After the battle, everyone returned to the shop.
They chatted for a while before Lucas left.
He had only slipped out to battle in the first place—he was practically addicted to it. But he still had work waiting. After grabbing dinner, he had to head back to the company to supervise the tree-planting project.
It wasn't a small task. The project had backing from higher authorities and had also been entrusted by Ren. Lucas took it seriously.
The compensation on his end was generous, but even without that, he wouldn't have refused. Work that benefited the public wasn't something you turned down lightly.
Still, the commission didn't hurt.
Once Lucas left—
The group chat exploded.
---
Pokémon House – Group Chat
Lily:
HAHAHA! As expected, my Dratini is the strongest pseudo-legend! Larvitar down!
Ren looked at Lily with an odd expression.
The timing was impeccable.
Lucas had barely walked out the door and she was already boasting.
Emma crossed her arms.
"Unbelievable…"
---
Birdie:
Dratini won??
LarvitarIsNotAFoodie:
???? (You just wait.)
Miss Yun:
Wait—Lily beat Lucas??
Miya:
Mr. Lucas did lose…
FoxBoy:
How is that possible? That Larvitar was insane.
Lucy:
Dratini inherited Dragon Rush. It broke through Larvitar even after a Dragon Dance boost.
Miss Yun:
(Confused.jpg)
Then another message popped up.
ItWillBecomeADragon:
Uh… something's happening with my Caterpie.
ItWillBecomeADragon:
(video)
Lily paused mid-typing and tapped the video.
On a grassy lawn, Caterpie lay still—
Then white light began to glow from its body.
"What's going on?" Lily muttered.
Emma leaned over.
Ren typed calmly into the chat.
Ren:
It's evolving. Don't interfere. Just let it finish.
ItWillBecomeADragon:
Got it, boss!!
The group immediately grew excited.
Lily:
Evolution???
FoxBoy:
No way.
LarvitarIsNotAFoodie:
Can you livestream this?
DataNerd:
Evolution changes appearance, attributes, sometimes abilities too, right?
Emma frowned slightly.
She knew this trainer. Caterpie had been extremely weak. In the last friendly match, Jason's Vulpix had knocked it out instantly with a single Ember.
And now it was evolving?
Ren answered the unspoken doubt.
Ren:
Bug-types evolve quickly. Caterpie is one of the fastest-growing Pokémon species.
Ren:
It's completely normal.
In fact, Caterpie evolving in about a week was standard.
If anything, Ren thought it was a bit slow.
Ten minutes later—
ItWillBecomeADragon:
It evolved!! It's Metapod now!
(video) (picture)
Ren opened the video.
Caterpie's body had been engulfed in white light. Its shape shifted, hardened—
When the glow faded, a green chrysalis stood in its place.
The Pokédex entry followed:
---
Metapod
Type: Bug
Ability: Shed Skin
Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Harden
Its outer shell is hard, but the body inside remains soft.
---
The chat went quiet for a moment.
Then—
Miss Yun:
That evolution light is amazing!
FoxBoy:
I shouldn't question it anymore… but a glowing bug turning into a giant cocoon still feels unreal.
Lily:
Now I'm even more excited for my Charmander's evolution!
Miya:
Same! I wonder what Vanillite turns into.
Birdie:
Does ice cream just become… bigger ice cream?
Ren almost typed something about Bulbasaur's final evolution—
Then decided against it.
Better not ruin expectations.
---
Just then—
The wind chime at the shop door rang.
Ren looked up.
Two uniformed police officers entered.
Emma and Lily immediately stood.
Police showing up at a store usually wasn't good news.
The male officer raised his hands politely.
"Please don't misunderstand. We're not here for trouble."
The female officer was scanning the Pokémon inside with clear fascination.
"My name is Mateo," the man said. "This is Officer Isla. We were instructed to come here… to purchase Pokémon."
Ren nodded.
That had to be arranged by Liam. He had mentioned preparing ahead of time for official departments.
"Please, have a seat."
They moved to the rest area.
Mateo stared at Emma's Squirtle in disbelief.
"I've seen the footage, but up close… this is incredible."
Squirtle puffed up proudly—
Then made a face at him and hid behind Emma's leg.
Mateo blinked.
"…Did it just glare at me?"
Emma suppressed a smile.
Ren leaned back slightly.
"You're being reimbursed, I assume?"
Mateo laughed awkwardly.
"Reimbursed? Only fifty percent. The rest is out of pocket. I tried suggesting someone else come, but the chief insisted."
Isla's expression didn't change.
Ren smiled faintly.
"I see."
Mateo gestured.
"Ladies first."
Isla stepped forward without hesitation. She clearly had done her homework.
She activated the store Pokédex.
Silhouettes flashed across the screen.
Then—
A black, canine-shaped Pokémon appeared.
Isla studied it.
"What is this one?"
Ren glanced at the screen.
"Houndour."
He smiled slightly.
"That's actually a very suitable Pokémon for law enforcement."
The image showed a dark puppy-like Pokémon with curved horns and bone-like markings.
Lily leaned in.
"It looks kind of… fierce."
Emma nodded.
"More like something a villain would use."
Ren chuckled softly.
"Houndour is loyal and works exceptionally well in teams. It has strong tracking instincts and coordinated hunting behavior. In the right hands, it's excellent for patrol or search operations."
And its evolution—Houndoom—was no joke either.
Isla studied the image carefully.
The fierce look didn't bother her.
If anything—
It suited her.
Mateo leaned closer.
"Boss… this thing won't bite me, right?"
Houndour's image stared back with sharp red eyes.
Ren smiled.
"That depends."
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
It seemed—
The store was about to gain its first official law enforcement trainers.