"That's right. It's a scale from Rayquaza."
Grey nodded lightly.
To him, obtaining one of Rayquaza's scales was as simple as reaching out and taking one. For Lance, however, a Rayquaza scale was a priceless treasure that could only be encountered through extraordinary luck.
Lance stared at the green scale inside the box and swallowed several times.
"Grey, thank you. This gift is far too valuable."
His hands were almost trembling as he accepted the Rayquaza scale.
Something like this could not be bought for a fortune.
No, even billions would not be enough.
Lance felt that he had to do something for Grey in return.
As for what he could do...
Perhaps he could submit a proposal to the League leadership and have Grey appointed as Kanto's Honorary Champion.
Everyone had watched Grey's battle against Cynthia. He was completely qualified to hold the position of Champion.
Grey himself had no desire to become an actual regional Champion, but appointing him as an Honorary Champion would be a reasonable compromise.
The only question was whether Grey would accept.
If Grey agreed, Lance would immediately submit the proposal to the League and explain everything to Chairman Damalanchi. The chairman would surely be willing to secure a powerful Trainer like Grey as a permanent ally of the Kanto League.
Without realizing it, Lance had already mentally labeled Grey as Kanto's future Honorary Champion.
"Come on, it was nothing. I was in a hurry this time. Otherwise, I could've brought you a few trinkets from Palkia, Dialga, or Giratina too."
Grey casually waved his hand.
For him, obtaining such things truly required little effort.
"Right. Let's head inside first. Red and Blue are here too."
Lance led Grey into League headquarters.
When Grey heard that Red and Blue were both present, he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? I didn't expect both of them to be here. Do they have something to handle at headquarters?"
"Nothing particularly important. They heard that you were heading to Alola, and since they were already here today, they decided to stop by and see you."
Lance answered honestly.
Grey nodded and did not ask anything else.
Inside Kanto League headquarters, Red, Blue, Lance, and Grey sat on the couches in the main hall, eating sunflower seeds and chatting.
Unfortunately, the four of them attracted far too much attention. Otherwise, they could have started a poker game right there.
"Grey, Lance told us you're heading to Alola?" Blue asked, going directly to the point.
He was wearing a pair of sunglasses on top of his head today.
"That's right. I'll be leaving for Alola in a few days. I want to see whether I can wipe out Team Rocket once and for all."
At this point, Grey's greatest priority was destroying Team Rocket.
Once Team Rocket was gone, everything afterward would become much easier.
What about traveling to Galar in the future and becoming involved in the Eternatus incident?
Grey did not care.
Forget Eternatus. Even if Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina challenged him together, dealing with them would still be less important than eliminating Team Rocket.
There was no helping it.
Team Rocket was simply too despicable.
As long as it continued to exist, Grey would be unable to sleep peacefully at night.
However, he had not yet decided where he should go first after reaching Alola.
Grey asked the other three for their opinions.
"Where do you think I should go first after arriving in Alola?"
Alola had beautiful scenery and plenty of ocean views.
Choosing his first destination was important. It needed to serve as a base of operations while also giving him a convenient place to enjoy the region.
Lance thought of someone.
"How about Melemele Island? Hau'oli City is located there, and there's a Pokémon School on the outskirts. Professor Kukui, the man who performs as the Masked Royal, teaches there. I think you could use the school as your base."
"Your base?"
Blue abruptly turned toward Lance.
Did he realize how strange that sounded?
Grey was supposedly visiting Alola on official League business, yet Lance was already discussing where he should establish a base.
Grey, however, saw nothing wrong with the idea.
"It would make sense if I went there as a visiting teacher. Would I be teaching Pokémon battles?"
"You can teach whatever you prefer. If you decide to work at the school, there's someone I recommend contacting."
A discussion about Alola's Pokémon School naturally brought one person to mind.
Samson Oak.
He was the cousin of Professor Oak, Kanto's famous Pokémon researcher.
"If you want to contact my grandfather's cousin, you can speak to Grandpa first," Blue said. "However, if you're planning to meet my grandfather, I recommend preparing yourself mentally."
Grey had caught many Legendary Pokémon and knew numerous Mythical Pokémon.
Blue was genuinely afraid that the moment Grey arrived, Professor Oak would stop him and bombard him with questions.
Some of those questions would inevitably concern Grey's love life.
At that rate, Professor Oak might even offer Blue's own sister to Grey.
When it came to studying Legendary Pokémon, Blue's grandfather was capable of almost anything.
Blue was not exaggerating.
He had experienced it personally.
Ever since Professor Oak learned that Blue knew Grey, he had repeatedly encouraged Blue to check on Grey every day, ask whether he needed anything, and casually find out whether he was looking for a girlfriend.
When Professor Oak learned that Grey was already involved with Sabrina and Caitlin, his eyes had lit up. He immediately declared that more was always better and asked whether Grey needed another wife.
Blue had been utterly speechless.
Grandpa, you really don't need to go full mad scientist over this.
The experience had even made Blue abandon any thought of becoming a researcher.
If Gary decided to become a researcher in the future, Blue would crush that ambition immediately.
It was not that Blue considered research a bad profession.
He simply refused to let Gary become that obsessed.
They were only sub-Legendary Pokémon. It was not as though they were impossible to defeat.
"Professor Oak? I'd actually like to meet him."
Grey was being honest.
He had genuinely wanted to meet Professor Oak for a long time.
Part of that desire undoubtedly came from nostalgia.
Meeting him would be worthwhile.
"All right. When are you free? I'll tell Grandpa so he can meet you."
Blue asked Grey which day would suit him.
As for the possibility that Professor Oak might be unavailable, that was impossible.
To meet Grey, Professor Oak would gladly postpone everything else.
After all, this was an opportunity to observe many Legendary Pokémon.
If there had been more time to prepare, Professor Oak would probably have invited every Pokémon Professor he knew.
"I'm free tomorrow."
Grey had recently been living almost like a man with nothing to do.
Anyone who wanted to meet him was welcome.
"Great. I'll tell Grandpa right now."
Blue took out his phone and informed Professor Oak that Grey would visit him the next day.
Red, meanwhile, remained seated nearby in complete silence. He looked gloomy and did not say a single word.
Grey became curious about why Red was not speaking.
Noticing Grey's gaze, Red raised his head.
(-_-)
He looked as though he had not fully awakened.
Grey scratched his head.
"Red, when are the two of us going to battle?"
Red's expression instantly changed, and he nodded eagerly.
"No problem. Can we fight at the summit of Mt. Silver?"
The moment Grey mentioned a battle, Red immediately stopped acting mute.
"Sure. How about we battle after I return from Alola?"
"Good!"
The two of them established their agreement.
That was not the end of the conversation.
Grey's question had opened the floodgates. The normally quiet Red suddenly became remarkably talkative.
The change made it seem as though his personality had switched from his characterization in the games to his much more expressive characterization in Pokémon Adventures.
"Speaking of Alola, there's a particular Pokémon you need to watch out for," Red suddenly said. "It was dark and appeared to be made from some kind of black crystalline material."
The Pokémon Red described was Necrozma, which he and Blue had encountered previously.
Necrozma had once managed to suppress both Red and Blue, despite each of them possessing battle-legend tier strength.
Red later searched for relevant information and discovered records of a similar Pokémon appearing in Alola.
He suspected it might be a Legendary Pokémon.
With that level of power, it was undoubtedly comparable to a major Legendary Pokémon.
Therefore, Grey needed to remain alert after reaching Alola so Necrozma would not ambush him.
Grey took Red's warning seriously.
However, it was only Necrozma.
Without absorbing Solgaleo or Lunala, Necrozma possessed the strength of an ordinary major Legendary Pokémon. It might be somewhat stronger than average, but not overwhelmingly so.
Grey intended to call everyone who was available.
Reshiram, Rayquaza, Kyurem, Groudon, Kyogre, Koraidon, Lugia, Palkia, Dialga, Hoopa Unbound, and anyone else with free time could come.
Grey refused to believe Giovanni possessed enough influence to summon Necrozma, Giratina, and Eternatus at the same time.
That was clearly impossible.
If Giovanni truly possessed that kind of power, he would have declared open war on the League long ago.
Grey stopped worrying about the matter and continued chatting with Red, Blue, and Lance inside League headquarters.
They spoke for a long time, mostly about matters related to the coming operation.
As evening approached, Grey saw that it was getting late. He said goodbye to the three of them and returned to the Fighting Dojo.
The next day, Grey arrived in Pallet Town.
"So this is Pallet Town. I've wanted to visit this place for a long time, but I never had the opportunity."
As Grey entered the ordinary-looking rural town, he could not help feeling emotional.
He had always wanted to come here.
Many legendary figures had begun their journeys in this small town.
Professor Oak, Red, Blue, and, in the future, Ash.
Every one of them stood among the strongest of the strong.
"Hello there! You must be Grey, the young man Blue told me about. You've accomplished so much at such a young age, and you're quite handsome too!"
A kindly elderly voice came from nearby.
Grey looked up and saw a white-haired old man wearing a researcher's lab coat. The man stood a short distance away with a warm smile.
Two relatively young men accompanied him.
Grey immediately recognized both of them.
They were Professor Oak's students.
One was Professor Elm of New Bark Town in Johto. The other was Professor Cerise, who operated his own research laboratory in the port city of Vermilion City.
Oak, Elm, and Cerise, their plant-themed names made their academic lineage seem even more obvious.
At that moment, Professor Elm and Professor Cerise were both extremely excited.
They were finally meeting Grey in person!
This was Grey, the Trainer who had fought Cynthia on equal footing and caught multiple Legendary Pokémon.
As Grey approached, Professor Cerise could not resist offering a compliment.
"Grey, you're remarkably handsome. Would you be interested in meeting my daughter?"
Professor Oak laughed.
"I also have a granddaughter. If you're interested, I can introduce the two of you."
Professor Elm was not about to be left behind.
"There's a volunteer at my laboratory who's quite cute. I could show you a photograph."
Grey fell silent.
This was completely unnecessary.
He felt that his relationships with Sabrina and Caitlin had already brought him close to full capacity.
Adding more would be difficult.
At most, perhaps Green could be included.
He would have to decline any other young women.
Grey politely rejected their matchmaking attempts. He merely said that he would be happy to meet everyone normally and that they could remain in contact if they ever needed his help.
After that, they entered Professor Oak's Laboratory.
The laboratory occupied an enormous area.
The moment Grey entered the backyard and turned around, he saw the burning intensity in the three Pokémon Professors' eyes.
Grey almost failed to maintain his composure.
Since they were already looking at him like that, he had no choice but to release Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Keldeo, and Reshiram.
Those five were among his most sociable Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
The others did not particularly enjoy interacting with strangers, so Grey had not brought them out.
For Professor Oak, Professor Elm, and Professor Cerise, however, this was an opportunity beyond anything they could have hoped for.
They were seeing four Legendary Pokémon and one Mythical Pokémon at close range at the same time.
It was an astonishing experience.
They absolutely could not waste such a valuable opportunity.
"So this is what it feels like to observe Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno from such a short distance."
Professor Oak marveled at the sight and even reached out to touch the flames covering Moltres's body.
"The last time I saw you was many years ago. I had only recently become Champion back then. I can't believe that in what feels like the blink of an eye, you've already become someone else's Pokémon."
Grey felt that something about the statement sounded strange.
The way Professor Oak said it made Moltres sound like an old flame who had been stolen away by another man.
Grey did not remain beside the researchers. Instead, he wandered around Professor Oak's property.
He quickly discovered many familiar Pokémon.
Most of Ash's Pokémon were staying there.
After winning the Orange League Winner's Cup, Ash had even transferred his Annihilape back to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Grey saw Ash's Annihilape practicing its punches.
Well, since he was already here, he might as well offer some guidance.
Grey's own Annihilape had become incredibly powerful under his instruction. Ash's Annihilape might not reach the same level, but it would undoubtedly improve.
Thus, Grey pulled Annihilape away and subjected it to an additional session of intensive training.
Night had already fallen by the time Professor Oak, Professor Elm, and Professor Cerise finally concluded their research with satisfied expressions.
When they noticed Annihilape collapsed from exhaustion nearby, all three of them looked thoroughly confused.
"Oh, it looks like you've finished your research."
Grey finally stood and turned toward the three professors.
"Thank you so much, Grey," Professor Oak said. "When we publish our PSCI paper, we'll definitely list you as the second author!"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.