Master Craftsman of the Elven World

Chapter 426 Hairy Crab: Performing a Performance of Stewing Itself in an Iron Pot
"Regarding abilities, the reason why the Inner Focus ability can lead to Admiral status is because Inner Focus itself is a result of the Pokémon's intense concentration of energy, right?"

"Your guess makes a lot of sense. We can even go further and consider Pokémon that have the Psychic ability but change that ability after evolution, or Pokémon that didn't have Psychic before evolution but gained it after evolution."

"The Unova region's FireRed Tumbler is one of them. Its hidden ability is Psychic, but after evolving, it will become a Daruma Mode, which is as still as a stone."

"In the Dharma Mode, it calms its restless mind through meditation, refines its intellect through contemplation, and thus hone its spiritual strength, casting aside distractions to fight with mental power."

"You haven't seen a Darmanitan with the Hidden Ability yet? But I think it's registered in the Pokédex. When I was battling someone before, his Darmanitan had the Hidden Ability."

"By the way, those statues at the ancient city gates are not actually statues, but Bodhidharma baboons."

Guangtai casually had an academic discussion with Dr. Yew via remote channel, and at the same time, she remembered.

At this time, Dr. Yew had not yet conducted a detailed investigation of the Dharma Baboon, so naturally he did not know much about the "Dharma Model".

In fact, Dharma Baboons in Dharma Mode are extremely rare, regardless of the world they exist in.

The Daruma baboon, which maintains its Daruma form, can even live for over three thousand years and still be lively and energetic. It's hard to imagine the lifespan of such a Pokémon.

Professor Yew: [I was so focused on the legendary Pokémon that I didn't realize there was such important content here!]

The abilities of Pokémon are truly amazing. Is it possible that Pokémon with different abilities, even those of the same species, might have different origins? What exactly determines their abilities?

"This does actually have a little bit to do with the origin."

Guang Tai laughed.

Although Ms. Yew's research, the so-called origin, is actually about the different origins of each Pokémon, that is, why they were born and why they appear in their current form, the scope of the research topic of origin is quite broad.

Even though they are the same species of Pokémon, they have different characteristics, which is indeed somewhat related to their origins.

That is the "personality score".

This numerical value, which exists only in the game, determines all of a Pokémon's abilities at the time of its creation.

It includes gender, ability, size, physical fitness, color, and characteristics.

"Professor Elm from the Johto region should have more authority on this matter, as it involves not only the origins of Pokémon but also their birth. When it comes to birth, no one is more authoritative than this professor who studies the Eggs."

"Everything was decided before it was even born."

In the real world, Pokémon certainly aren't made up of a series of abstract numbers. But considering their quantifiable nature, it's hard to say!

This is yet another strong argument that Pokémon = Digimon!

Dr. Yew: [You seem to know a little about this, but are you unwilling to discuss it?]

Guangtai: "I'm not an authority in this field. It would be embarrassing if I said something wrong."

Dr. Yew: [(Pikachu's helpless expression) Okay, I'll keep sending you more notes. I have so many new ideas to write down! Coming to Padiya on your advice was definitely the right decision!]

[By the way, Miss Yeci, the champion of the Padia League, is looking for you. She already knows you're going to Deepbo Town and seems to have sent a high-ranking official to receive you. Hehe, she seems to have a special plan. Be prepared.]

After resolving things here, she said she would come to meet you in person. I'm not sure if this is a good thing for you, so I won't say anything more. You can decide for yourself.

"Uh, Ye Ci's big plan. What big plan? Recruiting people to work illegally?"

Guangtai felt that this was not impossible, and that Ci's character was basically like that.

They are either actively recruiting or planning to recruit.

Hey, let's look at Aoki's family in the distance. They're really being treated like cattle.

"Actually, the Parthian Alliance doesn't have many capable people. The main problem is probably the basic setup of this region."

"It's a prestigious university with an 800-year history, and it has a bunch of students whose names I can't even remember, yet it doesn't have many experts. Isn't that a paradox? It certainly fits the theme of Zhu Zi."

"Hmm, it could also be because there are no challenge facilities in this area."

For various reasons, the ninth generation lacks challenging facilities, and this issue is crucial.

In Generation VIII, Leon even turned Rose's building into a Battle Tower.

Putting down the Pokédex, Lightmoss looked in front of her.

A large pot was bubbling and steaming, with fireflies hissing and spitting flames as it boiled. Firewood crackled and roared beneath, while a sweet aroma wafted from the pot.

This is the South Third District, east of Tsukida City, a region with a brownish-yellow landscape and a canyon area with dramatic elevation changes. The terrain is quite steep, making it easy to get lost at the bottom of the canyon, but it's a shortcut to Fukaba Town.

We flew all the way here from the sky and are taking a short rest.

In the game, the canyon's shape is quite comical and it's not very big. But in reality, this canyon almost completely separates Deepboil Town and Tabletop City, and it has high mountains and deep banks, with a river flowing through it in a rapid current.

There are also many naturally crystallized Pokémon scattered here, and you can see the light emanating from them from a great distance.

Heading slightly southwest from here, you will reach the "Shrine of Rotten Wood" among the four shrines. The Admiral Ancient Snail, which can cause forest vegetation to wither overnight and stop the Grass-type Pokémon Night Cry, is sealed there.

When they heard that the Ancient Slipper Snail's sealed location was on the other side of the canyon, Miss Skirt and Earth Platform Turtle both showed expectant expressions.

They had heard about how terrifying this Pokémon was long ago. Back when they were planting it in the capital, they were often frightened by its stories, but they were also curious about what kind of Pokémon it really was.

Who would have thought that it would be so close now?
"Duo Lei Duo Lei~"

Trainer, let's go together!
Miss Skirt was the most curious, and she unusually expressed her opinion, wanting to see what the snail looked like.

"Let's go on our way back from Shenbo Town. It'll be a slight backtracking, but I don't think it'll matter. After all, we're taking an empty route."

Guangtai patted Miss Skirt, calming her excited emotions.

The Pokémon gathered around the large pot, waiting for the food inside to finish cooking. Among them was a rather large "outsider".

The treasure of the rock wall, the hairy cliff crab.

In the Padia region, the claws of the hairy crab are a very famous delicacy. Although not as famous as the tail of the Slowpoke, they are definitely a precious ingredient.

What's particularly unique is that, despite being a "crab," the hairy crab, modeled after the Chinese mitten crab and the Hokkaido hairy crab, doesn't possess water attributes but rather rock attributes.

A hairy cliff crab has taken over the canyon in the third southern district and has secretly hoarded the "sweet seasoning" from the secret recipe. It has grown fat and big, with big, watery eyes, and it lies on the canyon wall, lurking there to lock onto its prey.

Unfortunately, this time the "ingredient" was targeted at the group of Guangtai.

Guangtai was still thinking that he would just pass by and try to steal some, but this hairy crab delivered itself to his doorstep. After Tanjiro gloriously attacked and beat it up, the hairy crab tried to escape, however...
Upon hearing that the claws of the hairy cliff crab were a valuable ingredient, the other members of the team immediately joined the hunt!
The treasure master of the rock wall was terrified.

The poor giant crab was considered "quite safe" by all the Pokémon owners. At most, it would attack innocent passersby to steal some food, but it wouldn't kill anyone. Besides, it was quite large, and the Pokémon in the area all avoided it. Therefore, the Rock Wall Pokémon owner had never encountered so many powerful Pokémon before, let alone been ganged up on by them!
Among them, the Shield Sword Monster even swung its ribbon!
This thing is the legendary ingredient itself. There's no need to talk about battle rules with this kind of ingredient; let's all charge in together!
Thus, without breaking a sweat, Guangtai found the secret sweetener and incidentally even pulled out one of the Rock Wall Treasure Lord's pincers, although the guy had offered it up voluntarily to save his life.

[Precious Plants: Secret Sweetener]

[Description: A fantastical seasoning that appears only in literature. There are even anecdotes claiming that tasting its sweetness revitalizes the stomach and cures loss of appetite. Long-term consumption by Pokémon may cause changes in body size, and also increase the energy levels of both Pokémon and humans.]

[Rare ingredient: Hairy crab claw (Master's Claw).]

[Description: The claws of the cliff crab are filled with high-quality crab meat, an unimaginably precious ingredient. "Oil and Garlic Crab," a dish made with the claws of the cliff crab, is a famous delicacy of the Parthian region.]

[Effect: Quickly replenishes lost energy and stamina. When prepared as a dish using special techniques, it can increase the maximum PP (Power Points)!]

"Although the treasure lord will shrink after being defeated, the game's settings cannot be applied to reality."

"The Lord of the Sky is still very big even after being hit."

"You too, the soup made from these big pincers will be enough for everyone to have a good meal. But why do you look so eager for it?"

The Rock Lord, whose head was being sat on by Charcoal Servant, was drooling.

Hearing the moss's question, the Rock Wall Treasure Master didn't know how to answer.

In short, this smells amazing!

I had no idea my pliers could taste so good! Since I've been beaten and surrendered, can you give me a share?

Everyone around looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is it okay for you to eat your own pliers?"

"Gake (What's so bad about that! I'll eat like crazy!)~!"

The Lord of the Rock Wall's eyes darted around, full of cunning, and at this moment he let out a wail!
In the past, I only knew how to look down and show off the seasonings. Now I suddenly realize that the seasonings should be eaten with my tongs for the best flavor!

I used to live such a hard life!
If you do not abandon me!

Crab, I'd like to offer you another claw!
"Even if the pincers fall off during a battle, they will quickly grow back after a period of time. But you clearly can't regenerate on your own."

"Oh?! It's already starting to grow?"

Guangtai suddenly noticed that although the Rock Wall Treasure Lord's left pincer had clearly fallen off, a small pincer had now grown back. This guy hadn't even started eating yet!
"Yeah, many Pokémon have this feature; their edible parts regenerate very quickly. But yours is growing way too fast!"

"Is this the effect of the secret sweetener?"

In Pokémon with strong abilities, Rockfall and Skyfall are different; Rockfall isn't a hidden ability, but rather the common Rage and Shell ability. However, if a Pokémon like Crabgrass had a hidden ability—

Its hidden characteristic is "regenerative power"!
Now you can really show off your big pliers to your heart's content!

"As a reward for eating your pincers, I'll change your ability to Regeneration."

Not only were there the treasure owner's claws, but also many claws that had fallen off from passing hairy crabs, so they were all stewed together, all thanks to the three-person scavenging team.

Bodangshui, Aluminum Steel Bridge Dragon, and Money-Gathering Spirit ran out and soon collected a lot of dropped items. Of course, the three of them had completely different priorities when picking up items.
Botang Water collected a lot of berries and food. This Husky Po was clearly inside its Poké Ball before, but as soon as it landed, it ran out to start gathering. Theoretically, having eaten and drunk its fill, it shouldn't be hungry while inside the Poké Ball, but this guy's stomach...
Wow, she can really eat!
Of course, the bridge dragon was not to be outdone. The aluminum-steel bridge dragon picked up and ate along the way, showing off the minerals by the roadside, and also ate the shells of the hairy cliff crabs.

Then, this guy also picked up something strange—a salt stone treasure.

This Pokémon looks like it came from Minecraft. It is born in the rock salt layer underground and constantly produces salt to replenish itself.

Its body is worn down by the ground, so it leaves salt marks wherever it is walked on.

Salt is also a mineral. The aluminum steel bridge almost ate the salt stone treasure, which gave the little guy a big fright!

"Salt, salt, salt, salt!"

"I'm so anxious for the child that he can talk now. Qiaolong, don't eat everything. Some minerals are alive."

Lightmoss obtained some salt from Saltstone Treasure and fed it some magical candy, gaining the little guy's favor. Afterwards, it warned the squeaky, sizzling aluminum-steel bridge dragon, who awkwardly rubbed its belly.

"COOL!"

The situation is completely different with Suocailing.

When the little man carrying the coin returned, he was bruised and battered, but still arrogant!
Its treasure chest contained more ancient Parthian gold coins, and the scars on its face were the medals of a warrior!

It encountered its own kind by the roadside, beat them up, and stole their gold coins!

There are many money-gathering spirits, but only one can become a millionaire!

"Financial battles, in their truest form, are often the most straightforward and unpretentious form of business warfare."

Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rock Wall was pondering something when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him!
Oh, would you like to help me change it to have a fast regeneration feature?

Well, thank you so much! The secret seasoning got stolen, huh? You're such a jerk! What more can I say? We're buddies!
In return, I'll teach you another unique skill!

"Oh, your unique skill?"

The moss was quite interested.

--------

"."

Another half day passed, and as night fell, Xinli arrived in the area and witnessed a scene she would never forget.

Steam was rising high in the canyon. She initially thought it was just people camping. But when she went over to investigate...
The Rock Wall Pokémon seemed unable to forget the taste of that "boiled crab claws" meal. It found a large pit on a high platform, then used Rain Dance to pour water into it. After that, it made full use of its Rock-type Pokémon's mobility to dig a stove underneath.

To Xin Li's astonishment, the Rock Wall Treasure Master skillfully pulled off his pliers and threw them into the large earthen pot!
Then, this guy started jumping around in place and used a fire-attribute move!

That's the Rock Wall Master's ultimate technique, the only fire-attribute move that can be used despite being of the rock attribute! "Go all out!"
Attack with a defiant, self-destructive attitude. If the previous attack missed, its power will double!
But now, the Rock Wall Master uses this move to start a fire and has begun a self-sufficient cooking process. Under the influence of the new ability "Regeneration", the Rock Wall Master's pincers have grown back at an almost visible speed!

"Yes, you can cook your own crabs?"

"This is already the second treasure owner to start acting strangely!"

Xinli didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment, and even more speechless things continued to happen.

The Rock Wall Treasure Lord discovered Xin Li, a human. Her green hair gave it a slight impression, perhaps she was a human who had passed through here in the past?
but
The Lord of the Rock Wall pointed to the crab claws in the earthen pot and cried out twice.

Human, do you want my pincers?
Then let's exchange it for something nice; treating you to a meal wouldn't be out of the question!

(End of this chapter)