"Did you see Pidgeot?" Lin Feng was startled for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "Yes, I did, but it is not very convenient right now."
Pidgeot had just finished breakfast and was still in a slightly smaller form.
If someone saw it like that, things would get complicated. More precisely, if what they wanted to see was its enlarged form, bringing out the smaller version would only make explaining things harder.
"Not convenient?" the old man asked.
"Alright, alright. How about this afternoon? I will bring it over for you then." Lin Feng replied tactfully.
"…Alright." Seeing Lin Feng insist, Liang Cai felt a little regretful, but still suppressed his excitement.
He stepped aside, revealing the girl who had been hiding behind him the entire time. "This is my granddaughter, Liang Yue. She always says she will win the Horizon League in the future. Come on, introduce yourself. This is this year's Horizon League champion. I heard he is only eighteen, right?"
Liang Yue gave an awkward smile. At this moment, she felt extremely embarrassed.
Just a few days ago, she had challenged him. Now things had turned out like this.
"Why aren't you greeting him?" Liang Cai asked in confusion.
In the past, this girl loved Pokémon battles the most. In town, she used to beat other kids so badly that none of them dared to battle her anymore.
Finally, Lin Feng could not help but laugh and stepped in to ease the situation. "We already greeted each other. Hahaha, you can tell she really likes battling."
"Huh?" Liang Cai froze for a moment, then reacted. "She challenged you?"
"That's right, but…"
Before Lin Feng could finish, Liang Yue, already embarrassed beyond endurance, blushed deeply and pulled her grandfather away. "Ah… Grandpa… let's go… let's go back…"
She practically dragged him off as she spoke.
Only Lin Feng remained behind, unable to stop laughing.
"It's nice having people around… it feels lively."
At 4 PM, Lin Feng arrived at the newly built research institute at the town entrance as promised, bringing Pidgeot with him.
After a few days of rest, and being busy with preparations for the Horizon League before that, he only now realized the research institute that had been half-finished before was now completely built.
The overall structure was white and oval-shaped, like half an egg, with an internal ecosystem.
The upper section was made of transparent glass that reflected sunlight.
It was massive. Across the road in front was a large open space used as a parking area.
The building occupied an area no smaller than Lin Feng's plantation.
Out of courtesy, Lin Feng knocked on the door. Soon, a young researcher in a white lab coat came out.
He was very enthusiastic. "You're here? Come in, come in. Dr. Liang Cai has been waiting for you."
Lin Feng nodded and followed him inside.
The moment he stepped in, he was stunned.
From the outside, the building looked highly technological. But inside, it was filled with lush greenery and crystal-clear ponds.
A group of small blue Pokémon with fin-like heads and yellow gill-like structures on their cheeks were playing in the water. Staff nearby were feeding them.
Among them, Lin Feng even spotted a pink one.
"This is Mudkip, a very suitable Pokémon for beginner trainers," the young researcher introduced.
Lin Feng asked curiously, "Mudkip?"
"Are these the only Pokémon beginners can choose from?"
The researcher quickly shook his head. "Of course not. There are many suitable Pokémon, like Bulbasaur, Treecko, Squirtle, Piplup… The East China Alliance is planning to introduce many of them. For example, coastal regions will have more Squirtle and Froakie, while forested northern regions will have Treecko and Chikorita."
Lin Feng's eyes lit up. "So these are like starter Pokémon from other regions? You are bringing them all in?"
That would be interesting.
In other regions, beginner trainers usually only get one local starter Pokémon.
But here, there were multiple choices. That was a huge advantage.
It felt like something Feng Yang would do, though Lin Feng was not sure how he managed to convince other regions to cooperate.
Either way, it was a good thing.
Otherwise, he would not have Meowscarada or Alolan Ninetales.
"I am not sure about the details… I am just a graduate student learning under the professor…" the researcher replied awkwardly.
Lin Feng did not press further.
They walked through the grassy area and arrived at a forest zone. Under tall dense trees stood a group of green Pokémon with yellow eyes and red bellies.
Treecko.
"Treecko and Mudkip, huh…" Lin Feng thought quietly.
It seemed that in a few years, the town would not lack trainers with these two Pokémon.
He continued forward and entered the main research area.
Strange instruments were placed everywhere, some glowing with data screens.
Only Dr. Liang Cai was inside.
When he saw Lin Feng, his eyes lit up immediately. "You're here! You're here!"
"Yes, hello, Doctor." Lin Feng nodded.
"Come, come, let me see that Pidgeot!" Liang Cai said excitedly.
"Alright."
Lin Feng also wanted to know why his Pidgeot had grown so large.
Everyone was eating well.
Or rather, what exactly would happen if it kept growing like this?
Originally, Lin Feng thought it might be similar to an Alola Totem Pokémon, growing large due to being a leader Pokémon.
But recently he noticed something else.
It was still growing.
Pidgeot seemed to be increasing in size over time.
Logically, after final evolution, Pokémon size usually does not change more than about ten percent.
But his Pidgeot had already become over three meters tall.
When summoned next to Dragonite, it was even taller by a head.
Yet Lin Feng could not find a reason.
He was not knowledgeable in this area.
As long as it was healthy, he did not think much about it.
But continued growth was still concerning. What if one day it could not even fit in a Poké Ball?
It was good that someone could finally investigate it properly.
Lin Feng released Pidgeot.
"Such size?"
The moment the massive Pidgeot appeared, Liang Cai was shocked and quickly adjusted his glasses.
After the shock came excitement.
For researchers, encountering a rare subject they wanted to study was thrilling.
He leaned forward and carefully examined its feathers.
"Sharp eyes, smooth but firm feathers… but why is there such a strong burning sensation? Strange. This Pidgeot is… extremely well raised!"
His eyes were full of excitement.
Lin Feng asked, "Why would its size increase abnormally?"
"There are many reasons," Liang Cai explained. "But generally, they fall into two categories. One is Totem Pokémon. You may know about Alola. There, Totem Pokémon are several times larger than normal ones."
"Yes, I know," Lin Feng nodded.
The researcher continued, "But Totem Pokémon stop growing after reaching a certain size."
"The other category is more unusual. It is related to genetic atavism."
"Atavism?" Lin Feng repeated.
"Yes. It is extremely rare and cannot be replicated. I once discussed it with Professor Oak in the Kanto region. There was once a giant Dragonite, but unfortunately we did not collect enough data on it."
"However, I later obtained samples of a giant Tentacruel for study."
"Giant Tentacruel?" Lin Feng immediately thought of the enormous one he had seen before.
But that one had grown large after evolution.
"Yes!" Liang Cai grew more excited. "I later found many legends of giant Pokémon in the Kanto region. That was when I discovered a key point."
"These giant Pokémon have extremely strong vitality, several times or even ten times that of normal ones."
"Do you understand what that means? It means their lifespan may also be several times longer!"
"We once estimated with Professor Oak that the giant Dragonite might have lived for at least a thousand years!"
"However, after evolution, the giant Tentacruel's cell activity dropped sharply and it lost its ability to keep growing."
Lin Feng frowned. "Would that harm it?"
"Based on current research, no," Liang Cai answered firmly.
He looked at Pidgeot with growing enthusiasm. "Lin Feng… could you give me a few feathers from Pidgeot?"
Lin Feng nodded without hesitation. "Of course. I still have some molting feathers. I can also pluck one if needed."
"Let's use molted ones first."
After handing over the samples, Lin Feng left the institute.
Time passed quietly.
Occasionally, young trainers would battle right in front of Lin Feng's house, clearly trying to show off.
He did not mind and sometimes even watched.
Days passed quickly.
Soon, New Year arrived.
January 28, Lunar New Year.
Light snow began to fall, covering the town in a soft white layer.
For the children in town, this was the most exciting day of the year.
Because at the edge of town stood a villa where the Horizon League champion lived.
Today, they were finally allowed to visit in groups.
The courtyard slowly filled with the sound of footsteps, laughter, and anticipation…
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