Chapter 21
"A bet?" Darren asked.
"Well, it's a small matter. The Altaria still hates me and refuses to entrust the Swablu to me. But I can't give up on researching the Swablu, so I agreed to help find a talented trainer to take care of it. Initially, I chose Willow, but now it's you," said Master Shozo.
"Me?" Darren was stunned.
"Yes, this test may be difficult for a girl like Willow who has lived in a big family since childhood, but for you, there should be a glimmer of hope," Master Shozo said.
"As long as you can carry the Swablu's egg, successfully hatch it and obtain its mother's approval within a month, your trial will be considered complete."
"For this month, you will have to stay here alone. I will prepare food and other living tools for you for a while. Next, you will face the environment of this Mt. Chimney alone. During this period, you cannot bring any other Pokemon with you, only the Swablu... You must rely on each other. That is the condition of the Altaria," Master Shozo said. Originally, he felt very shameless imposing such a condition upon Darren, but unfortunatly Altaria left him no choice, The experiment must continue.
Darren immediately went into a state of shock upon hearing this.
Living alone here for a month is quite challenging and not very amusing.
More importantly, it's not over yet. He still has to win the approval of the Altaria?!
"It seems they've had enough. Now it's your turn to enter the arena," Master Shozo said.
In the face of their back and forth battles, even though Darren was on the ground, he could feel the strong fluctuations in the air.
Darren looked up slowly and saw the Altaria and the Pidgeot slowly falling, eventually stopping in front of the two of them.
"Long time no see," Master Shozo greeted the Altaria, but the Altaria ignored him and instead looked at Darren.
"He is the trainer I selected..." Master Shozo said calmly.
"As per your request, I have brought the person to be tested. He will complete a month of trials with your offspring. Don't worry, I guarantee you as a Master Breeder that your offspring will never taint your bloodline. Its growth will shock you."
The Altaria, a proud and elegant Pokemon, was unknowingly involved in Master Shozo's conspiracy after breeding with the Pidgeot...
And when everything became a foregone conclusion, Master Shozo appeared before it.
Then, a conflict arose.
After Master Shozo failed to obtain the Pokemon egg he desired, the wager was established following a fierce battle.
In the end, the Altaria didn't sever ties with the Pidgeot, but rather resented the fact that it hadn't been informed beforehand.
With a long cry, the Altaria turned its head, and Master Shozo, who understood its meaning, said to Darren, "Are you ready? You still have the option to refuse."
Refuse?
At this point, how could Darren possibly refuse?
"What should I do?" Darren asked the Altaria and then turned to Master Shozo.
"It's simple. Come back with me for now. When everything is prepared tomorrow, it will be time for you to start surviving in the wilderness for a month."
To prepare, Darren must leave his Poke ball behind, bring emergency supplies and food, and return here alone.
During this month, Darren not only needed to successfully hatch the Swablu but he also needed to act as its trainer, cultivating it to become stronger and ultimately gain the approval of the Altaria.
Originally, Master Shozo wanted to tame the Swablu himself, but the stubbornness of the Altaria forced him to give up on this choice.
Therefore, Master Shozo settled for second best and chose Darren to fulfill the wager for him. His main purpose was to verify and research.
Although he regrets not being able to personally tame the Swablu, for someone with Master Shozo's status, it's no longer that important. Now, all that matters to him is his dedication to researching new things.
"Whether or not the inheritance is successful depends entirely on you, Darren." Master Shozo said solemnly, also very nervous about whether the Swablu can inherit its mother and the Pidgeot's moves.
"Dragon Rush... Other moves don't matter, but if you can master this move, it means that the dragon-type talent of the Swablu has been fully activated."
On a private plane, Master Shozo explained the precautions and key points of the experiment to Darren.
Dragon Rush is a move that even for the offspring of the Altaria and Dragonite who have been bred together, the probability of inheriting it is very small. Moreover, it's now a case of generational inheritance, and Master Shozo himself is very concerned about whether the prepared potion will work.
This Altaria is the ruler of Mt. Chimney.
According to Master Shozo, even compared to the Pokemon trained by the Elite Four, the strength of the Altaria won't be inferior.
His Pidgeot is slightly weaker than the Altaria, so Darren has a long and difficult road ahead if he wants to gain the approval of this Altaria.
The reason Master Shozo didn't immediately allow Darren to take the test is that he first needed to teach him some knowledge about training moves, raising young Pokemon, hatching Pokemon eggs, and better stimulating Pokemon potential.
Fortunately, Darren's learning speed could keep up with Master Shozo's teachings.
For Master Shozo, this bet was crucial to him. The process of training Darren's Swablu was a way to verify his accomplishments, to see how far Swablu could go within a month and how much potential it could unleash. these were things that concerned Master Shozo.
Now, with Darren's excellent nurturing skills, Master Shozo's worries were finally resolved.
In fact, if it weren't for Darren executing the bet personally, there were many young trainers who were qualified and had potential to train Swablu for the bet. However, they did not meet Master Shozo's requirements to some extent.
Darren's appearance indeed gave Master Shozo hope.
...
...
After a night of preparation, Darren memorized all the precautions that Master Shozo had mentioned.
Darren also had a rough idea of the terrain here. Upon entering, there were small creatures that were aggressive towards humans, making it difficult for Darren to take even a step forward.
Fortunately, Master Shozo had prepared a nutrient solution that could help Pokemon hatch at the fastest speed.
Inside a long container was an abundant amount of light blue nutrient solution, personally developed by Master Shozo based on the conditions of Altaria and Pidgeot. It could efficiently stimulate the potential of this new life.
This was also the main thing to be tested this time.
If Darren could successfully complete this assessment, not only would he be admitted to the prestigious Crown Academy, but the newly hatched Swablu, who had gone through a month of hardships with him, would also become Darren's Pokemon with extremely high talent, according to Master Shozo's words.