In a bright white chamber,
two eggs rested on the counter before Lin Yu: one with blue-and-white patterns, the other blue flecked with brown.
"The left is Dratini. The right is Gible. As for Beldum… ahem, you'll have to wait a few months."
"Understood."
Lin Yu nodded. He'd already made his choice.
[Pokémon]: Dratini (Hatches in ~1432 hours)
Potential: Champion
[Pokémon]: Gible (Hatches in ~1256 hours)
Potential: Champion
Both eggs would take quite a while to hatch.
"These are fresh from this batch, so the incubation period is a bit long.
Do you want to leave it here, or take it with you?" Lance asked.
Both options had their merits.
Leaving it with the League was safe, but taking it home would let Lin Yu nurture it with Aura and Viridian Power —
strengthening their bond the moment it hatched.
"I'll take the Gible egg with me."
It matched his plan perfectly.
"Very well."
The counter opened. Lin Yu carefully lifted the egg, still wrapped in nutrient solution, and channeled Aura and Viridian Power into it.
The Aura would let the Gible recognize his scent at birth; the Viridian Power would boost its natural healing once it hatched.
After walking Lin Yu out,
Lance patted his Dragonite.
"You said you felt a boost from him earlier?
Around a 10% speed increase? That's nearly on par with what I can do for you."
For Dragon Masters like him,
the percentage boost shrank as the Pokémon grew stronger.
Right now, he could only grant Dragonite a total boost of around 15%.
But percentage-based boosts became terrifyingly powerful at higher levels.
And Dragonite was saying Lin Yu had given it nearly 10% speed?
That was insane.
"Does this boy have Dragon Power too? It doesn't feel like it… but I did sense a Dragon Secret Stone on him. Probably from that Ye girl."
"Ah well. I can have him visit the Dragon Pool when it opens. Wait… but the spots for the Dragon Pool are already fixed, aren't they?"
On his way back, Lin Yu's mind was racing.
He didn't believe a Dragonite of that caliber would miss the boost he'd accidentally given it.
What would Champion Lance think?
"Whatever. Face it when it comes."
He tried to calm himself.
With the national tournament over, the capital's crowds slowly thinned. The next big surge wouldn't come until the Youth League in December.
Those two events were the busiest times in the capital every year —
though the High School Tournament always drew the biggest crowds.
The next morning.
Lin Yu was wondering which secret realm Xiaoye planned to take him to when she showed up.
He lit up at the sight of her in a white t-shirt and athletic shorts.
"I was just thinking about you."
"Thinking about what?" Xiaoye perked up instantly.
"Didn't you say we were going to a secret realm together?" Lin Yu asked, confused.
With her family connections, she could easily ask her Elite Four brother for backup if danger arose.
Or just bring her Level 73 Gengar.
What could possibly go wrong?
"Hehe. In five days. Don't run off too fast, okay?"
"Got it."
He'd already promised, so he wouldn't back out now.
Xiaoye beamed. "Great! See you in three days! Love you, bro!"
With that, she hurried off.
Lin Yu stood there, scratching his head in bewilderment.
Just then, a video call rang.
"Hello? Senior?"
On screen, Xue Nai was at the high-speed rail station, her hair tied in a neat ponytail and wearing a white casual shirt.
"Lin Yu, I'm heading back to Shuimu City."
"That's nice. Say hi to Auntie Xue for me. I meant to ask what you planned to do after the tournament."
"Why didn't you ask, then?" Xue Nai smiled.
LinYu coughed awkwardly.
He'd forgotten after their talk in the stands.
"Alright, I won't tease you. You're right. I'll go home to see my mom, then set off on my journey to chase my goal!"
She laughed at his flustered look.
"Good luck, Senior!"
Lin Yu pumped his fist in encouragement, then asked curiously, "What is your goal? Can you tell me?"
"It's… a secret. Lean closer."
His curiosity got the better of him. Lin Yu leaned his ear toward the screen.
At the capital station,
Xue Nai smiled softly at his curious face, bright as a flower in early morning.
A boy rushing for a train nearby froze, dropping his suitcase in a daze.
By the time he snapped out of it, the high-speed rail had already roared past.
"It's a~ secret! Hahaha!"
She giggled at Lin Yu's stunned expression, and a faint lipstick mark was left on the screen.
"Alright, the train's here. You keep chasing your goals too.
Don't let me down, Junior~ Bye for now!"
"What is with everyone and their secrets?" Lin Yu muttered.
"Whatever. I'll just make Energy Cubes."
He'd been so busy preparing for the tournament that the cubes were almost gone.
But every Pokémon had grown stronger from the battles:
Charizard: Level 44
Greninja: Level 43
Gardevoir: Level 44
Latias: Level 45
Pupitar: Level 31
Lucario: Level 34
The biggest gainer was Pupitar, who hadn't even fought.
He'd only been Level 17 when he joined Lin Yu.
"Latias is out of Psychic-type cubes too. I need to buy better materials and try Mega Evolving with her.
And where is that Ralts? If she doesn't show up soon, I'll have to write my stories down on paper. More work for me."
"At least Pupitar doesn't need Energy Cubes anymore…"
Lin Yu finally understood the struggle of being a full-time caretaker.
He spent five straight days making cubes, finally finishing enough for all his Pokémon except Latias to last through the Lord stage.
Five days later…