Chapter 43: Truly Avant-Garde Art!

"I originally planned to buy a few more Spell Tags this time. Honestly, stop snatching the merchandise from me!"

"Are the people who buy Spell Tags all mediums or something?"

Unova region, Undella Town.

A woman with purple hair and dark skin, wearing jeans, a work shirt adorned with feather accessories, and various bizarre ancient pendants, was currently browsing the store interface of Mossy Light.

The page for the Spell Tags had once again reverted to an unavailable status. Rika scratched her head in annoyance and had no choice but to turn her attention to the newly listed merchandise.

Are the newly listed items sculptures?

A Gengar sculpture...

"The special effect is making it easier to discover items hidden in dark corners."

"Eh! Isn't this extremely useful for me? When I'm 'archaeological' exploring in ruins, some things are hidden way too deep, and I've been agonizing over that!"

"Gengar!" Standing beside Rika was that very same Gengar that had once sent a cursed email to Mossy Light. Staring at the merchandise interface on the computer, it pointed at the "Gengar Sculpture" and giggled with a wide grin.

"Do you want this sculpture too, Gengar?" Rika chuckled softly.

"Gengar!" The Gengar raised its hand, shaking its chubby body to indicate that it wanted it very much!

"Alright, as it happens, this thing will be useful for us. Though it would be even better if there was a sculpture with the special ability to walk through walls."

Rika fantasized about it for a moment in her mind, then shook her head, casting away this unrealistic thought!

During tomb raiding... no, 'archaeological' exploration, maze-like walls were indeed quite annoying, but that was also part of the fun of exploring ruins. If that joy were lost, the sense of elation upon acquiring ancient artifacts would diminish accordingly.

"Oh my, I heard the legend of the Abyssal Ruins in Unova—after all, this place is a treasure trove steeped in long history—yet I haven't seen anything at all. Could it really just be a boring rumor?"

"The Cleanse Tags I prepared are no longer of any use either. It seems I must set sail and return to Paldea. Unova hasn't been very peaceful lately; a group called Team Plasma is here preaching their tedious nation-building doctrines..."

"Come to think of it, if it's an item artisan, perhaps they could make some achievements in ruin exploration. Even I was almost deceived by this antique-imitation sculpture. The first time I saw it, I thought it was some genuine ancient relic, but the description page said it was a replica..."

"Can forged history even be considered history?"

Rika grew interested in Mossy Light: "If I purchase them in advance and have them shipped to the Paldea region, I'll be able to receive these sculptures at the same time I return. Perhaps this artisan will be able to provide me with more special items in the future, and even those sealing stakes I saw in ancient literature—if I find these things or inform this artisan about them, he should be quite interested, right?"

"However, I still need to collect more historical materials. Four Pokémon, serving as treasures, passed from hand to hand among many people, with human desires and curse arts gradually attaching to them..."

"This ancient legend of Paldea—how were the Pokémon sealed, and what items were used to seal them? If I can unravel this mystery... Yes, this artisan will be of use to me someday."

"If I can find the sealing locations of the Treasures of Ruin, I might as well just have him help pry open those seals."

Pondering this, Rika changed the shipping address and purchased the Gengar sculpture.

...

Kanto region, Sevii Islands.

Lance, the Dual Champion of Kanto and Johto, former Dragon-type Elite Four member, and League Inspector, had an informal match against Lorelei, the former Ice-type Elite Four member, on the Sevii Islands. The result of this match was a victory for Lance.

To outsiders, this might seem quite normal; after all, Lance was the Champion, while Lorelei was merely a former Elite Four member.

However, Lorelei, the person directly involved, did not think so at all.

Dragon types have very weak resistance to Ice types, so even though Lance was the strongest in the Indigo Plateau, he often suffered defeat in battles against her. The Elite Four would naturally spar with each other to ensure their strength did not regress, but this time was completely different from before!

"How about that? The Focus Sash! After giving it to Gyarados, even when your Lapras used Thunder, there was no way to knock out my Gyarados! This is the bond of the heart between me and my Dragon Pokémon!"

Lance's mental state at the moment was somewhat exhilarated. After purchasing a strange item from that unfamiliar artisan and simply testing it out to find that it genuinely worked, he immediately boarded his Dragonite and flew straight to the Sevii Islands.

The former Ice Elite Four member had resigned from her position at the Indigo Plateau to protect her hometown, and her seat had been taken by a new Elite Four member.

Yet for Lance, after Lorelei—that "countervailing force"—left, Red also departed from the Indigo Plateau. Although he became the new Champion, he always felt as though this championship had been handed to him for free.

Just because the weakness left didn't mean the weakness vanished.

Dragon types are weak to Ice, and Gyarados could not withstand Electric-type attacks either. As it happened, both of these move types were Lorelei's strong suits!

"Thank you, Lorelei! Now my Dragon legion is no longer afraid of Ice-type and Electric-type moves! Dragon types are the most powerful!"

"The most powerful? Clearly, that strange item is doing all the work!" Lorelei couldn't help but retort, supporting her forehead. Lance laughed out loud: "No! The person who sold me the item said that as long as my Pokémon and I share a strong bond, no matter how many attacks we receive, my Pokémon will not fall!"

"This is the bond between me and my Pokémon! As for those who lack a bond with their Pokémon, when facing a disadvantageous type matchup in a one-hit-knockout situation, they can only use this item to hold on once!"

Lance was in quite high spirits. Lorelei was left speechless, but she quickly questioned him: "If you can buy strange items, why can't I buy them? Good grief, what on earth is he feeling so smug about? Besides, it only held on three times just now! If the first time relied on the item, the next two times were purely down to good luck. Wasn't it knocked out on the fourth?"

"Also, what is the name of the shop?"

"Oh, Lorelei, are you returning to the League? But the Elite Four is already full right now, you know." Lance actually paused to seriously consider it: "If you want to return to the League, you'll need to defeat one of the current Elite Four members."

"I have no intention of going back. Right now, I'm just acting as an ordinary Pokémon Trainer. Isn't buying items a normal thing?" Lorelei waved her hand: "The Sevii Islands still need me. What would happen if Team Rocket showed up again? I heard they haven't disbanded and are still active."

"Is that so..." Lance nodded, and then recommended Mossy Light's item shop to Lorelei.

"How is it? He's an artisan who sells marvelous items. It's said that tools crafted by him bring different kinds of enhancements to both Pokémon and trainers."

Lorelei looked puzzled: "It's said... who said so?"

Lance: "A newly appointed Elite Four member. He possesses psychic powers and also purchased a rare item from this shop: a Pot of Light crafted from Light Clay, which can boost the power of Psychic-type Pokémon and has the effect of extending the duration of Light Screen and Reflect."

"Right, I should check if this shop has any new arrivals today... Oh? Dragonite and Dratini sculptures?!"

Lance's eyes instantly lit up. Reading the description below, he placed his order without a second thought!

"Ha! A sculpture that can immunity-block status conditions! Lorelei, your signature Freezing status is going to be sealed tight this time! On the contrary, my Dragon legion has never disdained using petty tricks like status conditions; true battle relies solely on one's own strength!"

...

"Idiot." Lorelei suddenly wore a speechless expression: "I can ask the artisan to custom-make some Pokémon sculptures for me too. They'll also possess special abilities, right?"

"I saw in the product descriptions above that each type of sculpture has a different function, and they match their respective types."

"If I also order sculptures of Lapras, Dewgong, and Cloyster, or buy some unique items, won't you just lose again?"

As she spoke, Lance found himself momentarily unable to refute her, and could only mutter: "That place will definitely sell more useful items! When the time comes, I'll still be the one who wins!"

Ignoring Lance, Lorelei sent an email to Mossy Light.

Just as she had said, the changes in Lance after acquiring his item were plain for her to see. With items this powerful, of course she had to buy them for herself!

...

Paldea region, Artazon.

"This piece... can be described as avant-garde art!"

A man with wisteria-colored curls, a wine-red shirt, and a gaunt face saw Mossy Light's shop while searching for artworks.

And the ancient sculptures inside instantly captured his attention!

This man was none other than the Gym Leader of Artazon, known as the sculpture artist, Brassius!

However, just as this man was feeling excited, another tall man beside him with long yellow hair, a green jacket, gray pants, and a red bowtie also nodded. This was Hassel, the Dragon-type master and Dragon tamer:

"Indeed so, Akoya. Such brilliant antique-imitation technology—this in itself is already a form of avant-garde art!"

"Yes! Retro-style art can transport people through time and space. That vintage, nostalgic atmosphere deeply captivates everyone. Compared to the chaotic modern life, the past feels simpler and more comfortable, generating an illusion of classics and eternity. This is precisely the strong charm of retro-style art!"

"This is truly a treasure of a shop!"

"Oh, there's a Dratini. This Dratini... avant-garde art! I want to have an in-depth exchange with this artisan... no, with this master artist!" A spark of light seemed to be brewing in Brassius's eyes!

"There will be an art exhibition in the latter half of this year, and I hope to invite this artist to attend!"

"My inspiration is welling up! A retro style... just like the ancient sculptures from ruins, mysterious and profound!"

Hassel: "The Dragonite shape is quite nice too! And it says right on these sculptures that they possess unique utility... It feels truly incredible. Could it be a marketing tag pasted on by the merchant just to boost sales volume? But regardless, it's well worth it to buy an artwork like this at this price!"

"In any case, let's place the order? Let's get familiar with the other party first and then invite him!"