BXBX NOVEL Chapter 386: Abilities
Chapter 386: Abilities
"This is the shrine where we honor the memorial tablets of our lineage's past inheritors," Mr. Kuni'o explained and opened the shrine's door, ushering Yuga inside.
The shrine was tiny, with only an altar adorned with leaves and some berrys. Above the altar, there were rows upon rows of memorial tablets, a surprisingly large number.
As the master said, it is indeed true that our lineage has a long history. There's at least one successor every fifty years, and surprisingly, there are so many memorial tablets.
"Just come over here and pay your respects to the predecessors," Mr. Kuni'o turned to Yuga and said.
Yuga nodded and joined Mr. Kuni'o in bowing before the altar. After the ceremony, Mr. Kuni'o turned to leave.
Curious, Yuga followed him and asked, "Aren't we supposed to kowtow as well when paying respects to our ancestors? It feels like you're skipping that part, Master."
Isn't it customary to kowtow when paying respects to ancestors in such rituals? Why does it feel like the master is being so perfunctory?
"Kowtow?" Mr. Kuni'o shook his head, "We don't have so many formalities. Originally, we didn't even have this ceremony. We just thought it would be good for you to see, but doing a bow shows respect."
"Oh, I see!" Yuga replied, realizing Mr. Kuni'o was making a joke in a serious tone.
With a somewhat speechless expression, Yuga followed his Master out of the shrine and closed the door.
When they returned to the temple, Cacturne and Ryuichi were waiting for them at the entrance.
"We're about to leave. Please take care of yourself," Mr. Kuni'o said, bowing to Cacturne.
Yuga quickly followed suit with Ryuichi, bowing to Cacturne as well. Cacturne nodded in response and smiled with its somewhat unfriendly face, indicating that there was no need to worry about it.
As they prepared to leave, Yuga looked at the long stone staircase ahead with some distress. "Master, why don't we just ride our Pokémon to fly down? Wouldn't that be much faster?"
Ryuichi, who was nearby, hurriedly chimed in, "Young Master, what are you talking about? This is such a sacred place; we can't just casually fly around!"
Hearing Ryuichi call him "Young Master," Yuga was momentarily taken aback. Oh, where did my surname go?
"Is that so?" Yuga turned to Mr. Kuni'o for confirmation.
However, Mr. Kuni'o didn't say a word and simply started walking down the mountain.
After a long and arduous journey, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. The three of them mounted their flying Pokémon and prepared to depart.
When Yuga turned around, he happened to see the Shiftry who had guided them up the mountain. It was now perched on the treetop of a large tree, watching them as they left.
Riding their Pokémon, the trio retraced their steps, returning only when it was already dark.
"Go back and rest well. We did a lot today, and you must be tired. Come find me again tomorrow," Mr. Kuni'o said before heading back to his own courtyard.
Back in his own courtyard, Yuga followed Bellossom's arrangements for dinner. He enjoyed a warm bath and then went to sleep comfortably.
After a day of hard work and exhaustion, Yuga felt truly fatigued.
The next morning, as the sunlight streamed in through the window onto Yuga's face, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Time had passed, and it was already quite late!
Thinking about how Mr. Kuni'o had asked him to come over today, Yuga swiftly got out of bed, hurriedly washed up, skipped breakfast, and dashed to Mr. Kuni'o's courtyard.
Bellossom had assumed that Yuga might be tired from the previous day, so she didn't rush to wake him, which resulted in his late start.
When Yuga hurriedly entered Mr. Kuni'o's house, he found his teacher in the midst of having breakfast, looking like he had just gotten up not too long ago.
Seeing Yuga panting from his hasty arrival, Mr. Kuni'o gestured for him to sit down.
"Why the rush? You were tired from yesterday; getting some extra rest wouldn't hurt," Mr. Kuni'o said, trying to put Yuga at ease.
Yuga simply smiled without saying anything, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
He just thought that on the first day of becoming a disciple, arriving late might not be the best impression to make.
"Haven't had breakfast, have you? Let's eat together," Mr. Kuni'o suggested, and a Leavanny set a bowl and chopsticks in front of Yuga at the table.
After breakfast, Mr. Kuni'o led Yuga to the courtyard and had him release his three Grass-type Pokémon.
"The reason I asked you to come today is to teach you how to cultivate the power within your body. Our power comes from the blessing of Celebi, but, to be specific, there isn't any particular name for it. Our ancestors never bothered naming it, probably because our lineage is so small. As long as we know it exists, the name doesn't really matter."
Hearing this, Yuga suddenly felt that the past inheritors of his lineage were quite casual about it. Just coming up with a name wouldn't hurt!
"Anyway, you can call it whatever you like. You can call it 'Viridian Power,' 'Grass Power,' 'Wood Power,' 'Celebi's Power,' or whatever suits you."
Listening to this, Yuga suddenly understood why the past inheritors hadn't bothered naming it.
Listen to those names – 'Viridian Power,' 'Grass Power,' 'Wood Power,' 'Celebi's Power'!
Could they be any more casual? They probably didn't name it not because they couldn't, but because they didn't dare to!
"Our power's growth, aside from using it frequently and training regularly, is most significantly linked to the Grass-type Pokémon that awakened with you."
Without dwelling on the naming issue any further, Mr. Kuni'o continued, "Pokémon?" Yuga was puzzled.
"Yes, I believe you've already felt the somewhat indistinct connection between you and them. This connection will strengthen as your abilities and your Pokémon's strength grow."
"But how is the growth of our abilities related to this connection?" Yuga asked in confusion.
"I think I mentioned this before – Viridian Power is a part of Celebi's blessing, and it possesses the ability to heal and communicate."
Yuga nodded; his master had indeed mentioned this.
"Besides healing and communication, our abilities also include exchange and grooming."
"Exchange and grooming?" Yuga understood healing and communication, but what were exchange and grooming?
Mr. Kuni'o continued to explain, "Your abilities have just awakened, and they are very weak right now. You can't communicate with Pokémon yet, and your healing abilities are minimal. What you can currently utilize are exchange and grooming."
"What is exchange, and what is grooming?"
"Exchange involves swapping the energy within your body with the energy inside your Pokémon, mutually boosting each other's strength. This process relies on the unique connection between you and them. Other Pokémon can't do this, not even other Grass-types. Through this process, both you and your Pokémon will experience rapid growth in strength."
Yuga nodded, starting to grasp the concept.
"Grooming abilities are even simpler. When Pokémon use their internal elemental energy for battles for an extended period, it can disrupt the balance of their energy. This effect is quite minimal and hard to notice in the short term, but it accumulates over time, affecting their evolution. Grooming abilities can restore the balance of energy within your Pokémon."