Chapter Eight: On the Food of Pokémon

"Relic carving craftsmanship...?"

Guang Tai fell into deep thought. If it were about carving, his family's ancestral trade was precisely the craft of carving. But when people spoke of "relic stones," didn't that just mean the stone bricks inside ruins or the rocks on the exterior? And what exactly was a "symbolic slab"? He wasn't entirely sure of its function, which was to be expected, as he hadn't truly obtained such a material yet. However, there was no rush.

The Relic of the God Capital was located on the high mountains nearby. Although the journey was somewhat long, it was currently summer—the perfect window of time to enter the ruins. In this land, there were only four months of the year without snow, from early summer to late autumn.

When it came to famous figures in the Pokémon world associated with carving, the first person who came to Guang Tai's mind was the Paldea region's carving artist, Brassius. Every region had its share of miraculous carvings, but it was rare for anyone to know who had created them; this was one of the hidden lore points of the Pokémon world—master stone sculptors preferred to remain anonymous. Of course, there were also the Rhydon sculptures frequently found in ruins, though their creators had long since passed away.

As for gym sculptures... just as Guang Tai had seen while browsing the original owner's memories, his family would often carve stone statues for gyms. In some Rock-type gyms, his father would visit to repair or redo the bas-reliefs and stone furnishings.

Although he still had many questions, he found the nature of Pokémon to be truly miraculous, and he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Throughout this time, Honedge had been waiting quietly by his side. It stood there motionless for quite a while, until Guang Tai picked up the glowing, peculiar stone and suddenly noticed Honedge staring at him blankly.

"{⦿}?"

"Hm, what's wrong?"

Come to think of it, looking at this guy's eyes... the two [ˋˊ] markings on the scabbard were much more like eyes.

At that moment, however, Honedge was thinking: This gem looks different from how I wore it before. This is what you call a real gem! I shouldn't have given it to you!

"Oh, were you attracted to it? Here, try wearing it."

Guang Tai handed the Eviolite to Honedge. The Pokémon hesitated for a moment, then wrapped its blue ribbon around the Eviolite and placed it on its hilt. To Guang Tai's surprise, a mounting slot automatically appeared on the hilt, and the gem snapped into place perfectly.

Guang Tai began to ponder. Indeed, although Honedge lacked a mouth for eating and belonged to the Mineral egg group, it possessed a dual Ghost and Steel typing. These two types defined its essence—it was both a soul and an ancient sword itself. Manipulating the ancient sword to undergo minor morphological changes was effortless for it.

Thinking of this, he recalled that in the animated series, there had appeared Aegislash that could "fold to slash people." He had always thought that was just an exaggerated artistic technique to convey tension, but looking at it now, it seemed quite "realistic." Although it was in the Mineral group, in the Pokémon world's definitions, it was still... a biological creature. Hey, what kind of biological creature can fold into three parts!

"Yo!"

After acquiring the Eviolite, Honedge immediately felt a significant increase in the sturdiness of its blade. The sensation was extremely subtle; that stone had previously been just an ordinary gem, but now, it seemed to have "come alive." It hadn't just come alive; it had resonated with Honedge, gradually mobilizing a certain power within its body and forming an endless cycle. Though faint, the feeling was wonderful.

Honedge blinked its singular eye and made a sound toward Guang Tai:

"Yo!"

I have equipped it; it feels excellent!

"Hard, resilient, you seem to be in good shape," Guang Tai smiled. "Keep carrying it until it's sold. Well, I guess you can wear it for a few more days; the client hasn't messaged me back yet, and this stone can gradually help your defensive capabilities grow."

"But I promise, I will definitely find a new Eviolite to replace it for you later."

"My craftsmanship will only get better, and the stones I polish in the future will be even more effective! But, if you evolve to your final form, you won't need an item like an Eviolite anymore."

Honedge's eye instantly lit up, and it danced its blade happily.

"Yo!"

It was filled with confidence for the future—this was the mindset a new king should have! As for gems, it didn't matter if they were hard to come by!

Guang Tai stretched his body and glanced at the time on his computer. 21:00.

Phew... Guang Tai let out a long breath. Although his body was a bit tired, the day had been quite fulfilling. The sudden appearance of Honedge had disrupted his train of thought and forced him to integrate into this world. That was a good thing.

Since waking up, he had been working until evening without even noticing the passage of time, only snacking on some dried fruit to stave off hunger. Now, he was finally free.

"That's enough work for today. It's time to eat."

To celebrate his first meeting with Honedge, he should have cooked a nice meal, but his pantry was running low on both variety and quantity. He could manage some stew, but a more lavish dinner was impossible. He would need to buy more from the villagers once he secured his first big client and built up some savings. Usually, scavenging for wild vegetables and berries in the mountains and forests was enough to get by.

"Speaking of which, what do you eat? Do you eat Pokémon food?" Guang Tai looked at Honedge and suddenly wondered.

While most Ghost-type Pokémon could survive by absorbing life force, it seemed they could also consume regular Pokémon food and human food. Of course, there were some special Pokémon that truly wouldn't touch normal food... What was the feeding process of a Ghost-type Pokémon?

For a creature like Honedge, whose body was a sword and whose core was a ghost, did it really need to eat these conventional meals? Its lore suggested it fed on life force, but among the Honedge family Pokémon he knew, none had ever absorbed their trainer's life force. In contrast, the Litwick family, with similar lore, was notorious for it. Moreover, this guy couldn't learn any "absorption" type moves.

In terms of egg groups, if he remembered correctly, it was in the Mineral group. Of course, the Mineral group didn't necessarily eat only rocks, dirt, or ice; for example, Sudowoodo was also in the Mineral group but could eat normal Pokémon food. So, what did this ghost sword prefer?

"Yo~"

Honedge answered as a matter of course. Of course, it was life essence, though it didn't strictly have to be from a human. It was just that human essence could be recovered quickly through consumption, making it more convenient. Plus, as a weapon, it was symbiotic with its wielder... though Guang Tai didn't seem to need a weapon for protection.

Honedge stared intently. It used its blue ribbon hand to gesture while making sounds:

"Yo? Yo...!"

Isn't there always that kind of story? The hero's sword stuck in the forest! As long as the hero's sword is placed in a designated spot... the blade will never decay, no matter how many years pass!

"Ah, the hero's sword. So that trope actually exists? You mean the essence of nature also counts as life essence? That's reasonable, I suppose. After all, there are wild Honedge; they can't exactly go around absorbing wild people."

Guang Tai mused. A hero's sword stuck in the forest... that sounded like something akin to a "Rusted Sword." If Zacian were to hold an Aegislash in its mouth, how high would its base stats be?

He then thought of something else.

"So, does the essence of berries count too?"

"Yo!"

Honedge blinked, signaling that Guang Tai was right. Berries certainly counted; how else would it recover health without essence?

"In that case, do Revive Shards work too? Although, if used at full health, it should just say 'it will have no effect'..."