Chapter 287: Go Find That Silver Gyarados!
Realizing that there were still many people present in the lab, Professor Ayame forcibly held back the words on the tip of her tongue, "Did you really make this?"
After taking a deep breath, she carefully put away the energy cube, her expression serious.
"How many of these energy cubes do you plan to sell?"
Although she hadn't tested it yet, with her discerning eyes, she could tell that the stamina energy cube Hikaru provided was definitely master-level!
And the effect seemed exceptionally impressive!
Hikaru hesitated for a moment before saying, "About two hundred cubes?"
Actually, he had made six hundred and fifty cubes in total.
Two hundred were for his own use, one hundred and twenty-five for Sakura, and one hundred and twenty-five for his senior.
The remaining ones were meant to be sold.
If everything went as expected and he sold them all, the profit would be around two hundred million!
That amount should be enough to support his Pokémon for quite some time...
He hoped things would go smoothly.
Professor Ayame frowned slightly.
"Two hundred? If I'm not mistaken, these energy cubes should be quite beneficial for your Pokémon. Are you really that short on money?"
Hikaru scratched his head.
"I already prepared some for my Pokémon. It's not that I'm desperately short on cash, but I just don't want to worry about money all the time."
He handed the bag over.
"I'll leave it to you, Professor!"
Professor Ayame took the bag and nodded.
"Alright, since you're leaving the selling to me, you must be planning to say that I made these energy cubes, right?"
As a renowned master breeder, countless trainers sought her out every year for energy cubes.
Once she confirmed the effects and spread the word, a swarm of trainers would line up to buy them.
Hikaru grinned.
"Exactly."
Ayame nodded in understanding.
"Got it."
Then she added,
"I remember that both you and your Lucario possess Aura powers, right? I need your help with something—find that Gyarados!"
"Huh?" Hikaru was surprised.
"You mean that silver Gyarados hasn't left Kyoto yet?"
Professor Ayame glanced at him.
"Kyoto is under real-time satellite surveillance, connected to Metagross. I checked with the Astronomy Bureau, and no Gyarados has flown over Kyoto recently."
Hikaru asked,
"Could it have escaped through the river?"
Kyoto did have rivers, so his question wasn't unreasonable.
However, Ayame quickly dismissed the idea.
"The river outlets in Kyoto are monitored by professional Water-type trainers to prevent high-level Water-type Pokémon from entering or leaving. No suspicious activity has been reported."
"Oh..."
With no other options, Hikaru nodded.
"Alright, I'll go check out the rivers in Kyoto."
Ayame patted his shoulder.
"Thanks. Honestly, tracking it underwater is tricky. Even Psychic-type Pokémon have difficulty scanning through the dense water layers."
"Is there anything else?" Hikaru asked.
Ayame waved her hand, gesturing for him to leave.
"That's all for now. I'll notify you once I've handled selling the energy cubes. You can go now."
"Got it."
After responding, Hikaru didn't linger.
Exploring a research institute dedicated to Pokémon evolution was a rare opportunity for most people, but the longer he stayed, the more curious glances he attracted from the researchers around him.
'Wait, don't I have a senior researcher certificate?'
He suddenly remembered while walking out of the lab.
At the corridor's turn, Hikaru brushed past an elderly man with slightly graying white hair and thick eyebrows. The old man gave him a curious look but said nothing.
Once outside, Hikaru finally relaxed.
Inside the lab, he didn't even dare to take out his phone.
"Now I've got another task to deal with... Checking the rivers of Kyoto."
Walking down the street, Hikaru took out his phone to find a map of Kyoto's rivers.
Just as he unlocked it, a message popped up on the chat app.
---
From Yuki:
"Still in Mizuki City, huh? What, missing me already? Hahaha."
"(Cat covering mouth and laughing.jpg)"
Hikaru couldn't help but roll his eyes and quickly replied.
---
From Hikaru:
"..."
---
This time, Yuki replied instantly.
---
From Yuki:
"Planning to head to Wind City tomorrow. I heard you already went to college?"
From Hikaru:
"Yeah, at Chūsei University."
From Yuki:
"So fast? Ugh, I didn't get any special admissions like that. Wait for me, junior. I'll apply to Chūsei University next year!"
"Hmm? Wait... Next year, wouldn't I have to call you 'senior'? Haha, hello, senior~"
Hikaru could almost see Yuki's teasing smile through the screen.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and started typing.
---
From Hikaru:
"Stop joking, senior..."
From Yuki:
"Who's joking? I'll need you to take care of me later on!"
"(Voice message—5 seconds)"
Hikaru reflexively tapped the voice message, and Yuki's soft, coquettish voice came through.
"Senior Hikaru~~"
A shiver ran down his spine, goosebumps spreading over his arms.
---
From Yuki:
"Hahaha~ There's no other girl around you, right?"
Feeling like he was being thoroughly toyed with, Hikaru typed and deleted several times before finally sending just a "..."
---
From Yuki:
"Alright, I'll stop teasing. So, what made you think of me?"
From Hikaru:
"About that time on the snow mountain—thank you for sharing the Articuno Feather with me. I wanted to give you something in return."
From Yuki:
"!!!"
"Wah, is it a love token?"
From Hikaru:
"... Just some energy cubes."
From Yuki:
"Ugh... Disappointing. Just mail them over."
From Hikaru:
"Mailing isn't safe. I'll come over and deliver them myself."
From Yuki:
"Are you serious? You're coming over right now? Aren't you in Kyoto?"
From Hikaru:
"Yeah, but Latias is fast. I'll be there in about an hour or two."
From Yuki:
"Alright!!!"
"Okay, not gonna chat anymore~ Waiting for you, senior!"
---
Putting away his phone, Hikaru recalled what Professor Ayame had said about Kyoto being monitored by satellites linked to Metagross.
To avoid drawing attention, he took a taxi to the suburbs and only then let Latias [Invisibility] carry him to Mizuki City.
---
Mizuki City - Frost Gym Backyard
Seeing her daughter grinning while holding her phone, clearly lost in a silly mood, Aunt Yuki, who was feeding her Ninetales, couldn't help but smile knowingly.
---
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