It wasn't until the art festival's exhibition was nearly over that Brassius finally emerged from his studio, thoroughly satisfied.
He still looked like he was high as a kite, but unlike before, this time Brassius was radiant, brimming with energy.
It was as if the gloom in his chest had been swept clean away, smashing through a bottleneck and stepping into a brand-new, higher realm.
"It's finished. That is my greatest masterpiece to date. Praise the Sun!"
He struck a pose like a Sunflora spreading its leaves, which somehow felt oddly akin to raising both hands diagonally in salute.
Brassius held the pose for a moment, then realized a certain noisy presence was missing. He looked left and right.
"Hm? Where's Iono?"
"She went back," Rika said as she walked over. "She's done filming, and she landed a massive sponsorship deal. She's going to be busy now."
"You're way too slow. I've been waiting forever."
Rika and Hikaru had already finished their discussion.
Iono had accepted the deal and hurried off to prepare. After analyzing it carefully, she had keenly sniffed out a trace of "getting famous."
When these vegetables became a globally recognized brand, her popularity would rise with the tide. Riding that wave, she would charge straight into becoming a huge cross-regional content creator.
Rika then told Brassius about the evaluation.
Brassius's expression instantly changed. He clapped a hand to his forehead, visibly irritated.
"The annual evaluation again? It's the art festival, and you spring this on me out of nowhere!"
Rika laughed. "It's the Chairwoman's order, after all. Besides, the one evaluating you this time is me, not the Chairwoman. You should be quietly celebrating."
"Though yeah, I do feel bad for interrupting your art festival."
Brassius waved his hand. "No matter. I have already comprehended a new avant-garde art! Where is Hikaru-dono?"
"Oh, I'm right here. Are you done with work?" Hikaru walked over with Mela, whose lessons had just ended.
Brassius immediately lit up.
"Yes! My work is complete. May I ask you to appraise it!"
For an artist, having their lifeblood of a creation acknowledged by an industry senior and a famed figure was an unparalleled honor.
And Brassius's work truly did not disappoint.
Compared to the other lifeless pieces in the studio, the new sculpture, Praise the Sun, carried a spark of vitality.
It genuinely felt like a Charcadet with eyes burning like blazing torches. Like it might leap from its pedestal the very next second and shine upon everyone.
The Sunflora were clustered around the little knight on the high platform in a fairly abstract form, serving as the essential sunflower motif. Even without any lighting assistance, it already felt as though warm sunlight was gently falling over the crowd.
Mela stared without blinking, unconsciously letting out a breathy whisper of awe.
Rika and Hikaru began to clap as well.
Applause was the best praise.
"In my eyes, this piece is good enough to be sent to the Castelia Gallery for exhibition. It's an outstanding work."
[Learned: Brassius's sculpting style (Improved)! Gentle curves can convey warmth and joy, while sharp angles can convey tension and pain. Sometimes it is solemn, and sometimes it is abstract.]
[Emotional expression +50%, Beauty +50%, Solemnity +50%.]
[Art style recorded in Confluence Art!]
To be recorded by Confluence Art meant Brassius's piece had reached a master's level.
Even if it was a breakthrough born of coincidence, that was fine.
"Fine writing is naturally wrought, and brilliant hands seize it by chance." The same truth applied to art.
Its essence was the fusion of nature, human feeling, and inspiration.
"Great works are often completed unintentionally," Hikaru said. "But that requires deep accumulation and keen perception."
"A bottleneck is like a spring. Temporary pain can't trap a true artist. When the cup is full, it overflows, as it should. Brassius-san, congratulations."
"May sunlight ever remain within your heart."
Brassius tried to hold back his emotions, but he still couldn't stop the tears from falling.
They were tears of joy.
"Thank you! Sometimes a breakthrough in inspiration only requires a change in perspective. I was drilling into a dead end."
"Sunlight, yes. Those inspirations were like sunlight, shining into my heart!"
"When I carved this piece, I suddenly thought of something."
"Sun worship began almost alongside early human civilization. Like Artazon, our town is a city of flowers and art, a city that venerates the sun."
"When did these customs and this atmosphere begin? I don't know. But I do know Sunflora is the symbol of this city."
"The sun represents light. It disperses the darkness brought by death. In myth, it signifies salvation and victory."
"I kept going deeper, and I gradually came to grasp the charm of sunlight. I'm an expert in Grass types, yet whenever I hit a bottleneck, I lock myself inside a studio with no light at all..."
"Hah." Brassius exhaled slowly.
"From now on, whenever I face hardship, I'll go bask in the sun more. Yes. Under Sunny Day skies, inspiration should keep pouring forth without end!"
"I once had a period of terrible pain, trapped in a bottleneck. Back then, I despaired of life and fell into self-destruction."
"Back then, Hassel-sensei, who also studies art, guided me. That's how I created the great artwork, Let It Go Sunflora."
"I found my current artistic style thanks to A-ssu."
"But that piece..."
Let It Go Sunflora was Brassius's proud work, yet now, with his mindset elevated and his artistic understanding further refined, he felt it was...
Too twisted.
Portraying an adorable Sunflora as melancholic and world-weary was, for a Sunflora that was cheerful all day long, an intensely rebellious work.
"I remember thinking that if that piece didn't receive praise, I'd retire from the art festival. Back then, half my spirit was already dead."
"And when I was a rookie artist, I not only came down with a serious illness, I also sank into a slump."
"But now, I'm thinking, I'm so glad I persevered! It's precisely because of those past pains, that endless struggle, that today the clouds finally parted and I could see the brilliant sun!"
"I'm truly, truly grateful to you! True art... I'm still far from that Miracle work, but I've already seen the direction I can advance!"
As for art, there was only one piece of advice Hikaru could give Brassius.
But at the same time, it was borrowed wisdom.
"Do you know Vado-sensei, and Master Kasbachias?"
"Vado?!" Brassius startled. "I've heard he's a famous artist who travels the world..."
"And Master Kasbachias... That's the legendary Phantom Artist! D-don't tell me...?!"
Hikaru smiled. "I once met Vado-sensei. Because of changes in his life, the Pokémon he depended on passed away, and he lost his dream."
"So for a time, he couldn't paint anything at all. He lost the ability to draw, and day after day he suffered in torment."
"Back then, I returned to him a Pokémon he had abandoned, and I battled someone at his side."
"The voices of Pokémon, and their boundless souls, awakened him. That passionate sound finally pulled him out, and he painted an unbelievable work."
"To offer a blazing soul to radiant life, that is the essence of art Vado-san realized. He should be at Unova's Dreamyard now. The final destination for those who carry dreams."
"And Master Kasbachias... I don't know him personally. But a few of my friends have met him and listened to his teachings."
"He said this."
"There is something special between color and form. When you follow that feeling and reorganize color and form, a great Miracle work is born."
"No matter what it looks like, it will always leave a beautiful feeling in the viewer's heart. That is what the highest masterpiece is."
"The last place Master Kasbachias stayed was White Town in Johto. After that, he set out on a journey with his Smeargle, searching for new beautiful works."
"Perhaps you'll meet that old man somewhere in a corner of the world."
Brassius took a deep breath.
"So that's how it is. You had the fortune of hearing the teachings of these two senior artists, and that's why you possess such superb artistic skill at such a young age!"
"I will take these words as my guiding creed and engrave them in my heart!"
"Um... they sound like really amazing people?" Rika didn't know much about the art world, and her expression turned thoughtful.
Brassius laughed and explained solemnly.
"It's only natural that Rika-dono wouldn't know."
"Vado-san is a world-renowned artist, and Master Kasbachias is beyond compare!"
"Their status in the art world is like the Elite Four and Champion among Trainers!"
Rika looked surprised. "Huh! They're that incredible?"
"Then in your opinion, how does Hikaru compare to them?"
"Ugh, that's baiting a war!" Brassius rubbed his chin.
"But if I must evaluate... I think Hikaru-dono's art is at least on par with Vado-senpai."
"I-I truly don't dare to judge beyond that. Any of them is far more skilled than I am! All of it is avant-garde art!"
Seeing how cautious Brassius was, Rika laughed as well.
It was rare to see Brassius this careful. Even when facing the Chairwoman and official evaluations, he didn't act like this.
So Brassius had things he respected, too.
————
As the sun gradually slanted downward, crimson light like fire stained the clouds.
The moon quietly climbed up the horizon, and in the deep-blue canopy of night, the stars began to turn.
Brassius finished his Gym evaluation.
Mela asked Brassius if she could come here often to keep studying art in the future.
Guiding juniors with artistic talent was something Brassius was happy to do.
After finishing her work here, Rika would head to the next evaluation location, and along the way, restart her journey across Paldea.
"It's been so long since I last traveled... I feel a bit lost, all of a sudden."
She rubbed her brow, thinking about where she should go next.
She was supposed to evaluate Gyms around the region, but in truth, the evaluations were only incidental.
That was how the Chairwoman's work always was, always handing things off as "just while you're at it."
The real point was to reclaim the feeling she'd had while traveling in the past, and use that to push herself to grow even further.
So if she followed the route in order, she should go first...
To the west was Cortondo Town.
To the northeast was Levincia, but Iono's evaluation was already finished, so there was no need to go.
"Young people always like traveling out in the wild," Hikaru suggested. "Bring a town map. Go to those dark caves, treacherous mountain peaks, silent forests, tall grass that rustles like waves..."
"That's what 'adventure' is."
"During travel, you observe Pokémon ecology and habits. Professors in many regions entrust that kind of work to young people and ask them to help complete the Pokédex."
Rika considered it. "So you mean you want me to do work like that too?"
Hikaru laughed. "This isn't simply 'work.' Recording things during an adventure is a crucial part of it. The important events along the way, the course of the adventure, the strange people and strange incidents you encounter..."
"The unknown world, in that process, becomes the known world."
That's right. One of the core experiences of Pokémon was travel.
"Doesn't Paldea's academy encourage students to go on a Treasure Hunt too?" Hikaru said.
"That..." Rika frowned slightly. "It happens every year, but now it's basically become a perfunctory activity."
As she said that, her brow knitted deeper.
Right.
Treasure Hunt was the same as traveling in other regions.
Only by stepping into the unknown could you complete a thrilling adventure. If even that was treated perfunctorily, it meant the academy didn't understand what students truly needed most.
"Travel is a pilgrimage of life and growth."
Hikaru, recalling the core of Pokémon, thought of one important region and spoke to Rika.
"Do you know Alola's Island Challenge?"
"In many regions, people set out traveling when they're young, seeing unknown scenery and unknown worlds. But that's a personal journey, not an officially exalted one. It doesn't carry any sacred symbolism. It exists only as a necessary experience for life's growth."
"However, in Alola, there is a solemn ritual called the Island Challenge. It is a ceremony passed down in Alola to help children grow into outstanding Pokémon Trainers."
"In Alola, once children turn 11, they must challenge the Island Challenge. They travel across Alola, overcome the trials of four important islands. It tests not only strength, but also skill and wisdom, and even involves encounters with Legendary Pokémon."
"It is a sacred rite of passage, from child to adult."
"In other regions, travelers and Trainers, holding hopes for the future and longing for their ideals, challenge different Gyms and ultimately climb the harsh path to the Champion. There, they will give themselves a final reckoning, a final test of their heart."
"Oh, and by the way. After I leave Paldea, if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be entering Unova's Victory Road as well."
Traveling to find one's self and ideals had always been an enduring core of the world.
In Kanto, toppling Team Rocket's conspiracy, crossing the darkness of Mt. Moon, sailing to Cinnabar Island and the Sevii Islands...
In Johto, feeling ancient culture, investigating mysterious ruins, meeting Ho-Oh atop Bell Tower, meeting Lugia in the Whirl Islands, then going to the Indigo Plateau, climbing snowbound Mt. Silver, and meeting the final Trainer...
In Hoenn, crossing land and sea rich with natural environments, witnessing the clash of land and ocean.
In Sinnoh, climbing snowbound Mt. Coronet to reach the mythic Spear Pillar.
In Unova, seeking truth and becoming a legendary hero.
In Kalos, facing the dreadful weapon from 3,000 years ago...
"If you ask me what Paldea's League is missing," Hikaru said, "it isn't a battle facility."
"It's a true Victory Road."
Paldea's "Victory Road" was an activity, not a fixed place.
It carried no sacredness at all.
"We must give ideals and treasures a concrete form, a concrete place, and turn them into 'reality.' That thing is Victory Road."
"When students on Treasure Hunt have traveled all across Paldea and seen different Pokémon and different people, perhaps along the way they'll meet an enemy they can't defeat, or encounter terrifying outside villains, or witness lives sunk in pain."
"And the one that stands atop the mountains and bears witness to their storms and hardships, that Victory Road, is the place that gives them their answer."
From that perspective, in Paldea, the one person who truly fit the standard wasn't the protagonist, and it wasn't Nemona either.
It was Arven.
Losing parental affection in childhood, depending on his Pokémon for companionship, and because he trespassed into Area Zero, his Pokémon's life was endangered.
For the sake of saving his family, he resolutely set out on the journey to find the Herba Mystica. Even Clavell had said that Arven's "think it, do it" drive was in the same vein as Professor Sada and Professor Turo.
And for Arven, the process of "returning to Area Zero" in the end was his own Victory Road.
And he kept saying he wasn't good at battling, only to pull out a whole stack of absurdly high-level Pokémon from his bag.
Those high-level Pokémon were already telling everyone how hard his journey had been. For someone "not good at battling," how many powerful foes had he overcome to save his loved one?
In Pokémon Masters, even N acknowledged Arven's bond with Pokémon, to the point of going full obsessive and tailing Arven, scaring him half to death.
After hearing Hikaru's warning, Rika felt a sudden sense of clarity, like clouds parting to reveal the sky.
Why the school's culture went wrong. Why the students changed that way. Why teachers who taught year after year had lost their own ideals.
Paldea's people were simple and kind, the land was comfortable, everyone lived peacefully, yet it always felt like something was missing...
Rika exclaimed, "This is like sunlight breaking through the clouds!"
"I understand. Thank you. As expected of my rival. I already know where Paldea League's flaws and shortcomings lie!"
"Give children a goal they can truly see, not a vague, perfunctory Treasure Hunt."
"It's free and open in name, but it ignores the fact that minds at their age are not yet mature."
"I've already got a clear direction for how the school culture should be reformed. But I'm not the director. The Chairwoman is. I need to report this to her properly."
"Even if the Pokémon League's location doesn't need to change, we still need a place that can draw strong Trainers here, a place to temper themselves, or a place where students can test their own hearts."
"A true Victory Road... Right. Even Galar has such a place. Why don't we establish one too?"
"Because we thought that blending Victory Road into academy activities, without setting a specific location, would help kids grow at all times. Now it looks like that's actually a problem."
"Sometimes Victory Road doesn't only carry a test. It also carries sacredness and ritual."
"Humans are creatures that love ritual. Reflecting on oneself in harsh battle, surpassing oneself, reaching a higher realm!"
A relaxed Treasure Hunt atmosphere was certainly nice.
But if you wanted the League to become strong, this kind of looseness wouldn't do.
Rika suddenly caught an important point from what Hikaru had said earlier.
"Wait. You said you're going to Victory Road too? Hold on. Don't tell me you're planning to...?"
Hikaru nodded. "That's right. I received an invitation from Unova's Champion. I'll challenge the Unova League."
"If I win, I'll probably enter the Hall of Fame. Of course, losing is fine too. It's growth either way."
"Paldea should maybe do something similar too. I know the Champion-ranked structure is very innovative, but you need to understand..."
"I know," Rika said with a smile, speaking smoothly. "I'm from Johto, after all. How could I not understand the meaning of the Hall of Fame?"
"Honor belongs to oneself, and the names of the companions who enter the Hall together will advance with the world and be passed down forever."
"It seems old Leagues really do have more experience building these things. For Trainers, the Hall of Fame is their final answer."
"But before they reach that hall, they'll have already found their true answer to life during their journey."
As for a new "Victory Road," if construction truly began, they could choose the address at Paldea's Glaseado Mountain, or on the nearby islands.
Mountain and sea carried immense symbolic meaning.
The highest mountain. The broadest sea.
While Hikaru and Rika spoke, the Light Stone in the backpack released a flickering glow.
This was the power of "truth."
To construct ideals and dreams, and turn them into a real world. A world like that truly existed.
So that's why you're the hero I chose.
But in this process, "ideals" were indispensable as well.
The Light Stone contemplated.
Next time in a dream, it should discuss it again with Zekrom.
Perhaps the thousand-year debate truly had a visible result now.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]