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After confirming his selection, the tournament organizers quickly sent Roy a notification message.
The training manual for the 'Weightless Technique,' along with all related training equipment and materials, would be shipped to him within three days.
"Within three days..." Roy mused to himself.
Coincidentally, Roy had already decided to take several days off, so this timing would allow everyone to relax properly.
It wasn't that Roy was being lazy or avoiding his responsibilities.
In fact, Roy had decided to take these few days off precisely because he knew things would become extremely busy afterward.
"The summer national competition, the autumn island challenge tour... there are simply too many important events coming up," he sighed.
The national competition wasn't just about the popularity and recognition that would come from winning the championship. It was also directly connected to earning tickets to the "Crown Tundra" and securing the right to acquire another pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
Furthermore, in autumn, Roy had no intention of missing the island challenge trials held in the Alola Spirit Realm.
If he wanted to further develop the secrets behind "Sage Arts" and Z-Moves, then communicating with the Tapu family—the true founders of Z-Crystals and Z-Moves—was absolutely essential.
Relying solely on Mimikyu to work in isolation and develop techniques through trial and error was proving far too slow. He needed to communicate directly with legendary Pokemon. Since he had Cosmog on his side, as long as he traveled to the Alola Spirit Realm, there was a high probability he would receive special treatment and access.
This meant that whether he was aiming to win the national competition or participate in the island challenge trials, there was one essential prerequisite he had to meet first.
Professional-level trainer status.
"It's the beginning of March now, and there's less than half a year remaining before the national competition is held in August. I need to decide where I should go for intensive training and adventure during this period..." Roy muttered to himself.
If anyone else had overheard his contemplation, they would have definitely thought he was being completely unreasonable and engaging in pure wishful thinking.
Reaching professional level in just half a year?
And how old would he be at that point?
Nineteen years old.
This would mean that a nineteen-year-old professional trainer would emerge.
That would be eleven years earlier than the average age for achieving professional level in China!
The current record holder, Champion Frances, had become a professional at the age of twenty-one, which would still be two full years older than Roy's projected achievement.
Such an incredibly exaggerated record would likely remain unbroken for the next hundred years.
When that happened, he would once again become famous throughout the world... but this time, it would be purely as a trainer.
Even though he had declared this a vacation period, Roy had no desire to go anywhere special and planned to spend the next two days at home with his Pokemon.
None of his Pokemon had any objections to this plan.
Picking up a soft towel, Roy carefully helped Beldum clean its metallic casing, applying specialized metal polish and brushing until its surface gleamed brilliantly.
It truly was a shiny Pokemon in the most literal sense.
Beldum made comfortable 'beep beep' sounds as it enjoyed the attention.
"Blast!" Blastoise sat nearby, watching the scene with obvious longing in its eyes.
When would it be Blastoise's turn for such careful attention?
Looking at Blastoise's shell, which was larger than Roy's entire body, Roy hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Why don't you just wash yourself in the pool instead?"
"Blast! Blast!" Blastoise immediately began tearing up dramatically.
"I'm just kidding," Roy laughed, patting Blastoise's shell gently and motioning for it to lie down on the ground.
Standing carefully on the turtle's shell, Roy began wiping it down with the towel using his feet, which proved to be much more practical and efficient.
During the cleaning process, Electabuzz happened to pass by and excitedly approached, wanting to help Roy give Blastoise a proper bath. Everything went smoothly at first, but suddenly there was an electrical malfunction. Out-of-control voltage at professional level intensity accidentally paralyzed the turtle. The nearby Beldum was also affected by the stray electricity, lost control of its magnetic powers, and fell directly into the pool.
Beldum, who couldn't swim, let out a series of distressed "beep beep beep" sounds as it sank slowly to the bottom of the pool, contemplating its existence.
Until I become stronger than Electabuzz, I will never get close to that reckless Electric-type again! Beldum thought angrily.
Fortunately, Lucario and Ninetales rushed to the rescue, which prevented what could have been a serious electrical accident.
Vacation time always seemed to pass by incredibly quickly.
An entire afternoon flew by in what felt like the blink of an eye.
When dinner time arrived, all the Pokemon gathered in the main lobby while Roy worked in the kitchen, carefully adding the appropriate energy cubes to each Pokemon's food bowl. He made individual adjustments for weight requirements and taste preferences on a daily basis.
Having never cooked a single meal for himself during his first eighteen years of life, Roy often felt like he was raising a group of little royalty who required constant attention.
"Without Clefable's help and care, I really can't get used to managing everything myself," Roy muttered as he worked.
One day before the decisive battle against Stonecrest University, there had been an emergency situation at the dojo. Clefable had regretfully been unable to attend Roy's match in person, but promised to cheer for him while watching on television after returning home.
So Clefable had traveled back to Promise Gym by itself.
As a fully independent Pokemon with its own official Pokemon identification, there was nothing to worry about regarding its solo journey.
Apparently, there was another Clefable at the dojo that was about to lay an egg, and Clefable needed to return to assist with the delivery process. Roy made a mental note that he should observe how Pokemon actually laid eggs when he had the opportunity.
"I'm here to help," Lucario announced as it walked into the kitchen and took the initiative to help Roy carry out the food bowls.
Except for Blastoise, who was too large and had to sit on the floor, all the other Pokemon took their places at the dining table.
After all the food bowls had been properly served, Roy announced:
"Let's begin dinner."
Just like humans during mealtime, Pokemon also enjoyed chatting with each other or watching various television programs while they ate.
Roy tuned the television to the Pokemon Channel as he always did.
Originally, he expected to see the recently popular drama series "Is It Wrong to Seek Romance in the Spirit Realm?" appear on the screen again, but instead, a breaking news report was being broadcast.
"On March 4th, 2021, after six years since its initial appearance, the massive Spirit Realm located in the northwestern region of Europe has officially merged with Earth and become a designated safe zone. Based on translations of ancient ruins discovered within this Spirit Realm, the European Union has decided to officially name this territory the 'Kalos Spirit Realm.' Currently, there are no plans to open it to outside visitors..."
"To celebrate the successful integration of the 'Kalos Spirit Realm,' the European Union will be hosting a European Youth Championship. Participants who demonstrate exceptional performance will have the opportunity to win treasures that have been excavated from the 'Kalos Spirit Realm.'
The following is the list of prizes that have been announced so far."
Roy's eating motion stopped abruptly, and his expression showed genuine surprise.
The existence of a massive Spirit Realm that had appeared in Europe six years ago was no secret, and many trainers were aware of its presence.
However, because it had never been officially named, Roy hadn't realized that it actually originated from the alternate dimension of the 'Kalos Region.'
Wait a moment.
If these were genuine 'Kalos' treasures, could it be that the item he most desired was also among them?
Roy stared intently at the images of prizes flashing across the large screen, searching desperately for the one specific item he hoped to see.
Soon enough, his patience was rewarded.
A mysterious stone that glowed with brilliant, multicolored light came into view on the screen.
A Key Stone.
Among the competition prizes, there was actually a genuine Key Stone!
Roy, who had been feeling somewhat regretful about giving up his chance to exchange for a Key Stone, suddenly felt his spirits lift dramatically.
Not only was there a Key Stone, but Roy also spotted several Mega Stones in the prize collection, though he couldn't determine which specific Pokemon species they were designed for.
"They're actually offering a Key Stone as a competition prize?" Roy wondered aloud.
While Roy felt excitement building, he couldn't help but feel puzzled by this development.
Key Stones weren't unique exclusively to Kalos. Other Spirit Realms around the world had also yielded discoveries of these extremely rare and mysterious stones.
Although their specific functions remained largely unknown to the general public, Key Stones had always been treated as precious treasures by research laboratories in various countries due to the massive amounts of life energy they contained. They were never displayed publicly or offered casually.
But this time, one was actually being used as a competition prize?
What could possibly be behind this unusual situation?
Without access to more detailed intelligence, trying to guess the reasoning would be pointless, so Roy quickly decided to abandon his speculation.
Regardless of the underlying politics or motivations, this was definitely an opportunity that couldn't be missed.
Europe...
The Kalos region...
A Youth Championship...
Perhaps he had just discovered exactly where he should go for the next phase of his journey and training.