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Early in the morning on the fourth day of the holiday, Chris was already at the airport in Redwood City.
He turned on his phone, activated parental mode, and locked onto the location of the little genius watch.
Not surprisingly, Delibird had lost his way again.
Chris was sure that if it hadn't been for the college experience that took him all the way to Dragon City after leaving the city gates last time, Delibird would probably be heading for the capital by now.
He glanced at the time—6:00 a.m., and the flight was at 8:00.
"Good thing I got up early." Chris had booked a room at a hotel in Redwood City a day in advance.
After breakfast, he left his room, hailed a taxi, and headed to the location shown on the watch.
When Chris arrived, they were sleeping in an alley, with several cardboard boxes piled up to block the wind, barely serving as a nest.
"Toge toge pii!! (≧▽≦)"
"Dei lee, dei lee~~"
Togepi and Delibird waved excitedly at Chris.
Seeing them so full of energy, Chris let out a relieved sigh. He could easily imagine what their lives had been like before they met him.
"Lost again?" Chris asked Delibird.
Delibird, trying to play it cool, looked away as if nothing had happened.
Chris sighed softly, took out two warm scallion pancakes from his bag, and handed them to the two Pokémon. He had bought them on the way, knowing they must have had a rough time.
"If you can't find your way, don't wander off. You'll both stay with me from now on," Chris said, patting Delibird on the head before leaning down to scoop Togepi into his arms. With that, he turned to leave.
"Let's go. We're heading to the airport. No school today, we're off to somewhere new."
"Toge pii!! (Let's go!)"
Delibird watched as Chris walked away, the early autumn sunlight casting a soft glow around him. The light made Chris's figure seem to blend with another familiar silhouette from Delibird's past.
"Dei li! (Wait for me!)" Delibird hurried to catch up.
"Hurry up, or you'll have to fly on your own!" Chris called back.
Delibird groaned in mock despair, flapping along behind them.
---
Forest City.
Snorlax Hotel Chain.
"This is Senior Colton. He's from Class 16, graduated two years ago, and was a key member of our Berry Club."
"Today, Senior Colton is kind enough to guide us through the Forest of Plenty!"
"No trouble at all. It's my honor to go on a wild adventure with my younger schoolmates."
"Spending time with you youngsters makes me feel like I'm reclaiming the energy and spirit of my youth," Colton added with a smile. "After all, my daily work in the multi-province joint laboratory can get pretty monotonous. Stay in there long enough, and you'll rust."
Though he smiled outwardly, Colton's thoughts were elsewhere: *I'm only doing this to impress Mia, the daughter of the famous Berry expert, Professor Leo. I wouldn't leave my lab work behind just for this if it weren't for her. The boss is still waiting for the data. If I mess this up, forget this year's bonus—I won't even last until the end of the year!*
But in his mind, catching Mia's eye would be worth it. With Professor Leo as his future father-in-law, Colton believed he'd soon rise to fame in the breeding industry.
That was why he had donned a sharp suit today—anyone who didn't know might think he was headed to an important dinner.
When the younger students heard the words "multi-province joint laboratory," they immediately looked at Colton with admiration. The lab was a key research group comprised of top researchers from several provinces, collaborating on high-level projects.
Despite this, Colton couldn't help but notice that Mia showed no response to his attempt at self-promotion. *As expected of Professor Leo's daughter,* he thought, admiring her calm demeanor.
"Alright, let's head out," Colton said to the group, before turning to Mia. "Mia, would you like to ride with me? There's still space in my car."
"No, you all go ahead. I'll wait for someone," Mia called out, still standing at the entrance of the hotel.
Colton hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Are you waiting for your boyfriend?"
Mia shot him a quick glance and shook her head slightly. "No, I'm waiting for a junior. He didn't travel with us earlier. His flight arrives at 9:30, so he should be here soon."
Hearing it was just a junior, Colton felt relieved. "Oh, a junior. Well, in that case, why don't I have my friend wait for him here? You should go early, especially since the temperature fluctuates a lot in Forest City. It'll start getting hot by noon."
Colton had even brought a friend along as a wingman for moments like this.
Mia, however, was firm. "No need. He's already on his way from the airport by taxi, and it only takes about ten minutes. I'll wait here myself."
Before Colton could continue, a second-year student asked eagerly, "Sister, are you waiting for Chris? I heard he signed up for this event, but I haven't seen him in the past few days."
Mia nodded. "Yes, I'm waiting for Chris."
The sophomore's eyes lit up, and she quickly moved to Mia's side. "Then I'll wait with you! Last time Chris joined a club activity, I was busy explaining things to the rookies, and by the time I finished, he had already left. It was such a shame!"
Several other students who overheard this conversation suddenly became excited as well and gathered around Mia, eager to wait for Chris.
"Let's wait too!" one of them exclaimed.
Seeing that everyone was waiting, a few more students joined in. Colton stood there, baffled. *What's so special about this Chris guy that everyone's willing to wait for him?*
"Uh, is Chris really that popular around here?" Colton's wingman asked curiously.
"Popular? I'd say he's the most famous person in the entire school!" a chubby-faced freshman chimed in.
Colton raised an eyebrow. "Man of the Year? What's his story?"
"He's a freshman in the Breeding Department, but he won the military training competition during freshman orientation!" a baby-faced girl from the same department replied, her eyes practically sparkling.
Colton chuckled, masking his irritation. "Winning the military training competition is impressive, sure, but that only shows strength at the start. Some people come from wealthy families, and it's not unusual for them to be ahead early on. But don't lose hope—I'm sure you can still catch up to him, especially those in the Battle Department."
Several freshmen from the Battle Department exchanged glances before shaking their heads. "Catching up? Four years won't be enough," one of them said. "Chris defeated Noah, the sophomore chief, at the orientation party. I don't think any of us, even as juniors, can beat him now."
Colton's smile faltered. *What kind of joke is this? How does the sophomore chief lose to a freshman? Pathetic!*
He cleared his throat, trying to recover. "Ahem, well, isn't Chris in the Breeding Department? Breeders focus on results, not battles. Sure, I used to be good at fighting, but now it's all about passing breeding exams to enter prestigious labs like the multi-province joint laboratory."
This statement seemed to comfort some of the Breeding Department freshmen, but then another chimed in, "But Chris was recruited into Professor Theodore's lab team during military training."
Colton froze. "Professor Theodore's lab?"
The group nodded.
"That... is indeed impressive," Colton muttered, finally falling silent.
Professor Theodore's lab was a highly prestigious team that even his boss aspired to join but couldn't. Anyone recruited into that lab was almost guaranteed a prominent future in the breeding world.