"Let's give it a try then."
Aven smiled as he placed the White Apricorn into the bowl-shaped furnace that had already been fired up in front of him.
The first step in crafting an Apricorn Ball involved high-temperature forging, and this step still had to be completed by him personally. Through this high-heat forging, the unique abilities hidden within the Apricorn would be activated.
"Rhydon, use Fire Punch!"
Throughout this process, Aven continued to command Rhydon to increase the furnace's temperature.
Soon enough, the entire White Apricorn glowed bright red from the heat, and the special powers within it were being continuously awakened.
"Now's the time, Rhydon!"
Upon hearing Aven's command, Rhydon's flaming hand swiftly reached into the furnace and retrieved the Apricorn.
The coordination between Aven and Rhydon during this high-temperature forging stage was extremely smooth. After all, they had already spent quite a bit of time previously experimenting with Apricorn Ball crafting.
Quickly placing the White Apricorn on the forging platform, Rhydon raised its fist and brought it down without hesitation.
Aven had already demonstrated the forging process countless times for Rhydon. At this point, what Rhydon lacked wasn't knowledge of the steps, but rather the finesse required for certain technical aspects of the forging.
However, as Rhydon began hammering the White Apricorn, a strange sense of familiarity suddenly surged in its mind. Without warning, numerous images flooded its thoughts.
Its gaze locked onto the White Apricorn as the fruit began to subtly change shape beneath its pounding fists. The surface of the Apricorn flickered with light, constantly shifting with each strike.
"Yes, that's it, Rhydon!"
Aven's eyes were fixed intensely on the White Apricorn. Soon, he saw something that immediately excited him—a very distinct pattern he was deeply familiar with was beginning to emerge on the Apricorn's surface.
This pattern was proof that the internal structure of the Apricorn was forming a unique capsule-like configuration—a direct result of the special forging method that followed high-temperature heating.
Under Rhydon's hammering, the White Apricorn was gradually transforming and developing this vital inner structure.
Crack—
Just as Aven was filled with anticipation, a sudden cracking sound echoed.
A crack had abruptly appeared on the surface of the White Apricorn, and with it, the entire fruit shattered!
"Rhyyy?!"
Rhydon's raised fist froze mid-air as it stared in disbelief at the broken Apricorn.
"It's okay, Rhydon. You've made incredible progress already," Aven comforted it with a calm voice.
Now that Rhydon had finally grasped the basic method of crafting Apricorn Balls, Aven firmly believed that with just a bit more time, it would surely succeed in completing a full Apricorn Ball.
"Let's continue trying to sense the forging process of the Apricorn Ball!"
Aven turned his gaze toward Ralts, who had now recovered after meditating.
This time, the telepathic link had to connect the spiritual consciousness of both Aven and Rhydon simultaneously, which placed a heavy burden on Ralts.
It was fortunate that Aven had also mastered meditation and possessed relatively strong mental strength. Otherwise, this kind of mind-link technique would have been extremely difficult to maintain.
"Ral~ts!"
Ralts nodded to show that it was fine.
With its ability to sense emotions, it could clearly feel Aven's excitement. No matter what, it wanted to help Aven complete this experiment!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the time that followed, the rhythmic sounds of forging continuously echoed through the blacksmith workshop.
Around the forging platform, numerous White Apricorns were scattered, each of them covered in cracks—failures, all of them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Rhydon was still hammering away at another Apricorn in front of it.
"Rhydon, now! Water! Water! Water!"
Aven's sudden and urgent shout rang out. Rhydon didn't dare delay and swiftly plunged the still-glowing White Apricorn into a nearby container of water.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
A hissing sound erupted instantly as white steam continuously billowed from the water tank.
When Rhydon pulled the White Apricorn back out, it seemed to have returned to its original appearance—but something about it felt subtly different.
"Is it... a success?" Aven stared at the White Apricorn before him, stunned.
Although he knew that this day would come eventually, he never imagined it would arrive so quickly, so unexpectedly!
"Ral~ts!"
Ralts cheered happily, clearly sensing Aven's overwhelming joy at the moment.
"RHYYY!"
Rhydon was momentarily stunned too, but then let out an excited roar.
Even the distant Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ could sense the change in atmosphere and quickly gathered around.
"We did it! We succeeded! This is the embryo of an Apricorn Ball!" Aven cradled the White Apricorn and studied it carefully.
In his eyes, the surface of the Apricorn was now covered in mesmerizing, special markings—signs that its interior had already formed the essential capsule-like structure.
The next step would be to carefully cut open the Apricorn, insert a special mesh-like mechanism, along with a Poké Ball button and several other key components, and finally finish it all off with a tempering process. If everything went well, he would have successfully crafted a real Poké Ball!
"Rhydon, excellent job!"
"From here on, you should focus on familiarizing yourself with the feeling of forging and commit it to memory."
After storing the successful White Apricorn, Aven didn't have Rhydon continue forging more White Apricorn Balls. Instead, he had it keep training with metal blocks to maintain and refine the forging rhythm and sensations.
He had nearly exhausted his entire stock of White Apricorns just to craft this single successful piece. Moving forward, he would have to wait until the White Apricorns fully matured again before resuming the forging process.
Fortunately, that wouldn't take too long—autumn was the season when White Apricorns ripened, and it was already midsummer now. Just two more months to go!
"Rhy!"
Rhydon nodded enthusiastically and resumed its blacksmithing practice.
Meanwhile, Aven returned to the Breeding House with Ralts, Nidoran♂, and Nidoran♀, ready to move on to the next stage of crafting the Apricorn Ball.
Next up was creating the special mesh mechanism, a task he could complete himself without relying on Rhydon's forging.
"What material should I use for the mesh component?" Aven's eyes gleamed with contemplation.
The mechanism responsible for capturing and restraining Pokémon within the Poké Ball was precisely this special mesh-like structure. It was like an invisible "net" that enveloped the Pokémon when it was drawn into the ball.
If the Pokémon still had plenty of strength left, it could struggle and escape from this net. But if it was weakened, it would be trapped and captured. The effectiveness of the net depended entirely on the material it was made from, and different materials could produce varying effects.
According to legend, the method for crafting a Master Ball involved creating a net so powerful it couldn't be broken, ensuring a 100% capture rate. Most modern Poké Balls, meanwhile, simply limited the power of the Pokémon inside.
Aven already possessed the knowledge necessary to craft such a mesh mechanism. The key lay in the materials—he could even use ordinary metals to create a special net structure.
"A Poké Ball isn't just for capturing Pokémon—it's also a powerful tool."
As Aven studied the White Apricorn before him, countless thoughts began to surface in his mind. Having finally crafted a real Poké Ball, he knew he had to make the most of it.
If used properly, Apricorn Balls forged with parts from beast gear could become formidable weapons against magical beasts. They could be used to subdue and restrain such creatures in critical situations.
Just like during the winter beast tide—if he had possessed a Poké Ball back then, he could have captured the invading magical beasts, temporarily sealing them away until the crisis had passed. Only then would he need to think about how to handle them properly, instead of simply letting them run rampant.
Or during the battle of the Abyssal Caverns, when so many magical beasts had gone berserk—back then, the knights had no choice but to put them down. But if they'd had Poké Balls, perhaps more lives could have been saved.
In his previous life, Poké Balls had even functioned as prisons of a sort—tools for restraining Pokémon deemed guilty of crimes.
Additionally, during human expansion into habitable territories, Poké Balls allowed trainers to safely relocate nearby Pokémon populations.
And in the face of sudden Pokémon invasions, Poké Balls enabled swift containment and de-escalation, thereby protecting human settlements.
For instance, the Drapion species living in the southeastern corner of the Black Forest had always posed a threat to both the forest and the surrounding territory. If he could capture the Drapion leader, he might be able to subdue or even relocate the entire Drapion tribe.
In fact, a plan had already begun to take shape in his mind—using this Apricorn Ball, he might be able to greatly accelerate the construction of his Safari zone and expand the Black Forest into part of his domain.
There were also the Vespiquen of the Black Coast Forest. If he could capture the queen, he would essentially gain control over the entire Vespiquen colony—another major boost to his territory's strength.
As for whether these Pokémon like Drapion or Vespiquen were willing to be captured—it didn't matter.
Even after capturing them with an Apricorn Ball, he could still allow them to live freely within the Black Forest. The ball would simply serve as a safeguard—his means of limiting their power if necessary.
He believed that once Apricorn Balls became available, the strength of his territory would skyrocket in a very short time, drastically speeding up the completion of his plans for the Black Forest.
In the world of the future, capturing Pokémon was also the best way to enhance one's strength. Trainers sought out adventure and explored new regions precisely to catch stronger Pokémon—and to grow more powerful themselves.
The Poké Ball served as a bridge between humans and Pokémon. The act of capturing a Pokémon wasn't just a one-sided act—it was a mutual understanding, a contract recognized by both sides.
"So, I really do need to create a strong net. That would allow me to restrain Pokémon far more effectively."
"And to forge such a net, the material itself must be incredibly durable—tough enough that no Pokémon could break free easily!"
"Maybe... if I use the special metals from beast gear to craft this internal net, I could make something like an Ultra Ball—or maybe something even stronger."
He began to recall the special metals used in crafting beast gear. He had already tested the strength of those materials—even Rhydon, an advanced-level Pokémon, couldn't fully destroy them. They would absolutely make a net with immense restraining power.
Furthermore, nets made from beast gear components might also inherit the effects of the gear itself—potentially making the captured Pokémon more likely to submit and be tamed!
Just the thought made him shake his head. Even if he truly succeeded in crafting Apricorn Balls using beast gear metals, he would have to guard them carefully. If they ever spread to the outside world, it could spell disaster for magical beasts.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Yay, we have pokeballs now.