Chapter 12: I Want to Be a Trainer

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Lucas."

Officer Jenny, valiant as ever, led her officers in a respectful salute to Lucas. The parents clung to their rescued children, crying and thanking him.

Lucas wasn't great at handling such scenes—he joked and fumbled through, waiting until the police took the kidnappers away. Then he turned to Nemona, her butler Sebastian, and their luxury car.

"This car's worth at least a hundred million, right?"

Lucas' eyes widened in awe at the unassuming black luxury car. If he hadn't seen a video about such cars online recently, he might not have recognized it.

Rich girls do live differently—even their rides are outrageous.

Lucas nearly drooled.

Nemona noticed Lucas' gaze on her car. She thought for a moment—Lucas' home seemed old, and she had plenty of these cars in her family's garage… Maybe—

She was about to ask Sebastian to give Lucas the car, but Sebastian stepped forward first.

Dressed as a butler, Sebastian bowed and placed his right hand over his chest, saying respectfully, "Mr. Lucas, please allow me to thank you on behalf of the whole family for rescuing the young miss from those villains."

Lucas smiled, "It was nothing, no need to be so formal."

Sebastian shook his head, looking truly anxious, "Not at all. During the young miss's disappearance, the whole family was beside themselves. Only your help prevented a tragedy."

"Would you do us the honor of visiting our home? The family has prepared a generous gift to thank you."

Nemona's eyes lit up—was her big brother Lucas coming to visit her home?

But Lucas was firm in his refusal, shaking his head, "I appreciate the gesture, but I didn't do it for a reward. Please forgive me for declining."

He might be short on money, but he wasn't about to take advantage of a good deed.

Besides, with his strength, there were plenty of ways to make money—he just didn't want to.

"Eh—?" Nemona looked disappointed, a bit dejected. She'd hoped to spend more time with him.

"I see… In that case, please accept this small token." Sebastian was clever. Noticing Lucas didn't want a material reward, he simply handed him a gold-embossed business card with a smile. "This is my card, with my private contact info. If you ever need anything, just contact me."

Sebastian was smart—if Lucas didn't want a material reward, then a favor would do.

As the butler who managed the estate, contacting him was as good as contacting the family's patriarch.

The favor wouldn't disappear, just wait for another opportunity.

Besides, the family head would rather build a relationship with a retired champion-level trainer than just give a gift.

Who knows, maybe in the future, when traveling to other regions and needing protection from evil organizations, they'd hire Lucas.

Strong people are always in demand in this world.

Lucas accepted the card. Before sending Nemona off, he told her to visit the farm whenever she wanted, then returned home.

…

Near his villa, ten workers and a few Machoke were busy working.

Spotting Lucas, the burly, mustachioed foreman he'd spoken to on the phone earlier waved, "Mr. Lucas, you're back?"

Lucas glanced over, eyes widening in admiration.

Wow, you do help your workers with their kids.

The foreman had a kid hanging from each arm and another riding on his head, while a few more played nearby.

If it were him, he'd go crazy in ten minutes.

Respect.

With newfound admiration, Lucas nodded, "Everything's settled, so of course I'm back."

He looked at the busy workers, asking, "Are you guys getting started?"

The foreman grinned, "You agreed to our request, so we're getting to work right away."

Lucas smiled, "Then I'll leave the farm's layout to you."

"Machoke Construction—quality you can trust!"

The foreman, not shy at all, struck a Machoke pose, making the kids giggle.

Lucas and the foreman then discussed the project in front of the kids, settling the farm's planning.

Machoke Construction took the job for a flat fee of 100,000 PokéDollars—to divide the farm into crop fields, pastures, and a lake area.

At that price, it was just basic zoning and simple structures—mostly wood. Upgrades would cost a lot more, but Lucas didn't have that kind of money.

After paying, he had less than 300,000 PokéDollars left.

Enough for living expenses, barely. Luxray and the others would have to help feed themselves by hunting.

How to use this startup fund to make more money—that was Lucas' new headache.

He felt like he'd just jumped from a 9-to-9-6 grind into an even scarier 007 (working 24/7) pit.

Still, compared to most people starting from scratch, he'd begun far ahead.

Cabo Poco.

In a mansion with its garden and beach, Nemona grabbed her father Alan's sleeve at home. Under her big sister Karen's encouraging gaze, she blushed and said, "Daddy… I want to become a Trainer."

Alan stopped, surprise flickering in his eyes—eyes the same color as Nemona's. He squatted to her level and smiled, "What made our little princess change her mind? Let me guess—it was that retired champion-level trainer, wasn't it?"

Nemona blushed and nodded, then mustered her courage, "I want to be strong, just like him. I want to aim for Champion level!"