Aizen was a little surprised that the girls were already up and ready before he woke up, but he immediately understood the reason.
They wanted to get to the Grassland as soon as possible.
Leaf, May, and Anira had been watching the morning exercises of the Rangers and their Pokémon companions, and they chatted a lot about them when they sat down to have their breakfast.
The group left after they watched the Beautifly leave the trees and scatter to find their morning meals, and then happily skipped down the red dirt road, which ran through the forest of Sector 2.
Leaf noticed that around the Ranger Tower, there were a lot of Dustox in the trees, as well as Cascoon, which were present in higher numbers than the Silcoon.
Since Dustox were nocturnal, and they hunted insects at night, especially swarms of mosquitoes, they helped the Tower and the fenced area stay free of those annoying insects.
The group saw the same Pokémon they had seen yesterday but came across something different when they neared the Grassland.
There was blood on the ground, some broken antlers, and marks of a heavy body being dragged deeper into the woods.
Aizen got off the road, sat down near the blood-stained grass, and observed the footprints and marks on the nearby trees.
"What happened here?" May curiously asked him, and the Prince smiled and stood up.
"A pack of Mightyena hunted a pair of Stantler, likely at dawn."
The girl winced at his words but nodded her head, knowing well that it was the cycle of life.
"Stantler are not protected here?" Leaf was surprised by his words, especially when she saw him shake his head.
"There are enough of them in the Kingdom that we don't need to protect them. The food chain is sustainable."
"How many are there?" She looked at him in surprise.
"Over 100,000."
Her mouth dropped open in shock at Anira's answer.
"The Pokémon are intelligent creatures, and they have codes. They don't hunt the young ones, so the population is never in danger here. Besides, there's a variety of prey for the predators."
"Mightyena and Houndoom prefer hunting Stantler, Farigiraf, and Mareep, but they also hunt Doduo and Dodrio from time to time. No one touches the Rapidash as they are too strong, and Ponyta stay with the herds at night. Pokémon like Manectric prefer hunting Bunnelby and Diggersby..." May happily explained things to Leaf, who was quite impressed by how much she knew about Pokémon.
Right before they exited the forest, the girl from Pallet Town saw a Pokémon jumping from tree to tree, which shocked her, and then she screamed.
"It's a Treecko!"
Anira giggled at her friend's excitement and informed her that there were lots of Treecko, Grovyle, and Sceptile on the island, and their largest colony was in Sectors 27 and 28.
"I plan on catching one as well."
"They are awesome!"
"I will catch one too!"
The girls completely ignored Aizen as they started making their plans, but he did not care about it. He was busy playing around with the two Riolu, who were trying to be a little sneaky and wanted to tag him.
The girls stopped talking when they exited the forest and saw the Grassland.
They could already see Stantler, Farigiraf, and even Mareep grazing in the distance, and there were also Doduo and Dodrio.
The grass was not too high, just about a foot and a half tall, and with the clouds now covering the sky and the wind picking up pace, it created beautiful scenery.
Soon, the sweet cries of the Pidgeot rang through the sky, and the group looked up to see a flock of over two dozen Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot passing by.
Their attention, however, was drawn to a disturbance created by a Zangoose, who was fighting a Seviper, and both were bloody at this point.
However, soon, the snake Pokémon managed to turn the tide of the battle and wrapped itself around its arch-nemesis, rendering it immobile and suffocating it.
May did not want to keep looking, so she grabbed Anira and Leaf's hands and pulled them with her as she rushed towards the herd of Stantler.
It was clear that she wanted one, and Anira seemed interested as well.
Aizen stayed back and smiled as his little sister started inspecting and chatting with the Deer Pokémon, and leaned against the side of his Arcanine.
He had to wait for over half an hour until they made their choice, and even Leaf caught one.
Since she was on a break from any competitions, she just wanted to relax and have fun catching some new Pokémon.
"Brother!" May excitedly called out her Stantler and showed it to him as soon as she arrived by his side, and also showed its Ability and Known Moves to him.
It was truly a good catch, but then again, Anira had a very keen eye for talented Pokémon.
"Nice one."
"Thank you!" She sweetly said and hugged her Pokémon.
May then suddenly remembered something and grinned at him.
"Don't forget my second Pokémon you promised me, Brother!" she reminded him, and he smiled at her.
"Have I ever forgotten my promises to you?"
"You haven't given it to me yet." She placed her hands on her waist. "It's an Eevee, isn't it?"
Leaf and Anira's ears perked up at her question, and the little Princess too had no idea which Pokémon her Brother planned on giving May.
It was clear that he had wanted to give it to her as her Starter before her friend brought up Ralts, so it had to be a unique Pokémon.
"No, it isn't an Eevee." Aizen shook his head, much to the surprise of the girl, who had been 100% expecting an Eevee.
She pouted at him, feeling a little disappointed, and Aizen chuckled at her reaction.
"I will give it to you right now if you make a promise to me." He said, and she looked at him in surprise.
"Okay!"
Aizen kept looking into her eyes until she became a little nervous.
"Don't be too hasty. Hear what I have to say first." He said, and she obediently nodded her head, clenching her fists.
Anira and Leaf too tensed up because they could tell that Aizen was very serious right now.
"You must promise me that you will become both a Top Coordinator and also a Pokémon League Winner. You will win both competitions at least twice."
May looked at him in surprise, the weight of his words pressing on her heart so heavily that she forgot to breathe.
The Orayen Prince, having known her all her life, knew that she was unsure about her future, and even though she was very talented, she had set no goals for herself. All she wanted to do was have fun and explore the world, and both her parents and he were worried that she would waste her potential.
"Not once?" she nervously asked, and he shook his head.
May closed her eyes and clenched her fists even tighter as she heard and felt her heart racing in her chest.
A strong gust of wind swept through her hair, and when she opened her eyes again, she had made up her mind.
"I promise, Brother. I will not just win multiple Grand Festivals, but I will also win multiple Pokémon Conferences."
Aizen kept looking into her eyes and then smiled as he leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead.
When he straightened up, he already had two Poké Balls in his hands, and he offered them both to her.
The way her eyes widened in shock made him chuckle, and even Leaf and Anira were surprised that he had prepared two Pokémon for May.
"One will always be a reminder for you that you must win multiple Grand Festivals, and the other will always be a reminder for you that you must win multiple League Conferences."
At his words, the girl from Littleroot Town beamed a smile at him, so bright that it could melt the coldest of hearts. She picked up one Poké Ball, scanned her fingerprint on it, and then did the same thing with the other.
She then activated one of them and threw it in the air.
"Come out!"
A streak of light escaped the Poké Ball, and when the Pokémon appeared out of it, the girls were left frozen in shock.
"Eeeeee!!!"
Soon, the three squealed in excitement, and then they jumped at the Pokémon, who was startled by their reaction.
"It's a Galarian Ponyta!" May excitedly told her friends, who laughed at her words.
"Yes!"
Aizen smiled at seeing how happy she was and chuckled when he watched the three girls shower love on the Pokémon he had rescued from the hands of Cipher.
The young Ponyta was a little shy at all the praise they showered on it, but it was happy.
"Let's call your friend now," May said as she stepped back and activated the second Poké Ball.
And it was not a Pokémon she was expecting, but one that she instantly fell in love with as well.
"Torchic!"
The little Pokémon curiously looked around and then jumped up to perch itself on her head.
"Torchic... Tor..."
"You are so cute!!!" She told her little Pokémon, but the reaction she received from it shocked her.
"Torchic... Tor!"
The little Pokémon seemed upset that she called it cute and then unleashed an Ember into the air, displaying its power.
[He wants to be called strong, not cute.]
May heard the voice of her Ralts in her head and looked at the little Pokémon in surprise.
She finally understood why Aizen meant that this Pokémon would keep reminding her of her promise to win multiple League Conferences.
"Aww... you are so strong!"
"Torchic." The Pokémon proudly closed its eyes and raised its head at her words.
Anira and Leaf smiled at the confident little fellow and giggled when they saw their friend jump into Aizen's arms and spin around with him.
"You are the best!"
"I know." He smiled. "Don't you want to scan their information?"
"Yes!" She said as she quickly registered the two Poké Balls and then looked at their information.
[Torchic, the Fire-Type Pokémon. It is a small chick Pokémon with stubby, downy yellow wings. Its body is covered with orange feathers and a fluffy coat of down. There is an orange and yellow crest on its head that resembles a flame. Its two thin legs and short beak are a light brownish yellow, and the feet have three toes in front and one at the back. A male Torchic will have a small black speck on its rear that is not present in females.
Within Torchic's belly, this Pokémon has a flame sac filled with a burning fire. This internal flame causes Torchic to feel warm if hugged. The warmth feels similar to a warm water bottle. As long as Torchic is alive, the internal flame will burn continuously. When attacked, it will shoot fireballs of 1,800 °F (1,000 °C) at its foes, leaving them scorched black. It dislikes darkness, as it cannot see its surroundings. Torchic evolves into Combusken, and then into Blaziken. After going through these evolutions, its eyesight improves and it can clearly see in the dark...]
[This Torchic is male.]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Known Moves: Growl, Tackle, Scratch, Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Agility, Flame Burst, Night Slash, and Last Resort.]
"Awesome!" She beamed a smile at her Pokémon and then checked her other Pokémon's information.
[Galarian Ponyta, the Psychic-Type Pokémon. It has chalk-white fur covering most of its body, and its mane, tail, and fetlocks are covered in long, purple-and-blue fluffy fur. Its eyes are purple with light-blue irises, and it has a small purple-and-white horn on top of its forehead.
Galarian Ponyta can absorb the life energy located in the atmosphere and store it in its mane, which will then become more colourful and potentially release a shining glow if there is a lot of energy to use. Galarian Ponyta's horn has healing powers; it can heal any slight wound with a few rubs from its horn. By looking into the eyes of a person, this Pokémon can read the contents of their heart. Should it find any evil, it will promptly go into hiding.]
[This Galarian Ponyta is male.]
[Ability: Pastel Veil]
[Known Moves: Growl, Tackle, Tail Whip, Confusion, Fairy Wind, Agility, Psybeam, Heal Pulse, Hypnosis, Stomp, Take Down, and Healing Wish.]
"What does Pastel Veil do?" she curiously asked Aizen instead of looking at its details on the Pokédex.
"Prevents the Pokémon and those around it, whom it considers its allies, from getting poisoned," he informed her and smiled. "It also makes non-physical attacks against the Pokémon 50% less effective, and 25% less effective for those that are Super Effective against it."
May's eyes shone brightly at his words, and then she giddily laughed.