January 18th, sunny.
Lucas walked to the balcony, stretched, and listened to the noisy sounds of Pokémon playing in the yard. He took a deep breath, then bent down in front of Gengar to touch the ground with his palms, stretching his body.
Gengar: ??? (.—·.:)
Having had his fun, Lucas tugged at the corners of Gengar's mouth and quickly ran into the bathroom to wash up.
After going downstairs and eating breakfast, Lucas went to the back yard. Feeling the warming temperature, he began to inspect the yard.
The trees in the back yard had all grown fresh, green leaves. After more than ten days of Growth, the grass looked extremely messy, and many parts of the stone path were damaged.
"Today's task is not going to be easy."
Lucas muttered to himself.
"Gothitelle."
We're leaving first.
Gothitelle said as she passed by Lucas, holding herbal medicine she had just picked from the Herb Garden.
"Be careful on the road."
Gothitelle nodded, then took Latias, Roserade, Pinsir, Heracross, and Meowstic's older brother to the Cottage in Twinleaf Town.
Lucas called out to Gengar. Once Gengar arrived in the back yard, they began tidying it up together.
Gengar wheeled out a lawnmower from the warehouse that hadn't been used all winter. It pressed the start button, but the lawnmower didn't make a sound.
Gengar looked at the lawnmower on the ground in confusion and began to inspect it to see where the problem was.
"Could it be out of battery?"
Lucas walked over to Gengar, looked at the silent lawnmower, and said, "After all, it hasn't been used all winter.
"It's normal for the battery to be dead."
Gengar's chubby face was extremely serious. Hearing Lucas's words, it shook its head.
"Koujie—"
"No,"
I just changed its battery.
"That's strange. Could it have been damaged by the cold?"
Lucas rested his chin in his hand and offered his opinion.
Gengar pursed its lips and floated off to the warehouse. Clattering sounds echoed out, and then Lucas saw Gengar floating back, carrying a heavy toolbox with great effort.
Thud.
Gengar dropped the toolbox onto the grass, and then split into two Gengars using Double Team, while its main body squatted down—only to end up sitting directly on the grass.
Seeing this, Lucas had to recall every sad thing that had ever happened to him in his life just to hold back his laughter.
How could there be a Pokémon that couldn't even squat?
One shadow clone was responsible for taking tools out of the toolbox and handing them to the second clone, who then handed them to the main body.
Holding a screwdriver, Gengar enthusiastically disassembled the lawnmower.
Lucas saw Gengar seriously repairing the lawnmower. At some point, it had put on a mechanic's cap and a pair of glasses—
Such a familiar feeling. Was the versatile Gengar back?
"Is today's Gengar Mechanic Gengar?"
Lucas asked.
Gengar looked up at Lucas and flashed a peace sign.
"Keep at it, Lord Mechanic Gengar. I'll go clear the stones first, otherwise it won't be good if you run into them."
After saying this, Lucas saw Gengar wave its hand, so he took Ninetales along the stone path to clear away the debris.
Walking all the way to the Forest Area, Lucas led Ninetales toward the beehive. The Combee acting as sentries saw Lucas and Ninetales and habitually checked the surroundings. Finding no sign of Gengar, they let Lucas and Ninetales inside.
The Combee coming to change shifts: No! He's no different from Gengar!
But Lucas had already walked inside with Ninetales.
Walking to the center of the beehive with practiced ease, Lucas entered the Cave. Many jars of sweet honey were placed around, emitting an enticing aroma, but Lucas paid them no mind and continued forward.
A throne appeared in Lucas and Ninetales' sight, with Vespiquen sitting on it, dozing off.
Sensing someone entering, Vespiquen opened her eyes. Seeing Lucas and Ninetales, she was briefly startled.
"Bee?"
What's wrong?
Lucas was looking around at the surroundings. Hearing Vespiquen's inquiry, he turned to look at her and said, "Spring is coming soon, and I'm planning to continue renovating the Breeding House, so I came to see if there's anything you need help with here."
Sitting on her throne, Vespiquen shook her head, indicating she didn't need anything repaired.
"Bee."
By the way, I should finish improving the Max Honey in a few days, and I'll send it over to you then.
"No rush, make sure to get some rest. You're so tired you're dozing off in broad daylight."
Lucas said caringly.
Vespiquen hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lucas.
I've been sleeping since last night.
Lucas: ————
"No wonder. I was wondering why your waist looked a bit thicker today."
Vespiquen: !!!
Vespiquen launched herself into the air, spinning in circles as she checked her waistline.
How does it look like I've actually gained weight?!
Vespiquen had a mental breakdown.
If I had known, I wouldn't have slept for so long.
Ninetales' tail smacked Lucas on his back, making him gasp in pain.
"Xiu."
He's lying to you.
Ninetales comforted Vespiquen.
Hearing comfort from Ninetales, who was also female, Vespiquen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Girls are always the most trustworthy when it comes to this kind of topic.
Just as Vespiquen was feeling relieved, she looked at Ninetales' slender figure and fell silent.
Oh no, I really did get fat—
Vespiquen hurriedly flew out of the beehive to get some exercise.
Ninetales: ————
She had never been so speechless in her life.
Lucas's face turned red from holding back his laughter.
At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.
Ninetales glared at Lucas, then raised her tail high.
Smack.
Lucas hurriedly ran out of the beehive.
"A gentleman uses his mouth, not his tail."
"Xiu."
I'm a little lady.
Play-fighting all the way to the garden, the flowers in the flowerbeds were blooming brilliantly. The Shaymin Family had already left the Breeding House after teaching Lilligant and Roserade.
Vespiquen was in the flowerbed, directing the Combee as they diligently gathered honey.
"How about I plant some gracidea flowers for you in the Breeding House after some time?"
Lucas said, looking at Vespiquen's back.
Vespiquen turned her head to look at Lucas and nodded, indicating she had no objections.
Lucas wanted to say more, but suddenly heard a rumbling sound. Turning his head, he saw that Gengar had already repaired the lawnmower. He quickly walked over with Ninetales.
Gengar recalled its shadow clones, looked up at Lucas, and gave a toothy grin.
Hehe, I'm awesome.
You really fixed it?
Lucas looked incredulous. Gengar actually knew how to do this?
Lucas reached out and touched the lawnmower. His fingers felt the vibration, and his fingertips came away greasy. Lucas glanced at them, then silently stood up.
"Not bad, Gengar. Great job."
Then he reached out and pinched Gengar's cheek.
Gengar: "Koujie—"
Hehe, I want to eat something delicious tonight.
Lucas nodded. "Alright, I'll make it for you."
Gengar became even happier. It sat on the lawnmower, ready to start working.
"imai?"
Alcremie returned from the berry forest in the planting area. Looking at Gengar, she let out a questioning sound.
Gengar was stunned for a moment. It pulled out a mirror and found a few grease smudges on its face.
Gengar: !!!
Did I accidentally get it on myself?
It wanted Lucas to help wipe it off, only to find that Lucas was sneakily slipping away.
Gengar: ?!!
"Koujie?"
What are you doing?
Lucas froze upon hearing this, then bolted.
Gengar: (ò)
You dare run?! Take my Lick!
Twinleaf Town.
Ring, ring, ring~
A hand reached out from under the covers, slapped the table, and turned off the alarm clock. A young boy struggled to climb out of bed.
He looked at the calendar on the wall. Today's date had been circled in pen, with two words written next to it.
Journey.
He slapped his cheeks and cheered himself up in his heart.
"Shane, you can do this. Believe in yourself."
After saying that, he ran to the bathroom to wash up.
As soon as he went downstairs, he found an elegant young girl sitting on the sofa in the living room, with a Lopunny sitting next to her.
At this moment, his mother was chatting with the girl. Seeing him come down, his mother smiled and said, "You child, why are you
so late in getting up? Mara has been waiting for you here since early morning."
The girl, Mara, looked at the young Shane and smiled sweetly at him. "Good morning, Shane."
Seeing this sweet smile, Shane's face instantly turned red. He scratched his neck. "Why are you here?"
Mara looked at Shane and said, "Isn't today the day you're supposed to set off on your journey?"
"That's true, but shouldn't you be preparing for the Kalos League Conference lately?"
Hearing Shane's words, Mara pulled out her medal for finishing in the top four in the Kalos region. "It's over. I got third place."
"Wow! That's amazing."
Shane couldn't help but say.
"When did it end?"
"Yesterday."
"Yesterday? Then why did you come over today?"
"Because we made a promise."
Mara smiled as she looked at Shane.
"Ah?"
"To travel together."
Mara said, "So I've been waiting to travel around the Sinnoh region with you."
Shane's eyes widened. "Right, we made a promise to travel together. Let's go right now."
With that, Shane ran back upstairs, grabbed the backpack he had packed last night, ran downstairs, pulled Mara up, and prepared to dash out the door.
Pulled up from the sofa by him, Mara hurriedly said, "Pokémon, Pokémon! You don't have a Pokémon yet!"
Shane let go of her hand and slapped his forehead. "Oh right, I don't have a Pokémon yet."
Mara shook her head and sighed, then looked at Shane. "How about it? Do you want me to help you catch a Pokémon in the wild?"
Shane hesitated, shook his head, and then looked at his mother. "Can I go buy a pokémon egg?"
His mother said gently, "Haven't you already saved up the money?"
Hearing this, Mara was stunned.
Then, she was dragged out of the house by an excited Shane.
"Breakfast, breakfast, you haven't had breakfast yet!" Mom shouted from behind.
"I'm not hungry, I'll just eat outside." Shane's voice called back.
Watching the two figures moving away, Mom stood at the doorway and couldn't help but complain, "That child, really."
Dad walked over at this moment, putting an arm around her shoulder, and said, "Haven't we been waiting for this day for a long time? Waiting for the moment he makes up his mind."
Mom leaned into Dad's embrace, "I'm worried about that child Mara. I heard she flew back overnight when she heard Shane was going on a journey."
Dad hugged Mom tighter without saying a word.
Silly boy, do your best.
"Where are we going to buy a pokémon egg?" Mara looked at her hand being held by Shane, her face turning slightly red. However, she didn't pull away; instead, she let him hold her hand and spoke to divert her attention.
"The Breeding House." Shane answered without turning his head.
"The Breeding House?" Shane told Mara about the Breeding House. After listening, Mara nodded, and then she looked at Shane's back.
"Did you make up your mind a long time ago?"
"What?"
"The journey."
"No, I didn't."
"But Aunt Jiazi said you had already saved up the money."
"Are you worried that it's not safe for me to travel alone?"
"No way!"
"You're blushing."
"Oh, you're so long-winded!"
"Tell me, tell me. I flew all the way back from the Kalos region specifically, so you have to tell me."
"No!"
"But your face is so red."
"Fine, I was just worried about you, okay?"
"Hehe."
"Hello, how can I help you?" Lucas walked out from behind the counter, took the towel handed over by the female Meowstic, wiped his face and hands, walked to the rest area, and asked the boy and girl sitting there.
"Hello, Lucas, I would like to purchase a pokémon egg, is that possible?" The boy stood up and asked Lucas politely.
The girl also stood up and smiled at Lucas.
"Of course. Is there any specific pokémon egg you want? Or perhaps, what type of Pokémon are you looking for? For companionship? For battle?"
Hearing Lucas's question, the boy didn't hesitate at all.
"I want to travel with it, and then become stronger."
"He protects me on the road while we travel together." The girl suddenly spoke up at this moment.
"Hello, Lucas, my name is Mara, and he is Shane."
Lucas looked at the two in front of him and nodded, "Hello to you both."
Childhood Sweetheart?
Then he glanced at the stone hanging on the wrist of the Lopunny beside the girl.
Protection? That's a long way off.
"No problem." Lucas snapped his fingers, "Shall we go to the incubation room so I can give you a detailed introduction?"
Lucas brought the two to the incubation room and looked at Shane, "Are there any types you particularly like?"
Looking at the large number of pokémon eggs before him, Shane swallowed hard and asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"
Lucas began, "If you like Water-types, I recommend Horsea. Its final evolution, Kingdra, is very strong, especially in rain tactics. If you like Rock-types, I highly recommend Larvitar. It's a pseudo-legendary Pokémon with great strength, though the price and the cost of raising it will inevitably be a bit high."
"Are there any others?"
Hearing the question, Lucas continued to introduce, "For Psychic-types, I highly recommend Ralts and Abra. Whether it's their final evolutions, Gardevoir, Gallade, or Alakazam, they are all very powerful Pokémon."
Seeing that Shane didn't answer, Lucas introduced the remaining pokémon eggs, "Starter Pokemon are also an option, such as Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig, or Totodile—"
"If you are considering the cost of raising them, Buizel, Shinx, Starly, and Oddish—these are all fine."
After Lucas finished introducing them all, he stood quietly to the side, waiting for Shane's choice.
Ninetales walked in. Lucas beckoned, and when Ninetales walked to his side, he reached out and rubbed its head.
Mara watched this Ninetales and couldn't help but be surprised.
Since when was there such a powerful Breeder in Twinleaf Town?
"Lucas." Lucas looked at Shane and heard him ask, "Are there any pokémon eggs that can hatch quickly? Preferably one that can hatch within these two days."
Lucas thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm afraid not."
Lucas had checked just now; even the fastest pokémon egg would take a week to hatch.
Shane lowered his head.
"It's okay, we can wait until it hatches before we go on our journey together." Mara pulled Shane's hand and comforted him softly.
Seeing this, Lucas said, "If you are in a rush, why not go take a look at the backyard? You might find a Pokémon you like."
After seeing the two agree, Lucas led them to the backyard. Seeing the lively scene in the backyard, they were stunned for a moment.
"Since spring has just arrived, the backyard hasn't been tidied up yet, so it looks a bit messy. However, that won't affect you choosing a Pokémon. You cannot choose those wearing a wooden plaque; they are the staff of the Breeding House. You can choose any of the others, as long as you can convince it to go with you. Remember, do not force it, do not oppress it."
Lucas explained the rules that needed to be followed when choosing a Pokémon.
Watching the two go off to choose a Pokémon, Lucas returned to Gengar and, together with Gengar and the others, cleared the weeds and stones from the backyard.
"Lucas." Hearing Shane's call, Lucas put down the wood that Pinsir had chopped and walked over.
"Have you made your choice?"
Shane nodded, then pointed to a Gligar in the rock area and turned to look at Lucas, "I want that Gligar, is that okay?"
Lucas was stunned, then he glanced at the Gliscor nearby. The Gliscor nodded at him, and then Lucas looked at Shane, "Of course you can, but you need to convince it yourself."
After hearing this, Shane walked forward without hesitation.
Mara reached out her hand, somewhat worried.
"Don't worry, the Pokémon at the Breeding House are very gentle and won't attack people." Lucas stood by her side to comfort her.
"If you need a powerful Pokémon, Gligar is indeed a good choice. After evolving, Gliscor is a very strong Pokémon. It might be quite a bit weaker than your Lopunny that can Mega Evolve right now, but who knows what will happen in the future."
Hearing Lucas's words, Mara laughed, "Lucas knows about Mega Evolution too?"
After saying that, she realized she had said something redundant.
Because she saw the wooden plaque on Lucas's chest that had been exposed due to his work.
"Did you choose the Kalos region as your first region?" Lucas suddenly asked.
Mara nodded, and she looked at Shane, "Because someone told me that he would challenge the Sinnoh region's League with me, and then we would reach the top together."
"So I'm waiting for him."
What a beautiful Childhood Sweetheart bond—
Lucas couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
"Has the Kalos region's League Conference ended?"
Mara nodded and took out her medal, "Third place."
It seems I underestimated you.
Third place is very strong for a Trainer going on their first journey.
At this time, Shane came to the Gligar, stopped at a distance, and crouched down.
"Gligar, would you like to come with me?"
Gligar looked at him, seemingly asking why it should go with him.
"I noticed that you are always looking at the sky, longing for the sky, longing for the outside world. And I have someone I want to protect. So, will you come with me? Let's get stronger together, protect the person we want to protect, see a wider sky, and make more friends."
Gligar glanced at Mara standing in the distance, then looked at Shane, who had sincere emotions on his face.
It suddenly felt like giving it a try.
Then—why not give it a try?
After seeing Gligar nod, Lucas was just about to walk over and hand a Poké Ball to Shane when he noticed that Mara had already walked to Shane's side at some point, opening her palm to him, with a Poké Ball lying inside.
Seeing Shane capture Gligar, Lucas smiled and took back his Poké Ball.
The two came before Lucas.
"Then I will entrust Gligar to you." Lucas said with a smile, "I hope you can protect the person you want to protect with it."
Shane's face turned bright red instantly.
And a happy smile hung on Mara's face.
Lucas stood at the doorway, with Gengar and Ninetales standing on either side of him, watching the two under the sunlight.
Mara walked in front, skipping along with her hands behind her back and a sun hat on her head.
Shane kicked stones behind her.
Mara turned back, looked at Shane, and suddenly said, "Shane, spring is here, let's—"
"Let's go on a journey together."
Shane suddenly remembered that day, when they were still children, also in spring, they had said this sentence too, but back then, it was him who said it.
Shane smiled and reached out to take Mara's hand.
"Okay."
Lucas watched their retreating figures, shook his head, and turned back to the backyard.
Gengar looked at the Razor Claw that had disappeared from the wall, blinked, and followed.
Ninetales followed slowly behind.
***************************
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! 🙌