"Arthur, Anna from the tailor shop has a gift for you," came Hector's voice from outside the research lab.
Another Anna in Rastor Village.
She was a middle-aged woman who ran the tailor shop with her daughter—also named Anna.
Arthur had never understood why someone would name their child after themselves. Yet Anna the tailor wasn't the only one. Many others in Rastor had done the same.
He'd wanted to question it, but since no one else found it strange, he stayed silent and eventually got used to it.
"A gift?" Arthur echoed, brushing off his cluttered research desk. It was covered in strange gadgets that, at a glance, looked like cobbled-together scraps. But several of them sparked with electric energy, signs that they were part of a project tied to the Lightning Element.
Days had blurred together as Arthur buried himself in work, closely monitoring the Safari Zone to stay updated on the condition of the Pokémon within and ensure the environment remained safe and stable.
In between, he spent time crafting a specialized item—an exclusive tool intended for his third companion, still nestled in its Egg, pulsing quietly with unseen life.
He looked over at the Egg and smiled, confident that its hatching would mark the arrival of another remarkable Pokémon—one as special as Porygon or the mysterious Ocasian Paras.
But crafting for an unborn Pokémon was far from simple. Without a subject to study, all he could do was build prototypes. There was no guarantee that anything he made would be usable once the Pokémon hatched. Still, each attempt gave him valuable experience in the art of crafting magical tools.
His memories of Earth were no substitute for understanding the fundamental laws of this new world. Earth's science served only as a reference—something he could adapt, experiment with, and slowly shape into usable knowledge here in Ocasia. And every success or failure brought him one step closer to becoming a true magical craftsman...
He still needed to drink Memora Potion to recover those memories, so it felt like an insult to true masters to consider himself anywhere near their level—not when he relied on an external tool just to remember.
Speaking of Memora Potion, Virelyra was still here, lazily napping in the Luxury Ball at his belt. Occasionally, she'd pop out to train her Pokémon and challenge his family to battles.
Her Pokémon's progress was still slow, but according to her, it was far faster than training alone.
As for the progression of evolution among wild Pokémon, he had no effective solution without direct intervention. When he found himself at a dead end, it was the same Caterpie—now level 10, the strongest of its kind—that persistently gnawed at the middle section of the tree trunk, trying to bore a hole into it.
Then, something clicked inside its body—an instinctive reaction to the challenge. On the spot, it adapted, learning the move Bug Bite without any guidance or training.
From that moment, the task of carving out a hollow became much smoother. Using Bug Bite, it repeatedly chewed away at the bark with greater efficiency, slowly hollowing out a space within the tree trunk.
The resulting hole wasn't large, just big enough for the Caterpie to curl up inside with a sense of safety and shelter.
Though exhausted from the effort, the Caterpie had, in the process, refined its use of Bug Bite, gaining higher proficiency with the move—a valuable achievement for a wild Pokémon.
Once inside, it began sealing the entrance with String Shot, spinning layer upon layer of silk to block the hole from view. Then, without pause, it started cocooning itself, initiating the process of metamorphosis.
It didn't take long for Caterpie because it evolved into Metapod, a Pokemon that's already a cocoon. Within roughly three hours, Caterpie successfully evolved into Metapod.
Yet it didn't emerge.
The Caterpie, now Metapod, remained tucked inside the hollowed-out tree, shielded by the webbing it had laid earlier.
Most of the time was spent in a dormant state—sleeping, conserving energy, and allowing nutrients to circulate and strengthen its transforming body.
Before long, Metapod stirred once again. It resumed spinning silk around itself, renewing its cocoon structure as it prepared for its final transformation.
Without Porygon's x-ray assistance, he wouldn't have known what was happening inside. From the outside, it simply looked like Metapod was simply hiding. But even without seeing it directly, it wasn't difficult to guess—especially after it remained within for so long.
About three days later, the transformation reached its end. From within the cocoon, it burst forth, shedding the hardened silk and using Bug Bite to carefully cut away the silk sealing the tree's entrance.
With a flap of delicate, newly formed wings, it emerged—now fully evolved into Butterfree, its body glowing faintly with newfound energy.
It had not only evolved, but had also reached level 11—a triumphant outcome for a wild Pokémon without a trainer.
Arthur felt genuinely glad he hadn't interfered—just observed.
The Pokémon had shown him that even with a downgraded version of the traditional evolution process, it could still discover a safe and natural path to evolve successfully, entirely on its own.
Pokémon truly did possess limitless potential!
He felt a flicker of pride—like a father quietly watching his child grow.
After observing the newly evolved Butterfree for a while and confirming that it was in excellent health, Arthur logged the findings and sent the data to Roland for documentation, then entrusted the rest of the monitoring to Porygon.
From time to time, Porygon would send him updates on the Butterfree's activity.
Butterfree had now become something of an overlord among the Caterpie—a protector. Most of the local Caterpie now lived under its watchful eye.
That knowledge put Arthur at ease.
This Butterfree would likely become the first of its kind to pass on Egg Moves to future generations, helping breed stronger Caterpie while also serving as a role model. Other Caterpie, inspired by its success, would begin to mimic its method of biting into trees to create safe spaces for their own evolution.
In that, Arthur's vision was beginning to take shape: wild Pokémon capable of completing their life cycle without human intervention.
This group of Caterpie would undoubtedly become important to Rastor Village, especially given how fond the villagers were of both Caterpie and Weedle.
However, Arthur knew he still needed to keep a close eye on their population.
Given the opportunity to catch another Pokémon, most Rastor villagers would likely choose Caterpie or Weedle again as their second partner—further depleting an already fragile population. Even so, Arthur had no intention of limiting them to just one Pokémon simply to prevent Caterpie and Weedle from being wiped out.
He needed to be ready.
As for how he would allow them to catch a second Pokémon, Arthur had come up with a simple solution: an assessment to promote them from Rookie Trainer to Official Trainer.
Ideally, becoming an Official Trainer would include a written test focused on Pokémon knowledge. But Arthur knew that wasn't realistic. Such an exam might make sense if Pokémon had existed in this world long before his arrival—but they hadn't. Expecting people to suddenly study Pokémon biology and mechanics was simply too unreasonable.
Besides, most would likely ask, "Why study Pokémon? Wouldn't it make more sense to study monsters instead?" That's how they'd react if he insisted on a written test.
Only individuals like Roland and Anna Joy—who aspired to become a Pokémon Ranger and a Pokémon Nurse—needed to study Pokémon in depth.
Instead, Arthur decided to finally introduce the Pokémon Gym system to Ocasia.
Anna and Hector—his mother and father—had recently found themselves with much more free time.
Thanks to the help of their Pokémon, the work on their farm had become significantly easier and more efficient. Production had improved, the daily labor had lessened, and they'd been looking for a way to support Arthur's efforts.
So giving them the role of Ocasia's first Pokémon Gym Leaders felt like the perfect opportunity.
It was a plan Arthur had been brewing for a while, and now the timing felt right.
As long as a Rookie Trainer could earn recognition from either Anna or Hector in a one-versus-one Pokémon battle, they would be granted the status of Official Trainer.
Of course, recognition alone was enough—there was no need to defeat either of them. That would be impossible given the current level of most Rookie Trainers' Pokémon.
After becoming an Official Trainer, each would receive a Trainer Badge—designed with the iconic Poké Ball logo and inscribed with a unique registration number using Arthur's magical "code" for authenticity.
Arthur had already crafted a semi-automatic magic machine to engrave the "code" onto each badge, eliminating the need for him to do it manually.
Given that even a renowned researcher like Reden was still tearing her hair out every night trying to decipher the code within his magic circles, it was clear just how secure the design was. This reassured Arthur that no one would be able to crack the code and counterfeit the badges.
Once in possession of the Trainer Badge, a Trainer would be allowed to capture a second Pokémon.
But the real test—the chance to capture a third Pokémon—would come with the official start of Gym Challenge.
Anna and Hector would serve as the first-ever Gym Leaders, stationed right in Rastor Village as leaders of the Bug-type Gym.
The battles would be double battles, with Arthur leaving the rules mostly up to Anna and Hector—only asking that they keep the challenge fair, so Trainers wouldn't be required to defeat all their Pokémon to win.
Winning the Swarm Badge—a name chosen by Hector and Anna—would grant the Trainer the right to capture a third Pokémon.
This Gym would also serve as the official gateway for Rosaria, Lena, Arthur himself, and others to qualify for their third Pokémon.
Of course, some—Arthur included—already had three Pokémon, so for them, conquering the Rastor Gym would only officially confirm their right to own three Pokémon.
Arthur planned to implement a system where beating one Gym would allow a Trainer to have three Pokémon; clearing three Gyms would grant four; five Gyms, five; and seven Gyms, the full complement of six.
As for lifting the Pokémon limit entirely, Arthur wasn't sure yet. Unless under special circumstances, he didn't intend to allow anyone to have more than six Pokémon for the time being.
After straightening his clothes, Arthur stepped out of his research lab and made his way toward the living room. The house had grown quite large—spacious enough to comfortably host a party for the entire village.
Sitting comfortably on the sofa was Hector, his father, holding a red and white cap in his hands.
The cap immediately caught Arthur's eye.
It featured a bold red crown with a smooth, curved white visor. A black stripe wrapped around the base of the crown like a belt, interrupted at the front by a perfectly round white button. The design was sleek and unmistakably familiar—it looked just like a Poké Ball.
Is that... a Poké Ball-themed cap? Arthur's eyes lit up as he approached. "I'm here, dad. Is this cap made to look like a Poké Ball?"
"That's right," Hector replied with a smile, pulling one of his Poké Balls from his waist and comparing it to the cap.
He then stood and placed the cap on Arthur's head. "Anna from the tailor shop made this for you. I think it suits you well."
"Thanks, dad. And please thank Anna Tailor for me," Arthur nodded, then glanced at his reflection in the mirror. The cap fit nicely—but why a cap?
He didn't mind wearing one, but he'd never seen anyone in this world wear a cap before—only full-brimmed hats. It was surprising that the first piece of Pokémon merchandise would be a cap that, despite various designs, resembled the iconic hat worn by Ash.
Then again, for a tailor, the Poké Ball or Pokédex was naturally the go-to inspiration for designs. Still, if it was an exclusive item for Rastor Village, he expected there would be Caterpie or Weedle motifs on the cap—but there weren't.
However, at that moment, Arthur sensed a faint but familiar energy emanating from the cap—something woven into the very material it was made from.
Is this...? he wondered, then turned to his father and asked, "Dad, did Anna Tailor plan to mass-produce these and sell them?"
"You guessed right," Hector said with a smile, pulling an identical cap from his spatial pouch and placing it on his head. "In fact, these caps were woven from the silk of Caterpie."
Figured... Arthur nodded with a wry smile. After seeing how the Miltank Farm used Pokémon to produce Moomoo Milk, he had expected others to explore similar ideas. Still, he hadn't anticipated it would happen so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, someone had already harnessed Caterpie's String Shot silk to craft wearable gear!
It couldn't have been easy. Pokémon like Caterpie that could learn String Shot have the move enchanted—making their silk tougher and more resilient. Yet, in a world filled with magic, perhaps it wasn't as difficult as he'd imagined?
With enough creativity, people really could find endless ways to make use of Pokémon moves.
"Anna from the tailor shop has already sold dozens of Poké Ball caps to traveling merchants," Hector went on. "She's even recruited others with Pokémon capable of using String Shot to help scale up production."
Arthur's eyelid twitched. Already? he thought. Couldn't they at least have told me first?
"Oh, right," Hector said suddenly, pulling about fifteen gold coins from his spatial pouch. "Here."
"What's this?" Arthur asked, accepting the coins with a puzzled look.
"Your share," Hector explained. "It's because of you that they could make a profit, so they're willing to share fifty percent of the earnings."
"Fifty percent? And fifteen gold coins?!" Arthur was stunned—though secretly thrilled.
In the future, with a steady income like this, he could finally focus on his Pokémon research without worrying about money—and soon, he wouldn't have to rely on Rosaria's funding anymore.