Three months flew by, and now it was February 2023. Winter in the capital was bitterly cold, with average temperatures h around -10°C.

  Julian had just pleted the first semester of his freshman year and was now in the sed semester.

  In the vil's spacious living room, Julian sipped on coffee brewed by Slowking. Its coffee-making skills were eveer than those of a professional barista.

  Outside the window, snow fell steadily, bing the world in white. It had been snowing for four days straight, but there wasn’t muow accumuted in the yard. The credit for that went to the Are venting its energy outside.

  As it ran, waves of heat radiated from its body. The snow never even reached the ground, melting into droplets before falling as rain.

  Pokémon: Are (Fire)

  Level: 62

  Potential: Blue

  Ability: Fsh Fire

  Held Item: Charcoal

  Gender: Male

  Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Bite, Fme Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility, Extreme Speed, Reversal, Fmethrower, ch, Fire Fang, Roar, Retaliate, Py Rough, Take Down

  TMs: Protect, Fire Spin, Hyper Beam, Dig, Sunny Day, Giga Impact, Heat Wave, Wild Charge, Psychigs, Bst Burn

  Egg Moves: Fre Blitz, Overheat, Double-Edge, e

  Note: Fire-type moves' power is increased by 20%.

  ---

  A little over a month ago, Growlithe had fully absorbed the Fire Crystal within its body. With the help of the top-grade Fire Stone Julian gave it, it finally evolved into an Are.

  Thanks to the absorbed Fire Crystal, Are’s Fire-type moves became noticeably stronger.

  Its coloration remained red, ued by the crystal’s disappearance. While it wasn’t a true Shiny Pokémon, it retaihe rare appearance of one, albeit without the unique abilities.

  Outside in the yard, it wasn’t just Are. Steelix was there too—its t height preve from entering the vil, and it wasn’t keen ourning to its Pokéball. So, it stayed outside, just like Aggron.

  “Slowking, where’s Celebi? Don’t tell me it’s still sleeping,” Julian grumbled.

  “Slow~”

  Slowking nodded, firming his suspi.

  “Go wake it up already! You’re spoiling it too much. It gets to sleep in and skip breakfast, but I ’t?!”

  Julian’s face filled with envy and frustration as he muttered the st part.

  'Why ’t I just stay in bed on a freezing winter day?'

  Slowking: "It’s different"

  “Yeah, sure. Different because it eats, sleeps, and drinks all day,” Juliaed with a sneer.

  Slowking: "It’s still young"

  “Two hundred years old and still young? Two hundred years ago, my aors were young!”

  As they chatted, a green blur desded gracefully from the sed floor and nded skillfully on Julian's head. But before it could settle, Julian grabbed it the sed.

  Celebi: "You were bad-mouthing me just now—I heard it."

  "So what? Was I wrong? Just look at you! In two months, you've mao grow a little belly!"

  Celebi had woken up two months ago. Julian had told it to rest for a while before leaving, though he clearly had other motives for keeping it around.

  The naive Celebi believed him, and after a short rest, it decided to stay.

  Between the delicious food Slowking cooked, the energy cubes and snacks Julian provided, and addictive games like 'Pokémon Glory', it couldn’t bring itself to leave.

  Julian poked at Celebi's tiny belly with his finger. Sure enough, a small pouch had formed.

  “You might just be the first Celebi in history with a belly.”

  Instead of feeling embarrassed, Celebi puffed out its chest proudly.

  Celebi: "I got chubby because you take such good care of me."

  Julian’s lips twitched at its response.

  Who would have thought that the mighty guardian of the forest, a mythical time-traveling Pokémon, would succumb to food and gaming?

  “Slowking, no more snacks for Celebi. Look at what it’s turned into! It’s all junk food and processed treats,” Julian said.

  Celebi was fortuo be a mythical Pokémon, its physique far superior to that of ordinary Pokémon. Otherwise, any other Pokémoing human snacks as often as it did would have been malnourished long ago.

  But Celebi? It only seemed to get plumper.

  "Slow~"

  Slowking: "It mais the energy cubes."

  Slowking wasn’t taking the bme. While it doted on Celebi, it still kept the snacks under trol.

  Julian, oher hand, stantly pined about Celebi’s eating habits but caved the moment it said—

  Celebi: "I’m hungry."

  “Fine, fine. All you ever do is eat.”

  Julian grumbled, gring at it. He pulled out a high-grade energy cube from his system iory and ha over.

  Slowking: "Case in point."

  “Hurry up a. Once you're done, we’re queuing for a match,” Julian said.

  Celebi: "I eat and py at the same time. But this time, I’m going for the Top ne."

  “Listen to me. The Top oo plicated for you—you’re still too green. I’ll take it, and you go as a marksman.”

  “Ugh, that marksman st night was absolute trash.”

  Celebi: "Says the useless support."

  “Rubbish! It was totally their fault! They were hopeless!”

  Celebi: "Doesn’t even buy gems, hogs the marksman’s farm—how is that supposed to work?"

  “You don’t get it. Every support has the heart of a carry.”

  Celebi: "Heh!"

  The usual bickering began. Ever since Celebi learned how to py 'Glory', these arguments had bee a regur occurrence.

  What frustrated Julian the most was that Celebi was better at the game than he was. That little detail stung his pride.

  Slowking: "Most 'Glory' pyers are better than you. Eveary schoolers."

  “Lucario, get Are in here!”

  Gaming in winter wasn’t plete without Are.

  Soon enough, Are trotted into the house, making itself fortable in the middle of the living room.

  Julian immediately sprawled across its warm fur, snuggling closer, while Celebi perched itself on Are’s head.

  The steady heat radiating from Are’s body was the ultimate fort in the freezing winter.

  Sure, the house had tral heating, air ditioning, and even a firepce, but none of that pared to cuddling up against Are’s soft, fluffy fur.

  Are: 'In winter, I’m your "baby". In summer, I’m just "doggy"'

  Leaning against Are while pying games was the pinnacle of winter luxury.

  Julian had barely uhe game when a flurry of messages from Luis appeared. At first, Julian ighem, but the stant notifications became impossible to overlook.

  Luis: Brother Walker, did you hear? There’s a new ruin discovered in iional waters.

  Luis: Our try already sent two Champions to iigate.

  Luis: But Celestria also sent two Champions.

  Luis: Brother Walker, are either of our Champions yrandfather?

  Luis: Brother Walker, why aren’t you replying?

  Luis: Brother Walker, I’m calling you!

  Sighing, Julian realized ign Luis wasn’t an option anymore.

  Julian: I know. I’m busy!

  Luis: Busy with what? Need my help?

  Julian: Send one more message, and I’ll have Metagross e ftten you.

  *****

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