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Lucas gently patted Raleigh on the shoulder.
After a while, Raleigh, sobbing and hiccupping, finally spoke up: "Your Highness, hic... do you think I'm pathetic too? Everyone... hic... says Alva is a bad person, but... hic... here I am hiding and crying because of him... hic."
Lucas shook his head and said, "No, I don't look down on you at all."
"Really?" Raleigh suddenly looked up at Lucas, his eyes swollen and red from crying.
"Really." Lucas reached out and ruffled Raleigh's hair. "Alva may indeed be a bad person, but I also understand that he has been with you for a very long time, teaching you and guiding you. He was your mentor, so it's only natural for you to feel sad."
Raleigh and Kimia lost their mother at an early age, and their father, being the king of this country, seldom had time to spend with them.
When Raleigh was younger, he was at least able to spend time with his sister.
However, as Kimia grew older, she became busier as well. As the first in line for the throne of the Azoth Kingdom, Kimia had much to learn. After reaching adulthood (she was the same age as Lucas), she also had to frequently assist her father with state affairs, leaving almost no time to be with Raleigh.
Gradually, Alva, as Raleigh's teacher, became the person who spent the most time with him. Because of Alva's constant presence, even when Kimia noticed oddities in his behavior, her sense of guilt toward Raleigh held her back from taking any drastic action against Alva.
Hearing Lucas's words, a glimmer of light appeared in Raleigh's eyes.
Lucas continued, "Raleigh, you must remember that people are complex beings, and from different perspectives, judgments about them can vary greatly.
"Let me give you an example: suppose a man, driven to desperation to save his terminally ill daughter, resorts to robbery and accidentally kills someone in the process."
"To the victim and their family, this man is undeniably evil and deserves punishment. But to his daughter, he is her beloved father. Even though he committed a crime, in her heart, she will still respect and love him, and feel sorrow for him."
"In the same way, although Alva did wrong, he was also a part of your life, teaching and guiding you. It's only natural that you feel sorrowful. Just remember that sadness is fine, as long as you don't lose your sense of right and wrong."
After listening to Lucas's words, Raleigh wiped his tears and said, "Thank you, Your Highness Lucas. I understand. Alva made mistakes, and my father and sister were right to capture him. I'm just a little sad, that's all, just a little."
Lucas smiled and ruffled his hair again, saying, "Now that you've had a good cry, hurry back. It's cold outside, and you don't want to catch a chill—your sister and father would worry about you."
"Mhm~~"
Raleigh nodded vigorously, stood up, suddenly hugged Lucas for a moment, then quickly let go and ran off in a flash.
Lucas watched his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Still just a child…
Just as Lucas was about to leave, he noticed a young man with blond hair standing not far away, watching him. On the young man's shoulder sat a familiar Sobble.
"Your Highness Lucas," the young man greeted Lucas proactively.
"And you are…?" Lucas looked at him, puzzled.
"My name is Siebold. I'm a guest at the palace and just happened to be passing by," the young man replied.
"Siebold?" Lucas paused, then suddenly remembered, isn't he one of the Kalos's Elite Four? "You're… Elite Four Siebold?"
Siebold laughed as he walked over to Lucas. "It's an honor that Your Highness recognizes me. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but I just never had the chance."
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
The Sobble on Siebold's shoulder, upon approaching Lucas, waved excitedly and greeted him with enthusiasm.
Lucas reached out and scratched under its chin.
What a cute little guy.
"Is there something you needed to see me about, Elite Four Siebold?" Lucas asked, perplexed.
Siebold smiled and replied, "To be precise, it's not me who wanted to see Your Highness, but it." He pointed to the Sobble on his shoulder.
"Sobble~ Sobble~~"
The Sobble grinned widely at Lucas.
Lucas looked at the Sobble in surprise.
Siebold continued, "For the past few days, we've come to your shop every morning for breakfast, hoping to meet you. But there were so many customers, and I figured you must be busy, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Lucas hadn't actually noticed this.
"Well, I must apologize for my oversight."
He then looked at Sobble and asked, "Little guy, what did you want to see me about?"
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
Sobble, acting as if they were already close, climbed up Lucas's arm and onto his shoulder, rubbing its cheek affectionately against Lucas's.
Sobble's skin was slick and damp, with an unexpectedly pleasant feel.
"It seems this little one really likes you, Your Highness," Siebold said, half amused.
"What does the Elite Four mean?" Lucas paused, playfully scratching Sobble.
"Here's the thing..." Siebold began to explain how Sobble had taken a liking to Lucas.
"Really?" Lucas was both amused and exasperated.
"So, would Your Highness be willing to take Sobble in?" Siebold asked.
Lucas looked in surprise at the small Sobble on his shoulder. "Do you actually know how to cook?"
Sobble, feeling its skills were being questioned, became instantly excited and protested strongly at Lucas.
"Why don't we have Sobble show you a bit of its cooking?" Siebold suggested.
"Sounds great!" Lucas agreed.
He had actually been thinking about hiring some help, and if Sobble could indeed cook, it would be like a gift at just the right moment.
"Shall we head to the palace kitchen, then?" Lucas suggested.
With a determined look, Sobble clenched its tiny fists, mentally resolved to show Lucas its talents.
"Yes," Siebold nodded.
Lucas gestured to a maid in the distance, who quickly rushed over and respectfully bowed, "Your Highness."
Lucas waved a hand, saying, "No need for formalities. Would you kindly guide us to the kitchen?"
"Of course. Please, follow me."
The maid then led Lucas and Siebold to the palace kitchen.
The kitchen staff, always attentive to Lucas's needs, quickly prepared the necessary ingredients for Sobble.
Lucas was highly curious—how was such a small Sobble supposed to cook? Even Munchlax needed a stool to reach the stovetop, and Sobble, even standing on one, wouldn't be tall enough, right?
But what Lucas saw next completely surprised him.
Sobble's tail produced a flowing stream of water, which shot up like a pillar, lifting Sobble higher and higher until it was level with the stovetop.
What's more, Sobble was able to maintain this position steadily, without the water stream dispersing or losing balance. It could even move with the water flow to adjust its position.
What incredible control!
Not only Lucas, but the chefs and maids in the kitchen all stared wide-eyed at Sobble. Far from being flustered or nervous, Sobble enjoyed the attention, proudly giving Lucas a thumbs-up and winking, as if to say:
See? Impressive, aren't I?
Lucas noticed Sobble's reaction and smiled, giving it a thumbs-up. He thought Sobble had a very interesting personality and impressive skills.
Seeing Lucas's response, Sobble's eyes lit up, feeling even more confident that it had chosen the right person.
In the past, whenever it tried this gesture with Siebold, Siebold would just pat its head and say, "Stop fooling around." That always made Sobble feel like they were on completely different wavelengths.
Now, it was time for Sobble's cooking display.
Sobble was going to make pan-seared beef for Lucas.
In the Pokémon world, besides Berries, there were also regular fruits; and alongside Pokémon, there were also ordinary animals—otherwise, wouldn't everyone be deprived of meat?
Sobble grabbed a bowl and mixed barbecue sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cooking wine together to make a marinade.
Then it fetched a large piece of beef. Under Lucas's astonished gaze, a small knife formed of water appeared in Sobble's hand.
What? This little guy is amazing, even carrying its own cooking tools? Lucas's eyes widened, though Siebold was the only one present who wasn't surprised.
After cutting the beef to the right size, thickness, and shape, Sobble began gently patting it, using precise force and angles with each pat, to tenderize the beef and make it more flavorful.
Next, Sobble sprinkled salt, pepper, and other seasonings on the beef and let it marinate for a while.
Once marinated, the beef was placed in the marinade Sobble had prepared earlier, and it was gently flipped so both sides were fully soaked. Then, Sobble sprinkled some crushed basil leaves over it to marinate until fully infused.
Sobble added butter to a hot pan to melt. Though small in size, Sobble handled the pots and pans skillfully.
When the butter was fully melted, Sobble placed the marinated beef in the pan, searing it over medium heat, turning it on each side until the surface turned golden and the aroma was released.
Finally, Sobble plated the beef, letting it rest to retain the juices, garnished with some broccoli and cilantro as a finishing touch.
One pan-seared beef dish was complete.
Sobble used its water knife to slice a piece of beef, placed it on a small plate, grabbed a fork, and swiftly offered the plate to Lucas with an expectant look.
Lucas took the plate, speared the beef with the fork, and took a bite. The beef was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and combined with the special sauce, the rich flavors melted in his mouth.
The pan-seared beef was delicious! More importantly, even though Sobble had cut the beef with a water knife, it hadn't absorbed a drop of water. Sobble's control over Water-type energy was clearly impressive.
Small in size but with big skills!
Lucas couldn't help but give Sobble another thumbs-up. "This is delicious, Sobble! You're truly a master chef!"
Sobble beamed at the praise, giving Lucas another thumbs-up as if to ask, "Am I cool?"
"Cool, absolutely cool!" Lucas replied with admiration.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
Sobble darted up onto Lucas's shoulder, looking proud and triumphant, like a victorious general.
Seeing this, Siebold knew Lucas had accepted Sobble. He said, "Your Highness Lucas, I entrust Sobble to your care from now on."
Lucas nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of Sobble."
Siebold then looked at Sobble. "Sobble, I'll come to visit you when I can."
Sobble nodded, its gaze toward Siebold filled with reluctance, but since it had made its choice, it brushed its eyes and looked determined once more.
Sobble's tears have an extremely strong tear-inducing effect. Just now, even though Sobble had shed only one tear, Lucas, who was closest to it, was already tearing up.
"Waaah, Sobble, let's get along well from now on!"
At the same time, Sobble's data appeared before Lucas's eyes.
...
[ Sobble ]
Type: Water
Ability: Sniper
Gender: Male
Level: 14
Moves: Pound, Growl, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Bind, Soak, Water Slash, Water Pledge, Whirlpool, Aqua Ring.
[ Individual Value (IVs) ]
HP: 20
Attack: 29
Defense: 19
Sp. Attack: 31
Sp. Defense: 24
Speed: 30
This Sobble's stats were likely the best Lucas had seen besides Diancie, truly living up to its heritage from the grandfather of the Water-type Elite Four.
Noticing Lucas spacing out, Sobble patted his shoulder.
"Sobble~ Sobble~" Don't cry; let's work together well!
Its response made it seem as if Lucas was tearing up out of gratitude for Sobble's arrival.
The chefs and maids in the kitchen couldn't help but cover their mouths, laughing at the scene.
Lucas thought: All my dignity, lost in a single moment!
After bidding farewell to Siebold, Lucas carried Komala and shouldered Sobble, heading home.
On the way, Lucas said to Sobble, "Let's buy some ingredients, and tonight we'll make something special to celebrate your joining us."
Sobble quickly scurried from Lucas's left shoulder to his right and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
"Then it's settled."
Lucas then took Komala and Sobble to the supermarket.
After a big shopping trip, Lucas suddenly spotted some high-quality beef in the fresh produce section. He turned to Sobble and said, "How about I cook beef for you tonight? Let's see my version!"
He remembered that the potatoes in his garden should be ready to harvest, so he decided to make beef stew with potatoes tonight.
"Sobble~"
Sobble's eyes lit up, and it nodded vigorously.
Meanwhile, Komala, nestled in Lucas's arms, let a tiny tear slip down its cheek, subtly wiping it away before flipping over and continuing its nap.
After shopping, Lucas and the others returned to Munchlax's Home, took the stairs up to the third floor, and planned to use the space portal to return to the Nebel Plateau.
However, neither Lucas nor Sobble noticed the pair of eyes watching them from the shadows of the corner.
Only Komala twitched its ears, but did nothing more.
By the time Lucas got home, it was already evening, and the Pokémon who tended the garden had already finished their dinner and gone home. However, he saw Munchlax, Diancie, Gardevoir, and Gallade gathered around a table, exclaiming and laughing happily at something.
"What are you guys doing?" Lucas's sudden question startled everyone.
"Lucas, you're back!" Diancie said cheerfully.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~ Munchlax~~" Master, you said you'd be back soon! What took so long?
Munchlax dashed toward Lucas and burrowed into his arms, nuzzling him in a display of affection.
Thankfully, Lucas was strong enough to withstand the weight of this little chubby Pokémon.
"Sobble?"
Sobble called out from Lucas's shoulder.
"Munchlax?"
Munchlax looked up at this unfamiliar Pokémon with a dazed expression, tilting its head curiously.