Chapter 149: The Champion Is Born

After the preliminaries.

The Calligrapher welcomed the decisive championship tournament as the main event.

Baimu figured that as long as no participant showed up like Dakdo, dropping in like a deus ex machina with legendary Pokémon and mythical Pokémon to bully the kids, her odds of getting a good placing were still very high.

But even knowing this in her heart.

He still grew a little nervous, wondering—if she couldn't take the championship at the League Conference, could she get first place at the Calligraphy Academy Exhibition?

With two blue-grade talents, what were the odds of going undefeated in both competitions?

Would one side rejoice while the other fell flat…?

He held his breath slightly. The Axew beside him felt the trainer's muscles tense and curiously looked up.

"Mo Nao?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Baimu forced a smile at it, then turned back to watch the Calligrapher commanding the field on the light screen—more nervous than when he himself competed. Regardless, he still hoped the Calligrapher would get a good ending.

From the quarterfinals to the semifinals, from the semifinals to the finals at last.

He held his breath and hung his heart, awaiting the arrival of dawn—

Finally.

When the finals opponent sent out his last Pokémon, Rhyperior, and the Calligrapher had only her ace Pokémon Smeargle left, the moment that would decide the outcome arrived.

【Heart-to-Heart】, the Calligrapher's blue talent, had only shown some effect before when the Calligrapher understood her Pokémon's desires—nothing as striking as 【Wealthy Background】.

Baimu had always thought this talent was just for helping the Calligrapher reconcile with her Pokémon.

But when the battle reached its most tense single second.

【Heart-to-Heart】 appeared.

The Calligrapher abandoned verbal commands; her right hand rose slightly as if loosely gripping a brush that wasn't there, waving it ceaselessly through the air.

At the very same moment.

Smeargle's body jolted, and the motion of its tail-brush synchronized with the Calligrapher in some uncanny way.

Though the two stood far apart, their hearts were bound tightly together. The boulders Rhyperior hurled were blocked again and again by waves, flames, and rising Shi Zhu, letting Smeargle close the distance on it.

Due to the pixel limits, Baimu couldn't fully take in this awe-inspiring sight—only seeing Smeargle run up before Rhyperior, ignore its swinging arm, and lift its brush to tap lightly on its forehead.

As if sketching some shape, or perhaps inscribing a character.

In the next instant, a giant arm identical to Rhyperior's condensed in the air and slammed Rhyperior hard to the ground.

【Your Smeargle has gained further insight into sketching】

【You have achieved final victory, becoming the champion of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference】

Hah!

Baimu shot to his feet, eyes locked on that line of narration, and clenched his fist hard!

She won the championship! She did it! The Calligrapher took the League Conference championship!

He hadn't expected the simulator's first championship to come this fast—this was only the twelfth simulation!

Baimu, beside himself with excitement, hugged Axew hard, then ran outside and hugged each of them—Blissey and the rest—squeezing their faces viciously.

Only then, under the bewildered gazes of many Pokémon, did he continue watching.

The conference championship probably wasn't the end.

Right.

Just as he'd thought, the conference championship wasn't the end. Having earned the right to challenge the Champion League, the Calligrapher couldn't wait to take on the Elite Four and even the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia.

But at this stage, Baimu knew without guessing that the Calligrapher's challenge would likely come to nothing.

Sure enough, the Calligrapher couldn't even beat the fourth Elite member—her fan, Byron—and Baimu felt quite regretful.

The conference championship was indeed still a long way from the Elite Four, unless one was the abnormal kind of trainer who already possessed Elite-level strength during the Gym Challenge era.

【You were defeated by Byron; your League challenge has ended】

【You returned to Hearthome City, quietly awaiting the results of the Calligraphy Academy and Art Academy exhibitions with Smeargle】

The scene hadn't ended yet.

Baimu calmed himself and waited along with it.

Not long after.

The Calligrapher received two invitation letters resembling notices, and took Smeargle to participate in the calligraphy exhibition and the art exhibition. The results followed in due course.

【Your "Reflections on Viewing the Sinnoh Land" placed fifth】

【Your Smeargle placed sixth】

—Huh?

Triumph in the trainer world, defeat in one's actual profession?

Baimu was dumbfounded. By rights, with the Calligrapher having grown to this point, she shouldn't have results that were this stagnant or even regressive.

But he quickly understood why: the winter Calligraphy Academy Exhibition was different from ordinary calligraphy competitions—many highly respected, world-renowned old-school calligraphers took part.

These people were often in their fifties or sixties, and the oldest was even over ninety; the essence of calligraphy they commanded was far beyond what a Calligrapher who'd traveled for a year could match.

In this calligraphy game, the older you get, the more monstrous you become.

Put another way, to take fifth place at the age of fifteen was already enough to cause a small stir around the Calligrapher.

The opponent who had once beaten him with a model copy was ruthlessly tossed outside the top ten.

The same went for Smeargle—on one hand, it was its first competition; on the other, its painting skills still had plenty of room to grow.

The industry's assessment of the Calligrapher also shifted from 【Copying Monster】, 【Robot】, 【Award Monster】 to 【Green】, 【Full of Promise】, 【Promising New Voice of the Expressive School】, and the like.

siluke.

【You realize that your path of calligraphy, and Smeargle's path of painting, still have a long road to walk】

The frame froze on the calligrapher standing beside the curator, addressing everyone at the exhibition.

【Simulation Ended】

All Baimu let out a long breath, picked up his phone, and searched for the Sinnoh trainer whose Smeargle had won the tournament championship.

Immediately, an entry popped up in the search results.

Nan Yun, renowned female calligrapher of Sinnoh, champion of the ××th Lily of the Valley Conference…

He blinked, looked at her photo, and saw a beautiful woman with a gentle, soft appearance. The entry noted she was only twenty years old, yet gave off a dignified grace far beyond her apparent age.

Especially those photos of Nan Yun picking up her brush—honestly, they were quite captivating.

Born into a wealthy family, with fame and talent of her own, every aspect of her qualities was practically maxed out.

"She really doesn't look like someone with a fiery temper who'd tear up her own work in public…"

All Baimu couldn't help but smile slightly.

At this moment.

The simulation rewards popped up.

【Fixed Reward: TM ×5 (attribute may be specified)】

【Fixed Reward: Calligrapher's Ancient Language Memories — Sinnoh Region Edition (may be reviewed repeatedly)】

【Fixed Reward: Smeargle's Painting Memories — Sketching Edition (may be reviewed repeatedly)】

……

【Choice Reward One: Any Pokémon raised by five levels (below Lv. 70)】

【Choice Reward Two: A clue to a Pokémon with specified base stats (excluding Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, and Ultra Beasts)】

【Choice Reward Three: Move — Thunder (may be assigned to a Pokémon to learn)】

【Choice Reward Four: Carry the talent 【Unwavering】 over to the next simulation】

The rewards were still pick-three-of-four.

But right now All Baimu just wanted to blurt out a curse.

"Holy crap!"

He really did shout it out loud.