In the battle at the Area Zero gate, Rika ultimately still lost.
But Flutter Mane had also won her first battle, and that made the bratty little menace so smug she was practically strutting. She finally felt like she didn't have to be called "the loser" anymore, so from inside her Poké Ball, she borrowed Deoxys's psychic power and sent a taunt toward Iron Valiant.
Still, she didn't dare push the taunting too far, because she knew perfectly well that the iron woman was still stronger than she was.
And that personality was way too serious!
Also, how did that thing even have Steel-type moves? And two slashing moves that never missed? Did future Pokémon have some kind of ridiculously overpowered combat program or what? She seriously didn't get it.
The mutual hostility between Flutter Mane and Iron Valiant left Hikaru feeling rather helpless. It looked like if he ever let both of them out to fight at the same time, they would just start fighting each other first.
"Even though you won, you still need to change the way you communicate with everyone. Mocking people first and then trying to talk afterward isn't a normal way of expressing what you really feel. It's a way of covering up the weak part inside."
"Baha? Ha!"
Flutter Mane froze for a second, then, as though some disguise had just been ripped off, immediately became furious. But as Hikaru continued digging deeper, her voice gradually got quieter and quieter.
"It's because you're lonely, because you don't have any friends, and because you crave love without knowing how to express it, that you turned out like this. Even though you were the leader, you still had no companions and instead ran off to stir up trouble in a human settlement. That already says everything about that awkward feeling of wanting something and never being able to get it..."
"And judging by your age, you've already been around for hundreds of millions of years, haven't you? As a ghost, when you look back over your life and realize you never made even a single friend, that's not how a Pokémon's life should be spent. When you look back on the past, you shouldn't regret wasting your years, and you shouldn't feel ashamed of accomplishing nothing..."
"If you want to make a good friend, you first have to become a good friend yourself."
Flutter Mane: "Wuuuuuu-!"
Inside the Master Ball, Flutter Mane burst into tears of humiliation!
How the hell do you understand this so well?!
D-don't, don't say any more, haba!!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!
Meanwhile, Iron Valiant in the Cherish Ball showed a rare flicker of surprise.
Why is Trainer more aggressive than I am?
Still, seeing that annoying little thing go from strutting around triumphantly to having her mental defenses shattered and breaking down crying really was a pretty nice sight.
Iron Valiant watched with appreciation. It even found the scene pleasing to the eye. A loser ought to make that kind of face, not recklessly say bizarre things she had no business saying!
That was not a territory she should be approaching!
"You're pretty cold-blooded too," Hikaru muttered, then gently addressed the Master Ball. "Of course, if it's for the sake of finding a true friend, it doesn't matter how long the road is. Don't you think?"
Flutter Mane didn't answer again. The crying from inside the Master Ball gradually faded away.
It sounded like she had exhausted herself and drifted off to sleep.
But his words had been engraved in her heart.
Medali, Treasure Eatery.
After the battle ended, Rika happily treated everyone to a meal to celebrate the end of the Area Zero incident.
As she ate her omelet, she let out a loud sigh.
"I really thought I'd definitely be able to take down two of yours this time! Ancient Pokémon really are way too strong. I caught one, beat that super-strong-looking Garganacl, and then got smacked down by another ancient Pokémon right afterward!"
"That makes it three battles, three losses! But even if I lost, I can still feel that I really am getting stronger."
A lot of dishes were spread out in front of the four of them: Treasure Eatery's famous grilled fish, steak, omelets, and special foods with meal powers like Homemade Pickles, Red-Bean Soup, and Bitter Stir-Fry.
And then there was Larry's favorite: grilled rice balls.
"Squeeze a little lemon on them and they get so refreshing and delicious..." Larry and Arven were both bent over in fierce battle with the grilled rice balls.
For Larry, it didn't matter who won between Hikaru and Rika. As long as no one made him battle, that was enough.
He believed in the doctrine of no overtime. If he got dragged into roadside battles and then took a loss, it would only make him feel even worse about work.
But whether it was Rika or Hikaru, both of them were talented young people.
Sometimes, just being around people like that made him feel as though he had grown younger too.
As though those twenty years of overtime had all dissolved like a fleeting dream...
A relaxed expression appeared on Larry's face, as if all the fatigue of the past several days had vanished in an instant. This was the working stiff's way of finding happiness in suffering.
Rika asked, "So when are you heading off to challenge Unova's Champion Road...?"
Hikaru thought for a moment before answering.
"In a few days. I still need to go to the Rock of Meditation and do one last round of meditation."
Rika said, "That soon? But Champion Alder is someone who's been famous for ages. Oh right, doesn't he also have a Volcarona as his ace? I wonder which one is stronger, that one or yours?"
Hikaru replied, "Well..."
Even Hikaru felt that was hard to answer.
"From a status standpoint, Mr. Alder's Volcarona is stronger, since it's the ace of a Champion."
"But my Volcarona has some moves that go beyond the norm, so in some ways it might be stronger. Still, we won't know until they actually fight. And anyway, there's no way I'm putting Volcarona against Volcarona."
Hikaru had no intention of engaging in a "Volcarona mirror match."
Volcarona felt like a Pokémon that should resist fire, but in reality its typing neither resisted Fire nor was weak to Fire. So if two Volcarona fought each other, there was a very real chance it would just turn into "who burns the other one down first."
And that would be meaningless. His little bug was an important weather setter. Throwing it into that kind of mirror match would be reckless.
Though if he used Terastallization...
"A Rock Tera Blast might one-shot Alder's Volcarona, since Volcarona is four times weak to Rock."
Being able to use the Terastal system in other regions now was incredibly convenient. It would be a huge help for both team-building and handling special situations.
Beep beep.
Larry's Pokégear suddenly rang. His body stiffened slightly, and then he opened the communication device.
"This is Larry."
["Oh, Larry. Are you with Rika, Hikaru, and Arven right now?"]
"Yes. We're at Treasure Eatery." Larry activated Ability: Stance Change and entered his listless mode.
The person on the other end of the line was, of course, Geeta.
["Ah, then my call truly couldn't have come at a worse time... My apologies for interrupting your meal. However, the League has some work that needs attention. Could you come over as soon as you finish eating?"]
["Oh, and have Arven come too. I'd like to speak with him. I already have Professor Sada's permission."]
Larry had originally wanted to say that today wasn't supposed to be an overtime day, since the Area Zero incident had already been completely resolved. But Geeta's tone left no room for refusal, which made him thoroughly unhappy.
Seeing Larry slump in defeat, Rika quickly tried to comfort him.
"It probably isn't some kind of long overtime assignment. They're not going to make us go do construction work or anything! Think positive. Maybe some student collected all eight badges and came to challenge the League!"
Larry said, "That would be even worse. In any case, they probably won't make it past the first round of testing, so I'll have to trouble you to handle it."
Rika shot back, "You make it sound like I'm some kind of hostess welcoming customers. I'm an interviewer! An interviewer!"
The group looked at one another. The joyful time this celebration feast had brought them ultimately couldn't last forever.
As for Hikaru, he had memorized the cooking methods used at Treasure Eatery and was already planning to make those dishes for his companions someday.
[Obtained: Treasure Eatery Secret Cooking Technique (C+).]
[Description: Treasure Eatery is a famous diner in the Paldea region, known for its Tera Cuisine, but its everyday home-style dishes are also excellent. It can make extremely delicious food from simple ingredients.]
[Effect: Simple Cooking - Any humble ingredients in your hands will be transformed into something extraordinary. All taste adaptation +25%, nutrition +30%.]
[Note: If taste adaptation is improved, Pokémon will not easily become confused when eating food with flavors they dislike.]
Hikaru's gaze shifted slightly, and then he nodded in satisfaction.
On the mountain behind Mesagoza, through a narrow tunnel, standing at the end of the rocky mountain road, was the Paldea League.
Compared with the League headquarters in other regions, the symbol of the Paldea League was a ship's compass, so the building itself had a similar shape. In terms of grandeur, it was nowhere near as extravagant as the Leagues in other regions.
The headquarters at Indigo Plateau resembled an ancient city, while the Leagues in other regions were often towers or castles.
Different regions naturally had different aesthetic preferences, but from the outside, the Paldea League headquarters was very white and gave a fairly good impression.
The moment Hikaru entered the League building, he immediately ran into Professor Juniper.
"Huh? Professor, why are you here?"
"You!" Professor Juniper nearly lunged over and grabbed Hikaru by the collar. Gritting her teeth, she said,
"I should have left ages ago! It's all because of you. Because you kept sending me new data, and Chairwoman Geeta suggested we co-author papers and study everything in detail. I've been working overtime this whole time!"
Professor Juniper was genuinely suffering. Grimsley had left long ago. He had very cheerfully said that, as a gambler, he had no interest in work, and had even used the excuse that his family fortune had already been gambled away, successfully convincing Geeta not to keep him around.
After all, the Paldea League wasn't exactly rich. Most of its money had already been poured into Terastal research.
Of course, Geeta knew Grimsley was joking.
He was, after all, a long-established Elite Four member of Unova. Even though he looked young, he had held that position for quite some time. As for the gambling, that was just one of his bad habits from his youth. The fact that he had become one of the Elite Four already spoke for itself.
Besides, he had work protecting Unova, so she couldn't exactly keep him sitting around here.
"Sorry, Professor. But with all that stuff I sent you, you should be able to crank out a few dozen papers from it, right?"
"What do you mean 'crank out'? It's all pure substance!" Professor Juniper drooped in despair. On that point, she had absolutely no disagreement. Then she said helplessly,
"If I had time to research it all slowly, that would be wonderful! Seriously, I've never seen anything like this. I haven't even finished writing up the old research results, and new ones are already arriving!"
"For the first time in my life, I feel like giving you that Pokédex was a mistake."
Thinking back to Reversal Mountain, she had even been grinning like an idiot.
That joy had definitely come back to bite her.
Then she pulled herself together again.
"So when the academic summit comes, you are not allowed to run away! A lot of this is data you sent me, and I haven't fully investigated it all myself yet. When the time comes, you'll be the one presenting it."
"These research results are enormously important, and that part is beyond dispute! After this, I'll organize everything properly and send it to Professor Rowan, Professor Oak, and Professor Elm. Especially the evolution-related material - regional conditions, moves, ecology, Egg Groups, individual differences, new Abilities... There's a mountain of things to write about, and on top of that there's also the Paldean field survey. I just hope there's enough time."
It was obvious that Professor Juniper had transformed into the same kind of corporate drone as Larry. It was the first time since graduating university that she had ended up like this.
"Oh, right... that Professor Sada called me. About the Area Zero incident... I really don't even know what to say. Still, the fact that everyone is safe is the best possible outcome. That's all thanks to you."
"As for Rotom, I'm planning to lend one out. That was your suggestion too, right? Honestly, I agree. I also think there's still a lot more to study about Rotom in relation to electronics. Professor Fennel wanted to borrow one before too, but I hadn't had the chance to send it over before I ended up running all the way here."
"The important thing is, the important thing is! I don't have enough time to write anymore! Fennel said she and Truffles are busy dealing with bugs in the storage system and writing a report on the dream world, so she doesn't have time to help me. And Burnet already left."
Professor Juniper could only laugh helplessly.
In the past, the problem had always been not having enough material to research. Things had never overflowed like this before.
Fortunately... Professor Sada had said she would be happy to help. After all, borrowing Rotom was itself a favor, and that was AI Sada's way of expressing her thanks.
"Professor Sada also said she wants to give a report at the academic summit. For her, it'll be her first time. And even though she's already a long-established Professor, she still has to have me - basically a half-newcomer - lead her there. That really is strange."
"But the ecological survey here is also about to begin. The researchers are already in place. I have to say, Chairwoman Geeta's methods are very impressive, and her efficiency is extremely high."
Professor Juniper lowered her voice and whispered,
"In that regard, she's way more capable than our region's Champion."
Hikaru laughed.
"Mr. Alder has his own things he needs to do too."
Still, it was true that Unova's Champion and Elite Four were pretty lazy.
One wrote novels, one gambled, one wandered off to train and never came home, and one stayed in a villa sleeping in and refusing to get out of bed...
And then when you looked at Paldea's Elite Four, every single one of them was working overtime.
"So you've all finally returned."
Geeta stepped out with graceful, elegant strides, showing none of the embarrassment from previously being utterly shut out by the giant king. She looked over everyone present, and at the same time, Hikaru also saw Hassel.
"Shopkeeper! You've been in Paldea for so long, and I'm only finally getting to see you now!"
Hassel had been working overtime here the whole time before. He had been so busy that he hadn't even gone to the art festival. Now, at long last, he had a moment to breathe.
Hikaru greeted him.
"Mr. Hassel, I'm honored to meet you too. Thank you for recommending me back then in Paldea."
Paldea's art teacher, one of the Elite Four, the Dragon master, and someone whose artistic philosophy was similar to Brassius's: art was destruction and creation.
Hassel said, "Not at all! Shopkeeper, I already heard about that miraculous masterpiece from Mr. Brassius, and I saw the photographs too, but with works of art, no photograph, no matter how high the resolution, can ever restore even one ten-thousandth of their beauty!"
Hikaru said, "Exactly. In Johto, Master Caspacias said the same thing!"
Hassel replied, "Precisely so! Your statue and your works astonished me deeply... And as for whether more artwork could be added to the shop, Miss Caitlin and I share the same view. I was even hoping to commission some more..."
"Ahem."
Geeta gave a light cough and said to the head-scratching Hassel,
"I know that artists have many... things they wish to discuss with one another."
"But for now, let's put that on hold."
Geeta rubbed her brow and smiled at Hikaru.
"Elite Four Hikaru, regarding the dream tower from earlier, I hope you'll explain some of it to me in detail before you leave. Its future plans, the challenge rules, things like that. We already agreed on this earlier."
"And here are the coins you asked me for. We weren't able to gather that many ancient coins, but through a certain person's channels, we still managed to acquire quite a few. You know who she is. She's now planning to take up a teaching post at the school."
Geeta handed Hikaru a small, heavy pouch of coins.
"I've also heard the legends surrounding Gimmighoul. It seems that no Trainer in the Paldea region has successfully caught one yet... or so it seems."
Hikaru knew that this "no one has caught one" setting was written directly into Gimmighoul's Pokédex entry.
But in reality, exactly one person had caught a Gimmighoul, and that person was Raifort.
Raifort simply never sent out that "bankrupt spirit" in battle, so before any exchange happened through the League Club, nobody knew she had one.
And later, by the time the story entered the timeline of the short animation The Unchanging Bond, there would appear a random schoolgirl carrying a Gholdengo. In other words, that nameless female student would become the second person to catch a Gimmighoul.
Geeta asked, "I hear Gimmighoul has a rather strange legend behind it. Was your Gimmighoul born somewhere else?"
"It does have a legend," Hikaru answered without hiding anything. "Paldea still has a lot of Gimmighoul around, after all. If a Gimmighoul successfully evolves, meaning after it gathers one thousand coins..."
"The name of its evolved form is Gholdengo. It's the Pokémon tied to the legendary land of gold, a Pokémon capable of creating gold."
"You can think of Gimmighoul and Gholdengo as the manifestation of ancient people's greed and longing for treasure, with Gholdengo symbolizing gold itself."
It was said to evolve after one thousand coins, though in the game, it actually only needed 999. That was because Gimmighoul itself was always carrying one coin of its own.
"Now that's another interesting bit of information."
Geeta smiled and nodded, then looked toward Professor Juniper.
Professor Juniper had been listening with complete concentration at first, but once she processed what she had just heard, her expression instantly turned very complicated.
"M-more new material? Please spare me," Professor Juniper groaned, clearly at her limit.
Geeta had only asked about the Gimmighoul legend out of curiosity. Now that her doubt had been cleared up and she felt pleased by the answer, she grew a little more serious and began explaining something to Hikaru.
"With Professor Juniper's help, we've also completed another reform, namely the matter of the 'initial partners.'"
"In the past, although the academy did have a rule that every new student would receive a Pokémon, there was no fixed rule regarding which species it had to be, so the school would prepare many different kinds of Pokémon for students to choose from."
"But after Professor Oak and Professor Elm clarified portions of Pokémon Egg Groups and ecological traits, certain Pokémon were carefully selected as being the most suitable for beginner Trainers to raise. These Pokémon provided to novice Trainers are usually ones specifically chosen because they are easier for beginners to train."
"From this point forward, Naranja Academy has decided to introduce the same kind of system. It will select one fixed Pokémon each from the Water, Fire, and Grass types, and give them to academy students to use!"
(End of Chapter)
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