Today is the weekend, and there are no classes at school, so Shauna is frolicking in the backyard of the Breeding House.
Following behind her are Piplup, Buneary, chimecho, and the other Shinx, Kricketot, and Oddish from the Breeding House.
Lucas is sowing seeds in the vegetable garden. The vegetables at the Breeding House grow very quickly, often maturing in a week, and then they will be eaten for a week.
Just as Lucas walked out of the vegetable garden, he felt a pain under his foot and looked down.
A Piplup was shaking its head, walking a few staggering steps, and then sat down on the dirt with a thud.
"Piplup?"
After its head stopped spinning, Piplup had just cleared its vision of the person in front of it when it was picked up directly by a large hand.
Feeling the fluffy texture in his hand, Lucas glanced at the somewhat not-so-bright Piplup in his arms.
The Piplup that gets hit by Draco Meteor one hundred percent of the time. A classic scene.
Shauna and the others, who were playing hide-and-seek, just happened to be at the turn where Shauna was the seeker. Looking at the Piplup in Lucas's arms, she pointed at it and said loudly, "I see you, Piplup."
Only then did Piplup react.
Wasn't it supposed to run off and hide? How did it end up back here?
"Hmm————are you all playing hide-and-seek?"
Lucas listened to Shauna's smug laughter, then looked at the aggrieved expression on the Piplup in his arms. He felt a little embarrassed.
Hearing Shauna's laughter, Piplup finally couldn't help but cry out.
"Piplup, Piplup, Piplup."
You're a big bad guy, wuwuwu.
Lucas had no choice. He held it by the neck, lifted it to the same height as his eyes, and said, "Stop crying, I'll make you something delicious tonight."
"Piplup."
I won't be bribed by you, wuwuwuwu.
"As much as you want."
"Piplup."
It's a deal.
Putting Piplup on the ground to let it continue playing, Lucas carried the vegetable basket and headed towards the kitchen.
After washing the fresh vegetables and having Gengar clean up the Breeding House, he went to the rest area and sat for a while. After selling two pokémon eggs, he asked Lilligant and Roserade to continue sitting behind the counter, and he returned to the kitchen to prepare tonight's food.
Ever since Gothitelle went to Twinleaf Town to open a shop, the cleaning work at the Breeding House has been handed back to Gengar.
Gengar brought a mop and came to the rest area.
"Gengar gar."
Get up first, I'm going to mop the floor.
Ninetales opened its eyes, yawned, and then slowly and elegantly squeezed into the kitchen.
Ninetales came to Lucas's side, nudged him with its head, and then headed to the backyard garden to continue sleeping.
The food made today requires a long time to cook, so Lucas put it on the stove, turned it to low heat, and went out to the garden to sit as well.
Dawn walked over holding Piplup with slightly damp hair; it looked like she had just finished soaking in the hot spring.
After Shauna finished soaking in the hot spring with Dawn and Mrs. Fujino, she headed to the Lake area to sit on the back of the little Lapras and play happily in the Lake area.
Dawn sat beside Lucas and said thank you to Lucas, who poured her a cup of hot tea.
Lucas didn't say much, but just lounged quietly in his chair, enjoying the lazy life.
The autumn breeze wasn't cold at all; on the contrary, it was a bit warm. Lucas lowered one of the tails on his body, leaving the remaining five to cover himself.
"Lucas, may I ask you something?"
Hearing Dawn's words, Lucas turned his head to look at her. She was a very pretty girl with her own dreams, and at the same time, she was a very strong-willed young girl.
"No need to be so polite. What do you want to ask?"
Dawn smiled embarrassedly, then asked, "I would like to ask, how can I make my Pokémon more beautiful?"
Lucas looked at her, and suddenly remembered the Dawn he had seen on TV before.
After she lost to Jessie in a Pokémon Contest, she didn't show any signs of being overly emotional; instead, she would turn around and comfort Ash and Brock, telling them that she would definitely win next time.
With her blue hair, she had a stubborn, never-give-up personality, but to avoid worrying her friends, she would turn around and comfort them instead.
The high-five with Ash at the end became a world-famous scene.
The female leads in the Pokémon series seem to be portrayed very well, with distinct personalities. Lucas likes every female lead equally.
Some rivals are very distinct, while others are very abstract. And there's that one guy who was beaten by the 'one-ball superman.'
Lucas smiled at Dawn, didn't answer her question, but instead brought up a former guest of his Breeding House.
"Do you know Anzie?" Lucas asked.
"Are you talking about Ms. Anzie, who won the championship at the last Jubilife City Pokémon Contest? I remember her; she is truly beautiful." Dawn said with stars in her eyes.
"And her Arcanine, it's really so handsome."
"Then you don't know that it was her first time winning the championship? Before that, she even had a hard time qualifying for the next round of competitions."
After hearing Lucas's words, Dawn was stunned. "How could that be?"
Lucas raised his hand, took out an exquisite wooden comb from his pocket, and slowly groomed the fur on Ninetales's tail.
"When she came to the Breeding House, she also asked the same question as you."
"Do you know what my answer was at the time?" Dawn shook her head.
"I told her that not all Pokémon are beautiful."
Dawn didn't understand.
"At that time, in order to pursue beauty, she dressed up Arcanine and the others very beautifully. Looking at them, they were beings that would attract everyone's attention. As a Breeder, she could indeed be considered a 'beauty' creator, but it was precisely because of this beauty that she couldn't advance."
Lucas continued, "Many of you have a slightly skewed understanding of Pokémon Contests. In fact, what Pokémon Contests want to see is the bond between you as a Trainer and your Pokémon, as well as the charm of the Pokémon themselves."
"These charm is not equal to beauty. Take Lilligant for example, it is synonymous with beauty, and beauty is where its charm lies. It is elegant, well-behaved, and sensible, so it is beautiful; Ninetales, its nobility, elegance, and laziness are fused together, which also achieves its beauty; Gothitelle's capability, understanding, and aloofness achieve another kind of beauty, which can be called intelligence; Gengar's pranks, mischief, and reliability mix together to create its 'beauty' of intelligence and handsomeness; the powerhouse's strength, physique, and personality have become its 'beauty' of handsomeness and strength————"
Lucas listed the sources of beauty for the Pokémon in the Breeding House one by one. Then he called out to Dawn.
"Which kind of beauty do you think it refers to? Is it just purely external beauty, or the beauty deep within their hearts?"
Dawn opened her mouth wide, her eyes sparkling, seemingly understanding what Lucas meant.
"Piplup." Piplup jumped into Lucas's arms. Lucas stroked the Piplup in his arms, the little penguin, and said, "Piplup's cuteness, its little cleverness, and its goofy personality—aren't those also a kind of beauty?"
After speaking, Lucas smiled at Dawn.
"Dawn, truly great Pokémon Coordinators are those who have discovered the 'beauty' that suits their Pokémon. Anzie is like this, and your mother is like this too."
Speaking of this, Lucas paused, then said gently, "I believe in you; you will also become a top-tier Pokémon Coordinator."
"So, why not try spending some time finding the charm within your own Pokémon? Cute, handsome, smart, beautiful————anything is fine, as long as it can be displayed, it is the unique 'beauty' that belongs to them."
Dawn took Piplup, stood up, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Lucas, I understand now."
"I will become a top-tier Pokémon Coordinator, definitely."
Lucas smiled with satisfaction, "Then when that time comes, remember to take a picture of the trophy and ribbons and send it to me to see."
Dawn also smiled. "Okay.