Chicory Woodwork Hall

I'd meant to ask why Sunshine Ranch's layout looked so much like the Aether Foundation's. Oh well, there would be plenty of chances later.

Tong Hua walked through Chicory Village, looking for the woodworking shop.

The roads in the village were better than the muddy track leading to the ranch. At least they were visibly paved with concrete, and the surface was nice and level.

Walking on them was no different from walking along a city road, except that most of the passing vehicles were wooden carts pulled by Pokémon like Tauros.

Most of the villagers knew one another, and he could see plenty of children playing together along the road.

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Several children raced past, chasing a Pichu. As Tong Hua watched them, he found himself remembering what he had once been like.

Ever since his parents had divorced when he was ten, Tong Hua had never left home again.

He had lived with his mother in a villa on an island, spending most of his time alone, frittering away the hours in a three-story mansion spanning hundreds of square meters.

Although there had been plenty of ways to pass the time, no amount of chatting with his online friends had ever dispelled the loneliness deep inside him.

"Not bad."

The children receded into the distance, and Tong Hua's memories gradually faded...

Woodworking shops were usually built beside rivers.

That was because, ever since craftsmen had invented the first waterwheel long ago, they had never been able to do without one.

Using the force of flowing water to power sawing machinery saved labor and improved efficiency. Even today, waterwheels remained an essential part of any woodworking shop.

Tong Hua followed the village road toward the river. From a distance, he could already hear the creaking of a turning waterwheel.

Rounding the last corner, he came upon a distinctive wooden building. All sorts of wooden signs hung from a frame built with thick logs.

The most eye-catching feature was the enormous wooden carving standing at the entrance: a lifelike Ursaring more than two meters tall, with even the texture of its fur carved in exquisite detail.

"Anyone here?" Tong Hua gently pushed open the half-closed shop door, setting a bell ringing crisply.

The shop was bright and airy. From the entrance, he could see straight up to the second-floor walkway. There was no ceiling over the ground floor, leaving the roof's timber beams exposed overhead.

Sunlight slanted through the high skylights, forming shafts of light in the sawdust-filled air. The fresh scent of pine drifted everywhere.

Various pieces of unfinished furniture stood neatly along the ground-floor walls, while wood shavings and tools lay scattered across the workbench.

"That's strange. Is nobody here?"

Tong Hua looked around the shop but saw no sign of anyone.

"Min, min." Minccino hopped down from Tong Hua's shoulder and began sweeping up the scattered wood shavings with its tail.

It couldn't stand this any longer. It had to clean the place up!

Just then, someone else pushed the door open.

"Huh?"

The newcomer was a young man with green hair and a boyish face. He looked even younger than Tong Hua.

"A customer? Where's Master?"

Ignoring Tong Hua, the green-haired young man headed straight upstairs.

A moment later, a noisy exchange broke out above.

"Master, you stayed up late again last night, didn't you?"

"What's it to you, brat? I'll go to bed whenever I like!"

"There's a customer downstairs!"

"Huh?" A flurry of frantic movement came from the second floor, followed by the sound of a wooden chair toppling over.

A middle-aged man with silver hair like a bird's nest and a face covered in wood shavings rushed downstairs, nearly tripping over his loose apron strings.

"Welcome to Chicory Woodwork Hall!"

He tied his apron while wiping his face with his sleeve, only to smear the wood shavings all over it. "I'm the owner, Xiang Shi. Are you looking for custom furniture or farm-tool repairs?"

The Turtwig on Tong Hua's head suddenly cried, "Turt!" Only then did the shopkeeper notice the Pokémon perched there, and his eyes lit up. "Oh my, this Turtwig has been raised beautifully!"

"Wait... that face..."

Xiang Shi picked up the monocle hanging around his neck and used it like a magnifying glass to examine Tong Hua's face.

"Don't tell me you're Old Mr. Tong's grandson?

"There's no mistaking it. You're the spitting image of him!"

Xiang Shi's voice suddenly rose so sharply that the green-haired youth, still on the stairs, lost his footing in fright! He landed on his backside and slid all the way down to the ground floor...

"Oh, it's been so long! I haven't seen you in years, and look how much you've grown."

Seeing how familiar Xiang Shi was acting, Tong Hua searched his original body's memories and recalled a few things about the man.

Xiang Shi was a carpenter's apprentice from the Hoenn Region who had spent some time learning woodworking from Tong Hua's grandfather.

Many years ago, after Tong Hua's grandfather had retired from carpentry to focus on woodcarving, Xiang Shi had taken over, handling all the woodworking jobs in the village himself.

He was someone who had been closely involved with the original Tong Hua's family.

Ever since returning to the Almia Region, the original Tong Hua had shut himself away at home. His last meeting with Xiang Shi had been more than a decade ago.

"You're just the same as before, Mr. Xiang Shi. You're always smiling."

"Am I? Well, that's how it has to be. When you're running a business, you greet your customers with a smile. That's what Old Mr. Tong always said. I wouldn't dare forget it, not for a moment...

"You, on the other hand, look pretty lively. The Village Chief told me everything. You want to repair the ranch's fences and the Pokémon Cottage, right?"

Tong Hua nodded, then spoke.

"Besides that, I'd also like to learn some woodworking skills from you, Mr. Xiang Shi.

"That way, if anything goes wrong again, I can make the repairs myself."

At those words, Xiang Shi's ever-cheerful expression suddenly froze.

"What? You want to learn... carpentry from me?

"Didn't Old Mr. Tong teach you?"

When Tong Hua nodded again, the corner of Xiang Shi's mouth twitched. He looked as though he had just seen a fool dump out a table full of delicacies, only to insist on trying something new at a greasy little dive.

The green-haired youth, who had just gotten back on his feet, came over rubbing his backside. "What? You want to become my master's apprentice? As your senior apprentice, I'd better give you a word of advice..."

"Scram." With that single word from Xiang Shi, the green-haired youth slunk off to clean the shop alongside Minccino.

"Sorry about that. His name's Mu Mu. I only took him on as an apprentice a few months ago. A complete

"and utter idiot. He still hasn't even figured out how to use a handsaw."

Helplessness was written all over Xiang Shi's face, but he had taken the boy on himself. He could only swallow his frustration and keep teaching him.

Besides, there were no wages, and neither meals nor lodging were provided. How much Mu Mu learned depended entirely on how much effort he put in. In short, Xiang Shi had a clear conscience as his master.

"Anyway, if you want to learn woodworking, that's fine, but there's no need to become my apprentice.

"Even if you're my teacher's grandson, I won't take you on unless you can devote yourself wholeheartedly to the trade.

"That was the rule Old Mr. Tong passed down when he took me as his apprentice."

Tong Hua nodded again without saying anything more.

At Tong Hua's reaction, Xiang Shi sighed softly. He was just about to continue when the door suddenly opened again.

A man in mud-spattered work trousers hurried inside.

"Boss! Didn't we agree you'd come repair my cattle pen today? Why haven't you..."

Halfway through, the man noticed the customer in the shop and hastily cut himself off. "Ah, sorry. Have I come at a bad time?"

Xiang Shi waved a hand. "Not at all, Mr. Da. We were just getting ready to head out."

He turned to Tong Hua, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Say, Tong Hua, are you free right now? You can come along to the job site and start learning right away."

Tong Hua nodded. "Sure. Sorry for the trouble."

"Mu Mu! Bring out the tool cart!" Xiang Shi shouted at Mu Mu, who was still cleaning. Then he turned back to Mr. Da. "Go on ahead and get things ready. We'll be right behind you."

After the man surnamed Da nodded and hurried away, Mu Mu pulled a four-wheeled flatbed cart in from the backyard. It was loaded with saws, hammers, nails, and all sorts of other tools.

"Master, everything's ready!" Mu Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Seeing Tong Hua still there, he paused. "Huh? Are you coming too?"

Xiang Shi had already slipped briskly into his work jacket. "Tong Hua wants to learn a little woodworking, so we'll take him along to see how it's done. You count as half a senior apprentice, at least. Remember to look after him once we get there."

Mu Mu immediately straightened his back. "Yes, sir! Your senior apprentice guarantees he'll get the job done!" As he spoke, he winked at Tong Hua.