After returning to Aspertia City, it was time to say goodbye.

Director Cyrano needed to head to the Trainer School in Aspertia City to observe classes. Banseirō, brimming with enthusiasm, said he wanted to have a showdown with Hikaru somewhere down the line; as a PE-track student, his head was packed with nothing but battles.

In the Special manga, Banseirō also caused a stir on the very first day of school and was suspended to reflect—something he personally didn’t care about at all.

Among “wild-style” Trainers, Banseirō could be said to value real combat even more than Ash and to neglect theory even more—but his strength let him stand at the peak of the facility circuit where experts gathered. That’s probably what you call an inborn battle instinct.

Rosa: “Eh? Sensei, you’re leaving already?”

Nate: “We really learned a lot today! If Sensei could come to the Trainer School in the future, that’d be awesome.”

“Even the kids recognize your teaching chops,” Director Cyrano suddenly said. “I’m old friends with the principal of Aspertia City’s Trainer School. You may not be interested in being a teacher right now, but we both think your knowledge and level are more than enough.”

Cyrano tipped his white hat and smiled, eyes full of fondness and warmth.

“Watching these kids grow always reminds me of my own childhood.”

“How to understand Pokémon better, communicate with them, battle, become friends—the things they gain from that will benefit them for life.”

Hikaru: “You have a point. If I have the time, I might consider it.”

The kids’ enthusiasm was hard to refuse, and Director Cyrano was quite optimistic about the idea.

Still, Hikaru thought to himself that maybe guest-lecturing once might let him learn even more.

“School is also an interesting large-scale dungeon. Come to think of it, in the Pokémon worldbuilding, schools were often road-side, unassuming places, but the later the generations go, the heavier their weight becomes.”

Right—he could learn not only from the kids but also from others, from other teachers.

A true master always carries the heart of an apprentice, and “teaching and nurturing” naturally brings a sense of achievement.

But that would be for another time.

“This is fine. Things I’m not interested in now might suddenly become interesting later. The world’s always changing!”

Cyrano laughed heartily. In his eyes, Hikaru’s “teaching in the middle of real combat” style made him a perfect instructor for “Battle Studies.”

But thinking more on the theoretical knowledge within those battles, plus his insights on space and matter… it felt like Hikaru fit basically any department.

Cyrano was already thinking about how to arrange Hikaru’s future work at Blueberry Academy.

As for the Ecological Core, that would have to wait until Briar finished her surveys across the regions, gathered all materials and “fūdo” (terroir), and then research would kick off.

“Oh—so that’s your newly caught flying Pokémon?”

Seeing Genesect appear, Skyla’s eyes were drawn to it. She curiously looked it over and immediately pegged its typing.

A steel body and a giant-insect silhouette—one glance told the tale.

Hikaru: “It doesn’t have the Flying type, but it is a Pokémon that can fly at extreme speeds.”

Skyla nodded, “Looks like a really powerful Pokémon. How fast can it soar at high altitudes?”

“In that case, we can soar together too!”

“Let’s go enter a competition together when the time comes!”

Skyla explained, bright with interest: “There’s a long-standing event held in Hoenn and Sinnoh called the aerial PokéRinger competition. It’s somewhat similar to Johto’s Pokéathlon.”

Hikaru: “I’ve heard of them, but those two competitions were small, town-level events, right?”

“Mhm. They used to be,” Skyla said with a happy smile. “But after the Kalos region introduced the ‘Sky Battles’ format, Hoenn updated the PokéRinger rules in the same spirit, expanded it, and standardized it.”

“Sky Battles,” Hikaru recalled. “You mean the Sky Trainer class?”

He did indeed hold that class—an advanced profession granted by the Sky Plate.

Its origin was the Sky Trainer class in the games—Trainers who themselves fly in the sky and battle alongside their Pokémon.

In the Special manga, Serena is a remarkably skilled Sky Trainer.

“That’s right! Trainers use special suits to fly, so they can issue commands mid-air while flying with their Pokémon,” Skyla said, brimming with excitement. “But in Kalos, Sky Battles are mostly confined to areas around the Kalos canyons. Winds that hit the canyons become updrafts, making them suitable for aerial battles.”

“But Hoenn is different!”

“After optimization and improvements, the Hoenn League recently launched a new ‘Sky Battle Grand Tournament’ where the combat area is the entire high-altitude above Hoenn!”

Hikaru’s eyes lit up at once.

Soaring in high altitudes!

That’s the mode seen in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

In the games, by using the Mega-Evolved Eon Pokémon to fly, you effectively access a special form of Fly!

After Mega Evolving in midair and soaring to high altitudes, you enter a special overworld map called the Sky.

The Sky is made of atmosphere—there are no objects up there besides flying Pokémon in transit.

From there you can enter any town, route, or location reachable by flight. You can even reach mirage-like places to encounter special Pokémon.

The Sky overlaps the entire Hoenn region—that is, the space above Hoenn; the region’s bounds define the Sky’s bounds.

And there are thirteen flying maneuvers in total while traveling!

Of course, in the Pokémon Ranger tale, the protagonists once rode Latios and Latias, then fought a high-altitude battle with a sky fortress and the legendary bird Pokémon!

Hikaru cut to the chase: “So what are the prizes?”

“Haha, I knew you’d ask,” Skyla said, hands on hips, helpless. “You even entered a fighting tournament for a ‘legendary herb.’ If it’s not rare materials, are you really not motivated?”

“This is a cute girl inviting you, y’know.”

Hikaru couldn’t help but laugh. “Tournaments and battles are ways to check how our Pokémon have grown. But for me, gathering rare materials is my main profession. The rest are just side gigs.”

“Fine, fine! Prizes then. You won’t be disappointed,” Skyla exhaled. “Buuut—” she scratched her head—”I heard Sinnoh was also going to host this aerial event, since the PokéRinger existed in both regions originally.”

“But for various reasons, they haven’t been able to get things moving. So the date isn’t set yet. It may happen before the Iron-Fist Tournament.”

“That’s what Hoenn’s fellow flying enthusiast Winona told me.”

Hikaru smiled. “Got it. The magnetic fields near Mt. Coronet are abnormal, the cold-air currents are severe, and violent gales rage near the Valley Windworks. That makes holding a massive sky event difficult.”

“Yeah, and also… Sinnoh hasn’t been very safe lately.”

If you bump into a passing Team Galactic helicopter mid-match, both sides are going down.

Skyla: “Hoenn’s weather variety is another factor. One of the biggest draws of Sky Battles at high altitude is how you down enough opponents and secure a high score under harsh, changeable weather—then build your win. That suits a former pilot like me perfectly!”

“And, and—prizes!” Skyla hurried on. “They’re not as over-the-top as a ‘legendary herb,’ but they’re still super rare!”

“One of them is the Liechi Berry, known as the Sea’s Treasure. It’s said to hold the ocean’s power. Long ago you couldn’t find it anywhere in the world—except on a certain island in Hoenn.”

“As for more prizes, there seem to be even heftier ones… but those are under wraps.”

“So, Liechi Berries,” Hikaru nodded.

They truly are precious. In the games, the only legitimate way to obtain them was to reach Mirage Island in Hoenn!

Otherwise, you had to find a “warm sandy beach” of unknown location, or cross-breed special berries in Kalos’s Berry Fields to get variants.

Later generations made them more accessible on normal routes for convenience.

But since Alola already had “mirage berries” offered to the Tapu guardians, having Liechi around isn’t surprising.

Even so, in the Scarlet/Violet era, these berries appear only in Area Zero, so their rarity stays maxed out.

A Pokémon holding a Liechi Berry will see its Attack rise in a pinch.

In training terms, sustained use might significantly boost Attack potential over time.

Its overall taste is sweet-and-spicy—a mysterious seed said to contain the power of the sea.

As for Mirage Island, both Special and the games depict it as a place where time flows abnormally, so most people can’t find where it appears.

“Hoenn’s fertile soil breeds rare berries seldom seen elsewhere. And because of local fūdo (terroir), these legendary berries are hard to cultivate outside the region.”

Hikaru: “That reminds me—the final reward for the Battle Subway is also a berry that brings happiness, right? Lacey—Boss Kiku’s daughter—mentioned it once.”

Skyla: “That one? If you can push all the way to Anville Town, I think you do get a special berry. It’s called the Lansat Berry, a legendary fruit said to bring happiness if you have it.”

“Even in distant lands with fertile soil and warm climate, the yields of these special berries are tiny. So they often get used as top prizes at major events.”

Hikaru thought it over. “Multiple prize lines, huh… Hoenn’s event really sounds intriguing. Fun. I’m in!”

He and Skyla discussed a few more details, then he said his farewells to Director Cyrano and Professor Burnet in turn.

The Ecological Core and the space-research work would still take some time to launch, so Hikaru had ample free time to travel across regions for key materials.

Hikaru also considered that once he finished certain jobs and had his “interspace” basically built, his workshop in Sinjoh could be accessible anytime. That might bring special changes too.

“If I rent a small place in every region, then by linking them via spatial-connection tech, I can reach my workshop from anywhere, and conversely, travel from the workshop to different regions in a flash.”

That’s even more convenient than Hoopa’s golden rings. Such is the technology from the god of space.

After that, Hikaru offered the kids some encouragement.

“About the new Pokémon you three caught—I’ll send you their training methods later.”

“If you’re unsure about anything, ping me on your Poké-Device. As long as I’m free, I’ll answer.”

Especially Rosa!

After all, she’d already caught Foongus and “black-hearted cotton,” plus a Grass/Steel… It would be a shame if road-side Trainers didn’t get tormented by that lineup!

Hikaru really was asking for no return at all this time!

Someone once asked: why do you do bad things?

A “normal” villain will trot out a pile of grand reasons to justify themselves—like Team Plasma.

But Hikaru would only say—

Because it’s fun.

No grand reason—just pure fun. He wants to see passersby get tormented by the “Longevity Squad.” Especially since he’d also asked Rosa which Unova starter she’d choose.

As expected—Serperior.

Nate, like Hilda, wanted Emboar; Hugh picked Samurott—the exact same lineup as in that promo.

“You’re going to reach the apex of Unova. Take it from me.”

Hikaru gave Rosa a big thumbs-up.

Coil up with Snivy’s line, Regenerator Amoonguss-as-shield, Tailwind prankster cotton, and invincible Ferrothorn—have at it! Who could possibly outplay you?

The three kids watched Genesect fly farther and farther away, waving with all their might and shouting:

“Sensei, we’ll definitely meet again!”

“We’ll get the Pokédex too!”

“Sensei’s far away now! Okay—race home! Last one there is a dummy!”

They ran back toward the city, hearts full of hope for the future. Director Cyrano watched them go with a smile.

He and Professor Burnet said their goodbyes, and he headed for the Trainer School.

Only, when he told the Aspertia principal about the recent events, the latter was shocked.

“There’s such a strong Trainer around Aspertia? Eight Badges, helper to the Rangers, a legendary craftsman, and the One Who Knows All… Hm? You said he’s searching for interesting materials—hey, why didn’t you bring him to me earlier?”

“You just want to recruit fresh blood for Blueberry Academy. Do we old-line schools not deserve good recruits!?”

The principal grumbled, while Cyrano spread his hands. “Er, but you don’t have secret materials here, do you?”

“Truly excellent people look for more than salary—they want knowledge and returns they’re satisfied with. Of course, high pay is still essential; you need funds to do things!”

Aspertia’s principal: “Who said I don’t? This is Aspertia City! Uh… that doesn’t sound convincing.”

What are Aspertia specialties, again… Snowy mountains, lakes, the ocean, flowers, blue skies…

“In any case, next time you start joint research with him, if you need interns, send them to our school.”

Cyrano thought it over.

In theory, interns should go to Blueberry’s sister school—the Paldea Academy, meaning Naranja Academy or Uva Academy.

But considering Paldea Academy’s current teaching situation didn’t look great, and that he wasn’t on especially good terms with their principal “Mokuhi,” plus the fact he was Unovan himself… it made more sense to keep internships in Unova.

Cyrano: “Alright, that works. He’s already agreed anyway, but you still need to—”

Aspertia’s principal: “But of course! Aspertia might not be a huge city, but we do have some resources and valuables.”

The Trainer School here recruits across all of Unova.

As a century-old prestigious school, of course they have a few goodies on hand!

(End of Chapter)

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