The next morning, while it was still slightly light, pale blue sunlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the window.
Lionel felt a growing heaviness in his chest, as if something heavy was pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe. It was like he was experiencing sleep paralysis.
He jerked his head up, and through the blurry rain, the first thing he saw was a large, orange-red, furry head.
Without a second thought, he knew it was that fat Larvesta again.
The creature had climbed onto him again, its forehead pressed against his chest, its belly heaving with each breath, fast asleep.
A tiny, glistening bubble clung to its nose, clearly dreaming some sweet dream.
Lionel sighed, half-laughing, half-crying. Larvesta's habit of climbing onto him in his sleep was incurable.
If only he weren't so physically strong... He might become the trainer whose trainer was murdered by his own Pokémon.
You see, Larvesta is different from Vulpix and the others.
Unlike their small and delicate size, its current size is roughly the same as an Alaskan Malamute, a large dog from his previous life.
Although Larvesta will never weigh as much as an Alaskan Malamute, being mostly flabby flesh and fluff, it only weighed 38kg a few days ago, but even so, its solid weight on his chest still made it hard to breathe.
Lionel carefully reached out and gently moved Larvesta onto the pillow beside him.
The large swarm of Larvesta seemed to be disturbed, but it merely smacked its lips slightly, rolled over, and fell into a deep sleep again.
Without a trace... Unaware that he had almost suffocated his master, he was dreaming.
Lionel rubbed his chest, his gaze sweeping over his side. The two Vulpixes that had been flanking him were now huddled together on his left:
The Fire Vulpix's tail was draped over Ice Vulpix's back.
Both little creatures were making soft whimpering noises, fast asleep.
Having resolved the "sleep paralysis" issue, Lionel glanced at his watch and saw that it was only a little past six o'clock, still some time before the end of the night.
Remembering how the little guys had been too excited to sleep after distributing rewards to the Pokémon last night, pestering him to go to the beach and play until after eleven, he figured they must still be sleepy.
Lionel wasn't alarmed.
He moved them, and they retreated back into bed.
He adjusted the blankets, turning them back up, intending to take another nap, not wanting to disturb the little ones' sweet dreams.
He slept until nine in the morning, when the incessant beeping of his phone, like a death knell, dragged him out of his sleep.
"Who is it..."
Lionel groggily took the phone. The screen displayed the name "Cynthia," along with a video call invitation.
He swiped to answer, and before he could even see the screen clearly, a signature shark head filled the entire display: Garchomp!
The Garchomp on the other end of the stairs, seeing the call connected, immediately used its claws to pull the phone back, running to Cynthia's side, its tail strutting proudly, as if showing off, "See, I woke him up!"
"Still sleeping so late? I've made several calls, but no one's home."
Cynthia's voice, tinged with a hint of ambiguity, came from the screen.
She was wearing a simple white coat today, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, making her look exceptionally refreshing.
"Sorry, Sister Cynthia,"
Lionel quickly sat up, scratching his messy hair, explaining somewhat apologetically:
"I stayed up too late last night."
Only then did he notice that Cynthia was holding a small Pokémon.
The little guy had blue skin, black fur, and most notably, thick bangs covering its eyes, making it quite distinctive.
Lionel recognized it immediately; it was a Dragon-type Pokémon from the Unova region, Deino.
Deino in the video seemed to sense the unfamiliar presence transmitted through the phone.
Because its eyes were covered by its bangs, its nature was to explore the world with its mouth, and it immediately opened its little mouth, wanting to bite.
Cynthia swiftly pinched Deino's head with her fingers, her tone carrying a doting yet authoritative warning:
"This isn't for eating, you can't suck it."
Deino struggled fiercely in her arms, its small, short legs darting around, but it couldn't break free of her hand.
The more it struggled, the more Cynthia gently tapped its head a few times with her other hand, the force light, yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Deino immediately became obedient, its head drooping, letting out two pitiful "woofs," and could only stay obediently in her arms. Its helpless expression could be felt even through the screen.
Garchomp, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh, his voice cracking with schadenfreude.
His gloating expression clearly reminded him of the days when he was a child and Cynthia "disciplined" him; now he finally had a "successor."
Cynthia shook her head irritably at Garchomp, then freed one hand to gently brush aside the bangs of Deino.
Only then could Lionel see the eyes of this dragon, a rare sight even in his previous life's illustrations:
A pair of scarlet eyes were revealed, the pupils narrow, carrying a hint of arrogance and ferocity.
Truly an unsurprisingly powerful dragon-type Pokemon, these eyes, revealed for the first time, instantly added a touch of ferocity to its already thick bloodline.
Deino was clearly uncomfortable with its eyes exposed, desperately twisting its head, trying to pull its bangs down to cover them.
Cynthia pressed it down, pointing to Lionel on the other side of the screen, and introduced him:
"I know you don't like showing your eyes, so I'll put it down for you in a bit. Let's get to know each other first. This is your new trainer, Lionel. When you get there, you have to be good and listen to him, okay?"
"When you get there?"
Lionel suddenly grasped the key point, especially the word "get there" in Cynthia's words. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked:
"Sister Cynthia, what do you mean by Deino coming over? Could it be... the inter-regional Pokémon teleportation channel has been completed? Can Pokémon be teleported remotely now?"
"Otherwise, why do you think I called you so early?" Cynthia frowned, saying irritably:
"Just now, the inter-regional Pokémon teleportation channel between Central Tower and Unova was officially completed."
"Yes, you can teleport Pokémon now. I watched your livestream yesterday. You should still be in Pacifidog Town, right? If you haven't left, I'll teleport it there after you say goodbye to its family. You can pick it up at the Pokémon Center."
"Don't underestimate this little guy. It's no ordinary creature. It's a descendant of Hydreigon, the leader of Dragon Village. It has exceptional Dragon-type talent from birth and directly inherited the Dragon-type Outrage ability. Grandma specially chose it for you."
Grandma?
Lionel was surprised to hear this. Grandma of Dragon Village...
In Dragon Village, Grandma's status is even more prestigious than the Gym Leader; she is the true leader of Dragon Village. To obtain the offspring of her three-headed raging dragon—this simple drawing is an incredible stroke of luck!
"This…this is far too precious, Sister Cynthia, thank you for your help, I…"
Lionel was momentarily speechless, unsure how to express his gratitude.
"Don't rush to thank me."
Cynthia waved her hand, a meaningful smile playing on her lips:
"If you want to thank someone, thank your Tyrantrum."
"Tyrantrum?"
Lionel was taken aback, only then realizing something was amiss.
Usually, whenever he video-chatted with Cynthia, the Tyrantrum would always send its large, hot head close to the lock.
But today, he hadn't even seen a glimpse of it.
No wonder he felt something was missing.
As if reading his thoughts, Cynthia moved the phone camera to the side, and a distant scene appeared in the frame.
Lionel immediately spotted the frolicking Tyrantrum on the grass, but what shocked him even more was that the Tyrantrum was surrounded by a group of "companions"!
One, two, three, four—a rough count revealed more than ten! They were huddled together, occasionally letting out excited growls.
"This, this is…"
Lionel was speechless with shock. He had always thought that only he possessed the Tyrantrum; could there be so many fossilized Tyrantrum among the many Unova Dragons?
As Cynthia slowly approached this group of Tyrantrum, Lionel felt something was amiss.
Although these "Tyrantrum" were similar in size and appearance to his Tyrantrum, something felt off.
Especially its eyes and movements, lacking some of the ferocity a true Tyrantrum should possess, and instead showing more...a cute, clumsy appearance.
"Ditto?" Lionel asked tentatively.
Cynthia's adjusted beauty treatment had taken effect, and she raised an eyebrow with some surprise:
"Your eyes are so sharp! You could recognize this? I thought you'd think they discovered a group of Tyrantrum fossils, which is why there are so many Tyrantrum."
Then Cynthia shouted towards the distance:
"Tyrantrum, come here quickly, your trainer is looking for you!"
The Tyrantrum, which had been having a great time playing with that group of "fake Tyrantrum," heard Cynthia say that its trainer was on video and immediately ran over reluctantly.
It stood in front of the camera, glanced at Lionel, and murmured a greeting. It even shook its head somewhat awkwardly, then gave its spot to Cynthia.
His eyes, however, were fixed on the group of "security guards" behind him, his mind seemingly elsewhere.
Just as Lionel was about to ask Tyrantrum how he got back, an elderly woman with an orange-red headscarf and a sharp, spirited demeanor appeared in the video.
She smiled and greeted Lionel on camera: "Hello, you must be Lionel? Cynthia mentioned you to me, saying you're a very talented trainer. I'm a senior member of Dragon Village."
"Hello, Grandma! I'm Lionel, it's nice to meet you." Lionel quickly stood up from the bed, still wearing his pajamas, but instinctively straightened his back, his tone warm and gentle.
"I'm sorry, Grandma, I woke up abruptly and haven't had a chance to speak yet."
"It's alright, it's alright. Young man, please calm down."
The old woman smiled and waved her hand, her tone very kind:
"I heard from Cynthia about you and Tyrantrum, and knowing I wanted to talk to you, I came to see you. Actually, it's a little difficult to say, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."
"It's that... if you're not in a hurry to send the Tyrantrum away, could you let it stay in our Dragon Village a little longer?"
Before Lionel Lian could answer, Grandma added, "Don't worry, we'll treat it to the best of our ability in terms of food, drink, and lodging. We absolutely won't mistreat it."
Lionel then understood. No wonder Grandma had given him such a good Deino; She clearly wanted the Tyrantrum to stay in the Dragon Village a little longer.
He was immediately somewhat amused and exasperated. It seemed like an "exchange." Lionel scratched his head and said sincerely, "I have no objection to the competition, but although the Tyrantrum is my little Pokemon, it's also my partner. I have to ask it what it wants; I can't just make a decision for it directly. If it wants to stay, I have no problem with that." "
Grandma, upon hearing this, immediately broke into a broad smile, even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out:
"Good! Good! Well said! No wonder Cynthia admires you so much. You truly are a good child who knows how to respect Pokémon. This is what a trainer should be like."
Cynthia nodded in agreement, her gaze towards Lionel increasingly satisfied.
"Tyrantrum. Come here."
Grandma beckoned to the monster:
"Your trainer said he'll listen to your decision. Quickly tell him, are you willing to stay?"
Tyrantrum immediately ran in front of the camera, nodding vigorously at Lionel. It let out excited growls, even tugging at the old woman's hand with its dirty bag.
While roaring, it kept turning back to look at the group of "Tyrantrum s," its eagerness evident, as if afraid Lionel would disagree.
Metagross and Larvesta, having already heard the commotion, were now beside Lionel, waiting for the Tyrantrum's reply.
Larvesta, hearing Tyrantrum's response, moved closer to the card and hissed a few times at Tyrantrum, as if to say, "Are you trying to stop it from coming back sooner?"
Lionel translated Tyrantrum's words:
"Tyrantrum said it met many amazing Dragon-type companions here and wants to learn a few moves from them. It will go back once it's finished learning."
These words sounded meaningless, but aside from Larvesta, Lionel and Metagross weren't going to be outdone.
Lionel had practically raised it himself, so how could he not know what the Tyrantrum was thinking? Judging from its distracted state, it probably wasn't thinking about "learning moves" at all, but rather how to have a good time playing with that "Tyrantrum"!
Lionel could even imagine that if the Tyrantrum could speak, it would probably utter that classic line: "This place is so beautiful, I don't even want to go home."
Seeing that the Tyrantrum had made its decision, Lionel naturally wouldn't force it to return.
"Alright, since you want to stay, then you can stay. Stay there for a while longer. But there's a condition: you must practice the 'Sandstorm' move properly. The next Pokemon Contest requires you to use a combo attack with Larvesta, so you can't neglect that. Don't just play around with it, understand?"
The Tyrantrum nodded vigorously, letting out a "Yes, sir" sound, as if making a promise. Before the excitement had even faded, it impatiently turned around and dashed back to the group of "Tyrantrums," its speed more than twice as fast as when it had come over.
Lionel rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
That Tyrantrum, the older it gets, the more trouble it causes; it's true what they say, "A grown child is no longer kept at home."
Cynthia, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.