is the time to test whether that item is useful. Doublade, use Shadow Sneak!”

Guangtai gave the order, and Doublade made a murmuring sound. Then, purple-white light lit up on the blade! Both swords flew out at the same time, directly hitting Cottonee!

At this time, Cottonee began to use its ability according to that strange feeling. The body armor on its body also emitted Steel-type energy, seemingly condensing the elemental energy existing in nature around it!

Re-bound!

Doublade was suddenly hit by the rebound of power—the power of its own move!

“Cotto! Wawa~~!”

Cottonee jumped up and down. After seeing that Doublade was actually knocked away by its own power, it became extremely happy!

In a state of extreme joy, Cottonee jumped onto Guangtai's shoulder and rubbed its cheek hard against Guangtai's face!

“Wawa!”

Thank you, Guangtai!

“Youwu?~!”

“Youpu?~!”

Doublade was very shocked because it never expected that the armor on Cottonee's body would have such a powerful effect!

Then, it immediately turned its sword body, and both eyes looked at Guangtai with desire!

Shouldn't you make one for me too!

“But you already have scabbards; aren't those part of your body?”

Guangtai complained, stroking Cottonee, but looking at Doublade's somewhat disappointed state, Guangtai also comforted it:

“Alright, alright. Next time, I'll find a way to make something similar for you. Hmm...if I can't do anything with the scabbards, I can only add decorations to the guard and hilt.”

“That's also pretty good; it can distinguish you from other Pokémon of the same type, although there aren't any Pokémon like you in our area at all.”

“Now it seems that different tools will have different uses. Some uses are related to Pokémon moves, while others are not. It probably requires the tool's own function to match a certain move.”

“Youwu~!” Doublade nodded its hilt, expressing that it wanted to customize the coolest guard!

As for the attached effects, if it could be lucky enough to forge a tool with the effects of a Pokémon move...if possible!

It had heard of a move called 'Behemoth Blade,' which was swung with a sword, so it would try to forge that kind of tool!

“Pfft—” Guangtai had just prepared to drink water and almost spat it out!

“You, you know Behemoth Blade? Were you brought out from Galar?” Guangtai remembered that although Doublade was a 'treasure' brought a long time ago, it had never said where its hometown was, and it didn't seem to know itself.

In other words, there was no concept of regions during the national era.

“Youpu?”

Sure enough, Doublade was quite confused about this, only saying that it was a move that had been circulating in some legend, and it had heard it from the magical traveler who caught it as a treasure.

“That kind of move can't be done on weapons...wait, maybe it really can be done.”

Guangtai was about to refuse, but then he remembered...as long as he got the fur from Zacian and the 'rusted iron' from the Rusted Sword, then he might really be able to make a unique tool with the 'Behemoth Blade' move!

Zacian (Hero of Many Battles) + Rusted Sword + Iron Head = Sword King + Behemoth Blade!

Isn't the formula already laid out!

So, if he really found these materials and made a guard with Behemoth Blade, or attached it to a Lumber Axe...use Behemoth Blade to chop trees!

“Oh, it seems very interesting!”