After resting for a day on Cinnabar Island, Liu Qing found a deserted spot early the next morning and released Salamence. He then had a turn at being a dragon rider, flying toward Saffron City on Salamence's back. With Salamence's incredible speed, the outline of Goldenrod City came into view in just half a day. Liu Qing did not have Salamence stop, instead roaring straight into his home. The startled security staff thought an intruder had arrived and released various Flying-type Pokémon, including Golbat, Jumpluff, and Pidgeotto, to surround Salamence.
Only when they saw Liu Qing, the family's eldest young master, climb down from Salamence did they realize they had overreacted, and they quickly dispersed. Of course, without this little incident, Liu Qing would never have realized how formidable even his family's visible security forces were, let alone the several people who had remained hidden in the shadows.
"Liu Qing!" With such a commotion, his mother had naturally been alerted too, and she called out to him with a hint of reproach.
"Hehe, sorry, Mom. I got a little carried away," Liu Qing said with a grin.
Mili rolled her eyes at him. She knew her son very well, so how could she not know what he was thinking? Still, she let it slide and asked, "Coming home now, are you planning to stay here until the Indigo League Conference begins?"
"That's right, Mom. There are still over two months left, and I've already visited all the places I wanted to go. I'll spend the rest of the time training my Pokémon at home and wait for the Indigo League Conference to start," Liu Qing replied with a nod.
"Take your Pokémon to the breeding grounds first. Salamence is far too big to leave standing here."
"Got it. Return, Salamence." Liu Qing recalled Salamence and followed Mili toward the breeding grounds.
At the breeding grounds, Liu Qing released all his Pokémon and let them roam freely. He also checked on Porygon, Eevee, and Rhyhorn, the three Pokémon he had sent back earlier, before returning to the Pokémon Day Care with Mili.
"These are the two Pokémon Eggs you sent home, though neither has hatched yet." Once they were back inside the Pokémon Day Care, Mili carefully took two Pokémon Eggs out of a glass incubator and handed them to Liu Qing. "I really can't wait. I've never seen eggs like these before!"
"They must belong to a fairly rare species!" Liu Qing said with a smile. "Otherwise, how could someone with your discerning eye fail to recognize them, Mom?"
"You flatterer!" Mili gave his forehead a light tap, unable to hide her smile. "Did you know your name has spread throughout the family's younger generation?"
"What's so strange about that? Didn't all those people already know about me when I woke up?" Liu Qing said, pursing his lips.
"Don't play dumb with your mother. I never imagined my son would be so gifted. You've reached Azure Feather Rank less than a year after starting your journey! Your father and the elders were absolutely delighted. The elders have brought up your name at several family meetings as an example for the new generation." Mili gave him a mysterious smile. "And because of the news you sent home last time, the elders have decided to give you a reward after this Pokémon League tournament."
"A reward?" A gleam appeared in Liu Qing's eyes. As the family head's son, he could have practically anything he wanted. Anything that could still be called a reward under those circumstances had to be something special. "Mom, do you know what it is?"
"I can't tell you yet!" Mili shook her head slightly and said mysteriously, "But I can give you one hint. The higher you place in this tournament, the more pleased you'll be with your reward."
"Mom, I'm aiming for the championship. If I don't win, I'd rather not take the reward!" Liu Qing said solemnly.
"That's the spirit! Then I'll talk to your father about preparing the very best for you!" Mili immediately broke into a smile.
"Oh, right, Mom. Why haven't I seen Liu Yuan yet?" Liu Qing changed the subject, puzzled. "It's the weekend. Doesn't he usually love spending his time here?"
"Liu Yuan said one of his classmates spotted an Eevee in the forest outside Saffron City. So a few students in his class who already have their starter Pokémon got together and organized a contest to see who could catch that Eevee over the break. It's a little practice before they turn ten and set out on their journeys!"
"Oh?" Liu Qing raised an eyebrow. Barring special circumstances, children who already had starter Pokémon before turning ten generally came from prominent families, and those in Liu Yuan's class were from especially influential ones. Though this contest was a small matter, it could also be seen as a competition between the major families. "If I remember correctly, Liu Yuan's starter was Cleffa, right? The offspring of Dad's Clefable."
"It's a Clefairy now!" Mili said with a wink. "It evolved not long ago."
"Hehe, looks like Liu Yuan inherited your talent as a breeder, Mom!" Liu Qing smiled at the news. Cleffa needed friendship to evolve into Clefairy. This Cleffa had been Liu Yuan's fifth birthday present, and although several years had passed, getting Cleffa to evolve before he even turned ten still demonstrated his remarkable talent.
"Mom, Mom, look! I won the contest!" That evening, while Liu Qing and Mili were tending to the Pokémon in the breeding grounds, a grubby figure came running over excitedly. The beaming smile on his dirty face turned into delighted surprise when he noticed Liu Qing was there too. "Big brother, look! I have an Eevee now too!" he shouted, lifting the Eevee he held in both arms.
"Hmm... there's a little fatigue in those eyes, but they're still bright. Glossy, smooth fur, a supple body, and strong limbs. This is a fine Eevee!" Liu Qing stroked the Eevee in Liu Yuan's arms and praised the Pokémon, making Liu Yuan's smile grow even wider.
"All right, all right, go wash up. Look at you, you're practically covered in mud. This Eevee is tired too. Leave the little one with Mom, and I'll help with recovery." Seeing that Liu Yuan still wanted to keep talking excitedly, Mili quickly added, "Be good. Once you've had your bath, I'll listen to the whole story."
"Okaaay, Mom!" Liu Yuan drew out the word, clearly thrilled by the day's events. His short blond hair fluttered as he dashed off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Hehe, that kid. If his bodyguard hadn't woken him, he probably would have slept straight through until morning." Liu Qing smiled faintly. Although this was a contest between children, the major families had all been following it. Mili and Liu Qing had learned the details as soon as the result was decided. After finding Eevee, Liu Yuan had been outmatched in battle. In the end, he had Clefairy use Sing, and only just managed to catch the sleeping Eevee before falling asleep himself.
Leaving aside how Liu Yuan recounted his experience catching Eevee after his bath, then told the story again when his father returned that evening, Liu Qing rested for a day before heading to the breeding grounds. He called over the seven Pokémon who would be taking part in the tournament and said, "You all know the Pokémon League tournament is just over two months away. We'll use this time to work on everyone's weaknesses."
"Scyther, Haunter, and Chansey, you need to evolve before the Pokémon League tournament. Scyther, I've already asked someone to find the Metal Coat you need for your evolution, and we should hear something soon. For now, work on your flight speed, attack speed, and power. Haunter, your level is more than high enough to evolve. I don't know why you haven't, but you need to reach your final form now. As for Chansey, our friendship should already be strong enough. The reason you haven't evolved must be a lack of battle experience. This is a good chance for you to pair up with Haunter for training."
"Arcanine, your task is to use Flamethrower Flame Wheel, then do everything you can to compress your flames. At the very least, you need to compress your red flames into blue ones. I'm sure seeing Magmar's flames has already given you plenty of insight."
"Exeggutor, your task is to gather enough energy quickly to fire Solar Beam without using Sunny Day. Make sure you compress the energy when firing it, too. If you can do that, I'm sure your Solar Beam will become even faster and stronger when you use Sunny Day."
"As for you two, Salamence and Gyarados, the main move you'll be training is Giga Impact. This move leaves your entire body immobilized afterward, so if you fail to defeat your opponent with it, you'll be exposed to their attacks. Your task is to shorten that recovery time as much as possible. Recovering even one second earlier in a match might let you avoid a finishing blow. Also, after hitting your opponent with this move, try to get away quickly before your body locks up. Salamence, you can fly high into the air. Gyarados, you're different from ordinary Gyarados. Your extra fin has improved your species' base potential and lets you fly, but you've only recently developed that ability. You'll need plenty more practice before you can fly freely, and it looks like there won't be enough time before the Pokémon League tournament. So you can instead move as far from your opponent as possible and protect your vital points before you become immobilized, using your tough scales to defend yourself until you can move again."
"All right, those are your tasks for now. Go practice." After Liu Qing finished speaking, the Pokémon each gave a cry and went off to train.
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