Master Craftsman of the Elven World

Chapter 538 The First Encounter: The Prince of the Vast Sea!
The trainers on the Road to Victory were all active on this day.

Normally, they are scattered in different areas—high mountains, by waterfalls, deep in caves, in downstream rapids, in ruins, and among swaying grasses—undergoing the same rigorous training in different places.

Those who can enter this area are all top-notch Pokémon trainers. After obtaining eight badges, they did not choose to participate in the tournament but came to this road because what they aspire to is not the tournament champion, but a higher level!
However, today is different from usual!

Kiyoka: "...A trainer from out of town, a newcomer! But he has battle skills I've never seen before. I originally wanted to practice with him, but it turns out, the saying 'there are always people better than you' is really true."

Enlightenment: "I was defeated in an instant, without even having time to retaliate. An elite like me has a very strong sense of pride, so I would never lose! However, I failed to protect my pride, which is truly regrettable."

Teruyuki: "He saw through all my attacks and defeated me in return. I saw two of his Pokémon; they were ridiculously strong! His power is truly boundless! I'm so moved."

Those sounds spread like the wind throughout the Path of Champions. Even before the Lightmoss reached its depths, the trainers deep within the Path of Champions already knew of its arrival.

And the battle broke out so suddenly, or rather, these powerful individuals took the initiative to come forward!

Lightmoss: "That's strange. Do you guys communicate using Pokémon devices here too?"

Amidst a blinding flash of lightning, Riolu's Thunder Punch combo completely defeated the opposing Gyarados!
“Hoo, it’s not just a Pokémon device.” The veteran trainer, who was battling Lightmoss, answered during a break in the battle and recalled Gyarados.

At the same time, Pang Yan Monster was dispatched!
Veteran Trainer: "We've been on the Champion Road for a long time. Do you know Sneasel and Weavile, these two Pokémon?"

"They are only likely to be encountered in the cold northern lands; they are rare Pokémon in the Unova region."

"Their race has sharp claws, and the claws that fall off become the items [Sharp Claws], [Entangling Claws], and [Preemptive Claws]. These claws possess different powers, which are related to their ecology."

"They usually operate in groups of five. They leave marks on rocks and trees, carving incredible patterns on the surface of trees and ice with their sharp claws, and work together to hunt prey."

A sandstorm raged before the eyes of a seasoned trainer:

"Our trainers on the Champion Road are like Weavile! Whenever someone arrives here and makes a big commotion, we can tell you've arrived through the wind, air currents, sounds, communications, or even the uneasy exchanges between Pokémon!"

Lightmoy's eyes lit up: "You know a lot about Pokémon ecology! Did you work at a research institute before?"

The veteran trainer laughed heartily: "This is just an ability honed from years of spending time with Pokémon! Young man! You are strong. If you defeat me, you should be able to turn me into fertile nourishment!"

"There are incredible legends along this path to the championship. It is said that the [Trial Chamber] is located here."

"One of the legendary swordsmen, Terrakion, once trained here and tested the humans who trained here. That's why this huge nest dug by the iron ants was used as a road to the Pokémon League!"

"My Pokémon were born on the same day as me and grew up together! Defeating me won't be that easy!"

That line! Guangtai's gaze suddenly stopped.

"Your name is Great River!"

Taiga suddenly clenched his fist: "You guessed right! I don't know how you knew, but I came here in search of Terakion! I am a worshipper of the Holy Swordsman!"

With each swing of his fist, it was as if he had become one with the Pokémon, becoming invincible on the battlefield!
"Giant Rock Monster, sandstorm!"

Lightmoss nodded.

Taiga! This person is actually one of the six people from the Training Rock!

After the collapse of the Cultivation Rock, almost all of the six people inside disappeared, but Taiga was one of the few who could still find traces of them.

After collapsing the Training Rock, this guy seems to have run off to the Spring Cave in the southeast of Unova, the small cave that he and Blacklink would visit together during the early stages of chasing Team Plasma. There's nothing inside except very clean spring water.

Furthermore, Taiga is one of the few veteran trainers in the Unova region with a full complement of Pokémon!

"Riolus, use close-range combat!"

With a +6 close-range attack, it almost defeated the extremely slow Gigantamax with a single punch, which made Lightmoss realize that this Gigantamax's ability was not Sturdy!
Since it's Unova, then it's the [Power of Sand]!
Of course, with this kind of slow rock shield, it would be better to have a sturdy or sand-spraying property!

A powerful sandstorm swept through the cave, and the Great River withdrew the giant rock monster the moment it was defeated, and then sent out the dragon-headed gopher!
Sandstorm brothers!

Uh, we don't have Tyranitar, so how about using Grimstone instead?
"Go!" Dahe roared, "Excadrill's ability [Sand Rush]! Its speed doubles in sandstorm weather!"

"After [Sword Dance], unleash [Earthquake]!"

Guangmo's eyes lit up!
Veteran trainers are stronger than elite trainers. They focus on battles and appear as absolute powerhouses in various challenge facilities. Even Giovanni's appearance is exactly the same as that of a veteran trainer.

Similarly, they will use all sorts of unexpected and powerful tactics in battle, as well as incredible luck and good fortune, and even things as absurd as "three consecutive instant kill moves" will happen!

However, this can also be seen as experienced trainers synchronizing their own mental will with that of the Pokémon through years of arduous training, which is why they can so accurately bring immense pressure to the player!

Excadrill's speed doubles during sandstorms; its speed of 88 doubles to 176! And that's not all...
With Swords Dance and Earthquake, Excadrill's base Attack stat is a whopping 135!

"No wonder the Cultivation Rock collapsed. Even if the rock walls of the Cultivation Rock are very strong, they couldn't withstand such a powerful earthquake!"

Since only six are planned to be used here, even though there are better solutions for dealing with Excadrill, namely "Fossil Pteranodon" and "Ironfire Celestial".
The Flying type prevents Excadrill's Earthquake from hitting them, while the Rock and Steel types make them immune to Sandstorms. Aerodactyl can even benefit from the Sandstorm's Defense buff.

"However, just as players will carefully select their companions to traverse this path."

"On this path, I will only use the same six!"

"Turtle! Use Leap Attack!"

Excadrill completes its Swords Dance, leveraging its ability to achieve extremely high speed and gain a consistent first-strike advantage in Sandstorm! When the impact of Earthquake is transmitted to Torterra, it's completely...
The effect is not good!

"Grass and Ground type, double resistance!" Taiga was taken aback, not expecting to see Torterra here: "Excadrill, get out of the way!"

He was about to suggest digging a hole, but then he remembered that Torterra is also a Ground-type Pokémon, and if it digs a hole, the power of the earthquake will double!
The Earth Tortoise's powerful attack missed its mark, and the Dragon Head Grub quickly fled, but the next moment, the Earth Tortoise stomped its four legs violently!

Tread hard!

The powerful shockwave struck Excadrill, reducing its speed by one level, and the next moment, Torterra's shell cracked!
Hatching! Lowers its defense, greatly increases its attack and speed; the power boost is 100%! Then...
A sudden, fierce attack!

The Dragonhead Groundhog lost its balance, and the Ground Turtle charged at too fast, its powerful forelimbs hitting it squarely in the face like a mountain!
Taiga: "Ha! Do you think I'm that easy to defeat? Even though I was the last one, I managed to escape from a desperate situation!"

"Snorlax! Body Slam!"

As the Poké Ball opened, a colossal blue and white creature appeared! It roared fiercely, and Snorlax, with its incredibly high HP, made its grand entrance!

As one of the most memorable of the original 151 Pokémon, and also Ash's best friend, Snorlax is often seen as a symbol of strength. Red, the mountain god of Mt. Silver, also has a Snorlax!

It's said that it gets restless if it doesn't eat 400 kilograms of food every day. Once it's full, it starts to sleep. Snorlax's stomach can digest anything, and it can also block the way, hindering passersby. Its enormous body contains terrifying power, making it an unbreakable heavy-armored warrior!

However, unless you're a trainer with plenty of money, you probably wouldn't be able to afford to keep Snorlax. Ash was only able to keep Snorlax, the big eater, thanks to Professor Oak.

"However, sending it out at this time was a miscalculation!"

Lightmoss recalled Torterra, and with the control bracers on its arm, it opened the Poké Ball at an extremely fast speed, launching the Pokémon out in the form of a beam!
Miss with the bright green skirt has finished charging up her energy inside the ball!

"Use [Kick Down]!"

A fighting-type move with varying power; it involves forcefully kicking the opponent's foot to knock them down and then attacking. The heavier the opponent, the greater the power!

"Snorlax weighs 460 kilograms! Its kick has a power of 120, which is excellent when it's twice as effective against a super type!"

Before the enormous creature could even make a move, it was kicked down by Miss Skirt, collapsing to the ground with a thud, severely injured!
The great river roared: "Rise with perseverance! Unleash [Recycling]!"

Lightmoss watched with great curiosity as Snorlax unleashed an incredible move.

Recycling seems to have been adopted by the fruit-eating insects of the Reverse World. The effect of this technique is simple: it regenerates items that have been consumed in battle and allows them to be used again.

For example, tree fruits!

Snorlax devoured the berry, and then, in the power of the move, the berry that was not yet finished was restored to its original state, as if the fruit had been given life and grew again to make up for its defects.

Then, Snorlax ate another Berry!

Lightmoss: "Its ability is [Gluttony]!"

“That’s right!” Taiga replied with great pride. “As expected of a strong opponent who could put me in a tough battle, you have an almost complete understanding of the characteristics and abilities of Pokémon. You could say it’s almost divine, right?”

Lightmoss simply responded with a smile.

The main tactic is gluttony combined with recycling. Although it's a bit niche, it can sometimes catch a lot of people off guard, especially when paired with the move "Belly Drum"!
The fruits that can be paired with it are actually quite diverse, including pudding, pomelo, and even star peach and custard fruit!
Light Moss: "So, what's next?"

"Don't let it use that move!"

The fifth-generation Snorlax, although it doesn't burp, has Belly Drum at level 17! And sure enough, at this moment, Taiga gave the command!

Taiga: "Snorlax, use Belly Drum!"

Light Moss: "[One more time!]!"

A light flashed in Miss Skirt's eyes. Snorlax was hit by a strange light, and its move was locked!
Snorlax's stat boost was interrupted, preventing it from using Belly Drum. Taking advantage of the moment when Snorlax was locked in its move and hadn't switched to Recycle mode, Miss Skirt kicked it away!

The explosive shockwave propelled Snorlax a great distance, followed by a series of powerful kicks! Roundhouse Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Roundhouse Kick!
Close combat!
"Karpi!"

Snorlax crashed to the ground with a loud thud, smashing through large chunks of rock and losing its ability to battle!
Taiga stared blankly at his defeated Pokémon for a long while before letting out a hearty laugh!
"Did I become nourishment?! You're amazing! So amazing!"

"With this level of strength, no one can stand against you on the road to the championship. Head to the Pokémon League!"

Taiga ripped off his trench coat, panting heavily, as he looked at the victor before him and his fallen Pokémon.
"Although we lost, it was a happy battle! Pokémon and we live such happy lives every day, and we will definitely be even happier in the future!"

The great river slowly raised its thumb to the moss:

"The road ahead is very tough, but we're almost at the end. If you lose the Alliance's challenge even once, you have to start all over again. You must be prepared."

"The trainers you defeated here were all those who failed to complete the challenge, but you have embodied our beliefs."

"That's right, it's the belief of everyone you've defeated. Time and time again, whenever a new trainer arrives here, we think the same thing—"

"We must win! This time, we can definitely win!"

----------

Will we win this time?

In the Tower of Fighting, one of the four towers of the Pokémon League, which represents martial arts, Lianwu opened his eyes while in a meditative state.

Even from a great distance, a martial artist can sense that danger is approaching; this is their intuition.

At crucial moments, or when faced with insurmountable threats and dangers, Lian Wu knew, of course, who they came from.

He learned about Guangtai's situation at the Cultivation Rock from Cai Dou's message, and Wanlong had also informed him.

So, if all goes well, the battle will take place today.

"Master, everything is ready. I never expected you to return on time. Did the Tree of Connection tell you?"

"The Tree of Connection represents the dreams and ideals of the people and Pokémon of Unova, and challenging the League is naturally the ideal of some people. Will this generate a huge release of power?"

"Wanlong's Tower is lit up!"

----------

Several tens of minutes ago.

With the crashing of rocks and the successive defeats of the champions on the Path of Champions, Lightmoss finally reached the top floor of this enormous nest.

Just like in the game, there's a Pokémon Ranger in a red vest watching over the area. Given the "Iron Ant Nest" setting, this Ranger is specifically here to protect the Iron Ants' ecosystem.

Lightmoss stared at the ranger in the vest. In the game, he would say that he was afraid to slide down the cliff and that even if there were items below, he would not go.

However, the color of the vest is slightly off; it's not pure red, but mostly white!

"Hey! I've been waiting for you!"

"You're the Ranger Lightmoss, right? You solved a really tough problem in Unova before, Seven told me about it! And he praised you highly."

"Thanks to you, a very talented young man has joined our ranks. That makes sense, isn't becoming a Ranger the best thing to do if you want to be a bridge between humans and Pokémon?"

Unlike in the game, the ranger here is not male, but female, and her hair is also green!

"What, are you surprised to see green hair? But I'm not a member of the Harmonia clan."

Lightmoss: "Chief Ranger, Crane, also known as the Flying Ranger."

"Oh dear, am I that famous?"

The female ranger, with long green hair and wearing a red and white uniform, had one hand on her hip and was holding a package in the other.

She is the same age as Seven, in her early twenties.

Upon hearing Guangtai reveal her identity, she closed her eyes and smiled slightly:
"I learned from Seven that you have a very well-connected intelligence network as the chief ranger on the Road to Champions."

Lightmoy: "It wouldn't be one of those trainers from the Road to Champions, would it?"

He Fu: "Some of them, but there are also regional rangers patrolling this area. Do you think we wouldn't know about such a big commotion as entering the Champion's Road?"

He Fu maintained her confident smile:
"I came here specifically to see you."

"Seven said you're very knowledgeable about ancient legends, right? Even legends we don't know. Because of this, I took a slightly roundabout route, following Professor Shinhara's and Seven's advice, and obtained something special from a ranger in the Philei region."

Lightmoss: "Wait a minute. As far as I know, you should be a ranger from the Almia region. What are you doing here in Fire?"

Furthermore, the Fire incident is already over. Although Team Galactic hasn't taken any large-scale action yet, chronologically speaking, the Fire incident happened quite early in the story. It's also related to the theatrical version.

He Fu: "You guessed it. That's why I came here after hearing that you knew many legends."

"I'm sorry to block your way to the championship, but since it's a big deal, I was asked to escort you since I had some free time. We took a slightly detour. The Unova region is really developed, and there are so many powerful trainers here."

"However, it seems there aren't any people who are particularly good at nurturing."

"Here lies an important treasure: a Pokémon egg, and of an unknown type. We believe that areas with a high concentration of trainers, especially those skilled in breeding, would make it easier for it to hatch. It's said that this egg has a close connection to a certain region, but it remains shrouded in mystery."

"Therefore, it was designated to be sent to the Sinnoh region!"

"At the same time, we need to find a trainer who can be entrusted with this egg!"

"Do you know the legend of the Pokémon Manaphy?"

Upon seeing the package in He Fu's hand, Guang Tai immediately realized what had happened!
Ranger Network Mission: The first Manaphy egg to be distributed in the Philae region!
After the disbandment of the Rumble Band and the reformation of its leader, Rahu, his four children formed a band and toured the world. What happened after that!
I thought this streaming incident was going to happen soon, but I never expected it to come looking for me from a different direction!

Lightmoss: "This is the first Manaphy egg to be discovered in 150 years. This Pokémon is known as the Prince of the Sea!"

Manaphy, a mythical Pokémon, is one of the main characters in the movie *Protector of the Sea*. It possesses the power to connect with any Pokémon and has left behind legends and myths in multiple regions.
This is also the first mythical Pokémon that needs to be distributed through Pokémon Rangers!
The words that the moss murmured caused He Fu to raise an eyebrow slightly:
"Although I heard some information about this egg from Professor Shinhara, it was all from the remnants of Team Rocket. Uh, you know, it was a nasty organization that used to operate in the Fylene region, think of it as a bankrupt version of Team Rocket. That's what I learned from them."

"They say this egg has the power to control the world, and your very first sentence terrified me—in the last 150 years?"

"You do know more about this egg! Please tell me!"

Lightmoss: "The power to control the world? Perhaps, in some ways, that's true, but the actual power may not be what they think."

"The Chongchong Team should have disbanded by now. Are they just remnants? Their leader, Luo Hou, should have reformed by now."

He Fu looked very puzzled:

"Wow, that's amazing. The events in the Fire region shouldn't be known to outsiders, right? After all, Fire is quite remote and a bit rural."

Guangtai shrugged: "I met the four Chongchong brothers. They participated in a music audition in the Unova region before."

"Ah, I see!" He Fu scratched her head awkwardly.

She found it strange that Guangtai would specifically inquire about Feilei; it felt rather subtle.

But it turns out he had encountered members of the "rushing team" before, so it's not surprising!

This is a destiny-bound encounter!
"Alright." Lightmoy glanced at the entrance to the Champions League and said to Crane:
"Which one would you like to hear: the 'Tales of the Sea' from the ancient Sinnoh region, the 'Memories of the Water People' from the east of the Azure Sea, or the 'Aksha Temple of the Sea' from the Hoenn and Johto regions?"

"Let's hurry up."

"However, this first egg still needs to be sent to the Sinnoh region. The location of the Sea Temple cannot be determined yet because it is not the right time."

Therefore, the first egg must be in the Sinnoh region!
Judging from the state of Ash's companions, Misty and Brock, they are also depicted in the game's Gold and Soul Silver versions, which means there are subtle differences from the anime. Therefore, May from the Hoenn region is certainly not the same character as in the AG anime, but rather the character corresponding to May!

In other words, they are the official couple. As for Ash and May's pairing in the movie "Prince of the Sea," we may not see it in this world.

At least at this stage, May (the game version) is far superior to Ash. Even if they appear in the same storyline, it's probably not May who gets stuffed into the submersible, but Ash—no, it'll probably only be Pikachu.

Therefore, based on this progress and the events at the Divine Capital Ruins, Hikari in the DP arc is the game's Hikari, not the anime's. Cynthia has already arrived at the Divine Capital Ruins and completed her investigation, regardless of the circumstances.
It's time for Xiao Guang (Game Light) to embark on a journey.

In that sense, the book "Legend of the Sea" was explicitly stated in the DP rerun to be "recently deciphered," in addition to the mysterious mountain man in the Water Vein Library.
"Hmm, I've really become a mountain man," Guangtai thought to herself.

He Fu pondered for a moment, looked at the Unicron's path to victory, and then suddenly smiled:
"No, I'll ask you for details after you finish your challenge."

"If you don't mind, could you recommend a trainer who is skilled in training?"

Guangtai pondered for a moment, then said to Hefu:
"I see. Well then, after the challenge is over, I'll inquire a bit for you. I do know of a trainer who is very suitable for raising this Pokémon and can successfully hatch the egg."

"She should live in Futaba Town in the Sinnoh region."

(End of this chapter)