Tinkatink had joined.
This was certainly something to celebrate.
Though the sudden kowtowing had startled Lucas, it only confirmed that there must be someone guiding Tinkatink behind the scenes—otherwise, how could it know so much about human culture?
Of course, he couldn't rule out that Tinkatink had secretly picked up Impidimp's "fake kowtow, real headbutt," but it seemed unlikely.
Lucas didn't plan to ask everything right away, intending to learn about Tinkatink's past over time.
He'd originally wanted to hold a banquet.
But at Tinkatink's strong request, everything was kept simple.
For Tinkatink, it just wanted to return home and sort out all the gifts it had received, remembering everyone's kindness.
Lucas agreed. Anyway, after the farm expanded, the mountain would be included, and Tinkatink would still be living on the farm.
Not long after seeing Tinkatink off, Dragonite brought Ash back to the farm.
The look on Ash's face showed that Paul must have satisfied him in battle.
At dinner, Ash recounted his afternoon in detail, especially when talking about Paul—there was that unyielding light in his eyes.
"Paul's Grotle evolved into Torterra. Even though Pikachu and I lost today, we'll win tomorrow!"
Lucas listened happily. When he heard that Paul's Grotle had evolved, he felt it was about time.
After all, the grass on Grotle's back had been growing vigorously for a while, so evolution was expected.
What made him happiest was that Ash and Paul, though rivals, were more like competitors now, not hostile like in the early anime.
Having Ash around could also help Paul grow, and motivate Penny and Shizuka, preventing them from slacking off—a healthy cycle.
With the help of Oranguru, Politoed, and other Pokémon, and Ash pitching in, they quickly cleaned up the usual mess after dinner. Lucas then returned to his room to prepare for a video call.
Besides contacting the team leader to send him off to collect enough Paldea coins for Gimmighoul's evolution—
According to the agreement, Tulip's plan should be almost ready, too.
Before entering the house, Lucas saw Ash running off to play with Charcadet, bringing Pikachu and Larvitar along.
Though Charcadet no longer trusted humans, it couldn't resist Ceruledge's subtle influence and Ash's relentless, ever-changing attempts to make it happy.
Especially since the sensitive Charcadet knew Ash was truly sincere. That made it even harder to resist.
At this rate, Ash might really win Charcadet over.
But that depended on Ash completing the task before returning to Johto.
And the Silver Conference would begin just after the Naranja Academy's Pokémon Super Contest.
The timing was tight.
Unless some "unexpected" factor gave things a push, it'd be hard.
Could those three grandmasters really chase Paul all the way to Paldea?
Lucas wasn't sure, but he didn't rule it out.
He smiled, shook his head, and headed back inside, with Victini on his head and Ogerpon trailing behind, climbing the stairs to his room.
On the way, he pulled out the Black Ball he used to trade with Delibird and called out mysteriously:
"Mewtwo, Mewtwo, this is Kangaroo—"
Apparently, Mewtwo still didn't want to answer; the ball showed no response.
Lucas grinned foolishly, thinking, wasn't this just sticking a warm face to a cold butt?
Mewtwo was even harder to win over than Charcadet.
But he still had things to ask of Mewtwo, so he'd just howl every day and hope one day Mewtwo would get annoyed enough to respond.
He had two Dragonite scales as gifts—one he'd make into an accessory for Dragonite, the other he wanted Mewtwo to analyze, to see if they could find the genetic reason for Dragonite's giant size.
Maybe, with Mewtwo's technology, they could find a way to turn Giant Dragonite back to normal, so the "same kind" could become "companions" again.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Under the bright house lights, Tulip, looking a bit travel-worn, tidied her hair and apologized on the laptop screen.
"No problem, I've got plenty of time."
Lucas smiled, stroking Eevee's soft fur on his lap.
"Vini~"
Victini, perched on his head, beamed and flashed a V-sign at Tulip.
"Oh, what Pokémon is this?"
Tulip's eyes lit up. Her intuition told her this one was Fire and Psychic type!
"It's called Victini—just here to watch."
Lucas briefly explained Victini's presence, picked it up, and set it to play with Eevee and Ogerpon.
Recently, Eevee had been learning meditation from Victini. Honestly, Lucas thought learning from Oranguru would be more reliable—Victini only quieted down at bedtime.
"Victini has quite a presence."
Tulip praised, then cleared her throat.
"Ahem, sorry, off-topic."
"About your request, here's the plan."
As soon as work came up, Tulip's demeanor became sharp and professional. She clicked a few times, sending Lucas the packaged plan file.
"Got it."
Lucas nodded and opened the file to read carefully.
Tulip nodded, glanced at the screen, and asked, "Where's Feebas? If possible, I'd like it to listen in."
"It's here."
Lucas paused his reading. Before he could put down Eevee and stand up, Ogerpon, eager to help, brought over a big glass tank and put it on the table.
Now, Feebas was in full view of the webcam.
In the tank, Feebas blew bubbles, staring dully at the screen, feeling the human inside looked familiar.
"It's a bit dazed, but at least better than Slowpoke."
Tulip commented, then cleared her throat.
"Okay, I'll begin."
"Behold—the 'God-making Plan,' meticulously crafted by world-class model, cosmetics founder, and mysterious Gym Leader Tulip!"
Tulip's plan had one core:
How to build Feebas's confidence!
Never mind external factors—clothes, makeup, props.
To evolve without an item, Feebas had to truly believe it was beautiful!
Of course, blind confidence wouldn't do.
Tulip had a solid plan to gradually raise Feebas's confidence, then trigger a breakthrough and evolution.
"One plan is quick but risky—success means instant victory."
"The other is slow and steady, building up for a breakthrough."
"Which do you want?"
Tulip waited patiently.
Lucas looked at Feebas.
In Feebas's dead-fish eyes, a sharp glint flashed by.
But it was gone so fast, Lucas wondered if he'd imagined it.
"Let's hear the first one."
To be safe, Lucas wanted both.
"The first plan is to achieve something in a major contest, gaining recognition and praise."
"This means not just training its poise, but also practicing moves, coordination, outfit design, and more."
"Basically, it's like 'starmaking.' In the upcoming Naranja Academy Pokémon Super Contest—even if you don't win, you need enough sense of achievement."
"But,"
Tulip's tone turned serious.
"As a top Trainer, you know how devastating a defeat outside the plan could be, right?"
She was being tactful. Training Feebas so fast for the Pokémon Super Contest and winning confidence was extremely difficult.
The biggest problem was that if Feebas failed, the blow to its confidence would be hard to recover from.
It's like in fantasy novels—the main character trains invincible skills and, if defeated, their 'heart' is cracked.
Of course, it depended on Feebas's own nature.
In Lucas's view, for Feebas to command Gyarados so calmly—even with their friendship—was an achievement.
Maybe it had a chance?
Tulip then described the second plan.
The second was similar to the first, just more stable—not rushed, with time to train from scratch. After all, Feebas was recently wild—many habits needed correction, and it had to learn new moves.
It would miss this Pokémon Super Contest, but could attend others, and perhaps Paldea would bring in more contests.
At the end of the call, Tulip added her own idea:
"Leap the Dragon Gate!"
Some might ask, what does Feebas have to do with Magikarp and Gyarados's leap?
Magikarp's leap involves finding a waterfall, enduring the pressure, and pushing physical and mental limits—then, at the top, evolving.
"This method can also trigger strong emotions and evolution. But, according to the records, Feebas evolving this way tends to become a bit competitive."
"This is a way for Feebas lacking confidence or coordination talent to evolve, but your Feebas..."
Tulip and Feebas locked eyes.
"Uh... It has a Gyarados little brother, right? It probably doesn't lack confidence there."
Tulip muttered—how could a Gyarados be Feebas's little brother? What a weird combo.
"Anyway, as you can see, I'm still in Unova and have a fashion show tomorrow, so I can't come to Paldea yet."
"I'll have someone send you the necessary items tomorrow—just check the delivery."
"Understood."
Lucas nodded. Tulip had only described the concept—the actual plan was pages long and detailed.
He proactively asked, "How much is the fee?"
But Tulip just smiled, "This one's on the house. I haven't thanked you for protecting Alfornada while I was away—consider this my thanks."
Such a good deal?
Lucas was surprised but didn't decline.
Before Tulip hung up, Lucas carefully took out a half-finished plush from a small box and asked, "Could you give some pro tips as a fashion expert?"
Tulip leaned in, raising an eyebrow, "Is this... a Mimikyu plush?"
Lucas nodded. "It doesn't know yet."
"Very nice—thoughtful and creative. You have talent."
Tulip was sincere. In her eyes, the plush was so cute she wanted to mass-produce it.
But business is business.
Her praise was from the perspective of a non-designer—heartfelt, but the details could be improved.
"You could add some Sylveon accessories, like bows and ribbons."
"How about this—I'll send you some materials, designs, and samples tomorrow."
Tulip smiled.
"Thank you!"
Lucas, surprised, gladly accepted.
He'd only wanted a little advice, but Tulip took care of everything.
What luck—
After the call, Lucas cradled the plush, examining it:
"Since it's so cute, why not let Mimikyu join the contest too?"
…
PS: Please support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode