My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 335 Puppet Making

The girl in the photo is about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a simple dark-colored long dress, standing in a quiet forest.

She had long, flowing, fiery red hair and a slightly shy smile on her face.

Tong Hua stared, somewhat lost in thought, finding it incredibly difficult to reconcile the girl in the photo with the troublesome little devil in front of her, hands on hips, her ahoge sticking up.

"Hehe, are you stunned, Brie?"

Tibrim's voice pulled him back to reality, her tone carrying a hint of smugness.

"This is the portrait that Brimwyn drew for me using her reading skills."

"Just do it this way, okay?"

"certainly."

Tong Hua nodded, took a deep breath, and picked up the magic wand and magic book from the workshop.

"However, your photo won't do. We still need a more rigorous design drawing first."

Perfect timing! I've recently been practicing my Spirit Painter skills, so I'll start by sketching a simple draft.

Tong Hua waved the magic wand in his hand, as if holding a paintbrush. The magic book moved automatically without wind, and the rainbow paint stored within poured out.

Rainbow paints swirled and intertwined in the air, gradually outlining three-dimensional lines in the air in front of the two people, guided by the magic wand.

First, the basic human silhouette, starting with the long neck, then the slightly thin but well-proportioned shoulders, the slender waist, and finally the curves of the legs.

Tong Hua's expression was focused, and her wrist moved steadily, as if carving in the air.

Tibrim floated to the side, staring blankly.

She had only seen Tong Hua use this spirit-drawing magic once before, on the day the typhoon passed, in front of Rainbow Bay at sunset.

At that time, Tong Hua's image of using the sky and earth as a canvas to depict the beauty of nature was deeply imprinted in her mind.

Now, watching him so earnestly and focusedly perform this skill for his own wish, I felt as if something had gently bumped into my heart, leaving me with an indescribable feeling.

"I never imagined that magic could be used in this way."

In the air, the rainbow paint continued to flow, and the details gradually became richer.

Tong Hua deliberately emphasized every joint and the lines of the spine. Even the direction of the hair and the curvature of the fingers were meticulously depicted.

However, some parts are detailed, while others are brief.

For example, three points related to female characteristics were deliberately omitted by Tong Hua and were not described.

"Alright, the basic structure and dimensions are determined."

Tong Hua stopped using the magic staff and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The 3D design, suspended in mid-air, is radiant and colorful, resembling an exquisite work of art.

"I'll grab a sip of water and rest for a bit. Tibrim, come take a look and see if there's anything else that needs adjusting?"

"Um."

Upon hearing this, Tibrim instantly floated closer, almost pressing his face against the glowing lines.

She looked closely at every part, even extending her fingers to gently run through the glowing lines, feeling the virtual forms.

"Ugh————"

After a moment of contemplation, Tibrim spoke.

"Did I draw him a little chubby?"

"puff!"

Tong Hua almost spat out a mouthful of water onto the rainbow design drawing, and quickly covered her mouth, coughing as she choked.

"Ahem—I drew it exactly from the photo, a perfect 1:1 replica."

"I know Bree, you know, uh—"

Couldn't you draw the waist a little thinner? And make the height a bit longer?

Tibrim's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her ahoge curling up guiltily, her eyes darting around nervously.

Tong Hua put down her water glass and looked at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

So it turns out he didn't want to restore his original body, but rather wanted to directly sculpt what he considered to be the perfect new body!

"Besides waistline and height, are there any other requirements?"

"And breasts! Cough, cough cough—" Tibrim blurted out, then choked on her own words, her whole face turning bright red, even the tips of her ears turning crimson.

She waved her little hands frantically, and her ahoge (cowlick) was tied in a tight knot.

"No, no, no! I meant, I meant the curve of my chest! To accommodate the magic circuit! Bree!"

Yes! That's it!

Tong Hua tried to keep a straight face, but her shoulders had already started to tremble suspiciously.

He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound serious: "Understood, is that all? Is there anything else that needs to be changed?"

"For now—there's nothing for now," Tibrim muttered softly, curling herself up into a ball, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

"Okay, then let's make adjustments based on this."

Tong Hua suppressed a laugh and raised his magic wand again. The spellbook opened once more, and rainbow pigments flowed with his will.

In a short time, the design was revised no less than ten times.

The final design is much taller than the initial version, with an extremely slender waistline and a more fluid and defined body curve.

Tong Hua put down the magic staff and rubbed her slightly sore wrist.

Maintaining such detailed 3D drawings requires a significant drain on both mental and magical energy.

"Are you satisfied now?" He looked at Tibrim, who was almost curled up into a ball next to him.

Tibrim peeked at the dazzling new design through her fingers, her eyes visibly brightening, but she still managed to remain calm as she floated closer.

She circled around her ideal "perfect self" twice, poking and touching it here and there.

"Hmm—more or less, Brie. You're about half as beautiful as I used to be."

She finally nodded reservedly, but her slightly reddened earlobes and swaying ahoge betrayed her feelings.

Tong Hua chuckled and stopped teasing her.

"Then it's settled." He waved his magic wand, and the design drawings in the air were instantly sucked into the magic book, turning into several ordinary paintings that could be consulted at any time.

"Next, it's time to get started on making it."

Tong Hua rolled up her sleeves, walked to the worktable, and glanced at the carefully selected pieces of wood.

"Let's start with the most crucial parts: the spine and pelvis," Tong Hua muttered to himself, picking up a piece of wood with the most uniform and dense texture, and selecting several of the most handy carving knives.

Tibrim also quieted down, floated to the high stool next to the worktable, sat down, rested her chin on her hands, and stared intently.

The carving knife makes a steady and pleasant rustling sound when it comes into contact with the wood.

Wood shavings fell like snowflakes, carrying the unique fragrance of trees.

Tong Hua's movements were unhurried and deliberate, each cut precise and full of confidence.

He no longer needed blueprints to refer to; the three-dimensional human anatomy seemed to be imprinted in his mind.

It started as a rough draft, but as the carving knife moved, the curve of the lumbar spine gradually appeared.

The shape of each vertebra, the articular surfaces that connect with the ribs, and the complex structure of the pelvis—which connects the upper and lower parts and has subtle curves—all became clear little by little under his hands.

Tibrim was completely absorbed in watching.

She had witnessed magic instantly alter the form of matter, and she had seen exquisite magical dolls being assembled into their final form.

But for her, the process of carving an ordinary piece of wood into such an exquisite form purely by hand, tools and craftsmanship was a unique and awe-inspiring experience.

Time flowed quietly amidst the soft rustling of carving and the scent of wood. The sunlight outside the window gradually slanted westward, casting a warm glow over the workshop.

"Phew—" Tong Hua let out a long breath, put down the carving knife, and gently blew away the last bit of debris from the spinal skeleton.

A nearly 70-centimeter-long complete spine, ingeniously connected by 24 vertebrae, and its precisely integrated pelvis, lies quietly on the worktable.

The joints move smoothly and are structurally stable, even simulating small-amplitude flexion, extension, and lateral bending.

"It's finished—the first part." His forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, but his eyes were bright, filled with the joy of completing a satisfactory work.

Tibrim floated down from the high stool and came closer.

She reached out her small hand and touched the wooden spine with extreme care, feeling a firm yet smooth texture on her fingertips.

She then tried to gently guide the skeleton with her mind, and the skeleton made smooth and natural movements accordingly.

"Amazing—" she said softly, looking up at Tong Hua.

"It really is like it's alive."

"That's still a long way off."

Tong Hua smiled and wiped his hands with a cloth. "This is just the internal load-bearing core."

Next comes the skeleton and joints of the limbs, then the outer body carving, and finally assembly, polishing, and coloring.

I doubt I'll be able to finish it today, but I'll try my best.

This thing is actually quite interesting to make!

Seeing the burning enthusiasm in Tong Hua's eyes, Tibrim said nothing more. She softly hummed in agreement, then floated back onto the high stool, quietly guarding her.

The sound of the carving knife striking the wood rang out again, more steady and powerful than before, as Tong Hua entered a state of complete focus.

The long bones of the limbs were sculpted one by one, with precise proportions and distinct joints.

Shoulder joint, elbow joint, wrist joint, hip joint, knee joint, ankle joint —

Each one is an ingenious composite structure, ensuring the most realistic freedom of movement.

The small wrist and finger bones were even more challenging. Tong Hua switched to the finest carving knife, even breathing lightly, as if she were performing micro-carving. Wood shavings, like dust, slowly drifted down.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened. Chinchilla had curiously taken the elevator down to call Tong Hua for dinner, but was glared at by Tibriam.

Before we knew it, the moon was high in the sky.

When Tong Hua finally put down the last piece that had been carved, a wave of intense fatigue and dizziness suddenly struck him!

The physical and mental exertion from the intense concentration nearly caused Tong Hua to lose his balance. He swayed and steadied himself against the edge of the worktable.

"Watch out!" Tibrim rushed forward to support Tong Hua, saying that they absolutely couldn't continue.

"Let's leave the rest of the assembly work for tomorrow, okay?"

Tong Hua nodded, and was eventually helped back to his room by Tibrim.

The unfinished puppet was neatly arranged on the worktable, awaiting assembly the next day.