Chapter 146: The Promise of Xiang Guangtai

Ursaluna... No, this is Bloodmoon!

And it's a Shiny one at that!

The answer he had previously dismissed in his heart had appeared before him in such an extraordinary form; it was impossible not to be shocked. Xiang Guangtai even prepared to pull out a Sticky Glob, a combat motion that Dujianqiao (the Doublade) was very familiar with, causing its blade to tremble slightly.

Are you going to use that thing?

"Gaga-chi!" Bloodmoon waved its claws frantically, indicating it had no intention of fighting. Xiang Guangtai also realized this; if this Bloodmoon was the Pokémon that had destroyed the Rock Mountain Ruins, why was it here now?

He then looked at the legendary giant with a strange expression.

Regirock's 'H' symbol flashed with light as it raised a rock arm to point at the giant bear.

"Regi..."

This guy ran over here last night looking for you. Also, it didn't just destroy the Rock Mountain Ruins; it also smashed my table.

With that, everyone looked toward a corner of the ruins, where a large pile of shattered stones lay.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?" Zifuqi Da Wu (Steven) pondered.

Xiang Guangtai: "Regirock confirmed it; this is the Pokémon that used Earth Power to destroy this temple, though I don't know how it ended up back here."

Zifuqi Da Wu: "I've never seen this Pokémon before. Is this an Ursaluna?"

Xiang Guangtai: "Not exactly. It's a mutated individual of the Ursaluna species, and it's Shiny."

Even so, Bloodmoon was a very special Ursaluna; it should only exist as a single individual, appearing exclusively in a land called 'Kitakami'.

The forests of Shendu extended endlessly; could it be that they were connected to the 'Timeless Woods' of distant Kitakami? The further one ventured into the depths of the forest, the harsher the environment became, approaching the conditions of the far-off Kitakami.

Bloodmoon let out a low whimper, its stomach growling with hunger as it looked at Xiang Guangtai with a dejected expression.

It really had no strength left to move.

"You came looking for me? We don't know each other." Xiang Guangtai asked. Bloodmoon let out two low growls; seeing that Xiang Guangtai didn't quite understand, it looked toward Regirock, hoping the giant would translate.

Xiang Guangtai judged by the fact that he 'couldn't understand' it that this Bloodmoon was definitely not a Pokémon that had lived since ancient times; at the very least, it was certainly not as old as the Bloodmoon of Kitakami. It didn't count as an ancient Pokémon.

Through Regirock's translation, Xiang Guangtai figured out why Bloodmoon had come here.

It was actually because of the guidance of the 'Forest Spirit'!

Xiang Guangtai: "Celebi guided you to find me! In that case, I cannot sit idly by regarding your request."

Upon receiving Xiang Guangtai's affirmative answer, Bloodmoon's previously sorrowful expression relaxed, and its mood improved significantly. It began gesturing wildly, explaining the predicament it was facing.

The Earth Plate! It wanted the Earth Plate, but that plate was guarded by the Steel Giant, and it was no match for the Steel Giant!

Therefore, it wanted to beg Xiang Guangtai to craft a tool or weapon that could defeat the Steel Giant.

As for why it needed the Earth Plate... Bloodmoon sighed, its expression turning sorrowful again.

Deep in the Shendu forest, there was a valley... This forest extended endlessly into distant mountain ranges, filled with towering giant trees and caves formed by roots. Originally, it was a Pokémon that lived in the valley, known by many weaker Pokémon as the Mountain God. However, one day, the land in the valley began to turn barren, and the vegetation withered and died on a large scale. Even with all their might, the Grass-type Pokémon couldn't restore the land.

To prevent the situation from worsening, it had come out to search for the plate. Ever since it evolved, it had been able to feel the call of the Earth Plate. That plate was said in Pokémon legends to be able to restore life to barren lands. It was just that, for a long time, it had no need to search for that plate, but now... perhaps the plate had foreseen something long ago.

"So the land is having problems. Does the Steel Giant refer to Registeel?"

Being able to sense the existence of the plate might be because Ursaluna were the guardians of the plates for Arceus in the Hisui region, possessing powerful Ground-type energy; being called by the plate was normal.

Xiang Guangtai nodded, but when he heard Bloodmoon's description—claiming the Steel Giant used an iron hammer—his expression froze.

Even Zifuqi Da Wu, who had only half-understood the conversation, fell into deep thought.

Mr. Brandon also had a Registeel, but he had never heard of such a Pokémon using weapons!

"There seems to be a Pokémon in the Paldea region that uses large weapons..."

Zifuqi Da Wu rubbed his chin, recalling rumors he had heard. It wasn't unheard of for Pokémon to use items in battle; Farfetch'd was a classic example, Hypno had a pendulum used for hypnosis, and Conkeldurr in the Unova region even swung concrete pillars to hit people.

But a hammer was still a bit over the top; it could sit at the same table as Conkeldurr.

"Regi..."

Regirock was actually quite excited. It had sensed that the other two giants might have awakened, and it could invite them to its temple as guests later. As for that hammer, that was the legendary Black Gold.

Originally, the body of a Registeel was tempered by underground pressure over tens of thousands of years, possessing a hardness greater than any other metal. The mysterious metal that composed its body was Black Gold, but in fact, this metal came from special lava.

Long ago, Registeel taught humans how to forge, ushering them into the Iron Age. That hammer was crafted by it back then, using materials from its own body.

"I've heard the story of the legendary giants. They were supposedly created by a legendary Pokémon named Regigigas, using special materials: icebergs, rocks, and lava." Zifuqi Da Wu began to recount what he had learned in the Sinnoh region:

"The Snowpoint Temple in the Sinnoh region seems to still preserve those three special raw materials."

As soon as Zifuqi Da Wu mentioned this, Xiang Guangtai remembered.

In the anime, there were three 'pillars' at the Snowpoint Temple where Regigigas resided: the Ice Pillar, the Rock Pillar, and the Steel Pillar.

And coincidentally, in later generations, the Colossal Pokémon Regigigas could learn the move 'Crush Grip'. Perhaps when it created Registeel, it used that move to compress many minerals within the lava into Black Gold of extremely high density.

"Three special materials: Never-Melt Ice, Hard Stone, and Magma Stone?"

Xiang Guangtai muttered to himself. Seeing Bloodmoon's famished expression, he took out some food from his bag. Besides energy cubes that were easy to carry, there were also Bait ingredients. Bloodmoon was also a Ground-type Pokémon, so it was very suitable for eating 'Fierce Earth Food'.

Bloodmoon ate the Fierce Earth Food.

The next moment, it stood up with its eyes wide open!

The effect of the Earth Essence took hold immediately. Bloodmoon clenched and unclenched its claws, feeling a sudden surge of power from within its body, as if it could sense and absorb the energy of the earth beneath its feet. It had never experienced such a state before!

Consequently, the way it looked at Xiang Guangtai changed instantly!

Is this... the human favored by the Forest Spirit?!

Xiang Guangtai: "Ah, and one more thing. Actually, you don't need the Earth Plate to restore the barren land. I happen to have the corresponding items and crafts here. I think my Pokémon and I should be able to help you. My Pokémon and I are most skilled at this kind of thing."

Bloodmoon: "Gaga-chi?!"

Can you do the same thing without the Earth Plate? Really? Bloodmoon was stunned, thinking Xiang Guangtai was boasting, but thinking of the Fierce Earth Food that had taken effect immediately, it felt that the human craftsman before it had become very mysterious.

If such an item really existed, then it truly didn't need to challenge Registeel anymore.

But what if it didn't work?

Bloodmoon thought for a moment and let out a low growl, expressing its willingness to offer something in return. For example, to request Regirock's forgiveness, it had brought many stones. As for something better... Right!

Bloodmoon slapped its claws, recalling an 'item' that might serve as payment.

In the valley where it lived, there was something left behind by humans from a long time ago. It looked like a large stone shaped like a wheel with four sharp protrusions. There was some worn-out gold on the stone wheel; it didn't seem to be paint, and because it looked good, it had always been kept in the cave. That stone would emit a power that made Pokémon feel at ease, and occasionally it would bring them good luck, but other than that, it had no use.

The Pokémon didn't know how to use that stone, but it might be useful to this human. If he needed it, he could take it.

Mentioning stones, Xiang Guangtai also relayed Giratina's request to Regirock:

"If you dig up any Weather Rocks, please bring them to me!"

(End of Chapter)