Seriously, Roy had no idea what was going on.
The mental exercise method that the Psychic Elite had been practicing?
If this technique were sold to foreign powers, it could be exchanged for a few cities—truly priceless.
The rulers of some small countries might be willing to sell their kingdoms to acquire it.
What did Elite Carter mean?
"Don't overthink it," Carter explained. "Although I've been practicing this mental power training regimen, it's not my own secret technique. I learned it from someone else. If you want to learn it, you need that Lord's permission."
"..."
The existence of someone who could make a Psychic Elite refer to them as "lord" made Roy imagine scenarios from fantasy novels. Could this be related to the ancient Psychic Elite lineage? Was there some hidden ancestor involved?
It couldn't actually be Sabrina from Saffron City, could it?
With insufficient information, Roy couldn't guess the other party's intentions at all.
Although he knew the truth of "there's no such thing as a free lunch," this offer was too tempting. Roy couldn't help but agree.
"Very good," Carter nodded with satisfaction. "Go back and pack some clothes, then return here. Christian, I'll leave the school arrangements to you... One month should be enough."
"I'll help him request an extended leave," Professor Christian nodded cheerfully.
If his student could truly learn the special techniques of an Elite Trainer, it wouldn't matter if Roy missed a month of classes—he could even skip the entire semester!
Carter turned to look at his daughter and said:
"Caroline, please take him there."
"Mm."
Caroline responded briefly, stood up from the sofa, and walked over to Roy.
As she got closer, Roy realized she was quite tall, at least 5'8"...
"Your home address."
Her tone was so flat that what should have been a question sounded like a statement.
Roy was stunned for a second before realizing she was asking a question, and immediately provided his address.
Caroline raised her hand, and a Poké Ball suddenly materialized in her previously empty palm.
'Psychic power?'
The Poké Ball opened, bright light flashed, and an elegant humanoid Pokémon resembling a noble lady appeared before everyone.
Roy recognized this Pokémon—it was a Gardevoir.
"Take him."
Even when addressing her own Pokémon, Caroline's voice remained flat.
After giving this instruction to Gardevoir, she vanished from sight.
"Gardevoir~"
Gardevoir's voice was very similar to a human woman's. Unlike her trainer, she greeted Roy quite gently.
After getting Roy's permission, she leaned over and placed her hand on Roy's shoulder.
Teleport!
Roy's vision suddenly went black, and his head felt dizzy.
After a moment, Roy opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of his house, with Caroline and Gardevoir beside him.
'Gardevoir has such powerful Psychic abilities...'
Roy had expected they would need multiple teleports, but they'd arrived in just one jump.
Covering more than six miles instantly with such precision was impressive.
What level of trainer was Caroline?
Despite his curiosity, Roy didn't pry. This woman clearly wasn't easy to get along with... Caroline could have teleported Roy herself, but she insisted on having Gardevoir do it.
Misanthropy? Or perhaps specifically disliking men?
Pondering this, he unlocked the fingerprint lock of his house and led them inside.
It was working hours now, so Roy's parents weren't home. At least he wouldn't bring a girl home and cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
Back in his room, while packing his luggage, Roy sent messages to his family and friends on his phone explaining the situation.
Since he didn't know if Elite Carter wanted to keep the arrangement private, Roy simply explained that he would be away for "special training."
Roy's excellent performance as a trainer had earned his parents' complete trust, so they didn't question him too much.
Ten minutes later.
With a suitcase in hand and a backpack containing the Vulpix egg on his back, Roy walked into the living room and said to Caroline who was waiting:
"I'm ready, let's go!"
Caroline glanced at Roy's suitcase and backpack. After a flash of confusion in her eyes, she shook her head. "Too heavy."
"Give me one of those."
Roy understood what she meant—the heavier the load, the more difficult the Teleport. With the combined weight, Gardevoir might not be able to reach Carter's villa in one jump.
After considering that she was related to a wealthy and powerful family, Roy decided to hand the lighter backpack to Caroline.
"Be careful, there's a Pokémon egg inside," Roy cautioned while passing the backpack.
During the handover, Roy's hand accidentally touched Caroline's delicate fingertips. Having grown up around many girls, he didn't think much of it.
But Caroline's reaction was intense.
The moment their skin made contact, she stepped back several paces as if frightened.
Looking at the unaffected Roy, her usually emotionless face showed bewilderment for the first time.
'What a strange woman. Maybe she really does dislike men...'
Roy thought to himself while maintaining a polite smile.
"Miss Caroline, shall we go?"
"...Mm."
Gardevoir used Teleport again to bring Roy back to the Carter villa.
As soon as his vision cleared, Roy was startled by the scene before him.
In the courtyard stood a massive orange-yellow figure.
It had two long, thin antennae on its head and a single horn growing from its forehead. Its body was plump yet powerful, with a pair of wings that seemed disproportionately small compared to its body.
Roy immediately recognized this figure.
Known for its hypertrophy, the pseudo-legendary Pokémon of the Dragon regions—
"Dragonite?"
It was Roy's first time seeing this pseudo-legendary Pokémon in real life. He was excited and examined it carefully.
The average height of a Dragonite is around 7'3", but this Dragonite was nearly 13 feet tall—absolutely extraordinary.
Wait...
A Dragonite nearly 13 feet tall. In all of China, there was only...
"Is this Frances's Dragonite?"
"Yes," Carter nodded with a smile. "Only Dragonite can take you to 'that lord's' location as quickly as needed. I just called Frances and asked to borrow it."
"I thought I saw on TV that Frances was in Alola's Spirit World?"
"Yes, that's where Dragonite flew from."
"..."
Roy was dumbfounded.
He had gone to pack his luggage and returned in just over ten minutes.
In ten minutes, this Dragonite had flown back to Capital from Hawaii?
That was literally the other side of the world!
No, it was probably even less time, considering Dragonite was already waiting in the courtyard...
It could circle the earth in less than 20 minutes. Was this the speed of a Champion Trainer's ace Pokémon?
Simply incredible.
Roy took two steps closer and lightly poked Dragonite's belly.
"Droooo~"
Dragonite's large round eyes narrowed, seeming quite friendly.
Although Roy had a natural 'Pokémon affinity,' this Dragonite was remarkably good-natured. It didn't display the arrogance one might expect from the strongest Pokémon in China. Instead, it reminded Roy a bit of Squirtle—somewhat silly but endearing.
"Alright, Dragonite, I'm entrusting him to you," Carter smiled. "Please deliver him safely."
Dragonite nodded, stepped forward, picked up Roy's suitcase with one hand, and gently lifted Roy with the other, placing him on its back.
"Droooo~"
Dragonite called again, signaling Roy to hold tight, and began flapping its seemingly too-small wings.
Everything in Roy's field of vision instantly blurred as they shot upward. In the blink of an eye, they were high in the sky.
Despite the altitude, Roy didn't feel the thin air, as a subtle energy field extended from Dragonite to envelop him.
The Dragonite flew at a speed Roy couldn't even calculate. Looking behind them, he could barely make out the formation of sonic boom clouds but couldn't hear the sound at all.
'So fast!'
While Roy was still marveling, Dragonite gradually slowed down.
Still puzzled, he looked down at the ground and could make out the outline of the Great Wall...
"..."
"Droooo~" Dragonite's gentle, honest cry interrupted Roy's silence.
Roy, who had mastered the power of aura, understood Dragonite's meaning and remained still.
Then, Dragonite opened its mouth slightly.
The air in front of its mouth suddenly blurred, and what looked like a miniature sun began to form.
Energy concentrated with pure destructive potential.
—Hyper Beam!
Seeing it with his own eyes was completely different from watching it on TV.
The terrifying energy fluctuation made Roy's aura abilities tremble.
The next moment, Hyper Beam blasted toward the empty clouds.
"CRACK—"
There was a sound like shattering glass, and a section of the seemingly normal sky tore open.
A 'door' appeared mid-air.
On the other side of the door was a completely different world.
A different dimension—the Spirit World!
'Champion...'
Roy's heart raced with excitement, and he grinned.
He lightly touched the Poké Ball on his waist.
In that moment, Roy had never looked forward more to seeing his Pokémon become Champion-level someday.
Perhaps they might even climb the peak called 'Master'—a summit few had ever reached.