The phone rang a few times before being picked up, and Arven's somewhat distorted voice came through the receiver.
"Brother Lucas?"
Arven's voice was a bit groggy and muffled; it sounded like he'd been asleep and Lucas' call had woken him.
Lucas said apologetically, "Were you already asleep? If so, we can talk tomorrow instead."
Lying on his dorm bed, Arven yawned, shifted position, and joked, "I'm awake now anyway, so if you have something to say, just go ahead."
Thinking Arven had a point, Lucas nodded. "Alright, I'll be brief. Objectively, Mabosstiff is definitely stronger in terms of raw power, but you guys still lost to Poliwhirl yesterday. Why do you think that is?"
Arven was silent for a moment, then answered, "The reason… is me."
Since he was already familiar with Arven, Lucas didn't bother beating around the bush. He said bluntly, "That's right. The only reason Mabosstiff lost to Poliwhirl is because your command skills are terrible."
Arven muttered, "But it's not like I ever planned to be a strong trainer. Whether my command skills are bad or not doesn't really matter to me."
Arven's attitude—"You're right, but I'm still not going to try"—left Lucas a bit exasperated.
Right now, Arven's way of thinking wasn't unreasonable, but after certain things happened, Lucas knew Arven would come to hate his own weakness, and regret not being stronger.
Since this was a tragedy that could be averted at the source, Lucas didn't mind putting in a little effort—it was no trouble for him.
Lucas said calmly, "What if I told you that if you became a strong trainer, you could actually help Professor Sada and Professor Turo in Area Zero? Would you still feel the same?"
Arven, trying to make an excuse, froze. "Uh…"
Lucas continued, "There are countless fierce and powerful wild Pokémon living in Area Zero. They've been isolated there for thousands of years and have retained their primal wildness. The reason Professor Sada and Professor Turo are so busy isn't just because of their research—they also lack enough strength to push deeper into Area Zero."
"If you get stronger, you'll definitely be able to help them in the future."
There was a subtle note of persuasion in Lucas' words, and Arven fell silent, clearly wavering.
Sensing Arven's attitude softening, Lucasu pressed on: "How about this? Since you've already signed up for my battle class, if you work hard and grow stronger together with Mabosstiff, I might personally take you to Area Zero and introduce you to Professor Sada and Professor Turo."
Arven asked, unable to hide his excitement, "You promise?"
Lucas nodded, "Promise!"
Arven rolled over, looking expectant. "So what should I do specifically? How can I improve as a trainer?"
Lucas smiled and explained, "It's simple. What you need most right now is to fill in your basic trainer knowledge. I have a reading list for you…"
…
The next day.
The sky was gloomier than yesterday, but that didn't stop Lucas from continuing his farm work.
Farming was always monotonous and tedious—repeating the same basic motions over and over was a real test of both physical strength and mental fortitude.
But, having experienced the nightmarish Pokemon matches in this world, Lucas didn't think farm work was all that tough anymore.
By around 4pm, Lucas looked out over his neatly seeded quarter of the fields, wiped the sweat from his brow, and felt a surge of satisfaction.
Looks like he'd be able to finish sowing before his second class.
Once sowing was done, all that was left was watering and care—he'd have more time for other things.
His hands were covered in mud, so it wasn't convenient to take out his phone. Instead, Lucas glanced at the sky, trying to judge the time by the sunlight.
After a while, he concluded, "Hmm… it's probably around four or five o'clock?"
He squinted up at the sky, about to look away, when he suddenly noticed a black dot speeding toward him in the distance.
It looked like a Flying-type Pokémon, but its movements were shaky and unsteady as if it could crash at any moment.
Frowning, Lucas called out to his side, "Dragonite! Let's go check it out."
Judging by the dot's trajectory, it'd probably land right in the fields—if it crashed, that would be one thing, but he didn't want his freshly sown seeds getting ruined.
Dragonite, who'd been playing with Milcery, handed Milcery off to Serperior, then hurried over to Lucas, crouching down to let Lucas climb on.
With practiced ease, Lucas swung onto Dragonite's back and patted her to signal he was ready. Dragonite began to flap her little wings and quickly lifted into the sky.
Though Dragonite's agility stat was on par with Magikarp's, there was simply no denying her flying speed.
In less than a minute, they'd closed in on the wobbling black dot, and its outline became clear to Lucas.
To his surprise, it turned out to be a somewhat battered Braviary.
Its feathers were a mess, its beak opened and closed as it panted, and its wings were growing weaker with every flap—it was clearly exhausted.
If this had just been a wild Pokémon, Lucas wouldn't have been so surprised.
But as he focused on Braviary's powerful lower limbs, he saw that its right talon was clutching an unconscious human man!
Had this man been attacked by Braviary?
No. Lucas quickly rejected that thought—if Braviary had attacked him, why would it be clinging to the man even now, using up the last of its strength?
Lucas was more inclined to believe the man was Braviary's trainer, and had fallen unconscious for some reason.
As Lucas pondered, Braviary seemed to finally run out of strength. It beat its wings a few more times, but couldn't resist the pull of gravity and looked up at the sky in despair.
Lucas' heart clenched—he knew he had to act. He ordered Dragonite, "Use wind to slow their fall!"
Dragonite nodded, and with a thought, summoned a gust to catch up to the falling Braviary and man, cushioning their descent.
The commotion also caught Serperior's attention. Balancing Milcery on her head, Serperior gazed up, and when she saw Dragonite's move, her noble red eyes glinted thoughtfully. Without hesitation, she flung two vines skyward!