Lucas followed behind Professor Oak, strolling through the backyard of Professor Oak's research lab.
It had to be said, there were truly many Pokémon in the backyard, visible everywhere.
Unlike Lucas, he didn't give them identifiable tags to wear.
According to Professor Oak, he could remember every single Pokémon and who their respective trainers were.
Lucas couldn't help but feel ashamed; was this what a true big shot was like?
With thousands of Pokémon, he could remember all their trainers, even when there were many of the same species.
Truly terrifying.
Watching the dust clouds billowing up ahead, Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Professor Oak quickly jumped to the side, and Lucas's movements were not to be outdone.
Once all those Tauros had passed, Professor Oak asked Lucas in surprise, "How are you so experienced at this too?"
"Do you think I haven't watched the anime?"
Lucas smiled confidently.
Professor Oak looked puzzled. Anime? What anime?
"Ash told me that he caught a whole bunch of Tauros. So when I saw the dust cloud, I couldn't think of any other Pokémon besides a herd of Tauros that could make such a huge commotion. Besides, once they start running, they won't stop until they hit something."
A look of realization dawned on Professor Oak's face.
He hadn't expected Lucas to have such research on Pokémon like Tauros.
They then came to a large tree, where Lucas saw several familiar Pokémon.
A Bulbasaur, and also a Bayleef.
Lucas recognized whose Bayleef it was at a glance; its personality and aura were just too easy to identify.
A total little jealous pot.
That Bulbasaur was also not to be underestimated.
Lucas thought back to Ash's Squirtle with the sunglasses, which had been left with the fire brigade.
He suddenly remembered that across several generations, Ash didn't actually have that many Pokémon that evolved to their final forms.
In fact, many stayed in their first form from beginning to end, like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and the Gible and Snivy he might catch later.
The final evolutions of these Pokémon are all very strong, yet they never reached their final forms in Ash's hands.
Conversely, the one most suited to its initial form was evolved into its final form, resulting in many defeats.
Yes, I'm talking about you, Turtwig.
Ash, who isn't suited for defensive battles, paired with a Torterra—it was truly a mess.
Ash is suited for those high-speed combat Pokémon, like the Swellow currently perched on a branch.
The 'Bug' Swellow.
Lucas would always remember the scene where Pikachu rode on its back, and it launched an attack covered in Thunderbolt.
Swellow used Volt Tackle!
Lucas could always pick out Ash's Pokémon from a large crowd, perhaps because his Pokémon possessed an aura and mindset unique to them.
Leisurely and self-contented.
Carefree.
Lucas searched around and finally spotted that Sceptile in a tree.
This was the Pokémon where Lucas's dream began.
The scene where it defeated Darkrai with a single Leaf Blade had drawn Lucas deeply into the Pokémon world.
Walking under that tree, Professor Oak saw that Lucas seemed very interested in it and said, "That's Ash's ace from the Hoenn region. Its strength is very formidable. I just don't know if Ash will call it back for the Sinnoh League."
Lucas showed a smile. "He will, and it will be a very intense battle."
Professor Oak looked confused, but he seemed to have grown accustomed to the strange things Lucas said sometimes.
Sceptile saw Lucas looking at it and looked back with some curiosity; the aura on this person seemed to make Pokémon feel very comfortable.
"Scep-tile?"
Lucas smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing. I heard Ash say he has a very powerful Sceptile, so I came to take a look. It seems he wasn't wrong."
Hearing Ash's name, images of their travels together surfaced in Sceptile's mind, and the wariness on its face vanished instantly.
"Remember to work hard on your training. Ash might still need your help to conquer the Sinnoh League."
Lucas said nonchalantly. Upon hearing this, Sceptile and the other Pokémon looked at each other, said their thanks, and then ran off to do special training.
"You seem to care a lot about Ash's Pokémon,"
Professor Oak asked from the side.
Lucas thought for a moment before answering, "Because Ash is the kind of child that once you get to know him, it's hard not to like him."
Professor Oak thought back to the scene when Ash first came to adopt Pikachu and couldn't help but laugh.
"That's true. Although that boy is reckless, he has a very strong intuition for battling."
Except for in the Unova region.
Lucas complained weakly in his heart.
"He might even come to my Breeding House to study for a while,"
Lucas said, suddenly holding up a finger.
Professor Oak gave a hearty laugh. "Then I'm certainly looking forward to his performance in the Sinnoh League."
The two continued their stroll. By the time Lucas's legs were starting to ache, he still couldn't see where the backyard ended.
He glanced at the still-energetic Professor Oak beside him and sighed.
Comparing oneself to others truly is infuriating.
Returning to the vicinity of the lab, Lucas spotted another familiar face; he remembered the man was named Tracey.
He was currently taking care of a Charizard.
Lucas saw at a glance that this wasn't Ash's Charizard. According to the plot, Ash's Charizard should currently be training in the Charicific Valley.
Actually, Lucas was very curious about how strong Ash's Charizard would be after Mega Evolution.
Lucas carefully observed Tracey's methods for caring for the Charizard. In terms of technique, he was more mature and skilled than Lucas. He would carefully observe every part of the Charizard. For example, as everyone knows, you can tell a Charizard's health by the flame on its tail, but Tracey also carefully checked its teeth, skin, and even its claws.
These were areas Lucas wouldn't have noticed.
Lucas studied carefully from the side, while also constantly asking Professor Oak and Tracey for advice.
"I've heard your Breeding House is also very well-regarded,"
Professor Oak said.
Lucas nodded. "Actually, my Breeding House is mainly intended to be a place where Pokémon can play happily. I believe that as long as a Pokémon is in a good mood, everything will yield twice the result with half the effort. For instance, with the Pokémon boarded there, I spend a lot of time playing with them."
Lucas paused and continued, "Because I feel that they usually spend so much energy traveling with their trainers and challenging Gyms or Pokemon Contest. During their days at the Breeding House, it's better to let them relax and play to ease their tense mental states. There will be plenty of time to study and fight later; they won't miss much during their short time at the Breeding House. It's better to relax and enjoy some hard-won leisure time alone with the Pokémon. At the same time, for those Pokémon that want to become stronger, I let them learn through play. The Pokémon at the Breeding House will teach them while playing, like Dash."
Lucas patted the arm of Dash beside him.
"They often engage in wrestling activities at the Breeding House. For Pokémon that want to make themselves stronger, I let them wrestle with Dash and the others. It relaxes their mood, uses up their energy, and relieves stress. Afterward, Dash and the others can guide them on where their power points should be."
Lucas went on to say a lot more, and Professor Oak kept nodding along.
"Your perspective is excellent. Learning through play allows them to both relax and become stronger. It seems our lab should learn from you as well."
Lucas quickly waved his hands. "The Professor is over-praising me."
Unexpectedly, Professor Oak looked serious. "It's the truth. In the journey of caring for Pokémon, your method is unprecedented. There's a saying in the Kanto: 'He who attains knowledge first is the master.' So, we really might need to learn your methods of caring for Pokémon."
Seeing this, Lucas said no more.
Then Professor Oak came over to Dash, observed him closely, and kept making clicking sounds of admiration.
"This Machamp of yours can probably rival Bruno's Machamp. This physique... I'd estimate it's twice the size of an ordinary Machamp."
Looking at the incredibly strong Dash, Lucas nodded.
Dash stood to the side, showing off his powerful muscles.
Professor Oak kept nodding and immediately composed a senryu for Dash.
Then it was Gengar and the others; every one of them made him nod in approval.
In the time that followed, Lucas continued to learn from Professor Oak. After all, in the Pokémon world, anyone with the title of Professor is a leader in a certain field, and Professor Oak's prestige was beyond question.
After a day of study, Lucas had learned a lot of useful knowledge, and Professor Oak guided him without reservation.
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