Chapter 469: As Expected of Arthur
That night, the members of Starlight and Frost celebrated late into the night. First, they went out for a huge dinner, after which Ivy and Bianca treated everyone to a night of karaoke. They rented a massive, two-story private room so they could let their Pokémon out to celebrate with them.
During the party, Little Lapras, out of curiosity, tried some of the human drinks. Unfortunately, the poor girl had absolutely no tolerance for it and was spectacularly defeated by a single glass. The dizzy, tipsy Little Lapras began to happily slide around the room before latching onto Specter, grabbing a microphone, and insisting on learning Perish Song on the spot.
A terrified Greninja immediately rushed over to snatch the microphone away, then used its long tongue to clamp Little Lapras's mouth shut. Sis, we can't do that here!
But because Little Lapras hadn't battled today and was at full strength, the group of exhausted, barely-treated Pokémon from the finals couldn't hold her back. The drunken Little Lapras had become exceptionally bold. After Greninja wrapped its tongue around her mouth, she actually managed to pry her mouth open and give the tongue a lick.
A horrified Greninja immediately retracted its tongue, its face turning bright red.
"Hehehe~"
Little Lapras, her head completely empty from the drink, continued to flap her flippers,嚷嚷ing that she absolutely had to learn Perish Song, and no one could stop her.
In the end, it was Arthur who walked over and activated his signature move: The Trainer's Glare. That was finally enough to subdue the increasingly unruly little one.
Under Arthur's calm and imposing gaze, the deeply intoxicated Little Lapras suddenly shivered and went completely silent.
Watching this, Elara, who had only recently joined the team, couldn't help but sigh. "Arthur and his Pokémon have such a wonderful bond."
Aaron, standing beside her, was confused. "Why do you say that all of a sudden?"
Elara explained, "Look, just now, that Little Lapras was so drunk it didn't recognize anyone, but the moment Arthur walked over, it immediately recognized its master. That must be the power of love and their bond!"
Justin, as always, was Arthur's number one supporter. "Totally! Arthur and his Pokémon have an amazing relationship!"
Only Aaron and Alex exchanged a glance, their expressions strange. While it's true that Arthur has a great relationship with his Pokémon, are you sure it was 'love and their bond' that just quieted Little Lapras down? You must not have seen your own Scolipede trembling behind you…
The poor Scolipede had been passing by Little Lapras and had unintentionally met Arthur's calm, yet bone-chilling, gaze. Its little claw, which had been reaching for the fruit platter, was still shaking violently.
However, once the problem was solved, Arthur quickly reined in his intimidating aura, replaced it with a gentle, peaceful smile, and patted Little Lapras on the head.
"Perish Song isn't something for you to learn right now. And no more drinking without permission, understand?"
Little Lapras, who had been causing a ruckus moments before, was now as docile as a Pidgey. Her eyes, for a moment, regained their clarity, and she nodded her head vigorously.
"Good girl," Arthur said, feeding her a strawberry as a comfort.
In Elara's eyes, the scene was heart-warming and wholesome. A trainer using love to calm his intoxicated Pokémon—what a beautiful picture.
In the eyes of the nearby Pokémon, however, it was as if an ancient demon from the abyss had opened its eyes. The method of sobering up was so hardcore that Scolipede spent the rest of the night actively avoiding Arthur. I'd better not slack off when he's training me in close combat from now on, Scolipede secretly vowed.
After a loud and joyous night, they took a private jet out of Saffron City the next day and returned to their home base.
A day later, Justin woke up and went to the training facility. With the playoffs over, the instructors and most of the nutritionists were on vacation. The huge facility felt unusually deserted. After wandering around, he only found Kevin, Alex, and Elara.
"Where is everyone else?" Justin asked.
As a team veteran, Alex was more in the loop. "Aaron took some time off to go home, Leo is doing a champion's interview show, and the young bosses are probably out shopping."
After winning the championship, Aaron had been completely transformed, his inner demons finally vanquished. He had asked for leave last night to go home and finally confront his family. He was done being controlled; this time, he was going to buy back his own Pokémon and his freedom.
Leo, meanwhile, had been invited to an interview program.
Elara immediately quipped, "Oh, right. I almost forgot Leo was still the captain." Ever since she joined Starlight and Frost, Arthur had fought in every single Captain's Match.
"Pfft," Alex burst out laughing. "I should have recorded that to play for the captain later. Haha, that's a direct hit!"
"..."
It was then that Kevin finally thought to ask, "What about Arthur?"
"Yeah, where's Arthur? Isn't he usually the most diligent? Why isn't he training?"
This time, everyone shook their heads. It wasn't until Bella arrived a little later that they got an update. "It seems Arthur also took some time off. No idea what for, though."
Alex was the most surprised. "Huh? A hard worker like him is taking time off? You don't think he's gone somewhere else for secret training, do you?" He said it with a laugh, meaning it as a joke. After the finals and winning the championship, everyone agreed that a little relaxation was well-deserved.
But to his surprise, Justin responded seriously. "It's possible. Before I even graduated from the youth camp, Arthur once took me to a nature reserve for a month of special training at sea."
His Azumarill stood beside him, nodding vigorously to confirm the story.
Now Alex was truly stunned. "What?! He takes time off just to go train somewhere else? Is he insane?! Does he really not need any rest or relaxation at all?"
Justin just shrugged. "That's Arthur for you."
Elara and Bella both nodded in agreement.
"Well, it is Arthur we're talking about."
"As expected of him."
Alex was speechless. It felt like his admiration for Arthur had been refreshed yet again.
This time, however, they had all overthought it. Arthur wasn't off training.
At that very moment, carrying the ceremonial Rare Candies he had received at the award ceremony, he had dragged a certain homebody Mythical Pokémon, Onion Head, with him and had once again arrived at the foot of the Mt. Moon Nature Reserve.
What surprised him, however, was that the entrance to the reserve, which in his memory had always been deserted, was unexpectedly bustling with people today.
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