"Rampardos, Rock Slide!"
"Lapras, Hydro Pump!"
Lapras tanked Rampardos's Rock Slide, opened its mouth, and shot a powerful Hydro Pump at Rampardos, sending it flying.
Seeing Rampardos lose its ability to battle, Roark recalled it into its Poké Ball.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Lucas looked at the older Lapras brother on the field, walked over, and patted its head. "Thank you for your hard work."
"buuu~"
Lapras indicated that if there were more battles like this in the future, he could keep calling on him.
Lucas nodded, agreed, and then walked over to Roark. Byron also walked over at this moment.
"Congratulations, you passed the assessment."
Lucas looked at the father and son before him and said with a smile.
Byron and Roark exchanged a glance, and both let out a sigh of relief.
Since both father and son had been swept six-to-zero by Lucas's Lapras, they had inevitably worried that Lucas, as the examiner, would deem them lacking in strength and unfit to continue as Gym Leaders.
"In that case, we can leave with peace of mind."
Byron said.
"Leaving so soon?"
Byron nodded. "After all, we need to guard our Gyms."
"True. Perhaps many Trainers challenging your Gyms are already waiting for you to return."
"Indeed. We'll be off then. Goodbye, Lucas."
"Goodbye."
Byron and Roark mounted Bastiodon and Rampardos respectively, then turned and left.
Watching the two leave, Lucas stretched. "It's finally over. That makes four Gym Leaders assessed so far, with four left. It seems like it'll go by quickly."
Hearing Lucas's words, Lucian, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke up: "Logically speaking, the assessments should have been completed long ago. However, considering the different assessment method this year, the timeline has been extended slightly. Still, please hurry up and complete their assessments."
Lucas turned back to look at Lucian and complained, "If you did it, it would definitely be much faster."
Lucian turned around and walked away.
"Take your time then, as long as you can finish the assessments."
"Wow! What a quick change of face!"
Lucian didn't even look back. "I'm heading back to my room for a nap. Do not disturb me."
"By the way, is it really okay for you not to go back to work?"
Lucas shouted at Lucian's retreating back.
It had been three days since the Martial Arts Tournament ended. Cynthia had left for the League the day after it concluded, leaving only Lucian at the Breeding House, along with Byron and Roark, who had been preparing for their assessments.
Lucian stopped in his tracks, looking back at Lucas. "This is my well-deserved vacation."
"If you want the draft horses to keep working, you have to give them enough rest.
Lucian's eyes were filled with resentment.
"If you want me to continue working overtime to handle affairs for you and big sis next time, please let me have a good rest for a few days. Do not contact me for anything during this time."
Lucas: !
Lucas nodded repeatedly. "Understood, Elite Four Lucian. Please rest up. I guarantee absolutely nothing will disturb you over the next few days."
Only then did Lucian turn around in satisfaction, taking Bronzong back to his room on the second floor of the Breeding House to have a good sleep.
Watching Lucian walk into the Breeding House, Lucas reached out to pat the younger Lapras sister's head beside him, saying with emotion, "Can't mess with him. He's the most untouchable man in the entire Sinnoh region."
"buuu?"
"Why? Let me put it this way: in the entire Sinnoh region, for ordinary Trainers and bad guys, the person you absolute cannot mess with is the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. But for those of us at the Elite level and above, the person we absolutely cannot mess with is Lucian."
Seeing the still-confused look of the younger Lapras sister beside him, Lucas continued to explain, "Think about it. A man who can step up at any moment, take over the entire League's affairs, and handle them in perfect order so that you can find time to do what you want, all while being on call twenty-four hours a day—who would dare provoke him? If you push him too far and he throws in the towel, who could possibly replace him?"
"Besides, if Cynthia wants to come here often in the future, we'll have to rely on his help a lot."
The younger Lapras sister nodded in understanding.
"buuu."
Truly a reliable man.
"Reliable? Exactly. There is no man more reliable in the entire Sinnoh League than him."
Lucas nodded in agreement.
Unlike Flint, who was often out of contact, Grandma Bertha, who loved letting herself loose in the wild, and Aaron, who slacked off, Lucian's twenty-four-hour on-call status was what Lucas admired most.
It wasn't that the other three Elites were bad. In fact, quite the opposite: the Sinnoh Elite Four were much better than those of certain other regions. At least they cooperated, united under Lucian's leadership to face various crises and complete the tasks he assigned.
Yes, I'm talking about you, the Unova Elite Four.
Only when the villains were about to attack the League headquarters did they finally start working together.
Lucian wasn't the strongest among the Sinnoh Elite Four, but he was certainly the one with the most leadership.
The other Elites and Gym Leaders would accept his leadership, and he himself knew his responsibilities. Thus, even on vacation, he remained on call twenty-four hours a day to prevent any emergencies.
This was also what Lucas admired most about him.
Thinking of this, Lucas felt a bit sorry for Lucian.
"Gothitelle, let's make some more heavily seasoned food tonight. I remember Lucian likes spicy food quite a bit."
Lucas looked at the Gothitelle beside him, and Gothitelle nodded.
Now, Gothitelle spent slightly more time at the Breeding House than before, staying there three days a week and going to the Cottage for the other four.
"Pa-pa."
Lucas felt something tapping his shin. Looking down, he found a Pachirisu holding a small bucket, tapping his leg with its tail.
"What is it, Pachirisu?"
"Pa-pa."
You're blocking the way.
Lucas quickly moved aside. Seeing this, Pachirisu poured the soil from its small bucket into a pit, then patted it firmly a few times with its tail to pack it tight.
Currently, the battlefield outside was being repaired by Pachirisu, Aipom, Buneary, and the others.
Looking at the busy Aipom, Buneary, and other forest Pokémon, Lucas clapped his hands. "Everyone, thank you for your hard work. I'll add chicken drumsticks to your meals tonight."
The forest Pokémon cheered instantly, then worked even harder to repair the battlefield after the battle.
"Let's go back. Let's not interfere with their repairs."
After saying this, Lucas returned to the Breeding House with his Pokémon. As soon as he stepped through the door, he dashed to the lounge area under Lilligant's murderous glare and plopped onto the armchair.
"Ah~"
Lucas cried out in comfort, "This is the feeling! After so many days, Lucas has finally returned to his rightful Champion's throne."
Because of the Martial Arts Tournament, Lucas didn't even know how long it had been since he last graced his beloved armchair.
Just as Lucas closed his eyes to enjoy this long-awaited reunion, Lilligant walked over with a wet towel in hand and slapped it right onto his face.
"Lilli,"
Wipe your face clean quickly, it's so dirty.
"I don't want to. Lilligant, you wipe it for me."
Lucas began to act spoiled.
Lilligant flashed a sweet smile, lifted the wet towel, and a green Energy Ball began to form in her hand.
Lucas blinked, took the wet towel, and began to wipe his face, neck, arms, and palms.
"All done."
Lucas handed the towel back to Lilligant. Only then did Lilligant accept it with satisfaction, the Energy Ball in her hand having long since vanished.
"Lilli."
Go to sleep.
"I can't sleep. Will Lilligant Sing for me?"
Lilligant turned her head, glanced at Lucas, and said nothing. After a moment, she walked out of the bathroom, brought over a small stool to sit beside him, and gently rocked the armchair beneath him with her small hand while humming the song Lucas often hummed to them.
Her voice was sweet and beautiful. Coupled with the rocking of the armchair, Lucas quickly drifted off to dreamland.
As early summer arrived, the sound of cicadas echoed from the trees lining both sides of Breeding Road.
Ninjask were celebrating the moment they crawled out of the ground to evolve after lurking beneath the tree roots for ten years. Their buzzing grew louder and louder, attracting even more Ninjask.
Announcing the true arrival of summer to everyone.
Smack!
The Ninjask that were loudly celebrating all fell flat on the ground, as if a massive mountain were pressing down on them.
"Gothitelle."
Buzz this loudly again, and I'll catch you all to dry you out for medicine.
Ninjask: Σ(\△\{)
Ninjask: Whimper~
After a long while, the pressure vanished. The Ninjask looked at each other, then fluttered their wings and fled this terrifying place.
Inside the Breeding House.
Gengar turned down the TV volume. Lilligant hummed softly. Lucas slept peacefully, with Ninetales and Luxray lying beside him, and a Gothitelle floating behind him, gently fanning him with a small fan.
Elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Fujino, Shauna, and Tomoyo were all lying on chairs, enjoying this quiet and leisurely afternoon, sleeping incredibly soundly.
Upstairs.
Bronzong floated quietly by the bedside. On the bed, the purple-haired man also slept incredibly soundly amidst the fragrance of the gracidea flowers.
On another continent.
The Kalos region.
Lumiose City.
Research Institute.
A handsome professor wearing a white lab coat looked at the paper before him, falling into deep thought.
"Using food to assist medicine to treat Pokémon? First, use food mixed with herbal medicine to open up the Pokémon's closed mind, then communicate with them to gain their trust, and subsequently find the reason for their closed mind to carry out targeted treatment?"
This handsome professor looked at the paper before him and questioned.
"A paper without a single citation of other professors or scholars? The author is a Breeder named Lucas? The assistants column is—Professor Oak and Professor Rowan?! Two Pokémon authorities are merely assistants?!"
This professor, who researched Mega Evolution in the Kalos region, was named Professor Sycamore. Looking at the assistants column, he was shocked.
"Who on earth is this Lucas? To have two Pokémon authorities act as his assistants? A Breeder? Could he be some wealthy young master?"
Sycamore continued to flip through the paper on 'healing Pokémon through dietary therapy', constantly voicing his doubts.
"It seems to make a lot of sense, but the entire paper doesn't cite anyone else's work. Pure theory? What follows is... experimental data? And specific case analyses? Let me see..."
Professor Sycamore seriously examined Lucas's case analyses and experimental data.
"Looking at it this way, it seems to actually work? Wait, there's also something about Mega Evolution?"
Sycamore turned the page and found that what was written was indeed knowledge regarding Mega Evolution.
"Let's see... 'As a battle system that effectively improves a Trainer's strength, the main principle of Mega Evolution is a special evolution that occurs when a Trainer achieves a state of being one in heart and mind with their Pokémon in battle.' That is indeed correct."
Sycamore nodded. "'Among these, the deeper the bond between the Trainer and the Pokémon, the more powerful the unleashed energy becomes.'"
"'Therefore, how to establish a deep bond with Pokémon has become a headache for Trainers. However, when establishing bonds with Pokémon in our daily lives, we might as well try using delicious food to deepen our connection and bond with them. Discard poorly flavored Pokéblocks and use more food that suits the Pokémon's taste. This can better keep the Pokémon in a cheerful mood. When a Pokémon is in a cheerful mood, playing, battling, and talking with it will greatly deepen the emotional bond between you.'"
Sycamore frowned. "How could it be so simple? Putting it this way, doesn't it mean Mega Evolution can be achieved with just some food?"
"What utter nonsense."
Sycamore continued, "If that's the case, wouldn't everyone be able to use Mega Evolution in battle? If it's really that easy, why are there so few Trainers who have mastered Mega Evolution so far?"
"It's pure rubbish. How could a Breeder understand a Trainer's affairs?"
The assistant standing aside said, "But... the assistants for this paper are Professor Oak and Professor Rowan. These two are the only two leading authorities on Pokémon. Since they were willing to act as assistants, doesn't that mean they agree with this paper?"
"They don't understand Mega Evolution. Perhaps they were just fooled by this Breeder named Lucas."
Sycamore shook his head. "I admit what he wrote earlier makes sense, with cases and specific analyses. But can a paper without any citations be a good paper? Besides, the data he provided might not be real. What if it was just a coincidence?"
"But..."
The assistant hesitated to speak.
This doesn't look fake at all, okay?
Sycamore spoke with unquestionable authority, "As Pokémon scholars, we must always maintain a skeptical eye."
Just then, another assistant ran over. "Professor Sycamore, Garchomp is going wild again!"
Sycamore frowned. His Research Institute had a Garchomp specifically used to study Mega Evolution. It was originally very gentle, but for some reason, it had suddenly become prone to going wild. He had tried many methods but had not found the cause.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, rustling the paper on the desk.
He turned his head to look at the paper. "I recall the paper seemed to mention how to soothe a rampaging Pokémon?"
The assistant who had read the paper nodded. "Yes, the specific details are—"
Sycamore raised his hand to stop the assistant. "Perfect. Let's test the reliability of his paper. Let's go."
Sycamore turned and walked toward the depths of the Research Institute.
The assistant hesitated to speak, exchanged a glance with his colleague, picked up the paper from the desk, and chased after him.
"I will use experiments to overthrow his naive and ridiculous dietary therapy theory."
Sycamore's voice drifted back.
"I will let him know that academic research is not something that can be completed so easily."
Breeding House.
Lucas lay on the armchair, rolled over, scratched his butt, and continued sleeping.
Gothitelle floated in the air, holding fans in both hands to fan Lucas. Before her eyes, she used psychic power to control a book Lucas had written halfway, about the preferred tastes of Pokémon of various types, which he had summarized at the Breeding House. Gothitelle read it with great interest.
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