Chapter 64: Hassaku's Recommendation

Artisan Town, Artazon, in the Paldea region.

The long-awaited international parcel had finally arrived safely at its destination. The renowned sculptor and artist, Brassius, could no longer contain his inner excitement. Standing beside him was his dear friend, Hassel, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Paldea region.

Both men possessed a profound mastery and unique understanding of art. However, compared to the relatively optimistic Hassel, Brassius, as a celebrated sculptor, frequently fell into slumps due to a lack of inspiration. It was Hassel who had previously suggested that he browse the internet for news and information regarding Pokémon to spark some creativity. It was during that very process that they discovered Mossy Shop.

That intense retro style, resembling antique sculptures reemerged from ancient ruins—Brassius had been utterly mesmerized and captivated the very moment he laid eyes on them, instantly igniting a burst of fresh inspiration.

Although he was an artist who championed nature, the breath of civilization was equally a part of nature. Humans, Pokémon, the sky, the earth, the ocean, rivers... humanity and nature were fundamentally one. Towns built by man, ancient ruins overgrown with moss under the erosion of time, whispering old tales—this, too, was a manifestation of art.

Thus, during the days while the sculptures were in transit, Brassius had attempted to "replicate" the antique items from the photographs himself, yet...

The results were difficult to put into words.

The craft of sculpture could not be easily imitated, especially since the other party's sculptural skills had reached an unfathomable realm. Brassius had carved several pieces, but no matter how he tried to copy them, he could not capture that ancient spiritual charm.

He did not know much about ancient ruins, which Brassius believed was one of the major reasons he failed to emulate the other's technique. Furthermore, there was a vast gap in sculptural proficiency between the two of them.

A vast gap between himself and the master!

Brassius and Hassel transported the delivered crate of sculptures into the private carving studio. Throughout the process, Brassius meticulously examined the replica sculptures he had made earlier once more.

"These works are all failures. Whether it is the carving technique, the sculptural style, or the spiritual essence, I haven't captured a single one!"

His mood dipped slightly. After placing the crate in the designated spot, the much taller Hassel offered words of comfort:

"Arven—oh, I mean, my friend, those are simply different sculptural styles. One can tell at a glance that the other person's style has been polished and refined through repeated practice. Just as it is difficult for you to copy that shopkeeper's style, perhaps that shopkeeper could not replicate your sculptural style either."

Hassel patted Brassius on the shoulder, but Brassius only sighed. "No, in terms of carving technique alone, the difference is immense."

"You saw it too, Hassel, when the shop previously offered wood-carving commissions. Even the wood radiated an ancient aura, a strong retro style. Through the Rotom Phone, it felt as though I had been transported to a distant antiquity, to that unfamiliar world... What were the worlds of a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago like? One could glimpse them right through the sculpture!"

The more Brassius spoke, the more excited he became. Maintaining this surge of excitement, he pried open the shipping crate.

This time, the aura of antiquity truly rushed straight toward them!

The sculptures of Sudowoodo and Gible were unboxed. Although the poses of both Pokémon were quite ordinary, their spiritual essences were captured so perfectly that they looked like living Pokémon turned into statues. As Brassius stared at the Sudowoodo sculpture, he felt as though its gaze could speak, quietly watching over him.

Brassius even experienced an illusion: the very next instant, this Sudowoodo might spring back to life from its stone state!

Using words like "lifelike" was no longer sufficient to describe the exquisite craftsmanship of these antique sculptures. This was the true charm of art!

"What avant-garde art!"

The life and death of a work depended on the artist; what the eyes saw, what the hands touched—everything could become a prompt for creating art! The sculptures before him were truly like living Pokémon, seeming to tell Brassius that this was how they had truly lived once upon a time, truly alive in an era long, long ago!

"Truly astonishing..." Hassel was also dumbfounded as he looked on. An outsider might only think the sculptures were aesthetically pleasing with a unique artistic flair, but only insiders like them understood just how intricate and superb the technique revealed within these sculptures truly was.

"The physical pieces are even more refined and ancient than the photographs."

"As for the effect..." At that moment, Hassel felt that the special effect of the sculpture was actually its least important aspect.

The Sudowoodo sculpture could deepen comprehension of Mimic.

The Gible sculpture could increase excavation efficiency and enhance the corresponding Pokémon's comprehension.

"Gible!" Hassel's Gible swayed its body, opened its mouth wide, and hopped onto the table. It stared at the "companion" that looked just like it yet seemed petrified, letting out a confused cry.

Why had its companion turned into a stone statue?

Hassel immediately smiled and explained, "Haha, Senior Gible, that is not a real Pokémon. It's just a sculpture. Did it trick you into thinking otherwise?"

"Gible?" The Gible looked back and forth between the two men and the sculpture in puzzlement, scratching its little claw against its head in incomprehension.

It had never seen such a brilliant sculpture before; it genuinely thought this was its peer!

Gible stared blankly at the sculpture, and quite suddenly, some peculiar thoughts began to well up in its mind.

That feeling was like an instinct. Guided by this instinct, Gible began to move almost involuntarily.

Swaying its body, gathering the strength of its entire body toward its tail, its perception of Dragon-type energy became much sharper. Previously, it had relied purely on instinct to execute moves, but this was the first time it felt that energy could be moved around freely.

Thus, exerting all its strength, its two small claws clenched tightly, and it closed its eyes and pushed with all its might!

"Gi... ble..."

"Oh, oh, Senior Gible, what is wrong with you!" Hassel watched Gible's transformation and immediately checked the manual. At that moment, Gible's tail was gradually growing larger, and an expanding surge of Dragon-type energy was being concentrated in its tail!

Brilliant Dragon-type energy overflowed from the tail, transforming into a powerful whip-like appendage!

Senior Gible had learned Dragon Tail!

"Gible!" Gible cried out loudly, swinging the tail formed by the gathered energy. Its own tail was very short, making it impossible to sweep enemies with a massive tail like other powerful Dragon Pokémon, but now, it had grown an extra tail of its own!

Gible was overjoyed!

"It truly comprehended a move... enhancing the corresponding Pokémon's comprehension... So that was it! What on earth did Senior Gible feel just now, and why did it suddenly exert itself like that?"

Both Hassel and Brassius were astonished, circling Gible to inspect it from all angles. Brassius, in particular, had witnessed the entire scene unfold just then, and a torrent of inspiration suddenly surged into his mind!

A new carving work... a new piece of art—"Gible that Learned Dragon Tail"!

"Inspiration... inspiration is gushing forth!"

Brassius looked excitedly at the stone carving of Gible. He already knew what he should carve next. At the same time, looking back at the Sudowoodo sculpture, a multitude of fresh inspirations welled up within him once more, continuously and endlessly!

He immediately fetched timber and arranged his carving tools. Hassel was taken aback, but Brassius declared, "This time, this time I will surely replicate this style of sculpture! The physical object and the photograph are completely different! This aesthetic transcending time and space, I will perfectly reproduce this carving technique!"

"And apply this sculptural art to a new piece! Oh, oh, avant-garde art!"

Brassius plunged into a state of artistic frenzy. As an artist, he possessed a perfectionistic obsession with his work, which was why he frequently fell into bottlenecks and would even close down the gym he managed. Seeing Brassius enter this state of artistic fervor, Hassel knew that he was no longer in the mood to communicate with others and only wanted to complete a new sculpture as soon as possible. Thus, he could only sigh helplessly, though a smile quickly followed.

In any case, that shopkeeper's work had allowed Brassius to break through his bottleneck. Such an outcome was for the best!

Meanwhile, Hassel himself had also gained numerous inspirations from those carvings. How to embody an ancient style in paintings and music was a tremendously difficult challenge, but striving to turn that feeling into substance and presenting it to others—that was precisely the charm of painting and music.

Hassel opened his Rotom Phone, stared at Mossy Shop for a moment, and sent a message.

"Shopkeeper, have you ever considered crafting musical instruments? Or custom pieces would work too..."

"And some training items... the new items are the Glass Whistle and Muddy Food..."

"By the way, among the League's Elite Four members, isn't Ms. Larry an expert in Ground-type Pokémon? These items should be somewhat helpful to her. I should recommend them to her!"

Ping—

Suddenly, at that exact moment, Hassel's Rotom Phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Hassel answered with a helpless expression:

"Yes... This is Hassel, I am in Artazon... The Top Champion wants to inspect the gym? But right now... Ah, no, I'm actually not slacking off. Arven—ah, Brassius has fallen into an artistic frenzy and won't pay attention to anyone for the time being. He was previously troubled because there were no good pieces for the second half of the Artazon art exhibition."

"The reason he became like this is because we recently saw a shop... Oh right, besides artworks, the shop also has some battling and training items. You should find them interesting, Top Champion?"

————

"Training items for Ground-type Pokémon... the Earth Glass Whistle and Muddy Food..."

"These descriptions sound exceptionally powerful, especially the Muddy Food, but do such things really exist in reality... It's almost like those legendary Herba Mystica..."

A green-haired career woman dressed in sharp professional attire was browsing through the merchandise. She had just finished a new round of interviews, defeating a rookie trainer attempting to challenge the Paldean League.

However, as a relatively junior Elite Four member in Paldea—though favored by Geeta and appointed as an interviewer and assistant—the more she battled others, the more she felt her own shortcomings, especially during battles against rookie trainers. This feeling was glaringly obvious.

Perhaps she should step up her training intensity... Sometimes Larry felt she might not yet meet the standards of an Elite Four level.

Speaking of which, the League was currently executing a long-term plan intended to test and train the students of the Paldea Academy through various trials, thereby raising Paldea's overall strength. This was a joint initiative with the Paldea Academy, alongside the establishment of a new rank, "Champion-tier," shifting the academy's focus toward the goal of "cultivating Champion-tier trainers."

Although no one had passed this Champion assessment thus far, the pressure put upon her by the youths at the academy was not insignificant. This ought to have been a good thing, but it left Larry harboring some self-doubt.

Just as she was feeling somewhat distressed, that Dragon-type expert and fellow Elite Four member, Hassel, seemed to have perceived the low spirits hidden beneath her optimistic facade and recommended this shop to her.

As a veteran member of the League, despite his strange verbal tic and preaching habits, Hassel was a remarkably reliable person. Perhaps because he was also an artist, his sensitivity was quite acute.

"Nothing escapes Hassel's eyes... Even the fact that I'm doubting my own strength was discovered..."

Ground-type experts were exceptionally rare to begin with, remarkably scarce across all regions, making training items related to the Ground type even scarcer.

"Since it's Hassel's recommendation... I might as well buy some and give them try. At least I recognize items like Soft Sand; this surely isn't a scam."