Carmine and Kieran

After quite a struggle, Mingyou finally managed to hold Munchlax back. Mallow cradled Bounsweet, who had fainted from fright, and looked as though she still hadn't recovered either.

"Keep your Pokémon under control!"

Lana shouted angrily. Her friends meant a great deal to her, and despite her small stature, she often stood up for them at school.

"Sorry..."

Mingyou apologized sincerely. He really had failed to keep Munchlax under control.

Then he grabbed Munchlax by the ear and said, "You apologize to Bounsweet and the others too."

"Munch..."

Munchlax hung his head, behaving himself. He was usually very obedient to Mingyou.

"This Munchlax looks really sturdy!"

Professor Kukui examined him with interest. He owned a Snorlax himself, and as someone who had raised one, he could naturally tell that this Munchlax had been very well cared for. He was even nearly twice the size of an ordinary Munchlax!

Sometimes, whether a Trainer was qualified or truly outstanding could be determined simply by observing the condition of their Pokémon.

Then his gaze shifted behind the stall, and he finally noticed Wyrdeer lying there asleep. He exclaimed in surprise, "Could that be... a Wyrdeer?"

"That's right."

"They're so rare! The only time I've seen one was at Professor Rowan's place while traveling through the Sinnoh Region a few years ago. I never expected to find one here. Being able to raise one is proof that you must be an excellent Trainer!"

At Professor Kukui's praise, Mingyou paused, scratched his head, and replied a little awkwardly, "But I'm not a Trainer..."

"Huh?"

"Haha, because of my health in the past, I just wanted to live as an ordinary person. It's still pretty much the same now. Rather than traveling around as a Trainer, I prefer a peaceful life out here in the countryside."

"I see... Well, having your own ideas and your own path is certainly better!"

Professor Kukui nodded. Although Mingyou wasn't a Trainer, his ability to grow such special fruit was enough to prove that he really was talented.

So he asked curiously, "By the way, would you mind telling me your name?"

"Of course. I'm Mingyou."

"Mingyou? I'll remember that!"

Professor Kukui nodded slightly, committing the name to memory, then asked, "Though... I'm not sure whether I should say this, but you seem quite different from the other local young people in Kitakami."

"What do you mean? Am I strange?"

"Haha, not strange. It's just that when we arrived in Kitakami yesterday, we found that some of the young people in town weren't particularly friendly toward our students. Apart from that, everything else about Kitakami has been quite nice."

"That's because I'm from Paldea..."

"Is that so? Haha, now that you mention it, your accent is a little different from the locals'. I didn't pick up on it."

"Haha."

Watching Mingyou and Professor Kukui chat like old friends, Lana put away her fishing rod, looking puzzled. "How did they end up having a whole conversation...?"

"Maybe they're kindred spirits?"

Mallow answered without thinking, then looked down at Bounsweet in her arms. She was still quite surprised and delighted that the little Pokémon had suddenly learned Energy Ball.

Now that she knew about this fruit, she planned to tell her other friends later and return with everyone. Still, there wasn't much variety, and she wondered whether there were any that taught other moves.

So she asked...

"Other fruit? I do have some, but for the next few days, there'll only be apples."

Mingyou shook his head. He could supply bean sprouts and mushrooms, but the green plums, peaches, and potatoes would need at least another week. As for the rest... they would have to wait until the end of the month or next month.

"So come back in a little while. I also sell snacks made with fruit I've grown myself, though, so if you'd like to try some..."

Before Mingyou could finish, a slightly cold female voice suddenly came from nearby. "Are you that Mingyou?"

"Hmm? Do you need something?"

Mingyou instinctively looked over. The newcomers were a brother and sister wearing Blueberry Academy uniforms.

Carmine stopped, planted her hands on her hips, and continued with a cool expression, "I've heard about you. I can't believe the Administrator actually let you set up a stall."

"What's wrong with me setting up a stall...?"

Mingyou was baffled. Beside him, Professor Kukui deliberately lowered his voice and said, "They're students at Blueberry Academy in the Unova Region, and they're also from Kitakami. The older sister is Carmine, and the younger brother is Kieran."

"Hm?"

"How should I put it... the sister doesn't seem very friendly toward outsiders like us. It was the same when we arrived yesterday. She nearly got into a fight with Selene. Fortunately, the Administrator heard the commotion and came over, and she immediately took off."

Professor Kukui explained quietly. This was the incident he had mentioned earlier. He had also asked the Administrator about them yesterday and learned that the siblings had been problem children since they were little, with rather odd personalities.

Mingyou nodded slightly, understanding now. She had come to pick a fight with him. Apparently, unlike Naranja Academy, Blueberry Academy focused mainly on teaching Pokémon battling, and its students were generally quite eager for a fight.

Having inexplicably caught the attention of this little troublemaker, he scratched his head helplessly and said, "All right... so what do you want from me?"

"Battle me!"

A sly smile appeared on Carmine's face. She waved a hand and continued, "Grandma Momozawa told me you want to live in Kitakami. Then battle me! You can only live here if you win!"

"You've got a screw loose."

"You're insulting me! Let me tell you..."

"..."

Mingyou was speechless. The girl looked so cool and aloof, yet the moment she spoke, she seemed like a completely different person. Such a pretty girl... what a shame she had a mouth.

While Carmine rambled on, her younger brother Kieran peeked out from behind her. His eyes darted about as he nervously clutched his collar and said softly, "Sorry, my sister just wants an excuse to battle someone. She doesn't mean any harm..."

"Nobody asked you!"

With her plan exposed, Carmine gritted her teeth and shouted at Kieran in frustration.

Watching this, Mingyou raised an eyebrow and said, "As his older sister, you should be a little gentler with him. You're always shouting at him, and in front of so many people, too. Think about how he feels."

Having grown up in an orphanage and cared for quite a few children there with psychological issues, Mingyou could tell at a glance that Kieran might have some problems of his own, especially with such an overbearing sister.

"...I don't need you telling me that!"

Carmine hesitated briefly before snapping back, clearly unaware of her own behavior. Kieran, however, gave Mingyou a somewhat surprised glance before quickly looking away.

Mingyou noticed it all. He scratched his head helplessly and said, "All right, then. This is a good chance to give my Munchlax something to do, instead of letting him sleep here all day!"

"Munch?"

"Don't just stand there..."

Mingyou stroked his head. He hadn't wanted to accept the challenge at first, but after giving it some serious thought, he decided to take her on.

There were several reasons. First, he wanted to stop her from bothering him again. Second, he hoped that communicating through a battle would help smooth out their relationship, since he was going to live in Kitakami.

Third, he wanted to teach her how to interact with children who had psychological issues. And fourth, he wanted to see how strong Munchlax was now. After eating so much fruit and getting so plump, he had to be pretty good in a fight, right?

"You're accepting the battle?"

Professor Kukui was curious and planned to use the battle to see how capable Mingyou was. Mallow and Lana also wanted to watch and satisfy their curiosity.

Seeing Mingyou accept, Carmine instantly wore a smile that said she was certain of victory. "Then let's do it right here. There's enough room!"

"No problem."

Mingyou answered with a smile, then moved away from her with Munchlax to put some distance between them.

Meanwhile, up in the Japanese pagoda tree that Bounsweet's Energy Ball had struck earlier, a small masked figure was using the leaves as cover to peek quietly down at them.

"Mm~"