Chapter 43: Worthy of Avant-Garde Art!

I originally planned to buy more cursed talismans, seriously, don’t snatch the goods from me.

Are all people who buy cursed talismans mediums?

Unova Region, Ripple Town.

A woman with purple hair and dark skin, wearing jeans, a work shirt, feather ornaments, and various strange ancient pendants, was currently viewing Guang Tai’s shop interface.

The talisman page had once again become unavailable for purchase; Lei He angrily scratched her head and turned her gaze to the newly listed items.

Are these new items sculptures?

A Gengar sculpture.

“Special effect: easier to spot items hidden in dark corners.”

“Hey! This is perfect for me! When I go ‘archaeology’ at ruins, some things are buried too deep—I’ve been struggling with that.”

“Gengga!” Beside Lei He, the Gengar that had sent Guang Tai the cursed email was also there, staring at the item interface on the computer, pointing at the “Gengar Sculpture” and laughing Xixixi .

“You want this sculpture too, Gengar?” Lei He chuckled lightly.

“Gengga!” Gengar raised its hand, its chubby body wobbling to show how much it wanted it!

“Alright, this thing is useful for us anyway—but if there was a sculpture that could phase through walls, that’d be even better.”

Lei He imagined it in her mind, then shook her head, dismissing the impractical thought.

When tomb raiding—no, ‘archaeology’—those maze-like walls are annoying, but that’s part of the thrill of exploring ruins. If you lose that thrill, the joy of finding ancient artifacts diminishes too.

“I heard rumors of underwater ruins in Unova—it’s supposed to be a treasure trove of ancient history—but I saw nothing. Was it just a boring legend?”

“I can’t even use the purified talismans I prepared. Looks like I’ll have to head back to Paldea. Unova hasn’t been peaceful lately—the Plasma Group is spreading their boring nation-building doctrine here.”

“Speaking of which, if you’re a craftsperson, you might excel at ruin exploration—I was almost fooled by this antique-style sculpture. At first glance, I thought it was a genuine ancient artifact, but the description said it was a replica.”

“Can a forged history still count as history?”

Lei He became interested in Guang Tai: “If I buy these sculptures in advance and ship them to Paldea, I’ll receive them when I return. Maybe this craftsperson can provide me with more special items later—even those sealing stakes I read about in ancient texts. If I find them or tell him about them, he’d probably be interested.”

“But I still need to gather more historical data. Four Pokémon, passed through many hands, gradually became imbued with human desire and sorcery…”

“This ancient Paldea legend—how were the Pokémon sealed? What tools were used to seal them? If I can solve this mystery—yes, this craftsperson will one day help me.”

“If I can find the sealing sites of the Cursed Treasures, I might just have him help me break those seals open.”

Lei He thought it over, changed the shipping address, and purchased the Gengar sculpture.

Kanto Region, Seven Islands.

In the Seven Islands, the Kanto and Johto Dual Champion, former Dragon-type Gym Leader and League Investigator, Lt. Surge, had an informal match against the former Ice-type Gym Leader, Koga—and Lt. Surge won.

To outsiders, this seemed normal—after all, Lt. Surge was the Champion, while Koga was merely a former Gym Leader.

But Koga, as a participant, did not see it that way.

Dragon-types have weak resistance to Ice-type moves, so even though Lt. Surge was the strongest at the Indigo Plateau, he often lost battles against her. Gym Leaders normally spar to maintain their strength, but this time was different!

“How’s this? With the Aura Band on my Gyarados, even your Lapras using Thunder couldn’t knock it down! This is the bond between me and my Dragon Pokémon!”

Lt. Surge’s spirit was exhilarated. After buying the strange item from an unknown craftsperson, he tested it briefly, confirmed its effectiveness, and immediately rode his Dragonite to the Seven Islands.

The former Ice-type Gym Leader had resigned from her Indigo Plateau position to protect her homeland, replaced by a new Gym Leader.

But for Lt. Surge, with Koga—the “target”—gone and Red also leaving the Indigo Plateau, though he became Champion, he always felt the title was handed to him.

The weakness leaving doesn’t mean the weakness vanished.

Dragon-types are weak to Ice, and Gyarados can’t withstand Electric attacks—both of which were Koga’s specialties!

“Thank you, Koga! Now my Dragon Pokémon team fears neither Ice nor Electric moves! Dragon-type is the strongest!”

“Strongest? It’s clearly the strange item doing the work!” Koga couldn’t help retorting, rubbing her forehead, while Lt. Surge laughed heartily: “No! The seller said that as long as I have a strong bond with my Pokémon, no matter how many attacks they take, they won’t fall!”

“This is the bond between me and my Pokémon! Those without such a bond can only rely on this item to survive one hit in a type-disadvantaged, one-hit-KO situation!”

Lt. Surge was in high spirits. Koga was speechless, but soon asked: “If you can buy strange items, why can’t I? Seriously, what’s there to boast about? Besides, you only held out three times—first time was thanks to the item, the next two were just luck. You still got knocked down on the fourth!”

“Also, what’s the shop’s name?”

“Oh, Koga, are you returning to the League? But the Elite Four is already full,” Lt. Surge seriously considered: “To rejoin the League, you’d need to defeat a current Elite Four member.”

“I have no intention of returning. I’m just a regular Pokémon Trainer now. Isn’t buying items perfectly normal?” Koga waved her hand: “I’m still needed here in the Seven Islands. What if Team Rocket reappears? I heard they haven’t disbanded—they’re still active.”

“I see,” Lt. Surge nodded, then recommended Guang Tai’s shop to Koga.

“It’s a shop selling miraculous items. Supposedly, tools made by this craftsperson enhance both Pokémon and Trainers in unique ways.”

Koga frowned: “Supposedly—who said that?”

Lt. Surge: “A new Elite Four member—he’s a Psychic-type, bought a rare item from this shop: a Light Clay Pot made of Light Clay. It boosts Psychic-type Pokémon’s power and extends the duration of Light Screen and Reflect.”

“By the way, let me check if there are any new items… Huh? Dragonite and Dratini sculptures?!”

Lt. Surge’s eyes lit up. He read the description and immediately placed the order without hesitation!

“Haha! Sculptures that resist status conditions—Koga, now your signature Freeze status won’t work on me! And my Dragon team never relies on status moves—true battle demands raw strength!”

“Idiot,” Koga suddenly looked utterly unimpressed: “I can ask the craftsperson to make me custom Pokémon sculptures too. They’ll have special effects too, right?”

“I noticed the product descriptions—each sculpture has a unique effect matching its type.”

“If I order Lapras, Sealeo, and Cloyster sculptures—or buy more unique items—you’ll lose again.”

She said this, and Lt. Surge had no reply, only muttered: “They’ll definitely have more useful items later—I’ll still win then!”

Koga ignored Lt. Surge and sent Guang Tai an email.

As she said, she had clearly seen the changes in Lt. Surge after acquiring the item. Such powerful tools—she obviously needed to buy them too.

Paldea Region, Deep Bowl Town.

This piece… is truly avant-garde art!

A thin-faced man with curly Teng -colored hair, wearing a wine-red shirt, spotted Guang Tai’s shop while searching for artworks.

The ancient sculptures inside instantly captivated him!

The man was Kossa, the Gym Leader of Deep Bowl Town, known as the Sculpting Artist.

But as this man excitedly stared, another tall man beside him—yellow hair, green coat, gray pants, red tie—nodded in agreement. He was Basso, the Dragon Clan’s Dragon Tamer:

“Indeed, Kossa. Such masterful antique replication is itself a form of avant-garde art!”

“Yes! Retro art lets you transcend time—the nostalgic atmosphere deeply draws people in. Compared to modern chaos, the past feels simpler, more comfortable, creating an illusion of classic permanence—that’s the powerful allure of retro art!”

“This is truly a treasure trove of a shop!”

“Oh, there’s Dratini—this Dratini… avant-garde art! I want to have a deep conversation with this craftsperson—no, with this master artist!” Kossa’s eyes glowed with passion!

“There’s an art exhibition this fall—I want to invite this artist!”

“My inspiration is surging! Retro style—like ancient sculptures from ruins—mysterious, profound!”

Basso: “The Dragonite design is excellent too! And these sculptures claim unique effects… unbelievable. Could it just be marketing hype to boost sales? But regardless, the price for such art is worth it!”

“In any case, place the order? Get familiar with them first, then invite them!”

(End of Chapter)