Not being driven away by people, not being feared or hated, and being able to live openly like ordinary people on this land was the dream shared by every Joy.
When that question was asked, all the Joys present turned their gazes toward the woman in the nurse's uniform, waiting anxiously for her answer.
"Of course."
She looked at the familiar faces before her, then slowly began to recount her story.
"In the past, my sister and I were just like all of you. Wherever we went, we were rejected and chased away. People treated us as cursed and unlucky, believing that approaching us would bring misfortune."
"Back then, my sister and I nearly lost our lives because of this," she continued softly. "Until one day, we came to Lucien City and met His Majesty Lucien."
"He personally met with my sister and me. Not only that, he found us a place to live, arranged for us to study medicine under Miss Lila, and later helped us secure stable jobs."
Lena smiled faintly.
"As you can see now, my sister and I became doctors. We work every day to treat injured people and Pokémon."
"Today, the people here no longer look at us with fear or disgust."
"We truly love our work. By helping others, we earn a respectable income every month. We can buy the clothes we like, decorate our homes, and live freely, just like everyone else."
As Lena spoke, the Joys around her listened intently, their eyes filled with longing.
Before long, several of them clenched their fists quietly.
They had made up their minds.
They would stay here and study.
They would strive to live that kind of life.
"Your Majesty Lucien," Elif reported inside the castle, "the number of Joys within the territory has now reached seventy-eight, and more are still arriving. All of them came from other regions."
"They are currently studying medicine under Miss Lila as you instructed. Before long, they will be qualified to work at Pokémon Centers in other cities."
"Hm," Lucien nodded, already forming plans in his mind.
It was now the 150th year of the Kingdom Calendar.
Academies across the land had long begun teaching children Pokémon-related knowledge.
Poké Balls had been successfully developed and were on the verge of mass production. And now, Joys were finally in place.
Next spring, he would officially launch the next phase of his strategy: fully promoting Trainers and popularizing Pokémon battles throughout the Unova region.
However, one issue still remained.
Who should serve as Gym Leaders in each region?
Lucien had no intention of changing the League system. He planned to follow the structure he knew well.
Each Trainer would need to collect eight Gym Badges to qualify for the League Tournament.
The first-place winner would become the Regional Champion.
Those ranked second through fifth would become members of the Elite Four.
None of these positions would be permanent.
A League Champion could continue challenging the Elite Four and the Champion.
Defeating an Elite Four member allowed one to take their seat. Defeating the Champion meant inheriting the title and its glory.
However, the current number of Trainers in the kingdom was still very limited.
Although humans and Pokémon had begun living together, very few people could truly be called Trainers, let alone Gym Leaders.
Most of them were concentrated in Lucien City.
Anna, Geralt, and the students from the Pokémon Academy came to mind.
The former soldiers could barely be considered half-Trainers.
Still, after a year of training, their strength should have improved considerably.
"Why not select eight of them as the first Gym Leaders?" Lucien thought.
"For now, that's the only feasible option."
After a moment, he shook his head lightly.
"We'll refine the system gradually as more Trainers emerge."
Having decided, Lucien said to Elif, "Issue the order. Have the Pokémon Academy hold a Pokémon Battle Tournament. Select the eight strongest trainees."
Elif paused slightly. "Your Majesty?"
"I have an important task for them," Lucien replied with a faint smile. "You'll understand once the tournament is over."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Elif answered, turning to relay the order.
Lucien then reviewed the territory's financial records.
Since the introduction of the steam engine and the establishment of factories, the handicraft industry had grown rapidly.
Merchants transported these goods to other cities, generating substantial profits.
The open-air arena provided a steady income. Taxes and tourism revenue continued to rise.
Tourism, in particular, had surged.
With the Pokémon Flying Taxi network now operating across the region, visitors poured into Lucien City daily, stimulating commerce and accelerating development.
Overall, the national treasury was healthy.
But in the early stages of nation-building, money was needed everywhere.
Pokémon Centers required funding. Breeding houses needed maintenance.
Sheltered Pokémon needed food. Civilians relied on unemployment aid and subsidies.
While the kingdom was not operating at a loss, savings were limited.
Still, this situation would soon improve.
Infrastructure across the land, Pokémon Centers, friendly shops, schools, and breeding houses were nearing completion.
When the Trainer industry fully develops, the revenue it brings to the kingdom will far exceed all prior investments.
This is precisely why Pokémon battle culture is so enduring and widespread.
After finishing his official duties, Lucien left the palace and headed to the ecological park behind the castle, a place specially built for Pokémon to live, train, and relax.
Dragonite, Serperior, Kyurem, Larvesta, Minccino, Vulpix, and Golett were all there.
A timid little bird Pokémon and a sunflower Pokémon lay lazily in the grass, basking in the sun.
A Vulpix chased and played with a nimble monkey Pokémon.
A water-type otter floated on its back in the pond, drifting peacefully.
Dragonite sat on the lawn, happily eating snacks and drinking juice.
Serperior coiled quietly beneath a tree, watching everything unfold with calm eyes.
Golett stood completely still, as if lost in thought.
And not far away, Larvesta was battling Kyurem.
Since the war ended and Kyurem had joined him, Lucien no longer felt the same urgency to push all his Pokémon to rapidly increase their strength.
Still, even though Lucien had been busy with governance and rebuilding Unova, Dragonite and the others had never stopped training. Under Kyurem's guidance and sparring, their strength had been steadily improving day by day.
At this moment, the Pokémon noticed Lucien's arrival.
Dragonite's eyes immediately lit up. It abandoned its food without hesitation, flew straight toward Lucien, and wrapped its arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
"Awoo~"
Lucien: "We just saw each other an hour ago."
Dragonite didn't care. It simply wanted to stay close to Lucien.
Lucien smiled helplessly, patted Dragonite's head, and then turned to look at the battle not far away.
Calling it a battle was generous.
It was more like Kyurem unilaterally overwhelming Larvesta.
Facing an incomparably powerful opponent, Larvesta unleashed everything it had. Flames burst violently from its body as it attacked again and again, trying desperately to break through Kyurem's defenses.
Its companions had all grown stronger, many of them evolving, but it hadn't.
That thought gnawed at Larvesta's heart.
It wanted to evolve. It wanted to become stronger.
It wanted to stand beside Lucien, not fall behind.
Because of this, it had been training harder than ever.
Yet no matter how fierce its attacks became, Kyurem remained calm and unmoving, like an immovable mountain.
Kyurem gazed at Larvesta. He could clearly sense its determination and its unwillingness to give up.
After a brief pause, he nodded slightly.
"I understand your resolve," Kyurem said calmly. "In that case, I will help you fulfill it."
The moment his words fell, an incomparably scorching flame erupted from Kyurem's body.
This was no ordinary fire.
It was true flame, capable of incinerating everything in the world.
After fusing with Reshiram, Kyurem had regained his original power, and with it, the authority of sacred fire.
The blazing flames surged forward like a roaring fire dragon.
Even Larvesta, a Fire-type Pokémon, felt a chill run through its body at the overwhelming heat.
The flames it normally wielded felt fragile and insignificant by comparison.
But the expected pain never came.
The flames did not strike directly.
Instead, they spiraled outward, forming a massive vortex of fire that completely surrounded Flamebug.
No, more precisely, they enclosed it.
Kyurem had no intention of attacking.
Realizing this, Larvesta panicked nonetheless. It desperately spewed flames, trying to break through the vortex.
But the moment its fire touched Kyurem's flames, it was swallowed whole, instantly merging into the vortex as if it had never existed.
Larvesta's panic deepened.
Then, Lucien's voice rang out.
"Don't panic, Larvesta! Feel that fire, Kyurem is helping you!"
As an observer, Lucien understood Kyurem's intent perfectly.
This was not destructive flame, but a trial.
A fire meant to temper, refine, and awaken.
Legend said that when humanity abandoned truth and drowned in desire, Reshiram's flames would reduce kingdoms to ashes.
This was that same power.
Hearing Lucien's words, Larvesta forced itself to calm down.
It steadied its breathing and looked inward.
If its flames were useless…
Then what remained?
Its body.
That was it.
Larvesta suddenly seemed to remember something, its eyes lighting up.
Its body was made of fire.
If that was the case, perhaps it could break through using brute force!
Without hesitation, Larvesta steadied itself and charged headlong into the vortex of flames.
The moment half its head emerged, an invisible force slammed it back.
The scorching flames licked across its body. Larvesta cried out in pain, its mind reeling, but the brief moment it had broken through proved one thing clearly:
If it had enough strength, it could get out.
Ignoring the pain, Larvesta gathered its strength again and charged forward.
Once more, it was repelled.
This time, the burns left by the True Fire were even more severe.
Pain flooded its senses.
For a moment, the thought of giving up surfaced.
But then Lucien's face appeared in its mind.
Larvesta shook its head violently, casting that thought aside.
Lucien was waiting for it outside.
It couldn't let Lucien down.
So it charged again.
And again.
Again and again, it hurled itself at the vortex of True Fire. Each attempt failed. Each attempt left its body more battered than before.
"Huff… huff…"
Time slipped by.
Larvesta's strength was nearly gone. It stood before the blazing vortex, panting heavily, its legs trembling. It was at its limit.
Just then, Lucien's voice rang out once more.
Seeing that Larvesta had reached a critical moment, Lucien called out loudly,
"Larvesta, don't give up! When you come out, we'll go eat roasted grapefruit together!"
Lucien…
Hearing that voice, Larvesta forced itself upright.
That's right.
It couldn't give up.
Lucien was still waiting for it.
And it would never let Lucien down.
Gritting its teeth, Larvesta gathered the very last of its strength.
With a hoarse cry, it charged toward the vortex of True Fire one final time.
Pain.
Burning.
Agony swept through its body.
Half of its head broke through the flames.
Through the fire, it saw Lucien standing ahead.
Just a little more.
Just a little more!
Ignoring everything else, Larvesta unleashed the last spark of its life force and broke through the vortex in one decisive surge.
The True Fire surged over its body, no longer repelling, but cleansing.
In that instant, a blinding light erupted from Larvesta's body.
The flames coiled tightly around it, forming a massive cocoon of fire.
Within the cocoon, its form rapidly transformed.
Moments later, as the light slowly faded, a new Pokémon emerged.
A majestic moth-like Pokémon gently flapped its three pairs of orange-red wings.
Its sky-blue eyes shone clearly. Red antennae extended from its head. Its plump body was encircled by a ring of soft white down, supported by four small legs.
As its wings fluttered, it slowly descended, landing gently before Lucien.
Kyurem watched silently, then nodded slightly, a trace of approval in his eyes.
It had succeeded.
"Congratulations, Larvesta… no," Lucien said warmly, smiling."From now on, I should call you Volcarona."
Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon.
Once revered by humans as the embodiment of the sun itself.
Legends say it is born from a cocoon of flame, appearing during harsh winters to save both humans and Pokémon from the cold.
Yet the Volcarona standing before Lucien showed none of the solemn divinity of legend.
Instead, it squinted its eyes happily and fluttered forward like an excited child, nudging closer to Lucien, clearly waiting for praise and a gentle touch from its "parent."
...
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