Diantha and the others returned from fishing the day before yesterday, ate the grilled fish, rested at the Breeding House for two more days, and then reluctantly left.
"Please come again."
Lucas said to them with a smile.
After they left, Lucas turned to look at Cynthia beside him.
"What about you, Miss Cynthia?"
Cynthia shrugged. "I'm in no hurry. After all, I'm already in the Sinnoh region, and there's nothing particularly important for me to deal with lately."
Lucas nodded, then heard Cynthia continue, "But I should be leaving tomorrow as well. I saw some things in a book and plan to go to some Ancient Ruins for an excavation. Once the Scholar Summit ends tomorrow, I'll head to the ruins."
When mentioning Ancient Ruins, Cynthia's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
It would be great if your eyes sparkled like that when handling the affairs of the Sinnoh region.
If that were the case, Lucian's hair probably wouldn't fall out so fast.
Lucas said to himself.
"The summit is tomorrow. Aren't you going to prepare?"
Lucas asked.
Cynthia shook her head. "No, there's no need. I've researched the topic thoroughly; I'm already very familiar with it."
As expected of the Sinnoh Champion, Miss Cynthia; she's so confident.
"Then shall I make some small cakes for you?"
Cynthia's eyes lit up again, then she thought of something. "What if I get fat?"
"Fat? How could you get fat? You're not fat at all. The cakes I make are nutritionally balanced; you won't get fat in the slightest."
Lucas guaranteed solemnly.
Cynthia squinted her eyes. "Alright."
When Lucas brought the small cakes to the backyard, Cynthia hadn't chosen to sit in the garden. Instead, she was sitting on Lapras's back, holding a book. Roserade and Lilligant were sitting beside her, and a Milotic was resting its head on her lap.
Sensing Lucas's arrival, Cynthia looked up at him and the cakes in his hand, giving a sweet smile. Lucas then let Gengar deliver the cakes to Cynthia and the others before taking Ninetales back to the lounge area in front of the counter.
There was nothing he could do; Lilligant and the others had been spirited away by Cynthia.
Lucas, who was reading a book on breeding knowledge, was startled awake by a phone call.
The book covering his face slid to the floor as he answered the call.
"Lucas, someone said they saw a lot of Zangoose heading towards the Breeding House."
Officer Jenny's voice was frantic.
"Zangoose?"
Lucas hadn't fully come to his senses yet. After a moment, he asked, "The Zangoose from that time?"
"Probably. I don't know what they're doing going to the Breeding House. Be careful on your end; I'll be there soon."
Before Lucas could speak, Officer Jenny hung up.
Ninetales looked up from the floor, watching Lucas curiously, and let out a yawn.
You're getting more and more lethargic, Ninetales.
Its tail rested gently on Lucas, its fox eyes filled with confusion.
"Hyu?"
What's wrong?
"Remember that time we dealt with the fight between the Zangoose and Seviper? That group of Zangoose is heading towards our Breeding House."
Hearing this, Ninetales lay back down.
It narrowed its eyes and went back to sleep.
I thought it was something important. If they dare come here, I'll just blast them away.
Ninetales yawned, continuing to use its tail to keep Lucas warm, and quietly fell asleep at his feet.
Lucas didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As Gengar passed by, it only glanced over; after learning what was happening, it turned its head back to the TV.
Seeing this, Lucas was also infected by their laziness. He lay back in the recliner, covered by Ninetales's tail, feeling warm and cozy.
Wait, where's my book?
Lucas searched around and found the book was pinned under Ninetales.
Forget it, I won't read.
Ninetales's tail is really comfortable.
Lucas stroked Ninetales's tail covering him; the fur was smooth, warm, and comfortable.
It was all Ninetales's fault that he had become so lethargic.
As he thought, Lucas's eyes began to narrow again.
A while later, the Zangoose squad arrived at the Breeding House entrance. Looking at the Breeding House and Lucas sleeping inside, the group of Pokémon marched in aggressively.
Just as the lead Zangoose stepped through the door, Ninetales, who was lying on the floor, snapped its eyes open and glared at the Zangoose at the entrance.
"Hyu."
It let out a series of low growls.
If you dare wake Lucas, you're dead.
The lead Zangoose shuddered violently. It then spread its arms to block its subordinates who wanted to enter the Breeding House, while frantically backing away.
Retreat, everyone retreat!
Seeing this, Gengar dispelled its Shadow Ball and floated outside.
"Gengar gar?"
What are you here for?
Just as the Zangoose leader was about to speak, it was distracted by a noise behind it.
Looking back, it saw Officer Jenny arriving on her Arcanine.
Officer Jenny saw the Zangoose standing at the Breeding House entrance, not daring to enter. Looking confused, she reached the door and found Lucas sleeping inside.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Entering the Breeding House, she gave Lucas a nudge.
Lucas opened his eyes. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Officer Jenny poked his forehead with her finger. "You're certainly carefree, sleeping so soundly."
She then pointed at the Zangoose outside and said, "The Zangoose don't even dare to come in."
Lucas finally noticed the Zangoose outside. He patted Ninetales's head, signaling it to retract its tail, then stood up and walked out of the Breeding House.
"Is there something you're here for today?" Lucas asked, looking at the Zangoose before him.
The Zangoose leader stepped forward.
It explained its purpose.
You said last time that when we felt our strength was sufficient, we could come find the Seviper for a fight. Now we feel our strength is sufficient, so we've come.
Hearing this, Lucas remembered he had indeed said those words.
Originally, he thought separating the two groups so they wouldn't meet again would solve the problem. Who knew they were so stubborn that they would seek him out?
The situation at hand was a bit tricky.
Should he let Gengar and the others teach them a lesson?
Lucas immediately dismissed the thought. Since he had made a promise, he had to keep it.
At that moment, the Seviper also came out. The two groups were at each other's throats as soon as they met.
If Gengar hadn't coldly warned them not to fight in the Breeding House, they probably would have started brawling already.
However, their entire bodies were trembling, clearly restraining themselves to the limit.
"What's going on?"
Cynthia walked out with her Garchomp.
Seeing Cynthia, the Zangoose leader, who was about to lose control and start fighting, pushed its subordinates back again.
It's her again!
I remember her! Her Pokémon hit really hard!
Cynthia also seemed to recognize this group of Zangoose.
"What do we do now?"
Officer Jenny asked softly beside Lucas.
Lucas looked at their state of extreme restraint, knowing that if he didn't let them have a fight today, the situation wouldn't end.
But letting them have a group brawl was absolutely out of the question.
Lucas glanced at the content playing on the TV, a certain drama about the Kanto.
Horse-transformation... I've got it!
Lucas walked between them, coughed twice, and then said, "If I don't let you fight, I know it will be unacceptable for you. So, I will let you have a fight."
As soon as Lucas finished speaking, the two groups rushed forward.
Ninetales, Gengar, and the others each threw out a move at the two groups.
Only then did they come to a difficult halt.
"If you don't listen to me finish, I'll beat you to a pulp before you even start fighting."
Lucas's tone was icy.
Gengar, Lickitung, Lilligant, Roserade, Ninetales, Staraptor, Vespiquen, Luxray, Gliscor, and Azumarill all stood beside Lucas, staring down the Zangoose and Seviper groups.
"Fighting is fine, but it must be according to my rules. One-on-one. I'll set up a ring for you, and you'll each send out one contestant to battle on stage. We will act as the referees."
"After the one-on-one matches, whichever side wins more will be declared the stronger side. I know the other side won't be convinced, but as I said, follow my rules. If you're not convinced, we can be your opponents."
Boom!
Lickitung slammed its fists together, producing a powerful shockwave.
"At the same time, no lethal blows. We are the referees; we will determine the winner based on whether a contestant can continue to fight. We guarantee we will not favor either side."
"Who's in favor? Who's against?"
The two groups consulted among themselves. The Seviper expressed no objection, as they were sure they would win—and win overwhelmingly.
Seeing this, the Zangoose sneered. Did they really think they were all that?
Once both sides had no objections, Lucas nodded and continued, "I know the losing side will definitely be unconvinced, so I'll give you a chance to keep challenging. Every three years—no, once a year. You can spend a year's time doing your best to improve your strength, and then defeat the other side in the battle a year from now."
"A One-Year Covenant, I'm setting it for you. If the losing side still can't win after a year, then you really are inferior to the other side. I believe you don't want the people and Pokémon of Twinleaf Town, Sandgem Town, and the various forests to know that you're inferior, right?"
"A One-Year Covenant. Any objections? If not, our battle begins immediately."
Neither side had any objections; they were eager for the battle to start as soon as possible.
Lucas nodded. After telling them to choose their turn order, he went to Officer Jenny and Cynthia.
"I originally planned to set a three-year covenant for them, but they are naturally incompatible. If I force them to stay away when they know their arch-enemy is right there, their emotions won't be vented, which might lead to more serious and unnecessary incidents."
"Given their current situation, unless one side is willing to completely leave this place, maintaining healthy competition is what's most important for them. That's why I said those things to stir up their competitive spirit. The winners will train even harder to try and win again next year, and the losers will work harder, vowing to win tomorrow. This way, their energy will be diverted, which is better."
Lucas sighed. "I'll warn them that they can challenge Trainers, but they can't harm them. Since the Trainers will have them as sparring partners, their strength should improve significantly as well, right?"
After hearing this, Officer Jenny just relaxed. As expected, with Lucas around, she just needed to take it easy. Without being polite at all, she went back to the kitchen to find some snacks.
Cynthia also thought Lucas's solution was excellent. She chuckled, "As expected of you, Lucas."
"Don't call me Manager."
"Then... Uncle?"
Lucas's whole face instantly overheated.
He couldn't handle it; he completely couldn't handle it.
What terrifying strength, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.
After the turn order was decided, Lucas and the others went to an open space and signaled them to start.
The area was already crowded with many spectators.
They were incredibly excited.
Time passed quietly, and more and more people gathered, with the cheers growing louder.
In the end, the Zangoose lost to the Seviper leader by a narrow margin. After dropping a harsh parting word, it left with the Zangoose group.
As it passed through the crowd, it heard a lot of applause. It thought the applause was for those Seviper fellows until its subordinate pulled on it. Looking up, it realized many people were applauding them.
"Good job, Zangoose."
"Zangoose, you have to win next year! I believe in you!"
"Zangoose is so cool, though Seviper is a bit cooler."
Zangoose: ...
Actually, you really didn't need to say that last part.
Feeling the encouragement from the people and Pokémon around it, the Zangoose disdainfully wiped its eyes and then walked away with its head held high.
Next year, we will definitely win!
Definitely, definitely!
It's definitely not because we don't want to let them down!
Thinking of this, the Zangoose leader gave a loud shout.
Boys, let's go! We're going back to continue our training and come back to crush them tomorrow!
Make them kneel before us and sing Conquest!
Lucas's face was full of black lines.
This Zangoose leader actually seems quite cute, a sort of wild and untamed cuteness?
Hearing the Zangoose leader's words, the Seviper leader chuckled and also shouted loudly.
We're also going back to train and will continue to crush them next year! Let all the people and Pokémon know that Zangoose are inferior to us Seviper!
The Zangoose leader stopped in its tracks, turned back to glare at the Seviper leader. Just as Lucas thought they were about to fight and was ready to have Gengar stop them...
...the Zangoose leader held up a single claw.
One year.
One year from now, we'll fight again.
The Seviper leader slapped the ground with its tail, kicking up dust.
I'll be waiting for you here, don't let me down!
After that, the Zangoose quickly left, and the Seviper also departed, returning to the forest.
The crowd dispersed, with many people already making plans to come back together next year to watch their battle.
They would wait and see which of the two groups would win the second match.
From that day on, along the Breeding Road from Twinleaf Town to Sandgem Town, an annual grand ceremony was added.
It attracted countless Trainers to come and watch.
There was no right or wrong, no life or death.
There was only the hot blood of refusing to lose and the intensity of battle.
To the point that many people would specifically go to challenge the Zangoose and Seviper groups.
Another major reason was that Trainers wanted to become stronger, and they also wanted to become stronger—it was mutually beneficial.
Who also doesn't harm anyone.