After finishing his shower, Caleb changed into clean clothes and left the cleanup of the bathroom to Gardevoir.
Feeling refreshed, he returned to the living room to review the surveillance footage from the Pokémon Paradise during his absence...
The footage was divided into three segments.
The first segment showed Dragonite calling Hydreigon to a clearing in the Paradise. After the two dragons exchanged some words, Dragonite began using Draco Meteor.
Initially, Hydreigon was utterly shocked, yelling at Dragonite while frantically dodging the meteors raining down from above.
Pure Dragon-type energy flowed through the air. Though the Draco Meteor looked visually spectacular under Dragonite's deliberate control, its actual power was far less than what it would be when used against a real enemy.
Dragonite relentlessly used Draco Meteor without pause. Hydreigon was almost completely overwhelmed and was ultimately knocked out, losing the ability to battle.
The recording then moved on to the second segment.
Having been knocked out the day before, Hydreigon was initially very uncooperative.
Faced with this, Dragonite helplessly flew over to it and said something. Hydreigon's attitude then underwent a noticeable change.
The second day of Draco Meteor training officially began...
Having already accumulated some experience dealing with Draco Meteor the previous day, Hydreigon started off dodging quite smoothly. It even found opportunities to counterattack Dragonite during the process.
Seeing this, Dragonite narrowed its eyes and proactively increased the frequency and power of its Draco Meteor.
Soon enough, Hydreigon fell from the sky like a broken kite once again, crashing to the ground and falling unconscious.
Time officially arrived at the third day...
With the experience from the previous two days, Hydreigon switched tactics this time, actively launching attacks against Dragonite.
The two pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon engaged in an 'epic' battle high above the Pokémon Paradise.
But the inexperienced Hydreigon was no match for the seasoned Dragonite.
Faced with Dragonite's fierce and rapid attacks, an intense, unyielding feeling surged within Hydreigon. Its eyes turned crimson red, and an unprecedented ferocious aura erupted from its body.
Pure, violent Dragon-type energy surged wildly around it, finally condensing into irregularly shaped blazing meteors in mid-air.
The footage ended here...
Caleb looked at the two large guys sitting opposite him, both wearing guilty expressions, and said with a smile, "You did well."
Dragonite and Hydreigon's eyes immediately lit up.
Dragonite had been somewhat worried that its trainer would blame it for injuring its teammate. But upon hearing this, its round face visibly relaxed with relief.
Hydreigon, on the other hand, had been feeling guilty about destroying the bathroom everyone used. After hearing these words, the main head let out a barely perceptible, soft sigh of relief.
But just then, Caleb's tone shifted, "However…"
Hydreigon and Dragonite immediately tensed up again.
Seeing this, Caleb felt somewhat speechless but still patiently said, "However, from now on, you are not allowed to use moves inside the house. If you break the rooms, we won't even have a place to sleep."
"Roar!"
Hydreigon repeatedly nodded in agreement.
Caleb stepped forward and rubbed both its and Dragonite's heads, then turned to look around.
Mimikyu, Dragonite, Hydreigon, Lucario. One was still missing.
He looked at Lucario and asked, "Where's Celebi?"
Lucario turned its gaze towards the direction of the Pokémon Paradise: >..Over there..<
At that moment, Gardevoir also finished tidying up the bathroom and came out, adding, "Master, during the days you were away, Celebi has been living in the forest within the Paradise. It rarely returns to this side."
Caleb nodded thoughtfully and said, "Send me its location. I'll go see it."
Gardevoir nodded, "Yes, Master."
"Wuu!"
"Roar!"
Dragonite and Hydreigon immediately expressed that they could carry Caleb over.
Upon hearing each other's cries, they exchanged a glance and then began arguing with roars and growls.
Caleb looked at the two dragons quarreling and said, utterly exasperated, "Forget it. Both of you wait for me at home. Lucario, please come with me to take a look."
Upon hearing this, Lucario's furry ears twitched slightly. It had no objections to this request, naturally.
Dragonite and Hydreigon were very dejected, their tails drooping down unhappily.
Caleb: "…"
He sighed helplessly and said, "Then let's all go together. But you mustn't argue, understand?"
"Wuu!"
"Roar!"
Hydreigon and Dragonite immediately nodded happily in agreement...
…
~Pokémon Paradise~
Mimikyu, Dragonite, and Hydreigon flew side-by-side in a speed race across the sky...
Caleb and Lucario, on the other hand, strolled through the grassland, chatting as they walked.
Lucario wasn't as clingy as Dragonite and the others. Though not very old, its personality was exceptionally calm and steady, and it usually didn't talk much.
It was basically a case of Caleb asking a question and Lucario giving an answer. Like right now...
Caleb: "Have you had lunch yet?"
Lucario: >..Yes..<
Caleb: "What did you have for lunch?"
Lucario: >..Pokéblocks mixed with curry soup..<
Caleb: "…"
Even so, he could still tell from the slight twitching of Lucario's ear tips that it was feeling quite happy at this moment.
Truthfully, he didn't need to maintain his relationship with Lucario through awkward small talk like this. The abilities brought by their mental link extended far beyond just allowing Caleb and Lucario to fight as one.
The prerequisite for being one in heart and body was sufficient mutual trust and understanding between the trainer and the Pokémon.
As early as their first link, both Lucario and Caleb had seen, heard, and felt the most authentic version of each other through all the layers.
Lucario had chosen him, and he had chosen Lucario...
…
After walking with Lucario for a while, Caleb entered the forest where Celebi was located..
Aside from Celebi, this forest was also home to those Pokémon Caleb had brought out from the Ilex Forest last time.
Seeing Caleb, they immediately ran over happily to greet him.
Before long, Caleb and Lucario found themselves surrounded by a large group of Pokémon of various shapes and sizes.
Whether it was the stern-faced Beedrill swarm, the unruly Spearows, or the timid Caterpies, they all turned into well-behaved little kids in front of him.
"Hello, everyone!" Caleb greeted the group of Pokémon with a smile.
Just then, a green, sprite-like figure flew over from deep within the forest. It bypassed the wild Pokémon and deftly settled onto Caleb's shoulder, taking a deep breath.
Caleb: "…"
He brought Celebi and Lucario to a small riverbank, took out some snacks from his inventory to feed Celebi, and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to live here?"
Celebi said cheerfully: >..I like it here!..<