[Aurient, Emberpine City]
A huge spatial rift tore open in midair. A massive dragon head forced its way out, releasing an indescribable pressure.
Almost instantly, a Pidgeot that was patrolling nearby let out a sharp cry, staring warily at Gyarados's enormous head.
"Huh? Since when did Emberpine City get this loaded, using a Pidgeot to maintain city order?"
Axel stood on Gyarados's back, looking at the Pidgeot with some surprise.
He remembered it clearly. Even the president of the Emberpine City Pokémon Center had only been Level 39. Who knew if he had broken through to Gym Leader level yet.
And now, one of the Eight Great Gym Leaders, the former Emberpine City Gym Leader Sasha, had only possessed a single Gym Leader–level Pokémon back then.
In a small city like this, a Trainer who owned a Pidgeot should be more than qualified to serve as Emberpine's vice president, right?
But right after that, Axel noticed something unusual in the residential complex below.
Aside from the old men who always sat at the entrance chatting away, there were several additional groups of people.
One group looked like construction workers, sitting on the ground drinking beer.
Their faces were fierce, their bodies covered in dragon and tiger tattoos. If you sensed carefully with psychic power, you could see an "R" insignia on the lining of their clothes.
If he was not mistaken, they were Lance's people, helping guard the place.
Another group wore black suits, sitting inside a Cadillac parked at the entrance. The trunk was filled with cash. One look and you could tell it was Gadreel's faction's style.
The last group was from the Aurient authorities. But their main protection target was probably the little girl's home. After all, she was currently the person in Aurient most likely to become the next Professor, and her strength was not top tier.
In this situation, it was only normal that all her residences had protection.
"So this is the place where Master grew up?", Lillie blinked her big eyes, looking curious.
"It looks about as secure as the Aether Foundation."
"Yeah," Axel felt helpless. He did not quite understand how his home had turned into a dragon's den and tiger's lair.
With the current setup, plenty of villain organizations probably could not take down this residential complex without sending out their boss.
"Gyarados, teleport me to the ground. Then you hide."
Axel knew very well that if he landed openly riding Gyarados right now, it would definitely turn into a triumphant homecoming scene.
But he was not in the mood for that.
That kind of scene only felt truly satisfying if his parents could see it. If it was just himself, it always felt like something was missing.
After landing with Lillie, Axel swaggered straight in through the entrance.
Thanks to his newly developed psychic abilities, the old men at the entrance and the various groups did not react much to him. They simply greeted him as usual.
Only after Axel walked far away did several of the old men snap back to their senses.
"Hey, did you guys just see the Wood family's boy come back?"
"You saw him too? Damn, damn. Has this old man's state of mind really become that steady now?"
"Seeing the hero who saved Sinnoh, and I actually felt calm like an ancient well with no ripples."
"I'm telling you, my dad not letting me become a Trainer back then was a wrong decision!"
"The Elsie family really hit the jackpot. Their daughter's research results are being promoted everywhere, and their future son-in-law has become a legendary Trainer."
"I heard several regions invited the two of them to become spokespersons!"
Someone nearby chimed in, "That's true. The Elsie family's girl is really amazing now."
"My daughter works as a researcher at the Pokémon Center in the neighboring city. I thought that was how her life would go."
"But when her supervisor found out my daughter once helped tutor the Elsie girl, he directly recommended her to the Aurient Central Pokémon Center."
"He even said that this would help Eva feel a stronger sense of belonging to Aurient."
"When one person ascends, even the chickens and dogs rise with them!"
"It's just that Old Wood and his wife have been missing for so many years. I wonder if that boy Axel will ever be able to find them..."
As soon as that topic came up, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over the excited old men. Soon, only sighs remained at the entrance.
———
After walking inside, Axel realized that the entire residential complex had changed greatly.
In the past, walking around here you would mostly see ornamental Pokémon like Eevee and Lillipup. But now, after only a few steps, he had already seen many Pokémon close to Gym Leader level. Those were residents who had recently moved in.
All the buildings had been renovated beautifully. It looked just like a high-end complex in a big city.
When he reached his own Building 14, Axel even found that the main entrance had been replaced with a Gym Leader–level Stonjourner.
That was just ridiculous.
This kind of Pokémon looked very much like a gate. After closing up, it could perfectly blend with the walls. It was usually used by secret organizations or bases.
The property management of this complex probably never imagined they would end up being colleagues with a Stonjourner in their lifetime.
Even the neighbor next to his and the little girl's home had been replaced with League personnel.
After showing his identification, Axel did not waste time on pleasantries. He went straight home and began cleaning up bit by bit.
As for the things that needed to be bought, Axel planned to wait until tomorrow so the food would be fresher.
The living room. His parents' bedroom.
After Axel cleaned the floors and walls until they were spotless and rehung his parents' wedding photo, Lillie had just finished cooking a full table of dishes.
But after dinner, the two of them grew awkward again.
Although they had already been intimate before, both times they had not been in a clear state of mind.
What made Axel feel even more unsettled was that whenever he looked at Lillie sitting on the edge of the bed, Lusamine's figure would pop into his mind for no reason.
Still, Axel felt they could not just drag this out forever. He was in a hurry to grind Terapagos tonight.
"So, um... how about you go take a shower first?"
Lillie's pretty face flushed red. She gripped the bedsheet with both hands, subconsciously biting her lip, just about to softly say yes.
Suddenly, a commotion came from outside.
"Who goes there? This floor is restricted!"
Immediately after, a voice both Axel and Lillie were extremely familiar with rang out.
"I am Lusamine from the Aether Foundation. I heard that Mr. Axel has returned to his former residence, so I came specially to apologize. This is my identification."
Lillie was still confused.
Axel, however, felt the corner of his eye twitch helplessly.
'Damn it... there goes tonight's Dream World.'
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