With Serena's crystal donation, Ash carved a Pikachu.
This one was the best of the three. Partly because nobody in any world knew Pikachu better than Ash did. Partly because it was his third piece, and his hands had found their rhythm. And partly because Pokémon were simpler subjects than humans.
No micro-expressions to agonise over, no personality conveyed through the angle of a smile. Just form, energy, and the specific details that made this Pikachu different from every other.
The result was a crystal sculpture that Pikachu refused to put down. He held it, turned it, studied every angle, and then held it some more.
Generic Pikachu carvings existed in every tourist shop across every region. This one was him. His proportions, his posture, his attitude. No one else's Pikachu looked like this.
It was his, and he loved it.
A day passed. The next morning, Mateo returned the Crystal Onix to Ash at the Pokémon Centre. He hadn't slept. The dark circles under his eyes were so deep they looked painted on, but the exhaustion couldn't touch the fire behind them.
He'd spent the entire night studying the Crystal Onix. Every angle, every refraction of light through its body, every way the crystal caught and bent illumination. One night was all he had. When Ash left, the Crystal Onix left with him, and an opportunity like this might never come again.
It had been enough.
When Ash stopped by the shop to collect the Onix, Mateo was at the forge. The sculpture taking shape under his hands was different from anything he'd produced before. It had life.
The glass Pokémon emerging from the fire looked like it might blink, might breathe, might turn its head and acknowledge you.
Mateo had reached his father's level. The inheritance was complete.
"Goodbye, Mateo! Marissa!" Ash waved from Lapras's back as they pulled away from shore. "We'll come back if we get the chance!"
The siblings stood on the beach and waved until the trio disappeared over the water.
One day on Mandarin Island had yielded a Crystal Onix, crystal portraits for Misty and Serena, a Pikachu sculpture, and a solution to Serena's money situation. Not a bad stop.
The next destination was the Fruit Seven Islands, a cluster of seven landmasses connected so closely they functioned as a single archipelago. The islands were famous for one thing: Berries. Every type grew there, including rare stat-boosting varieties that couldn't be found anywhere else. Supply was limited, and the only way to buy them was in person.
The route to Shamouti Island passed through the cluster, which made the detour practical rather than indulgent. Ash wanted the Berries for a specific purpose: combining them with his Glowing Cuisine cooking to create Pokémon-specific meals.
Berries already carried beneficial properties. Fused with peak-level culinary technique, the results should push his team's growth rate even higher.
Somewhere between receiving the crystal sculpture and falling asleep that night, Pikachu had broken through to Elite Four level.
Ash hadn't noticed it happen. Pikachu hadn't noticed it happen. The discovery came that evening when Ash felt something different in Pikachu's aura during their routine check.
The energy signature had shifted. Denser. Deeper. The wall that had blocked Pikachu at Gym Peak for weeks was simply gone.
"When did this happen?"
Pikachu thought about it. The only power surge it recalled was the moment Ash had finished the crystal sculpture and handed it over. If the breakthrough had a trigger, that was it.
A Pokémon breaking through a major tier barrier because its trainer carved it a gift. Not during battle. Not during training. Because of a crystal sculpture. The concept was so absurd that Ash spent ten minutes trying to find an alternative explanation and failed.
The bond between trainer and Pokémon could produce miracles. That was accepted wisdom. But this particular miracle had the flavour of something the universe had decided on its own, without consulting logic.
The other consequence of the crystal sculptures was less miraculous and more dramatic.
Gardevoir found out about Pikachu's sculpture and demanded one of her own. The demand was not phrased as a request. It involved tears, psychic pressure fluctuations, and a level of emotional intensity that made the Crystal Onix edge behind Ash for protection.
They'd already left Mandarin Island. Going back to the cave wasn't practical.
Gardevoir's gaze drifted to the Crystal Onix. Its body was made of crystal. Superior crystal, in fact, the quality improving as the Pokémon's strength grew. If they just used a small piece from its surface...
"No." Ash shut it down before the thought could finish forming. "We are not harvesting material from a teammate."
The Crystal Onix stared at Gardevoir with the expression of a Pokémon that had just been assessed as a quarry.
Ash promised Gardevoir they'd return to the cave on the way back and collect enough crystal for a dedicated sculpture. That promise, and only that promise, ended the campaign.
A week of island-hopping brought them to the Fruit Seven Islands. The archipelago lived up to its name. Berry trees covered every available surface, and the most abundant species was the Sitrus Berry, which grew on all seven islands in staggering quantities.
Sitrus Berries activated when a Pokémon's health dropped below half, restoring a quarter of its maximum HP. A solid, reliable item for any team. The effect scaled with Pokémon strength: less impactful at higher tiers, but for average-level Pokémon, the restoration was significant
For Pokémon below Elite level, a single Sitrus Berry worked as intended: automatic activation at half health, restoring a quarter of maximum HP.
At Elite tier and above, the effect weakened. Getting the same benefit at that level required combining multiple Berries using specialised techniques, or cooking them into Pokémon food that could boost maximum HP beyond its natural cap.
A single Sitrus Berry cost five hundred pokedollars. Five hundred was enough to feed a family of three for two or three days. One Berry. One battle. One use. Gone.
No wonder the saying went: if you don't have money, don't play with Pokémon.
The Fruit Seven Islands announced themselves before the trio set foot on shore. Hills carpeted in Sitrus trees stretched across the landscape, branches heavy with golden fruit that caught the sunlight and glowed like coins. The density was staggering. Trees upon trees upon trees, covering every visible slope.
Three people. Three reactions.
"So this is what a Sitrus Berry looks like?" Serena had never seen one in person. Berry cultivation existed in a different world from everyday grocery shopping. Sitrus Berries weren't something you picked up at a market.
They were Pokémon supplies, priced like medicine and treated like equipment. Humans could eat them, but who would spend five hundred dollars on a fruit that tasted like an expensive pomelo?
"I've never seen this many in one place." Misty's mind had gone straight to the mathematics. One Berry, five hundred. Dozens per tree, ten thousand minimum per trunk.
These trees were fat with oversized fruit that would fetch a premium. Twenty thousand per tree, easy. Over a thousand trees on this island alone. The farmers here were sitting on a fortune.
"Is there no security?" Ash was scanning the perimeter. No fences. No cameras. No guard Pokémon. These were magical Berries worth a small fortune per acre, growing out in the open with nothing between them and anyone who felt like filling a bag.
Either the local culture operated on a level of trust that bordered on reckless, or there was a deterrent he couldn't see.
They approached a Berry tree. The Sitrus fruit hung low, golden and plump, close enough to touch.
"Who are you? What do you think you're doing!" A sharp voice cut across the orchard. A young woman in pink overalls was striding toward them, face set in the specific anger of someone who dealt with fruit thieves on a regular basis.
Ash's group raised their hands in unison. Universal sign of "we haven't touched anything."
The woman's hostility softened once she got close enough to assess them. After a brief exchange, introductions were made. Her name was Nana. She was orchard staff. And Ash's group were not, in fact, thieves. They'd arrived from the back of the island instead of the front dock, which was why she'd been suspicious.
Normal buyers came by boat to the front entrance. People appearing from the rear usually meant trouble.
"Wait." Nana studied Ash's face with growing recognition. "You said your name is Ash? Are you the Ash?"
They'd been at sea for days, stopping on uninhabited islands. Ash hadn't asked Mewtwo to maintain the disguise. He'd assumed that half a month after the Conference, the celebrity pressure would have cooled. He'd assumed wrong.
"If you mean the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion, then yes."
Nana's suspicion evaporated on the spot. Her whole demeanour changed.
"My little brother is obsessed with your battles! He's been saying he wants to become a trainer as strong as you. And it's not just him. Half the younger generation on these islands watches your matches. You're their idol."
A different kind of fame from the autograph-hunting mobs that had chased him across Trovita Island. Those fans wanted a photo to post. These fans wanted to become him. One was flattering. The other was meaningful.
Ash grinned. At fifteen, he was allowed a little vanity. "I didn't know I was that popular out here."
"Don't let it go to your head." Misty tapped the back of his skull. "We're here on business, remember?"
"Right. Nana, we came to buy Berries. There are other varieties here besides Sitrus, aren't there?"
"There are, but the rarer Berries grow in the centre of the archipelago. Limited quantities, and the prices are..." She paused, gauging whether to give the number.
"Money isn't the issue. Lead the way."
Nana nodded and turned to guide them toward the central island.
A staff member in blue overalls came sprinting up the path before they'd taken five steps. He was doubled over, gasping, face white.
"Nana... the Sitrus Berries... something's eating them! They're almost gone!"
Ash's group stopped mid-stride.
All of them?