There seems to be something wrong with these Pokémon

In the conference room of the Pokémon Center, Blatano smiled and nodded as he took the snacks brought by Chansey and pushed them in front of the two of them.

"Don't be so reserved, just chat with me."

He glanced at the girl who had her hands clasped on her knees and said half-jokingly.

"I didn't expect you guys to be so hard to find. I missed you every time from Crimson City to Rainbow City."

He shifted his gaze to the boy who was sitting upright, "Thanks to you for your good habit of taking your Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for a checkup every day."

"Otherwise, I would have waited in Rainbow City until Ms. Erica came back to tell me the bad news."

Under Bratano's deliberate guidance, both of them were much more relaxed than when they first arrived.

At least Fujino Sakura was able to lean back in her chair and listen to the conversation between the two, nodding and agreeing from time to time.

"Really? It's like having a second pair of eyes..."

Bratano nodded. "I already know the general situation. Now let me tell you my speculation."

Shuoya Ye perked up and quickly pricked up his ears, waiting for the man who was organizing his words.

The re-evolution of the monarch snake has always made him a little uneasy.

What are the consequences of changes in appearance and enhancement of abilities?

He swallowed hard and rubbed the corner of his clothes with his fingers.

And there is also the tube of medicine given by Lingyou.

Could the vision of the monarch snake be related to it?

"Do you know about the [Bond Phenomenon]?"

Buratano crossed his legs and raised his eyes.

"What is the bond phenomenon?"

Fujino Sakura blinked in confusion, "I've never heard of it."

Shuoya Ye nodded in agreement.

"This is a phenomenon recorded in an ancient document." Bratano placed his phone on the table and pushed it in the direction of the two men.

As they rubbed their heads together to study the text on the small screen, Bratano continued to explain.

"[Bond Phenomenon] refers to an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs when the trust between a trainer and a Pokémon reaches a certain level."

"My personality has changed, my appearance has changed, my abilities have improved..."

"There's no data that can accurately summarize what will happen. All we can write based on the few cases is 'different Pokémon will have different and incredible changes.'"

Blatano met the boy's eyes, spread his hands and smiled, "In other words, the trust between you and the Monarch Snake has reached a level that ordinary people cannot reach. That's why it responded to your wish and unleashed its potential."

My...wish?

Shuo Gu Ye's eyes lost focus for a few seconds, and all the things in the light red forest flashed before his eyes.

“I also watched that live broadcast.”

Bratano leaned back, tapping his fingertips on the armrest.

"Faced with an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, the plight of Pokémon, the threat of Team Rocket, and the hopes of Crimson City..."

"You must have been carrying all this on your shoulders at that time, trying desperately to stop Super Alakazam, right?"

Shuoya Ye didn't reply, but clenched his hands tightly under the table.

In a trance, the residual warmth of Vulpix's skin still lingered on his fingertips.

"Because of this, the monarch snake sensed your strong wish and responded."

Bratano reached out for the phone the girl had returned and casually stuffed it into the pocket of his research coat.

"What a wonderful phenomenon." He nodded and murmured, "Perhaps the principle of mega evolution and the [Bond Phenomenon] is the same."

"It's just that with strong enough mutual trust, the effect of the bond overwhelmed the conditions of the Mega Evolution Stone and the Evolution Key Stone, and directly promoted the re-evolution of the Monarch Snake."

"What is a mega evolution?"

Fujino Sakura, who knew nothing about this, asked curiously, "What are the Mega Evolution Stone and the Evolution Key Stone?"

"You don't know?"

Bratano sat up straight and looked at the two of them in surprise.

After receiving the same reply, he fell into deep thought for a moment.

Under the gaze of the two, he murmured to himself, "Yes, I just submitted the relevant information about mega evolution to the alliance not long ago, maybe it has not been approved yet."

"It's a bit troublesome to explain, so why don't we verify it directly."

Bratano said, "Sakuya, do you have the Monarch Snake's Poké Ball with you?"

Shuoya Ye nodded, and gently hooked the fingers hanging at his waist, and a Poké Ball rolled into his palm.

"Monarch Snake, say hello to Dr. Blatano."

"Oh, is this the monarch snake?"

There was a flash of white light, and before Bratano could even react the vine slipped from his palm.

He looked at the monarch snake with a little doubt, as it closed one eye and retracted its vines.

"Monarch snake, you can't do this."

Sakuyaha sighed, "While extending the vine to shake hands is commendable, it would be rude to withdraw it too quickly."

He recalled the ways of the Monarch Snake when it was still a Vine Snake, and hung his head in frustration, "It's still the same after so long..."

"Haha, I understand..."

Blatano, who realized that it was the monarch snake's "friendly" greeting, waved his hand casually, "Hello, monarch snake--"

Before he could finish his words, the vine that had disappeared without a trace slipped back into his palm.

As the man looked confused, the vine grabbed his hand tightly, shook it up and down three or four times, and then suddenly retracted it.

The monarch snake tilted its head and stared at the boy with its red eyes.

It seems to be asking, "Is this okay?"

"Yes, that's it!"

When faced with the correct approach, Shuoya Ye immediately gave praise and rewards.

A double sweet strawberry cake!

Snake’s favorite dessert certified by Ditto!

Looking at the monarch snake eating the cake contentedly, Buratano grabbed a few handfuls of its messy hair and stretched out his other hand in front of the boy.

Between the pinched thumb and index finger, a sparkling [glass bead] particularly attracts the eye.

"This is the Evolution Keystone."

He raised his chin and motioned for Shuoya Ye to stretch out his hand, and placed the key stone into the boy's palm.

"Let's try and see if we can use the power of the keystone to reproduce the evolution of the Monarch Snake."

Evolution Keystone...

Shuoya Ye stared at the colorful keystone in his hand and murmured, "So beautiful."

"Try to remember how you felt at that time," Bratano instructed, lowering his voice. "Whether it's a wish, a dream, or a hope, show the trust that the Monarch Snake will respond to it."

"Ah."

Shuoya Ye took a deep breath and turned to look at the monarch snake that was staring at him after eating the cake.

"Monarch Snake, come with me."

Monarch Snake nodded, and closed its eyes along with its trainer under Blatano's expectant gaze.

......

----

After waiting for five full minutes, Fujino Sakura, who had jumped up with excitement before collapsing back in her seat, could no longer hold back and whispered quietly to the frowning man's ear.

"Doctor...how long will it take?"

Bratano's gaze lingered on the boy and the slowly moving eyelids of the monarch snake for a few seconds, and he clapped his hands helplessly.

Hearing the noise, the man and the Pokémon opened their eyes at the same time.

Shuoya lowered his head and pursed his lips embarrassedly.

"Sorry, it seems that I can't..."

"The key stone is not the key factor." Bratano held his chin and immersed himself in his own world again. "It's a pity that the Mega Evolution Stone of the Monarch Snake has not been discovered yet, so there is no way to verify the role of the Mega Evolution Stone."

Shuoya Ye looked at the monarch snake, and he raised his hand to touch the monarch snake's body comfortingly.

"Could it be because of external conditions..." The girl's clear voice called back Bratano's attention.

His eyes lit up, "That makes sense!"

“…What!? Ahem——!”

Fujino Sakura was startled by the man's sudden excitement. She couldn't swallow her saliva, which got stuck in her throat and made her cough.

Bratano snapped his fingers and talked to himself.

"Oh, right, environmental pressure is the only factor that can unleash one's potential. How could I have forgotten this?"

"Pressure from the environment...?"

Shuoya Ye recalled the lives lost in the light red forest and shook his head, "Forget it. I hope this kind of pressure will never happen again."

Bratano was so engrossed that he was stunned for a moment. Only when he looked at the bitter corners of the boy's lips did he realize what he had said.

He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Sorry, that's not what I meant."

"You shouldn't be held responsible for what happened in Crimson City. This is the Alliance's negligence."

Shuoya Ye shook his head.

“It’s an honor to bear this weight.”

What remained before his eyes was the figure of a man who never gave up running to rescue Pokémon in a forest filled with despair and pain.

Either human or Pokémon.

"They taught me how important life is and reminded me of the purpose of every step I take."

Bratano was stunned and said nothing.

After a while, he patted the boy's shoulder and returned to the topic.

"For a trainer, an all-out battle should be able to meet the condition of 'heavy pressure'."

He winked at the thoughtful boy, "Golden City seems to have a gym, right?"

"no!"

Before Sakuya Ye could make any comments, the sharp rebuttal made Bratano subconsciously turn his head away.

In his eyes, the girl not far away had her pupils trembling slightly and her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

He seemed to be deeply afraid of something.

"The Golden Gym seemed to have been banned not long ago."

Sakuya Ye, who did not turn around, thought that the girl was retorting because of this, so she explained to the man from Kalos, "So there is no gym match."

“Yes, yes!”

Fujino Sakura quickly came back to her senses and quickly agreed, "The Golden Gym is closed! Why don't we let Xiaoye find another trainer to fight against?"

"is it?"

Bratano looked at the girl who was obviously hiding something, and raised his eyebrows slightly, "But I passed by the gym on the way here, and I didn't see what you said."

A flash of panic flashed across Fujino Sakura's eyes, and she did not avoid Buratano's sight, which made him curious.

As a researcher, his desire to explore the unknown made him continue speaking.

"Maybe I saw it wrong."

Fujino Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, "You must have seen it wrong. The Golden Gym has been closed for a long time, Xiaoye knows it all."

Shuoya Ye nodded.

At least that was the case when he passed through Golden City a few months ago.

"That's it..."

Buratano did not expose the girl's lie and changed the subject.

"By the way, are you familiar with this Golden Gym Leader?"

After seeing the man's gaze, Fujino Sakura nodded with a bitter look on her face.

"She, she is Nancy, the holder of super powers..."

"Well, we're just sitting here doing nothing."

Bratano interrupted, "Since we have nothing to do, why don't we go to the entrance of the Golden Gym together?"

“Ah——?! No, no, right?”

Fujino Sakura's eyes were wandering, and she grabbed the edge of the boy's clothes tightly, "I, I want to discuss the matter of the gorgeous competition with you... We will take our leave first."

She pulled the boy hard, but failed to move him.

Looking down, I saw that the corner of the clothes I was holding in my hand had become wrinkled.

"what happened?"

Shuoya Ye naturally noticed the girl's shrinking and asked softly, "If you don't want to go, we can just refuse."

Fujino Sakura's lips trembled and she squeezed out a few words.

"Don't go..."

"Nazi, she...is not right."

"Let's go, take a walk."

Blatano didn't notice the two's little tricks and invited them again, "If the gym is open, we can borrow the power of the gym owner to find out the secret of the re-evolution of the Monarch Snake once and for all."

"If it's not open, we can just come back. It won't take long."

He smiled and shook his finger. “Although time is money, scientific research is worth investing a lot of money in.”

"What is the secret of the evolution of the monarch snake?"

After hearing what Bratano said, Shuoya Ye was also somewhat tempted.

After weighing the pros and cons, he turned around and patted the girl's hand, "Go and have a look. If there is any problem, Monarch Snake and I will protect you."

The monarch snake came closer and nodded.

Fujino Sakura bit her lower lip and spoke slowly after a while.

"Okay, okay..."

She followed the two of them, and the image of Fujino Natsu and the strange doll that suddenly appeared in the house kept flashing through her mind.

I hope I'm just overthinking it.

The girl's shoulder was bumped by a passerby.

Fujino Sakura waved her hand to indicate that it was nothing to worry about and continued walking forward.

As she dodged a pedestrian once again, her whole body trembled, and uncontrollable panic suddenly crept into her heart.

Fujino Sakura suddenly turned her head and looked.

people!

There are people over there too!

There are people everywhere!

His eyes were filled with the figures of people coming and going, as if he could see nothing in the whole city except people.

Even the motor vehicle lanes were occupied by pedestrians who had nowhere to go.

Her heartbeat gradually accelerated and her breathing became more difficult.

Why are there so many people in Jinhuang City? ! !

----

Sakuya Ye and Buratano, who were also avoiding the crowd, did not notice that there was a girl missing from their group.

Bratano wiped his sweat and said, "It's really lively."

"Ah."

Shuoya Ye echoed, "It may be because the first gorgeous competition in Kanto will be held here, and many people want to join in the fun."

"The Kanto Grand Tournament..." Blatano said with a smile, "It reminds me of the Triple Crown Satellite Tournament in the Kalos region. The only difference is that the performers are not coordinators, but performers."

Sakutani Ye recalled that Izumi Yu had given a brief introduction to this competition.

"I've heard from friends that it's a very visually impactful game."

"Come to Carlos if you have a chance, I'll take you to the scene..."

"Brother Shuoya?!"

A familiar voice appeared in my ears.

Shuo Gu Ye turned his head and saw two round figures appearing again and greeting him.

"meet again!"

"Amaru?" Sakuya Ye said in surprise, "Happy Egg!"

Happiny raised his hand and said hello.

"I've seen you."

Blatano noticed the fat boy's secret gaze and interrupted, "The field doctor of the Red Forest, I've heard of your name for a long time."

"Field doctor...?"

Ah Wan pointed at himself, and after receiving Buratano's affirmation, he took a big step back exaggeratedly, "Huh? Me?!"

Happiny smiled and patted Amaru's back, as if teasing him.

"I'm not a proper Pokémon doctor yet... I'm still working towards that goal!"

"correct."

Shuo Gu Ye suddenly thought of something, glanced at the fat boy who was so confused by Bratano's praise, and asked with a little confusion.

"You seemed to have said this morning that you were going to leave Golden City right away?"

He looked at the bulging medical kit beside Happiny, "Is there any accident?"

But what Sakutani Ye didn't expect was that after hearing this, Amaru and Happiny looked at each other in confusion and turned their heads away.

"When did we...say we were leaving?"

"Golden City is pretty good except for the fact that there are too many people. Happindan and I decided early on that we should stay here for a while and have a good rest."