See you again, man!

Outside the room.

At that moment, Comrade Leon, Dayou, Machamp, Incineroar...

And, to Li Wei's surprise, Mizuki was there too, with Glameow clinging to the windowsill.

They looked thoroughly suspicious as they watched in secret.

Feeling their eyes on him, Blue felt prickles down his back, a lump in his throat, and ants in his pants.

"Let them in."

Li Wei opened the door and asked, "What are you doing?"

Leon and Dayou pretended to be passing by, whistling nonchalantly.

Incineroar and Machamp followed their lead.

If Li Wei and Blue hadn't already spotted them, Li Wei might actually have believed it.

Mizuki, on the other hand, was the most honest.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask."

"I'm learning Pokémon Breeding from Blue."

Blue was four years older than Li Wei and his senior in Pokémon Breeding as well.

Mizuki paused with her hand on her glasses, her eyes full of envy. "You're so lucky."

Well... I guess.

All right, with a system at his disposal, Li Wei really couldn't argue.

Hearing Li Wei and Mizuki's conversation, Blue came out too. "Who are they?"

"Mizuki and Dayou. They're both breeders, and they love Pokémon too."

Blue glanced at Incineroar and Glameow.

Then he looked at Dayou and Mizuki and couldn't help chuckling.

Blue welcomed anyone who genuinely loved Pokémon and was willing to teach them.

"Come on in, all of you."

Dayou and Mizuki exchanged a glance, overwhelmed by the honor.

Dayou, especially, started trembling all over...

"I've got goosebumps!"

"..."

Blue suddenly felt a little regretful.

"Well, study hard. I'll head out."

Comrade Leon nodded at Li Wei.

He wore an expression that said, "I'm leaving this to you," meow.

If Li Wei learned it, that was as good as Leon learning it.

There was no need for him to squeeze in here too.

The room already held the bulky Rhyperior and Metagross, and Dayou took up plenty of space himself.

There wouldn't be room for Leon as well.

With the little farce over,

Blue turned serious. "Watch first."

Li Wei took out the citrus-basil aromatic oil and treated Rhyperior's joints.

Mizuki and Dayou took notes beside him.

So did Metagross, whose ability to learn independently was exceptional.

Blue patted his old partner and smiled. "How does that feel, Rhyperior?"

"Rrroar!"

Rhyperior raised both arms and let out an excited roar.

"Good. Rhyperior is very pleased."

The afternoon passed, and Blue taught for four solid hours. His stamina was something else.

Blue was pleased with Li Wei, Mizuki, and Dayou; finding promising students had sparked his enthusiasm.

His attitude was a little like Professor Oak's: he hoped to teach them as much as possible.

After checking his phone, Blue said to Dayou and Mizuki, "We have something else to discuss. We'll continue at eight tomorrow morning."

"Got it! We're leaving right now!"

Dayou and Incineroar took one side each, hoisted Mizuki up, and carried her away.

Time to go, time to go!

"I can walk myself!"

"Meow!"

Glameow hurried after them.

Once they had left the room, Dayou asked curiously, "How much did you learn this afternoon?"

Mizuki hesitated. "About thirty percent? Mr. Blue's knowledge of Pokémon Breeding is so solid. Without a good foundation, you can't really connect everything. What about you?"

"About the same..."

Dayou had also scored a three, but his was out of a hundred.

Just as Mizuki had said, his foundational knowledge was the weakest of the three.

Mizuki noticed his embarrassment.

"I have a few breeder's notebooks I put together myself. You can take them and make copies."

"Thank you so much! I'm so moved!!!" Dayou and Incineroar hugged each other, tears and snot streaming down their faces...

The corner of Mizuki's mouth twitched.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?"

Meanwhile, back in the room.

Seeing Blue's serious expression, Li Wei asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Blue handed his phone to Li Wei.

"See for yourself."

Li Wei read through the lengthy text.

To sum it up in one sentence,

Feebas no longer had a trainer.

Feebas's trainer was a Pokémon poacher who had concealed his identity well and used multiple aliases.

He had been pursued while illegally poaching Shieldon in the foothills of Mt. Coronet.

While fleeing in his car, he pulled an Arita downhill run and went straight to "See you again."

Full tank, downhill, no brakes-remember the name Arita.

Officer Jenny had traced the false identity he had left here, following the trail until she identified him.

There was also a photo captured by a high-definition camera at the end.

He was a middle-aged man with utterly unremarkable features and height.

Without knowing beforehand, no one would ever have guessed he was a poacher.

"Well? Is that him?"

Li Wei shook his head. "I've never met Feebas's trainer. My dad will have to take a look."

Comrade Leon nodded at once. "That's him! That's the one! Our security cameras caught him!"

Blue nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you pull up the footage so we can confirm it?"

The poacher had come on the morning of their opening day, so he was easy to find. Leon quickly pulled up the video.

"Look, that's him!"

After comparing them, Blue nodded. "It is. That confirms it. Could you give me a copy of this video?"

"No problem! But I don't know how!"

He might not know how, but he certainly said it loudly.

"I'll do it."

Li Wei helped copy it onto Blue's phone.

"What do you need this video for?"

Blue sent the video to Officer Jenny.

"To explain Feebas's identity."

Blue suggested, "Since Feebas no longer has a trainer, let's keep Feebas here for now."

Blue didn't ask Li Wei or Leon for their opinions. He knew they wouldn't refuse.

Li Wei nodded. "Of course. Feebas isn't in any condition to be released right now, either."

Besides, Li Wei had no intention of releasing Feebas.

Li Wei planned to raise Feebas himself, caring for the Pokémon until its confidence returned and it evolved.

As for whether Feebas stayed or left, he would leave that decision to Feebas.

Blue folded his arms, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Good. Feebas can become a breeding research project too."

"On restoring confidence-from Feebas to Milotic."

As a breeder, Blue could barely go three sentences without bringing up breeding.

"Feebas's example shows just how important a Pokémon's mental health is."

"Metang! Metang!"

(Always pay attention to mental health. Noted, noted!) Shiny Metagross was dedicated to absorbing knowledge at all times.

Evening came.

Blue had originally planned to return to the city center, but Comrade Leon persuaded him to stay.

Looking at the table laden with dishes, Blue was clearly surprised.

"You know how to cook too?"

"My grandpa taught me."

Blue nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."

Blue had tasted the old man's cooking before.

As a proper grandson, it was only right that Li Wei learned his grandfather's skills.

Li Wei was to his grandfather what Blue was to Professor Oak.

After dinner, Blue's gaze sharpened.

"We'll end the evening with a battle."