Lucien handed the follow-up arrangements to Elif, who went off to discuss the details with Zack.
When the door closed, only Lucien, Victini, and a few Pokémon remained in the office.
"Even though the territory has developed quickly, the population growth is still too slow."
Lucien scrolled through his panel. Only a few prerequisite technologies remained before he could unlock the Industrial Era.
With the school established and the newspaper launched, the people's satisfaction had risen sharply.
He was close, so close to unlocking everything needed for industrialization.
His only concern was whether the Industrial Revolution could progress with such a small population.
The territory had barely thirteen hundred residents, many of whom were merchants who'd moved in from elsewhere.
"Well… one step at a time," Lucien murmured.
"Nini."
Victini fluttered over and landed in front of him, gently urging him to rest.
Lucien understood. He had run himself ragged the past few days, school, newspapers, writing early trainer textbooks, even staying up through the night.
His Pokémon had watched him wear himself out, and all of them were worried.
"Alright, time to take a break."
Lucien patted Victini's head. "Want to visit father in the capital?"
"Nini!" Victini shook its head vigorously.
The old king had already warned Victini not to return too often.The royal capital was full of spies, and if anyone discovered Victini was staying with Lucien, it could put Lucien in danger.
So Victini had chosen to stay by his side. The old king was safe for now, Lucien mattered more.
"In that case," Lucien said, stretching a little, "let's head home early."
Just as he was leaving, a thought struck him.
Since arriving in this world, he had never once cooked a proper meal for his own Pokémon.
For a trainer, that was practically a disgrace.
He immediately called for a maid and requested ingredients.
Dragonite liked grilled fish.
Victini loved cookies.
Serperior preferred berry pies.
Larvesta liked roasted berries.
The Minccino troop adored chestnuts and dried fruit.
Kyurem… didn't seem picky, except for its obsession with chilled watermelon.
As for Golett, perhaps Ghost-type energy counted as food?
When the ingredients arrived, Lucien took them and headed home with Victini.
The maid had even built a swing under the big tree so the Pokémon could play there during the day.
As soon as Lucien opened the yard gate, he saw Larvesta happily swinging back and forth.
Behind it, a confused Golett gently pushed the swing in stiff, robotic motions.
Above them, five Minccino were lined up along a branch, nibbling on berries.
Serperior rested in the shadows like a noble guardian, head raised with quiet dignity.
Dragonite stood off to the side, calling to Larvesta, clearly saying, "My turn!"
"Larev!"
Larvesta finally realized it had been hogging the swing for too long and hopped off reluctantly.
Dragonite took the seat, only for the rope to snap less than ten seconds later.
Boom.
The massive dragon landed squarely on its rear.
Lucien: "…"
Victini covered its mouth, giggling.
"Nini~"
The laughter drew every Pokémon's attention. When they saw Lucien standing at the gate, all of them brightened instantly.
"Wooo!"
Dragonite's expression flipped at once. It let out a pitiful cry and charged toward Lucien, trying to bury its head in Lucien's chest like it did when it was still a Dratini.
Unfortunately, Dragonite had forgotten that it was now much larger than Lucien.
It couldn't snuggle into his arms, so it simply hugged Lucien's entire body and whimpered dramatically.
Lucien: "…"
Helpless, he patted Dragonite's back.
"Alright, alright. I'll secure a stronger rope for you later."
Dragonite weighed over four hundred pounds now, ordinary rope didn't stand a chance.
Hearing this, Dragonite immediately perked up.
"Wooo!"
"Good. Now look what I brought."
Lucien raised the package in his hand.
Dragonite leaned in to sniff it.
Its eyes instantly gleamed.
"Wooo!" Fish. It smelled fish.
"There are fish, berries, and watermelon," Lucien said with a grin as he looked around at the eager faces.
"Come to think of it, none of you have ever tasted my cooking, have you? Well then, today, I'll show you what I can do."
"Wooo!"
"Mincci!"
"Nini~!"
"Servi!"
All the Pokémon immediately perked up, tails wagging, wings fluttering, or eyes shining with excitement.
Lucien stepped into the kitchen. The house was fully equipped, its own stove for cooking, a stone oven for bread and pizza, and neatly arranged utensils.
Lucien handled the ingredients while Larvesta hopped forward to light the stove with a small, controlled ember.
As he chopped vegetables and prepared fish, Lucien couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
'If I really do win this war… then thousands of years from now, will people form tour groups to visit "Lucien's Hometown"?'
He could almost imagine the tour guide:
"And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the kitchen where King Lucien cooked meals together with his Pokémon!"
The mental image was hilarious.
Before long, a rich, savory smell filled the house.
A full lunch spread covered the table: grilled river fish, roasted berries, sweet cookies, berry pie, and chilled watermelon.
Lucien clapped his hands.
"Alright, dig in!"
The Pokémon didn't need to be told twice.
"Wooo!"
Dragonite inhaled the grilled fish like a starving sailor, eyes sparkling. Lucien's cooking was leagues above the plain stew they usually ate.
"Larve!"
Larvesta wagged its tail vigorously, Lucien's cooking was the best in the world!
"Nini!"
Victini happily munched on its little cookies, feet swinging back and forth.
Serperior lifted a slice of berry pie with elegant poise, nodded approvingly, and thought, 'A refined flavor… but the warmth behind it is what truly makes a Pokémon happy.'
Golett didn't need food, but Lucien still placed a little "offering" in front of it.
The little automaton simply blinked its glowing eyes and picked up the food with stiff, clumsy movements, as if trying to understand why others enjoyed this strange ritual.
Off to the side, Kyurem observed quietly.
Watching Lucien and the Pokémon gathered around the table, laughing, eating, smiling, Kyurem felt something stir within its ancient, icy heart.
Perhaps, just as Lucien had said, 'This really was the right path for humans and Pokémon.'
...
Stones Plzz
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