Pokémon Court

For a moment, Terrance even forgot how old he was.

After all, having lived two lives, he hadn't paid much attention to that detail.

Two years at the academy, one year for Pokémon Contests, one year for Gym, followed by a very fragmented year. He had started traveling at the age of 10, so even if it hadn't been exactly five years, it was close enough.

Including the four years Terrance spent self-studying at the Old Green House, it had been nine years in total to achieve all this. Terrance was already very satisfied.

…

Aether Paradise.

Terrance met with Faba. For the past four months, he had been conducting research entirely on his own, and had done a great job keeping it all under wraps.

But after all, Terrance was not a professional researcher, and he ran into quite a few basic issues—like operating the equipment... Just that alone had stumped him.

For those small challenges, Terrance had relied on Faba for help.

Faba, the chief of the research department, didn't have the best reputation among the people of Aether Foundation. Unlike Wicke, who was gentle and admired by all the staff, Faba, though also a high-ranking member, was quite gloomy.

During these past four months immersed in research, Terrance had come to realize that Faba was extremely driven in his work, but unfriendly and impatient with outsiders.

If not for Terrance's special identity, Faba would likely still see him as just a child, and treat him with little regard. After all, Terrance had witnessed more than once how Faba spoke impatiently to the president's two children—Lillie and Gladion.

"Young master, what are you doing here?" Faba adjusted his green glasses and looked at the boy hiding behind the door.

"I'm here to see Terrance off," Gladion walked in and spoke flatly.

"Gladion…" Terrance looked at the young master of the Aether Foundation who had just entered and greeted him.

"Terrance, aren't you going to stay a little longer?"

"I still want to have more battles with you," Gladion said, raising his head.

"No…" Terrance smiled slightly, "If it's battles you're after, there are plenty of outstanding Trainers in the Paradise. They're all pretty good opponents."

"Them? No thanks." Gladion shook his head.

Most of the Trainers in Aether Paradise were hired by the Aether Foundation and paid a salary. Gladion had battled some of them before, but due to his status, they never fought him seriously, which left him feeling extremely frustrated.

But Terrance was different. Although, to be fair, at first Terrance didn't intend to go all out against this young master of the Aether Foundation. At the time, he was deeply absorbed in his research and really couldn't spare the time. When Gladion came to challenge him drawn by his reputation, Terrance just one-shot him on the spot.

If Terrance had known that doing so would cause the boy to cling to him rather than back off, he absolutely would have held back—a lot!

"You're not my opponent yet. Come challenge me again when you've gotten stronger…"

The fact that this Aether Foundation's young master was obsessed with being a Trainer was common knowledge within Aether Paradise.

Faba… Gladion… President Lusamine—before leaving, Terrance said his goodbyes to everyone of the Aether Foundation.

There was no longer any reason for him to remain here.

The research on Totem Aura was already more than halfway complete. The remaining improvements were not something that could be resolved by staying here.

The most difficult part had already been overcome, thanks to the Aether Foundation's research facilities.

…

After Terrance left Aether Paradise, one regret was that he didn't once again get to see that adorable young lady of the Aether Foundation—Lillie.

She wasn't very old, but her knowledge already surpassed Terrance's when he had just become a Breeder. Terrance had even suggested that she try for a Breeder's certification, believing she had the potential to break the record he and June Joy had set. But as the young lady of the Aether Foundation, she didn't seem to place much value on that…

"She's going to be amazing when she grows up…" Terrance stroked his chin as he rode Altaria to Poni Island.

Vast Poni Canyon.

Terrance was walking through the area alongside Arcanine. Step by step, their two figures advanced, and every Pokémon that saw them fled in terror.

If one looked closely, they would notice that Arcanine was radiating a shimmering aura, flowing across every part of its body—quite mysterious.

"A few months ago, you weren't its match. But now that we're about to leave Alola, it's time to settle this fated battle," Terrance said as he walked.

Before leaving Alola, Terrance also needed to bring closure to everything they had experienced over the past four months.

Fifteen minutes later.

Terrance and Arcanine found Totem Kommo-o. The Totem Kommo-o looked at Terrance and Arcanine, who had disappeared for a long time, in surprise.

Especially the aura radiating from Arcanine—it made Totem Kommo-o's pupils contract sharply as it let out a confused roar.

However, Terrance hadn't come here to explain anything—he came so that Arcanine could defeat the powerful opponent it had once been unable to face.

Just one strike.

A thunderous boom echoed from a corner of Vast Poni Canyon. Countless Pokémon who had been secretly watching fell silent, their eyes fixed on the defeated Totem Kommo-o, watching the ruler of Vast Poni Canyon fall.

Arcanine, who had mastered the totem aura, had finally defeated Totem Kommo-o.

Of course, Arcanine was no longer in any condition to fight either—its injuries were just as severe.

But even with a type disadvantage, to be able to unleash such a brilliant blow and defeat a once-unbeatable foe, Terrance was deeply delighted.

Currently, among all of Terrance's Pokémon, Arcanine was the only one capable of wielding the totem aura.

According to Terrance's research, creating totem aura required a number of conditions—one of which was the consumption of a Sparkling Stone's lifespan.

Over the past four months, including the one gifted by the guardian deity, Terrance had only managed to collect three Sparkling Stones.

During the testing phase, one of them had been used to allow Arcanine to acquire totem aura.

However, this totem aura was still incomplete. The aura had not been fully integrated with Arcanine, so Terrance's research could only be considered a prototype at best.

The aura… required energy to sustain.

And for now, Arcanine couldn't fully utilize the aura's potential. Terrance had speculated that it might be due to the short amount of time since Arcanine had learned it.

Unlike other Totem Pokémon, Arcanine's body size was different. Its size began increasing only after gaining totem aura, triggered by an increased appetite—but compared to the other Totem Pokémon that typically grow several times larger than their regular counterparts, Arcanine's size was still rather unconventional.

This led Terrance to wonder whether the totem aura, as an external force, might require specific conditions, like a sufficiently large physique, to fully adapt and harness its energy.

Although Arcanine's body had begun to grow gradually, it was still eating regular food, so the changes wouldn't be too dramatic.

To test his theory, Terrance planned to collect recipes for foods that were both nutritious and had a positive effect on body development.

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