"Woooo... Woooo..."
On the way back from Alto Mare, Latias hummed a cheerful little tune the entire time. Lin Feng couldn't make out the melody, but one thing was obvious.
She was in an exceptionally good mood.
And as it turned out, she had brought him quite a gift.
[Congratulations! You have raised Latias' Happiness from -30 to 85.]
[Reward: 10 bags of Advanced Golden Fertilizer, 10 Advanced Rare Candies, and a complete Latias Mega Evolution Keystone Set.]
"..."
So her reward was a complete Mega Evolution set that would allow her to Mega Evolve.
It was a little difficult to keep a straight face.
Then again, considering how dramatically her Happiness had increased, receiving Latiasite and a Keystone didn't seem strange at all.
After capturing the Phantom Thief Sisters and handing them over to Officer Jenny in Alto Mare, Lin Feng didn't stay long.
It was already getting late.
Originally, he had planned to tell Latias she didn't need to come to the ranch today.
Instead, she shook her head.
She still hadn't completed today's Pokéblock-making work.
She insisted on returning with him, saying she had to finish today's duties.
Lin Feng smiled.
A Pokémon that took its work seriously and finished on time was always welcome.
The only slight regret from this trip was that he never ran into Ash and his companions.
Then again, that wasn't surprising.
Since Latias had spent most of the day at the ranch instead of in Alto Mare, the chain of events that normally led Ash to meet her had never happened.
Thinking about it that way...
It almost felt as though his own existence had become connected to two Pokémon movies.
Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias.
And...
Victini and the Black Hero / White Hero.
Victini had already broken free from the Barrier of Eindoak by itself and now spent every day playing somewhere with Mew.
There was almost no chance it would ever meet Ash again.
Lin Feng found the whole thing rather fascinating.
He had rarely left the Eastern Alliance.
He had never intentionally searched for anyone from the Pokémon world.
Yet somehow...
He kept running into familiar legendary Pokémon and movie characters.
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Looking down at Giratina beneath him, he smiled.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Giratina. The fresh peach wine has finished brewing. I'll bring you a whole barrel later."
"...Good..."
Giratina answered with its usual calm voice.
...
The weather grew hotter with each passing day.
As spring gave way to summer, May arrived alongside the constant chorus of cicadas.
The stars became brighter.
The moon shone clearer.
Across the town's farmlands, rows of green seedlings flourished under the warm sun.
Before anyone realized it...
It was already May 4th.
The breeding ranch wasn't waiting for Mew anymore.
Instead...
The entire town was waiting for a brand-new construction project.
A Gym.
When Lin Feng first heard about it, he was only mildly curious.
But after seeing the enormous construction site...
He was stunned.
A National-level Gym?!
Everyone knew that Gyms within the Eastern Alliance were divided into several levels.
City-level Gyms were designed for beginner Trainers.
Their Badges were sufficient for competitions like the Youth Cup and other entry-level tournaments.
Above them were the Provincial Gyms.
Only Trainers who earned those Badges qualified to participate in the Horizon League.
But beyond even those...
There existed another rank.
National-level Gyms.
The title wasn't handed out casually.
Only Trainers officially recognized by the Alliance as Elite Four members or former Champions could establish one.
Across the entire Eastern Alliance, only seven people possessed that qualification.
The current Elite Four...
And the former League Champion.
At present, only two National-level Gyms existed.
One belonged to the Grass-type Elite Four member, Mujin.
The other belonged to former Champion Zong Heng.
These Gyms represented something entirely different.
Ordinarily, only Trainers who had already achieved excellent results in the Horizon League would even attempt to challenge them.
Their existence wasn't merely symbolic.
Five years ago, Alliance Chairman Feng Yang introduced a new policy.
First challenge a National-level Gym.
Then earn the opportunity to compete in the Pokémon World Cup Ranking Tournament held in the Galar region.
Of course, this requirement wasn't mandatory.
Still...
Now...
The Eastern Alliance was about to welcome its third National-level Gym.
And it would be built...
In Wutong Town.
At first, Lin Feng assumed the Gym would belong to Ji Yan.
Among the Elite Four, Ji Yan was notorious for always wandering around, eating, sightseeing, and generally avoiding work.
It seemed perfectly reasonable that Feng Yang would finally assign him permanent Gym duties.
But after seeing the materials arriving at the construction site...
His guess immediately changed.
Artificial glaciers.
Industrial cooling systems.
And numerous Ice-type Pokémon assisting with construction.
Everything pointed toward one conclusion.
This was going to be an Ice-type Gym.
Which meant...
The Elite Four member coming to settle in Wutong Town was the Ice-type specialist,
Luo Bingxue.
"...That's strange."
That was Lin Feng's first reaction.
As far as he knew, Luo Bingxue was the Elite Four member least likely to stay in one place.
She spent most of the year traveling around the world.
She almost never remained within the Eastern Alliance for long.
Yet now...
She had actually decided to establish a permanent Gym here?
It was incredibly unexpected.
The Gym's location had been chosen beside the highway connecting Wutong Town and Sunshade City.
The construction area was enormous.
Large numbers of workers and Pokémon were busy surveying land, transporting materials, and laying foundations.
Judging from the pace of construction, they hoped to finish everything before the end of the year.
The influence of a National-level Gym extended far beyond attracting challengers.
Once completed, it would dramatically improve transportation, tourism, and the local economy.
As soon as the announcement was made, abandoned land surrounding the construction site was purchased almost overnight.
Business owners from all over arrived one after another.
Some of the quickest investors had even started building a massive department store directly across from the future Gym.
...That seemed to belong to Chi Heng's father.
"It feels like we've suddenly entered an economic boom."
Lin Feng sighed with a smile before heading home.
Beyond this road technically lay Sunshade City's jurisdiction.
Wutong Town itself wouldn't expand into that area, so no residential neighborhoods would be built nearby.
Nowadays, Lin Feng rarely went out.
Because every time he did...
Someone in town would recognize him.
Then came another round of praise.
"Lin Feng? I've known that kid since he was little..."
"Our town only became what it is today because of Lin Feng..."
Everyone believed every positive change in town was somehow thanks to him.
Lin Feng never knew how to respond.
So he simply smiled and let the conversation pass.
After returning home, he was still wondering what to make for lunch when Rotom suddenly flew over.
"Master, there's an unknown incoming call."
"An unknown caller?"
Lin Feng answered it.
Almost immediately, a voice came through the speaker.
It sounded both unfamiliar...
And strangely familiar.
"Hello? Hello... Am I speaking with Mr. Lin Feng?"
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