Chapter 322:
December 15th.
Berry production was decreasing more and more. Hayashi Kaede officially announced on his video channel that the Breeding House was closing for the year.
Although the comments section was flooded again, strongly urging Hayashi Kaede to hold on a little longer,
Hayashi Kaede had no choice but to say that next year, after the berry trees in the new Berry Plantation grew, the Energy Cube production from the Breeding House would increase.
Once this news came out, the discussions finally settled down.
But then they started discussing how big the new Berry Plantation actually was and how many Energy Cubes Brother Kaede could produce daily.
Of course, after reading these, Hayashi Kaede just smiled knowingly.
During these days, his main focus had been on Floragato's training.
By now, Floragato had reached level 27-29.
It had also passed the Sky Challenge's first level plus version.
You could say it improved every day.
But to pass the second level, its current strength still fell short by quite a bit.
Returning home, Alolan Ninetales and the Eevees sat on the sofa. The TV in front was broadcasting the Marine Piplup Cup.
On a vast, boundless sea, a huge buoy was placed, with various holes on it. Below these holes was the cold sea surface.
On the buoy stood two Pokémon.
One was the Water-type Golduck, the other was... Blastoise!
"Heh..."
Hayashi Kaede's gaze was quickly drawn in.
Behind Blastoise stood none other than Takagi Megumi.
She wore a down jacket, standing on the buoy with a serious expression.
The Golduck's Trainer was a young man who looked about twenty years old.
"And here it is, everyone! The long-awaited Marine Piplup Cup has finally arrived! Hello, viewers in front of your TVs, I'm Satoshi, the commentator for this Marine Piplup Cup!"
"This Marine Piplup Cup has thirty-six contestants who successfully obtained six Water-type Badges, qualifying for the Piplup Cup. They come from various cities, but without a doubt, they are all exceptionally talented Trainers..."
Watching Satoshi, who was riding an Aegislash and still working as a commentator in this weather, Hayashi Kaede's mouth twitched.
Good grief, he seemed to run into him at every match.
But wow, Wartortle had evolved into Blastoise.
The match soon started.
Hayashi Kaede sat on the sofa with great interest and watched.
"Ninetales!"
"Eevee, Eevee..."
During the viewing, the little ones gathered around the TV, cheering for Blastoise.
It had to be said that after this period of travel, Blastoise had made significant progress both in level and reaction speed.
The opponent's Golduck didn't seem to specialize in Psychic-type moves and soon lost to Blastoise in a Water-type move exchange.
Then came the second match.
Hayashi Kaede hadn't been watching long when Rotom's notification sound diverted his attention.
"Rotom~ There's a message from Champion Kazephyr, a message from Champion Kazephyr, Master~"
"Champion Kazephyr?" Hayashi Kaede was stunned for a moment, then looked at the approaching Rotom.
[Kazephyr: You there?]
He hadn't been messing with the weather lately to cause trouble, right?
A flicker of doubt crossed Hayashi Kaede's mind, but he quickly replied.
[Hayashi Kaede: I'm here.]
.....
Eastova Region, Pokémon League Headquarters.
As time progressed, this year's Pokémon League Conference was gradually gaining hype.
As the largest Trainer competition within the Eastova region, this time of year was always the busiest for the Pokémon League Headquarters.
They had to screen the contestants' qualifications, prepare various venues for the competitors, and ensure sufficient publicity...
In short, behind a grand event was the hard work of countless staff.
And as the Champion of the Eastova League, this time of year always filled him with motivation.
Because he could see the talented Trainers within the League.
They were the League's fresh blood, the future of the entire League!
At this moment, Kazephyr was sitting in his office.
In front of him, a Rotom was playing a video.
It was the Nagisuna City Junior Cup.
The content was the scene where Serperior used Grassy Terrain at the end.
"Such an absurd rate of improvement."
Looking at this, Kazephyr was astonished.
He had just watched the Aogiri Town Baby Cup.
He learned that back in July this year, this Serperior was still a Snivy.
But in just a few months, the proficiency with which this Serperior used Grassy Terrain was already no less than that of an Elite Four level Pokémon!
This was simply incredible!
It almost rivaled that red-haired boy who shone so brightly in the Indigo Conference back in the day.
"It's been another month since then; this Serperior must be even stronger now, right?"
With this thought, he immediately became excited and started making arrangements.
Generally, for outstanding Trainers within the League, Kazephyr wanted them to participate in the Pokémon League Conference at least once. Firstly, he hoped young Trainers could progress through competition. Secondly, he wanted to select a group of excellent Trainers to become role models for the Eastova League, inspiring more novice Trainers to embark on journeys.
Also...
to secretly scout potential candidates for the next League Champion.
He wanted to retire.
But he was still young.
So, to retire early, he could only find a successor.
There was still plenty of time; Kazephyr wasn't in a hurry.
Now, seeing Hayashi Kaede had replied, he immediately stated his purpose.
[Kazephyr: Do you know about the Pokémon League Conference?]
[Hayashi Kaede: Of course I know. Does the Champion mean he wants me to participate in the Pokémon League Conference?]
In the Breeding House.
Seeing the Champion's message, Hayashi Kaede suddenly remembered the Pokémon League Conference.
[Kazephyr: Right. I see your Pokémon's strength should be sufficient to participate. It's a good chance to go and gain some experience... Oh, and try to use Pokémon you've raised and caught yourself. Don't use Salamence, Mewtwo, Mew, or them...]
Kazephyr suddenly remembered that the Breeder also had Mew and Mewtwo, those two utterly unreasonable Pokémon.
If they participated, the Pokémon League Conference might as well be canceled.
[Hayashi Kaede: Mewtwo went off training. Mew is playing outside and hasn't been home for a while. Probably won't be back soon?]
[Kazephyr: Alright. From the sound of it, you're interested. I'll sign you up then.]
[Hayashi Kaede: ???]
[Hayashi Kaede: I still need to think about it, Champion!]
[Kazephyr: Too late, I've already registered you. Young man, show some vitality. When it's time to shine in a competition, don't hold back.]
[Hayashi Kaede: ....]
Looking at the silent Rotom, even he found it somewhat amusing. A thoughtful expression crossed Hayashi Kaede's face.
Thinking about it, he had originally wanted to participate in the Pokémon League Conference.
Because Serperior wanted to find various different opponents to battle.
But now it was different. The weather was cold, and Serperior wasn't too willing to move around.
It was more agile when curled up at home, occasionally coming out to lie on the carpet, but it didn't like leaving the house anymore.
"Never mind, I should ask everyone."
Looking at Alolan Ninetales on the sofa, still engrossed in the TV, Hayashi Kaede thought to himself.
This kind of decision shouldn't be made alone.
At that moment, Gardevoir suddenly picked up the Rotom and looked at the chat history on the phone.
"Gardevoir?" (Can I go to this competition too?)
Hayashi Kaede: "???"