Incredibly fresh, incredibly delicious

Hearing himself called Doduo again, Lance pulled his attention away from the sprouts. He really couldn't understand what he had to do with a bird.

If anything, shouldn't it be a dragon? Lance the Dragon... Lance the Doduo might actually be better...

He shook his head and let the matter drop. Then he looked at the boy holding the strange sprout and asked, "Are you Mingyou, the one who called the police a couple of days ago?"

"That's right."

Mingyou nodded. His shock gradually subsided as he guessed why Lance had come.

Once Lance had confirmed his identity, he looked Mingyou over and smiled with a hint of surprise. "I wouldn't have guessed you could take on an elite Team Rocket squad, defeat them, rescue every Pokémon, and get away unscathed."

"It was thanks to Latias. I didn't do much..."

"Too much modesty isn't a good thing."

Lance knew Latias had been captured, and Cliff had brought two Shadow Pokémon with him. Even Lance might have found the situation a little tricky.

A few days ago, he had been worried that another organization had beaten them to it. Then, that evening, word came that a passing resident of Kitakami had wiped out the Team Rocket squad. It was absurd—too far-fetched even for a science-fiction story.

Only after checking several times had they finally believed it.

But there was still the aftermath to handle, and Lance was curious about Mingyou. He had asked that the matter be kept quiet so Mingyou wouldn't attract attention, and said he would come deal with it personally once he was free.

Now, back to the matter at hand, Lance explained why he had come. There was no need to introduce himself; surely everyone knew who he was.

"Sorry for the trouble these past few days. Where are the Pokémon you rescued?"

"They're all asleep..."

Mingyou told him how the Pokémon were doing. Looking after someone else's Pokémon was a real headache. Fortunately, he had the patience for it.

Lance nodded and explained, "The Pokémon Team Rocket chose were all deeply attached to their Trainers, and they'd formed those bonds in a very short time..."

"So they could be turned into Shadow Pokémon?"

"Looks like you already know. That's more or less it. The richer a Pokémon's emotions, the stronger it becomes once those emotions are sealed away. But I can't tell you the details."

"That's fine."

Mingyou understood. He was just an ordinary person, and getting tangled up in this would do him no good. Lance didn't want any further complications either.

Lance sighed softly. At least the situation wasn't too serious yet. According to their inside source, Team Rocket Headquarters wasn't particularly concerned with Shadow Pokémon. Only the GO Branch was working on them.

As for Team Rocket Headquarters, rumor had it they were secretly running phone scams. That hadn't been fully confirmed, though. Pokémon trafficking was still their main business.

Setting that aside, Lance asked, "The two Shadow Pokémon are here too, right?"

"That's right. They've been purified, but they still haven't woken up."

"Oh?"

Lance was surprised. Both Shadow Pokémon and Dark Pokémon required specialized equipment to purify, and the process was quite complicated. He worried that Mingyou might have treated them improperly.

"Hmm... Take me to see them."

"No problem. They're over there."

Mingyou led Lance into the orchard, where Torterra and Electivire lay asleep.

Lance went over to examine them. After a moment's thought, he said, "They have been purified. But it isn't that they can't wake up. They don't want to."

"What do you mean?"

"Shadow Pokémon and Dark Pokémon work on the same principle. Their emotions are sealed away, not erased. They're aware of everything that happens to them during that time, including all the pain they endure. It can leave them with severe psychological trauma. Now that they've finally been purified and the pain has stopped, they naturally don't want to wake up and face it again."

Lance's experience was far beyond Mingyou's. He had led the team that handled the Shadow Pokémon and Dark Lugia incidents in Orre.

Afterward, they had found that 73.3% of purified Dark Pokémon could not return to normal life. Because of severe PTSD, they had eventually been sent to large Ecological Parks for care.

"It's that serious..."

It was Mingyou's first time hearing the figures. What would happen to Torterra and Electivire, then? Would they be sent to an Ecological Park too?

Curious, he hurriedly asked, "Doduo... I mean, Mr. Lance, how many of the Pokémon sent to Ecological Parks recovered?"

"Nearly half..."

"That's not too bad..."

"But a third of them died."

"..."

The stark figure left Mingyou silent. After thinking it over carefully, he made his decision and asked, "Neither of these two Pokémon has a Trainer, right?"

"There were no missing-Pokémon reports. Team Rocket probably caught them in the wild."

"In that case, let them stay at the Manor. I'll take care of them!"

"Hmm?"

Lance looked at him in surprise. Mingyou continued earnestly, "My grandfather was a Ranger. He often helped Pokémon in the wild, and he took in and cared for most of the Pokémon at this Manor. Now I want to do the same!"

"..."

Lance didn't answer immediately. His expression turned serious as he studied Mingyou. At last, he folded his arms and smiled. "All right! I can see your determination. I believe you'll take good care of them!"

"Thank you!"

"We're the ones who should be thanking you."

Lance kept smiling. From their brief conversation and what he had seen, he thought highly of Mingyou. "Now, take me to see the Pokémon you rescued."

"No problem."

Mingyou led Lance back toward the living room. As they passed the entrance, Lance noticed the wooden box of sprouts again. His curiosity returned. "Are those really bean sprouts? They look a little like them, but they're awfully big."

"They can grow even bigger. The Pokémon and I raised them together. They're different from ordinary bean sprouts, and they taste great. Want to try one?"

Since Lance was interested, Mingyou was happy to recommend them. He might even gain a customer.

"Hmm? You can eat them raw?"

"Of course."

Mingyou picked a Trumpet Bean Sprout and handed it to Lance. Its surface was so clean it could be eaten without even washing it.

Lance took it and examined it closely. Then, curious, he took a bite... and his eyes flew wide.

The sprout's crispness burst across his tongue, its distinctive fragrance filling his mouth. In an instant, it seemed to carry him back to childhood, to dinner with his family at their home in Blackthorn City.

His younger cousin Clair had dumped all the bean sprouts she didn't like into his bowl. Reluctant as he was, he'd wanted to set an example, so he'd eaten every last one—even though he hadn't liked them either. Then one had lodged in his throat, sending his family into a panic...

It was embarrassing, but the memory was warm.

If only the sprouts back then had tasted like this. Maybe it wouldn't have taken him so long to get used to eating them...

Lance finished the Trumpet Bean Sprout raw. Its crisp texture and flavor made him wonder whether he had really just eaten a bean sprout.

Seeing his expression, Mingyou asked curiously, "Mr. Lance, how is it?"

"Incredibly fresh, incredibly delicious!"

Lance grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. That was the only way he could describe it. Then he added, "It hardly feels like eating bean sprouts at all."

"Haha, Trumpet Bean Sprouts would be the right name for them. They're a special variety grown from bean sprouts."

"Oh? I've never heard that name before. Could you sell me some? My cousin still hates bean sprouts. I'd like to buy some for her."

Lance was thoroughly interested now.

"Of course! You can buy as many as you like!"

Mingyou answered with a smile.

And just like that... he had a customer.