"Come to think of it… maybe it'll like this?"
Peter reached into his bag and took out the last bit of Sweet Honey he had left, along with a batch of Pokéblocks made using that honey.
"Nui?"
The little Stufful, who had been happily guzzling Moomoo Milk from its bottle, immediately froze when it caught the scent of honey.
Its ears twitched.
The next second—
it launched itself out of Whitney's arms.
With surprising speed, it snatched the food from Peter's hands, then skillfully climbed right back into Whitney's embrace.
"Nui~"
With one casual slap, it popped open the honey jar and immediately began dipping its paw into it before licking away happily.
Whitney watched with sparkling eyes.
"You know… it actually reminds me a lot of how Teddiursa used to act when it was little~"
Stufful looked up at her, then raised a honey-covered paw.
"Nui (Eat!)"
Whitney smiled and shook her head.
"No thanks. You eat more~"
"Nui~"
The little bear squinted happily and continued stuffing its face.
Peter stared silently at the scene.
His mouth twitched.
Wait.
Hold on.
My Babe is my Babe.
My honey is also my honey.
So why are all the affection points going to Whitney?!
Ungrateful little—
No.
Ungrateful little bear!
Whitney seemed to notice Peter's grievance and gently reminded Stufful:
"All these yummy things were made by that big brother over there. Go thank him, okay?"
Stufful blinked.
Then it skillfully climbed onto Peter's shoulder—
leaned over—
and kissed him on the cheek.
"Nui~"
That tiny cry instantly erased all the injustice in Peter's heart.
Honestly…
getting mad at something this cute was impossible.
Peter sighed and smiled.
"Alright, little one."
"This is for you."
He took out a Golden Razz Berry.
Stufful's eyes instantly lit up.
"NUI!!"
It hugged the fruit and immediately started chewing.
Wicke's eyes widened.
"That's a Golden Razz Berry…"
"Even the Aether Foundation doesn't keep much of that in storage."
Peter simply smiled and said nothing.
Compared to Bear God—
this amount of investment wasn't worth mentioning.
…
Just like that, Peter and Whitney successfully built a good relationship with Stufful.
Especially Whitney.
The unique sweet scent she naturally carried seemed to make the little Pokémon unusually attached to her.
Every time it saw her—
it demanded hugs.
Completely unlike a normal Stufful.
Peter guessed it was because Whitney's scent reminded it of its mother.
After all—
Stufful had only just passed its infancy stage.
Of course—
under Peter's relentless assault of food and rare items—
the little bear gradually began recognizing him too.
By the time night arrived—
the energetic little troublemaker finally fell asleep.
And Peter…
was finally allowed to reclaim his own Miltank girl and sleep peacefully.
…
After spending a comfortable night on Aether Paradise's unbelievably soft beds—
the next morning, Peter was brought to the underground laboratory by staff members.
Whitney, meanwhile, finished breakfast and headed straight to the ecological zone.
She genuinely liked Stufful.
"Alola, Peter~"
Lusamine approached together with Faba and greeted him.
Peter nodded.
"Alola, Lusamine."
She smiled.
"Mhm~ Faba has everything prepared. Let's head over directly."
"Sounds good."
Following Lusamine—
Peter finally got his first look at the underground laboratory of the Aether Foundation.
The walls and floors were engraved with glowing energy circuits.
According to Lusamine—
these carvings served as channels for energy transmission.
Just building this laboratory had cost billions.
Because of that—
it could withstand incredibly powerful energy attacks and even generate counter-energy based on the type and attribute of incoming attacks.
It was—
without question—
the safest place on this artificial island.
Peter quietly clicked his tongue.
Good thing he hadn't tried sneaking in before.
Otherwise—
the defense system might've erased him on the spot.
Soon—
the group arrived at the laboratory entrance.
After Faba swiped his access card—
the heavy metal doors slowly opened.
The instant they did—
a biting cold rushed out.
Inside—
three Pokémon floated inside nutrient tanks.
Heavy masks and restraints locked them in place.
"These are the only surviving test subjects up to now."
Faba adjusted his glasses.
"They were only released from cryogenic preservation yesterday, so their bodily activity should still be low."
Peter ignored him.
His gaze swept across the three subjects one by one.
[Type: Null Lv34 (Advanced)]
Description: Experimental individual with 70% development completion. Due to added artificial control programming, it lost independent judgment. Failed experiment.
————
[Type: Null Lv43 (Low Elite)]
Description: First successful individual of the BKP Project. Equipped with the AR System capable of changing types. However, due to severe rejection reactions, heavy restraints were installed and it remained frozen long-term.
————
[Type: Null Lv60 (Near Elite Four)]
Description: A perfected artificial Pokémon improved by Faba that successfully overcame AR System rejection. Possesses excellent battle instincts and independent decision-making, and can adapt its type to opponents.
However, because of the forced restraint mask suppressing its abilities, its temperament gradually became violent.
Currently injected with large quantities of sedatives. Physical activity will remain heavily suppressed.
————
Peter raised an eyebrow.
Looks like the three were progressive prototypes.
And the truly successful one—
was the third.
The future partner of Gladion—
Silvally.
Faba smiled.
"I can take you inside if you'd like. It's hard to observe properly from out here."
Peter nodded naturally.
"Sure. Thanks."
With a soft hiss—
the sealed glass chamber opened.
Dense mist flooded the laboratory.
Outside—
Lusamine's view was completely blocked.
Peter's footsteps slowed slightly.
At his waist—
a Poké Ball silently opened.
A shadow slipped into the darkness beneath his feet.
Faba asked:
"Which one would you like to inspect first?"
Peter pointed immediately.
"That one."
The successful one.
Faba nodded and lowered the containment barrier.
"Please be careful."
Peter slowly reached out.
His hand gently touched the restraint mask covering Type: Null.
At the same time—
the system notification sounded.
[Ding. Legendary Capture Mission has entered a new stage.]
[(Unique) Legendary Capture: Silvally]
Description: The Type: Null imprisoned inside the container desperately longs for freedom. However, the restraints and massive sedative dosage prevent it from achieving it.
Option One: Use known information to threaten Faba and force him to hand over Type: Null.
Option Two: Create an accident, release Type: Null, and destroy Faba's imprisonment plan.
Option Three:
Please improvise freely.
"…Tai…"
A weak cry sounded beneath the mask.
Peter looked up and met a pair of sharp eyes stained faintly red.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Pain.
Struggle.
Countless emotions reflected inside them—
until finally—
they settled into something simple.
Longing.
Then the eyes slowly closed again.
Peter's fingers trembled slightly.
Maybe…it had been artificially created.
But it was still a complete life.
And it had inherited something uniquely Pokémon their innocence.
Yet from the day it was born until now it had lived only inside this tiny space.
It had never seen the sky.
Never walked on land.
Never felt the sea breeze.
Never seen flowers.
Never watched insects.
Never experienced the world.
And because of one man's obsession—
it had remained imprisoned all this time.
Something ignited inside Peter.
He never thought of himself as a particularly good person.
But Pokémon—
were the companions he loved most.
And because of that—
he could never accept—
nor allow—
anyone to treat them as tools.
--------------
T/N:
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