"Mr. Chen, this document needs your signature."
"Alright. Thank you."
Chen Shi nodded, taking the papers and pen from the middle-aged man before signing his name at the bottom.
The man in front of him was from Devon Corporation. He was in charge of overseeing the construction of Chen Shi's research facility.
Back in Silver Town, Roxanne had mentioned that Devon would help him build a top-tier research institute. His grandparents had also said that Devon's representatives had already surveyed the land.
Now the workers and materials had arrived.
All that remained was his approval.
The man in the suit smiled politely. "It's no trouble at all. Serving you is our honor."
"Now that you've signed, construction will begin immediately. Our teams will be entering and exiting the ranch frequently over the next month. I wanted to inform you in advance."
"That's fine," Chen Shi replied. "How long will construction take?"
The man answered confidently, "Our team is highly professional. The facility should be completed within a month. You'll be able to use it immediately after."
Chen Shi was slightly surprised.
Even in this world, where Pokémon significantly accelerated construction, building a top-tier research institute was still a massive project.
Finishing within a month was impressive.
Devon Corporation truly delivered.
"Then I'll leave you to it," Chen Shi said.
"Of course."
The man departed, and soon Chen Shi saw truck after truck driving into the ranch, heading toward the designated construction site in the hills behind.
...
Back home, the living room was empty.
Chen Shi rubbed his temples.
His grandparents had been absorbed in researching advanced Fairy-type energy cubes in the underground lab.
Cynthia, ever since the World Championships, had thrown herself into relentless training whenever she wasn't traveling with him.
He had tried persuading her to rest, but she wouldn't listen.
At least she had some sense—she did take breaks.
Still, Garchomp and the others had been suffering.
Chen Shi decided not to disturb them.
Instead, he carried a reclining chair into the garden and lay beneath a large tree.
A gentle breeze drifted by.
Warm sunlight bathed him.
In the distance, Florges moved gracefully through the flowerbeds.
Chen Shi stretched lazily.
"This is nice…"
"For some reason, I kind of miss Phoebe."
After sighing contentedly, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to Rayquaza.
And the irritation returned.
"I'm not some superhuman prodigy. How am I supposed to sustain your Mega Evolution long-term?"
"Even if I were some legendary chosen one, that'd still be impossible!"
He grumbled under his breath.
That overgrown flying green caterpillar had the nerve to call him short on stamina.
It was infuriating.
But complaining solved nothing.
If Rayquaza was forced out of Mega Evolution mid-battle, that would be catastrophic.
He had to find a solution.
Improving his physical condition in such a short time was unrealistic.
No matter how much he trained, would that let him sustain Rayquaza for even one more minute?
Unlikely.
When they tested earlier, his stamina had drained like a pump emptying a reservoir.
He was a normal human, not some martial arts master like Bruno.
So the answer had to lie elsewhere.
"Wait…"
Chen Shi suddenly bolted upright.
His eyes lit up.
"I have Little V!"
"How did I forget about it?"
If sustaining Mega Rayquaza drained his stamina—
Could Victini replenish it?
Victini was said to possess infinite energy, capable of sharing it with others through contact.
Wouldn't restoring human stamina be feasible?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
If this worked, he wouldn't need to worry at all.
All he had to do was hatch Victini before the crisis.
"I need to ask Mew."
Without hesitation, Chen Shi rushed back inside, ran upstairs, and shook the sleeping Mew awake.
"Wake up. I need to ask you something."
"Mew~"
(What is it…)
Mew blinked groggily.
"Can Victini replenish human stamina?"
Mew paused.
It glanced at the egg resting on the nearby table.
"Mew mew~"
(I'm not completely sure… but humans are technically a kind of Pokémon too. I think it should work.)
Chen Shi froze.
"Humans… are a kind of Pokémon?"
He had come to ask about Victini—
But now he'd stumbled onto something far more mind-blowing.
If Mew was correct, humans were simply a special classification within the broader category of Pokémon.
It wasn't entirely absurd.
After all, in this world, many humans possessed extraordinary abilities—psychic powers, Aura, the power of Viridian, and more.
Some even achieved near-superhuman physical feats.
Take Bruno of Kanto's Elite Four—he could wrestle Fighting-type Pokémon.
Viewed from that angle, perhaps humans truly were a unique form of Pokémon.
Chen Shi shook his head.
"That's not the point."
"I just need to know whether Victini can restore my stamina."
"Mew~"
(I don't know for certain. Hatch Little V and test it.)
Chen Shi nodded.
"Then is there any way to make Victini hatch faster?"
"I'm in a hurry."
...
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