Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World-Chapter 64 -

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In the Paldea region, at Cascarrafa City.

A long-awaited international delivery had finally arrived at its destination. The well-known sculptor, Brassius, could barely contain his excitement. Beside him stood his friend, Hassel, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Paldea region.

Both men shared a deep appreciation for art. However, compared to the more optimistic Hassel, Brassius—being a renowned sculptor—often found himself in creative slumps due to a lack of inspiration.

Previously, it was Hassel who had suggested he browse Pokémon-related news and updates online to find inspiration. During that process, they discovered Hikaru's shop.

The intense vintage aesthetic, the sculptures resembling ancient relics revived from ruins—one glance was all it took for Brassius to become utterly captivated, completely immersed, and instantly filled with new inspiration.

Although he was an artist who revered nature, he also believed that civilization was an integral part of nature. Humans, Pokémon, the sky, the land, the ocean, the rivers... People and nature had always been intertwined. Towns built by people, ancient ruins covered in moss over the ages, whispering old stories—these were also forms of artistic expression.

Thus, during the days while waiting for the sculptures to arrive, Brassius attempted to "replicate" the ancient-style sculptures he had seen in the photos. However...

The results were unspeakable.

Sculpting techniques could not be easily imitated, especially when the other artist's craftsmanship had already reached a near-divine level. Brassius had carved several pieces, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not capture the ancient essence.

His knowledge of ruins was limited, and he believed that was one reason he could not replicate the same artistic essence. Another crucial factor was the vast difference in sculpting skills between him and the shop owner.

The difference was massive!

Brassius and Hassel carried the crate containing their ordered sculptures into Brassius's workshop. During the process, Brassius took another long, careful look at the imitation sculptures he had carved earlier.

"These are all failures. Whether it's the carving technique, the sculpting style, or the artistic essence—I couldn't replicate any of it!"

His tone was filled with frustration. Hassel, towering over him, set the crate down in its designated spot and tried to console his friend.

"Brassius, this is merely a difference in artistic style. From the looks of it, that shop owner must have gone through years of meticulous refinement and practice. Just as you find it difficult to mimic their style, they might struggle to replicate yours."

Hassel patted Brassius on the shoulder, but Brassius let out a sigh. "No, even in terms of pure sculpting technique, the gap is immense."

"That shop also offers wooden carvings—you saw them too, didn't you, Hassel? Even the wood sculptures exude an ancient aura, that strong vintage aesthetic. Even through the Pokégear screen, it felt like I was being transported to a distant past. A world from a hundred, a thousand years ago... You can catch a glimpse of it just from the sculptures!"

Brassius became increasingly excited as he spoke. Riding that emotion, he eagerly opened the crate.

At that moment, an ancient air seemed to rush out toward them!

The sculptures of Sudowoodo and Gible were carefully taken out. Although both Pokémon were captured in rather ordinary poses, their essence was perfectly preserved. They looked as if they had been turned to stone rather than sculpted from scratch. As Brassius gazed at the Sudowoodo sculpture, it felt as though its eyes were truly watching him, observing him in silence.

He even had the illusion that, in the next instant, the Sudowoodo would spring to life!

Words like "lifelike" were not enough to describe the sheer brilliance of this ancient-style craftsmanship. This was the power of art!

"This is avant-garde art!"

An artist gives life to their work. Everything they see and touch can become a source of artistic creation! And the sculptures before them truly looked like real, living Pokémon—telling the story of their past existence, as if they had once roamed a distant era long ago!

"This is astonishing..." Hassel was equally amazed. A casual observer might simply find these sculptures aesthetically pleasing, but as artists, they could recognize the incredible precision and skill embedded in these pieces.

"They look even more refined and ancient in person than they did in the photos."

"As for the effects..." Hassel remarked. At this point, he felt that the supposed special effects of the sculptures were the least important aspect.

The Sudowoodo sculpture enhanced one's ability to understand mimicry techniques.

The Gible sculpture improved digging efficiency and enhanced a Pokémon's ability to learn moves.

"Gible!" Hassel's Gible swayed its body, opened its mouth wide, and jumped onto the table. It stared at the sculpture, tilting its head in confusion.

Why did its companion turn to stone?!

Hassel burst into laughter. "Haha! My dear Gible, this isn't an actual Pokémon. It's just a sculpture! Did it fool you?"

"Gible?" Gible looked at the two humans, then at the sculpture again, scratching its head in puzzlement.

It had never seen such a realistic sculpture before—it really thought it had found a stone version of itself!

Gible stared at the sculpture in a daze. Then, all of a sudden, strange thoughts began forming in its mind.

The feeling was like instinct. Following this instinctual pull, Gible subconsciously started moving.

Swaying its body, it focused its energy toward its tail. Its perception of Dragon-type energy sharpened. Before, it had always relied purely on instinct to use its moves. But now, for the first time, it felt as though its power could be freely controlled.

Thus, using all of its strength, it clenched its tiny claws, closed its eyes, and focused intensely!

"Gible...!"

"Oh! Gible, what's happening?!" Hassel quickly checked the description of the sculpture's effects. At that moment, Gible's tail was swelling, a surge of Dragon-type energy condensing at its tip!

The shining energy burst from its tail, forming a powerful whip-like force!

Gible had learned Dragon Tail!

"Gible!" The little Pokémon let out an excited cry, eagerly swinging its newly energized tail. Its actual tail was short, so it had never been able to execute wide, sweeping attacks like stronger Dragon-types. But now, it finally had a tail attack of its own!

Gible was overjoyed!

"So it really works—the sculpture helps Pokémon understand moves better... That's incredible! Gible, what did you feel just now? Why did you suddenly focus so intensely?"

Both Hassel and Brassius were astounded as they circled around Gible, examining it from all angles. Brassius, in particular, had been completely captivated by what had just transpired. A sudden rush of inspiration flooded his mind!

A new sculpture... A new art piece—"Gible Learning Dragon Tail"!

"Inspiration... It's flowing out of me!"

Brassius gazed excitedly at the Gible sculpture. He knew exactly what he needed to sculpt next. Then, looking at the Sudowoodo sculpture, he felt another surge of creative energy rising within him—boundless and unstoppable!

Immediately, he gathered his wood materials and prepared his carving tools. Hassel was taken aback, but Brassius declared, "This time—this time, I will replicate this sculpting style! Seeing the real sculpture is completely different from just looking at photos! This artistic beauty, transcending time and space—I will perfectly recreate this carving technique!"

"And I will apply it to my next masterpiece! Ah, avant-garde art!"

Brassius had entered an artistic frenzy. As an artist, he had a relentless pursuit of perfection, often falling into creative slumps so severe that he would even close his Gym temporarily. Seeing him in this state, Hassel knew there was no point in trying to talk to him now—Brassius would be consumed by his work until the sculpture was complete.

Hassel sighed but soon smiled.

At least the shop owner's work had helped Brassius break through his slump. That was the best outcome possible!

Hassel himself had also gained inspiration from the sculptures. How could ancient aesthetics be translated into painting and music? It was a difficult challenge, but the ability to turn these feelings into tangible art and share them with others—that was the magic of painting and music.

Opening his Pokégear, Hassel stared at Hikaru's shop for a moment before sending a message.

"Shopkeeper, have you considered making musical instruments? Or custom orders?"

"Also, some tools for Pokémon training... The new items listed are the Glass Whistle and Hardy Soil Treats."

"By the way, among the Elite Four members, Ms. Rika is a Ground-type specialist, isn't she? These items might be useful to her. You should recommend them to her!"

Beep beep—

Just then, Hassel's Pokégear rang. Seeing the caller ID, Hassel sighed in mild exasperation before answering the call.

"Yes, this is Hassel. I'm in Cascarrafa City. Chief, you want to inspect the Gym? Right now? Actually, I'm not slacking off—Brassius is currently in an artistic frenzy and won't be paying attention to anyone for a while. He had been struggling to come up with pieces for the upcoming Cascarrafa City Art Exhibition, and it had been troubling him for quite some time."

"The reason he's like this now is because we recently discovered a shop... Oh, by the way, aside from artistic items, this shop also sells training and breeding tools. You might be interested in them, Chief."

"Ground-type training tools... The Glass Whistle and Hardy Soil Treats."

"These descriptions make them sound impressive, especially the Hardy Soil Treats. But could something like this actually exist? It sounds like a mythical ingredient, like the Herba Mystica."

A sharp-looking woman with short green hair, dressed in a formal yet stylish suit, scrolled through the shop's listings. She had just finished another battle—an interview match against a rising star Trainer who was challenging the Paldea League.

As a relatively new Elite Four member of Paldea, Rika had been personally selected and appointed by Geeta, serving as both an interviewer and assistant. However, the more battles she fought, the more she felt her own shortcomings—especially when facing promising new Trainers.

Maybe she needed to intensify her own training... Sometimes, Rika couldn't help but wonder if she truly deserved the title of Elite Four.

Speaking of which, the League was currently implementing a long-term project, aiming to strengthen students from the Paldea Academy through various tests. This initiative was meant to raise Paldea's overall competitive level. It was a joint effort between the Paldea League and the Academy, and it introduced a new ranking: Champion Rank.

The Academy's new primary focus was training students to reach Champion Rank Trainers.

So far, no one had passed the Champion Rank exam yet, but the ambition and determination of the Academy students put pressure on her as well. It should have been a good thing, yet it made Rika question herself.

Just as she was feeling a bit troubled, Hassel—Paldea's long-time Elite Four veteran and Dragon-type expert—seemed to notice the self-doubt hidden beneath her cheerful demeanor. And so, he recommended this shop to her.

Hassel, despite his eccentric speaking habits and tendency to lecture others, was a reliable person. Perhaps because he was also an artist, he had a keen sense of emotion and could read between the lines.

"Nothing escapes Hassel's eyes, huh? He even figured out that I've been doubting my own strength..."

Ground-type specialists were already rare across all regions, and because of that, training tools designed specifically for Ground-types were even harder to come by.

"Since Hassel is recommending this, I guess I'll buy them and give them a try. At the very least, I know Soft Sand is a real item, so this shouldn't be a scam."

(End of Chapter)

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