Chapter 378:
"Take a look at my Pidgeot?"
Hayashi Kaede was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "Yes, it's possible, but it might not be very convenient right now."
Right now, Pidgeot had just finished breakfast and was still in its shrunken state.
Bringing it out for others to see wouldn't be ideal. Or rather, they probably wanted to see the enlarged Pidgeot, but if he brought out the small one, it would be even harder to explain later.
"Inconvenient?"
"Yes, yes. How about I bring it to visit you this afternoon~" Kaede said tactfully.
"This... alright then." Although Dr. Lake felt somewhat disappointed hearing this, but he suppressed the excitement in his heart.
He then turned sideways, revealing Mona, who had been hiding behind him. "This is my granddaughter, Mona. She always says she wants to win first place in the Pokémon League Conference in the future. Come, meet this year's Conference champion. I heard he's only eighteen, right?"
,,ԾㅂԾ,,: "Ah... haha..."
Mona laughed awkwardly; at this moment, she felt utterly embarrassed.
Just a few days ago, she had challenged him, and now things had turned out like this.
"Aren't you going to say hello?" Dr. Lake looked at his granddaughter, puzzled.
She used to be the child who loved Pokémon challenges the most back in the city, beating the other kids until they didn't dare to face her.
Finally, Kaede, unable to suppress a smile, came to her rescue. "We've already greeted each other, hahaha. I can tell she's a child who really loves challenges."
"Ah?" Dr. Lake was stunned, then immediately understood. "Did she challenge you?"
"That's right, but..."
Before Kaede could finish,
Mona's already embarrassed face flushed with shame and annoyance. She pulled her grandfather's hand, trying to leave. "Ah... Grandpa... let's go, let's go back..."
She practically dragged him away.
Only Kaede remained standing there, unable to hold back his laughter.
"Having more people is nice... with more people, it will be more lively..."
...
4:00 PM.
Kaede arrived punctually with Pidgeot at the newly built research institute at the town entrance.
Having rested at home for several days and being busy preparing for the Conference before that, he only now realized the previously half-finished institute was now completely built.
The overall architectural style was white and circular, like half an eggshell enclosing an ecological area.
Above, it was made of one-way glass; sunlight shone on it, reflecting the light.
It covered a large area. That section of land, separated by the road, faced a large empty plot on the other side that served as a parking lot.
The area occupied by this building was no smaller than Kaede's plantation.
Out of politeness, Kaede knocked on the door. Soon, a young researcher in a white lab coat came out.
He was very enthusiastic. "You're here? Come in, come in! Dr. Lake has been waiting for you for a long time."
Kaede nodded without speaking and followed him inside.
Once inside, he was immediately stunned.
From the outside, the building seemed full of high-tech, but inside, it was a patch of lush green grass paired with a clear pond.
A group of small, blue-bodied Pokémon with fin-like crests on their heads and yellow, gill-like markings on their cheeks were playing in the pond. Staff members were nearby, feeding them.
Kaede even spotted a pink individual among them.
"These are Mudkip. They are very suitable Pokémon for novice trainers."
The young researcher introduced.
Kaede found it novel. "Mudkip?"
"Are all novice trainers limited to only this Pokémon?"
The researcher quickly shook his head. "Of course not. Actually, there are quite a few suitable Pokémon. Like Bulbasaur, Treecko, Squirtle, Piplup... The Eastova League is introducing these Pokémon. For example, coastal areas will have more Squirtles and Froakies, while the forested northern regions will have more Treeckos and Chikoritas..."
Kaede's eyes lit up with each name. "These are the standard starter Pokémon in other Leagues! Are you planning to introduce all of them?"
That would be interesting.
As everyone knows, in other League regions, novice trainers starting their journey typically only have local starter Pokémon to choose from.
But the Eastova League now offered so many different starter Pokémon. This was a huge benefit for novice trainers!
It seemed like Kazephyr's doing, but Kaede wondered how he convinced other League regions to introduce so many excellent Pokémon species.
But this was ultimately a good thing.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have Meowscarada, Alolan Ninetales, and the others.
"Well, I don't know about that... I'm just a graduate student learning from my teacher..." The researcher showed an awkward smile.
Kaede didn't ask further.
Passing the grassy area, a forested area appeared ahead. Under several thick trees meters high was a group of green, standing Pokémon with yellow eyes and red underbellies.
These were Treeckos!
*'Treecko and Mudkip, huh?'*
Kaede thought to himself.
It seemed that in a few years, there would be no shortage of trainers in this town with these two Pokémon.
Moving further ahead and pushing open a door, they likely entered the actual research area.
Various unrecognizable instruments were placed around, some lit up and displaying data.
Currently, only Dr. Lake was inside.
Upon seeing Kaede arrive, his eyes immediately lit up. "You're here! You're here!"
"Yes, hello, Doctor." Kaede nodded.
"Come, come, let me see that Pidgeot!" Dr. Lake was visibly excited.
"Alright."
Kaede also wanted to know why his Pidgeot had grown so large.
They all ate roughly the same.
Or rather, what did becoming this large entail?
Initially, Kaede thought his Pidgeot, like the Totem Pokémon in Alola, had become a leader Pokémon, hence its large size.
But he recently noticed...
Pidgeot was still growing?
With a tendency to grow even larger?
Normally, after a Pokémon evolves to its final form, changes in size, aside from growth periods, usually don't exceed 10%.
But his Pidgeot, after evolving, was initially only slightly larger than an average Pidgeot.
Now it was over 3 meters tall.
When it stood next to Dragonite, it was even a head taller...
But after much thought, Kaede couldn't figure out the reason.
He was completely clueless about this research-oriented stuff.
Since it was healthy, Kaede hadn't worried about it.
But it couldn't keep growing larger and larger. What if one day it couldn't even fit inside a Poké Ball?
It was perfect timing that someone was willing to take a look now!
Kaede took out a Poké Ball and summoned Pidgeot.
"So big?"
The massive Pidgeot's appearance made Dr. Lake adjust his glasses, his face full of astonishment.
After the shock came excitement.
For researchers, seeing something they want to study immediately generates anticipation.
It's similar to trainers who love battling; they rarely refuse a challenge.
He stepped forward, unable to resist touching Pidgeot's feathers.
"Eyes sharp, feathers smooth and hard... but why is there such a strong sense of heat? That is weird... But this Pidgeot is really... exceptionally well-raised!"
Dr. Lake looked at the Pidgeot with shining eyes. After researching Pokémon for so many years, this was the first time he had seen a Pidgeot like this.
Kaede asked curiously, "What causes abnormal size increases in Pokémon like this?"
"Size increase? There are many reasons, but ultimately, they can be summarized into two types. One is Leader Pokémon. I don't know if you're familiar with the Alola region? Over there, they have Totem Pokémon, whose sizes are often several times that of their regular counterparts."
"Yes, yes, I know." Kaede nodded repeatedly.
He had been to the Alola region, so he naturally knew.
"Since you know, I won't elaborate. I'll just tell you that generally, Totem Pokémon also stop growing after reaching a certain size."
"The other type is very peculiar. It's caused by various reasons, but they share a common characteristic: genetic atavism."
"Atavism?"
Kaede was stunned.
Dr. Liang continued, "Yes, generally, this situation is very rare and not replicable. I once discussed this with Dr. Oak from the Kanto region. He had encountered a giant Dragonite, but unfortunately, no information about that Dragonite was collected.
However, on my return journey, I had a fruitful harvest! I managed to purchase a tissue sample from a giant Tentacruel at a high price and conducted research!"
"Giant Tentacruel?"
Kaede instantly thought of that giant Tentacruel.
But that giant Tentacruel grew to that size after evolving.
"Correct!"
When it came to this topic, the old researcher was clearly excited. "Later, I also discovered that in the Kanto region, there are many legends about giant Pokémon. Through my research here, I found a crucial point."
"Hmm?"
"That is, these giant Pokémon all have extremely vigorous vitality, several times, even more than ten times, that of their regular counterparts!
Do you know what that means? It means their lifespans are several times, even over ten times, longer than others of their species!
Dr. Oak and I once predicted that the giant Dragonite must be at least a thousand years old by now!"
"But unfortunately, after that giant Tentacruel evolved, its cell division activity rapidly declined, losing the ability to grow further."
"Hmm... So is it harmful to the body?" Kaede was more concerned about this.
Although he had dishes prepared that could directly restore health.
"Based on research so far, no." Dr. Lake gave a definite answer.
His eyes shone even brighter looking at Pidgeot. "Ka... Kaede? Could you give me a few of Pidgeot's feathers?"
Although the giant Tentacruel's tissue indicated it stopped growing after evolution, Dr. Lake always felt something was off.
Because if it didn't grow after evolution, that meant the giant Dragonite also became that large right after evolving.
But Dr. Lake had a faint feeling that couldn't be the case.
If it were, there wouldn't be so little information about that giant Dragonite.
Before, there was no opportunity, but now, this Pidgeot before him gave him hope of uncovering the truth.
"Feathers? Of course. Pidgeot shed some feathers during its molting period before; I kept some. I can also pluck one for you now."
Kaede readily agreed.
Such research could also help him understand Pidgeot's physical condition better. And the cost was just a feather from Pidgeot—that was completely acceptable.
"Come here, Pidgeot~"
Kaede took a pair of scissors from the research area, crouched down, and snipped a downy feather from Pidgeot's leg. "Do you need feathers from its molting period? I'll have to go back and get them. Should I wait?"
"Yes, please."
"Alright."
Kaede didn't waste words. He went straight home, retrieved a feather, and handed it to Dr. Lake, who immediately immersed himself in research.
Kaede couldn't understand those strange instruments, so he said his goodbyes and left.
...
"Go, Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"
"Krabby, use Harden."
*Slap, slap...*
"Darn it, Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
"Krabby, use Bubble Beam..."
"Ah, Krabby!"
At some point, a few youngsters had started having battles right outside Kaede's gate.
They specifically chose the lawn in front of the main entrance as their battlefield.
Whenever Kaede stepped out, he'd see a Bulbasaur beating up a Krabby.
When he came out, their commanding voices grew louder, and Kaede finally realized.
Weren't they specifically battling for him to see?
Trying to perform in front of him?
After all, he now held the title of Pokémon League Conference champion~
For some rookie trainers just starting out, he was practically an idol.
So Kaede sometimes didn't mind being an audience member. Standing to the side, he'd occasionally nod when the two high school students gave clever commands, which delighted them to no end.
Time passed leisurely in this manner until the New Year arrived.
…
January 28th, Spring Festival.
After several sunny days, light snow began to fall this day.
Fluttering snowflakes landed on the ground, forming a thin layer of snow.
This was probably the most exciting day for all the children in town.
Because at the end of the town, near the forest, stood a villa.
They knew it was the home of this year's Pokémon League Conference champion, but since Kaede rarely went out, it seemed very mysterious.
The few times they went to say hello, an Indeedee would come out to receive them, handing out a few chocolates before sending them away.
But today was different. Today, groups of children, either accompanied by parents or gathered in small clusters, could enter the courtyard for exchange of greetings.