Lisia: "???"
No way. Who bad-mouths her most admired uncle right in front of her? And what was with that whole sophistry speech full of twisted logic just now?
After all, she had been a child star since she was little. While she couldn't compare to the world-famous actress Diantha, the morning dramas Lisia herself had starred in had received excellent reviews in the industry. This had given her far more experience and insight than the average girl her age. With one glance, she saw through the holes in Lucas's words.
Indeed, there was some truth to what he said. In the face of absolute power, no matter how gorgeous the moves were, they were like mirror flowers and water moons—fragile and easily crushed.
But Lisia believed Lucas was underestimating the Pokémon Contests and the Coordinators who loved them. Trainers with true strength could simply aim for the League Championship. The Coordinators who collected Ribbons and participated in the Grand Festival were people who genuinely loved Contests. Even if someone won through raw, ungraceful brute force, that victory would never be acknowledged by everyone!
Lisia was a little angry. Perhaps because her idol training had seeped into her daily habits—even her puffed-up, sulky expression looked like coquettish pouting.
"Even though you're a guest, I can't just ignore what you said earlier. It's not good to belittle others to elevate yourself!"
"I'm really going to make up my mind and formally challenge you!"
"Right, Ali?"
"Chuu~!"
The Altaria named Ali firmly stood on its Trainer's side.
Lucas hadn't expected Lisia's mind to work so quickly. His carefully prepared words were interrupted on the spot. Whether to defend himself or to finish what he wanted to say, he had no intention of letting Lisia label him so easily.
"Look, getting worked up again."
Under Lisia's puzzled gaze, Lucas spread his hands with an innocent look. "I haven't finished talking yet. At least hear me out, okay?"
"Then speak."
Lisia shrank her neck. For some reason, she felt the same overwhelming aura from Lucas that she used to sense from her homeroom teacher back in school. The debate hadn't even started, yet she was already losing in momentum.
"The example I just gave you was from my personal experience. It may sound a bit ambiguous, but it should be quite simple and easy to understand."
Lucas tried to explain in a way that even Lisia could understand, so this child star who probably hadn't attended school properly could fully grasp his meaning.
It felt like being back in class. Faced with Lucas's question, Lisia subconsciously nodded—then immediately realized what she was doing.
He's not my teacher!
Lucas didn't care what she was thinking. Seeing her nod, he continued.
"Just like I said earlier, because the combination of my strength, command, and foundation produced greater power than your uncle, I won. And during that time, I even tried to imitate and, using my own understanding and methods, make my Pokémon's moves as gorgeous and elegant as Milotic's.
"Carefully analyze and think about what I just said. Do you have a new feeling now?"
"No."
Lisia looked at him with clear eyes and honestly shook her head. She still didn't quite understand. It would be better if he could explain it even more simply.
Lucas was speechless: "..."
Wallace, you really should send your niece to school. Otherwise, even if she becomes the top idol in Contests in the future, she'll expose the fact that she's a little… not that bright when asked a few questions.
After a heartfelt sigh, Lucas, no longer expecting any sudden enlightenment from Lisia, gave the standard answer directly.
"Why did I say your training method is wrong? Because you focus too much on the exterior while losing the interior. It's completely putting the cart before the horse.
"What Coordinators need to do isn't just making their Pokémon's moves gorgeous and empty. They also need to pay attention to cultivating the Pokémon themselves. When a Pokémon's strength increases, it can learn more moves and create more move combinations. When a Pokémon's strength increases, it can inherently overpower opponents in Contests and have the leeway to realize its gorgeous ideas. When a Pokémon's strength increases, it can accomplish many things that were impossible no matter how hard it tried before, fulfilling the Trainer's wildest imaginations.
"In a sense, what Coordinators need to learn and achieve is even several times more complex and difficult than what ordinary Pokémon Trainers do. The strength of top Coordinators isn't just superficial appearance—it's also their inner foundation.
"Aren't your uncle and your granduncle the best examples?"
Lisia's eyes widened slightly. Even she realized something from Lucas's long explanation.
Lucas took the opportunity to ask another question. "Then let me ask you: besides the title of top Coordinator, what other identities do they have?"
"Gym Leader, Hoenn League Champion."
Lisia answered without thinking. Then she froze.
That's right. Why didn't I think of that?
Whether it was her uncle or granduncle, they could fully express the aesthetics they believed in and try all kinds of ideas only after possessing overwhelming strength. Naturally, they stepped into the highest realm.
From the very beginning, the line between Coordinators and ordinary Trainers had never been blurry. The two were interconnected—even complementary. A powerful Trainer could be a Coordinator, and a top Coordinator could also be a powerful Trainer.
At this moment, Lisia felt as if she had been enlightened. All the confusion, shackles, and anxiety that had troubled her completely vanished.
Master, I've understood!
This could be called Lisia's very own Enlightenment!
Looking at the girl who seemed to have achieved sudden insight, Lucas smiled and casually stroked the fluffy cloud-like wings of Altaria "Ali."
Mm, the texture was great—like cotton candy, and it didn't stick to the hand.
—Though he was immediately pecked a few times by Ali, Lucas was still quite pleased.
Heh, today I got to pet an Altaria's wings. Worth it!
…
At the same time, in a certain corner outside the training hall.
Wallace and Juan were sneakily squatting by the wall, completely overturning their usual elegant and composed images. Both had their ears pressed against the wall, listening intently to the sounds inside. Butler Sebastian stood not far away with a smile, specially keeping watch for the two so no passersby would see them and ruin their personas.
After all, the training hall was quite close to the road.
Rubbing his slightly stubbled chin with his right hand, Juan lowered his voice. "Now I understand why you made that decision. Patient guidance, clear logic in speech, and most importantly, experience and insight far beyond ordinary people. This guy is a natural-born teacher."
"Yes, even I was surprised," Wallace nodded slightly, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Even my niece should be able to gain something from this teaching style. It seems we no longer need to worry."
Juan and Wallace exchanged glances and spoke in unison.
…
The next day.
January 19th. Today was Lucas's second day in the Hoenn region.
Early in the morning, a chattering figure had already appeared beside Lucas. Fortunately, the girl's voice was as flawless as a lark—at least it wouldn't cause irritation. Probably.
With dark circles like a mischievous panda, Lisia once again requested a challenge from Lucas. After last night's Enlightenment, she had barely slept, her mind filled with brand-new plans and visions for the future. Lucas's words had swept away the confusion in Lisia's heart. Now she was full of motivation, radiating the unique vitality of youth.
So, bright and early, she had impatiently sought him out.
"I've thought it through. After finishing the Wallace Cup that I've already signed up for, I'll focus on training and make up for the shortcomings I've neglected before. Then I'll challenge the Contests again, step by step, and earnestly win the Grand Festival.
"To clearly understand how far I still am from that realm, please have a one-on-one serious battle with me!"
Lisia suddenly bowed deeply to Lucas. Her lightning-shaped single ponytail nearly whipped him in the face.
She had awakened. Before becoming a top Coordinator, she also needed to become a powerful Trainer. Just as Lucas said, under absolute strength, all glamour would become empty talk. At the same time, once she gained true power, she would use that power to realize even more dreamy ☆ miraculous glamorous art.
Lucas quietly stepped back a few paces to keep his distance and, this time, did not refuse. He nodded gently.
"Alright. I accept your challenge."
"Really? That's great! Yay!"
Lisia's eyes sparkled as she jumped up in excitement.
Juan, who was quietly eating nearby, raised his knife and fork and reminded them, "From today, the Sootopolis Gym has resumed accepting challenges. Remember to finish quickly."
After all, the Gym arena still needed routine maintenance before receiving challengers. If possible, Juan hoped the battle would end before the scheduled maintenance time.
After saying all that, Juan himself froze before Lisia and Lucas could reply.
Wasn't his reminder just nonsense?
He knew very well how strong Lisia was. On the other hand, Lucas was the fierce guy who had defeated his disciple in a direct battle. Even though his disciple had focused more on showcasing Milotic's charm rather than winning the fight at the time, a loss was a loss. If a Trainer of Lucas's level got serious, could Lisia really last that long?
Soon, Juan's worry became reality.
On both sides of the Water Arena in the Sootopolis Gym, Lucas and Lisia stood facing each other. Juan and Wallace sat in the front row of the spectator seats, watching the battle as audience members.
"Let's go, Ali!"
With Lisia's lively and playful voice, Altaria sang with a beautiful melody and made its usual glamorous entrance.
Lucas wasn't surprised that Lisia sent out Altaria. But deciding who to send from his side was the question. Luxray and Mimikyu weren't very suitable for this water arena with few landing spots. They could fight, but there was no need to force it.
Swampert was a perfect fit. Lucas believed that after he brought out Mega Evolution, he wouldn't even need three punches—Mega Swampert could directly shatter the opponent's glamorous soul. That would be a bit too brutal, though.
As for Comfey, Milotic, and Ninetales, their combat power wasn't bad, but they probably still fell short of what Lisia needed. Victini was usually used for support, and Lucas didn't fully understand Bagong's current strength yet, but it probably wasn't that strong—at least not comparable to the strongest individual from the Area Zero Underdepths.
Politoed was a good choice. Its progress over the past year had been outstanding, its strength surpassing most Pokémon on the farm. Most importantly, it was very well-suited for the water arena.
Using Moltres against Altaria might be interesting, but considering this was a rare chance for Politoed to come out with him, Lucas made his decision.
"Politoed, you're up!"
"Polito~"
The red beam shot out from the Poké Ball and landed in the pool. With a splash, Politoed appeared along with the flying water droplets. It clapped its hands happily, looking completely harmless.
Lisia was unexpectedly charmed. "Wow, this child is so cute!"
Having barely left the Hoenn region, this was her first time seeing a Politoed!
"Don't just look at its appearance. Although Politoed isn't my absolute ace, it's already among the strongest besides my absolute aces!"
Lucas reminded her. At the same time, Politoed puffed up its throat and let out a highly penetrating cry toward the ceiling.
"Polito—!"
Dark, heavy clouds instantly gathered indoors. The air suddenly became humid, and large raindrops poured down from the rain clouds, pattering into the pool.
"Ohhh, is this the Drizzle ability?"
As an experienced Water-type expert, Juan immediately recognized the nature of the heavy rain.
"Yes, and it's extremely high-quality Drizzle. You can tell just from the fact that the rain clouds only cover the battle arena."
Wallace nodded in agreement, a hint of amazement in his eyes. From his perspective, this "Drizzle" alone was enough to show how well Lucas had raised Politoed.
…