"...Of course."
Although she didn't know what had gotten into her cousin Lance to suddenly invite her to travel to Paldea, after some thought, Clair decisively accepted his invitation.
The reason was simple.
As a Gym Leader, she had recently seemed to hit another bottleneck.
Unlike the Kanto region, Johto region's gym distribution wasn't such that every city had a gym that could issue badges.
As the gatekeeper of Johto's eight gyms, she should theoretically bear the responsibility of testing whether trainers were qualified to enter the Victory Road.
In fact, Clair, who had inherited the gym leader position from her father, had always done exactly this. Very few new trainers could gain her recognition, and the previous pass rate had been quite low.
But this year, the situation suddenly changed dramatically.
It was only mid-February—in previous years, she shouldn't have had any challengers at this time.
However, the reality was completely the opposite.
A group of prodigy youths had seemingly appeared from nowhere, having apparently speed-run through the other seven gyms within a month, arriving at Blackthorn City to challenge her.
When Clair fulfilled her duties as gym leader, determined to properly test them, she quickly noticed something strange.
Didn't these newcomers' battle styles feel way too familiar?
From various chaotic interference moves, it seemed like they had all deeply studied in Teacher Azure's live streams...
So Clair quickly discovered the truth—
Why were the other gym leaders being speed-run?
Because Johto region was a very traditional place—you could clearly feel it from the cultural atmosphere of Ecruteak City and Violet City, and even from her own Blackthorn City.
People here were very peaceful, mostly busy with their own careers. A significant portion didn't even use phones much.
Especially for gym leaders—this was even more true.
Falkner, who wants to live up to everyone's expectations; Bugsy, who was still in his bug-collecting youth phase; the martial arts fanatic Master Chuck; and Pryce, who had long since retired and was incredibly lenient with newcomers...
If Pryce hadn't been casually letting challengers pass every day, Clair's qualifications would never have allowed her to be the gatekeeper gym leader in the first place.
Thinking about it this way—the old, skilled gym leaders of Johto were happy to see newcomers pulling out new tricks, readily giving them badges; while the relatively weaker new gym leaders were informationally behind, completely unable to stop this group of newcomers enhanced by Teacher Azure.
So this was why such a scene had appeared?
Although Clair had tried to hold these newcomers to high standards, she still had to admit—
What Teacher Azure taught was genuinely useful. These newcomers all showed quite good competitive strength—getting to the Top 16 in previous championships wouldn't have been difficult for them.
Therefore, after these days of testing, Clair actually felt like she was the one falling behind these newcomers...
Crushing them with raw power felt like it would violate the original purpose of establishing gyms.
If she wanted to improve, perhaps she really should see firsthand how an excellent gym leader tested newcomers?
Since her cousin Lance had given her this opportunity, Clair decisively accepted.
If we're talking about the most popular, newcomer-friendly gym leader right now, it had to be Aiden without question.
Not only was he "highly praised" locally in Paldea with many challengers coming daily to accept his tests, but even newcomers from other regions were mostly his fans.
So in training newcomers, Aiden must have his own unique insights.
She should go learn from him too.
Seeing his cousin accept so decisively, Lance—who had been thinking about what excuse to use—fell silent for a moment, then nodded with a serious face.
"I understand."
"I'll contact Aiden. Let's set the time for the day after tomorrow."
...
Monday morning.
After washing up, Teacher Azure opened the gym doors, facing the cloudless good weather and the plants not far away that were gradually sprouting tender branches. He stretched lazily.
Unconsciously, the not-too-cold winter had quietly passed, and the breath of spring had arrived.
Even Miraidon, who was usually addicted to slacking off, was unusually not refreshing in its big cat nest today. Instead, it leisurely strolled near the gym, feeling the series of subtle changes happening on the earth's surface.
Noticing Miraidon in the distance, Aiden himself couldn't believe it—rubbing his eyes to confirm he wasn't seeing things before sighing.
"The sun really is rising from the west today..."
Speaking of which, he had almost collected all five Herba Mystica, with only the final Titan Pokémon hidden in Casseroya Lake remaining. Logically, Miraidon's injuries should have recovered by now.
However, this off brand Cyclizar had completely adapted to a leisurely, slacking-off life—there was no way to tell if it had actually regained its strength.
In the game too, even after collecting the power of all five Herba Mystica, Miraidon was still just a means of transportation.
To make it overcome its inner demons, did he really have to face its nemesis head-on in Area Zero?
As Aiden was thinking this, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated slightly, catching his attention.
He didn't have many friends on the Navigator app. Recently, because he had unlocked the archaeological direction of finding slates, Cynthia had been busy again.
So generally speaking, apart from work-related content, no one should be actively contacting him.
Opening it up, it was actually a message from Lance sent via Navigator.
The content was also concise and clear.
"Lance wants to travel to Paldea with Clair? And he specifically mentioned Casseroya Lake?"
Aiden immediately raised an eyebrow.
This matter actually did have something to do with him.
During a previous stream, he had indeed mentioned Casseroya Lake with its rich Pokémon population, even suggesting Lance visit to see what "new era dragon Pokémon" really meant...
Since Lance actually took interest, as the host, Aiden naturally wouldn't be lacking in hospitality.
After decisively accepting Lance's invitation to travel together, Aiden's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.
Lance the Flying-type Elite—I'll show you in a couple days what we call Paldea's dragons!
Due to the game's IP origins, early dragon Pokémon were always synonymous with strength. In the first generation, there was only Dragonite as a lone survivor—Lance's absolute mainstay.
As game generations continued to evolve, more and more dragon Pokémon appeared in other regions.
The sky's powerful pseudo-legendary Salamence, the overwhelmingly strong Ground Dragon Garchomp, and various legendary Pokémon with Dragon typing...
All of them matched Lance's image of what dragon Pokémon should be.
Powerful, handsome, full of dignity.
However...
Bro, the times have changed!
In subsequent regions, people could see dragons with bodies completely constructed like motorcycles, dragons named Exeggutor but possessing dragon energy, even dragon-like bugs crawling on trees, and dragons shaped like sushi that made your mouth water...
In short, the definition of dragon Pokémon became increasingly broad. Their appearances might cause quite a shock to Lance, who held "stereotypical" views about dragon Pokémon?
Imagining Lance visiting Casseroya Lake and seeing a large group of Frigibax lining up to sunbathe on shore with a shocked expression, Aiden's smile became even more unrestrained.
"Ogerpon~"
Ogerpon watering the garden nearby noticed Aiden's appearance.
Originally planning to approach and greet its trainer, absorbing some of his energy, it noticed the strange smile on Aiden's face and tilted its head in confusion, its mask flipping 180 degrees.
The trainer seemed to be thinking about something strange—maybe planning to prank someone?
If that was the case, it was better not to disturb him...
Ogerpon decisively decided to look away and continue its daily work.
Just as Aiden was immersed in his inner world, completely unaware of his surroundings, a heavy thud suddenly came from behind.
"Hmm?"
His thoughts interrupted, he instinctively turned his head to meet the gaze of Bagon, whose head was half-buried in the soil, struggling with its short legs to pull itself out of the ground.
"..."
Aiden sighed helplessly at the sight.
Fortunately, thanks to the milk formula boosting its physique recently, its skull had become much more durable. Otherwise, this kind of stunt might have shaken its brains loose.
It was already quite silly—becoming even dumber might mean that even after evolution, it would have no dignity whatsoever as a dragon Pokémon...
Taking three quick steps forward, Aiden picked up the "free-falling" Bagon, flipped it over, and immediately stroked its head.
Hmm, no injuries at all—not even a bump from jumping off the roof. The defense was solid.
"Hmm!"
Free from the earth's constraints, Bagon immediately struggled in Aiden's arms, quickly jumping back to the ground and continuing to trot around looking for nearby high places to climb.
Practicing flight was an instinct for all Bagon. Perhaps only when it truly built confidence and believed it could definitely fly into the sky would Bagon gain the potential to evolve into Salamence, the sky's king?
Aiden expressed great anticipation for this.
Anyway, this behavior couldn't hurt Bagon, and with Sableye as its "fatherly mom" secretly protecting it, it was fine to let the little one grow on its own.
Thinking this, Aiden turned and entered Sunshine Gym.
Just as he walked in, the guest room door opened, and Mewtwo walked out, rubbing its eyes and looking exhausted.
"Good morning."
Seeing Aiden, Mewtwo quickly greeted him politely.
"..."
Aiden subconsciously scratched his head.
"Did you stay up late last night?"
Judging by Mewtwo's obviously listless state, had it stayed up late?
But that made sense—after all, having just come to human society, it had probably stayed up late again last night absorbing knowledge online.
Being studious was of course a good thing, but if it affected daily functioning, it might be counterproductive.
"..."
For Aiden's question, Mewtwo fell silent for a moment. Not knowing whether to lie, it chose to avoid answering.
Actually, it hadn't just stayed up late—it had played games all night...
No choice—losing to ordinary humans in games was too frustrating. Before it realized it, the sky had already brightened.
Of course, this indirectly confirmed Aiden's guess.
Sighing helplessly, Aiden immediately held up three fingers.
"For your health's sake, let's establish three rules."
He couldn't let Mewtwo become ruined—if Mew laughed at him for not even being able to raise a kid properly...
If he was laughed at by the completely irresponsible Mew, where would his handsome face go!
So he absolutely couldn't let Mewtwo become an internet-addicted youth!
Mewtwo looked up, meeting Aiden's serious gaze, then quickly lowered its head again.
"Yes!"
In this situation, already feeling guilty, it suddenly had a strange feeling.
Mew had even joked before that since it was born combining its genes with humans, it should call Mew its mother.
As for a father—completely unnecessary!
But at this moment, Mewtwo suddenly felt—
Why did Aiden somehow give off the vibe of an old father from human TV dramas?
No no no—this must be his imagination...
"First, you must go to bed before 12 o'clock every night!"
Although for psychic Pokémon like Mewtwo, meditation could restore energy, it had only been alive for a few months at most. Growing children needed plenty of sleep to grow tall!
"Second, you only get two hours of internet time every day!"
For "underage" Mewtwo, the temptations of the internet world were still too great. Even if its intention was to learn, it needed to balance work and rest.
"Third, since you want to become a trainer, spend more time getting along well with your own Pokémon in daily life."
Saying this, Aiden—who had originally looked a bit angry—suddenly smiled, instinctively reaching out to pat Mewtwo's head.
After Aiden finished speaking all at once, Mewtwo looked up again and quickly nodded firmly.
"I understand..."
Aiden's three conditions weren't too harsh, and they were all for its own good.
So Mewtwo didn't resist at all, decisively agreeing.
At the same time, a new confusion arose in its heart.
Why did both involve mandatory requirements, but every word from Giovanni made it intensely resentful, while Aiden's didn't...
Humans really were complex creatures.
Mewtwo suddenly realized it still had a long way to go before truly understanding humans.
After establishing these "three rules" with Mewtwo and watching it walk into the washroom to clean up, Aiden also quickly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had actually been somewhat anxious about how to coexist peacefully with Mewtwo.
After all, due to certain reasons, Mewtwo currently shouldn't have much trust in humans at all. Even though he was Mew's friend and had helped it, Mewtwo still remained somewhat cold during their interactions.
However, his instinctive behavior just now hadn't seemed to provoke any resentment from Mewtwo.
Looks like I still have some charisma after all~
As Aiden was thinking this, a familiar face suddenly flashed through his mind.
Speaking of which, if Mewtwo was to become a trainer, its powerful psychic abilities could probably count as part of its own strength...
And in this area, the most authoritative should be Sabrina from the same Kanto region.
Besides the "basic applications" of psychic abilities like turning people into dolls and suppressing opponents' Pokémon with psychic power, Sabrina also had her own unique understanding in actual combat.
For example, using psychic power to temporarily evolve Abra into Alakazam, instantly boosting combat power—sounded ridiculous but was actually possible.
And for Mewtwo, this move had additional significance.
Although Mewtwo was artificially bred as a legendary individual, it actually still had evolution potential.
That's right—with proper use of psychic power, Mewtwo might even be able to Mega Evolve on its own...
Should he go ask her how she trained?
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