Chapter 423:
Aogiri Town.
They left in the early morning. Although Pidgeot's speed was a bit slower, it was still only a little past 9 AM when they returned.
The crisp morning sunlight spilled down as Pidgeot descended.
The first to jump down was still Meowscarada, though it was still in its shrunken state, about the same size as the little Happiny.
"Alright, thanks for the hard work."
Kaede landed from the sky and said to Pidgeot while holding Happiny in his arm.
"Pidgeot, pidgeot~"
Pidgeot responded, then flew back into the sky, landing on the pine tree to stand with its companions, immediately puffing out its chest proudly.
*It was the fastest flyer just now!*
"Fwaa fwaa~"
Once on the ground, Happiny started chattering too.
Strangely, even though Pidgeot flew so fast just now, and Kaede was worried the newborn might catch a chill—even using a layer of psychic energy to shield it from the cold wind—it wasn't scared at all.
It even bounced around excitedly on Kaede.
*How could a Happiny be this courageous?*
*Is this the quality inherited from a Gravity-using Blissey?*
"Fwaa fwaa..."
The Happiny in his arms, holding its stone, looked around at the surroundings and chirped, wanting to be let down.
"Okay, okay, down you go."
Kaede originally thought about having the sister Indeedee show it around first once she arrived. But seeing Happiny's outgoing nature and eager curiosity, he figured letting it explore on its own was fine too.
After all, there were Pokémon everywhere in the plantation. No fear of it getting into danger.
*"I wonder if it'll stay like this after evolving..."*
The thought flashed through Kaede's mind. Watching the Happiny already scurrying into the plantation, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Then, he felt a paw tugging at his pant leg, accompanied by Meowscarada's voice.
"Meow?"
"What's up, Meowscarada?"
"Meowscarada..."
"Grow back and go train... Alright, let's go..."
.....
Since Kaede decided to use some Berries for winemaking, life settled back into a rhythm.
Making Energy Cubes, spending time with his Pokémon—including, but not limited to, practicing moves with Meowscarada—and occasionally checking in on Arcanine's training sessions with Officer Jenny's Arcanine.
Hmm, the dog's progress was really fast.
Maybe it was the motivation of "love," or perhaps the residual energy from the Fire Stone.
In just over ten days, Arcanine's energy level was already catching up to Officer Jenny's Arcanine.
Moreover, during training with Officer Jenny's Arcanine, it had surpassed it in many aspects.
This left Officer Jenny's Arcanine feeling a bit disheartened.
Officer Jenny quietly recorded Arcanine's growth, finally concluding it was a natural-born... police dog?
But often at these times, Officer Jenny's Arcanine would also doubt itself.
*It trained for almost a year to reach this level...*
*But why has this seemingly silly dog... caught up so quickly?*
When heading back with his Arcanine, Kaede would look at training tips on his phone while advising his dog. "Silly dog, at times like this, you should subtly let it feel like it's surpassing you, understand?"
"Woof! Woof!?"
Arcanine scratched its head in confusion with a paw.
"Think about it. If you surpass Officer Jenny's Arcanine in everything, why would it keep training with you? It'll think you can train on your own."
"At that point, you need to give it confidence. More importantly, make sure it has the motivation and courage to catch up, understand?"
He knew his own dog. Its progress rate would definitely surpass Officer Jenny's Arcanine in the future.
If it went all out in every training session from now on, Officer Jenny would probably declare it "graduated" soon.
Even though he'd never been in a relationship himself, Kaede knew that when there's a chance to be together, it's best to let them spend more time together and improve jointly.
"Woof! Woof!"
Arcanine nodded solemnly.
"Heh, in the end, it's up to you."
Kaede laughed heartily.
Then there was making cakes with the Alcremie.
As their reputation grew, more people started ordering the birthday cakes.
During his free time, Kaede would lead the group of Alcremie in the kitchen, making several large cakes at once. Then, when birthdays came, he'd just ship them out according to the customer's preferences.
What gave him a headache now was the little squad led by Alolan Ninetales.
The one aiming to challenge... Rayquaza.
Hmm...
Forget about how to find Rayquaza. Even if they found it, how would they battle it?
In the sky?
And how to defeat it?
Although, admittedly, this squad's typing was very effective against Rayquaza...
And so, days flowed by like water. As Happiny gradually familiarized itself with the plantation, another week quickly passed.
April 3rd.
Weather: Clear.
As the season progressed, the weather grew sunnier and clearer, with bright skies every day.
Kaede originally thought it would be another ordinary day.
But today was clearly different.
Because someone had cleared the final stage of the Sky Challenge...
Or rather, someone who had cleared it long ago finally came today.
Looking at the woman standing at the Breeding House entrance, Kaede took a deep breath.
Without a doubt, this was the Ice-type Elite Four member who had come before— Rosaline.
The woman before him wore a beige trench coat. Whether it was precise makeup or something else, her face looked very fair. Paired with long, straight black hair, she gave an overall soft impression, yet the expression on her face was quite cold.
Come to think of it...
Do Trainers holding Elite Four positions have to be single?
The Eastova region has six Elite Four members and one Champion.
From what he knew, aside from the Grass-type Elite Four member who was married with children, the other six seemed to be unattached.
Kaede's mind wandered briefly.
Meanwhile, the woman stated her purpose directly.
"Hello, Kaede. I'm Rosaline. I've come to challenge you."