"Sister Reese, Sister Linnea."
Lucas dismounted from Charizard and called out to Jenny and Joy.
Then he picked up Shauna.
Jenny was in conversation with Professor Rowan when she saw Lucas dismount from Charizard, and she quickly walked over.
"I'm counting on you today."
She patted Lucas's shoulder, and seeing his hesitant expression, Jenny smiled.
"Just do your best, leave the rest to me and Sister Linnea."
Joy also walked over, nodding gently.
"Okay."
"You are Lucas?"
A deep voice came, and Lucas looked over.
An old man in a gray overcoat, a blue velvet vest, a gray tie, and a handlebar mustache, with a dignified expression, was looking at him.
Lucas recognized him at a glance as Professor Rowan, who mainly researches "Pokémon evolution" in the Sinnoh region, and Cynthia was once his assistant before becoming Champion.
"Professor Rowan."
Lucas greeted him politely, and Professor Rowan looked at Shauna and the Pokémon beside Lucas; three Machamp had arrived earlier to help him.
At this moment, he felt a deep sense of reliance and connection from the Pokémon around Lucas.
He smiled.
"You have raised your Pokémon very well, just as Jenny and Joy told me."
"Because we are family."
Professor Rowan's eyes suddenly widened, then softened.
"Is that so? Family."
He looked at Celebi flying near Lucas, the legendary forest god, possessing the power to travel through time.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lucas."
"Mm."
Lucas had no extra words, just a hum.
He would do his best to help these Pokémon.
He followed Professor Rowan into the research institute's observation room, where many Pokémon were isolated, their eyes filled with fear and dread.
Lucas glanced around; they were all Pokémon he recognized.
[Roselia]
[Introduction: Deceived by a Pokémon Hunter, it dedicated all its love to the Pokémon Hunter who tricked it, but because no buyer was willing to purchase it, it suffered the Pokémon Hunter's disdain, abuse, and torment. Longing for love, it is now filled with despair.]
Almost all the Pokémon left in the observation room had similar psychological problems.
Lucas frowned, then walked over to Shauna, squatted down, and whispered some instructions into her and Petilil's ears.
Shauna nodded seriously, and Petilil also responded.
Then Petilil walked into the observation room where Roselia was staying.
Celebi flew above her head, following her in.
"Ga—Gani—"
Roselia looked at Petilil and Celebi walking in, and seeing that no humans had entered, she cried out a little fearfully.
"Gani.."
Aren't you afraid of humans?
Petilil tilted her head, and due to her body shape, her whole body also tilted, looking curiously at Roselia, puzzled by what she said.
"La Ji?"
Why be afraid of humans?
"Ga—..Ni"
They will dislike us, hate us.
Roselia seemed to recall something, and her body involuntarily shrank.
"La Ji~"
Petilil saw Roselia's state. She comforted Roselia, then remembered what Lucas did when she was in despair.
Then she spoke in a gentle and delicate voice.
"La Ji~"
I was just like you then, I had lost hope in humans.
"Gani?"
Then why are you still—
"La Ji~"
But I met another human. The first time he saw me, he didn't comfort me; he just trimmed the leaves on my head.
Petilil's eyes held a trace of memory.
"La Ji~"
Petilil began to recount her first meeting with Lucas.
Her voice was delicate, and coupled with her inherent cuteness, Roselia unconsciously became engrossed in listening.
And Celebi, too.
"La Ji~"
Later, he knew I was afraid of the dark, so he and Gengar placed me in a flowerpot on the balcony and left a lamp for me. Even now, I've overcome my fear of the dark, but no matter where I am, that room always has a lamp lit for me.
"La Ji."
Always.
Petilil finished speaking, a smile on her face, full of happiness.
This made the Roselia opposite her somewhat dazed.
The memories in her mind were completely opposite to what Petilil said.
She began to imagine the scene Petilil described, and this started to conflict and intertwine with the images in her memory.
She began to feel increasingly uncomfortable and pained.
Tears flowed out involuntarily, and her emotions became more and more unstable.
"La Ji~"
Just as she was about to break down, she heard what Petilil said.
Her emotions stabilized.
Then she asked weakly—
"Gani?"
Can I?
Petilil nodded.
"La Ji~"
Of course you can.
Then she looked at Lucas, who was standing by the window, watching Petilil, and unconsciously smiled.
Just now, Petilil had said to her.
Do you want to come along?
Celebi, flying in the air, paused Petilil's words. She turned her head to look at Lucas.
Then she smiled, a very happy smile.
Then she came before Roselia, and her small hand gently took the two flowers on Roselia's hands. A flash of light, and the two flowers on Roselia's hands began to become vibrant.
Looking at the smiling Roselia, Lucas looked at Petilil's small body in the observation room, looking like a round onion from afar.
A relieved smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Once upon a time, Petilil, who was desperate after being abandoned by her trainer, had overcome her fear of the dark, begun to calmly face her past, and was able to comfort other Pokémon, becoming reliable.
Wiping the sweat from the corner of his eyes, Lucas stood at the doorway, opening his arms to the Petilil who was walking out.
"Let's have dinner later, to forget the past unpleasantness and embrace a new life."
Lucas picked up Petilil, then looked at Roselia, who was following behind her, looking somewhat trembling at him, and said with a smile.
"Ga———Gani——
Roselia nodded fearfully.
Seeing this, Lucas said:
"You are truly beautiful, Roselia."
Roselia looked up at Lucas, somewhat lost in thought.
At this time, Shauna next door, accompanied by Gengar, had also initially stabilized the condition of the Pokémon on her side.
He lightly high-fived Shauna as she walked out, praising her and Chingling, then led them to the next observation room.
For some gentle Pokémon, he left them to Petilil and Shauna, as children's words are the easiest to touch the soft spot in the hearts of humans and Pokémon.
As for some of the fiercer-looking Pokémon, Lucas would personally handle them to prevent Petilil and Shauna from getting hurt.
This was Lucas's initial plan and one he was currently implementing.
Lucas, with Petilil and Shauna, managed to stabilize the condition of all the Pokémon. Although the process was somewhat circuitous, and some Pokémon took a bit more time, the final outcome was good.
They had initially opened that knot; the rest was just slow recuperation.
Looking at this group of Pokémon walking out of the observation room, seeing their still trembling bodies, Lucas rubbed his stomach.
"Then, tonight, let's have a grand feast that can make us forget our troubles!"
He believed that delicious food could make people temporarily forget their worries.
....
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