Chapter 128: May the Forest Guardian Bless Them
The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Will and Sprigatito packed their things, shouldered their small bag, and prepared to set off. This time, Will had no intention of letting Sprigatito ride in the backpack. The little one had grown up; she needed to walk on her own.
"Meow!"
Hearing this, Sprigatito immediately sat down on the ground and refused to move. Her little tail twitched, and her eyes would occasionally sneak a peek at Will, gauging his expression. She was a clever little devil.
"Then you can just stay here. I'll come back for you in a hundred years," Will grinned, not falling for her act in the slightest.
"Meow!" Sprigatito huffed, turning her head away and continuing her sit-in. She was convinced that he would never abandon her.
"Well, I'm leaving. Bye-bye," Will said, adjusting his pack. He turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance.
"Meow?"
Sprigatito turned her head, watching as the door closed and Will's back disappeared.
"Meow-meow!"
Now she was panicked, and she scrambled after him, bumping the door open. Will's tall figure reappeared, and she immediately looked like she was about to cry.
"Meow-meow!" She pounced on his leg, scratching at him with her little paws. She really thought he was going to leave her.
"Alright, alright. You're not a baby anymore. Watch the claws, that actually hurts," Will said, bending down and tapping her on the head.
"Meow!" Sprigatito huffed, headbutting his leg in anger. It was so soft it had no effect.
"Let's go."
"Meow."
Will led Sprigatito towards the town exit.
"Myra? And Nurse Joy?"
Will was surprised to see the two of them waiting for him at the town gate. He had planned to leave quietly, but he hadn't been able to slip past the sharp-eyed Myra.
"Take these," Myra said, not complaining about him leaving. She just handed him a bag. It wasn't anything valuable, just some bread, biscuits, and other food.
"And this. The spray is a Potion for external wounds. The red-labeled one is..." Joy also handed him a small bag filled with bottles and vials, patiently explaining each one, worried he wouldn't understand.
"Thank you," Will said, scratching his head in embarrassment. He really had been a bit careless. He was about to go on a long journey and hadn't packed any medicine. He had figured that with his constitution, he was unlikely to get sick, and he knew enough about wild plants to self-medicate for most things. But he had forgotten about the still-fragile Sprigatito.
"Be careful on the road. And make sure you eat enough. Look at you, all skin and bones!" Myra walked up and poked Will's stomach, then crouched down to pet Sprigatito. "You eat lots too, little cat. Grow up big and strong."
"Meow~" Sprigatito licked Myra's hand. Although she hadn't cared for her at first, she now felt that Myra was a very good person and was a little sad to leave.
"Don't catch another cold, okay?" Nurse Joy added with a smile.
"Hiss!" Sprigatito's attitude towards Joy was not as good. She bared her fangs.
"Let's go," Will said, tapping Sprigatito's rear with his foot. He took the two small bags and ducked into the forest. Sprigatito, before she could even get angry, saw Will's figure disappear and quickly ran after him.
Walking through the dense forest, Will knew there was one more person who would appear. With that person's personality...
"Hey."
A familiar voice sounded from the side. Will turned, unsurprised. Leaning against a nearby tree, as if he had been waiting for a long time, was Gunther.
"Follow me," Gunther said. He looked a bit haggard, probably from staying up late last night. He led Will and Sprigatito on a winding path through the forest.
Soon, a shrine appeared before them.
The shrine dedicated to Celebi, Will thought, only now remembering it. He had known that the Ilex Forest near Azalea Town had a shrine related to Celebi. If the "GS Ball" was placed in this shrine, it could summon a young Celebi. But... the GS Ball wouldn't even appear for another two hundred years, in the era of Ash's journey. Coming to this shrine now wouldn't trigger any event, which was why he had ignored it.
"My grandfather and Myra's grandfather built this shrine to worship the legendary Guardian of the Forest. Myra comes here every month to pray," Gunther said, leading Will inside. The shrine was small but clean; the townsfolk clearly visited often.
In the very center was a simple wooden table, and on it sat a wooden box.
"We live by this forest. This forest is Azalea Town's protector. So, the Forest Guardian is the most important god in our hearts," Gunther said, leading Will to the box. "You're a Grovyle. Who knows, maybe your ancestors had some connection to the Forest Guardian. Quick, ask your ancestor for a blessing."
Will was speechless. He really hadn't known that Gunther believed in this stuff. And besides, he didn't know if Grovyle was related to Celebi, but he had already received Celebi's blessing.
But to put Gunther's mind at ease, he clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and pretended to pray. While they weren't looking, Sprigatito had already jumped onto the table and nudged the box open with her head.
"Meow?" she said, her voice full of disappointment. She had thought there was some great treasure inside, but it was just an ugly little bottle.
"You stupid cat! How can you be so disrespectful to the Forest Guardian! That bottle has been passed down from my grandfather's grandmother! That's the legendary Forest Guardian's milk bottle!" Gunther's angry voice roared. He rushed forward, slammed the box shut, and began to silently apologize to it.
But Will just stood frozen on the spot. He had seen it. Inside the box was indeed a jade-green baby bottle. But it wasn't the Forest Guardian's. It was the one from the Era of Primal Beasts. It was the baby bottle that he, as Lan the "Guardian Dragon," had used as a child.
So that's how it is... Will pursed his lips. From the moment he saw that bottle, he finally understood the origin of Azalea Town. Myra's obsessive feeding, Gunther's gruff-but-kind personality... the source of it all was Hestia.
"It really is fate," Will shook his head and turned to leave the shrine. It was time to go. To learn that Hestia had married and had descendants a thousand years ago... it was good news.
"Hey!" Gunther's voice called out from behind him.
"Uncle Gunther, goodbye. I hope..."
"Stop your sentimental nonsense. If you're going, then go. And this... that cat of yours doesn't have its own Poké Ball, right? I made this one by hand yesterday... it's a failure, really. I was just going to throw it away..."
Will tuned out the rest of his rambling. They were just the words of a man who didn't know how to say goodbye. He figured Gunther had been practicing that speech for at least ten minutes.
He looked down at the green-and-white ball in his hand and smiled. It was a Friend Ball, made from a Green Apricorn. A ball that makes Pokémon more friendly towards their trainer. This was no "failed experiment." It was a rare Poké Ball that you might only successfully craft from one out of a hundred Apricorns.
"Thank you, Uncle Gunther. Sprigatito, you say thank you, too."
"Meow!" Sprigatito obediently nodded at Gunther and waved her paw.
"Hmph. Now get lost," Gunther grunted, turning back into the shrine.
Will and Sprigatito turned and walked into the forest.
"Sprigatito, tap it," Will said, holding out the Friend Ball.
"Meow!" Sprigatito, never doubting him, tapped it with her paw.
In the next instant, she was absorbed into the ball. A moment later, she popped back out.
"Meow?" she asked, her face full of confusion.
"Haha, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," Will said, patting her head. He led her away.
Back in the shrine, Gunther watched the two green figures disappear into the distance. He turned to the wooden box on the altar, clasped his hands, and spoke piously: "May the Forest Guardian bless them."
...
Not long after embarking on their journey, Will and Sprigatito stopped in front of a large mountain. It stood between Azalea Town and the next city. It was one of the main reasons why Azalea Town was so isolated.
"Climbing a mountain is out of the question," Will said, looking up at the peak, which was literally in the clouds. Besides, climbing a mountain was dangerous, time-consuming, and a thankless task.
"Meow?"
"We'll go through Union Cave," Will said, glancing at the map in his hand before putting it away.
This map didn't mark Union Cave, but Will knew it had to be there. As a transmigrator, he had another map in his head. Union Cave had been dug by ancient humans, a history that probably dated back to before the Era of Primal Beasts. The upper levels connected the north and south of the region. The lower levels led to the Ruins of Alph, a place where one could "find ancient wisdom."
That part was true. After all, ancient Pokémon like Omanyte and Omastar, which were supposed to be extinct, still lived there.
But the place was also incredibly dangerous, because it was filled with the mysterious Pokémon known as Unown. Their base stats were low, but their abilities were broken. Each form had a different power, and when two or more gathered, they could generate a mysterious force... the ability to sense a person's heart and temporarily manifest their thoughts into reality. In the movie, a little girl had used their power to create an illusory Entei.
This power was also very easy to lose control of. The Unown could misinterpret the target's inner meaning and do unnecessary things.
It's best to just let them sleep, Will thought, his scalp tingling as he remembered the sheer number of Unown in those ruins. A number like that... they could probably create a real-life Legendary, just like in the movie.