Back at the Area Zero laboratory, after finishing his suggestions to Geeta about the Champion path, Hikaru paused for a moment.
Then Geeta suddenly brought up something else.
"Mm, aside from that, I feel there's a need to add something more... It's related to the sort of proposal you mentioned, like the Tinkaton village and the special tools it can provide."
"Right now, this is only a personal idea of mine, but later I'll probably convene the League's Elite Four, staff members, and the academy director to discuss it together. You can all offer more suggestions too and help refine it."
"I think that, since we're already adding challenge facilities, and we already have a three-to-five-year construction plan for those challenge facilities..."
"Then, following the rules of other regions' Battle Frontiers, Black Tower, Battle Subway, and the like, I think the practical use of items in battle needs to become part of the school curriculum."
Item battles?
Hikaru was genuinely surprised. AI Sada blinked as well.
"Uh, but the normal use of items is already part of the academy's intermediate and advanced courses, isn't it? So what do you mean by adding it?"
AI Sada looked puzzled, then quickly realized something.
"You mean... aside from held items like type-boosting items and Berries, the other... items?"
Earlier, when Hikaru had powered up the cosmic hero, he had used all sorts of items too, so AI Sada immediately understood what Geeta meant.
"Nothing that complicated." Geeta smiled, though in AI Sada's eyes, this woman was clearly already preparing to select Frontier Brains.
This Top Champion, League Chairwoman, and academy board chair coughed lightly, then said in a gentle tone:
"For Paldea's young shoots to grow strong, a new advanced course in item-based battling can be offered as one of the new elective courses. From what I've heard, trainer schools in other regions already have content along these lines."
"Through channels in Unova, I learned about some of the battle software developed by Battle Company and Devon Corporation, and some of the items in those systems have greatly interested me."
"So I intend to introduce some of those items. Of course, at first these items would be extremely rare. For now, this is only an idea."
"How to flexibly use the known battle items and Berries in battle is also a very important teaching topic. Normally, the only people who use items in battle are elite trainers, Gym Leaders, and veteran trainers."
"Compared to standard battles, item battles should count as an upgraded form of battle. So after students have challenged all eight Gyms, we could provide this as upgraded challenge content."
"That would be necessary for selecting truly outstanding trainers."
AI Sada said, "Even the Elite Four assessment too? And would Gym battles use them as well? That would increase the difficulty of testing, treasure hunting, and training. It might drive students away, or turn them into puppets who only know how to battle. I don't think that would be good."
"The point of challenge facilities is to improve one's battle level. I think battling itself should be something beneficial to both body and mind. If everything becomes too centered around battle above all else, the academy will probably develop problems."
Hikaru thought it over for a bit.
Honestly, AI Sada really did deserve her title as the most advanced AI. What she said made perfect sense.
No matter whether you looked at older generations, like Wally from Hoenn. At first, it was the protagonist, Brendan or May, who guided him onto the path of battling and helped him break free from his weak and sickly condition. But because Wally kept losing to Brendan or May in battle after battle, by the later stages he started to feel a little battle-obsessed.
Every Pokémon had to be bred to perfect IVs. He kept raising new Gallade and other Pokémon. EV training had to be maxed out. Item setups were all carefully selected. He even went to battle facilities in all kinds of regions... and Wally even made it to Alola, where he was still battling away in the Battle Tree.
Even in Masters, one of Wally's sync move lines was basically, "I want to win," "I absolutely want to win!"
If Nemona battled for fun, enjoying the thrill of the fight itself...
Then Wally's battling was a pure battle fanatic's mindset. Everything was for the sake of winning.
And something similar had also happened at Blueberry Academy.
Their excessive focus on the battle environment had led to Kieran bullying ordinary students. Later on, some teachers from Naranja Academy also felt that placing too much emphasis on battle had its downsides.
Hikaru said, "Mm. I'm reserving judgment for now. My view is that item battles should become an advanced elective."
"Items can make battling itself more varied, and create layers of mind games with your opponent. And there are many different kinds of items."
"Type enhancement, stat boosts, stat changes, move power, accuracy and evasion, critical hits, strengthening and duration extension, inflicting status, changing type matchups, switching and escape, reducing effects, life-related effects..."
"Items are important, but what matters even more is the Pokémon they fit, the Pokémon's abilities, stats, and the trainer's tactics and thinking. When all of that is fused with the item, that's what makes an item seem so powerful."
"And when battles are fought under those conditions, they naturally start to feel higher-level."
"At the start, we could add only Berries to Gym Leader tests and challenges, just to raise the battle difficulty a little. How about that?"
"As for everything else, we can wait until the Frontier facilities are built."
Geeta looked a little surprised.
"As an item craftsman, I thought you would strongly support this idea of mine."
"But if that's how you feel, then all right. I'll take your thoughts into account."
"Yes, using only Berries in Gym tests would be a good approach. It really should be done gradually. Sorry. The recent school matters may have left me a bit restless inside, and I ended up trying to move too quickly."
"That makes sense. Since there's already a Tinkaton village that forges items, students who love battling will search for the village on their own. There's no need for us to interfere too much."
AI Sada added, "You could also have specific Gyms use fixed items, and set usage limits. That would stimulate student enthusiasm, encourage them to research countermeasures, and get the Gym Leaders moving too."
"Just as Hikaru said, once trainers start thinking, the level of battle will naturally rise on its own. There's no need to force it."
Geeta nodded. She felt this early discussion had been extremely beneficial. At the very least, they were already close to working out a result that could be put into practice immediately.
But before that...
Geeta said, "As for the Pokédex survey work in Paldea... I've already thought of some researchers we can reassign. Professor Sada, do you still remember old Mr. Clavell and Jacq?"
AI Sada said, "Professor Clavell... I haven't heard that name in a very long time. Ever since he withdrew from our research team... He should be doing research at another institute now, shouldn't he?"
"And Jacq was once one of the Tera research staff too. I remember he worked at the Area Zero gate before. He was probably a bit absent-minded and very relaxed. His work efficiency might not be that high."
Geeta said, "Work efficiency isn't all that important right now. If you rush things, problems happen, don't they?"
"Clavell and Jacq once said that, compared to Tera research, they were more interested in Pokémon ecology. So I think they'd be excellent candidates for Paldea's ecological survey work."
AI Sada paused.
"...Jacq aside, Professor Clavell seems rather old now. Is it really all right to have him participate in ecological surveys? Though he really was energetic back in the day. He never seemed like an old man at all."
Geeta looked rather surprised.
"Professor Sada... your personality really is a little different from hers. If it were the original Professor Sada, she would probably fully agree with me and strongly recommend Mr. Clavell."
"Mm. Still, that's a good thing too. Don't worry, we won't rush the ecological survey work either. We'll also refer to the Pokédex survey methods used in other regions."
In the communication window, Geeta smiled at Hikaru.
"We can select capable students and entrust them with Pokédexes. While Paldea does not yet have its own Pokédex, Professor Juniper is willing to provide us with one, so for now we can use the Unova Pokédex."
"Although the system isn't fully compatible, that can all be adjusted. At present, we can provide two Pokédexes. I've heard that in other regions, they usually hand out three at a time, which is a little unfortunate."
"I intend to give one of those Pokédexes to Arven. Professor Sada, what do you think?"
That question left AI Sada completely silent.
Geeta didn't say anything else either. She simply smiled through the communication screen and looked at the professor.
It took quite a while before AI Sada finally said:
"You really mean to put even an underage child to work whenever the chance presents itself...?"
Geeta felt like she had heard that line somewhere before.
Right. Larry had said it.
Oh dear, but she was only trying to cultivate a promising young sprout.
"So perhaps it would be better to wait until Arven enrolls before giving him the Pokédex?"
In the end, Geeta relented slightly.
AI Sada had never expected this woman to be so shamelessly opportunistic. She had just told Arven never to beat the Pokémon League, and now he was practically being "specially recruited."
"This person really is..." AI Sada exchanged a look with Hikaru.
Then Geeta smiled and smoothly changed the subject as she said to Hikaru:
"So then, Elite Four Hikaru, I've heard that next you're preparing to challenge the Champion path of Unova. Is that right?"
"Grimsley of the Unova Elite Four has already returned ahead of time. Next, you'll need to come to the Paldea League headquarters first and complete all of your formal appointment procedures."
"After that, you'll be leaving Paldea for a while, correct?"
"Before you depart, I must, on behalf of the Paldea League, wish you success in advance. I hope you can overcome the harsh trial and reach the Champion's Hall of Unova. If you do, the Paldea League will share in that honor."
Of course she hoped so.
Geeta wanted Hikaru to beat Alder more than anything.
If he beat the Unova League, wouldn't that prove the Paldea League had stronger people? True, Hikaru was also one of the Bosses over there in Unova, but since he was simultaneously serving as an Elite Four member in Paldea, the value of that achievement would soar even higher.
And the academy students would surely train even harder because of it.
Champion's Hall.
A faint look of longing appeared in Geeta's eyes as well.
There was no denying that the Champion's Hall was a place that could instill a profound sense of mission and accomplishment in people.
To leave your name in the history of the Pokémon League - no, rather, to leave it in the shared history of humans and Pokémon.
It would continue to be passed down, generation after generation, as the ages changed.
Perhaps the Paldea League really should re-establish its own Champion's Hall.
Paldea did have the academy's "registry," which specifically recorded students who made outstanding contributions to the school.
But in terms of sacredness, it still couldn't compare to the Champion's Hall.
After all, not every student would go read the registry.
But everyone would know what the Champion's Hall was.
"So here and now, I wish you glorious fortune in battle!"
————————
Hikaru and AI Sada had piled an enormous amount of work onto Geeta.
Yet somehow, with a single "Pokédex assignment," she had pushed part of it right back their way, and had even pre-booked Arven as future overtime labor.
For Arven, who was happily cooking away, that probably would not be welcome news.
AI Sada felt that, because of this Area Zero incident, Geeta had probably started seeing her child in a very different light. And among the five Frontier Brain positions Hikaru had proposed, one of them sounded no matter how you listened to it as though it had been custom-built for Arven.
Of course, Hikaru explained that Frontier Brain positions could be changed out. That made them different from ordinary League staff. And as a gourmet hunter with AI Sada as his mother, Arven basically had nothing to worry about in life anyway.
Hikaru said, "He can live however he wants. I think that's the most important thing. Being a Frontier Brain would only be a small period of trial and growth in his life."
"And later on, Chairwoman Geeta will recruit other talented people too. So for Arven, whenever he no longer wants to do it, he can just slip away."
AI Sada thought for a moment and nodded.
"That's true. If I use you as the standard, even if you decide you don't want to keep working as part of the Elite Four anymore, you can just leave the region directly. I don't expect Arven to become a powerhouse like you, but right now he does have the desire to grow stronger by challenging the Champion path."
"So it seems becoming a Frontier Brain is basically inevitable for him. But I'm still going to tell him that sometimes, when it comes to extra work, he should bravely say 'no.'"
Now that she had fully stepped into the role of a mother, AI Sada had completely started thinking from Arven's perspective. She seemed determined to make up for the part of his family love he had lost in the past, and was now paying extraordinary attention to her child.
Afterward, AI Sada began discussing Area Zero management with the future Three Sacred Swordsmen.
Iron Boulder had been completely repaired by Hikaru. With the Heart of Terrakion restored, its head spun around twice, and the coldness in its electronic eye vanished completely.
[Hahaha! It feels great to have my heart back! This body really is something - every joint feels just like the real thing! Hey, look! My head can spin forever! Gulu gulu gu!]
Terrakion's original personality had always been a bit goofy and comedic, and now Iron Boulder had fully inherited that personality. Iron Crown and Iron Leaves were left speechless.
This looked less like repair and more like getting sliced into a concussion. Its personality was way too different from before.
At the same time, the two Sacred Swordsmen also uploaded the final program into Iron Valiant - Mighty Blade Attack.
That meant Iron Valiant had now completely mastered the special programs of the future Three Sacred Swordsmen.
As for Hikaru, after fully understanding the time machine and the many technologies in the Area Zero laboratory, he began making items.
Some of the technologies here were not yet mature. They were older technologies once provided to the academy and to various companies.
"Those materials aren't especially useful." AI Sada noticed Hikaru looking through the dusty documents while talking with the Three Sacred Swordsmen and helping Iron Valiant load its program, so she offered a reminder.
"Those are some of the technologies Professor Sada developed before receiving corporate investment. Some are related to Terastallization, while others are just failed or unfinished blueprints. Later, some of those technologies were provided to various companies, which brought in a certain amount of funding. Only after that did the Tera Orb get developed successfully, which led to investment from major corporations."
"For someone like you, with future technology, these blueprints shouldn't really be useful."
Hikaru said, "No. The time machine and advanced technology are useful, but these early blueprints that were once given to companies are useful too."
"I already understand the techniques inside them... and give me a moment."
Hikaru set the blueprints down and began gathering mechanical parts and chips from the laboratory.
At the same time, AI Sada saw him engraving what looked like circuitry onto some of the machine parts and chips.
Hand-crafting high-end technology from scratch?
Was this the true artisan spirit of a craftsman?
AI Sada waited for a bit, and fortunately it did not take long.
Very soon, Hikaru picked up the completed item.
[Item: Loaded Dice!]
[Description: A green die with a question mark on it. It only rolls good numbers. When held, it allows multistrike moves to hit more times.]
AI Sada said, "Dice? What kind of item is that?"
Hikaru replied:
"A loaded - ahem - Loaded Dice. It can fix certain multistrike moves at their maximum number of hits, turning them into continuous volleys. It's an item for boosting offensive firepower."
"To put it simply, when some Pokémon use multistrike moves, they can't always hit many times, or attack at high frequency, either because of stamina issues or poor technique. But once they hold this item, it changes the way they execute those moves, allowing them to fight with repeated attacks and achieve a full 'bombardment' style of battle!"
One of the final missing pieces of battle items had been completed.
Hikaru thought to himself:
"Besides that, I've also clarified the crafting methods and conditions for other items. I've even learned how to stitch Punching Glove."
"And there's also the special item Fairy Feather. I took some feathers from Flutter Mane, so now there's a rare item that can boost the power of Fairy-type moves. That's another thing added in the Scarlet and Violet era."
Besides those, it also seemed that although Professor Sada had never been to other regions, some of her earliest research had contained all kinds of strange but brilliant ideas.
Once Hikaru understood those ideas, he could create certain special items in specific places.
[Soft Sand - Terminus Cave (Kalos or Alola).]
[Utility Umbrella - Crown Tundra (Freezington).]
[Room Service - Rose Tower.]
These clue prompts for items had not appeared in a very long time, and once they were actually crafted, the puzzle of standard battle items would basically be complete.
Of course, that only referred to standard items.
There were still abnormal things out there too.
For example, the manufacturing method for Berserk Gene that he had obtained from Kyurem.
Theoretically, that item was something tied more closely to Mewtwo, but Kyurem also had a connection to genes.
Still, looking at it now, the effect of that item was pretty trash. Attack rose drastically, but the holder would then fall into confusion for 256 turns.
And that item had even led to the derivation of another item: the serum called "R."
That was the special drug that appeared in Detective Pikachu. It had originally been the dream of Howard Clifford, the head of a Pokémon integrated research institute in a certain region.
He had wanted to use cells from Mew, who carried the genes of all Pokémon, to develop a universal medicine that could heal Pokémon.
But the raw material he purchased turned out to be Mewtwo's cells instead, which caused the drug's effects to go wrong.
Because Mewtwo's body carried the Berserk Gene component, any Pokémon that came into contact with R would fall into a frenzy, their eyes turning red, becoming extremely aggressive, and disobeying their trainers' commands.
AI Sada looked rather shocked.
"The professor's early technology can still be used to develop something like that?"
Hikaru said, "Don't underestimate other researchers. Even if I hadn't developed this item, someone else would have created it sooner or later."
In the Scarlet and Violet era, the Delibird Presents branch in Levincia was the only shop that sold this newly introduced battle item. That could be seen as one of the early technologies Professor Sada provided to companies finally being fully understood and turned into a new competitive item. Loaded Dice is indeed an official held item introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Delibird Presents is the in-game battle-item shop chain in Paldea. (game8.co)
At the same time, Loaded Dice was also one of Torterra's key battle items.
"Interesting things are hidden even in the early technologies. Next... I'm going to build a special machine while also helping you temporarily shut down the time machine."
And of course, that thing was the Item Printer, the machine that made handcraft artisans foam at the mouth with rage.
(End of Chapter)
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