Early the next morning, Theo said his goodbyes to Norman's family.
"Are you really leaving already?"
Max clutched at Theo's clothes, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"Can't you stay one more day?"
"No, it's time to go. Even if I stay another day, we'll still have to part eventually," Theo said gently as he patted Max's head. "Once you get your own Pokémon, you can come find me anytime. I'll treat you to good food when you do."
"Alright! Big Brother Theo, once I get my Treecko, I'll definitely come find you and battle you! I'll show you how strong my Treecko is!"
"Sounds good. I'll be waiting for that day."
Theo smiled, waved, and then turned around to set off on his journey with his Pokémon.
On the way to the seaside, the Fire-type Vulpix and Ice-type Vulpix looked around curiously, their bells chiming softly with each step.
Larvesta, meanwhile, kept turning its head left and right, its gaze constantly fixed on the two little foxes. It looked like an overprotective little mother, afraid they might get lost if it looked away for even a second.
Seeing Larvesta like this, Theo could not help but laugh.
When they reached the shore, Theo first released Milotic.
As soon as it came out, Milotic gracefully slipped into the sea, its tail lightly tapping the surface and sending sparkling droplets into the air.
Theo climbed onto its broad back, holding onto its fin steadily.
"Thanks for the hard work, Milotic."
Milotic turned its head slightly, blinking as it let out a cheerful cry.
Then Theo released Metagross.
The massive steel Pokémon landed steadily on the sand, raising its four metallic limbs as its body shifted. Activating its flight mode, it lifted itself using psychic power, looking like a small floating warship.
The two fox Pokémon stared in wide-eyed amazement, circling around Metagross as they tried to figure out how it could transform like that.
At this moment, Larvesta quickly climbed onto Metagross's back. It then shot out strands of silk, gently pulling both the Fire-type Vulpix and Ice-type Vulpix close and securing them beside it.
It was worried the two little ones might fall into the sea while playing, so it came up with this precaution.
"Alright, let's go. Larvesta, keep an eye on them," Theo reminded.
Then he gently patted Milotic's back, signaling it to depart.
…
On the vast blue ocean, Theo lay on Milotic's back as it controlled water vapor to form a faint protective layer around him.
Milotic's powerful tail cut through the waves, leaving a long white trail behind.
Metagross followed closely, its psychic field keeping the sea at bay so the three passengers on its back remained perfectly stable.
At first, the Fire-type Vulpix was a little afraid of the water. It pressed tightly against Larvesta, but once it realized there was no danger, it gradually became more daring.
It even raised its head and called out toward the Wingull flying overhead.
The Ice-type Vulpix, on the other hand, was much bolder. It kept leaning toward the water, pawing at the splashes and watching as droplets froze into tiny ice crystals in its palm. It was clearly having a great time.
Larvesta, however, remained tense, constantly watching the silk wrapped around the Ice Vulpix, afraid it might suddenly jump into the sea. It chirped repeatedly, as if warning it not to go too far.
Dewford Town was not far from the coast, and with Milotic swimming at full speed, the familiar outline of the shoreline soon came into view in just over an hour.
Lying on Milotic's back, Theo gazed at the small town ahead, feeling both familiarity and a hint of unfamiliarity.
White walls and red-tiled roofs lined the coast, and in the distance, the shadow of Granite Cave loomed faintly through the mist.
It looked almost exactly the same as when he left more than seven months ago.
But when Theo looked at the companions beside him, a deep sense of change welled up in his heart.
Back then, he only had a Feebas by his side, streaming every day, training its moves, and saving up popularity points for mid-tier draws.
Now, he had Milotic, Metagross, Larvesta, Tyrantrum, the two newly joined little foxes, and even a Deino waiting in Unova.
Such a tremendous transformation.
Thinking back, everything had started from that encounter with Steven in Granite Cave. That was the moment when the gears of fate truly began to accelerate.
"Miloo~"
Milotic seemed to sense his thoughts. It gently nudged his arm and slowed its tail movements as it approached the shore.
Metagross landed first on the sand, and as its psychic field dissipated, a breeze swept across the beach, ruffling the Fire Vulpix's soft fur into a messy fluff.
Larvesta immediately used its antennae to smooth the fur, chirping as if scolding the wind itself.
The Ice Vulpix jumped down from Metagross's back and began pawing at the sand curiously, watching as the grains slipped through its claws, its eyes wide with fascination.
Theo stepped onto the beach, the cool seawater brushing against his feet, and walked toward the small seaside cabin he once lived in.
The cabin stood alone at the edge of the shore. A thin layer of dust had settled on the wooden door, and a few stubborn weeds had even grown along the windowsill. When he pushed the door open, it creaked loudly.
Inside, it was empty. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and sunlight streamed through the windows, casting mottled patterns across the floor.
Looking at the place, memories of living here with Feebas flooded back into Theo's mind.
Milotic's eyes softened as it gazed at the dried-up water tank in the corner.
That was where it had once lived as a Feebas.
It gently wrapped its tail around Theo and nuzzled his cheek, letting out a soft, low cry as if reminiscing about those days.
Nearby, the Ice Vulpix tilted its head, not understanding why its mentor had suddenly become emotional.
After thinking for a moment, it decided to imitate how Milotic had comforted it before.
It trotted over, opened its mouth, and released a small puff of cold air.
It wanted to create an ice sculpture of Milotic to cheer it up.
However, its control was clearly still lacking. When the cold air condensed, what remained on the ground was a crooked, snake-like ice figure.
Rather than a Milotic sculpture, it looked more like a chubby Ekans.
The Ice Vulpix stared at its "creation," then at Milotic, and immediately realized it had made something rather ugly.
Its tail drooped, its ears sagged, and it let out a soft, self-blaming whimper, clearly feeling a little dejected.
Milotic watched the little Ice Vulpix in that dejected state, and the sadness in its eyes gradually faded. It gently wrapped the small fox with its tail fin, lifted it onto its back, then softly blew a breath toward that "Ekans" ice sculpture.
A faint blue chill lingered around the crude carving, and before long, the changes became visible to the naked eye. The originally round and clumsy body stretched out, the tail widened elegantly, and delicate fin-like crests formed atop the head.
In the blink of an eye, the chubby Ekans sculpture had transformed into a miniature Milotic sculpture, complete with fine, clearly defined scale patterns.
The Ice Vulpix's eyes lit up instantly. It hurried over, reaching out with its paw to gently touch the sculpture, then looked back up at Milotic with a bright, happy smile.
Milotic responded warmly, lifting it up again and rubbing its cheek against the little fox's head as if offering praise.
On the other side, Larvesta had already dragged the Fire Vulpix into a little "adventure" inside the cabin.
The two small creatures darted here and there, rummaging through old boxes in the corners and turning everything upside down. In the end, all they managed to find was a rusty fishing rod.
Larvesta held it up and spun around twice, only to realize it was completely useless. Disappointed, it tossed the rod back into the corner and ran over to Theo, chirping rapidly as if reporting that there were no major discoveries.
"Alright, stop making a mess."
Theo laughed and called them over.
"We're going to stay here for a while, so the four of you split up the work and clean the place properly, alright?"
Larvesta immediately puffed up its chest and bumped its head against Fire Vulpix, as if assigning tasks.
Meanwhile, Milotic brought Ice Vulpix along and began teaching it different applications of ice-type energy, converting cold air into flowing water to clean the floor.
Theo, on the other hand, took Metagross with him and headed into town to buy some daily necessities.
The streets of Dewford Town looked just as they always had. The stone paths were polished smooth by sea wind and rain, and shell wind chimes hung at the entrances of roadside shops, producing crisp, pleasant sounds whenever the breeze passed through.
When passing by the Gym, Theo could not help but glance at it a few more times.
The Dewford Gym had a very distinctive structure. Half of it stood on land, while the other half extended out over the sea. A sign hung at the entrance that read "Surfing Gym – Brawly."
There was even a poster at the entrance showing a man in a wetsuit riding a surfboard, with the words "Surf Training Classes Now Enrolling" written beside it.
Looking at the Fighting-type Gym in front of him, Theo did not rush to challenge it.
Back when he only had a Feebas, earning this badge would have been an extremely difficult challenge.
But now, looking back, with the strength of his current team, obtaining it would be nothing more than a simple task.
In fact, in terms of Gym Leader strength tiers, Dewford Gym felt more like the first stop prepared by the Hoenn League for beginner trainers.
Brawly had not become the Gym Leader purely through passing the League's strict evaluation like most others. Instead, he inherited the position from his father.
It was similar to the Lavaridge Gym, where Flannery had inherited the role from her grandfather, Mr. Moore.
The League's requirements for inherited Gym Leaders were relatively lenient. As long as they met a basic standard of strength, they could legally take over the position.
Although Brawly's strength ranked on the lower end among Gym Leaders, he was by no means someone who lacked ambition.
To improve himself and avoid tarnishing the reputation left behind by his father, he had once traveled all the way to Cianwood City in the Johto region to study under Chuck, the so-called "Fighting King."
The Cianwood Gym was famous for its fierce and direct fighting style, emphasizing the integration of mind, technique, and body.
Combining what he learned there with his lifelong passion for surfing, Brawly created his own unique "Surf Training Method."
This method not only improved Pokémon reaction speed and explosive power, but also made learning surfing far more efficient for humans.
Because of this, the Dewford Gym was also known as the "Surfing Gym," attracting many surfing enthusiasts each year. It had even become one of the Gym's major sources of income.
Even so, while Brawly could be considered strong among ordinary trainers, he did not pose any real threat to Theo.
With the help of system rewards such as advanced energy orbs and technical machines accelerating their growth, along with specialized training using enhancement agents, Theo's Pokémon had long surpassed the growth trajectory of ordinary Pokémon.
Their strength could no longer be measured by conventional standards.
At most, Brawly was only slightly stronger than Flannery of Lavaridge Town. If Theo were to challenge the Gym now, obtaining the Knuckle Badge would hold little suspense.
Because of this, Theo was in no hurry. He planned to casually pick it up before departing for Slateport City.
Right now, the most important task was refining Metagross's combination move for the upcoming Contest in Pacifidlog Town.
Originally, Theo had planned for Milotic and Metagross to perform together in the Contest, just like how Tyrantrum and Larvesta had once showcased a dual Pokémon combination move.
But then Drake had brought back this pair of twin Vulpix sisters.
After some thought, Theo decided it would be better to let the two little ones experience the atmosphere of a Contest in advance.
He had already checked the registration list for Pacifidlog, and there were no top-tier coordinators participating, making it the perfect opportunity for the two Vulpix to make their debut.
As for the competition arrangement, Theo had already worked it all out.
In the first round, both Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix would appear together.
With their adorable appearance, hidden abilities, and a bit of focused training, they would have no problem passing the initial judging.
Then in the second round, Fire-type Vulpix would step down, and Metagross would take its place, partnering with Ice-type Vulpix to showcase another dazzling combination move.
As for the long-term future of these twin sisters, Theo had already made plans.
He preferred that they focus on refining the precision of their abilities and moves. That way, they could truly shine on the Contest stage.
As for combat ability, it was not their priority at this stage.
Once core members like Milotic and Metagross reached a bottleneck, he could shift more high-level energy resources toward the two Vulpix, polishing their battle capabilities later and eventually allowing them to stand on their own as powerful fighters.
While organizing these thoughts in his mind, Theo walked back to the seaside cabin.
The moment he pushed open the door, he found the interior completely cleaned and refreshed.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting clear patches of light across the floor.
"Lar!"
Larvesta immediately ran over the moment it saw him, scurrying up to his side. It raised its head high, antennae tilted proudly into the air, chirping rapidly.
Its posture was unmistakable. It was clearly asking for praise.
Metagross stood nearby and silently "translated."
Larvesta was saying that the reason the cabin was so clean was entirely due to its excellent leadership. Fire Vulpix had been in charge of wiping the windows, Ice Vulpix handled the floors, and everything had been coordinated under its command.
As a reward, could it get a little more advanced energy orb?
It wanted to evolve as soon as possible.
When Tyrantrum returned, it planned to challenge it to a proper battle and make it acknowledge Larvesta as its big brother.
(End of Chapter)