Chapter 144 – 144

Ursaluna—no, this was Bloodmoon Ursaluna!

And not just any Ursaluna… it was a Shiny one!

The answer that Hikaru had previously dismissed was now standing before him in the most extraordinary way possible. There was no way not to be shocked. He even subconsciously prepared to draw out a Sticky Ball—his battle-ready reflex causing Doublade to twitch slightly.

Was he really about to use that?

“Gaa-gachi!” Bloodmoon Ursaluna quickly raised its claws and waved them, signaling that it had no intention of fighting. Hikaru also quickly realized—if this Ursaluna was the same one that had once destroyed the Rock Mountain Ruins, then why was it here now?

He turned to the Legendary Giant with a puzzled look.

The “H” symbol on Regirock’s face flashed as it raised its rocky arm and pointed at the giant bear.

“Re…gi…”

This guy came by last night looking for you. Not only did it destroy the Rock Mountain Ruins earlier, but now it’s gone and smashed my desk too.

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward a corner of the ruins, where a pile of shattered stone furniture lay.

“This Pokémon is…?” Steven mused aloud.

Hikaru answered, “Regirock confirmed it. This is the Pokémon that used Earth Power to destroy the temple. I still don’t know how it came back.”

Steven frowned. “I’ve never seen a Pokémon like this. Is this the Ursaluna?”

“Not exactly. It’s a mutated variant of Ursaluna—and it’s shiny.”

That said, this particular Ursaluna, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, was extremely rare. There was supposed to be only one in existence, and it should only appear in a place called Kitakami.

Could it be that the forests of Shinto extended endlessly, perhaps even connecting with Kitakami’s Timeless Woods? The deeper one ventured, the harsher the environment became… could they be gradually approaching an ecosystem like Kitakami’s?

Bloodmoon Ursaluna let out a low whimper. Its stomach rumbled with hunger, and it drooped its head, looking dejectedly at Hikaru.

It clearly didn’t have the strength to move anymore.

“You came looking for me? But we don’t know each other,” Hikaru asked. Ursaluna growled twice, then turned to Regirock, hoping the giant could help translate.

And from this brief exchange, Hikaru could tell—this Ursaluna hadn’t lived since ancient times. At the very least, it wasn’t as old as the one from Kitakami. It wasn’t an ancient Pokémon.

With Regirock’s translation, Hikaru finally understood why Ursaluna had come here.

It had been guided by the Forest God!

“Celebi led you to me? In that case, I can’t ignore your request.”

Upon receiving Hikaru’s confirmation, Ursaluna’s frown finally relaxed. It visibly perked up, excitedly baring its teeth and claws as it explained its situation to Hikaru.

It was searching for the Earth Plate! But that Plate was guarded by the Steel Giant—and it was no match for it!

So it had come to ask Hikaru to forge a tool or weapon that could help defeat the Steel Giant.

As for why it needed the Earth Plate… Ursaluna let out a sigh, and its face turned gloomy again.

In the deepest part of the Shinto Forest, there was a valley. The forest stretched far into distant mountains, filled with towering trees and root-formed caves.

Ursaluna had lived peacefully in that valley, revered by weaker Pokémon as a mountain deity. But one day, the land began to die—vegetation withered on a massive scale. Even with the combined efforts of Grass-type Pokémon, they couldn’t revive it.

To stop things from getting worse, Ursaluna had gone in search of the Plate. Ever since it evolved, it could feel the Earth Plate calling to it. The legends said the Plate could restore barren land to life. Although it hadn’t needed the Plate before, perhaps it had foreseen this moment long ago.

“So it’s a problem with the land… And by the Steel Giant, you mean Registeel?”

Being able to sense the Plate made sense—after all, in Hisui, Ursaluna served as one of Arceus’s Plate guardians and held immense Ground-type power. Being drawn to the Plate was natural.

Hikaru nodded, but his expression turned to stone the moment he heard Ursaluna describe the Steel Giant wielding a hammer.

Even Steven, who only understood bits and pieces, fell into deep thought.

“Mr. Brandon has a Registeel, but I’ve never heard of a Pokémon using weapons before!”

“In Paldea, there are some Pokémon known to use large tools…” Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully, recalling old rumors. There were Pokémon that fought with gear—Farfetch’d and its leek, Hypno with its pendulum, and Conkeldurr swinging concrete pillars in Unova.

But a hammer? That was pushing things. That Pokémon could sit at the same table as Conkeldurr.

“Re-gi.”

Regirock, however, seemed excited. It had sensed that the other two Giants might awaken soon. It even planned to invite them to visit its temple. As for that hammer—it was made of legendary Black Steel.

Originally, Registeel’s body had been forged under immense underground pressure over tens of thousands of years, making it harder than any known metal. This mysterious metal, forming Registeel’s body, was called Black Steel, and it actually originated from special molten lava.

Long ago, Registeel had taught humans how to forge, ushering in the Iron Age. The hammer had been made by Registeel itself—from its own body.

“I’ve heard legends of the Legendary Giants. Supposedly, they were created by the mythical Pokémon Regigigas, using materials from ancient icebergs, rocks, and molten lava,” Steven began explaining, recounting a legend from Sinnoh.

“The Snowpoint Temple in Sinnoh is said to still hold those three original materials.”

At Steven’s reminder, Hikaru recalled something from the anime.

In the Snowpoint Temple, where Regigigas rested, there were three “pillars”: the Ice Pillar, Rock Pillar, and Steel Pillar.

And fittingly, in later generations, the “King of the Colossal Pillars,” Regigigas, could learn Crush Grip. Perhaps when creating Registeel, it had used that move to compress various minerals in the lava into ultra-dense Black Steel.

“Three special materials… Never-Melt Ice, Hard Stone, and… Magma-Stone?” Hikaru muttered.

Looking back at the clearly starving Ursaluna, he pulled out some food from his bag. Besides some handy Pokéblocks, he also had ingredients for Lure Balls. Since Ursaluna was a Ground-type, it would do well with “Terra-Bite” food.

Ursaluna gobbled down the Terra-Bite food.

In the next instant, its eyes flew wide open and it stood tall!

The essence of the earth surged through its body—the moment it consumed the food, it could feel its strength swell. It could now sense and absorb the power of the earth beneath its feet. It had never experienced this state before!

And then it looked at Hikaru with completely new eyes.

So… this was the human blessed by the Forest God?!

“Oh, and one more thing,” Hikaru said. “You might not even need the Earth Plate to restore the land. I just happen to have the right tools and crafting techniques. I think my Pokémon and I can help. That’s what we’re best at.”

“Gaa-chi?!”

No need for the Plate? Could that really be true?! Ursaluna froze, stunned by what seemed like a wild claim. But after remembering the effect of the food it had just eaten, it began to see this mysterious human artisan in a whole new light.

If he really had such tools… then there was no need to fight Registeel.

But… what if it didn’t work?

Ursaluna growled softly, expressing that it was willing to offer something in return. For example, to apologize to Regirock, it had already brought a bunch of stones. And as for a more valuable item—wait!

Ursaluna clapped its paws together as it recalled a certain “object.”

Back in its valley, there was something left behind by a human long ago. It looked like a huge stone wheel with four sharp prongs, tinged with faded gold—not painted, but naturally beautiful. The stone always radiated a calming energy that brought good fortune to the valley’s Pokémon. But other than that, it hadn’t had much use.

The Pokémon didn’t know what it was for, but maybe this human could use it. At the very least, it wasn’t some ordinary rock. If Hikaru needed it, he could have it.

On the topic of stones, Hikaru also passed along Giratina’s request to Regirock:

“If you dig up any weather-type rocks, please bring them to me!”

(End of Chapter)

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