[Defeated Paldea Elite Four Rika! Emerging Power has been strengthened!]
[Your Pokémon's EVs and growth have increased!]
Boom!
The Ground Tera Jewel atop Clodsire's head blew apart, triggering that classic Terastallization shatter.
And Chien-Pao's final strike completely finished off the stamina-monster shield Pokémon!
Pao-pao was in an excellent mood. It let out a mighty, dignified roar and struck a victory pose.
And then.
"Pao!"
The battle was over, but the poison was still inside its body. Pao-pao's legs immediately started wobbling. It didn't even get to look cool for two seconds before it sprinted straight back to Hikaru's side!
Human, hurry up and cure my poison!
"Roa~"
Walking Wake rummaged around in its mane, found an antidote Berry, and with a splat tossed it to Chien-Pao, then roared once.
This is my treasured Pecha Berry!
This is a Pecha Berry, okay! A Pecha Berry that can cure even bad poison!
You better chew it properly and savor the flavor!
Pao-pao stared at Walking Wake's mane in surprise and curiosity, its tiny head starting to spin with questions.
How many things are even in there?
And why can this weird giant dragon always pull out a whole pile of stuff from its mane?
The snow leopard took a bite of the Pecha Berry.
Emmm. "Tasty," sure, but the flavor's honestly just… so-so.
"Lonely by nature, likes spicy flavors, hates sour flavors, and thinks sweet is just average."
Hikaru nodded thoughtfully.
Come to think of it, Chien-Pao and Walking Wake are kind of similar. One likes spicy and the other likes sweet, but both of them hate sour.
And among Berries, there's one called the Nomel Berry. Just hearing the name tells you it's based on lemons, so it has the same kind of sourness too. Supposedly, it's insanely sour. One bite, and you won't be able to taste anything else for three days.
If he fed that to Pao-pao and Walking Wake, their faces would probably pucker so hard they'd cave in.
That Berry is used for making Pokéblocks, though. When ground into powder, it can be used as a medicinal ingredient, and it only grows in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions.
"This one's for you too."
Hikaru stuffed some HP recovery food into Pao-pao as well, and handed the same kind of thing to the exhausted Riolu.
The blue-furred pup held a Sitrus Berry in one paw and the stamina food in the other, then shoved both into its cheeks at once. It thumped its chest hard, then swallowed with a loud gulp!
"Burp!"
Riolu let out a deeply satisfied belch, finally relaxing.
It had thought it might have to go in at the end and clean up with Extreme Speed.
"Having you come in at the end with Extreme Speed to finish it off was what I originally had in mind, yeah. But we didn't need it."
Hikaru patted Riolu's little head.
Mm. Riolu likes spicy flavors too, and hates bitter.
Thinking like that, once he got his hands on some chili extract, he could treat Riolu and Pao-pao to a proper feast.
And there was also that Adamant-natured Lilligant. She actually likes spicy too, but since she usually "eats" through photosynthesis or by absorbing nutrients from fertile soil, people often forget that detail.
As for Archaludon…
"Guuho?!"
Archaludon's eyes snapped wide open!
What happened?!
"The drowsiness caused by Yawn should be a status that disappears the moment you switch out…"
"You really just slept through it. The battle's already over."
Archaludon stared blankly for a moment, and then.
Welp. Since things have come to this, might as well eat first.
It somehow produced a chunk of meteorite from who-knows-where and started wolfing it down.
Still, its Iron Defense and Body Press combo had been solid, right? It was just that the other side played dirty with Rest!
"Later I'll have Lilligant teach you Sleep Talk, okay? That way you won't be afraid of falling asleep anymore!"
"And we'll teach Kaguya too."
Celesteela could learn Sleep Talk as well, though Kaguya's better at using Snore naturally.
"Mm… speaking of which, I just thought of something really good."
"Sleep Talk… could it link up with the Pokémon dream world?"
Either way, it's entering through sleep. Rest might be a move, but it's still instant sleep. If it could link to the dream world, wouldn't that create…
How do I beat this enemy, online help needed, urgent!
And then friends in the dream world could run over and teach you moves on the spot, give you strategy, and coach you through it!
Is it illegal if I learn a move on the spot? Not a problem at all. I learned it in my dream!
Meanwhile.
The moment Facade appeared, Rika-neesan's brain went completely blank.
For a brief instant, the silhouette of that young man lifting a Poké Ball seemed to overlap with that exhausted office worker who'd been grinding overtime for twenty years.
In the past, Hikaru wasn't all that different from the Larry of the future. There was no direct connection between them, but in that moment, it felt like she hadn't lost to a new Elite Four at all.
She'd lost to Larry's resentment.
And she even vaguely saw her own future in it.
Ah! How could something like this happen?!
Rika jolted back to her senses. She shook her long high ponytail violently, whipping her head like a rattle drum, as if she could shake that half-dead figure out of her mind!
Bad memories increased!
"Aaah! If you hadn't used that move at the end, this would've been a battle I could've lost while still feeling really happy!"
Rika was honestly speechless. Then she suddenly thought: Geeta's work style is famous enough that even out-of-region experts know about it now, so could Larry's depressed work style and his infamous quote have spread outside too?
No, that was impossible.
Larry was just an ordinary office worker. His performance wasn't even that good, and he got scolded a lot. There was no way the outside world would know him. He'd always been low-key and never wanted fame.
Maybe… maybe it really was just a coincidence.
If you're talking about "working adults," then yeah. Heads of out-of-region battle facilities really are working adults too.
Kids, teenagers, middle-aged people… whatever. In this world, in certain regions, being able to start traveling at age ten already counts as being a working adult.
Come to think of it, before she officially joined the League, the Elite Four tests and interviews were actually handled by Hassel-san. And even back then, Larry had already been… exactly like he was now.
Rika blinked, still lost in her own thoughts, and gradually noticed her Clodsire.
Hikaru was feeding it recovery medicine and Berries, likely for restoring stamina.
"Ah, thanks. I-I'll do it!" Rika's head was still a little fuzzy. She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself back toward her usual state, then hurried over to Hikaru and her Clodsire.
But Clodsire, why do you look so comfortable?
Is it really that nice when he pets you?
That technique… could this new colleague be a "Pokémon massage specialist" too?
Rika's expression started to turn strange.
"Unbelievable~!"
"Rika-neesan's last Pokémon has gone down! So the winner is the new Elite Four, Hikaru-shi!"
"From a type standpoint, that was a massive reversal, right?! Ah, of course, Hikaru-shi is known for Steel, but finishing with an Ice-type Pokémon actually turned into a favorable matchup!"
"And what does Brassius-shi think!"
Iono's lively, energetic voice pulled Rika fully out of Larry's shadow and resentment. At the same time, she heard Iono declare the match's result, along with the surrounding crowd's reactions.
There were plenty of disappointed voices, but there was still enthusiastic applause too. People were still cheering, saying they'd keep supporting her in the future!
"Rika-san, even though you lost the match, we're happy for the League that someone stronger has come to Paldea!"
"In popularity, you're still number one on the Elite Four overall rankings!"
Rika waved helplessly at the crowd.
What even is this?
I'm the one who lost, but they're making it sound like I won.
…Fine. I should take a proper look at the person across from me.
Having high popularity in Paldea was a good thing, sure, but the one she cared about right now was the opponent. If she messed this up, it'd be bad.
Thankfully, the heads of battle facilities didn't seem to care much about popularity. They explained everything through battling, then made friends through battling. That feeling was something Rika hadn't experienced in a long time.
She was unexpectedly… relaxed?
Always thinking about all sorts of unnecessary things just made her head messy, didn't it?
Brassius's voice also rose at the right time. Of course, Rika could hear the near teeth-gritting resentment in his tone.
But thankfully, even though he looked furious, he still maintained a fair, impartial analysis.
"…Even though Rika-san was at a disadvantage with Ground, and even though the battle's flow was unfavorable at times, to the point she was nearly forced into a corner, I believe the two sides' strength was still evenly matched."
Brassius gave a light cough. He wasn't favoring anyone. He was analyzing from the most straightforward angle.
"Clodsire has Rest for recovery, and it can precisely grasp the timing of when it wakes up. That was crucial."
"And Hikaru-dono's Pokémon, that Riolu, was already nearly out of stamina. Even if it re-entered, it could only use one or two moves at most."
"Archaludon is very powerful, but against Clodsire's Yawn, it had no effective countermeasures."
"And finally, that Pokémon called Chien-Pao. Ice does indeed have a nearly unsolvable advantage against Ground, because it is one of the strongest offensive types."
"However, as the saying goes, Ground, Rock, and Steel are one family. So Clodsire can also use Rock- and Steel-type moves to counterattack, and Ice-type Pokémon have almost no resistance to that."
"Because this was a ruleless, unrestricted battle, using your own move combinations reasonably can create a dramatic reversal!"
"Of course, that's only in ideal circumstances."
"In reality, against an opponent whose battle level is roughly equal to yours, even the slightest lapse becomes an instant reversal. In that battle just now, even something as strong as Archaludon was nearly forced into desperation by Donphan's Endeavor. That's the best example."
Brassius spoke at length, carefully analyzing the battle from earlier. Even Iono, who'd only intended to keep Brassius talking so he wouldn't keep sulking, looked surprised.
Iono said, "Wooo! Brassius-shi's insights on types and battling are actually this sharp! Could it be that this is also…?!"
Brassius said, "Exactly! It's avant-garde art!"
Seeing Brassius gradually recover and get into the groove, it looked like he was inserting himself into the analysis as he spoke. Rika quietly gave Iono a thumbs-up.
Nice work, Iono. I'll give you a raise later.
Then she immediately acknowledged defeat to Hikaru.
"I lost. I lost completely!"
"The gatekeeper of Black Tower really is absurdly strong. I honestly thought I could struggle a little longer, and that a comeback wasn't completely impossible, haha."
"But even though I lost, I really did have fun… if not for that last Facade."
Hikaru heard the complaint in her voice, but answered anyway.
"Facade?"
"Poisoned, burned, paralyzed, frozen. Even if your body is battered and broken, even if you're afflicted with status, you still keep moving forward."
"Right. Everything we've built up over time wasn't all for nothing."
"Move forward. Don't stop. As long as you don't stop, the road will keep extending."
"Working adults are best at Facade, aren't they? No matter when it is, you keep enduring. Didn't you say the same thing to Donphan earlier?"
"Hang in there, right?"
It suddenly felt so quiet. The street didn't even have…
Rika paused, then the corners of her lips lifted into a smile.
"You're pretty good with words, you know."
"Yeah. Even though I've got a bad impression of that move, because it makes me think of a guy with no motivation."
"But Rika-neesan is always full of passion for work, okay! So I'll pass on the whole 'Facade' thing!"
"Thanks for letting me enjoy a pure battle for the first time in ages! That feeling of challenging a strong enemy, and being pressed by just a hair in strength, I haven't felt that in a long time!"
"And we don't have any messy利益 ties between us. Not yet, anyway!"
"Now I finally get why Trainers from other regions are always obsessed with those battle facilities!"
"In battle, you can see your own shortcomings, and every loss makes you feel your growth. That thrill of improving little by little floods your mind and makes you remember what it was like when you first became a Trainer…"
"…"
Rika suddenly fell silent. Her gaze shifted, like she wanted to say something, but then she let out a relieved smile.
"No. Never mind. I'll ask you after you officially agree."
Hikaru thought for a moment.
"It's not about battle evaluations or skill tests or work requirements, is it?"
"Aahaha, that stuff is handled by the chairwoman. I'm just an interviewer." Rika giggled, then remembered something that wasn't actually that long ago. "Come to think of it, before I became an interviewer and examiner, Hassel handled those duties."
"Hassel is the Dragon specialist among the Elite Four. A seriously powerful Dragon tamer, and he's the one who recommended your shop to me!"
Hikaru nodded.
"Ah, I know! Hassel-san also suggested I release more art-themed products. By the way, wasn't he supposed to be here for this art festival? Hassel-san seems to be friends with Brassius-san."
"Yeah… why didn't he come, hmm? Do you know how much Hassel and I were looking forward to this art festival being a success?" Brassius's voice rose behind Rika like a ghost, making the green-haired Elite Four lady flash an awkward smile again.
"You have to understand. The chairwoman and I got urgent assignments, so Hassel was called back on emergency duty…"
Rika had wanted to say "overtime," but somehow felt too embarrassed to say it in front of Hikaru.
After all, she'd just gotten teased about that, hadn't she?
Rika cleared her throat, turned serious, and said, "Anyway, Brassius, I'll reimburse the damages here immediately. And for the ground, I'll call people to repair it right away!"
Brassius's expression was equally serious.
"Please, in the future, do not use Fissure or Venoshock anywhere outside designated locations."
Rika's expression fell, and she asked Hikaru with a weary tone, "How do battle facilities in other regions handle this kind of thing?"
Hikaru smiled.
"Black Tower? It's a high-tech tower built with the latest materials. It can withstand powerful move impacts without taking any damage at all. It's incredibly sturdy, and the building shoots straight up like it's piercing the universe."
"Of course, if you exceed its upper limits, it still takes some damage, but moves like that don't happen too many times."
"And as for battle facilities in other regions, it's pretty similar."
Especially the Battle Frontier. Brandon's Pyramid isn't just huge, it can even fly.
And the Battle Tower guarded by Tower Tycoon Anabel and Tower Tycoon Palmer is sturdier beyond belief. Challengers have to fight their way up one floor at a time, basically no different from Black Tower.
Even in LaRousse City from the movie, Destiny Deoxys, that high-tech city also has a Battle Tower capable of withstanding heavy impacts.
"Ah… rooms that can endure that kind of impact… In Paldea, only the League's internal facilities have them."
"Ahh, after battling you, I suddenly want to go play at other regions' battle facilities too…"
"But I can't. There's still work here that isn't done."
Rika rolled her shoulders, smiling as she spoke. It was obvious those thoughts were genuine.
Hikaru's expression turned strange.
Elite Four in other regions either train or slack off. Only Paldea's Elite Four work overtime… yeah, broadly speaking, that's how it is.
Even though the most famous "overtime person" people think of is Sinnoh Elite Four Lucian, Lucian at least sometimes goes to Canalave Library to read and rest. He's not working every single day.
Rika adjusted her bangs, a strange tide of thoughts in her heart, when she turned and heard Iono's closing lines.
Right. The battle was already over.
"Both of their sparkle was like ten million volts!"
"The winner is Hikaru-shi!"
"The viewer count for this episode of Iono's livestream is definitely going to skyrocket! Ahh~ I'm so happy! It feels like I'm ascending~!!"
Iono's "ten million volts" was just her usual Iono-speak.
But Hikaru figured she probably didn't know that in this world, there really was a "Ten Million Volts" move, and only Ash's Pikachu could use it.
Of course, the program still wasn't completely over.
"Everyone, take a short break. Round two starts right away! That's right, the main attraction of this art festival: the museum's exhibition pieces!"
"After that intense battle, let's walk into the vast inner worlds of artists, and into a hall filled with beauty!"
"The shining story of the art festival begins now! Teeheehee~!"
At that moment, Brassius finally looked fully energized again. The second art came up, he immediately grabbed Hikaru.
"Hikaru-dono, let's begin creating right away!"
Battling had already consumed an enormous amount of time that should've been spent making art. To Brassius, that was simply intolerable. But since it was a League order, he'd been stuck in a difficult position too.
Now they could finally do the proper work!
"You too, hurry up and come along!" Brassius waved Mela over. She'd still been zoned out when the battle ended, while Iono sidled up to her and started chatting excitedly.
"Heehee! Your prediction was so accurate. Maybe you've got real talent for battling too!"
T-Talent for battling?
Mela felt nervous. She'd never thought about that before. Before entering the academy, she hadn't even known what she wanted to do. She'd been drifting around with no dream at all.
B-Battle studies?
But… she still liked art more.
That was what Mela thought, so she followed everyone.
And then she saw Hikaru-sensei's painting process, and watched him complete the work easily and freely in an astonishingly short time.
It was like a beam of light slowly blossomed inside her eyes.
Those murky, dim dreams and expectations seemed to turn clear and bright.
It was just a painting.
And what it depicted was that machine-girl-like Pokémon, extending a bouquet toward her Trainer.
It was also the subject Hikaru-sensei and Brassius-san had agreed on beforehand.
A bouquet of many colors, like it had traveled through time itself.
The town of flowers and art.
Time quietly flowed on.
Even though she was still young, looking at the work before her made her feel as though she'd gained a stretch of life she never actually lived.
Countless dreams bloomed in her mind.
One year, two years, time began to move forward, and her life took on different changes. Those dreamlike scenes were like illusions she'd imagined up herself, and then in an instant, they turned into summer bubbles and drifted away.
On some summer day, perhaps she'd already fallen asleep in a chair.
In that hazy moment, it was as if she saw the future.
"A gentle wind is blowing."
"This world is filled with flowers."
"They're so beautiful."
(End of Chapter)
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