Lin Feng found himself a little surprised.
If this Bounsweet had only just been caught, then that meant it still hadn't evolved even by the time Ash came to Alola on vacation.
That was quite a long time.
Pokémon: Bounsweet
Gender: Female
Ability: Oblivious
Potential: Green
Strength: Level 11-12
Individual Values: ...
Moves: Splash, Helping Hand, Sweet Scent...
"Hmm..."
He withdrew his gaze.
Nothing particularly special.
Taking out several Poké Balls, he introduced the rest of his team.
"As for my other Pokémon, I have three Eevee evolutions: Leafeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon. There's also Alolan Ninetales, Primarina, Serperior, Milotic, Steenee, and Tsareena."
"Wow! They all sound incredibly strong!"
"Can I see them? Please? Please?"
Mallow's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Ahem..."
Lin Feng coughed softly.
For some reason, the Mallow standing before him felt different from the one he remembered.
In his memory from Pokémon Sun and Moon, Mallow was a brave, dependable, and kind-hearted girl.
Yet the girl before him seemed... unexpectedly childish.
Perhaps, he thought, it was simply because she hadn't yet reached the point in her life where she would meet Ash.
"Of course. Though Milotic and Serperior are too large to release here. As for the others..."
He smiled.
"Everyone, come on out."
He had no intention of refusing her request.
After everything that had happened with her mother, Mallow desperately needed something else to focus on. Keeping her mind occupied was far better than letting anxiety consume her while waiting for news from the hospital.
Flash!
Several beams of light appeared.
"Vulpix?"
"Ninee!"
"Sylve?"
"Steenee?"
The moment Alolan Ninetales, the Eeveelutions, Tsareena, and the others appeared, they looked around curiously.
"We're about to turn in for the night, so I thought I'd let you all stretch your legs. This is Mallow, a friend I met here in Alola. She's helped me a lot."
"Ninee!"
"Sylve!"
Alolan Ninetales and Sylveon immediately trotted over.
The two of them had long since become the social butterflies of the breeding ranch.
They were cheerful, outgoing, and loved meeting new people.
Even so, they were surprisingly proud Pokémon.
Visitors to the ranch often wanted to pet them, but unless they personally approved of someone, they simply wouldn't allow it.
Compared to them, Leafeon and Umbreon were much easier to approach.
Interestingly, while Umbreon had long been recognized in Pokémon research, Sylveon had not yet been officially documented.
Almost everyone who saw Sylveon for the first time reacted the same way.
"What Pokémon is this?"
"Why does it look so elegant... almost fairy-like?"
"So cute!"
Mallow's eyes widened as so many Pokémon appeared all at once.
She crouched down, gazing at Alolan Ninetales in amazement.
"Alolan Ninetales... Steenee... Tsareena... and..."
She followed the line of Pokémon before stopping at Sylveon.
"What Pokémon is this?"
Her eyes seemed to shine brighter with every passing second.
Unable to resist, she reached out to gently stroke Alolan Ninetales.
Few people could resist something that adorable upon first meeting it.
After a brief moment of consideration, Alolan Ninetales accepted her touch.
"Ninee..."
"And look, Bounsweet!"
Mallow lifted the little Pokémon into her arms.
"These are your future evolved forms."
She let Bounsweet look at both Steenee and Tsareena before suddenly remembering something.
Turning toward Lin Feng, she asked,
"So... Tsareena's mother is the one you came all the way to Alola to find?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Mallow immediately gasped in admiration.
Then the compliments came one after another.
"Mr. Lin Feng, you're such an incredible Trainer."
"You're so kind."
"Taking care of this many Pokémon and raising every one of them so well... that's amazing."
"Ahem..."
Lin Feng could only smile awkwardly.
Then Mallow suddenly asked something that made him pause.
"So, Mr. Lin Feng..."
"Do you always treat your fans this kindly too?"
"...Hmm?"
He blinked.
Could news of him from the Donghua Region really have spread all the way to Alola?
That seemed impossible.
The regions were separated by vast distances.
"I was just curious."
Mallow stood up and blinked innocently.
"After I contacted you, I searched your name on Rotom and found information about you in the Donghua Region."
Before asking a doctor for help, anyone would naturally want to learn more about them, especially about their medical abilities.
Of course...
She hadn't found anything related to medicine.
Instead, she found Lin Feng's video channel.
From there, she learned quite a lot.
He was the youngest Horizon League Champion Trainer in the Donghua Region.
He owned a Pokémon Breeding Ranch with an outstanding reputation.
People constantly praised the Pokémon Blocks and meals he created, saying they almost seemed magical.
No matter whether a Pokémon was poisoned, burned, confused, or suffering from another condition, his specially made Pokémon Blocks could help them recover in an astonishingly short time.
"I see."
Lin Feng nodded.
Then he asked with genuine curiosity,
"So... why ask that?"
"Because..."
Mallow lowered her head and stared at her toes.
"We're not related."
"And yet..."
"You came all this way..."
"Just to help me."
"Even after the doctors said my mom had a very low chance of recovering... you still came."
She couldn't even explain why she was asking.
The question had simply slipped out.
"But I already promised you, didn't I?"
Lin Feng smiled gently.
"I told you before I left."
"But... but..."
Mallow still wanted to ask something more.
Before she could continue, Lin Feng quietly interrupted her.
"You can think of it as helping the person I once was."
He smiled softly.
"When I was little..."
"I lost my mother too."
"...Ah!"
Mallow froze.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know."
She hurriedly apologized.
"It's alright."
Lin Feng shook his head with an easy smile.
"That was a long time ago."
"It's getting late."
"Let's get some rest."
"O-Okay..."
Mallow nodded quietly.
"I'll show you the way."
The rest of the walk passed in silence.
The Pokémon continued following closely behind Lin Feng, while Mallow asked no more questions.
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