Day 46 of the journey to Kanto. Midnight.
Reiji slept until midnight before waking up. He had given up on visiting the lighthouse. It was not that he could not go, but there was not much time left, and he did not want to put himself through more trouble.
There was only a week left before the Indigo League began. Spending that time going to the lighthouse, then crossing all of Kanto to reach Indigo Plateau, would be too exhausting.
He had originally planned to spare two days for the trip, but those two days had been eaten up by running for his life. With one week left, he decided to rest in Acapulco for two days before setting off for Indigo Plateau.
He had thought he still had plenty of time to enjoy Kanto. Who would have guessed he would spend four straight days being chased from morning to night without even a proper break? Who could handle that?
He and his Pokémon would need at least two days to recover. After that, they could head to Indigo Plateau, adjust a little more, and arrive in time for the opening ceremony.
It was midnight now, and he had no desire to wander around. After eating a late-night meal, he hurried back to his private room, let his Pokémon eat too, making up for the lunch and dinner they had missed, then collapsed back onto the bed and kept sleeping.
Until the next morning.
Day 47 of the journey to Kanto. Clear.
The weather was pretty good today. The sun was as brutal as ever, but after sleeping for an entire day, Reiji finally had some energy again. He got up, ate breakfast, fed his Pokémon, and went out for a morning run with Poliwhirl.
During the run, he kept hearing people mention how nice the beach was here. He could go check it out in the afternoon.
After morning training, he had lunch at the Pokémon Center, then took Poliwhirl to the beach. He found a quieter stretch of sand, rented a parasol and a lounge chair, ordered a cold drink, and let out every Pokémon he could.
Gyarados, Pelipper, Kingler, and Rhydon all ran straight into the sea the moment they saw it. Rhydon even started surfing.
Plenty of people stopped to watch. A Rock-type Pokémon that was not afraid of water was already unusual, and seeing Rhydon surf drew a small crowd on the shore.
There was nothing to say about Scyther. It immediately dragged Poliwhirl off for sparring again, as if one day without training would ruin its whole life. What a battle maniac.
"Vee." Eevee wore tiny sunglasses, lay under the parasol, and sipped a cold drink while imitating Reiji's sunbathing. It looked entirely too comfortable.
"Eevee." Reiji stroked the little Eevee. It was copying him and gradually getting used to life on the road. That was a good change.
"Zap..." Zapdos lay on top of Reiji's head. It had grown used to treating his hair like a bird's nest. It spent very little time awake each day, sleeping most of the time. Lately, it had become strangely drowsy.
"Ri! Ri!" Once Riolu saw Poliwhirl leave, it immediately chased after it. But Scyther did not want to play with it and often scared it off with its scythes, warning it not to interrupt their sparring.
Reiji could not be bothered to manage what his Pokémon were doing. After reminding them not to cause trouble, he lay on the folding lounge chair and slept until evening. It had been a very comfortable day, and now it was time for dinner.
There had been Trainers who came to challenge him that afternoon, but his main team was entirely Advanced tier. Unsurprisingly, every challenger lost.
Another pleasant day passed. Reiji returned to the Pokémon Center, lay in bed with Eevee in his arms, and gradually fell asleep.
There were still several days before the Indigo League opening ceremony. He planned to relax here for a while, which counted as preparation for the League in its own way.
He wondered how Yukari was doing. Hopefully, she had already gone home. From Pelipper, he knew Yukari and the other two had survived.
As long as they survived, that was enough. Please, just do not mention him. He really did not want to be exposed.
And then there was Ash's house. It had not been blown up by him, but it was still connected to him. Ash had thick nerves, so he probably would not blame him, right?
Day 48 of the journey to Kanto. Cloudy.
The weather was nice today. The sun was not as harsh as yesterday, which made it perfect for sunbathing.
After morning training, Reiji took his Pokémon to the beach again. Word of his undefeated record from yesterday had spread, and today even more Trainers came to challenge him.
He was so tired of the flies that he waved for Scyther, Rhydon, and the others to handle it themselves. He did not even bother giving commands.
Even without a Trainer directing them, the challengers still could not beat Rhydon and the others. His reputation kept growing, and so did the number of challengers, until a familiar face appeared.
"Rai-nii?"
"You are?" Reiji pulled down his sunglasses and saw a boy with much darker skin than before, wearing sunflower-patterned beach shorts. "Gulzar? What are you doing here?"
"It really is you, Rai-nii!" Gulzar shouted excitedly. He had been looking for Rai for over a month. He had thought he would only see him at the Indigo League, but here he was.
"Weren't you at Kumquat Gym? Why are you here? Where's Travis?"
"Travis is over there. Should I call him over?" Gulzar looked toward a parasol on the other side of the beach. Travis was lying beneath it.
"No need." Reiji shook his head. That second-generation Trainer being out here meant bodyguards were definitely nearby. Reiji had no interest in drawing their attention.
"Rai-nii, we heard from Grandpa Quincy that you came to Kanto for the Indigo League, so we came too." Gulzar sat down beside him, excited as if he had just met a celebrity. "Rai-nii, you're so strong. Even without a Trainer giving commands, I still couldn't beat Scyther and the others."
"Haha, it's nothing. You're not bad yourself. You managed to beat Tauros." Reiji laughed it off. He was not that amazing. He had simply started earlier.
"No, no, Rai-nii is the strongest." Gulzar had seen with his own eyes how Poliwhirl and the others had taken down one challenger after another. That kind of confidence was not something just anyone had.
"You're doing well too. You got one of the starter Pokémon, right?" Reiji had seen a Grovyle. By now, he had stopped caring much about starter Pokémon. If one came his way, fine. If not, that was fine too.
"Yes. Travis helped me apply for it." Gulzar shyly talked about his experiences after going to Kumquat Gym, sharing his life with Reiji like an old friend he had not seen in years.
"Good. Keep working hard. You're getting closer to your goal. Being a Ranger is a respectable career." Reiji smiled and patted Gulzar's shoulder to encourage him. Having a goal was good. A goal gave people the drive to work hard.
Just do not learn from him. He was too lazy, spending every day wanting to lie down and barely move.
"Rai-nii, are you entering the Indigo League too?"
"I am. That means we might be opponents, so don't hold back. I won't go easy on you either." Reiji suddenly grew serious. This was an official competition. Throwing a match would be impossible to explain to the audience. He would need to take it seriously.
Losing because you were not strong enough was one thing. Holding back was disgusting. He would not forgive himself for that.
"You're joking, Rai-nii. Even if I use everything I have, I still can't beat you. How could I hold back?" Gulzar scratched his head in embarrassment. Reiji was the one who had first guided him into becoming a Trainer.
He knew how strong Reiji was. Beating him would not be simple. But he would not admit defeat either. He would fight with everything he had and see just how wide the gap between them really was.
"Good..." Reiji was about to say a few more encouraging words and tell Gulzar to keep working hard, but Darkrai suddenly warned him. It had sensed an unusual energy fluctuation coming from the mountains behind the city.
In that case, their reunion had to end early. Reiji knew Gulzar still had plenty he wanted to say, but he had no time.
"Gulzar, something came up. I have to leave for now. We'll meet again at the Indigo League." Reiji patted Gulzar's shoulder again, got up, and called his Pokémon back one by one into their Poké Balls.
"Rai-nii, you're leaving already?" Gulzar was reluctant. They had only just met again.
"The Indigo League starts in a few days, and this is urgent. Sorry. I'll see you there." Reiji smiled and ruffled Gulzar's hair until it was completely messy before finally stopping. In the end, he was still a kid.
Under Gulzar's reluctant gaze, Reiji waved goodbye and left the beach.
"Gulzar, don't tell Travis you saw me."
"I know, Rai-nii." Gulzar waved goodbye too. Reiji was clearly in a hurry, so they could only meet again at the Indigo League.
It was a little disappointing, but he had finally found him. That alone made it worth it.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]