Chapter 69: The Bright Stone

“This is the soft soil!” Guang Tai carried the Poptop Fruit to the edge of the soft earth, and Bawangshui stared eagerly at the ground until Guang Tai buried the fruit and watered it, at which point Baihegen WaWa hopped forward with bouncing steps.

“Huh?” Bawangshui watched Baihegen WaWa, unsure what this little thing intended to do.

“Baihegen WaWa is an incredibly skilled cultivator!” Guang Tai patted the leaves of Baihegen WaWa; after many days of work, she had gained considerable knowledge and moves, and since she could already enhance crop growth, she now rolled up her tiny skirt, determined to show off before this mighty dragon!

Your strength may be great, but I have my own specialty!

Baihegen WaWa gathered a cluster of light, shining upon the soil!

Sunny Day!

Then, Baihegen WaWa used “Growth”!

Rapidly increasing body size to boost Attack and Special Attack, with effects doubled under Sunny Day!

“Wah-wah~!”

The soft soil stirred strangely, as if resonating with Baihegen WaWa; the earth split open, and one after another fruit saplings burst forth.

“Baihegen WaWa completed artisanal cultivation, gaining experience and growth.”

“Knowledge acquired: Great Growth — Plant maturation speed +25%, quality +25%!”

“Huh?!” Bawangshui was astonished, glancing from the saplings to Baihegen WaWa, now rooted deep in the soil; he looked at this little creature with fresh curiosity, his gaze turning affectionate and excited!

It can make fruit grow rapidly—so this is the new partner of the little dragon-man!

Perfect! How could it not be? Now we’ll have endless Poptop Fruits!

Having earned Bawangshui’s approval, Baihegen WaWa was delighted, rolling up her skirt to show that all those days of cultivation were not in vain!

With her and Guang Tai working together, the fruit will grow fuller and taste even better!

“Gurrrl~” Bawangshui let out a contented rumble, lowering his head toward Baihegen WaWa and licking her with his tongue.

For dragons, this act was recognition; now Bawangshui’s gaze toward Baihegen WaWa had completely changed, his expression now that of a pitiful dog waiting to be fed.

“Wah-wah!” Baihegen WaWa shook her head leaves, equally delighted!

To gain the recognition of another companion—that was the greatest honor!

“Speaking of food, how about trying this?” Guang Tai reached into his backpack, and after a moment’s thought, extracted the Mushroom Puff.

The Dream World is so convenient!

“Hrrr?”

Bawangshui sniffed the strange dumpling carefully, his eyes instantly brightening!

What… what is this scent?

He opened his mouth, curled his tongue, and swallowed the Mushroom Puff whole; instantly, a surge of energy spread through his body, though much of it remained unabsorbable.

“Gah?”

Bawangshui tilted his large head in confusion.

“Hmm, Mushroom Puffs strongly attract Dragon-type Pokémon, but the one I just pulled out was mixed with soft sand—it only works on Ground-types, so Bawangshui gains no benefit.”

“Then what boosts Dragon-type Pokémon’s power?” Guang Tai imagined in his mind, then pulled from his backpack a Dragon’s Tooth.

Dragon’s Tooth: When held by a Pokémon, boosts the power of Dragon-type moves.

Of course, aside from being a power-boosting item, Dragon’s Tooth can also serve as a culinary seasoning.

In the Alola region, there is a secret broth recipe made by simmering Dragon’s Tooth, but it is a rare item; in the real world, one must either search where Dragon-type Pokémon gather in large numbers, or obtain it from Dragon-lineage families across the land.

Blackthorn City in Johto, Dragon’s Home in Unova, Meteor Falls in Hoenn.

“Perhaps I could ask Agatha for help,” Guang Tai thought.

Meanwhile, the Dragon’s Tooth conjured in this dream was not a new material.

Guang Tai began grinding the Dragon’s Tooth; in the Dream World, any tool could be imagined at will, and soon he collected the powdered Dragon’s Tooth, blending it into a new Mushroom Puff.

This time, Guang Tai saw the new information on the Mushroom Puff.

“Mighty Dragon Food: Dragon-type energy rises sharply for a period, aiding Dragon-type Pokémon growth.”

“Tip: Though a conjured food, it still slightly enhances the Pokémon’s corresponding power within the dream.”

“That’s it! Try this one!” Guang Tai tossed the new Mushroom Puff to Bawangshui, who snapped it up and swallowed it whole—Guang Tai guessed Bawangshui hadn’t even tasted its flavor.

He’s truly impatient with food.

“Graaah!” This time, Bawangshui’s eyes shone brighter; he joyfully shook his head and tail, reared up, and roared to the sky—a slow surge of Dragon-type energy rose within him! Bawangshui immediately fixed his gaze on Guang Tai.

He wanted another! Just one more!

“In the real world, this item’s effect would be even stronger!” Guang Tai rolled several more Puffs; Bawangshui licked them up in one go and let out a satisfied rumble!

Poptop Fruits and Mushroom Puffs—with these two foods, a dragon’s life is complete!

“Before I reach Unova, you’ll have to stay here for now,” Guang Tai stroked Bawangshui’s mane. “I’ll try my best to enter the Dream World again—I won’t let you feel lonely.”

Yet despite that, without Dream Mist, entering the Dream World seems entirely random.

“Ahh~” Bawangshui responded; indeed, the Connective Forest was dull. Though some Pokémon lived there, they were all escapees from dreams, sometimes vanishing suddenly, and the forest held no fruit.

Meanwhile, Bawangshui began thinking.

Now that he’d found a new nest, he must work harder to gather materials from other dreams! After all, no one else wants them—he’d already asked!

“Heh!” Guang Tai placed the Bright Stone inside the hut, beside the other gems; staring at the pitted, scarred surface of the Bright Stone, he decided to give it a simple polish according to its item description.

“If the Bright Stone in the Dream World leaves the Dragon Spiral Tower, will the real-world Bright Stone appear in the Connective Forest?”

“If so, maybe Team Plasma will never find Bai Long!”

“But why would the Bright Stone, meant to reside in the tower, be outside—and harbor hatred toward its birthplace?”

Perhaps the Dream World and the real world are opposites, like the game versions and their cover legends—after all, that’s the hallmark of the Black/White games. Guang Tai suddenly recalled something interesting.

Though both the Bright Stone and the Spiral Tower appear in Bai Long’s dream, perhaps the real Spiral Tower holds the Dark Stone instead—could Bai Long be furious because he cannot enter the tower?

Guang Tai glanced at Bawangshui.

Bawangshui wanted to enter the hut, but his crown was too large, jammed at the doorway; he growled irritably:

“Graaah!”

I used to think a bigger crown meant more majesty—now this crown is a real nuisance!

“Hmm, I’ll expand the door—then you can get in.”

Guang Tai measured the doorway; since he wouldn’t live here anyway, he might as well let Bawangshui use the hut as his resting place.

Even though his true body is in the Connective Forest, gathering items from other Pokémon’s dreams is exhausting!

“Connecting the Dream World and reality—Unova truly is incredible!”

Guang Tai sighed again, then began dismantling the hut’s door; he imagined in his mind, and the doorway seemed to grow slightly larger.

Now Bawangshui could just tilt his head to stick it inside—though pulling it out was tricky—then he squeezed his entire body through.

“Ahh!” Bawangshui seemed to like this confined space; he curled up quickly, lying comfortably on the ground, blinking his eyes at Guang Tai.

Guang Tai sensed it was because this space resembled the caves where he lived in ancient times—wasn’t this hut just another kind of cave?

The Connective Forest had no such caves, leaving him feeling unsafe.

Bawangshui, the Ancient Dragon, fears dream violence.

At this moment, information gradually appeared in his mind.

【Invited Pokémon: Bawangshui】

【Effect: Bawangshui residing here will expand the Sky Island and generate both Sunny and Rainy weather.】

“Wah-wah!” Baihegen WaWa appeared at the doorway, hopping around inside the hut; since it was generated from her dream, the interior resembled her workshop closely.

Then Guang Tai began polishing the Bright Stone; after easily removing its surface scars, the stone’s volume remained unchanged.

【Crafting Bonus: Through your masterful craftsmanship, the Bright Stone has changed—its surface scars vanished, the stone now seems calm, no longer releasing rage; its inherent elemental energy has increased.】

【The Bright Stone’s power fills the surroundings with vibrant life.】

“Hah~” Baihegen WaWa suddenly grew tired, and the entire Dream World began to blur—this was the sign of waking.

“Time’s up.” Guang Tai looked at Bawangshui, who realized this was the same as last time; he let out a regretful rumble.

Next time, next time I’ll bring back better items! Don’t forget to come get them!

Hmm, next time I’ll visit the dream of that black giant dragon!

Guang Tai imagined as he pulled many Mushroom Puffs from his backpack; though conjured food, they still helped Bawangshui grow within the dream—he just didn’t know what the Dream Energy’s function was.

Baihegen WaWa waved her leaves too!

Great Dragon, goodbye!

“Roar!” Bawangshui growled softly, watching Guang Tai and Baihegen WaWa vanish, then immediately began devouring the Mushroom Puffs.

But at that moment, the white Bright Stone trembled slightly!

A consciousness within the Bright Stone slowly awakened!

“Graaah?” Bawangshui turned his head toward the white stone, questioning.

What, you want some too?

Hey, you don’t even have a mouth—how are you going to eat? And these are all given to me by my Trainer—I can’t share them!

Bright Stone: “.”

No one’s going to steal your conjured food!

I am a mighty Legendary Dragon—I don’t care about such ordinary food!

The Bright Stone’s consciousness pondered.

Unbelievable—after being polished by that human, my rage began to fade, swiftly calming, and I recovered from my nightmare!

His craftsmanship is excellent…

No, that’s not the point!

Accepting that craftsman’s polishing in the dream seems to accelerate my spirit’s release from bondage—perhaps even speeding my physical recovery in the real world!

Since the water dragon, who loved picking up things, had heard his call, then as its master, that craftsman must also value truth!

He can be listed as one of the subjects for observation!

(End of Chapter)