Inside the laboratory, Xia You handed the three gifts he had prepared during his downtime to the people before him.
"Professor Cerise, Miss Chrysa, and Mr. Ren, thank you so much for looking after me all this time. These are just small tokens of my appreciation. Please accept them!"
They had known each other for quite some time, and given their relationship now, Professor Cerise and the others saw no need to stand on ceremony. They gladly accepted Xia You's gifts.
"My, how time flies," Professor Cerise said. "Before we knew it, you'd already spent so long traveling since arriving in Kanto, and now you're about to take on the Indigo Conference!"
"Yes..." Looking back, Xia You was filled with emotion as well. "Time really has flown. I still remember how unfamiliar and uneasy everything felt when I first visited the laboratory."
"I clearly remember that day too, and the easygoing, handsome young man who came here." Professor Cerise smiled softly. "But getting back to the subject, the Indigo Conference is the most important annual competition in our Kanto region. Now that you've made it this far, give it everything you've got! Only by doing your utmost can you avoid having regrets!"
"That's what I think too." Xia You nodded. "No matter how strong my opponents are, I'll approach every battle seriously and carefully!"
He paused, then continued, "Professor, although I may rarely have time to come back here in the future, as a Special Research Investigator for Cerise Laboratory, wherever I go, I'll be sure to report any extraordinary Pokémon incidents I encounter to you promptly!"
Professor Cerise was deeply heartened by those words.
"That's secondary. Your safety should come first on your journey, and there's no need to push too hard over certain things. But no matter what