"Haha… that's right. What I forge are not the ordinary, common tools you're familiar with, but unique artifacts—one of a kind."
Seeing the surprise on Ash's face, Master Caldor spoke with an unmistakable trace of pride.
"I see… but Senior, you said earlier that if I passed your test, you would forge one item for me. Yet right now there are two 'Divine Catalyst Rings'…"
"It's fine."
The old craftsman waved his hand casually.
"I'm in a very good mood today. Besides, you didn't come here knowing I was hiding in this place—you just happened to stumble upon me by chance. Since that's the case, I'll give you one more item for free."
"Thank you, Senior!!"
Ash's heart filled with joy the moment he heard that.
Not only was he getting a Mega Evolution accessory forged for free, he was also receiving two Pokémon items at no cost.
Today's luck was truly unbelievable.
"But to forge this set of equipment," Master Caldor continued, "you'll have to leave the Pidgeot Mega Stone and the Key Stone here with me for a few days. What do you say? Aren't you afraid this old man might run away with such valuable treasures?"
The old craftsman looked at Ash with a teasing grin.
"Haha… Senior, you must be joking."
Ash smiled calmly.
"A master like you wouldn't covet something belonging to a junior like me. Besides, if I'm asking you to forge this item, it means I trust you one hundred percent."
Using his Aura Powers, Ash had already quietly examined the old man.
There was no trace of malice or greed in Master Caldor's aura.
Hearing such sincere trust, the old craftsman burst into hearty laughter, clearly delighted.
"Haha! Ash, you're a good kid. I like the way you talk."
"Don't worry. Mega Stones may be incredibly precious to Pokémon Trainers, but to me they're not particularly valuable."
"And just like you said, I would never stoop so low as to take advantage of a junior. Leave the Mega Stone and the Key Stone with me. Come back in three days and pick up the finished item."
"I guarantee—you'll be extremely satisfied."
Master Caldor spoke with absolute confidence in his forging skills.
"Senior… could my friend here take your test as well?"
Ash glanced at Gary Oak, who had been standing nearby.
After receiving such a huge favor himself, Ash naturally didn't forget his childhood friend.
As the saying goes: When one gains prosperity, one must not forget old friends.
Gary was one of the few people Ash would never abandon no matter how successful he became.
"Well…" Master Caldor scratched his beard.
"After battling you earlier, my Heatmor has already lost its ability to fight. So today I'm afraid your friend can't participate in the trial."
"But I like your loyalty."
"Since the two of you happened to find this place by fate, then meeting each other is destiny."
"Here—I'll give your friend a small gift."
The old craftsman rummaged through his clothing for a moment. When he opened his palm, a silver ring glowing faintly with blue light appeared.
"System," Ash silently called in his mind.
"Check the information on that ring."
After studying the Ascension Trainer System for a while, Ash had discovered that it could not only analyze Pokémon data, but also identify the attributes of items and treasures.
[Caldor's Ring]
+50 Vitality
+10 Strength
Just as Master Caldor had said, it was merely a small trinket.
The ring was named after the old craftsman himself and provided minor boosts to vitality and strength.
The increase wasn't massive, yet Ash was still shocked.
In the original Pokémon anime, he had never heard of equipment that increased a trainer's own vitality and strength, let alone one that affected the trainer directly.
"Here, catch."
Master Caldor tossed the ring toward Gary.
"Gary! Hurry and thank Master," Ash said quickly. "This is an extremely precious item."
"Oh—oh! Thank you, Senior!"
At first, Gary hadn't taken it seriously when Master Caldor called it a small trinket. But seeing how excited and serious Ash looked, Gary immediately realized the ring's true value.
"No need to be polite," Master Caldor said with a laugh.
"It's just something I casually forged. Put it on and try it."
"Alright!"
Gary slid the ring onto the index finger of his right hand.
The moment he wore it, his eyes widened.
"Whoa! I feel full of energy! My body feels way stronger than before!"
He excitedly swung his fist in the air.
Hearing Gary's reaction, Ash instantly understood.
Gary's sense of vitality must come from the ring's +50 Vitality, while the increased strength in his right hand was clearly the effect of +10 Strength.
"A casually forged trinket already has effects like this…"
Ash couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
"Then what kind of attributes will my Divine Catalyst Rings have?"
Ash's heart filled with excitement.
"Ash," Master Caldor said, "leave the design blueprint for the Divine Catalyst Rings here, along with the Pidgeot Mega Stone and the Key Stone. Come back in three days and collect the finished items."
"Understood."
Ash nodded respectfully.
-----
Three Days Later
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Ash's schedule during those three days remained packed to the brim.
6:30 – 7:30
Morning training
8:00 – 11:30
Pokémon training and physical conditioning
13:00 – 17:30
Studying, training, and interning at the Viridian City Pokémon Center
17:30 – 19:00
Battles at the City Arena
19:00 – 21:00
Meditation training with Aura Powers
Meanwhile:
Viridian Blessing cultivation — All day
Ash's Move Mastery Room Management — All day
Every single day was filled from morning to night.
Although incredibly busy, Ash's psychic abilities and the strength of his Pokémon were steadily growing.
That morning, however, Ash skipped his usual training.
Because today was the grand opening of the flower shop jointly opened by Delia Ketchum and Gary's mother Miho.
A few days earlier:
Ash and Gary had filmed advertising posters for the shopAsh posted promotional content with photos on social mediaDuring their recent matches at the City Arena, both of them wore the flower shop's staff uniforms as promotion
On top of that, the shop's location was excellent.
Before it even opened, it had already accumulated a large amount of attention.
So when opening day finally arrived, business was booming.
Although the shop had hired two employees, Ash and Gary were still dragged in to help throughout the entire morning.
Only around noon did they finally manage to escape.
Gary went to order lunch for their mothers and the employees.
Meanwhile, Ash headed alone to the jewelry store Rainbow Radiance, where Master Caldor worked, to retrieve the accessories he had commissioned three days earlier.
Inside the workshop, Master Caldor placed a long, dark-colored brocade box on the table.
"Here," he said.
"Open it and see if it meets your expectations."
"Alright."
Ash nodded and slowly opened the box.
Inside lay two metallic rings, slightly different in size.
Their surfaces gleamed faintly, radiating an aura of mysterious craftsmanship.
Ash's eyes immediately lit up.
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T/N:
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