The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the Verdanturf sky in streaks of bruised purple and burnt orange. Outside the villa, the massive wooden dining table was sagging under the weight of enough food to feed a small army.
"Dinner's served! Come and get it before Swampert eats the table itself!" Leo called out, hauling two massive basins of specialized Pokémon chow and slow-roasted meat to the porch.
The response was a symphony of cheers and hungry roars. A dozen Pokémon some Leo's, some his grandparents' scrambled for their spots.
"Take it easy, guys," Leo laughed, dodging a stray tail. "There's plenty of meat and energy cubes to go around. And yeah, everyone gets a cup of the Sweet Honey. Don't crowd the chef."
Togepi and Leafeon didn't need to be told twice. They dove into their bowls with a level of intensity that suggested they hadn't eaten in years.
"Chaji! Du-yi!" Togepi squealed, her eyes practically turning into hearts.
"Bui! Bui-bui!" Leafeon agreed, her mouth full of high-grade kibble.
Even the normally refined Florges dropped her "queen of the garden" act, taking bites that were definitely not lady-like. Dreepy, meanwhile, had literally submerged himself in his bowl; all Leo could see was a tiny green tail twitching in excitement.
Leo sat back for a second, watching his grandparents' team eat. Even after a year away, the sheer power level on this farm made his head spin.
Arthur and Martha weren't just "farmers." They were top-tier Breeders, the kind of people the League called when they needed to save a species from extinction. Their backyard was guarded by retired legends: a Master-rank Salamence, a Garchomp that looked like it was carved out of granite, a Venusaur the size of a small house, and a Sceptile that moved like a blur. Then there were the "parents" of Leo's own team his Swampert's mother and father, an Empoleon and a Swampert that were both high-level veterans.
If a team of elite poachers ever tried to hit this farm, they wouldn't just fail; they'd be erased from the map.
Leo's gaze landed on Grandma's Garchomp, who was currently eyeing a platter of steaks. Leo smirked and walked over, leaning against the big dragon's side.
"Hey, Shark Bro. It's been, what, eight years?" Leo whispered. "You and Dragon Sister still haven't produced an egg? I'm waiting to see some Gible running around here, man. I'm starting to think you're all talk."
The Salamence resting nearby Garchomp's mate let out a puff of hot steam from her nostrils, looking away with a "don't bring me into this" expression.
Garchomp stopped eating and scratched his head with a massive, scythe-like claw. He let out a low, rumbling growl that sounded fierce to anyone else, but Leo heard it clear as day.
"You think it's easy? I'm working on it, kid! Dragon genes are stubborn. Give a guy a break."
Leo chuckled. He'd never told his grandparents, but being a transmigrator had come with a few "hidden features." He wasn't some world-class psychic like Sabrina, but he could move small objects with his mind and, more importantly, he could understand Pokémon perfectly. To everyone else, Garchomp was roaring; to Leo, he was complaining about his slow metabolism.
"Tell you what, Shark Bro," Leo said, pulling a bottle of high-end vintage wine from his jacket something he'd picked up in a fancy shop in Hearthome City. "Since I'm back, here's a bribe. Keep 'working on it,' alright?"
Garchomp's eyes turned into saucers. He snatched the bottle, tucked it into his scales with a wink, and patted Leo on the shoulder with enough force to nearly dislocate it.
You're a good kid, Leo. Very sensible.
"Leo, stop harassing the help and come eat!" Martha called out from the table.
Leo laughed, jogged over, and grabbed a massive turkey leg. The meat was tender, rich, and a thousand times better than the dried jerky he'd lived on during the winter.
"So," Arthur asked, leaning back with a glass of cider. "Tell us about Sinnoh. You weren't exactly chasing Gym badges, so what kept you busy for a year? Any close calls?"
Leo swallowed a mouthful of turkey. "Nah, no real danger. I mostly spent my time as a tourist. But Sinnoh's beautiful. Found some good teammates there, too."
He nodded toward Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi.
"Florges was the first," Leo said, his tone softening. "She was a Floette back then. Some poachers from Kalos had smuggled her over to Sinnoh to sell her on the black market. I stumbled onto their camp and... well, let's just say they didn't have a good night. I was gonna hand her over to the International Police so they could ship her home, but she wouldn't let go of my sleeve. She looked so pitiful, I couldn't say no."
Togepi and Leafeon stopped eating for a second, looking at Florges with wide, shocked eyes. They'd always seen her as the unflappable "Big Sis." They had no idea she'd been a refugee. Florges' face turned a bright shade of crimson, and she suddenly became very interested in a piece of broccoli.
"What about the two little ones?" Martha asked, looking at the Eevee-evolution and the egg-Pokémon.
Leo's expression turned a bit more somber. "I found them in a cave system near Mt. Coronet. I was actually hunting for a lead on a shiny Beldum I'd heard rumors of one in the deep tunnels."
(The anime-timeline shiny Beldum, Leo noted mentally, should still be wild around this time.)
"I spent two months in those caves. Never found the Beldum, but I found these two. They were in bad shape. They'd been born in a lightless cavern and couldn't compete with the Aggron and Zubat colonies. When I found them, they were literally eating moss just to stay upright. They'd fainted from hunger by the time I reached them."
Dreepy poked his head out of his bowl, puffing out his chest. "Dra! Dreep-dra!" (I was the one who smelled 'em out!)
Leafeon and Togepi ducked their heads, embarrassed by their "scavenger" past. Florges, seeing her chance for revenge, gave them a smug little smirk.
"Is that right?" Arthur rubbed his chin. "You're really that hung up on a shiny Metagross? If you want one that bad, I can call in a few favors with the Stone family over at Devon Corp. We've provided them with enough high-grade feed over the years that they might be willing to trade a Beldum from their private reserve."
Leo's eyes lit up for a fraction of a second. A shiny Metagross? Riding into battle on a giant silver-and-gold tank? That was the dream. But then he shook his head.
"Nah. The Stone family doesn't give those up for cheap. I've already got Dreepy, and he's more than enough shiny dragon for one trainer. I don't want you guys having to sell the back forty just to get me a cool-looking robot."
Arthur and Martha exchanged a look. They knew their grandson he was a good kid, always thinking about the cost. Martha gave a small, subtle nod to Arthur. The message was clear: If he wants the silver robot, we're getting the silver robot.
Arthur smiled. "Well, if you're sure... but keep it in mind. The Stone family's Metagross line is genderless; they reproduce by splitting. One shiny can eventually lead to three Beldums over a century. They have them, Leo."
Leo waved it off, his mind already spinning with another idea. "Actually, Grandpa... what if I didn't need you to pay for it? What if I had something to trade that the Stone family would kill for?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?"
Leo leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What if I told you I know exactly where to find a hidden valley full of Ancient Pokémon? Real-deal fossils that aren't actually fossils."
The table went silent. Even Garchomp stopped mid-chew.
"Leo," Arthur said slowly. "You better not be joking."