Mr. Stone fell silent for two seconds, then slowly nodded.
"Professor Oak is already helping you push for it," he said. "But there are still many people using your age as an excuse."
Chen Shi waved it off casually.
"It's fine. Those are my terms. If the League doesn't agree, then we'll just pretend this conversation never happened. It won't really affect me anyway."
If Mega Evolution could be exchanged for access to the League's so-called treasury, then he refused to believe that a brand-new attribute wasn't worth a single Professor title.
Besides, he wasn't fighting alone.
There was Professor Oak, and there was also the man sitting in front of him—the president of Devon Corporation.
If Devon wanted to cooperate, then Fairy-typehad to be revealed.
If the League refused his condition, Chen Shi would absolutely not allow Fairy-type to come into the world.
Which meant that Mr. Stone would, without question, do everything he could behind the scenes to help him secure the Professor position.
Only then could the cooperation continue.
Only then could Devon Corporation reap the enormous profits brought by a new attribute.
And from Chen Shi's perspective—this deal wasn't a loss at all.
At present, Fairy-type Pokémon could only awaken their power through his Energy Cubes.
Once Fairy-type was made public, the value of Fairy Energy Cubes would skyrocket.
But he had no channels.
No manpower.
No stores.
Even if he worked day and night by himself, how many could he possibly make?
So proposing cooperation now was killing two birds with one stone.
Mr. Stone clearly understood this as well and nodded.
Chen Shi becoming a Professor was something he wanted to see anyway—
so even if Chen Shi hadn't mentioned it, he would've helped regardless.
Mr. Stone then asked,
"Have you decided on a time to publish the Mega Evolution paper?"
"We'll need to make arrangements in advance."
Chen Shi thought for a moment before answering,
"Not yet. But it shouldn't be too far off."
"Once things settle down here, I'll start preparing the paper as soon as I get home."
"When I'm ready to publish, I'll definitely inform you ahead of time."
"Good."
Mr. Stone smiled. "No problem."
After chatting a bit longer, Mr. Stone excused himself, saying he had other matters to attend to, and left the space to the younger generation.
The four of them finished eating soon after.
Steven and Phoebe also took their leave.
…
On the streets of Silver Town, Chen Shi and Cynthia walked hand in hand.
Their steps were light and unhurried.
The streets around them bustled with people, voices rising and falling—but it all felt distant, as if the noise belonged to a different world.
"Congratulations on winning the championship," Cynthia said softly after a while.
Chen Shi looked at her in surprise, then teased,
"That doesn't sound like something you would usually say."
"Normally, you're the one getting congratulated."
In the past, Cynthia had never lacked people congratulating her.
Hearing her say those words now felt… strangely unfamiliar.
Cynthia glanced at him and didn't pursue the topic. Instead, she brought up something else.
"It must not have been easy to find the Garchompite and Lucarionite," she said.
"I never properly thanked you for that."
She remembered him mentioning before that Mega Stones for pseudo-legendaries were extremely rare.
Garchomp's Mega Stone was no exception.
She'd kept that in mind—and now finally had the chance to say thank you.
Chen Shi paused, then deliberately let out a dramatic sigh.
"Sigh… I thought we didn't need to be this polite with each other."
"Looks like I was mistaken."
"I've truly given my heart to the wrong person!"
He looked utterly aggrieved, as if Cynthia had done something unforgivable.
"Stop messing around."
Cynthia poked his hand hard with her fingernail.
Chen Shi immediately surrendered.
If he kept it up, she might actually grab his ear next.
Better to behave.
"Honestly, it wasn't as hard as you think," he said.
"As for Garchomp's Mega Stone…"
"I stole it from a Team Magma member at Meteor Falls."
"Not that difficult."
"Team Magma?" Cynthia looked at him, confused.
"A while back, an underground criminal organization popped up in Hoenn," Chen Shi explained.
"They caused the League quite a bit of trouble."
"When Steven and I were mining stones at Meteor Falls, we ran into some of their members."
Cynthia's gaze darkened slightly.
"Things don't seem peaceful anywhere lately," she said quietly.
"In Sinnoh, a group called Team Galactic surfaced recently."
"I heard Elite Four Bertha has been investigating them, but they're extremely well-hidden. There hasn't been much progress."
Hearing this, Chen Shi couldn't help but complain internally.
It'd be strange if you actually made progress.
Team Galactic's leader, Cyrus, had his identity hidden perfectly.
Right now, he was still a well-known financial figure in Sinnoh.
Nothing like Team Magma's Maxie, who strutted around openly, with subordinates wearing Team Magma uniforms everywhere—
as if afraid people wouldn't know who they worked for.
And Cyrus was far more unhinged.
Maxie at least wanted to expand the continents and improve living space for humans and land Pokémon.
Cyrus, on the other hand, talked about destroying the world and creating a new one at the drop of a hat.
A true madman.
"Either way," Chen Shi said, "it doesn't concern us for now. Let the League worry about it."
Cynthia nodded, then asked,
"Then where did you find Lucario's Mega Stone?"
"I bought it on the black market," Chen Shi replied.
"The vendor didn't recognize its value. I got it really cheap."
Smacking his lips, he added,
"Stuff like that probably won't happen again."
Cynthia smiled faintly.
"You've given me so many things," she said. "But I don't think I've ever given you anything in return."
"It's fine," Chen Shi waved it off.
"Haven't you already given yourself to me?"
Cynthia shot him a glare.
"Can you be serious for once?"
"Tell me. What do you want? As long as it's something I can do."
Chen Shi was about to refuse—but then an idea struck him.
He glanced around and realized they'd reached a quiet area with hardly anyone around.
"Anything I want?" he asked.
Meeting the burning look in his eyes, Cynthia's neck flushed red—but she forced herself to stay calm.
"Yes. As long as I can do it."
Chen Shi blinked, then lightly tapped his lips with his free hand, eyes full of expectation.
This time, Cynthia turned red from her neck all the way to her face.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she clenched her teeth and said, half-embarrassed and half-angry,
"Then… close your eyes."
Chen Shi's heart leapt. He immediately obeyed, shutting his eyes without hesitation.
The next instant—
A warm, gentle touch pressed against his lips.
Like a spring breeze brushing past, soft and fleeting—yet enough to set his heart racing.
Then his hand was suddenly flung away.
When Chen Shi opened his eyes, he saw Cynthia already walking briskly ahead.
Savoring the lingering sensation, he muttered softly,
"…It was definitely soft."
"So why does that mouth usually feel so sharp?"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL