One doesn't simply become a successful coordinator through winning traditional battles alone. Win or lose, the coordinator must electrify and ignite the crowd. Their passion must shine like the starry night sky accompanied by a luminescent full moon. It was the ideal of the marvelous Renaissance and Baroque performance trainers who dazzled in the magnificent Cortile del Valoroso Zacian, one of the main inspirations behind the modern contest.

Team Skull's Valen will be the largest and brightest star in that night sky. His mind can play tricks but his heart will prevail—his passion burns with such fervor and it will consume and drive others to reach greater heights. He'll become a master of theatrical presentation like Caravaggio and Bernini. He'll triumph as a champion of beauty and grace like Raphael and Poussin. That's what being a coordinator and performance battler is all about.

This corridor has a simple, quiet feeling to it. It's a stark contrast to the stage-like battlefield awaits him on the other side of this semi-circular entrance. Ragnar's a potent opponent but he's a blast to go up against. That being said, all eyes will be on Team Skull's Valen because he's a straight rider.

Valen takes a deep breath and grins. His posture is as strong as his Pokémon. His mind soaks in the wave of frisson surging up from his fiery heart.

"It's time to rock." He strides into the crowd's sight. "Actually, it's time to cause dazzling mayhem." he laughs. "That sounds cooler."

Since the last contest Jacques and them entered, Ragnar has won three contests and Valen's won two. Here they are, standing across from each other with hundreds of people eager for a grand performance. Rosa, Hilda, Melanie, and the others are in the front row, the rallying of his fans being led by Skyla this time.

All of this brings back lovely memories regarding the contests and tournaments of yesterday and the river of time connects it with the vast ocean of the present day.

"Our finalists are two potent locals who were friendly rivals in the past!" Lisia spins. "Their passion has me all fired up, how about you?!"

Ragnar and him wave to the fired up crowd but they also exchange a glance. Ragnar yanks two Poké Balls off of his white belt. Valen does the same and he's wearing a black belt. Ragnar's suit is white, contrasting Valen's black suit. Is that a mere coincidence? Has their rivalry truly ended, or did it simply go into a long hibernation?

"Destiny decided this final match, so let's see who comes out on top!" He tosses the two balls into the air. "Roserade and Gallade, time to take the stage!"

Ragnar's Pokémon leap out of their respective ball and greet everybody with bows. Just like his Gardevoir, Ragnar's Gallade is an Alpha. Roserade's been the team's star performer for years. This is gonna be good.

"The empress and the warrior queen shall bring order to this chaotic world!"

He follows suit and out comes Gardevoir and Typhlosion. Gardevoir floats down with her arms folded, her gown rippling from the heavy aura around her. Typhlosion bears her fangs and flames shoot up from her back like a erupting volcano.

Lisia spins again and raises her left hand. "Ready, set," she starts and quickly brings her hand down. "battle!"

"Gallade, slash em with your Shadow Claw!" Ragnar rubs the pointy ends of his silky hair. "Roserade, boost your offense with Growth!"

Gallade's sword-like arms glow pitch black. He dashes like a shinobi, right when a vibrant green glow encases his teammate.

"The empress shall shield with Reflect! The warrioress shall light the fire in her eyes with Flamethrower!"

Gardevoir's eyes glow light blue and a circular barrier appears in front of her. Slash after slash proves to be futile, much to Gallade's visible frustration. With the defense up, Typhlosion leaps up and unleashes a stream of swirling flames towards Roserade.

"We'll fortify our defense with Light Screen!"

Gallade's eyes glow dark blue and a similar barrier appears, except this one's rectangular. Typhlosion tries to push Gallade back but Gallade digs his feet into the battlefield.

"I hope Roserade's Sludge Bomb isn't too toxic!" Ragnar swings his left hand above his right shoulder. "Gallade, slice the air with Psycho Cut!"

Gallade swivels, firing off a pair of crescent-shaped energy blades. They collide into Typhlosion and she's forced to make eye contact with the high ceiling. With Typhlosion reeling and Roserade's too close for a counter, Gardevoir crosses her arms diagonally and braces herself for impact.

A typhoon of globs pelt Gardevoir like hail from a thundering gray cloud. She clenches he teeth and the attack nearly topples her. She detests using Teleport for evasion but she forgot about Sludge Bomb. She has to put aside her disdain for using Teleport for evasion—her beloved trainer's counting on her.

Here comes another storm of glowing globs, now with a purple and black sphere, but Valen, Typhlosion, and her can sense the same desire.

"Vanish like a phantom and send your foes running from your blazing swords of justice!"

Her eyes glow purple and a pair of giant flaming swords materializes above her head. Noting that Roserade's now aiming at the ground, she weaves around the globs and directs the swords like a composer. The swords slam into Roserade that transform into a unrelenting, enveloping current. Roserade's down, but not out. It wouldn't be fun if her opponents went down so easily

At the same time, a white glow covers Typhlosion and she rams into the sphere. Her Strength attack sends the sphere sent back to the wide-eyed Gallade like a boomerang, sending the knight-like Pokémon into a kneeling position.

"Brick Break, let's go!"

Gallade attempts to strike with his arms, which are surrounded by a white aura. Typhlosion keeps Gallade at bay by launching another swirling, fiery stream. She keeps launching Flamethrower after Flamethrower forcing Gallade to run faster and jump higher. He does a backflip to evade the last one but he's landed right in front of Gardevoir, who keeps Roserade at bay with another pair of flaming swords. This distraction buys just enough time for a Flamethrower to fling Gallade onto his back, flames encircling to inflict additional damage.

"Tactical as ever, but destiny said it won't be enough!" Asgard gestures with his right hand. "Roserade, use Poison Jab!"

The purple glow returns but this time, thorns protrude from Roserade's flowers. As she swoops in, Gardevoir seems a little too unconcerned.

"Show them your graceful kicks."

Gardevoir spins like a ballerina, gracefully sliding around the globs that are ending up on the battlefield. She then slams her feet into both Gallade and Roserade. Gallade tumbles but he manages to maintain his footing. Roserade is made to strike himself with his own attack but it'll take more than that to bring him down.

"Time to cause some mayhem!" Valen snaps his fingers. "Rapid fire combo with Teleport and Thunderbolt.!

Gardevoir vanishes, then appears behind Gallade and Roserade to zap them with a powerful, purple lightning bolt. Vanish, appear, zap, rinse and repeat several times.

Gallade's kneeling but he'll get back up. The combo didn't do a whole to Roserade but it managed to make both Gallade and Roserade wide open. That Sludge Bomb was nasty so he had to think fast to stop another one.

"Light em up with a Fire Blast, Typhlosion!" Valen furrows his brow. "Gardevoir, don't let them evade!"

Typhlosion's belligerent roar scares the ground under her feet. She spits out a powerful surge of flames shaped like the kanji for fire. Roserade and Gallade attempt to jump out of the way but are ensnared by light blue energy, courtesy of Gardevoir. Roserade and Gallade are singed and the former falls onto the battlefield.

"Show em what else your Psychic can do!"

A thick, ominous aura slices through the the air like a katana. Gardevoir cackles as her eyes glow light blue, then she launches a gigantic wave of energy that blasts into Roserade and Gallade. Both are hurled behind their trainer and for a couple of seconds, they struggle to get back up. However, Roserade and Gallade manage to pull themselves together and leap in front of their trainer.

"Brick Break and Poison Jab!"

Gallade's arms glow greenish-white while Roserade's flowers gain a sharper top and glow purple.

"Get em with Fire Fang and Mega Kick!"

Typhlosion bears her fangs, which protrude and become cloaked in flames. At the same time, Gardevoir pushes Gallade backwards with a sharp blow from her legs. Roserade manages to strike Gardevoir and knock her down mere seconds before Typhlosion chomps down and makes him screech.

"Typhlosion, channel your passion into Fire Punch!"

"Counter with Poison Jab!"

This time, Roserade's flowers protrude and turn into sharp thorns. Typhlosion makes punching motions, her claws encased in flames. Roserade jumps and spins, but his swoop downwards is cut short by Typhlosion punching his thorns into his own body. However, Roserade manages to strike Typhlosion and cause a bubbly, purple aura to engulf her.

While the two Pokémon unleash in a storm of attempted strikes and blows, Wes visualizes it as an action movie that has escaped from the confines of the big screen. Brings back memories of seeing contests in Unova and Kalos with Rui.

Gardevoir and Gallade are clashing like they're in a kung fu movie, each movement timed and precise. All four are making sure they don't get trapped by the globs that are slowly dissipating. Performance battling is something else and Rui was right—this is where Valen truly shines. Ragnar and him are definitely worthy of being each other's rival.

By this point, both Typhlosion and Roserade are repeatedly panting. Gardevoir and Gallade will be on their way to being worn out at this rate. It's now or never.

"Typhlosion won't escape Close Combat!"

"Two can play at that game with another Fire Blast!"

Another powerful flame formation is launched from Typhlosion's mouth. The flame formation slams into Roserade and sends him flying, right when Typhlosion's overwhelmed by a series of kicks and slashes from Gallade. Typhlosion falls onto the field at the same time as Roserade.

Valen and Ragnar recall their respective Pokémon, both smiling over said Pokémon's valiant attempt. Both trainers have lost a great deal of points but both remain determined to claim first place.

In many myths and legends around the globe, Gardevoir and Gallade are portrayed as loyal and honorable rulers, fighters and protectors of royalty. With their respective comrades out of commission fighter shall protect their trainer from losing this battle?

"Shadow Ball!"

Gallade rotates in a full circle and launches another dual-colored sphere. Gardevoir's too close to counter so she simply crosses her arms and beams a cocky smirk. Upon contact, the purple and black sphere makes her wince but she manages to stay standing. Her smirk returns after a short break. Gallade's going to need more than that to defeat her, assuming he can defeat her.

"The empress doesn't like to use Recover but alas, we don't have a choice!"

Gardevoir's nod and loving smile makes Ragnar and his Gallade exchange smiles of their own. Gardevoir closes her eyes cloaked by a purple light that obstructs any view of her figure. Once the evanescent light vanishes, Gardevoir's angelic cry fills up the air around her.

Gallade, it's time for Leaf Blade!"

The blades on Gallade's arms protrude and glow a vibrant green. Gardevoir gestures for Gallade to come get her. Gallade's more than happy to oblige and he charges in like a Paldean Tauros.

Valen closes his eyes and smirks. "Gardevoir, show them your grace once more! He holds up a black rose. "Whether it's the ballroom or the battlefield, she shall rule!"

Gallade's scowl meets Gardevoir's witch-like grin. Swing after swing fails to land a blow due to Gardevoir's graceful movements, executed with the precision of a skilled dancer.

"Mega Kick!"

Shifting from fancy dancer to a ferocious kickboxer, Gardevoir slams both feet into Gallade's midsection. He's sent hurling into a backwards tumble and Gardevoir lunges forward.

"Channel the magic of your might and strike em with Moonblast!"

Gardevoir's eyes emit a pinkish glow and a burning, moon-like orb materializes in-between her hands. She cackles and swivels, hurling the orb like an Ancient Kasmenestian athlete hurling a javelin. She scores a home run, the attack's impact dropping Gallade. He struggles to get up but she knows this isn't over just yet.

Ragnar and Valen are about even in points but the timer's rapidly heading towards the red. Nevertheless, he got enough time to win this. She looks back at Valen with her signature witch-like grin. He knows what to do.

"Curtains." Valen snaps his fingers. "For her finishing act, the empress shall combine Psychic with Moonblast!"

Instead of the usual energy wave, Gardevoir conjures up a light blue scepter that she grabs. A moon-like orb appears at the end of the scepter. Gardevoir lets out a boisterous laugh and slams the scepter into the ground. A massive vortex of light blue and pink energy blasts the entire field in all directions.

"We call this one Chaos Scepter Moonblast!"

Gallade tries to outrun it but it's of no use. He's caught up in the web of energy and a flurry of shocks converge onto him. Even if he could withstand this, the timer's not on his side. Not to mention he fell into the last glob right before the attack vanquished it.

Gallade flashes a smirk in Gardevoir's direction, dropping onto the platform seconds later. Gardevoir bows and thanks Gallade for a great match.

"He's done it again!" Lisia twirls, her gaze focused on the fiery crowd. "The winner of the contest is Le Moissonneur Noir!"

Gardevoir bows to the crowd, then she turns and floats towards Valen. She encases him in a warm embrace, his head resting against the lower end of her neck. He looks relaxed in her arms, just like she did as a Ralts whenever he cradled her.

"This is kinda embarrassing but whatever." Valen laughs while observing Ragnar proudly staring at Gallade's Poké Ball. "You always take full advantage of the fact that you're an Alpha Pokémon."

…Performance battling...Gianluigi Bernini was also a fantastic performance battler. Jacques mainly focuses on sculpture and acting nowadays. Bernini was mainly a sculptor but was also an actor. Has fate decreed that he'll channel the spirit of Bernini's performance battling?

"He won! He won! He won he won!"

Rosa and Hilda's bubbly voices are music to his ears but they're also trying to cheer louder than everybody else. They rocket towards him and he can feel his own energetic side bubbling up to the surface.

…Forget it, he can't contain it anymore. Ragnar's already realized that and he's nodding in encouragement.

Valen's eyes shine bright and his grin extends to his ears. "That battle was awesome!" His bubbly voice is met by the crowd's Hyper Voice. "I'm glad that I got to face you in the finals!"

"Same." Ragnar offers a handshake, his smile widening when Valen accepts it. "Perhaps our rivalry never ended."

"Our friendship certainly hasn't."

Valen yelps upon seeing the teasing smiles of Rosa, Hilda, Melanie, and Skyla but he quickly shrugs it off. It's not like he has a good grip on his bubbly side to begin with.

Valen and the crew have decided to chill in the lobby. The trophy and him aren't with Valen—Gardevoir is proudly showing them off to Rosa's Aerodactyl and Volcarona. In celebration, they do a twirl with Valen's Gengar.

The trophy and ribbon aren't with Valen—Gardevoir is proudly showing them off to Rosa's Aerodactyl and Volcarona. In celebration, they do a twirl with Valen's Gengar and Melanie's Scizor but Gengar and Scizor admit that it was done on a whim.

The reason why Gengar and Scizor twirled in the first place is due to Lisia's amazing live show. The five dragons attempt to mimic Lisia's signature twirl but Hilda's Garchomp trips and takes Silver's Kommo-o and Melanie's Dragonite down with him. Valen's Salamence and Rosa's Hydreigon joke that they'll see them next fall.

Valen relaxes on one of the sofas, admiring the softness of the red upholstery and the shimmer of the gold frame. He throws a rose into a crowd of his female fans. Happy fans are always a lovely tune to hear and he's gotta keep it classic like the simplified elegance of this Neoclassical interior.

His fans, both male and female, tend to be fans of Rosa and Hilda. That's why they're among the crowd, snapping selfies with them and giving out smiles. Jacques and him often share fans too but Lisia wanted him to be in her life show.

Melanie's growing fanbase is well represented among the hundreds hanging out in the lobby. Much like Rosa and Hilda, the confidence and sass of this lively lady draws people towards her. He'll always be grateful to Rosa and Hilda for being okay with the intimacy between him and Melanie. Same story with Skyla, who's teasing Kris with Leaf.

"Valen, I have something to tell you."

Wes isn't even looking in this direction. Something's weighing on his mind and his gut tells him it's about the incident in Orre. It was the first time Valen had to deal with an injury but he's made a full recovery. He's seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

Wes turns towards Valen and takes a deep breath. "Listen, about what happened that day—"

"I know what you're going to say." Valen rises from his seat. "Even if it was your fault, I would've forgiven you without a second thought."

Wes perks up at this, and his frown slowly morphs into a smile. They embrace and give each other pats on the back, then they both take a seat on the gold framed sofa.

"You've made huge steps forward," Valen encourages. "Isn't your battle with Rui's coming up soon?"

"A couple of days from now," Wes answers. "I'm battling her because I want to feel those good memories again," he affirms. "I want us to reclaim what we had."

"Best of luck." Valen exchanges a handshake and high-five hybrid with Wes. "Heh, not even the shadows could stop us from being bros."

"You can't have Valen alone, so count me in as one of your friends." Melanie's grin fully bearing her teeth. "Can't have one without the other."

"If you're Valey's friend, you're my friend too!" Rosa folds her palms near her right cheek. "That means I expect lots and lots and lots of smiles, kay?"

"Heeeeeeey, don't forget meeeeee!" Hilda places a hand in front of her silly grin. "You can always count on Expert Bestie Hilda for support!"

Wes jerks his head backwards, just as Jacques makes his return. His eyes follow Skyla, Leaf, and Kris leading the others into a group fist bump. After a few seconds, Wes shrugs and joins in.

"It'll becomes less surreal overtime," Valen assures. "I had a similar experience when I realized that I was still valued."

He's still got work to do and the proof is literally in front of him. He should be asking to join Melanie, Kris, Rosa, and Hilda in discussing Pride and Pokémon, a classic Galarian novel. It's a marvelous tale of an affluent trainer, Sir Thomas Bingley, in early nineteenth century Wyndon. He combats his own pride and the prejudice from other rich trainers display towards a "weak" Ralts and other unevolved Pokémon. The Ralts eventually becomes a powerful and graceful Gardevoir.

That tale was so captivating to his younger self that he wanted to do the same. He wanted to take in a timid Pokémon and shower them with affection and care. He got that chance when a Ralts wandered into his backyard. He would read it to Ralts so she could gain the courage to become a powerful empress.

Silver won't join because he's Silver but what about himself? Should he chime in or would that be rude? Melanie recently started a book club but he hasn't asked to be a part of it. Again, he should ask but he can't even push himself to walk towards them.

"Oh no, you are not getting away that easily."

Melanie's words snap him out of his train of thought. She's also yanked him towards the book squad and has just swept him into a warm embrace. Ah, that hits the spot. He's still not cute.

Valen wraps an arm around Melanie and pulls her closer. "To what I owe the honor? " He begins to stroke her long, black hair. "What did I do this time?"

"I know you can't go a day without hugging your stylish bestie." Melanie chuckles. "Don't let go."

"What if I do?"

"You won't because you owe me more than one." Melanie winks. "It's rude to ignore a lady who wants your input." Neither did Silver, which is why Kris is shooting him an annoyed glare. "Well, it's ladies but I started the book club."

Valen blinks and his face reddens. He didn't follow his own advice…why didn't he realize that on his own? …This doesn't open up the door to being called cute…right?

"I was waiting for you to speak first," Jacques admits. "You needed to more than I did."

"I'm going to continue repaying you for being a sweetheart to me for many years." Melanie lets go and vice versa. "You're invaluable and don't you ever forget that."

…Heh, Jacques and Melanie have a point. It's still hard to break through the hesitation but he's lucky to a support group this great around.

"In the next meeting, we're discussing Pietro Vasari's Lives of the Great Artists." Melanie flicks Valen's forehead. "You're definitely not getting out of that one." She pulls him down to kiss the top of his head. "Got it?"

"Fine, I'll join." He suspects a wholesome plot to make him pick the next book. "Good choice."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Melanie taps the back of his head. "You're still not off the hook."

Rosa and Hilda bop him on the back of the head but choose to remain quiet. He pulls them in for a double side hug. Kris and Melanie have turned their attention towards Silver, who won't even look at them.

Silver and him saved when a violin composition begins playing as the lobby music. …Wait, why did he say saved when he just agree? Moving on, this composition one all too familiar to Hilda and Kris so their attention's been diverted to the lovely tune.

"Alfonso Vivaldi's Dragons," Hilda remarks with a nostalgic gleam in her eyes. "Bach and Vivaldi were the first two whose work I attempted in my lessons."

Hehe, those rich boys who tried to woo her by playing Vivaldi's compositions were sooooo lame! It's a fact that she's stunning but superficial attraction meant those lame boys were Dubwool in a Houndoom's den. Why? She's a wild and uptight girl that makes scrubs scurry away, that's why!

She reaches into her pink bag and pulls out her cellphone. She tips her white and pink hat and camera flashes follow in rapid succession. She don't want no scrub, a scrub is a guy who thinks he can replace Val-Val, which isn't-Kris and him are chatting about this cool historic figure! That's so awesomeeeee!

"Vivaldi's my favorite composer," Kris comments. "My parents are big fans of Baroque music and my dad designed ."

"Mine are the same way, dad led the restoration of Borromini's performance hall," Valen adds. "Guess we've all gotta have more than one thing in common."

Hilda is a musical genius in his eyes, but he's biased. She played the violin, cello, lute and harpsichord beautifully. She still can, and would have blossomed had she continued down that path. Nevertheless, he's not about to against what was, and still is, her decision to make.

"What's that other song?" Wes asks, his gaze directed southwest. "Sounds like somebody forgot to plug in their headphones."

Valen snickers. "That's because somebody did forget to plug in their headphones." He gestures in Silver's direction. "Kris, does that happen to be a song that you like?" A certain aspiring writer adores this song, that's for sure.

A big smile appears on Kris' face. "Yeah, that's my latest jam!" She high fives Melanie, then she begins to approach Silver. "She's blowing up my phone—now that I'm the champ she won't leave me alone. It's done and over with because she won't atone.~"

Upon hearing Kris jam along as she heads his way, Silver's eyes widen and he steps back. He fumbles with his phone as he tries to pause the song. Ack, he forgot to check if his headphones are plugged in! He can't be caught listening to Champion Hilbert's new tune—Kris has been putting on repeat!

In his flustered state, he accidentally presses the play button. He doesn't have a cover story ready!

"I can still hear it, Silvey!" Kris' eyes sparkle like her long Meganium earrings. "'She said I couldn't be that, now she wants me back.~'"

Luck's not on his side—everybody heard it. Including the massive trolls in the squad, Wes being the newest member. Rui warned him about this, but he thought she was pulling his leg. He doesn't seem interested but Gladion's used this trick before. He-where did Kris go?

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kris pops up right next to him. Hang out with everybody, they said. It would be fun, they said. It still is fun but-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Pause it, you idiot!

"Speak, Silvey!" Kris's eyes gleam as she gets closer to Silver. "That's the jam I've been addicted to!"

"Humph, don't get the wrong idea." Silver shoves his hands into his pockets and turns away. "I happened to hear that it's you new jam and I accidentally pressed it."

"And I'm the reincarnation of a pharaoh who had absurdly spiky hair," Wes quips with his arms crossed. "I can spout blatant nonsense too."

"Even he knows how silly you are!" Kris throws her arm around Silver's neck and resumes the tune. "Lighten up already!"

Silver frantically pauses it yet again but Valen's Gardevoir is already towering above him. She sports a devious expression and shakes her head. Kris uses the distraction to yank Silver's phone away to resume listening.

While the squad and his Gardevoir gang up on Silver for a roast session, Lisia gestures for Valen to sneak on over. She just finished shooting a live show with a crowd of her fans. Might as well see what she-is that a marker and a Salamence poster in her hand? Lisia…wants…but she was the one who scouted him!

"Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Valz?" Lisia interlocks her fingers under her chin. "You were A-MA-ZING yet again and we're dazzling friends!"

Huh…another new nickname already? Moving on, Ragnar's among the encouraging crowd but he's chosen to be stay silent.

"Well…alright." Valen closes his eyes and smirks. "I can't say no to such a vivacious lady." he chortles. "I should be asking you for an autograph."

"That's a GREAT idea—I'll get you a book and sign it!" Lisia spins and extends her arms in opposite directions. "I'll even take a selfie with you right now!"

"H-Huh?!" Valen rapidly re-opens his eyes and his face turns red. "H-Hol-Hold on a minute, I wasn't being serious!"

"Yeah well, I'm being serious!"

"…What is this…I don't even—"

Lisia's pulled Ragnar in for the photo and he's even more perplexed now. Jacques has come to see what's going on and he's been yanked into this too. What should he do-he'll stomach this surprise picture.

He takes the marker and signs the poster using his moniker. By this point, the others have spotted him. Yep, he lost this one. There's no way Rosa, Hilda, and Melanie will let him escape but also they want in on the picture.

"Thank you, Valz!"

"Heh, anytime."

His friendship with Lisia is a sign that Team Skull's Valen still draws in the spunky type. Or maybe it's the other way around. Most likely both but either way, he made the right decision as a kid. He chose to be himself rather than fake it to befriend guys—he had trouble fitting in with guys and it felt like girls took more of an interest in him.

...Speaking of guys, why are Ragnar, Jacques and him the only-he doesn't want to continue pondering that.

Valen's Luxray has had enough of this nonsense. He's not a Shinx kitten anymore—he's a proud, edgelord Luxray. The hallway has lovely ceramics depicting fellow proud felines looking all cool and majestic. Combined with the awesome table, the additional evidence is overwhelming.

…So then why does he always act on instinct whenever he sees strings of yarn?! Why's he all tangled up in the yarn?! Why can't he stop playing with the strings?! Why does he keep nibbling at them?!

Stop biting it and stop getting tangled up in in it! Stupid yarn! He hates everything about you, why does he love you?

Luxray slowly backs away from the yarn and he won't—THERE'S YARN ON HIS TAIL! The yarn has possessed his tail! Hiss, get back here! Why can't he catch this fake tail?!

The yarn increases its advantage when Luxray slips and goes tumbling onto the floor. Alas, poor edgelord. He tried so hard to defeat the yarn but in the end, it doesn't even matter.

Luxray stands back up and broods with his eyes closed. This is a load of Trubbish—these kitty instincts are more annoying than all the Golbat in Coastline Cave combined. Stupid yarn, stupid red light, stupid kitty instincts, stupid everything.

The master bedroom's door is open…Valen saw it but that's okay. Oh no, Umbreon saw the entire thing from their hangout room! He needs to hide and resume brooding—Umbreon's cute giggling made his face burn up! Hide and brood, hide and brood, HIDE AND BROOD!

"Once a kitty, always a kitty."

It's always a blast when Valen hangs out with the squad and they all shared a scrumptious dinner. Now it's time for daily reading amidst the quiet tranquility that reminds him of a Vermeer painting.

This evening's pick is The Eternal Raphael: 1562-1483. He's on the pages that have large, high quality photos of the portraits Raphael painted of his Pokémon, which were an Espeon, a Salamence, and a Tsareena. Rounding it out is a self-portrait, painted close to the same timeframe. The three Pokémon portraits took Raphael longer to complete and it's not just because he was busy with commissions—he was one of countless artists who desired the perfect immortalization for their Pokémon.

In his monumental Lives of the Great Artists, Pietro Vasari wrote that a Bounsweet fell onto Raphael's head while he was sketching a bunch of Scyther and Scizor. Vasari also wrote that Espeon was obtained as an Eevee and that Raphael nursed a wild Salamence back to health. The Eevee was a gift from his parents and the Salamence refused to leave his side.

A kiss to the top of his head signals the arrival of Gardevoir. She's come to check up on him on behalf of the team. He flips to the page that contains Raphael's Motherly Gardevoir, which also has Leonardo's Mona Gardevoir and Jorgel van Eyck's Singing Gardevoir for comparison.

In this particular Raphael painting, said Gardevoir tends to her bedridden trainer. Her eyes are closed as she caresses his right check, her smile reassuring and loving. Her trainer has an expression of tranquility. The work carries the grace of Singing Gardevoir but it's a stark contrast to the smugness of Mona Gardevoir. His Gardevoir's like a combination of these three from centuries ago.

"By the way, isn't Lisia something else?" He rubs Gardevoir's upper left arm and she nods. "We hit it off as friends rather quickly, just like the Unovan ladies." he chuckles. "Melanie took a teeny bit longer, but she'd just moved from the Nordica region when I met her."

Uh oh, trotting's getting louder and louder. Rosa and Hilda always seem to appear out of nowhere and this instance is no exception.

Apparently, he's still not allowed to do all the work by himself. He was just trying to be wholesome, but they've always gotta wallop him with a Giga Impact of wholesomeness.

"I appreciate that you two made dinner, but I wanted to cook dinner for you two-"

His dissent is silenced via Rosa jumping onto his lap. His second attempt is blocked via Rosa drawing him in into a brief but passionate kissing session. His third attempt is overruled by tap on the head from both Hilda and his Gardevoir. He's still gonna try to do some work.

"Can I wash the—"

"Request denied, Val-Val."

"…How about taking out the—"

"Grrrrr, feel Rosa's power!"

Rosa's unstoppable feet bops are truly the most terrifying thing ever. Not to mention the unstoppable power of her…adorable smile…it's very scary…ahhhhhhhh.

"Silly Val-Val, we took care of everything so the three of us can relax together." Hilda caresses his cheeks. "Nobody else will do."

"We did it just to show you how much we care." Rosa slides her hand over Valen's left hand. "You're the man of our dreams." Her loving gaze stares into his soul. "Don't forget to give me lots of smiles, kay?"

"Easy to do when the balls of fluff are around."

"Good answer, sweetie." Rosa briefly closes her eyes "I've started to sign my works." Rosa rests the portfolio in-between Valen and herself. "I'll have a new one to show you soon enough." She winks and blows a kiss. "Don't forget to hype me up."

Tucked into the corner the name Rafaela, one of her two middle names. Same story for each one. In typical Rosa fashion, there's a smiley face after her signature.

"It's fitting that I was born the day after Raphael's birthday, isn't it?"

"That would explain how you grew up into somebody that Raphael would've loved to paint." Valen happily closes his eyes and rubs Rosa's head. "But it's your personality that truly makes you an eternal champion."

"Wherever Rosa goes, smiles follow!" She makes a peace sign. "Nooooow, here's the sketch of my next painting!" She places her larger notepad on the bed. "I'll get prints of this one made to spread my pseudonym!"

"Baroque Rivalry, eh?"

The marble sculpture contorts in extraordinary ways, a hallmark of Gianluigi Bernini. The villa protrudes and curves where it feels like it shouldn't be, much like a typical Federico Borromini design. The piazza in the center of the word contains her depictions of Bernini and Borromini engaging in a battle. Bernini's Seviper swings its tail at Borromini's Zangoose, who hurls itself out of striking distance in the nick of time.

She's consulted Instructions on Architecture by Viturin for the structures that predate Baroque. That includes a giant basilica dedicated to Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde peeping in from the background. In the sixteenth century, Michelangelo was commissioned to construct the structure and its sculptures by Lorenzo Vaticano. He was King Lorenzo I when Bernini added his own majestic touch to it but Rosa's depiction is set prior.

…Did she…did she really sneak in portraits of Silver and him as Borromini and Bernini respectively? At the very least, they bear a loose but striking resemble.

"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," Rosa begins, leaning closer with her hands clasped behind her back "whatcha think?~"

Valen moves in for a kiss. "Good answer?" Hilda gets a kiss too. "Gotta be fair."

"Excellent answer!"

"Hehe, he got me too!"

Luxray strolls into the master bedroom with Umbreon. Both jump onto the bed and cuddle up together, but they've come here to demand pets from all three of them.

"Now then, I see that you two have finished re-reading the biography on Niccolaio de' Medici." Valen pulls Rosa and Hilda closer to him. "Shall we engage in discourse, my queens?"

"Oooh, fancy boooy." Rosa giggles while petting Umbreon and Luxray at the same time. "Hilda couldn't flip a page because she got mesmerized by Botticelli's Xerneas et la Primavera again, but then I got mesmerized by it too."

"Hehe, how can I not when Xerneas kisses a sleeping Yveltal?" Hilda folds her palms. "It's such a pretty painting too!"

"Tee-hee, both of us got mesmerized by his poetry on Pokémon battles! Not to mention his treasure trove of classical literature!"

"Ah, but such beautiful minds can't help but be mesmerized by the writers of antiquity." He kisses their right hands. "Told ya I still got game."

There were a lotta crooks tryin' to fool their hearts. They were down in the dumps but them they figures out how to love. Rosa and Hilda are gorgeous on the outside but they have also achieved true beauty, which requires the heart and mind.

Oops, he better return to the conversation before he receives more of Rosa's terrifying feet bops. They're discussing how Magnifico himself declared that the legendary Dragon-type master, Ameriguccio di Vezzano, was the greatest trainer to ever live. Nearly seven hundred and fifty years after the medieval trainer's birth, powerful trainers like Lance and Cynthia carry that same sentiment.

There's nothing quite like being able to have a discussion about art, history and literature with the precious people in his life. Who wouldn't want to share their passions with the people they love, be it platonic or romantic?

A beautiful mind and a golden heart really does make one an eternal champion—it's what keeps friends and lovers together forever.

Cortile del Valoroso Zacian=Courtyard of the Valiant Zacian

Raphael 1520-1483 is one of the books referenced here. The real artist died at just 37 years of age. I suspect he overworked himself to death. This book points out how much he was doing in his last years.

Silver got caught listening to a song inspired by Lil Tjay's Calling My Phone.

The title and the line it appears in are references to Tupac Shaker, my favorite rapper. Said line references another Tupac song.

Given the overall sass of the female cast, TLC's No Scrubs fits imo.