–+–
[Task Goal: Defeat 10 Pokémon in the Dreaded Den.
Level limit: None.
Current progress: 10/10]
[Task Complete]
[You have gained Effort Value +1, Raising Points +10]
–+–
After defeating the Geodude, Sera took the momentum and challenged every wild Pokémon she encountered one after another.
Ogerpon did not disappoint, successfully taking down each opponent in turn.
Just as they defeated the final level 10 Morpeko, the little one had exhausted most of its energy and sat down on the ground.
[Ogerpon is very tired.]
It truly had been a tough day for Ogerpon.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Sera tapped the screen and touched Ogerpon’s hand, lending it a bit of strength to pull it up from the ground.
“Poni-oh!”
[Ogerpon has regained a bit of energy.]
[Ogerpon has undergone plenty of exercise!]
[Ogerpon leveled up!]
[Ogerpon has reached level 7!]
[Due to Ogerpon’s level increase, you have gained 1 Effort Value!]
The system notifications chimed in succession.
Sera noticed that when she had defeated the previous Pokémon, there were no notifications about gaining experience.
According to the system report, Ogerpon leveled up because it was wearing its mask, allowing it to adapt to a portion of the mask’s power during combat.
Originally, it was level 20, but due to certain reasons, it couldn’t use the mask, causing it to drop to level 5.
However, since Sera had increased Ogerpon’s affection yesterday, the little one had managed to reclaim a tiny bit of the mask’s power.
In other words, Ogerpon’s leveling now had two paths: increasing affection and combat adaptation.
The Electronic Pokemon Raising System focused primarily on letting the Pokémon grow.
Today, Sera had simply completed one quest with Ogerpon and already reaped two Effort Values.
This was all thanks to Ogerpon.
Sera didn’t feel like she had done much from start to finish.
Even though Ogerpon was just electronic data, she still felt grateful and couldn’t help but give it a few head pats.
“Poni~”
[Ogerpon feels quite happy.] The source of this chapter is g.com.
What an easy little one to please.
After playing the game for a while, Sera looked out the window in the real world.
The horizon was already painted with the fiery glow of the sunset.
It was about time to head home.
Sera rotated the camera, tapped Ogerpon’s hand, and guided it back toward the Dreaded Den.
[Ogerpon is following you home.]
–+–
“Poni, poni-oh~”
Holding an invisible hand, Ogerpon cradled her mask with the other and hummed a little tune as it walked along the road.
Today felt more fulfilling than any day before!
She carefully savored the events of the day.
She received a gift and then played together.
She walked out of her home and had a bit of a scuffle with other Pokémon.
Those Pokémon seemed a lot more amiable than before; because they had accepted the berries, they even made sure to say goodbye before leaving!
Although the presence soon faded away after she returned to the Dreaded Den, Ogerpon was no longer as fearful as she had been yesterday.
She believed that the presence would surely return—tomorrow, the day after, and every day thereafter.
Thinking about that kind of future, if she could keep going like this, Ogerpon’s heart was filled with joy.
–+–
Sera closed the simulator.
The sky was getting dark, and she still needed to prepare dinner.
Besides, the White Apricorns she had just brought home needed processing.
After a simple meal, she cleaned the dishes and tidied up the table, moving the White Apricorns onto it.
To craft handmade Poké Balls, raw Apricorns are essential.
While modern manufacturing techniques for Poké Balls have replaced the use of Apricorns, industrial methods still couldn’t replicate the Apricorn Balls that the craftsmen in the Johto region were so proud of.
These unique, specialized Poké Balls were highly sought after by elite Trainer groups; their high price was secondary.
Because they were time-consuming and inefficient to make, even an old craftsman like Kurt could only manage to produce about one a day.
Well, let’s give it a try.
It had been a while since Sera had made an Apricorn Ball on her own.
If it were the old master, he could consistently craft a Fast Ball using a White Apricorn.
For Sera, she only had about a fifty-fifty chance; for the other half, depending on the circumstances, she would likely end up with a byproduct like a Premier Ball or a Timer Ball.
To craft a handmade Poké Ball, you first have to hollow out the Apricorn.
Sera took a small knife from her toolkit and split the White Apricorn in two along its midline.
As it was cut open, juices seeped out from the pulp inside.
While many people don’t know it, the pulp of an Apricorn is actually edible.
Apricorn juice has the effect of briefly boosting a Pokémon’s physical fitness; in some places, people specifically make and use it.
Different types of Apricorns have different scents, though the White Apricorn in Sera’s hand didn’t have any fragrance at all.
Having no interest in eating it, she dug out the pulp and tossed it aside.
Once the pulp is cleared, you need to master the internal structure of the Apricorn.
You have to carve Tumblestone into thin threads and carefully layer them to match the inner network structure, which is what forms the unique capture mechanism in the end.
This is the step where the failure rate for beginners skyrockets.
Sera’s hands were steady, much more so than the average person, but when Kurt made his balls, he could hold the shell with one hand for half an hour without a single tremor—all without the help of tools.
If you made a mistake while placing the Tumblestone threads, the special effects of the final Poké Ball would be greatly diminished.
However, today, Sera found her progress was exceptionally smooth.
Not only did she avoid damaging the inner wall while digging out the pulp, but the process of using tweezers to pick up the Tumblestone threads and lay them against the inner wall felt as fluid as if she were moving with her own thoughts.
Could it be…
The girl paused her movements.
She turned her thoughts inward, and the Tumblestone threads on the table moved slightly in response.
“So that’s how it is.”
She hadn’t expected the Psychic power she hadn’t paid much attention to would have such an unexpected effect at this moment.
Because Sera was used to concentrating when crafting Apricorn Balls, she hadn’t intentionally used her powers, but the Psychic energy had flowed naturally, making her hands steadier and more precise.
You see, a normal person’s mental energy is limited.
Even Kurt couldn’t expend his focus the way he did when he was younger.
In this case, her Psychic power had become a tool, allowing her to speed up the manufacturing process without draining her focus.
“At this speed…”
The girl made a quick estimation of her current progress, and before long, a strange look appeared on her face.
“…I could finish an Apricorn Ball in about an hour?”
One ball an hour—if Sera didn’t leave, she would be driving every other business in town out of work.
And this was only with the 1 point of Effort she had added to her Psychic ability.
If she leveled it up further, perhaps at some point, she could rely purely on her mind to handle the crafting instead of her hands.