At this moment, the Breeding Road welcomed an old acquaintance once again.
The spiky-haired young man walked along the Breeding Road with his Umbreon, and he noticed that the road seemed to have changed.
It wasn't this wide or flat before.
And there certainly weren't saplings with newly sprouted branches on either side.
Gary, who had returned to the Sinnoh region, immediately came to visit Lucas.
He looked at the greatly changed road with some confusion, but upon seeing the outline of a house in the distance, he quickened his pace.
Walking to the entrance of the Breeding House, Lilligant and Roselia were moving a wooden sign that had been standing at the door back inside.
"Laji?"
Lilligant looked at Gary and Umbreon, a little puzzled.
Why are you here?
Gary quickly helped Lilligant and the others move the items back inside, then asked:
"I'm here to interview the owner. Is the owner in?"
Lilligant nodded with a smile, then gestured for him to come in. After closing the door, she and Roselia led him towards the backyard.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Lucas walk in from the backyard entrance.
Looking at Gary in front of him, Lucas was a little shocked.
Didn't he go back to Pallet Town? Why would he be at his Breeding House?
"Owner."
Gary greeted him politely.
"Eevee's cry/sound."
Umbreon also greeted him.
"Gary, I remember you went back to Pallet Town, didn't you?"
Gary heard Lucas's words and was about to answer when he heard a voice from behind Lucas.
"Do we have a guest?"
Lucas moved away from the backyard entrance, and then a beautiful blonde figure appeared before him.
A familiar face.
Champion Cynthia?!
Gary's pupils suddenly constricted.
How could Champion Cynthia be at the Breeding House? Was he here at the wrong time? Had he interrupted the owner?
Gary's mind raced with deductions.
"This is my—hmm—I guess you could say student."
After a moment of thought, he introduced him to Cynthia.
Hearing Lucas say he was his student, Gary was touched and then called out to Cynthia.
"Hello, Teacher's Wife."
Cynthia:?!
Lucas: What are you doing, you big idiot?!
Lucas quickly explained.
Gary's face turned red.
So—so it wasn't?!
Lucas shook his head from the side.
Cynthia wasn't too bothered by it.
"Hello, Champion Cynthia, I'm Gary, from Pallet Town."
Gary greeted her again.
Cynthia nodded.
"Hello."
Then she thought of something.
"Pallet Town? Is there a trainer named Ash in your Pallet Town?"
Gary looked up, puzzled, at Cynthia.
How did Cynthia know his childhood friend too?
He nodded and asked, puzzled:
"Champion Cynthia knows Ash too?"
Cynthia smiled, "Many people have mentioned him."
After saying that, she glanced at Lucas.
Gary suddenly understood.
"Brother Gary."
Shauna squeezed out from beside Cynthia, saw that it was Gary, and happily called out, then ran to Gary's side and took his hand.
"I'll take you to see the sandcastle I built today, it's so pretty."
Gary smiled and let Shauna lead him away.
Lucas and Cynthia exchanged glances, smiled, and then followed them.
After playing with Shauna for a while, Shauna also realized that Gary had something to discuss with Lucas and Cynthia, so she obediently took Umbreon and the others to play elsewhere.
Gary came to Lucas and Cynthia, hesitated for a moment, then looked at Champion Cynthia.
"Champion Cynthia, may I trouble you for a battle?"
Upon hearing the word 'battle,' Cynthia abruptly closed the book on her lap, her eyes sparkling, and looked at Gary.
Lucas's student?
"Okay."
Lucas, who was listening to their conversation from the side, said:
"A pre-dinner battle? That works."
After speaking, Lucas led them to an open space, acting as the referee himself.
Shauna and all the other Pokémon gathered around.
"Gary."
Cynthia said calmly, "Let me see the strength of Lucas's student."
Gary's expression was serious.
Garchomp descended from the sky, its aura intimidating.
Gary flicked his wrist, and Blastoise appeared.
At Lucas's command, the battle was on.
"Ice Beam!" "Dodge, Dragon Rush!"
"Bubble!"
"Thunder Fang!"
The battle ended with Gary being utterly crushed.
Gary wasn't sad.
The owner was right, his strength was still not enough.
Gary smiled to himself.
You want to become a Pokémon Master, but I won't be far behind!
Thinking of this, Gary looked up at Cynthia.
"Thank you for the guidance."
Cynthia smiled faintly and shook her head.
"You're very strong, Gary."
"I can tell you care a lot about your Pokémon."
Lucas also noticed this change from the side.
He felt deeply gratified.
"Alright, the battle's over, let's eat!"
Lucas clapped his hands and announced.
Many Pokémon cheered.
After dinner, Lucas sat at the dining table, took a sip of Berry Juice, and asked Gary:
"Didn't you go back to Pallet Town?"
"I went back once, and after explaining the situation to my grandpa, I decided to make the Sinnoh region the first stop for my research."
Lucas nodded.
The Sinnoh region, huh, that works.
Cynthia listened quietly from the side.
She was holding Vulpix in her arms.
Professor Oak's grandson?
Lucas's student?
Cynthia nodded to herself.
"Oh, by the way, owner, I believe Ash will be coming soon too."
Has he already battled Ash, who has conquered the Battle Frontier?
Lucas thought to himself.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes when she heard Ash's name.
Is that trainer named Ash going to travel to the Sinnoh region next?
She smiled faintly.
She was really looking forward to meeting that child.
"By the way, Gary, do you have any plans to challenge the Sinnoh League Gyms?"
Gary was stunned for a moment.
"Challenge Gyms?"
"That's right."
Listening to Lucas, Gary thought for a while and then said:
"But I'm not planning to challenge the Sinnoh region's League Conference."
He shook his head, "Challenging Gyms doesn't mean you have to challenge the League Conference."
"To become a powerful researcher, you also need to battle different trainers, and isn't a Gym Leader the best choice?"
"Besides, the badges you win back, I can keep them for you."
Lucas's eyes didn't redden, and his heart didn't pound.
After all, he hadn't seen a badge yet.
"You mean, just challenge the Gyms?"
Gary thought for a while and then asked.
"But if I've already challenged the Gyms, it wouldn't hurt to go to the League Conference, would it?"
Lucas certainly knew, but this year's League Conference, with Ash there, meant that a certain legendary Pokémon user would also be there.
Lucas shook his head and stopped talking.
"Or does the owner think the contestants of the Sinnoh League's League Conference aren't strong enough?"
Pfft!
Lucas directly spat out his tea.
He looked at Cynthia and saw that she was smiling gently at him.
"I'm not, I didn't, it wasn't me."
Lucas quickly shook his head.
"It's all up to your own choice."
Lucas feigned composure.
"Remember, challenging Gyms isn't your main goal; your main goal is to become an excellent Pokémon researcher."
Gary nodded, indicating understanding.
Lucas suddenly thought, what if Gary participated in this League Conference?
Wouldn't that be interesting?
He suddenly had a mischievous thought.
However, all of this depended on Gary's personal choice.
In a certain forest on the other side.
Paul threw a Poké Ball, hitting a Starly on the head.
But it wasn't caught in the ball.
"Tch, was it caught already?"
He recalled the Poké Ball, ready to turn and leave.
"Hey, excuse me, have you seen a Pikachu?"
A young man with an Aipom ran over from a distance.
He asked Paul.
Paul turned to look at the young man in front of him.
His dead fish eyes narrowed slightly.
....
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