Although Lance wanted to visit Austin Black immediately, it was already nearly eleven o'clock at night.
After a brief discussion, Lance and Cynthia decided to postpone their visit until the following morning and head to the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House together.
Naturally, Austin knew nothing about it.
Meanwhile, Hanson Black had already entered full work mode. After asking Austin for his thoughts, he immediately began drafting designs for Austin's future Keystone.
Austin leaned back in his chair and smiled.
"From now on, I'll be someone who owns a Keystone too."
"Even if I don't have a matching Mega Stone yet."
Among his partners, both Ryu and Zenith possessed the ability to Mega Evolve, yet Austin currently owned neither Lucarionite nor Metagrossite.
The only Mega Stone in his possession was Diancite.
Of all battle mechanics, Mega Evolution remained Austin's favorite.
As for obtaining Mega Stones, there were several options.
He could obtain them through lottery rewards.
He could purchase them.
He could even travel to Kalos and seek assistance from Professor Sycamore, the leading researcher on Mega Evolution.
Of course, all of those methods required one thing.
Influence.
Austin quietly sighed.
"I still need to work harder."
Whether as a Breeder or a PokéStream creator, he needed to continue building his reputation.
Fortunately, acquiring a Mega Stone was not an urgent matter.
After Ryu reached Emerald rank, Austin finally possessed a degree of self-protection.
Even regional Elite Four members did not exclusively own Ruby-level Pokémon. Many of their teams contained Emerald-level partners.
By that standard, Ryu could already be considered comparable to an Elite Four Pokémon.
. . .
Returning to his room, Austin's first sight was Shaymin sleeping peacefully inside a crib.
Ryu sat beside it, gently rocking the crib back and forth.
The scene looked almost absurdly domestic.
Austin looked inside.
Soft blankets.
A pillow.
A warm quilt.
Everything had been carefully arranged.
The little Shaymin slept peacefully.
Since the breeding house planned to raise and hatch Pokémon in the future, his mother had previously ordered several cribs.
Unexpectedly, Shaymin became the first occupant.
Austin lowered his voice.
"You really do have potential as a father."
Ryu simply glanced at him.
Agni had already fallen asleep.
Drakloak and Dreepy had also long since gone to bed.
As for Zenith?
Zenith remained exactly as always.
Silent.
Motionless.
Existing.
(...)
Ryu did not even bother responding.
Austin smiled.
"Time to sleep. Good night."
Ryu nodded.
"Cario."
"(Good night.)"
The night passed peacefully.
. . .
The Next Morning
Inside the cafeteria, the atmosphere was much the same as usual.
Although Austin had rushed out to save Shaymin the previous day, the incident had not greatly disrupted his routine.
He placed a bowl in front of Shaymin.
"This is yours."
Since Shaymin was still very young, Austin prepared Moomoo Milk along with specially prepared Pokémon food.
"Shaymin~"
Austin took the opportunity to gently pat its head.
Shion squatted nearby while eating her sandwich, her eyes sparkling brightly.
"Shaymin is really reallllyyy adorable!"
Despite being watched so closely, Shaymin simply continued eating.
It could sense that Shion carried no ill intentions.
Watching the scene, Mizuki sighed.
"It's amazing. After being injured and chased by Pokémon Hunters, it's still willing to trust humans."
Dai Yui wore the expression of someone who understood everything.
"You don't get it."
He folded his arms.
"Shaymin was chased by the hunters, yes."
"But it was also saved by Austin."
Both he and Mizuki unconsciously turned toward Austin.
At that moment, Austin sat quietly eating a sandwich while scrolling through his phone.
Mizuki frowned slightly.
"Strangely enough, I feel like Austin has changed a little."
Dai Yui nodded seriously.
"So it wasn't just me."
"Incineroar!"
Incineroar raised a paw.
"See? Even Incineroar thinks so."
"Pokémon can sense changes in people's emotions."
A clear male voice suddenly interrupted breakfast.
Everyone looked up.
Dai Yui, Mizuki, Shion, and even Shaymin all turned toward the entrance.
Dai Yui's expression immediately became serious.
The newcomer gave him an unusual sense of pressure.
Instinctively, he stepped forward, shielding Shion, Mizuki, and Shaymin behind him.
He stared directly at the visitor.
"Who are you?"
The man also looked at Dai Yui with some surprise.
He sensed tremendous physical strength in him.
The feeling reminded him of Bruno.
At that moment, Austin suddenly looked up.
His eyes widened.
"Lance?!"
His voice instantly rose an entire octave.
The disguised man froze.
"You recognized me?!"
Lance's own voice climbed just as high.
His jaw nearly dropped.
Inside his mind, he was already screaming.
How is that possible?!
He had specifically disguised himself.
He had even abandoned his famous cape.
And Austin still recognized him immediately.
What kind of eyesight was that?
A second voice suddenly rose several octaves.
"Lance?!"
This time it was Dai Yui.
Hanson also wanted to shout something to contribute to the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, he realized he had already missed the timing.
At that moment, the second disguised visitor removed her sunglasses.
Cynthia could not help smiling.
"Are you two competing to see who can hit the highest note?"
Hanson immediately lost all momentum.
Meanwhile, Lance finally gave up.
With dramatic flair, he ripped away his disguise, revealing his familiar Champion outfit.
And somehow.
His cape had returned.
Lance spread his arms proudly.
"Hello, everyone. I am Lance."
"..."
The entire cafeteria fell silent.
Only one question remained in everyone's minds.
Where exactly had he hidden the cape?
Everyone's attention shifted at once.
All eyes landed on Cynthia.
Even in disguise, she carried a presence that made it impossible to ignore.
For a moment, it felt like the entire room was waiting for a transformation.
Cynthia said nothing.
She simply tossed a Poké Ball forward.
"Garchomp!"
The moment the Land Shark Pokémon appeared, the atmosphere changed instantly.
A single Pokémon served as both confirmation and declaration.
No disguise was needed after that.
Lance appeared beside Austin at a speed that made it hard to track.
"How did you recognize me?"
Austin paused for a moment, then answered honestly.
"I just recognized you."
He did not elaborate further.
In his mind, the answer was simple. Some disguises had obvious tells. In Lance's case, the red hair alone already stood out too much.
He also had a passing thought.
Certain infamous disguises across regions seemed to rely on the assumption that no one would notice such glaring details.
Austin had never understood that approach.
Lance touched his chin, visibly thinking.
"It seems my disguise still needs refinement."
Austin nodded slightly.
"Yes. There is room for improvement."
Lance stared at him.
"You agreed too quickly."
"I was being serious."
A brief silence followed.
Then Lance exhaled.
"Let's discuss it another time. If I go undercover again, I might need your input."
"No problem."
Around them, everyone exchanged glances, unsure whether they had just witnessed a serious evaluation of intelligence work or a casual conversation about costume design.
Cynthia gave a light cough.
Only then did Lance remember why they were there.
He stepped back slightly and extended his hand.
"Although we've spoken in the group chat before, this is our first official meeting. I am Lance Blackthorn."
Austin stood and shook his hand.
"Austin Black. Just call me Austin."
The handshake was firm and brief.
The atmosphere shifted into something more serious.
Amanda quietly gestured to the others.
The group understood immediately and began to withdraw from the room.
"You two can talk. We'll step out."
Cynthia nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
Lance opened his mouth as if to respond, then decided against it. A quieter space was more useful for what they needed to discuss.
Once the room cleared, Lance's expression turned focused.
He did not waste time.
"We came because of Shaymin and the Pokémon Hunters. We need to hear everything directly from you."
. . .
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