Paragon

Hisui Incursion [15]

PARAGON

Hisui Incursion Arc [15]

Chapter 67 : Source

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There was no way to tell how close or far they were to their goal, or if their endless trekking was actually getting them closer to it. Shieldon led them through spiky caverns, claustrophobic tunnels, and caves filled with turbid water, and they had no choice but to follow him without argument.

They only had so much food on hand, about a month's worth if they started rationing, but Laventon hadn't made that call yet. For now, it seemed, his priority was to keep any seeds of anxiety unsown, especially in the younger members of their party. The original journey through these caves was set to last a week but there was no telling how far along that timeline they were now.

Nonetheless, Ash had noticed the Professor continuing his practice of harvesting resources from the ground as they walked, though this time, his pick-ups included a certain cave moss that grew in tangled bunches near water and tan mushrooms that seemed to grow in the recesses between cracks in the rock.

Now that their way forward was set in stone and Unown was well and truly behind them, on their third day within the foothills, Ash approached Laventon during one of their rest stops. As it happened, the Professor was working on the exact topic of discussion Ash had in mind.

Laventon saw him approaching and smiled, immediately shifting over so Ash could sit beside him. "Right, I did offer," he said.

He clutched an apricorn in one hand and a thin chisel in another. "The first step to creating a pokéball is to split the apricorn into two symmetrical halves. This is deceptively difficult. The outer shell is so hard most pokémon don't even bother trying to reach the sweet innards until they're slightly spoiled and the shell is softer." He rotated the apricorn in his hand, trying to get the best grip. Then he held up his chisel so Ash could see. "This chisel is made of black tumblestone, a harder variant of the typical tumblestone. Sharpened well and in the hands of a dexterous craftsman, this chisel can crack an apricorn's outer layer."

Ash leaned over, trying to get the best view. "Hey, Pikachu," he eventually said, and the mouse scampered over. "Can we get some light?"

The stripes on Pikachu's back glowed and he crept closer to Laventon, angling himself to illuminate the Professor's workspace.

"Thank you. Now, then..." Laventon pressed his chisel into the apricorn's surface.

Ash squinted to get a closer look.

"The craftsmen of the Supply Corps can split an apricorn perfectly with a well-placed whack from a small mallet on the chisel's top, but unfortunately, I'm not that good. Instead, I have to painstakingly trace around the apricorn's center and carefully carve them apart... A single mistake could ruin the entire thing..." His eyebrows and cheeks twitched as he worked but his hands were perfectly steady.

"How long does it take you to make one of these?" Ash asked, eyes still glued to the apricorn.

Laventon rotated the apricorn. "If I work on it everyday...a week or two, depending on the type. But the experts can finish several in a day."

"The type?"

"Ah, yes. We have several different types of pokéballs which each specialize in catching different kinds of pokémon. Beyond the standard pokéball, there are Feather Balls which are good at catching fast pokémon and Heavy Balls which are good at catching bigger ones. Depending on what materials one has on hand, those pokéballs can be modified further to make them more resistant to catch failure."