Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Time flies, and the six-month intensive training is about to come to an end.

The campsite next to the Tianguan Mountain ruins has become Zhang Jianying and his companions' second home.

On the morning of the last day of special training, before the first rays of sunlight had completely dispelled the mountain mist, a familiar yet unexpected figure, riding a Garchomp, broke through the clouds and landed outside the camp.

Her long golden hair shone brightly in the morning light, and her gray eyes held a gentle quality; it was none other than Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.

"Miss Cynthia?"

Zhang Jianying stepped forward with some surprise.

According to previous communications, the reward for destroying the Dark Star base should have been delivered by Alliance Prosecutor Wusong.

Cynthia gracefully leaped off Garchomp, a faint smile playing on her lips: "I was surveying a newly discovered site nearby, and it just so happened to be on the way. I've handed over Mr. Wusong's official business to him."

Her words were official and proper, but when her gray eyes swept over Zhang Jianying, her eyelashes trembled slightly before she naturally looked away.

Since their conversation about legendary Pokémon in the backyard of Dr. Yamanashi's lab, and their subsequent communications about history and relics, a subtle understanding based on shared interests has indeed developed between the two.

Zhang Jianying could sense that when Cynthia treated him, the sense of aloofness that belonged to a champion would fade a little, and it would be replaced by a level gaze as if she were treating someone she could communicate with.

He suppressed a strange feeling in his heart and politely accepted the spatial storage device containing the alliance rewards and resources.

"I'm sorry to trouble you to make the trip yourself."

Just then, Master Gustav, who had been sitting quietly in meditation, slowly opened his eyes.

His insightful gaze lingered briefly on Cynthia and Zhang Jianying, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, as if he had seen through something but was too lazy to point it out.

He just happened to be free, or he happened to be passing by. Unlike a retired old man like him, the league champion doesn't have that much free time.

Wasn't that young man from the Hoenn League only able to mine after he stepped down as champion?

Cynthia noticed Gustav's gaze, her ears burning slightly. She turned to the master and respectfully asked, "Master Gustav, it's been a long time. Would you have the honor of learning from me again?"

However, the shrewd and experienced Gustav simply stood up slowly, dusted off his clothes, and said, "I'm old, my bones are too lazy to fight anymore. The weather is nice today, and it's the last day of special training, so I won't bother with anything."

He glanced gently at Lucario and the others, whose eyes were filled with anticipation, then looked at Zhang Jianying and his companions. "Let's relax today. Go and prepare some food; consider it a picnic."

After saying that, he ignored Cynthia, waved to his Pokémon, and walked to the sunniest patch of grass next to the camp, looking like he was ready to watch the show from the sidelines.

Lucario silently carried out the order, but before leaving, his gaze lingered briefly between Zhang Jianying and Cynthia.

Master Gustav's refusal made Cynthia purse her lips slightly. She subtly straightened the hem of her clothes and turned her attention to the camp.

The atmosphere at the campsite became relaxed due to this unexpected leisure time.

Gastly and Kirlia helped carry firewood; Shuttle slowly brewed various juices; and Bagon temporarily put aside its obsession with energy, curiously circling around Cynthia's Garchomp, its scarlet eyes filled with scrutiny and comparison.

The forest turtle slowly moved to the riverbank, spread out the bushes on its back, and comfortably carried out photosynthesis.

Zhang Jianying and Cynthia walked naturally to the riverbank.

He took out his fishing rod, filled with the novelty of fishing in the Pokémon world for the first time, and cast the bait into the clear river water.

Cynthia sat quietly not far from him, her back against the warm, sturdy shell of the forest tortoise.

"Speaking of which," Cynthia said, gazing at the shimmering river, her voice soft with reminiscence, "when I first started my journey, Garchomp had only just hatched. The first Pokémon I caught while fishing by the river in Random Town was a Feebas."

She pointed to Milotic, which was swimming gracefully in the river, "That's it. It was quite inconspicuous back then, but we've been through a lot together."

Listening to Cynthia's gentle tone as she reminisced about the past, and watching her perfect profile seemingly radiating holy light in the sunlight, Zhang Jianying should have been immersed in this warm atmosphere.

However, an untimely memory popped into his mind of a painful experience from his past life in a certain game, where he couldn't catch Feebas no matter what he tried to complete the Pokédex, and the helplessness he felt when facing Milotic, who was incredibly tanky and equipped with a Flame Orb, in the champion team.

"Compared to Garchomp, this one is even more of a heavyweight..."

He sighed inwardly, his lips twitching slightly.

But then, looking at the real Cynthia gently recounting her past, and the beautiful and powerful Milotic in the river, he felt a strange sense of destiny.

The game is the game, and reality is reality. Being able to listen to the champion's story here is an incredible encounter in itself.

Their interaction was natural yet measured, with conversations mostly revolving around Pokémon and their experiences at the ruins. Occasionally, their eyes would meet for a moment longer than their words, before they would naturally look away, creating a subtle atmosphere that flowed quietly in the riverside breeze.

However, this peaceful yet subtle atmosphere made one of the little guys quite unhappy.

Baby Dragon hugged the Everstone tightly, squatting beside the Forest Turtle, its scarlet pupils fixed on Cynthia.

It is highly vigilant against anything that tries to "steal" the trainer's attention and affection.

It used to be Kirlia, but now it's this woman who made a deep impression on it when they first met at the Pokémon Center.

Baby Dragon let out a few disgruntled, threatening howls, its inner monologue filled with obsession: "Whoosh... The trainer is mine... Nobody can take him away..."

Baby Dragon's unusual behavior naturally did not escape the eyes of a certain Purple Idea King.

Gastly hovered nearby, taking in everything. A "brilliant" prank idea instantly formed.

It started encouraging Shuttle to make the trainer a seemingly ordinary, but actually drugged (crossed out) juice, euphemistically called "helping the boss relax."

Hu Hu blinked her beady eyes, seemingly finding this an interesting experiment, and slowly began to mix the ingredients.

A short while later, a "special blend" that looked no different from other juices, but contained the concentrated essence of brewing, was delivered to Zhang Jianying.

So when Zhang Jianying took the juice from Hu Hu, which looked particularly "rich" in color, he didn't think much of it. Because he hadn't caught anything while fishing and was feeling a bit thirsty, he subconsciously took a big gulp.

At first, I didn't feel anything, but soon after, a strong heat surged from my stomach to the top of my head.

"Um... Pot Pot, your new recipe... is quite unique..."

Zhang Jianying felt her vision begin to blur, her body felt lightheaded, and her emotions, which were usually suppressed by reason, seemed to be somewhat out of control.

"belch…"

His head was spinning.

"Hmm, Jujube, no wonder your juice can knock out a super rookie in two glasses, and overpower psychic and dragon-type Pokémon in one. It's really powerful!"

He looked at Cynthia beside him and thought the champion looked exceptionally beautiful today; her golden hair was like sunlight, and her shimmering grey eyes seemed to hold the starry sky…

"Miss Cynthia..."

He slurred and tried to say something, but almost slipped off the large rock he was sitting on.

Cynthia was taken aback by his sudden outburst, but then she noticed the suspiciously colored juice in his hand and Gastly covering its mouth and chuckling in the distance, and immediately understood what was going on.

She was both amused and exasperated, and quickly reached out to support him, asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly alright!"

Zhang Jianying waved his arms, "Let me tell you, Miss Cynthia, I used to really like Milotic too! It's just that the Flame Orb is so dirty... and Feebas, in such a big lake, it only appears in three or four squares, it's so hard to catch..."

"???"

Cynthia tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding what he was saying, but still patiently held his arm.

This scene was witnessed by Baby Dragon, who had been secretly observing the trainer.

When it saw the trainer talking nonsense to Cynthia with a dazed look in his eyes, its obsessive possessiveness was instantly ignited!

"Ouch! (▼Van▼#)"

The baby dragon charged forward like a small cannonball, forcefully squeezing between Zhang Jianying and Cynthia, using its small body to separate the two, and letting out a low growl that sounded like a warning to its trainer.

Cynthia looked at Baby Dragon's expression, a knowing glint in her eyes. Instead of backing away, she leaned forward slightly, observing the little creature's reaction with great interest.

Baby Dragon immediately bristled and was about to charge forward, but fortunately Kirlia, with quick reflexes, gently held it down with her psychic powers.

The scene became somewhat chaotic at one point.

Zhang Jianying, slightly drunk, tried to soothe Baby Dragon, but his movements were exceptionally clumsy. Gastly, excitedly flicking its tongue in the air, watched the farce it had caused and laughed so hard it almost fell over.

Kirlia helplessly used her psychic powers to support the trainer, then looked at Gastly with an increasingly sinister gaze.

Master Gustave sat not far away, leisurely sipping his ordinary homemade juice, watching the farce unfold, a smile on his face the most pronounced he had shown in the past six months.

Lucario stood quietly to his side, shaking his head slightly.

This chaotic picnic, spearheaded by Gastly and sparked by a glass of pure juice, unfolds in this chaotic yet inexplicably heartwarming atmosphere.

In a slightly tipsy state, Zhang Jianying talked a lot of nonsense and made a lot of jokes. Shirona patiently stayed by his side the whole time, occasionally covering her mouth and laughing softly when he amused her.

……

As the picnic drew to a close, the setting sun painted the sky a warm orange-red.

After playing around for most of the day, the group sat around the dying campfire, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

At this moment, Kirlia, who had been quietly staying by Zhang Jianying's side, suddenly shone with an evolutionary light that was more brilliant and stable than ever before!

The white light was gentle and steady, like a wellspring that had accumulated enough power, naturally enveloping Kirlia's body.

Kirlia looked at the concerned gazes of her companions and felt the unreserved trust and acceptance that her trainer still conveyed even when she was drunk.

Feeling the land where it had worked hard for half a year and poured out its sweat... the fear of "change" and the worry of "loss" in its heart quietly melted away in this strong sense of emotion and security.

"This distance... might change."

But this warmth and bond will never disappear.

"We are family."

The light of evolution suddenly blazed brighter!

Zhang Jianying sobered up considerably in an instant. He held his breath, looking at the ball of light with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

In the white light, Kirlia's figure quietly grew taller, her slender waist tightened, and her petite skirt gradually faded away, replaced by a pure white long dress with a beautiful drape.

The red diamond-shaped structure on her chest became even more vibrant, like a ruby ​​embedded in her white dress, glowing slightly with each breath.

As the last glimmer of white light dissipated, the newly evolved Gardevoir slowly opened its crimson eyes. There was no longer any hesitation or fear in its eyes, only a calm and gentle gaze like water.

It looked at Zhang Jianying, its telepathic connection conveying both determination and relief: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Jianying."

Gardevoir bowed slightly, performing an elegant gesture.

At this moment, everything fell into place naturally.

Zhang Jianying excitedly stood up, walked to Gardevoir, and, as always, gently stroked its fur, smiling brightly: "Welcome, Gardevoir! This is great too!"

Gardevoir felt this unchanging closeness, and a beautiful smile appeared on its face. Its height had increased after evolving, but the tacit understanding and affection had only deepened.

The baby dragon looked at the evolved Gardevoir, then at the undisguised joy on the trainer's face, let out a soft hum, and turned its head away, but the tip of its short tail swayed involuntarily.

Cynthia watched this scene with sincere blessings in her eyes.

Zhang Jianying met her gaze. The subtle atmosphere between them, which had arisen earlier due to drunkenness and jokes, was somewhat diluted by this sudden joy of evolution, becoming purer and warmer.

The picnic ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

Although the dragon remained wary of Cynthia, it temporarily tempered its temper after receiving a special energy cube from its trainer.

As the sun sets, it paints the sky a brilliant golden-red hue.

Master Gustav stood up, his gaze sweeping over the transformed team before him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your six-month training period is over. Your special training is now over."

Zhang Jianying, along with all his companions, bowed deeply to Master Gustav and the Lucario, Iron Warrior, and Night Demon behind him. The gains of the past six months were far beyond words.

Cynthia stood up as well, smiling slightly. "So, what are your plans next?"

Zhang Jianying straightened up, his eyes clear and firm: "First, I'll go to Pallet Town to thank Professor Oak, then I'll go to Professor Yamanashi's place and continue challenging the Sinnoh League."

His gaze swept over his companions, finally meeting Cynthia's eyes, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.