On August 25th, at Lavanny International Airport, Ashborn, Stephanie, and Terry boarded a flight bound for the Imperial Capital.
But why was Terry tagging along? After learning that Ashborn was headed to the capital on the 25th, he decided to follow him.
After all, the Third Military Academy, where Terry had been accepted, was also located there.
Despite not ranking particularly high in the Denver state High School League, Terry's performance had been strong enough to earn an invitation from the academy.
He accepted without hesitation—after all, it was the only university that offered him a spot.
Though the Third Military Academy ranked in the middle to lower tiers, it was still a prestigious institution.
However, given Terry's lively personality, it was likely he'd find the academy's strict management system a challenge.
The flight from Lavanny City to the capital took about three hours. The three of them were seated in first class, with Stephanie holding her newly captured Mienfoo in her arms.
"He's a great partner," Ashborn remarked, looking at the curious Mienfoo, who was only a few days old.
"My grandpa went through a lot of trouble to get him for me," Stephanie smiled proudly, holding Mienfoo a little closer.
She had recently awakened her Heart ability, which caught her family's attention—otherwise, she might never have received such a rare Pokémon.
She felt deep gratitude toward Ashborn, who had helped her awaken her Heart ability.
"Train him well. He's a perfect match for your ability," Ashborn said. Mienfoo, and its evolved form Mienshao, excelled in both physical and mental combat, making it a great fit for Stephanie's unique talents.
Stephanie's grandfather must have known this when selecting Mienfoo.
However, there was another Pokémon even better suited for Stephanie: Kubfu, the martial arts master Pokémon.
Whether Kubfu mastered the Single Strike Style or the Rapid Strike Style, it could push the connection between body and mind to the extreme.
With Stephanie's Heart ability, a Single Strike could take down opponents in one hit, while the Rapid Strike Style could mimic the devastating power of a single blow.
Unfortunately, Kubfu was a legendary Pokémon and, like Meltan, had only been discovered in the top-secret realms of Kamchan Country. No one had successfully caught one yet.
"Ash, what do you think of my Vulpix? Isn't it amazing?" Terry chimed in, holding a Vulpix he had recently caught in a newly discovered mid-level secret realm.
Taking Ashborn's advice, Terry had headed straight for the volcano area once he entered the realm.
Within ten kilometers of the magma mouth, he not only found some valuable fire-type treasures but also managed to capture this Vulpix.
"Good luck like sh*t," Ashborn replied, nodding.
A cyan-potential Vulpix found in a secret realm? Considering his's luck with finding a cyan-qualified Slowpoke in the last secret realm, it wasn't too surprising that he'd stumble upon a fire-type Pokémon with similar potential.
"Hmph, I think you're just jealous. With this cyan-qualified Vulpix, I'll be a Fire Elite in no time," Terry boasted.
After leaving the secret realm, Terry had tested Vulpix's potential, and the results were better than he could have imagined—his Vulpix had cyan qualifications.
As long as he trained it well, Vulpix would evolve into a Ninetales, and eventually, it could reach Elite status.
When the testing agency learned of Vulpix's qualifications, they even offered him one billion, but Terry had turned them down without hesitation.
Stephanie stared at Terry in surprise.
Her family had gone through great lengths to obtain her cyan-qualified Mienfoo, yet here was Terry, from an ordinary family, casually capturing a cyan-qualified Vulpix in the secret realm.
"If this were a novel, Terry, you'd be the protagonist, and Ashborn would be the rich villain's son—giving you equipment, women, and opportunities," she joked.
"Who are you calling a villain? But you're right—I do feel like the protagonist. Ashborn/hobo, on the other hand, has that cold and indifferent façade, but who knows? He could be hiding something, like some cold-hearted bastard," Terry teased.
"I've got a top-tier Fire Stone," Ashborn replied dryly.
Terry immediately caved. "Okay, Dad, I'm sorry!"
As the banter continued, the three hours passed quickly.
Thanks to Terry's lively personality, the journey was far from boring.
At one point, Terry even struck up conversations with other passengers in first class, managing to exchange pokeChat contacts with an elegant lady who had a regal air about her.
Naturally, Stephanie was less than impressed.
"Terry, be sure to visit me when you have time in the capital," the lady said sweetly as they exited the plane.
"Of course, my lady! I'll definitely visit, just don't forget about me!" Terry called after her with a grin.
The lady's parting reply was a coquettish laugh, which only deepened Stephanie's scorn.
Ashborn, on the other hand, spotted his aunt waiting for him at the airport.
"See you both at Imperial College," Stephanie said, as the group split up.
"Yeah, see you at Imperial College," Ashborn and Terry echoed.
As they made their way toward his aunt, Ashborn caught sight of her—a well-known Pokémon scholar.
She was usually so busy with her work that she rarely made it home more than once a year. Ashborn hadn't seen her in three years.
"Little Aunt," Ashborn greeted her as they approached.
"Hello, sister!" Terry added enthusiastically.
Ashborn shot Terry a look, but his aunt just laughed.
"Little boy, your friend is hilarious! So charming—do you have a girlfriend, young man? He's so sweet, unlike my litte cutie, who's grown cold and indifferent since I last saw him. But he *has* grown a lot," she teased, playfully pinching Ashborn's cheeks.
Terry, ever the opportunist, jumped in. "Well, maybe you could introduce me to someone special?"
Before he could finish, Ashborn cut him off with a cold voice. "Do you want to die?"
Terry gulped, realizing he was pushing his luck. He had nearly forgotten that Ashborn, beneath his calm exterior, was not to be trifled with.
"Ahem, well, Ashborn is quite popular with the ladies at school," Terry continued, trying to steer the conversation away from danger.
"But he's so picky. Not like me, though—Stephanie doesn't seem interested in me at all."
"Let's go, Aunt," Ashborn interjected, eager to escape Terry's chatter.
"Hahaha, is litte boy getting jealous? You're so cute when you're flustered," his aunt teased, tugging his cheeks again.
Ashborn glanced at Terry, who was nonchalantly snapping photos with his phone.
"Wow, Imperial Capital Airport sure is big. Gotta take a few more shots to show my parents later," Terry said, completely unbothered.
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Adios