Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

"Ahem, Dream." Karl said to Dream in front of everyone, "I think I won the bet, right?"

"Miao? (The bet? What bet?)" Dream, who had been captivated by Master Xiong's skills, had completely forgotten the bet she had made with Karl not long ago.

“Of course, it’s the bet that will get you to join the farm,” Carl said to Dream in a tempting tone. “If you join the farm, you can eat this delicious food every day.”

The dreamy chewing motion paused. Although it did enjoy a free and easy life, if it could eat such delicious food every day, it seemed that a free life was not so necessary.

“Mew? (Really?)” Dream launched its last struggle.

“Of course, our farm may not have much else, but we have plenty of good food.” Carl launched his final “attack.”

“Mwah! (I’m in!)” Dream answered decisively.

After settling the "bet," Carl turned to Dr. Yamanashi beside him and asked, "So, Dr., what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Professor Yamanashi swallowed the food in his mouth, then looked thoughtful: "If possible, I'd like to explore the wilderness near Little Key Town first, to compare the ecology of the Padia region with that of the Sinnoh region."

“Well, in that case, I’ll have either Guleton or Milton accompany you tomorrow. That way, if anything unexpected happens, they can help you escape quickly.” Karl immediately made the arrangements.

“Haha, that’s perfect, I was just thinking of spending more time with them.” Dr. Yamanashi immediately agreed with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, Dr. Yamanashi asked Carl, “By the way, Carl, you should know about the terrectilucent phenomenon in the Padia region, right?”

“Of course, after all, the Tai Crystallization is a very versatile enhancement system.” Karl said, casually taking out the Tai Crystal Bead he carried with him and placing it in front of Dr. Yamanashi. “I made a deal with President Yaji before, and this Tai Crystal Bead is the reward she gave me.”

Upon seeing the Crystal Bead, Dr. Yamanashi immediately put down his chopsticks and picked it up with both hands to examine it closely.

"Judging from its appearance, this should be an artificial prop made of some rare ore and other materials." Dr. Yamanashi held up the Crystal Bead and examined it carefully under the light. "However, I think this kind of prop needs to be charged in a specific way, right?"

“That’s right. Once you’ve used a Crystal Bead, you need to go to the Pokémon Center in each town to recharge it using a specific device.” Karl thought for a moment. “However, Crystal Beads can also be recharged using Crystal Fragments, but the charging speed and efficiency are not as good as the devices in the Pokémon Center.”

"Truly amazing." Professor Yamanashi handed the Crystal Bead back to Carl, saying with a sigh, "First, Professor Syracuse of the Kalos region discovered the enhancement system called Mega Evolution. Then, the Dynamax phenomenon that already existed in the Galar region was deciphered and transformed into a controllable Dynamax system. And then there's the Crystallization system unique to the Padilla region. Indeed, there's still so much I don't know about this world."

“In fact, there is also a power-up system called ‘Z-Moves’ in the Alola region, but since the Alola League was only established not long ago, not many people know about the ‘Z-Moves’ system,” Carl immediately added.

"Z-Move?"

The moment Karl finished speaking, everyone at the table temporarily shifted their gaze from the sumptuous meal to Karl.

After noticing everyone's gaze, Carl blinked and then explained, "Z-Moves are actually made by using a special crystal called Z-Crystal, along with specific equipment, to guide out the power contained within the Z-Crystal and use it to enhance the Pokémon's corresponding familiar moves."

Speaking of this, Carl remembered the "full-power stance" required when using Z-Crystal and immediately laughed out loud: "Moreover, before using Z-Crystal, you need to master different dances depending on the type of Z-Crystal you're using. Only by learning those specific dances can you use Z-Moves."

"That sounds really interesting!" Nemo's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. For Nemo, a battle fanatic, learning an awkward dance was nothing as long as it could improve her strength.

Pipa and Shinji, seeing the "evil" smile on Karl's face, knew that the "dance" Karl was talking about was probably the kind of dance that was extremely embarrassing.

“I remember you haven’t been to the Alola region, Carl?” Professor Yamanashi was very interested in the Z-Move Carl mentioned, so he immediately asked, “How did you find out about it?”

“Last year, I happened to participate in the Silver Conference, right? One of my opponents was from the Alola region named Kukui.” As Carl said this, he unconsciously recalled the trainer who always wore shorts. “If he hadn’t met me, he might have been the champion of that Silver Conference.”

Upon hearing Karl's words, Shinji's eyes revealed a hint of sympathy. After all, with Karl's strength, the Silver Tournament was nothing to worry about. Therefore, from the moment Karl decided to participate in the Silver Tournament, all the other participants could only be his foils.

After saying that, Carl recalled the ideals that Kukui had mentioned when they parted ways, and added with a smile, "If nothing unexpected happens, Kukui should be working hard to get a Pokémon doctorate right now, right?"

"Professor Pokémon?" Professor Yamanashi's interest was piqued even more upon hearing this.

“That’s right. After all, the Alola League has only been established for a short time and is even more lacking in talent than the current Padia League.” Karl subtly criticized a certain league president, and then continued, “Therefore, Kukui wants to contribute to the development of the league.”

"I see." Dr. Yamanashi thought for a moment and said with some regret, "If I hadn't come to the Padia region this time, I would have liked to take advantage of your connection with Carl to visit the Alola region. Unfortunately, I have gained a lot from my trip to the Padia region, so I can only consider going to the Alola region after I finish my current research."

"So that's why you recommended I catch Litten, Master?" Shinji asked, suddenly realizing.

"That's part of the reason," Karl nodded, then continued, "Litten's final evolution, Incineroar, is a very powerful Pokémon. Even among the Fire-type starter Pokémon in various regions, it's a contender for second or even first place."

In fact, if Charizard weren't Game Freak's favorite, Incineroar would definitely be the strongest Fire-type starter Pokémon right now.

Of course, Cinderace the Freelancer is also quite powerful. If the Freelancer hadn't been nerfed in the game, it would have been a strong contender for the strongest Fire-type starter Pokémon.

Upon hearing Carl's words, Nemo was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Shinji with great interest: "Shinji, after you've finished training Litten, let's have a battle!"

Shinji was already used to Nemo challenging him to a battle anytime, anywhere. He simply nodded and agreed, "No problem. However, Litten is still in its growth stage. It will take about a year for it to reach the same level as your Pokémon."

“A year.” Nemo was a little downcast at first, but then she seemed to have thought of something and clapped her hands, saying, “In that case, I’ll go and catch one of the starter Pokémon to train now, so we can battle anytime!”

Pipa's lips twitched slightly, thinking to herself, "As expected of Nemo, she actually came up with this kind of method for the sake of battle."

"Nemo, aren't you preparing for this year's championship run?" Carl asked at the opportune moment, "Do you still have time to train a new Pokémon?"

"Time can be squeezed out, and besides, my Pokémon have hit a bottleneck right now, so if it's convenient, Karl-san, could you do a few more training battles with me?"

Carl hadn't expected his well-intentioned reminder to add to his burden, but after thinking about it, he agreed: "Okay, but that will have to wait until after the final exams, since you all need to study for the finals during that time, right?"

When Karl brought up the topic of final exam preparation, Shinji's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, while Nemo blushed for once: "Well, as long as the grades for other courses are passing, isn't that enough?"

Upon hearing this, Carl raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask any further questions, Piper answered Carl's question for Nemo: "Nemo missed most of her classes for the semester in order to prepare for the dojo exam. So, in addition to the required courses this semester, she also needs to make up for the credits she didn't complete last semester."

“I see.” Carl didn’t say anything more. After all, Nemo, the daughter of the big boss of the mobile phone company Rotom, didn’t need to worry about employment. Even though she didn’t have the right to inherit, she would definitely be well-off in the future.

Just then, Dr. Yamanashi suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, Pipa, what are your plans for the future?"

Upon hearing this familiar question, Piper paused for a moment, only to hear Professor Yamanashi continue, "From what I understand, Shinji will most likely aim to become a powerful trainer in the future, and he is indeed on the right path. As for Nemo, although I don't know much about her family background, given her talent in Pokémon battles, she will most likely follow the same path as Shinji in the future."

At this point, Dr. Yamanashi paused, looking at Pipa with his seemingly penetrating gaze: "So, Pipa, what about you?"

“Haha, Karl-ge and I talked about this before.” Pipa thought for a moment and said seriously, “For me, I’m more of a breeder than a trainer. Maybe I’ll open a breeding house in Padia in the future? That’s about it.”

“I understand what you’re thinking, but becoming a breeder isn’t easy.” Professor Yamanashi said to Piper with a smile, “If you want to become a breeder, you must master a lot of knowledge related to breeding Pokémon, which means you will need to continue your studies after graduating from Orange Academy.”

“Yes, I’ve looked into these things, but it’s still too far removed from my current situation.” Piper scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “My current goal is simply to find out some of the truths I want to know.”

Dr. Yamanashi nodded approvingly upon hearing this: "Take it one step at a time, and be down-to-earth in every step you take. As long as you have this attitude, whatever you want to do, you will definitely reap the rewards."

"However, if you wish to pursue further studies in the future, I can write you a letter of recommendation," Dr. Yamanashi said casually. "I think my letter of recommendation carries some weight."

Upon hearing Dr. Yamanashi's last words, Shinji nearly choked on the lemonade he had just drunk.

As a national treasure-level researcher in the Sinnoh region, Professor Yamanashi's recommendation letter carries far more weight than just "somewhat." With Professor Yamanashi's recommendation letter, not to mention other world-renowned universities, at least Professor Yamanashi and Professor Oak's alma mater, Celadon University, would absolutely not refuse Pipa's admission.

Piper clearly knew the weight of Professor Yamanashi's letter of recommendation, but he didn't accept it immediately. Instead, he said somewhat nervously, "Am I really okay? Although both my parents are Pokémon professors, I don't seem to have inherited their research talent... I..."

"Why not?" Dr. Yamanashi interrupted immediately after hearing Piper's self-contradictory statement: "All knowledge is acquired through learning, not something we are born with."

'Unless you're a time traveler like me,' Karl silently added in his mind.

"Do you think I was born knowing how to do Pokémon research, Pipa?" Professor Yamanashi said calmly, "As for the recommendation letter, if you can learn what you want to learn from it, then it's worth it. Only if you don't learn anything from the recommendation letter can you say you've wasted it."

“I understand, thank you, Grandpa Yamanashi,” Pipa said sincerely.

Shinji and Nemo felt no jealousy or anything like that about Dr. Yamanashi wanting to give Pipa a letter of recommendation. On the contrary, they were very happy that Pipa was able to get Dr. Yamanashi's letter of recommendation.

After all, anyone with eyes can see that Piper isn't very interested in Pokémon battles. The reason he's working so hard to improve his strength is simply because there's something he has to do.

As Pipa's friends, Shinji and Nemo both hope that Pipa will eventually follow the path he wants to take.

Before long, everyone finished the "welcome dinner" specially prepared for Dr. Yamanashi, and it was already seven o'clock in the evening.

Since the three children still had classes the next day, after saying goodbye to Dr. Yamanashi, they got into Nemo's luxury car and returned to Orange Academy together.

Watching the car lights gradually disappear into the night, Dr. Yamanashi turned to Karl and gave him an inquiring look.

“Nemo’s father is the owner of Rotom Mobile, and I…”

After briefly recounting his "connection" with Nemo, Dr. Yamanashi sighed, "Perhaps you and that child really did have a 'master-disciple relationship'."

"Perhaps, but in reality, given Nemo's talent, there's not much I can teach her." Carl was still debating whether or not to take Nemo as his apprentice. After all, if he did, his farm would undoubtedly become much more "lively" in the future.

From the helpless expression on Karl's face, combined with Nemo's personality just now, Dr. Yamanashi could guess what Karl was struggling with. He smiled slightly and said, "Don't you think this child is a lot like you before?"

“How could that be?” Carl immediately denied. “I wasn’t as ‘annoying’ as she was at her age.”

“I think the wild Pokémon near Sandstone Town have more to say on this topic,” Professor Yamanashi said with a smile. “I wonder who caused all this chaos back then.”

"Who is it? How could they be so mean?" Carl immediately pretended to be stupid and said, "It can't be me, right? I've always been a good kid."

Dr. Yamanashi couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw Karl's appearance: "It's windy outside, let's go inside and talk."

"Hehe, okay."

Chapter 254 A Nighttime Chat with Friends and Karl, Who Loves to Tell the Truth

Just as Carl and Dr. Yamanashi were having a long talk, Lan, who had spent the afternoon shopping with Cattleya, returned to the villa on the outskirts of Nijigasaki City under Cattleya's guidance.

"Phew, it's been so long since I've spent this much time shopping." After washing up, Zhu Lan sat in the air-conditioned villa hall wearing a beige nightgown.

Meanwhile, Cattleya, dressed in the same light blue pajamas as Cynthia, sat beside her. She stared at Cynthia's slightly tired profile and said nostalgically, "Yes, it's been a long time since we've gone shopping like this since you became the Sinnoh League champion."

“Yes, after all, the Sinnoh League championship has been vacant for many years, and there are just too many things I need to deal with.” Cynthia sighed, her tone tinged with complaint. “If someone hadn’t run away before, I might still be working as a mythologist now.”

Upon hearing this, Gadriya immediately understood that the "someone" Zhu Lan was referring to was most likely the jerk she hated. However, she wouldn't show it so obviously in front of Zhu Lan right now, and just said with a hint of sourness, "Hmph, he's such an irresponsible man."

After hearing Cattleya's words, Zhulan chuckled and said, "Perhaps it was a good thing for the Sinnoh League that he didn't take over as Sinnoh Champion back then."

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Cattleya, who was not very familiar with the current situation of the Sinnoh League, did not understand the meaning of Cynthia's words.

"Well, if he had taken over as Sinnoh Champion back then, given his personality, the Sinnoh League would probably have been in complete chaos, right?" Zhu Lan couldn't help but laugh out loud as she imagined the possible scenario after Carl took over as Sinnoh Champion.

Seeing that Cattleya didn't understand what she was saying, Zhulan thought for a moment and then explained, "Lia, you should have heard of 'Hunter J', right?"

“That infamous Pokémon hunter?” Gadria tilted her head. “What does this have to do with him?”

“Actually, she and Karl have some kind of inexplicable ‘fate’.” Zhu Lan twirled a stray strand of hair around her forehead with her finger. “Shortly after Karl debuted, he happened to meet her, broke her limbs, and handed her over to Interpol.”

Later, after Hunter J escaped from Interpol's headquarters prison, he encountered Carl in other areas, where Carl broke all four of his limbs and sent him to prison.

Upon hearing this, Gadria's lips twitched. This was indeed a kind of "fate." Should we say that Karl was unlucky to run into Hunter J twice, or that Hunter J was unlucky to run into Karl twice?

But breaking limbs? That person's methods are quite cruel. But since he's a criminal, what methods are used is justified, right?

“Not long ago, after Hunter J escaped from prison, he ran away to the Padia region, which is thousands of miles away from the Sinnoh region.” Cynthia said, turning her head and looking at Cattleya with a smile.

"Could it be that he ran into that Pokémon hunter again?" For some reason, Gadria suddenly felt sad for that Pokémon hunter. Perhaps Karl was her destined "nemesis"?

“Yes, but this time, Karl didn’t hand that Pokémon hunter over to Interpol, but to the Padilla League.” Zhu Lan raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of consideration. “Lia, do you know why?”

After hearing Zhu Lan's words, Gadriya pouted and thought for a moment before quickly realizing, "Could it be that he no longer trusts Interpol?"

"To be more precise, it's that they no longer trust certain high-ranking members of Interpol." Zhu Lan sighed again. "To be honest, it is indeed Interpol's fault. After all, who can say that there wasn't something fishy going on behind the scenes to allow this notorious criminal to escape from prison time and time again?"

Cattleya fell silent. Her silence was not due to sadness over the current state of Interpol, but rather because she thought of the topic that Cynthia had initially discussed with her—why it might have been a good thing that Carl hadn't taken over as Sinnoh's champion before.

From the events just recounted by Zhu Lan, it's easy for Cattleya to see that Karl is someone with zero tolerance for criminals. Even if she has a bad impression of Karl, she cannot deny that Karl might be a "good person" in the conventional sense.

So, if making this "good guy" the Sinnoh champion is a bad thing for the Sinnoh League, doesn't that mean there are "bad guys" in the Sinnoh League?

And is his best friend, now the Sinnoh League champion, facing these very things?

Thinking of this, Gadriya looked at Zhulan with a hint of heartache in her eyes: "Zhulan, you..."

Before Gadriya could speak, Zhulan put a finger to Gadriya's lips and smiled as she said, "Lia, you know me. If I don't stand up, who will? Besides, with the help of Granny Kikuno and Gosho, everything will be alright."

Looking at Zhu Lan's gentle yet resolute appearance, Gadria's eyes trembled slightly. This was Zhu Lan, her best friend, such a dazzling existence.

“Cynthia, if I hadn’t come to the Padilla region out of spite and had stayed in Sinnoh to help you, would things have been easier for you?” Cattleya said with a hint of regret in her voice.

As soon as Gadriya said this, Zhulan's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

In fact, given Cattleya's personality, if she had become the Elite Four member of Sinnoh, Cynthia would most likely have had a headache for a long time, let alone have time to go out and "slack off" like she does now.

Of course, Zhu Lan would never say what was on her mind. She reached out and took Gadria's small hand, which was resting on her lap and slightly clenched, and said to her with a smile, "No, rather, I don't want you to face those things, Leah. Only when you leave can I deal with those things in peace."

“Zhu Lan…” Gadriya grasped Zhu Lan’s hand, which was slightly larger than hers, and looked at her with a grateful expression.

"Alright, let's not talk about these troublesome things." Zhu Lan pulled her hand away from Cattleya's hand and tucked a few stray hairs behind Cattleya's ear. "Let's talk about the arrangements for the next few days. After all, I can't leave the Sinnoh region for too long, otherwise, Granny Kikuno will fly over and drag me back to work overtime."

……

The next day, Carl got up, washed up, and went to the restaurant on the first floor. There he saw Dr. Yamanashi chatting with Rotom while eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Doctor. What are you talking about?" Carl asked curiously as he sat down at the dining table.

"Good morning, Carl." Dr. Yamanashi smiled at Carl. "The Rotom Cleaning thing is recommending that I buy a Rotom cell phone."

“That’s how it is, Rotom.” Cleansing Rotom swayed in the air. “After all, mobile Rotom is a very convenient Rotom.”

“I remember there should be a Rotom mobile phone store in Tabletop City, right?” Karl stroked his chin. “Anyway, Doctor, you’re coming with me to visit Orange Academy today. After we’re done, let’s take a look around Tabletop City.”

Meanwhile, in the principal's office of Orange Academy, the current principal, Claver, is listening to "supreme instructions" from Chairman Yeci.

"Clavel, have you made arrangements for welcoming Dr. Yamanashi's consciousness?" Ye Ci, dressed in a black suit, asked Clavel.

"Don't worry, President Yeci, I've arranged everything." Clavel, dressed in an orange suit representing Orange Academy, replied earnestly, "As soon as Dr. Yamanashi arrives, I will personally go out to greet him. Karl will inform me in advance."

"That's good." Yeci nodded, then turned to Aoki beside him and asked, "Aoki, where is Dr. Yamanashi's team now?"

"President, according to the plan, they should have arrived in Fukaba Town by now." Aoki recalled the information he had confirmed that morning and replied, "Dr. Yamanashi's research team is expected to arrive in Koshi Town with their research equipment by noon tomorrow at the latest. I have already booked a hotel for them."

"That's good. If any problems arise, you must report to me immediately." Yeci looked at the tablet in her hand. "Also, have the foreign affairs personnel from Dr. Yamanashi's team contacted us?"

“We’ve already made contact, but we’ve only signed a letter of intent and haven’t finalized the specific details of the exchange yet.” Aoki replied quickly, “Since the exchange involves many arrangements, we need to conduct multiple rounds of negotiations before we can formally sign an exchange contract. I will send professionals from the sales department to communicate with them and try to reach a formal agreement within a week.”