Soro City coastline.
Li Wei and Yan Kai's friendly battle concluded with Arcanine defeating Aegislash.
Arcanine was still howling excitedly.
The imagined system prompt did not appear.
Li Wei quickly understood why; the system popped up a message: [Private friendly matches are invalid].
For a battle to be recognized, it needs an official referee, a formal battleground, and enough witnesses.
And this friendly match between Li Wei and Yan Kai,
could be said to meet none of those conditions.
Never mind, Li Wei didn't dwell on it.
This confrontation with Aegislash served to validate some of Li Wei's ideas.
Under the enhancement of two Moltres Feathers, after fully absorbing them, Arcanine's strength reached Master Class high-tier.
It was now on par with Lucario in its normal state, and Arcanine's flames could not be calculated by conventional means.
It was able to defeat Aegislash beyond its level,
also due to the extraordinary nature of its flames.
Yan Kai looked at Arcanine in confusion,
"Why do I feel the power of Moltres in Arcanine's flames?"
"Your feeling is correct. We encountered Moltres in Haiyi City and received its flame as a gift."
Yan Kai nodded: "So that's it."
Although he was defeated by Steven in the afternoon and then by Li Wei in the evening, Yan Kai was not discouraged.
To receive the flame blessing of Moltres was also a testament to Li Wei and Arcanine's capabilities.
After going to the Pokémon Center with Yan Kai to heal their Pokemon, the two parted ways.
"We shall meet again."
Li Wei shook his hand, "If you ever come to Jubilife City, you are welcome to visit the Zhuqing Breeding Center."
"The honor is mine."
This Steel Elite, who upheld and embodied the spirit of chivalry and wore knight's armor, departed.
...
Li Wei and his group's last stop was the Tower of Mastery.
The Tower of Mastery was actually a castle plus a tower.
From afar, it looked like a small settlement or a sturdy fortress.
Regrettably, Kukui was not there.
Li Wei, however, saw a young Korrina, still a child, accompanied by a Riolu.
"Wow! It's Lucario, and an ite!"
Korrina was full of energy from a young age.
Wearing a white tracksuit and a short skirt, helmeted, Korrina made a sparkling entrance on rollerblades.
Korrina's gaze was first drawn to Lucario, then she noticed Li Wei and Steven.
"Ah!!!"
"I'm your fan!"
Korrina had seen the battle between Mega Lucario and Super Blastoise, so she greatly admired Li Wei.
"I even followed your account!"
Steven was unexpectedly ignored by Korrina, but he didn't mind.
"Could I please ask you to battle my Riolu?"
Li Wei nodded: "You may."
Rotom Dex began impersonating a referee,
"I'll be the referee for this battle, Rotom!"
Undoubtedly, how could the current Riolu be a match for Lucario?
Even if Riolu tried its best, it couldn't harm Li Wei's Lucario in the slightest.
Ultimately, Riolu was thoroughly beaten by Li Wei's Lucario and lost its ability to battle.
By now, Li Wei's Lucario had experienced many battles; after Mega Evolution, it could even touch the threshold of Elite mid-tier.
After being defeated by Li Wei, young Korrina bowed solemnly, "Please accept me as your disciple!"
Li Wei shook his head: "I can't teach you. I'm a Breeder, unless you want to learn breeding, and I'm going back to Sinnoh."
"Ah..."
At this moment, Korrina's grandfather, Kukui, suddenly appeared, "If possible, please take Korrina as your disciple."
Kukui had returned while Lucario and Riolu were battling, but he hadn't spoken until now.
"Why?"
Kukui explained:
"Even if it's not move training, your bond with Lucario would make you a good teacher for Korrina."
This was something Kukui had learned from Limoné; Kukui had also seen Li Wei and Siebold's battle.
"But I have to go back to Sinnoh in a few days. Our family runs a Breeding Center."
Kukui chuckled: "Communication is so advanced; isn't online schooling the same?"
Steven, who was beside them, added: "Actually, you truly can take on a disciple now. You have the ability and qualifications."
As Kukui said, even if Li Wei didn't teach Korrina move training, simply teaching Pokemon breeding would be enough to benefit Korrina for a lifetime.
Looking at Korrina's expectant eyes, Li Wei nodded: "Alright then."
At Kukui's castle,
Korrina served a cup of tea to Li Wei as a sign of respect,
"Master, please drink your tea!"
Li Wei took the cup of tea and took a sip.
He tasted a sense of responsibility.
"I will teach you well these two days and give you some foundational knowledge. Study hard."
Korrina was full of confidence, "Yes, Master!"
Thus, Li Wei took his first disciple.
Kukui chuckled: "As a welcoming gift, I'll give you a Lucario training secret manual."
"Speaking of which, our ancestor was the first Trainer to achieve Mega Evolution with Lucario..."
Kukui took out an ancient, rustic parchment scroll.
It contained their ancestor's training insights for Lucario, along with additions from several generations.
Five days later, August 16th.
Li Wei's trip to the Kalos region concluded.
Li Wei had bought his flight ticket for the day, packed his bags, and waited in the departure lounge.
Li Wei didn't let young Korrina see him off, telling her to stay home and train well.
Li Wei and Steven were at the same airport,
but their destinations were different.
Steven boarded his flight to the Galar region first, "Well then, I'll take my leave. Goodbye."
He was going to the Galar region for a battle, and his opponent was quite good: Kabu, the weather master.
"Goodbye, come visit when you have time."
"I will."
Steven looked at Diancie, who was waiting obediently.
Flying was another new experience for Diancie. Li Wei even bought a business class ticket,
so Diancie could see the beautiful sky more clearly, which was also a reward for himself.
Soon after, Li Wei put on his backpack,
"Lucario, let's go home."
"Lucario!"
Sitting on the plane, lying in his reclining seat, Li Wei tallied his gains from this Kalos region trip.
It was truly a fruitful journey.
First, he successfully obtained Lucario's ite, and his battle with Siebold greatly increased his fame.
He also successfully caught Diancie, along with thirty Carbink, allowing Li Wei to experience a bit of Ash's style.
Helping Dr. Platanus research Mega Lucario's data, he obtained Salamence and Tyranitarite.
He also caught a Rookidee,
Arcanine's strength increased...
And he unexpectedly took Korrina as a disciple.
Li Wei just remembered that he still had three Pokemon item lottery tickets unused; he had been having too much fun...