Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened and only a faint bluish light slipped through the gaps in the curtains, Theo felt in his sleep that his chest was growing heavier and heavier, as if something massive was pressing down on him, making even breathing difficult. The sensation was almost like sleep paralysis.
"Mm…"
He suddenly opened his eyes. Through his still-blurry vision, the first thing he saw was a large, fluffy orange-red head.
There was no need to think. It was Larvesta again, that chubby bug.
The little fellow had somehow climbed onto him once more, its big forehead pressing against his chest, its belly rising and falling steadily with its breathing as it slept soundly.
There was even a tiny, crystal-clear bubble hanging from the tip of its nose, clearly indicating that it was having a sweet dream.
Theo let out a helpless sigh, half amused and half exasperated. Larvesta's habit of climbing onto him while sleeping just would not change.
If his body were not sturdy enough, he might have ended up as a trainer accidentally "murdered" by his own Pokémon.
After all, Larvesta was nothing like the two little Vulpix. It was not small and delicate. Its current size was comparable to a large Alaskan dog from his previous life.
Although its weight could not compare to an actual Alaskan, since most of it was fluff and soft mass, and it had only weighed thirty-eight kilograms the last time he checked, being pressed squarely onto his chest still made it hard to breathe.
Carefully, Theo reached out and gently lifted Larvesta, moving it aside onto the pillow next to him.
The big chubby bug seemed to stir slightly, but it only smacked its lips, turned over, and fell back into deep sleep.
It had no idea that it had nearly suffocated its own trainer in his dreams.
Theo rubbed his sore chest and glanced around. The two little Vulpix that had originally curled up on either side of him had now squeezed together into a single fluffy bundle on his left.
The Fire Vulpix's tail rested over the Ice Vulpix's back, and both little ones let out soft, steady breathing sounds, sleeping soundly.
Having resolved the "sleep paralysis" issue, Theo checked the time and found it was just past six. There was still a while before full daylight.
Thinking back to last night, after distributing the rewards, the little ones had been so excited that they could not sleep and had dragged him to the beach to play wildly until after eleven before finally returning. Naturally, they were still exhausted now.
So Theo chose not to wake them. He slipped back under the covers, tucked in the blanket, and lay down again, planning to catch a bit more sleep and not disturb their peaceful dreams.
This time, he slept straight until nine in the morning. The constant "ding ding" notifications from his phone, like a relentless alarm, forcibly dragged him out of his sleep.
"Who is it…"
Still groggy, Theo fumbled for his phone. The name "Cynthia" flashed on the screen, along with a video call request.
He swiped to answer, and before he could even focus on the image, a distinctive shark-like head filled the entire screen.
It was Garchomp.
On the other end, Garchomp immediately grabbed the phone with its claws and ran backward toward Cynthia, its tail swaying proudly as if to show off that it had successfully woken him up.
"You are still sleeping this late? I called several times and you did not answer."
Cynthia's voice came through the screen, carrying a hint of amusement. She was wearing a simple white jacket today, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders, giving her a fresh and relaxed look.
"Sorry, Miss Cynthia,"
Theo quickly sat up, scratching his messy hair as he explained somewhat awkwardly.
"I stayed up too late last night."
Only then did he notice that Cynthia was holding a small Pokémon in her arms.
The little creature had blue skin and black fur, and most strikingly, a thick fringe of hair covering its eyes, making it instantly recognizable.
Theo identified it at a glance. It was a Dragon-type Pokémon from the Unova region, Deino.
The Deino in the video seemed to sense the unfamiliar presence coming from the phone. Since its eyes were covered, its instinct was to explore the world with its mouth. It immediately opened its small jaws and tried to bite toward the screen.
"Do not mess around."
Cynthia reacted swiftly, pinching Deino's head with her fingers, her tone carrying a gentle but firm warning.
"That is not food. You cannot bite it."
Deino struggled fiercely in her arms, kicking its short legs, but no matter how hard it tried, it could not break free from her grip.
The more it struggled, the more Cynthia lightly tapped its head with her other hand. The force was not strong, but it carried unquestionable authority.
Deino instantly quieted down, lowering its head and letting out a couple of aggrieved whimpers, obediently staying in her arms. Even through the screen, its helpless expression was obvious.
Garchomp, watching from the side, found the scene highly amusing, letting out a deep chuckling sound.
Its gloating expression clearly showed that it was recalling its own childhood days of being "disciplined" by Cynthia. Now it finally had a "successor."
Cynthia shook her head helplessly at Garchomp, then used one hand to gently lift the thick fringe covering Deino's eyes.
Only then did Theo get a proper look at the eyes of this rare Pokémon he had once only seen in the Pokédex.
A pair of crimson eyes was revealed, with narrow pupils that carried a hint of wildness and ferocity.
As expected of a Dark and Dragon dual-type Pokémon, the moment its eyes were exposed, its originally somewhat simple appearance gained a fierce edge.
Deino clearly disliked having its eyes exposed. It twisted its head vigorously, trying to let its fringe fall back down to cover them.
But Cynthia held it steady and pointed toward Theo on the screen.
"I know you do not like showing your eyes. I will let your hair fall back later. First, meet him. This is your new trainer, Theo.
When you go over later, you must listen to him properly, understood?"
"Go over later?"
Theo immediately caught the key point, especially the word "go over," and his heart skipped a beat as he quickly asked,
"Miss Cynthia, what do you mean by Deino going over? Does that mean… the cross-region Pokémon transfer system has been completed? Can Pokémon be transported remotely now?"
"What else do you think I am calling you so early for?"
Cynthia raised an eyebrow and replied.
"Just now, the cross-region Pokémon transfer system between Hoenn and Unova has officially been completed. Pokémon can now be transferred.
I watched your livestream yesterday. You should still be in Lilycove City, right?
If you have not left yet, once Deino finishes saying goodbye to its family, I will send it over. You can go to the Pokémon Center to pick it up."
She paused briefly, her tone becoming more serious.
"Do not underestimate this little one. It has quite the background.
It is a descendant of the Hydreigon belonging to the elder of the Village of Dragons. It was born with excellent Dragon-type talent and even inherited the move Outrage. The elder specifically selected it for you."
Theo was stunned upon hearing this.
The elder of the Village of Dragons.
In that place, her status was even higher than that of Gym Leader Drayden. She was the true leader of the entire village.
Being able to obtain a descendant of that Hydreigon was nothing short of an incredible stroke of fortune.
"Th-this… this is far too precious. Cynthia, thank you for your help, I…"
Theo found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to properly express his gratitude.
"Don't rush to thank me."
Cynthia waved her hand, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of her lips.
"If you want to thank someone, thank your Tyrantrum instead."
"Tyrantrum?"
Theo froze for a moment, only then realizing something was off.
Normally, whenever he video called Cynthia, Tyrantrum would be the first to shove its big head into the camera.
But today, until now, he had not seen even a trace of it. No wonder he had felt like something was missing.
As if seeing through his thoughts, Cynthia tilted the camera to the side, and the scene in the distance immediately came into view.
At a glance, Theo spotted Tyrantrum happily running around on the grass. But what shocked him even more was that Tyrantrum was surrounded by a group of "companions."
One, two, three, four…
With a rough count, there were more than ten of them. They were gathered together, playing and frolicking, occasionally letting out excited low roars.
"Th-this is…"
Theo was so stunned that he could hardly speak. He had always thought he was the only one with a Tyrantrum. Could it be that in the Unova's Village of Dragons, there were actually so many revived Tyrantrum?
As Cynthia slowly walked closer to the group, Theo began to feel that something was not quite right.
Although these "Tyrantrum" had similar size and appearance to his own, something about them felt off.
Especially their expressions and movements. They lacked the fierce, domineering aura a true Tyrantrum should have and instead seemed… oddly cute?
"Ditto?"
Theo asked tentatively.
The teasing smile on Cynthia's face faded, replaced by a hint of surprise as she raised an eyebrow.
"Your eyes are pretty sharp. You figured it out that quickly? I thought you might assume they had discovered a fossil cluster of Tyrantrum."
Then she called out toward the distance.
"Tyrantrum, come here. Your trainer is looking for you."
Tyrantrum, who had been having the time of its life playing with the group of "fake Tyrantrum," immediately perked up upon hearing that its trainer was on the call. It reluctantly ran over.
It leaned toward the camera, glanced at Theo, and let out a low growl as a greeting. Then it even shook its head in a somewhat flattering manner before stepping aside to make room for Cynthia.
However, its eyes kept drifting toward the group behind it, clearly distracted.
Just as Theo was about to ask what was going on with Tyrantrum, an elderly woman wearing an orange-red headscarf and radiating vitality appeared in the video. She smiled warmly at Theo through the screen.
"Hello there, you must be Theo. Cynthia has mentioned you to me, said you are a very talented trainer. I am the elder of the Village of Dragons."
"Hello, Elder! I'm Theo, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Theo quickly got out of bed. Even though he was still in his pajamas, he instinctively straightened his posture, speaking respectfully.
"Sorry, Elder, I just woke up and haven't had the chance to freshen up yet…"
"It's fine, it's fine. Young people sleeping in is perfectly normal."
The elder waved her hand with a kind smile.
"I've heard from Cynthia about you and your Tyrantrum. Knowing she would be calling you, I came over to take a look.
Actually… well… it's a bit awkward to say, but there's something I'd like to discuss with you.
If you're not in a hurry to have Tyrantrum return, would it be possible to let it stay in our Dragon Village for a while longer?"
Before Theo could respond, she quickly added,
"Don't worry. We will provide it with the best food, lodging, and care. It will definitely not be mistreated."
Only then did Theo understand.
No wonder the elder was willing to give him such a talented Deino. It turned out she wanted Tyrantrum to remain in the Village of Dragons for a while.
He could not help but laugh wryly. So this was essentially an exchange.
Scratching his head, Theo replied sincerely,
"I don't have any objections, but although Tyrantrum is my Pokémon, it is also my partner. I need to ask for its own opinion. I cannot make the decision for it directly.
If it is willing to stay, I have no problem with it."
Upon hearing this, the elder's face lit up with joy, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes softening.
"Good, good! Well said! No wonder Cynthia thinks so highly of you. You truly are a trainer who respects Pokémon. That is exactly how it should be."
Cynthia also nodded from the side, her gaze toward Theo growing even more approving.
"Tyrantrum, come here."
The elder beckoned.
"Your trainer says it's your decision. Tell him, are you willing to stay?"
Tyrantrum immediately ran to the camera and nodded vigorously at Theo, letting out excited growls while rubbing its head against the elder's hand.
As it growled, it kept glancing back at the group of "Tyrantrum," looking anxious, as if afraid Theo might refuse.
Metagross and Larvesta had already woken up upon hearing the commotion and were now standing beside Theo, waiting for Tyrantrum's answer.
When Larvesta heard Tyrantrum's response, it moved closer to the screen and chirped a few times, as if complaining about it not coming back sooner.
Metagross translated Tyrantrum's words for Theo.
"Tyrantrum says it has met many powerful Dragon-type companions here and wants to learn a few moves from them before returning."
It sounded perfectly reasonable.
But aside from fooling Larvesta, neither Theo nor Metagross were deceived.
After all, Theo had raised Tyrantrum himself. How could he not know what it was really thinking?
Judging by Tyrantrum's absent-minded expression, it was probably not thinking about learning moves at all, but rather about how to keep playing with those "Tyrantrum" to its heart's content.
Theo could practically imagine that if Tyrantrum could speak human language, it would probably say that classic line:
"This place is too enjoyable. I don't want to leave."
Since Tyrantrum had made its own decision, Theo naturally would not force it to return.
"Alright then. Since you want to stay, go ahead and stay there for a while.
But I have one condition. You must practice the Sandstorm move properly. The next Contest will require you to perform a combination move with Larvesta. You cannot neglect that. No slacking off just to play around, understood?"
Tyrantrum nodded vigorously, letting out loud roars as if making a promise.
Before the sound of its roar even faded, it turned around impatiently and dashed back to the group of "Tyrantrum," moving even faster than when it had come over earlier.
Theo rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache.
This Tyrantrum of his was becoming more troublesome the older it got. Truly, once a child grows up, it is hard to keep them by your side.
Cynthia covered her mouth as she watched from the side, unable to suppress her laughter.
…
(End of Chapter)