The second floor contained the bedrooms and study.
The study was not large, but three walls were fitted with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed with all kinds of books—art books, Pokédexes, and quite a few volumes on the history and culture of the Hoenn Region.
Several sketchbooks lay open on the desk. Xinhai gave them a cursory glance and saw that every page was filled with Pokémon sketches—some still, some in motion, some only a few strokes long, yet each precisely captured the Pokémon's spirit.
"Smeargle drew all of these." Akamatsu Jun walked to the desk, picked up the top sketchbook, and opened it to a page. "Wherever it goes, it draws. It has kept up that habit for many years."
Xinhai took the sketchbook and leafed through it page by page.
The first page showed a Zigzagoon eating a Berry, its contented expression conveyed in just a few strokes;
The second showed a Pidgeot soaring with its wings spread, the lines smooth and powerful;
The third showed a Skitty dozing in the sunlight, an air of laziness practically washing over him...
"Smeargle is very talented." Xinhai closed the sketchbook and spoke sincerely.
Akamatsu Jun took the sketchbook and set it back on the desk, his gaze falling upon the azure sea beyond the window.
"Yes." His voice was soft, carrying the wistfulness that came only with the passage of years. "It is far more talented than I am. I merely accompanied it for part of the journey."
At noon, Akamatsu Jun invited Xinhai to stay for lunch.
Akamatsu Jun had prepared the lunch himself. It was simple yet refined—steamed sea fish, a vegetable salad, a bowl of miso soup, and a plate of pickled radish.
Smeargle helped serve the dishes as well, carrying plates in its little paws as it