For the next while, Lucas stayed at the Research Institute helping Professor Carolina research the legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region: the Duo Gods of Time and Space, the Lord of Distortion, the deity who moves tectonic plates, the deity of the seas, the deity of the forest, and the nightmare deity of Poplar Town.
Until every last bit of knowledge about these Pokémon was drained from his mind, Professor Carolina kept Lucas busy at the Research Institute.
Coming out with Lucas was the Sinnoh Champion, known as "Cabbage Sister," Cynthia.
Celestic Town, a small town that preserves the history and ancient lifestyle of the Sinnoh region, was very cramped, which resulted in its sparse population.
However, within this tiny town, there was a museum and the ruins of Celestic Town, as well as two extremely powerful Trainers.
One was the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, and the other was the Dragon-type Elite of the Kalos region, Drasna, that old lady who used Mega Altaria and Dracovish in battle.
But according to Cynthia, the two of them were not very close.
It made sense, given the age gap and the distance in their lineage.
But there was no denying that the two Trainers born in this small town of the Sinnoh region were not to be underestimated.
The sunset in Celestic Town was beautiful, casting long shadows of Lucas, Cynthia, Garchomp, Gengar, and Ninetales, stretching from one end of the street to the other.
Cynthia took Lucas for a stroll around Celestic Town, and she could name every small alley, remembering exactly which delicious restaurant used to be where, and when each had closed down.
Cynthia said the most memorable one was the ice cream shop near the Research Institute, but the whole family had moved to the Paldea region later on.
"I quite miss their ice cream; it was delicious."
Cynthia said, a look of nostalgia on her face.
"Then... how about I make some for you after dinner?"
Seeing that Cynthia was nostalgic for the ice cream, Lucas asked.
"If I want to eat it, I'll make it; it's not like I don't know how. Although Alcremie isn't here, don't forget that I'm the one who taught Alcremie its dessert techniques."
Lucas puffed out his chest, bragging.
Cynthia looked back at Lucas, pondered for a moment, and asked: "What if Grandma doesn't allow it?"
"Doesn't allow it... then we do it secretly?"
"Secretly?"
"If all else fails, we'll make a portion for Grandma too, to bribe her."
"Grandma is quite old."
Cynthia looked at Lucas helplessly and said.
Who would feed ice cream to an elderly person in early spring?
"Then what should we do? Let me think..."
Lucas scratched his head and began to ponder.
"Got it! We can make a dessert for her; Vespiquen's sweet honey, Miltank's Moomoo Milk, and Gogoat's goat milk are all very good for an elderly person's health—I mean the ones from the Breeding House."
"Many grandparents in Twinleaf Town love the desserts from our Breeding House; apart from being good for their health, the taste is also quite excellent."
Cynthia knew Lucas had great skills, and she also thought this was a good idea.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lucas."
Cynthia pressed her hands together and smiled at Lucas.
Her slender fingers looked particularly alluring under the sunset.
"No problem, leave it to me."
Lucas looked confident.
Arriving at the backyard of the Research Institute, Lucas looked at this smaller version of a backyard and was curious, "Where is Grandma? I haven't seen her just now."
"She probably went to the museum. We can wait for her to finish her work and then go home, and then you can show off your cooking skills."
As soon as Cynthia finished speaking, Professor Carolina walked in. She looked at her granddaughter, "Let's go, let's go home and eat."
Clearly, she had left Lucas aside.
Lucas stood to the side, acting meek.
"Grandma."
Cynthia hugged Professor Carolina's arm and called out, "He is a guest after all."
"You girl, I didn't say I wouldn't let him come over for dinner, what's the matter? Do you think your grandmother is the kind of person who is unreasonable?"
Professor Carolina said to Cynthia, who was holding her arm, with a huff.
"No, Grandma is the best~"
Cynthia smiled brightly.
Professor Carolina turned around and took Cynthia away.
Lucas stood in place, staring at Gengar. Cynthia looked back, her lips moving slightly.
Lucas followed with a grin.
Following Professor Carolina and Cynthia back to their home—a small manor, not as big as the Breeding House, but upon entering the door, the layout inside was very cozy.
On the wall to the side, there hung a picture of a little girl with golden hair, holding a pokémon egg in her arms.
Little Cynthia?
Lucas pursed his lips. So "Cabbage Sister" was this cute when she was little? Damn it!
Professor Carolina placed a cup of hot white water beside Lucas and said huffily: "What do you want to eat? I'll tell you first, I only know how to make some ordinary home-cooked dishes."
Hearing this, Lucas waved his hands quickly, "No, no need for you to cook, I'll do it."
Professor Carolina looked at Lucas suspiciously, "You can cook?"
Lucas laughed upon hearing this, "Number one."
Seeing that Professor Carolina didn't believe him, Lucas released Gothitelle and the others, "You know, I run a Breeding House, and they need to eat too, as well as the Pokémon boarded there. Usually, I'm the one who cooks these meals."
Lucas didn't dare to look into Gothitelle's eyes.
Ever since he had Gothitelle, Mime Jr., Alcremie, and the Meowstic siblings, Lucas wouldn't cook personally unless it was some festival, because there were so many mouths to feed at the Breeding House, and it was too tiring.
"Gothitelle will help me too, don't worry."
Professor Carolina heard Lucas's words and looked at Gothitelle. Gothitelle showed a gentle and polite smile.
"Gothitelle is raised quite well, so I'll believe you this once."
The floral scent of Lilligant could not deceive anyone; only a very excellent Breeder could raise such a beautiful Lilligant.
"What ingredients do you need? Let me see if we have them at home—"
"No need, we have them."
Professor Carolina looked at Lucas curiously. He wasn't carrying anything, was he?
Lucas raised an eyebrow at Gengar, and Gengar pulled a huge pile of ingredients out from behind its back.
Professor Carolina's eyebrows twitched.
Who goes out specifically prepared with ingredients—
"With so many ingredients, the kitchen might not be able to hold them—"
"We can eat in the backyard."
Cynthia stood to the side and suggested.
"The backyard?"
Professor Carolina looked back at Cynthia, and Cynthia nodded.
"We can set up a temporary cooking area in the backyard, and eat directly in the backyard when it's done."
"Will there be enough time? Wouldn't it be very troublesome?"
Hearing her grandmother's inquiry, Cynthia looked at Lucas, signaling him to take action.
"Don't worry, Grandma, it'll be done in a moment."
Lucas waved his hand, "Everyone, time to get to work."
"Gen gengar"
"Ma Machamp!"
"Lilli~"
"Gothitelle."
"Whoosh."
"I can't hear you."
Lucas flicked his finger against the air beside him, and the pained voice of Latias came into his mind.
Lucas took Gengar and the others to the backyard. Gengar held the water hose, washing the vegetables and meat in Lilligant's hands. Ninetales helped Gothitelle set up the stove, and Dash was chopping wood, while Lucas—Lucas was slacking off.
"Gen gengar?"
What are you doing?
Lucas held a cucumber in his hand, heard Gengar's words, took a bite, "Directing work, what's wrong?"
Gengar: —
You're slacking off again!
"Directing work, don't you understand, directing work!"
Seeing that Lucas and Gengar were about to argue again, Gothitelle scolded them.
"Gothitelle!"
Work properly, and eat the cucumber properly!
Gothitelle took a compromise approach, so Gengar went back to work with half a cucumber, while Lucas continued to nibble on the remaining half.
Seeing that Lilligant had finished washing the ingredients, he began the pre-cooking preparations, seasoning, marinating—
"Ma Machamp."
The firewood is chopped.
"Good, thank you for your hard work, Dash, eat a cucumber to tide yourself over first."
"Ma Machamp."
No, I want to eat something delicious.
"Wait a moment."
"Gothitelle."
The stove is ready.
Lucas took a look and found it was a smaller version of the Breeding House backyard stove. Lucas was very satisfied and turned back to shout.
"Gengar, the pot."
"Gen gengar~"
The pot is here~
Gengar placed the pot on the stove, fitting perfectly.
"Perfect~"
Gengar and Gothitelle also immediately put on chef hats, helping Lucas on the side; today, Lucas was doing the cooking.
First, he poured oil into the pot, then shouted, "Gengar, light the fire."
Gengar, who was beating egg liquid, freed its right hand, then flicked its finger, and Will-O-Wisp flew onto the firewood, burning fiercely.
First was the fragrant fish soup, fish fillets, two ways to eat the fish, then miso soup with tofu, followed by soup dumplings, and pan-seared lamb chops.
For the main staple, Lucas also cooked a lot of noodles.
No choice, Dash and Gengar were there.
After the meal was cooked, the next step was dessert.
Lucas turned to look at Gothitelle. Gothitelle nodded at him, holding the already whipped cream, and Lilligant also brought up the berries.
Gengar took out the oven, and Lucas stared at it.
"It's broken—"
Lucas slapped his forehead. He had forgotten to bring Luxray out, so now there was no one to provide power.
Lucas set his sights on Latias.
"Why are you looking at me? I only know Thunderbolt and Thunder. Do you believe me if I say I could blow this oven to smithereens?"
"Useless little red airplane."
"Lucas, chirping and chattering."
Just then, a lightbulb appeared above Gengar's head. It raised a finger, let out a laugh, and then left.
Not long after, it was seen floating back while holding a Pachirisu.
"Gengar!" The power is here~
Pachirisu was held in Gengar's arms, looking completely bewildered.
"Why did you bring them here?"
"Gengar!" I told it I'd give it something delicious if it helped us out, and it agreed.
You can even do that? Typical of you, Gengar.
After communicating with Pachirisu, Lucas began to prepare the dessert.
The cream was made from sweet honey and Moomoo Milk, the berries were grown at the Breeding House, and the vegetables were also from the Breeding House.
Professor Carolina and Cynthia stood in the distance, watching Lucas working busily with Gengar and the others.
"I didn't expect him to actually know how to cook. I thought Gothitelle was doing it."
Cynthia smiled knowingly. "His cooking skills are excellent. Gothitelle and the others were all taught by him."
"Are you already taking his side?"
Cynthia's ears turned red.
"You've grown up. Grandma knew this day would come eventually; I just can't bear to part with you," Professor Carolina sighed and said.
"Don't worry, Grandma. I haven't agreed to anything yet."
"Hmm?"
"I'm waiting for him to defeat me fair and square."
Professor Carolina was somewhat surprised. "He agreed?"
"Yes."
This guy, is he for real? Is he really that strong? To defeat her own granddaughter, the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, head-on?
One must know that ever since her granddaughter became the Sinnoh Champion, she had never lost a single official match.
Her loss to the Galar Champion, Leon, was only because she wasn't used to the Dynamax mechanic in the Galar region.
To think Lucas actually agreed to defeat Cynthia head-on?
Professor Carolina suddenly felt a bit of pity for Lucas.
Pfft! I pity him? It would be good enough if I didn't beat him to death!
Professor Carolina looked at the man cooking, then glanced at her granddaughter whom she had worked so hard to raise for over twenty years.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got! She'd find some faults in the food later to vent her frustration!
Lucas's voice pulled Professor Carolina's attention back.
"Everyone, dinner is served."
Cynthia brought Professor Carolina over to sit at the dining table, and Lucas and Gothitelle brought out the food.
Lucas served a bowl of fish soup to Professor Carolina and Cynthia. "Try this."
Professor Carolina picked up her spoon, brought the fish soup to her lips, blew on it gently twice, and took a sip.
Originally intending to nitpick Lucas's food, the moment the soup entered her mouth, she felt as if she were in the vast and beautiful ocean of the Sinnoh region, surrounded by beautiful Finneon and Milotic, and she herself seemed to have transformed into a stubborn fish—
Professor Carolina snapped back to reality and found Lucas and Cynthia staring intently at her reaction.
"Is the taste to your liking?" Lucas asked cautiously.
Professor Carolina had originally planned to forcefully nitpick, but the words that came out were, "It's alright, not bad."
Cynthia and Lucas exchanged a smile.
Success.
Seeing that no one at the table had picked up their chopsticks, Professor Carolina said, "Eat! Someone who didn't know better would think I was stingy and not letting you eat."
Upon hearing Professor Carolina's words, Gengar and the others began to eat.
They looked full of happiness.
Professor Carolina and Cynthia also became immersed in the meal.
After the meal, they rested for a while, and then at Lucas's signal, Gothitelle brought out the prepared dessert.
"Now for dessert." Lucas took the cake, placed it in front of Cynthia and Professor Carolina, and said with a smile.
"?" Professor Carolina frowned. "Eating so much cream late at night? That's not healthy at all."
"Don't worry, Grandma. This is cream made from the Moomoo Milk and sweet honey from our Breeding House. Not only will it not affect your health, but on the contrary, it's actually beneficial."
Desserts made with Moomoo Milk from the Breeding House and sweet honey brewed by the legendary Vespiquen were always in short supply at the Breeding House. They were inherently very beneficial to the body, even when made into desserts.
"What silly nonsense are you spouting?"
Lucas explained some things about his Breeding House, including the herbal tea and herbal medicine. After listening, Professor Carolina was greatly astonished.
"There's such magical food?"
Lucas nodded. "Of course. I prepare everything according to the most suitable ratios. Since some elderly grandparents aren't suited for overly greasy food, I adjust the ratios and use different qualities of sweet honey based on their needs, as it's more conducive to their absorption."
After hearing what Lucas had done for the elderly in Twinleaf Town, Professor Carolina truly nodded at Lucas.
It seems this kid isn't so bad after all.
"Then I'll give it a try."
Cynthia cut a piece for herself and her grandmother, then handed the knife to Lucas. Lucas cut a piece for himself, and the rest was left for Gengar and the others to finish off.
After eating, her mood improved, and Professor Carolina wore a rare, beaming smile.
"Kid," Professor Carolina called out to Lucas. Lucas was sitting there digesting his food, while Gothitelle and the others had gone to wash the kitchenware.
"What is it, Grandma?"
"That Moomoo Milk of yours, and the goat milk—do you have any extra? I'd like to buy some to keep in stock."
"Grandma likes drinking Moomoo Milk," Cynthia whispered in Lucas's ear.
"No problem. First thing tomorrow morning, once we've milked them and processed it, I'll have Latias deliver it to you."
Originally, Lucas didn't plan to charge for it, but Professor Carolina said that if Lucas didn't take money, she wouldn't take it. Lucas helplessly turned to Cynthia for help, but Cynthia just shrugged, indicating she couldn't do anything either. Lucas had no choice but to agree to accept the money.
"Aren't you staying the night here?" Professor Carolina suddenly asked.
Lucas looked at Cynthia and noticed that both of her ears had turned red, which was inexplicably cute.
"No, I just came over to see Grandma today and have a meal with her. There are still many things at the Breeding House that I need to go back and handle. Besides, I haven't defeated Cynthia yet, and that wouldn't be proper." Lucas shook his head and politely refused.
"Suit yourself. There are empty rooms here anyway."
Professor Carolina said nonchalantly.
This old lady, saying one thing while meaning another; she's quite interesting.
"Thank you, Grandma. Next time for sure. Next time I'll bring you some of our Breeding House's special herbal tea. If you don't mind the bitterness, you should try it; it's very effective."
"herbal tea? I haven't tried that before. Very well, it's a deal."
Lucas sat in the backyard chatting with Cynthia and Professor Carolina for a while. Once Gothitelle and Lilligant had finished washing the tableware, he returned Gothitelle and the others to their Poké Balls, stood up, and looked at Cynthia and Professor Carolina.
"Then I'll be going now, Grandma. Take care of yourself. I'll come visit you again when I have time."
"Get lost."
Lucas looked aggrieved.
Cynthia walked with Lucas for a distance. Then, under the moonlight, she stopped, looked at Lucas, and before he could react, pressed her cherry lips against his cheek, pulling away instantly.
By the time Lucas reacted, Cynthia had already disappeared without a trace.
Lucas: !!!
Lucas: If I'd known, I would have come to meet the parents sooner!
Lucas: Damn it! Otherwise, our kid would already be old enough to run errands!
Lucas: !!!
Lucas: Even if Arceus stood before me right now, I could beat it up! I mean it, I can't let Arceus stay!
Lucas: Going home!
Lucas mounted Latias and shot straight into the sky.
Watching the figure streak across the sky, Professor Carolina withdrew her gaze and said nonchalantly, "That kid, not bad."
Cynthia's face was burning red, her eyes smiling.
"By the way, Cynthia. What are you eating? You already ate some earlier, why are you still eating now?"
"Dessert."
"It's not ice cream, is it?"
"Ho—how could it be? It's just a special dessert."
"Really?"
"Yes, why would I lie to you, Grandma."
"That kid, and I thought he was a pretty good person. He gave me ordinary dessert, hmph!"
Cynthia stuck out her tongue.
Sorry, Lucas, I let you take the blame.
"Achoo—"
Sitting on Latias's back, Lucas rubbed his nose. "Could I be catching a cold?!"
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Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌