Alan's house, living room.
Blue glanced at Alan's phone, which displayed the Eevee Video Network account labeled "Jubilife Breeding Center."
Alan nodded. "You mean that account? That's Wayne's. What, are you a fan of his too?"
"..."
Blue didn't know where to even begin with that assumption.
"Someone asked me to check it out," Blue clarified.
Alan detected a key element in that statement!
He pushed up his non-existent glasses with one finger, putting on a confident expression as if he'd already identified the true culprit behind the question.
"Someone? Could it be Red—the one who defeated you in battle?!"
"You can remove that prefix, thank you," Blue said flatly.
Alan waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with being defeated. You should think of it this way: most people don't even get the chance to be defeated by Red. I even get called the '5-8 City Champion!'"
Blue couldn't help but smile at that. "You're quite optimistic about it."
Alan smiled back. "I'm just used to it by now."
During dinner that evening, Blue had learned that Alan was a three-time consecutive Champion of the Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament.
However, he'd been eliminated in the quarterfinals for five consecutive tournaments after that impressive streak.
Despite being a Champion in his discipline, Alan's fame was limited to specific groups because he wasn't a Pokémon League Tournament Champion.
Those who knew about martial arts tournaments were well aware of his achievements.
People outside that circle—like Blue and Wayne—initially hadn't recognized Alan's name at all.
Blue looked up Alan's information on his phone.
"Retired due to a leg injury? What happened to your leg?" Blue asked with concern.
Blue hadn't noticed any issues with Alan's leg. Everything had seemed normal during their interactions.
Alan spoke lightly, keeping his tone casual. "Deep vein thrombosis in my right leg. The doctor advised me to retire at the time. Otherwise, it could have been life-threatening."
"After I stopped competing professionally, it hasn't affected my normal life much," Alan added.
Blue and Alan didn't dwell on this topic for too long. It clearly wasn't a pleasant subject to discuss.
Blue wasn't a doctor and didn't know the full details of deep vein thrombosis. He could only offer one suggestion:
"Finding Celebi in Ilex Forest, or perhaps Xerneas in the Kalos region, might be able to help heal you completely."
Alan waved his hand. "No need. My leg was treated a long time ago, and I'm fine now. Besides, I'd rather be a Breeder anyway. That's been my dream all along."
Blue smiled with relief. "That's a very good dream to pursue."
Meanwhile, Wayne was in his room, processing everything he'd learned that day.
Professor Oak hadn't sent any messages asking about Wayne's progress, but Wayne still took the time to explain what he'd studied.
The Professor only replied with a simple "Understood."
"Where did you two go this afternoon?" Wayne asked suddenly.
Wayne looked at Arcanine and Lucario, who had been absent all afternoon.
Arcanine had gone to Bell's house to play with her Growlithe and the other Pokémon there.
Lucario's afternoon had been even more interesting.
Lucario pointed toward the direction of the mountain behind the Breeding Center.
(I went into the mountain,) Lucario communicated through Aura.
Wayne asked with confusion, "Into the mountain?"
(To find opponents for training,) Lucario explained.
"Be careful when you go. Bring some Potions or other supplies, and it's best to bring someone with you," Wayne advised with concern.
(I understand,) Lucario acknowledged.
"Come on, let's go talk with Feebas," Wayne said.
Wayne had already told Feebas that afternoon that its Trainer—the poacher—had died in the car crash.
He'd explained to Feebas that it was now free.
Wayne didn't know exactly how Feebas had felt at the time, so he'd given it some time alone to process everything.
What surprised Wayne a little was that when he arrived at the fish pond, someone was already there.
A woman was sitting by the water's edge.
Under the sparse moonlight, Wayne recognized her appearance. "Kinsley?"
Kinsley, who had been sitting by the fish pond, quickly stood up.
"Little Boss! Lucario!" she greeted them.
"Luca," Lucario responded with a nod.
Wayne asked with confusion, "Why are you here?"
"I heard from Claire about Feebas's situation. I wanted to chat with it for a while," Kinsley explained.
As she spoke, her voice grew uncertain. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here without permission..."
"No, you did very well. Thank you," Wayne interrupted gently. "I also hope you can chat with Feebas more often when you have time."
Kinsley, who had been hanging her head, looked up in surprise.
"Can I really?" she asked.
Under the moonlight, Kinsley's eyes sparkled with hope.
Wayne looked toward the water and said softly, "Feebas has been hurt by humans. What we need to do is help it learn to trust people again and show it that not all humans will cause harm."
Kinsley bit her lip, looking uncertain.
"Can we really do it?" she asked quietly.
Wayne said with absolute certainty, "We can. I'm sure of it."
Kinsley clenched her fists and smiled sweetly.
"Yes! I'll work hard!" she declared.
She would definitely succeed!
Kinsley suddenly became filled with determination and fighting spirit.
She leaned forward, placing her hands on her knees, and spoke softly to the fish pond. "Feebas, we'll wait for you to overcome this. You can do it! We believe in you!"
"Luca!" Lucario called out encouragingly.
(You can do it!) Lucario conveyed its feelings and wishes through Aura, sending waves of support toward the fish pond.
The next day.
Because of Red's strong recommendation, Blue had watched Wayne's first four Trainer employment guidance videos the previous night.
How could he put it?
The content was quite unexpected.
Videos 01 (Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs) and 02 (Hair Management) were both within Blue's expectations, as he'd already witnessed Wayne's skills in those areas yesterday afternoon.
But video 03—the Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice—had genuinely piqued his interest.
In that cup of Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice, Blue had noticed something different from typical berry preparations.
Although he hadn't tasted it himself, Blue believed that the recovery effect of that Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice appeared even better than standard recipes.
"I saw you drink the Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice yesterday. What are your thoughts on it?" Blue asked Alan.
"It tastes pretty good, and it really does have a genuine smoky flavor," Alan replied.
Alan's academic vocabulary wasn't particularly extensive, so he couldn't come up with any more eloquent words of praise.
"I'm asking if it has any other effects—like giving you more energy or promoting faster physical recovery," Blue clarified.
Alan's eyes lit up with realization. "Oh! Don't even mention it—it really does! One cup and I felt like an entire day's fatigue just vanished completely!"
Blue nodded slightly. This matched his own impression from analyzing that cup of Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice.
Video 04—the Energy Cube demonstration—featuring that almost perfect Tamato Berry Cube, had surprised Blue even more.
Wayne's Pokémon food was already very high quality, but his skill in creating Energy Cubes impressed Blue to an even greater degree.
Blue found himself thinking that the Energy Cubes he usually made were only at that same standard level.
Of course, this was because Blue primarily specialized in Pokémon food preparation, and Energy Cubes were something he'd picked up along the way rather than focusing on exclusively.
"Good morning," a familiar voice called out.
Bell, who was out for her routine morning walk with Growlithe, nodded and greeted Blue and Alan politely.
"Good morning," they both responded.
Recalling his conversation with Bell from yesterday, Blue smiled. "You were right about him. He's very interesting indeed."
Bell covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear it. That makes things even better then."
At the Breeding Center.
Blue compressed his teaching schedule to maximize efficiency.
"Eight AM to noon, then one PM to five PM. Does that work for everyone?" Blue asked.
"No problem at all," Wayne, Claire, and Alan responded in unison. They had no issues with the intensive schedule.
"We're not going indoors today. We'll teach right here instead," Blue announced.
Blue chose the fish pond where Feebas was temporarily staying as the teaching location for the day.
Shion stood on her tiptoes, raising her right hand high as she tried to get Blue's attention. "Can we sit in and listen too?"
Blue nodded. "You may, but you must listen carefully and not disturb the lesson."
"No problem! We'll be quiet!" Shion promised enthusiastically.
"Today, we'll start by learning about the proper care of Water-type Pokémon," Blue began.
Ripples spread across the previously calm surface of the fish pond.
Under the rockery formation in the fish pond, a faint glimmer of light appeared in Feebas's previously dull and lifeless eyes.