11:01 PM.
Pokémon Center, Yuanqing City.
Nurse Joy was yawning as she prepared to close up for the night. She needed rest too—after a full day of work, even with shifts and exceptional stamina, it was still exhausting.
"Please wait a moment, Nurse Joy!"
From far away, a figure came running toward the entrance, shouting.
Nurse Joy paused in her motion to lock the door, a little helpless. Ah… probably another impatient Trainer. Honestly…
She thought to herself that she should give this one a good talking-to.
"Ha… ha~ I'm so sorry, Nurse Joy—thank you so much."
Silas, slightly out of breath, pressed his palms together and bowed in gratitude.
Ever since he had left the Mysterious Garden, he had been running as fast as he could, finally making it back here just before eleven o'clock.
If he'd been any later, he figured he would've had nowhere to stay for the night. He felt relieved.
After all, lately, every hotel in Yuanqing City had been fully booked.
He definitely didn't want to spend the night sitting on a bench out on the street until 5 AM before he could finally get back to a room for a proper rest.
"Really now, even if you're chasing legends about the Mysterious Garden, you still need to manage your time.
The wilds at night are very dangerous—both you and your Pokémon could find yourselves in serious trouble.
And besides, even when you're adventuring or exploring, you still need to maintain a good mental state, don't you think?
You Trainers never seem to care about your own safety. Every year around this time, I see so many Trainers like you…"
Nurse Joy locked the door while giving Silas a piece of her mind.
Faced with this kind-hearted advice, Silas could only give an awkward smile and promise to be more careful next time.
Nurse Joy shook her head. Yes… always the same. She knew these adventure-loving Trainers well enough—they'd promise to be careful, but the next time something happened, they'd still be the first to rush forward.
"Well, never mind. Do your Pokémon need healing? I'm just about to get off work, but I can have Chansey help you."
Nurse Joy offered.
Chansey, standing beside her, smiled warmly and narrowed its eyes.
"Ah, that would be wonderful, Nurse Joy. Thank you! But my Pokémon haven't been through any battles today—just a quick check-up should be fine."
Silas took out his five minimized Luxury Balls and handed them to Nurse Joy.
"Then I'll leave them in your and Chansey's care!"
"Wait here." — "Chansey~!"
Silas finally relaxed.
If he had refused, considering how tired they both were, Nurse Joy and Chansey would probably have turned him into the one getting lectured.
For them, staying up a little longer was no big deal, but for a Trainer to neglect their Pokémon's well-being—that was definitely worthy of criticism.
If he tried to argue, he'd be lectured for at least another half hour. Better to just let them handle the check-up.
Don't ask how he knew. He had a friend who had been lectured exactly that way before.
Ten minutes later, Nurse Joy and Chansey returned.
"Here, these are your Pokémon. Aside from being a little fatigued, they're perfectly fine."
As she spoke, both she and Chansey yawned at exactly the same time.
"Ah, you're tired—go get some rest! Good night!"
"Thanks, Nurse Joy! Good night."
Silas hurried back to his room.
"All right, everyone—good night!"
Lying in bed, he mumbled a sleepy goodnight to his partners before quickly drifting into dreamland.
In the background, Togepi and Servine were still playing around energetically.
"Mmm… stop messing around…"
Half-asleep, Silas felt something tickling his nose. He waved a hand lazily but didn't touch anything.
Even after saying that, the tickling didn't stop in the slightest.
"All right, all right… Servine, be good."
Still with his eyes closed, he reached out and patted a smooth, round head—guided purely by instinct and the faint scent of fresh grass that only Servine could have.
"Serviiine~"
Servine chirped softly—as if saying, Time to get up, lazy Trainer.
Togepi snickered from the side.
"You little rascal… this was your idea, wasn't it?"
Silas suddenly opened his eyes, scooped Togepi into his arms, and started tickling it.
"Togepiiiii~!"
Togepi squealed, wiggling helplessly—It wasn't me! Hahaha! I mean—it really wasn't me! Let me explain! Wait, no, don't listen to my excuses—ahhh!
"Heh, you little troublemaker… getting naughtier by the day."
Ignoring Togepi's protests, Silas continued tickling it mercilessly.
Over the short time they had been together, Togepi's mischievous side had fully come out. If anything happened during the day, it was almost certainly Togepi's doing.
And somehow, it had even started "corrupting" Servine a little too.
After a while, when Silas finally got out of bed and went to the bathroom to start his morning routine, Togepi was still lying flat on the bed, completely worn out.
"Serviiine~"
Servine chuckled softly, though its face still kept its usual cold, aloof expression—the kind that seemed to keep other Pokémon a thousand miles away.
"Toge! Toge!"
Togepi rolled over and sat up, immediately starting to argue with Servine.
In no time, the room was filled with the sound of their bickering.
Pidgeot, Blaziken, and Gigalith silently watched their antics. Honestly, seeing this little comedy show every morning was a nice way to start the day.
"All right, Togepi—come here so I can brush your teeth."
Silas called from the bathroom, ending the verbal sparring match.
Hearing their Trainer's voice, Togepi made a face at Servine, then scampered into the bathroom, hopping onto the sink and opening its mouth wide for Silas to brush its teeth.
Servine huffed, picked up its cup and toothbrush with its vines, and squeezed into the bathroom too.
"Serviine~" — Only little kids need their Trainer to brush their teeth.
And thus… the war began anew.
Pidgeot silently covered its head with its wings. These two… really needed more discipline. Couldn't they just enjoy a peaceful morning? Especially when the Trainer had actually slept in for once.
Gigalith, meanwhile, was maintaining a Gravity Field nearby, where Blaziken was going through its usual morning training.
"Pidgeot, you joining us?" Blaziken asked, sweating from the workout.
"Pidgeoooot~" — Too cramped in here.
Pidgeot rolled over onto its back, belly facing the ceiling.
Gigalith wordlessly increased the gravity's strength. You're still talking while training in my Gravity Field? That's rude.
"All right, everyone—time to get ready to set off again!"
Carrying the two troublemakers, who had finally settled down, Silas emerged shirtless from the bathroom and addressed his three other partners.
"Pidgeot!" "Blaziken!" "Gigalith!"
Their energetic responses made Silas nod in satisfaction.
"Good—looks like everyone's in great condition! Let's go, go, go!"
After packing up all their gear, they set off on the road once again.
Oh—almost forgot. Just before leaving, Silas smacked his forehead, then pulled out the seed that the Venusaur had given him last night.
"Here, Servine—absorb this."
Handing it to the Pokémon perched on his shoulder, Silas instructed calmly.
Servine said nothing, touching it with a vine. The seed dissolved into light and merged into its body—much like when Blaziken had absorbed that piece of Charcoal before.
Silas nodded in satisfaction.
That was a Miracle Seed—when held, it boosts the power of Grass-type moves.
The Miracle Seed given by Venusaur was no ordinary one. Its boost was a solid fifteen percent, even stronger than the ten-percent boost from the Charcoal that Blaziken carried.
Its market value certainly wasn't low.
However, Silas wasn't exactly short on money right now or rather, even if he were, this was the kind of item you simply couldn't sell.
Besides, for Snivy—currently ranked second among his team in potential, with an impressive quasi–Champion aptitude—such a held item was practically essential.
Yes, after last night's "blessing" from the mysterious garden (as he tentatively called it), plus the use of a high-quality Evolution Stone during its evolution, Snivy's aptitude had risen—half by surprise, half as a natural progression—from Elite level to quasi–Champion.
In this regard, it had now surpassed Pidgeot, Gigalith, and Togepi.
Its level had also leapt from 15 to 20.
Whether through Nurse Joy's quick check or through Unit Zero's in-depth analysis, the results showed that the process had caused no harm whatsoever to the Pokémon. Silas was relieved.
If there had been harm, it wasn't something he could fix right now anyway.
Still, his eyes drifted to the Togepi in his arms. This little one had also glowed last night—but unlike Snivy, it showed no changes at all, not even in aptitude. Silas couldn't help wondering if the "blessing" had simply not been complete for it.
"Togepi?" The little Pokémon tilted its head.
"It's nothing, just… you're cute," Silas said casually with a smile.
Togepi put its tiny hands on its hips, as if to say, Well of course I am.
Silas shook off the thought. Oh well—no change was fine, as long as it was healthy.
Leaving Yuanqing City, he pulled a long-unused bicycle from his bag, placed both Togepi and Snivy in the front basket, and began riding into the wind.
"Careful, don't fall out," he warned, as Togepi clung to the edge of the basket and poked its head out.
Speeding down the dedicated cycling path, Silas passed through a forest, crossed a small bridge over a stream, and after quite a while of riding, arrived at a rocky area.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Thunk. Thunk.
The sound of metal striking rock echoed through the air.
Turning a corner, Silas was greeted by a scene of bustling activity.
Dozens of people, dressed in professional gear and holding shovels and pickaxes, were busy digging within a massive valley.
This place, known collectively as the Great Ravine, contained seven or eight canyons of varying sizes and lengths.
The reason so many people were here was simple—half a year ago, someone had discovered a complete fossil of an ancient Pokémon in this very area.
Believing that if there was a first, there could be a second, people flocked here to dig with feverish enthusiasm.
Silas's long-awaited destination, the Grampa Canyon, was among them.
...
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