When Peter returned to camp, Whitney had already begun feeding all the Pokémon.
With Miltank—an expert at nurturing—along with the ever-reliable caretaker Indeedee, and the "professional mother" Zoroark, the younger Pokémon were being taken care of extremely well.
Meanwhile, Arboliva had casually improved the environment.
Fresh green sprouts were growing along the rocky mountain walls, and the faint fragrance in the air made the surroundings feel peaceful and refreshing.
Whitney looked up when she saw him.
"Honey~ you're back! How about seafood vegetable porridge tonight?"
As she spoke, she pulled ingredients from her bag: Crabmeat, Shrimp paste, Fresh shucked shellfish…and a whole lineup of luxury ingredients.
Peter stared at her soft figure busily moving about.
Unable to resist, he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her, and gently lifted her chin.
"Do you have any Whitney-brand ingredients on the menu?"
Whitney:
"I-It's not even sunset yet… that kind of thing is supposed to be midnight snacks—mmph!"
Before she could finish speaking—
Peter had already carried her into the tent.
The ingredients scattered everywhere.
"Honey! What are you doing?!"
"Having a midnight snack."
"From afternoon until sunrise."
"Ah—!"
…
(Long story short: the tent suffered greatly.)
------
The Next Morning
Peter woke up early.
Whitney was still sleeping in his arms, faint tear marks lingering at the corners of her eyes.
He smiled.
Although Whitney hadn't cooked dinner last night…
She definitely hadn't gone hungry.
She was sleeping deeply now.
Peter, on the other hand, felt completely drained.
By conservative estimate—
He had lost three or four hundred million "units of energy."
And now his stomach was growling.
But escaping from the overwhelming softness of the Miltank-girl's embrace was no easy task.
So Peter simply took two bottles of Moomoo Milk from his system storage, drank them, and scrolled through his phone while hugging the soft, sleepy Whitney.
Since becoming a Pokémon Professor, his account had received official verification.
A colorful seven-star badge gleamed beside his name.
His follower count had climbed steadily to 38 million.
Among his videos, the two battles with Cynthia and Paul had the highest likes.
His private messages and comment section were overflowing with people begging for updates.
Comments:
"Professor Peter where are you?! I've been a fan for months, updating isn't too much to ask right?! Hurry up and upload! I'm waiting to watch you stomp Fantina, Candice, and Maylene!"
"Same! Candice is my favorite!"
"Cough… am I the only one who wants to see Professor Peter challenge the Elite Four and beat the intellectual heartthrob Lucian?"
"Bro stop talking like that, I'm getting excited!"
"???"
"Professor Peter! I dug up a legendary weapon in my backyard—Katana! But the handle broke. I heard you know welding, can you fix it for me?"
"WHAT THE— the guy above is insane!"
…
Peter stared at the screen.
This comment section is poisonous.
He casually banned a few accounts.
Right then, Whitney stirred awake.
"Mmm…"
She stretched lazily, her pale arms glimmering in the morning light.
"You're awake~ Want breakfast?" Peter asked.
Whitney froze.
Her cheeks turned red.
"W-What kind of breakfast…?"
Peter burst out laughing.
"Stay here. I'll make something."
After giving her a quick kiss, he crawled out of the tent to start preparing food.
…
Morning Camp Life
"Eevee~"
Eevee climbed up Peter's pant leg and settled comfortably on his shoulder.
The little fox was quite clingy.
Nearby, Teddiursa was sparring with Rufflet.
A full bear-versus-eagle battle.
Arboliva stood nearby, maintaining Grassy Terrain to restore their stamina.
Otherwise Teddiursa would have already been defeated—Rufflet was clearly bullying it with superior strength.
Meanwhile Happiny stared hungrily at the cooking pot held by Indeedee, eagerly awaiting breakfast.
Peter suddenly realized something.
"Where's Lopunny?"
After searching around, he spotted her on a nearby hill, gazing toward the distant summit of Mt. Coronet.
He walked over.
"Thinking about your grandmother?"
"Mi-lo…"
Lopunny nodded softly.
"Don't worry," Peter said firmly.
"We can do it."
Whitney's grandfather.
Lopunny's grandmother.
Slaking's mother.
His own dream.
And the promise he made to Whitney.
"They'll all come true."
He gently rubbed Lopunny's head.
"Come on. Let's go eat first."
"Mi-lo~"
-----
Journey Toward Mount Coronet
After breakfast, Peter and Whitney packed up camp and began climbing eastward.
Mount Coronet lay at the center of Sinnoh, a massive mountain range stretching north to south.
It was also the tallest peak in the Pokémon world.
Because of its extreme altitude, the upper half remained snow-covered year-round.
The mountain also possessed a unique magnetic field.
Pokémon like Nosepass and Magneton could evolve further there.
Mount Coronet was so vast that it split Sinnoh into eastern and western halves.
Peter and Whitney planned to pass through the mountain tunnel to reach Hearthome City.
According to the original story, Hearthome City would soon host a Tag Battle Competition.
Peter secretly hoped to enter it with Whitney.
And maybe witness the famous scene where Paul abandoned his Chimchar.
However, judging by Ash's travel pace, Peter still had plenty of time.
So he wanted to explore this mysterious peak along the way.
Since they needed to move quickly, Peter sent all his Pokémon into the Dream Space for training.
There they could:
practice move proficiency
absorb energy in the Mimetic Chamber
or level up
Under the strict supervision of Lopunny and Slaking, even the mischievous Happiny had to sit obediently at the computer desk.
Then the system notification rang.
[Ding! Happiny has begun move training for "Sweet Kiss" and "Disarming Voice."]
Task: Play League of Legends, use champion Ahri, hit enemies with Charm 50 times, and donate 20 kills while listening to her death voice lines…**
Peter twitched.
"…Of course."
Happiny's Serene Grace Ability really lived up to its name.
Even the training tasks were ridiculous.
…
A Sudden Encounter
Putting the system aside, Peter held Whitney's soft hand as they reached the mountain entrance.
Just as they were about to step forward—
The rock wall beside them suddenly split open.
A small cave entrance appeared.
A girl in a white dress stepped out.
She wore a green ribbon across her chest and had long hair tied into mismatched twin-tails—one looped into a ring, the other hanging freely.
She looked slightly rebellious.
"Phew! Finally out!"
She patted the yellow fox-like Pokémon beside her.
"Thanks, Alakazam!"
"Ka…"
Alakazam's spoons floated in the air, glowing with psychic power.
The girl looked around.
"Wait… this place doesn't look right."
Her face froze.
"Oh no… did we get lost again?"
(°ー°〃)
Then she noticed Peter and Whitney.
Her eyes lit up like she had found saviors.
She rushed toward them.
"Hey! You two! Can you tell Mira where this is?"
--------------
T/N:
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