Since it was time to plant trees, ordinary ones simply wouldn't do.
Fruit-bearing trees were the top priority. The soil of Sinnoh also contained patches suitable for Berry trees, and wild fruit trees weren't exactly rare.
Giratina originally planned to drag in every type of Berry tree, but upon considering that the Distortion World had no soft soil, normal fruit trees would probably wither quickly even if brought in—not to mention, there was no sunlight here.
In the growth cycle of plants, sunlight, rain, and fertilizer were indispensable. Giratina didn't know a thing about these, but after spying on the real world for so many years, it at least had a basic understanding. It had never "eaten pork," but it had seen plenty of "pork lovers." Humans often talked about these concepts while farming and carried them out diligently.
So, all Giratina needed to do was imitate them.
However, the lack of soft soil was still a tough issue. If it wanted to grow fruit trees, it had to find species that weren't picky about soil conditions. That's when Giratina found a type of fruit tree known as the apple tree.
In a region near Sinnoh, there was a vast grove of apple trees. Some were cultivated by humans—those, Giratina didn't touch. But it found a wild apple grove near a riverside, unmanaged and thriving. It yanked a few right out of the ground and brought them in.
During the process, it even snatched a couple of apples and gave them a taste.
Thanks, Mother Nature! Pretty tasty! Kinda sweet too!
Alright then, decision made—apple trees it is!
Hikaru had a few questions.
That region near Sinnoh, with its rivers and abundance of apple trees… could it be "Kitakami"? If so, then Giratina really had good taste—Kitakami apples were known for their high quality.
"Apple trees need relatively fertile soil. The ideal type is deep, loose, and rich sandy loam. This kind of soil offers good drainage and ventilation. Sunny spots with decent airflow should be prioritized. Avoid dark, damp, or low-lying areas."
Hikaru started rambling on about the cultivation of apple trees. Giratina nodded at first, but soon its crimson dragon eyes started to squint drowsily.
Its head suddenly jerked forward— Oops! Almost dozed off!
"…Alright, I get it, you're not interested," Hikaru sighed.
Just a while ago, Giratina had boldly declared its intent to remake this world. Now, it was spacing out after barely listening to a bit of cultivation knowledge. As expected, no creature likes lectures—not even a Legendary Pokémon.
Giratina felt a bit ashamed.
Was there a simpler way to understand and cultivate?
"There is. I already anticipated this problem, so... I made a few more useful magical tools."
"There's a Pokémon called Calyrex. I crafted a statue of it. This statue can boost yield and rejuvenate barren land. You can pair it with your own statue. And there's this—"
Hikaru took out a finely made doll!
"Magical Tool—Calyrex Doll! Just place this near the plants you want to grow and don't do anything else. Just imagine it has the power to 'make plants sprout and grow'!"
"Simply activate 'imagination mode.' It's a dream item for lazy gardeners."
Giratina's eyes lit up instantly, nodding its big head repeatedly.
Yes! Exactly the kind of lazy man's artifact I wanted!
…Wait, did I just get insulted?
"Lilligant, Turtwig, I'll leave it to you two—help that apple tree grow a bit faster."
Lilligant and Turtwig went to the first apple tree that had been planted by Scizor. They used "Growth" and "Mud Shot"!
Lilligant had gained knowledge of "Mega Growth" in the Dream World, which could accelerate plant maturation and improve fruit quality. Turtwig's "Mud Shot" could spray nutrient-rich soil thanks to its soil-neutralizing nature.
Later on, with more types of soil collected, Turtwig might even be able to spit out region-specific soils with different nutrient profiles through Mud Shot.
With help from the two Pokémon, the initially planted apple tree quickly began to change. Its leaves unfurled gently, and its roots anchored deeply into the floating island's surface. Hikaru picked up the small digging trowel that Scizor had tossed aside and began working on the soil underneath, while directing Scizor, who was still planting more trees:
"Don't just dig with Metal Claw—crush and turn the soil repeatedly, and add new fertilizer and enriched soil. Here, take these."
Sweat began to bead on Scizor's forehead.
It had agreed to work for this human, but to think there would be so many requirements…
"You're probably thinking I'm way too demanding, right? But this is all necessary when planting! This place isn't a naturally lush forest. In this barren land, each tree needs to be nurtured with care to survive. A tiny mistake and all your efforts go to waste."
Hikaru tapped the ground with the trowel. "Besides, if you use Metal Claw carefully, you might gain a unique understanding of the move. Oh, and when you encounter hard rocks or compacted soil, use Bullet Punch—keep pounding it until the hard dirt becomes loose, breathable granules. Repeating this will increase your mastery over Bullet Punch, and its power might even improve."
Scizor thought quietly for a moment, then silently began to follow the instructions.
Giratina blinked:
[I think it's doing pretty well.]
Hikaru didn't hesitate to scold it: "Still far from enough! Since you won't learn, I have to make Scizor learn. After all, it's the one doing the actual planting."
Giratina lowered its head, ashamed, mumbling quietly.
So demanding… Is remaking this world really such a difficult task? There were countless floating islands here. If it had to transform all of them, the workload would be massive…
If it were anyone else speaking to it like this, Giratina would've snapped back long ago and maybe even launched a Will-O-Wisp or two. But since it was Hikaru—whether due to closeness or other reasons—Giratina didn't want to lose its temper, and instead took the criticism seriously.
[Work is so tiring.]
That one grumble earned nods of agreement from Hikaru and every Pokémon around—even Scizor.
Only Doublade's twin eyes turned to an expression of disdain ( -_-)
You? Tired? You're not even the one planting!
"If your power could reach all the way to Hoenn, we might be able to bring back some volcanic ash. Mt. Chimney's volcanic ash is a famous fertilizer, rich in nutrients. I've bought some online before, but the quantity isn't nearly enough for these floating islands."
[Hoenn is too far. Sinnoh is the center of the world. The ash from Mt. Chimney is too distant—but I can get ash from Stark Mountain. Should be similar in effect.]
Giratina never thought it would one day care about "volcanic ash," but according to Hikaru, there were lots of materials that could improve soil quality. Compared to ridiculous things like Graveler skin, Landorus's tail, or stones from the Tree of Beginnings, or using Tapu Bulu as a laborer…
Volcanic ash was the only thing available in large amounts and that could be used generously!
"The ash from Stark Mountain might differ a lot in quality, but it still contains the basic nutrients found in volcanic ash. It can work as a lesser alternative."
Mt. Chimney's volcanic ash was so rich because of Groudon's influence. On the other hand, Stark Mountain was home to Heatran. The two Pokémon differed greatly in strength.
Heatran was said to be a Pokémon formed from fragments of time and space, or born from the molten lava deep inside Mt. Coronet. Perhaps the volcanic ash it produced had its own unique qualities.
Giratina opened a passage to Stark Mountain. Located in the northeastern part of Sinnoh, on a large island known as the Battle Zone, the mountain was surrounded by vast waterways. Giratina created a massive mirrored vortex on the water's surface, sucking large quantities of volcanic ash into the Distortion World!
Fortunately, it was nighttime. If this had been Unova, where it was daytime, such a sudden giant vortex might've drawn attention!
The ash was sucked in and placed on a remote floating island. A small portion was sent to Hikaru.
[Well? Usable?]
Hikaru put on a mask and inspected the ash.
[Rare Material: Volcanic Ash from Stark Mountain]
[Description: Volcanic ash formed from eruptions at Stark Mountain. Rich in minerals, it enhances soil fertility and contains traces of Heatran's power. Can improve soil quality. The ash is classified as a powder, usable in crafting "Volcano Powder." Crafting recipe is…]
[New Knowledge Gained: Soil Expansion — Improved soil will gradually spread to nearby areas, transforming them into new soil. A sufficient base amount of improved soil is required. If there's too little, the conversion will fail.]
(End of Chapter)
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