Grandpa John and Grandma Mary didn't continue to tease Dratini; they just smiled and walked towards home.
You see, Grandpa John and Grandma Mary are both top Breeders certified by the Alliance. Naturally, they could tell that Dratini was at Elite Peak and about to evolve.
A year ago, their grandson suddenly said he found an egg, and at first, the two elders didn't pay much attention. After all, Pokémon hatched from eggs of unknown origin usually don't have much potential; they just thought their grandson was acting on a whim.
But to their surprise, after Dratini was born, even Grandpa John didn't recognize what kind of Pokémon it was. It was Grandma Mary who recognized it: a pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Galar region, Drakloak, which had just been incorporated into the Alliance's territory.
After examining it, the two elders discovered that this Dratini had incredible potential. Only then did they take it seriously, realizing that this was also a pseudo-legendary that matured incredibly late. Its evolution level was similar to Hydreigon's, so they weren't surprised that it hadn't evolved yet. Pseudo-legendary, understandable.
At this moment, Grandma Mary suddenly thought of something and said worriedly, "I heard that Drakloak, after evolving from Dratini, needs to carry another Dratini on its head. And after evolving into Dragapult, it needs two Dratini. How about we negotiate with the Alliance to see if we can exchange for two Dratini from the Galar region?"
Grandpa John smiled and replied, "When Alex hatched it, I already asked around. Dratini's evolution is actually somewhat similar to Metagross's. One is fusion evolution, and the other is fission evolution, but the latter requires very high talent, and for Dratini, it's definitely not a problem."
"When it evolves into Drakloak, it can split off a Dratini to carry on its head, and when it evolves into Dragapult, it will split off another one. The Dratini that split off cannot evolve; they will rely on the larger Dragapult to survive, so you don't need to worry about that."
"Is that so? That's not bad then." Grandma Mary nodded, then sighed, "Pokémon are truly a group of magical creatures!"
Grandpa John echoed, "Isn't that right? Haven't you seen those Researchers and Doctors still digging into the hidden secrets of Pokémon to this day?"
Just then, a three-meter-tall Swampert stood upright in the distance, sprinting towards them, with a person sitting on its shoulder, waving vigorously.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Mary immediately became excited, dropped her walking stick, and quickly walked towards her grandson.
When Swampert got closer, Alex quickly motioned for Swampert to put him down and ran over to support Grandma Mary.
"Oh, Grandma, don't rush; what if you trip or bump yourself? How could I live?"
Grandma Mary looked at the youth who had shed his childishness, her eyes full of heartache, "Why are you so tanned? You must have suffered a lot this year, right? Grandma will make you something delicious tonight."
"Okay, thank you, Grandma." Alex replied with a chuckle.
Grandpa John, who was standing by, also stepped forward, looking at his grandson and nodding, the worry in his eyes finally eased.
"How long do you plan to stay this time?"
Alex was stunned for a moment, then replied cheerfully, "Grandpa, I don't plan to travel anymore; I'll just stay on the farm and take care of you."
The two elders' eyes lit up; not traveling was good. A year out was enough; staying on the farm was very good. Staying by their side, they felt at ease.
After all, Alex was the only descendant of the family. His parents had passed away when he was just over a year old, due to suppressing a Pokémon riot. They had already experienced the pain of losing a child once and didn't want to experience it again.
"You haven't let your Breeder knowledge fall behind, have you?"
Alex smiled confidently, "Grandpa, don't you know me? If you want me to take the exam, I'll bring back the Advanced Breeder certificate tomorrow for you to see."
"Good, good!" Grandpa John couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He knew his grandson wasn't one to boast; his talent was extraordinary. At 11 years old, he could already take the Intermediate Breeder exam. The old man, afraid of him standing out too much, deliberately delayed for three years before letting his grandson take the exam.
But a 14-year-old Intermediate Breeder was still incredible! You know, the youngest Intermediate Breeder in the Alliance right now is 25 years old.
When his grandson passed the Intermediate Breeder assessment, it shocked the entire Alliance, and Alex was hailed as a genius destined to become a Master Breeder.
So many years had passed, and Grandpa John wasn't surprised at all that his grandson said he was already an Advanced Breeder.
"Lachi~"
At this moment, Swampert became anxious. Didn't they say there would be something good to eat? Why were they still chatting?
"Lachi~"
Swampert walked aggrievedly in front of Grandpa John and patted its stomach, its meaning obvious.
Grandpa John carefully examined Swampert and nodded with satisfaction. It was full of spirit, its muscle lines were perfect, and its strength had reached Elite Peak—quite good.
Looking at Swampert's silly appearance, Grandpa John chuckled and scolded, "You're just like your mother."
"There's honey inside; go get it."
"But don't think about secretly eating it; bring it home for me, and I'll share it with you tonight."
"Lachi~"
Swampert was overjoyed to hear this and quickly ran back.
Honey! It didn't expect to eat such a good thing as soon as it returned.
Thinking of the deliciousness of honey, Swampert ran even faster.
Alex watched this scene with a black line on his forehead. This silly Pokémon was embarrassing.
Grandma Mary, however, said with a chuckle, "He's indeed just like his mother, a complete foodie."
"Since Alex is back today, let's call everyone over for a reunion dinner."
The grandfather and grandson readily agreed.
At this moment, Grandma Mary couldn't help but rub her eyes as she looked at a Pokémon running over in the distance.
"Old man, what kind of Pokémon is that? I don't even recognize it."
The grandfather and grandson turned to look. Alex realized, smiling mysteriously. Grandpa John waited for Florges to approach with Leafeon, then observed carefully, hesitating:
"This looks like that Leafeon that was newly discovered a while ago..."
"I remember a while ago on the Research Forum, someone published a paper on Leafeon and Glaceon."
"Is that so? I didn't expect Alex to have one of the newly discovered Eevee species."
Grandma Mary smiled, not taking it to heart.
"Bui~"
Leafeon politely greeted the two elders.
"Flora~"
Florges, on the other hand, bowed elegantly.
"Good, you're all good children."
Grandma Mary smiled and said, "This should be Florges from the Kalos region. No wonder Alex asked us to help find a top-grade Light Stone two months ago; it must have been for you."
"Flora~" (Thank you)
Florges, hearing that the Light Stone for its evolution was found by this elder, politely thanked her.
Alex suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Grandma, I'll have to trouble you to find another Light Stone for me; this child needs it."
Alex held up the Togepi in his arms, which hadn't said a word since earlier.
"Cha~ Charlie~"
Togepi shyly greeted them.
Grandma Mary hesitated, "A Light Stone is no problem; worst case, we can exchange for one with the Anderson Family."
"But I remember Togepi's evolution method hasn't been figured out yet, has it?"
"Could it be that it evolves with a Light Stone?"
Alex was stunned and didn't explain, "You'll know when the time comes."
Grandma Mary didn't ask further and nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's go back first. It's getting late, and didn't we say we'd have a dinner party tonight?"
Alex smiled and walked home with his Grandpa and Grandma.
As for a certain greedy, silly Pokémon, it was naturally forgotten.