"Deoxys."
After Auron Vale called out to the empty air, Deoxys manifested into view.
"Sxisisi~"
"Is this really Deoxys?"
Lu Xing Guo's reaction was pure excitement — he'd already sensed Deoxys's presence through his Aura at the Dark Mystery Zone, after all.
But Ashen Vale was another story. Ashen Vale didn't have the habit of keeping his Aura active at home, so when a Pokémon suddenly appeared beside him, his surprise was genuine.
"This... Deoxys?"
Ashen Vale and Lu Xing Guo both activated their Aura at the same time, reaching out to sense the creature.
At the same time, Lu Xing Guo's Aura power revealed its special effect.
"Psychic-type... Cosmic power?"
Lu Xing Guo murmured to himself. No wonder Xiao Ze said the Comet Shards were connected to Deoxys — it seemed Deoxys was a Pokémon that had come from outer space.
"Xiao Ze, how did you even encounter Deoxys?"
Auron Vale smiled and turned to Lu Xing Guo. "Grandpa, do you remember what happened at Mo Qiangcheng's treasure vault?"
Lu Xing Guo froze, then quickly sifted through his memory for anything related to Deoxys.
His eyes caught the energy core pulsing in Deoxys's chest — and his pupils constricted. "Is that the gem you took from Mo Qiangcheng back then?"
Auron Vale nodded at Lu Xing Guo with a grin. "That's exactly it."
"And that thing hatched into a Legendary?!"
By this point, Lu Xing Guo's excitement was impossible to contain. Who could have guessed that something grabbed almost as an afterthought would turn out to be the most valuable thing from that whole expedition.
Auron Vale wagged a finger. "More like restoration than hatching. Deoxys was born with Legendary-level combat power."
"Have you tested it?"
"Not yet. But I mentioned to Uncle Ziyu that I wanted to try sparring against Rayquaza."
"Rayquaza?"
Ashen Vale whipped his head toward Auron Vale. "You're actually planning to use Rayquaza as your sparring partner?!"
"What else would I use?" Auron Vale said with a shrug and a wry smile. "Can you think of any other Pokémon I could find?"
"Darkrai? Don't you have the Lunar Wing?"
Liu Xiangjun, who had been quiet until now, spoke up from the side.
"Darkrai is a Dark-type, and Deoxys is a Psychic-type. If I used Darkrai as the sparring partner, a lot of Deoxys's abilities wouldn't be able to manifest properly."
"Right." Liu Xiangjun nodded and said nothing more, though privately he remained skeptical about Deoxys. After all, people of his generation had witnessed Rayquaza unleash its full power before — they knew what true strength looked like.
"Have you locked in a time? I absolutely have to see Rayquaza fight!"
Ashen Vale said this with the enthusiasm of a kid, and there was a reason for that. For people of Ashen Vale's generation, they'd grown up on stories of Rayquaza. To them, Rayquaza wasn't just a Pokémon — it was an article of faith.
"Not yet. I'll ask tomorrow, but it will most likely be before the National Day holiday ends."
"Awesome."
Ashen Vale answered with boyish excitement, then went right back to examining Deoxys.
Auron Vale watched his dad and grandpa like that and chuckled to himself. He'd hold off showing Deoxys's special abilities for now. Save that surprise for the Rayquaza match.
After a few more minutes of ogling Deoxys, the creature seemed to grow uncomfortable under their heated gazes. It gave Auron Vale a small nod, then vanished back into thin air.
"Damn kid — it's all your fault, standing there pressing in so close!"
The moment Deoxys vanished, Lu Xing Guo turned on Ashen Vale with a scowl. It had to be Ashen Vale's fault. He'd definitely been the one staring too hard and made Deoxys self-conscious!
Ashen Vale protested in a small voice: "You were the same."
"What was that? Say it again, you little rascal?"
Lu Xing Guo's hearing was still sharp — he'd caught every mumble that Auron Vale himself could barely make out.
"I was wrong."
Ashen Vale folded immediately. Now wasn't the time to argue — push it and he'd be subjected to an endless lecture.
Watching this father and son bicker was ridiculous, and it sent Liu Xiangjun and Lu Mom into fits of quiet laughter. Between giggles, they kept stroking the scales of Dratini nestled in their laps.
Dratini and Eevee were currently curled up together in Lu Mom's arms, watching TV alongside her.
Strangely, in just one afternoon, Eevee had become inseparable from Dratini. Eevee was currently wrapped contentedly around Dratini's tail, leaning into Dratini's embrace.
And Dratini didn't mind at all — if anything, it occasionally tickled Eevee with the tip of its tail.
Auron Vale just smiled at the sight of these two Pokémon getting along so harmoniously. Then he quietly got up and slipped toward the backyard.
The backyard was alive with activity too. Everyone's Pokémon had formed their own little groups, each absorbed in their own business.
Snorlax and Bewear, who hadn't seen each other in ages, were currently grappling in an open stretch of grass, going at it fist-to-fist.
Ashen Vale's Umbreon was currently nestled beside Espeon in a patch of shade, watching the two giants' match from the comfort of the grass.
"Osho~"
The moment Auron Vale stepped into the backyard — barely a minute into watching Snorlax and Bewear duke it out — something suddenly launched itself at him.
"Osho~"
Diancie had barreled into Auron Vale's arms and was rubbing her face against his cheek.
Laughing, Auron Vale said: "Diancie, how did you know I was here?"
Diancie lifted her chin proudly. Xiao Ze's here — I can feel it! That's what it means to have a bond of the heart!
Auron Vale grinned at Diancie's smug little face. Shouldn't there be a Lucario here to come peel Diancie off of him?
But reality disappointed him. Grandpa's Lucario was currently occupied, coaching Ashen Vale's Lucario and Auron Vale's Farfetch'd on the art of polearm combat.
Lucario was using its Aura to shape bone staves, teaching Farfetch'd how to wield a long weapon.
Over on the other side, Charizard was acting like it had a severe case of social flex disorder — somehow managing to drape one wing over Probopass while looping an arm around Krookodile, with Incineroar on the other side. The three Pokémon sat on the grass together, bellowing at the top of their lungs every so often.
When Charizard had first wandered into the backyard, it had drawn amused looks from everyone present.
And when Charizard spotted Slowpoke in the pond, it suddenly remembered the ridiculous stunt it had pulled during its first visit here.
Charizard's face flushed a little at the memory, but its thick hide let it recover quickly and integrate seamlessly with the rest of the group — which explained the scene Auron Vale was now witnessing.
Over here, even though Lucario was too busy to handle Diancie, Lilligant was on hand.
The moment Lilligant arrived and saw Diancie happily clinging to Auron Vale, she let out a helpless laugh, hands on her hips. Then she used her Vine Whip to peel Diancie off.
"Osho~"
—I want to hug Xiao Ze~
"Hee~li~"
—No, you can't bother Xiao Ze like that~
Lilligant said this, then turned and gave Auron Vale a hug herself.
"Osho!"
(This chapter is complete.)
———
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