Mutual Gift

Yuga's arrival was warmly welcomed by Professor Carolina, and her husband.

Professor Carolina couldn't have imagined that the young man who had been striving to compete in Gym League Challenges just over a year ago had now become a prominent figure in the region.

Cynthia had always been Professor Carolina's pride, often boasting about her exceptionally gifted granddaughter to anyone who would listen.

But a while ago, Cynthia had returned and told her about encountering a Trainer whose talent equaled her own. Professor Carolina was genuinely astonished.

You see, Cynthia had been the most talented Trainer in the Temple Clan for many years. Otherwise, without awakening the Power of True Heart, she wouldn't have been able to outshine other clan members and become the leader of the younger generation in the Temple Clan.

What was the Temple Clan, you might ask? It was one of the oldest and most revered clans, known for its superior methods of nurturing the next generation.

So, for Cynthia to claim she had met a Trainer whose talent rivaled her own left Professor Carolina utterly surprised.

With Yuga's arrival this time, Professor Carolina reevaluated the young man before her.

Compared to over a year ago, Yuga had indeed undergone significant changes in his demeanor. Both his appearance and aura exuded remarkable composure, not at all like an eighteen-year-old.

Having spent more than two years in a war-torn place as Arus had brought about considerable changes in Yuga.

Eighteen was a transitional period from youth to adulthood, and Yuga had experienced a place filled with storms, tears, and bloodshed during this critical time.

Furthermore, his actual age was twenty, which made his mature demeanor more understandable.

In the end, Professor Carolina attributed this transformation to Mr. Kuni'o's guidance. Knowing in advance that Yuga was coming, Professor Carolina had prepared a sumptuous dinner, allowing Yuga, who had spent several days at sea, to appreciate the greatness of human cuisine once more.

The next morning, Yuga headed to the Pokémon Center in Celestic Town. He was worried about Chimecho's condition and felt the need for a professional examination.

After a thorough examination by Nurse Joy, it was determined that Chimecho was in perfect health, both physically and mentally. If there was anything to note, it was that she seemed a bit mentally fatigued and was currently sleeping to rest.

Upon hearing this news, Yuga breathed a sigh of relief but also found it strange. Why had Chimecho been sleeping for such a long time if she was only mentally tired?

Nurse Joy explained that Chimecho possessed much stronger psychic abilities than ordinary Pokémon and there's still hidden powers sleeping within her. Her prolonged slumber was a sign of these powers slowly awakening.

Upon hearing all of this, Yuga was in awe of Nurse Joy's capabilities, as she had thoroughly understood Chimecho's condition.

However, he still had no idea about the specific special powers hidden within Chimecho's body.

As a Legendary Pokémon, Deoxys had unique abilities that no one knew for sure.

Nevertheless, the most important thing was that Chimecho was okay.

Yuga took the opportunity to have Dragonite examined as well, and of course, Dragonite was perfectly fine.

When Yuga returned, Cynthia suggested immediately heading to Machina, but her grandfather stopped her.

He reminded Cynthia that Yuga was a guest, and it would be impolite not to show him around Celestic Town, especially since he had come all this way. Therefore, Yuga's itinerary was adjusted to spend an extra day in Celestic Town.

Thinking about Cynthia's grandfather, Yuga couldn't help but be curious.

Compared to the highly respected Professor Carolina in the field of Pokémon history, her grandfather seemed quite ordinary, and few people had heard of him.

Moreover, Professor Carolina was a member of the Temple Clan, while her husband was just an ordinary person who moved to Celestic Town after marrying her.

It was said that in her youth, Professor Carolina had been a rare beauty, much like Cynthia. So how did such a talented and beautiful woman like Professor Carolina end up choosing her ordinary husband?

This question piqued Yuga's curiosity, and it was a mystery not only to him but also to others in the Temple Clan. Besides Professor Carolina, few people knew the answer.

Looking at their harmonious and happy life now, no one could say that Professor Carolina had made the wrong choice.

Celestic Town was a tiny, ancient town with a rich history. It was said to be one of the oldest towns in the Sinnoh region, existing even before the discovery of the Sinnoh mainland.

However, in the present day, besides being a gathering place for the Temple Clan, it had nothing particularly remarkable to attract outsiders' attention.

Nonetheless, the town's center featured a shrine, which was said to be the origin of many of Sinnoh's myths and legends.

Next to the shrine was the Celestic Ruins, the source of Professor Carolina's interest in Pokémon history. She had been born and raised here, gradually becoming the Pokémon historian she was today.

It was also the influence of the ruins and Professor Carolina that had sparked Cynthia's strong interest in Sinnoh's myths and legends.

According to Cynthia herself, she had even worked as Professor Carolina's assistant for a while.

With Yuga being asked to show Cynthia around Celestic Town, they visited her favorite place—the Celestic Ruins.

Despite its current state of disrepair, Yuga could see that this place must have been magnificent in its heyday.

The architecture of the ruins was adorned with various reliefs depicting humans, Pokémon, and the legendary lake deities from Sinnoh's myths.

In the center of the ruins was a grand hall, and on the broken palace doors were carved two Pokémon, unmistakably the Legendary God of Time and God of Space, Dialga and Palkia.

However, the reliefs on the doors were damaged, covered in cracks and blemishes, making Dialga and Palkia's appearances unclear.

As Cynthia guided Yuga through the ruins, she shared stories of Sinnoh's mythical legends and the depictions on the reliefs.

When she spoke about her areas of interest, Cynthia became very talkative, allowing Yuga to fully experience her deep passion for the subject.

While Yuga might not share the same enthusiasm for these topics, he quietly listened, occasionally chiming in when he recognized something he knew.

Cynthia noticed Yuga's knowledge about Dialga and Palkia and became even more enthusiastic, a stark contrast to her usual calm demeanor in public.

As they continued their exploration, Yuga suddenly noticed something hidden behind a nearby pillar. He stared intently and soon spotted a white, pointed head peeking out.

Cynthia followed Yuga's gaze and exclaimed, "Ah, it's a Snover!"

Yuga was puzzled and asked, "Do Snover often appear around here? Aren't they supposed to live on snowy mountains?"

Cynthia nodded and explained, "We're located at the foothills of Mount Coronet, and thanks to the influence of Mount Coronet and the unique terrain here, Celestic Town enjoys a spring-like climate almost year-round.

The Snover living on the snowy peaks of Mount Coronet really like the climate here, so they often come down from the mountain. One reason is for fun, and the other is to bask in the sunlight.

Even though they are Ice-type Pokémon, they also have a Grass-type aspect to them, and they strongly rely on sunlight. So, before they evolve into Abomasnow, they don't stay on the snowy peaks all the time."

Yuga nodded in understanding and said, "I see."

This was his first encounter with a Snover in person. His knowledge about them came from his past life experiences and what he had read in books in this lifetime.

However, Snover were known to be quite friendly towards humans. When they spotted people's tracks on the mountain, they couldn't resist approaching them.

Even though their evolved form, Abomasnow, might not be as friendly as Snover, they still weren't as aggressive as their appearance might suggest. When encountering humans, they tended to keep their distance.

The Snover they had spotted slowly emerged from behind the pillar and waved at them.

The Snover stared at Yuga and Cynthia for a moment, then focused on Yuga and pulled out a sparkling, translucent white berry from behind its back. It hurried over to Yuga, holding the berry up.

"Is this for me?" Yuga asked in surprise, looking at the Snover.

The Snover nodded happily.

Cynthia explained, "Snovers' bellies bear berrys in spring, and they offer these berrys to people they like. Due to our unique climate here, Snovers continue to bear berrys even in summer. It seems it really likes you."

Yuga chuckled and said, "I see, thank you very much."

The Snover enthusiastically placed the berry in Yuga's hand, its eyes squinting with joy. It then cast an apologetic glance at Cynthia, as if saying, "I'm sorry, this is the only one I have."

Cynthia shook her head with a wry smile. She had heard from the elders in the temple that Mr. Kuni'o lineage had an extraordinary affinity for Grass-type Pokémon. Today, she witnessed it firsthand.

To express his gratitude to the Snover, Yuga reached into his bag and took out a can of Ice-type Pokéblock and a can of Grass-type Pokéblock, handing them to the Snover.

"Here, you can have these. See if you like them?"

The Snover opened the lids and poured out one Pokéblock from each can, gently licking them with its tongue. Then, it happily stuffed both Pokéblocks into its mouth.

Pokéblocks were high-energy food, and with two of them, the Snover immediately felt satisfied and let out a contented burp.

Watching the Snover's belovedly holding the two cans of Pokéblocks and departing, Yuga smiled and shook his head.

The potential of this Snover is not very high, otherwise Yuga would have considered capturing it.

After taking a bite of the berry the Snover had given him, Yuga's eyes lit up. It was indeed delicious, with a sweet and sour taste, somewhat similar to an ice pop.