"By the way, when's your birthday?"
Green's voice came through from the other end of the call.
She was a little curious about when Grey's birthday actually was.
"My birthday? It already passed. June sixth."
It was currently August, so Grey's birthday had been two months ago.
"Then never mind."
Once Green heard that Grey's birthday had already passed, she gave up on the idea of sending him a birthday present.
Still, if his birthday wasn't anytime soon, then what exactly were all the dojo Pokémon planning to do with all those valuable items they had taken?
...
...
Kanto region, on a wild path between Celadon City and Saffron City.
"Zap!" (Everyone, with Articuno gone lately, and me being one of only two legendary bird Pokémon under Grey, shouldn't you all be listening to my command?)
Among the Pokémon currently left behind at the dojo, Zapdos ranked second in strength.
Breloom was first.
But because of its personality, Breloom didn't really like stirring things up. It preferred sitting in the back, scattering spores, and punching something now and then.
When it came to taking center stage, that was Zapdos's domain.
"Wrath." (If you've got something to say, then say it. Stop dressing it up with all this messy opening nonsense like you're the one doing everything.)
Poliwrath stepped forward without any politeness at all. As the only Water-type currently in the Fighting Dojo, its temper, when it flared up, could be even worse than Primeape's used to be.
"Zap." (Got it, got it. Everyone, listen carefully.)
Zapdos landed on the ground and looked around at the gathered Pokémon all staring at it, thoroughly satisfied.
Following it right now were Breloom, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, Poliwrath, Machamp, Heracross, Dragonite, Sirfetch'd, Metagross, Conkeldurr, and Genesect.
Thirteen in total, counting Zapdos itself.
Every single one of them was a Pokémon from the Fighting Dojo.
And each of them was carrying at least a few valuable items.
Big Nuggets, Nuggets, Pearls, Big Pearls...
Not useful to them, but worth a lot of money.
These were the things they'd quietly collected over the past few days.
"Zap." (The boss treats us so well. Don't you think we should repay him?)
Zapdos brought Grey into the conversation at once.
Most of the Pokémon here had been rescued by Grey from Team Rocket. A small number had been gifts from other people.
Thinking about it...
Apparently there were only three like that on the scene?
Halfway through, Zapdos suddenly realized there really weren't that many old guard members here.
Still, no big deal.
Without changing its expression, Zapdos continued.
"Zap." (So I've come up with a plan lately. Once the boss gets back, it'll definitely make him smile from ear to ear. Go ahead and guess what it is.)
Zapdos deliberately left them hanging.
The other Pokémon began guessing among themselves.
"Bre." (You want us to sell all this stuff and give the money to the boss, don't you?)
Breloom was the first to think of that possibility.
As one of the earliest members of the team, Breloom knew Grey was usually very frugal when it came to food, clothes, and daily spending.
But he never hesitated to spend money on them.
So even if they sold everything, the most likely outcome was that the number in his bank account would just look a little better.
As for how much Grey would actually spend on himself, that was another question.
If that was really Zapdos's idea, Breloom didn't think it was very good.
It would be better to sell some things and use the money to buy Grey something directly.
"Zap." (Partly right. But come on, Breloom, don't be so crude. Money matters, sure, but I didn't have everyone collect these things just so we could hand Grey cash.)
Seeing that even Breloom hadn't guessed its idea, Zapdos raised its head and burst into smug laughter.
"Wrath." (I already told you to get to the point. If you keep laughing like this, when are we ever getting anywhere?)
Poliwrath cut it off in time.
Zapdos flushed a little, then finally said:
"Zap." (There's going to be a competition in the human world soon, and it's being held in Celadon City. If the competitors place high enough, they don't just get prize money—they get rewards too.)
"Zap." (And those rewards are a big deal. Eighth through fourth place get a year's worth of Pokémon food. Third place gets that plus a Fighting Gem. Second place gets all of that, plus a huge apartment in a small town.)
Zapdos stopped there.
"Drago~?" (Brother Zapdos, then what's the first-place prize?)
The adorable Dragonite raised its hand to ask. It still had some common sense.
First place had to be better than second place.
If second place was already that amazing, then first place couldn't possibly be worse, right?
"Zap." (Sadly, we don't want first place. Compared to second place, the first-place reward is terrible. Just two glass marbles, plus some resources for raising Pokémon.)
Zapdos was full of disdain for it.
Were two glass marbles worth more than a big apartment?
Even if Grey didn't live there himself, he could always rent it out.
So this time, they didn't want first.
They wanted to seize second place.
"Hera." (I have a question. We're all Pokémon, so how are we supposed to enter a human competition?)
Heracross was pretty sharp too and immediately noticed the problem.
To enter a human competition, you needed a Trainer.
And the Trainer had to be human.
They were Pokémon, not humans, so how exactly were they supposed to sign up?
"Zap." (Let me think... oh, got it!)
Zapdos had just started thinking when it spotted Bumiao hurrying after them from behind.
She had been with Grey for quite a long time and was the dojo's true veteran.
"What are all of you doing out here?"
Bumiao was out of breath as she looked at the group of Pokémon Grey had left behind, utterly confused.
Why had they suddenly run off?
Leaving without saying anything had worried her half to death.
Luckily, she'd managed to catch up. Otherwise who knew how much farther they would've gone?
She had chased them all the way from Saffron City. If they'd gone much farther, she might really have dropped dead from exhaustion.
"Zap!" (Good timing. We needed you for something! Hitmonchan, show her the poster. Grey's birthday is coming up, and I think we should give him something good.)
Zapdos signaled for Hitmonchan—the one who looked the most human—to step forward. Together with Metagross's super brain, they managed to explain the whole situation.
"Ohhh, so you want to get Grey a birthday gift? But Grey's birthday is June sixth. Why are you saying it's coming up?"
Bumiao knew when Grey's birthday was.
The last time Grey had celebrated it, the previous dojo leader, Nobuhiko, had still been around, and everyone had celebrated together.
Back then, Grey had still been fighting in underground matches.
And the only Pokémon he'd caught was Mankey.
Those really were nostalgic days...
Bumiao's thoughts drifted back to the past.
But soon she pulled herself back to the present.
"Zap?" (June sixth? Wasn't it September ninth?)
Only now did Zapdos realize that when it had looked at Grey's ID before, it seemed to have read it backward.
0606
9090
At the time, it had even thought the ID looked awkward, like you had to read it from right to left.
The only numbers it had really understood were those fake 9090s in its head.
So that meant...
it had made one enormous mistake.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. In a little while it'll be the Fighting Dojo's anniversary too, so since all of you care this much, go ahead and enter. I'll just be the one who signs you up. If it comes time to battle, you can do that yourselves."
"Or I can have Silver and Green take you there. And during this time, I'll keep it secret for you. This is supposed to be a surprise for Grey, right?"
"Zap." (The big sister who handles all the meals really is thoughtful.)
Zapdos gave her its thanks.
"Oh, it's nothing. At first I thought you'd all run away from home to do something crazy. If this is all it is, then that's easy."
Bumiao let out a sigh of relief.
At first, she'd been worried about how she was supposed to explain all this to Grey.
Now it seemed like any excuse at all would work.
And then later, they'd give Grey a nice little surprise in secret.
Once he got back, he was definitely going to be deeply moved.
Then he'd say, Bumiao, you're the best. I'm definitely giving you a raise.
Oh yeah!
What a wonderful feeling.
Bumiao felt like she had just taken another step closer to higher pay.
"Top." (So what kind of competition is this exactly? You've all been talking for ages, but I still have no idea what contest we're even entering.)
Hitmontop scratched its smooth bald head.
All this talk about bravely taking second place sounded great.
The dream was admirable.
But the problem was—
what kind of competition was it?
"Zap." (A competition for Fighting-type Pokémon. So only Fighting-type Pokémon can enter.)
Zapdos glanced around. Out of the thirteen of them, only eight were actually eligible.
And this wasn't some random roadside event.
It was a nationwide competition.
That meant experts would be everywhere.
So they had to take it seriously. They couldn't just send one Pokémon up there and risk getting hard-countered.
Besides, everyone here was at least Gym-level already.
Among them, Breloom, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop had all reached Elite Four level. Breloom was close to the level of an Elite Four main ace, while the other three were more like gatekeeper level.
At the very least, reaching the top eight shouldn't be a problem.
Zapdos was even thinking that it would be perfect if they ran into Bruno in the finals.
That way they could surrender with complete legitimacy.
"Zap!" (Oh, right! If any of you really make it to the finals, no funny business with throwing the match, got it?)
Zapdos had spent enough time surfing the internet with Grey to know exactly what the consequences of fixing a match were.
So it immediately warned all the Pokémon not to do anything like that.
No collateral damage, please.
"Chan." (Got it, got it. We're all part of the Fighting Dojo now. For the boss, we're definitely taking second place!)
"Zap!" (Come on! Say our slogan out loud!)
"..."
A burst of passionate shouting echoed through the woods.
Bumiao felt her eyes getting a little wet.
She really hadn't expected Grey's Pokémon to care this much about him.
It was honestly moving.
...
...
Unova region, Nimbasa City.
Grey had already put his phone down and was sitting on a park bench, enjoying Caitlin's massage.
To be honest, having a rich young lady like Caitlin giving him a massage really did create a strange but enjoyable contrast.
At least Grey was definitely enjoying it.
Both Caitlin and Sabrina were psychics, but being around them felt completely different.
If someone asked Grey which one he liked more—
his answer was that his heart was split evenly.
He wasn't favoring either one.
Everyone got an equal share.
Ding-dong~
[Granbull Belly Soft and Squishy: Leader Grey, which battle field do you think you'll be closest to? I've already finished packing, so I'm heading over now!]
Lacey had sent him a message.
Grey glanced around at the amusement park facilities, then opened his phone to see where he could reserve a battlefield.
Even though there were only ten minutes or so, which felt a little rushed, it was late enough that probably no one was looking to battle right now.
Most people who came to Nimbasa City were either there to enjoy the amusement park...
or to grind points on the Battle Subway.
Actually reserving a formal battlefield for a match was the sort of thing only a small minority of people would do.
"The closest one is... Nimbasa Gym? Huh? You can reserve that too?"
A runway scene immediately popped into Grey's mind.
Wasn't Nimbasa Gym still basically centered around fashion shows and catwalks?
Of course, it still had a normal battlefield.
But after thinking about it, Grey decided not to trouble the Gym Leader.
Just then he remembered that there was a battlefield downstairs at their hotel, so he chose that instead.
It was probably pretty close to Lacey's home too.
After changing the reservation location, Grey sent it to her.
[Dojo Annihilape: Little sister Lacey, check if this place is far from you.]
[Granbull Belly Soft and Squishy: Huh? But that's my family's hotel. It's really close.]
Grey: "???"
What do you mean, that's your family's hotel?
What?
Your family is that rich?
Then again, that made sense.
Grey remembered that Lacey's family was in the mining business.
It wasn't all that strange for Clay to own a few hotels on the side.
Come to think of it...
Caitlin was also incredibly rich. Wasn't it possible her family owned a few properties in Nimbasa City too?
"Yes. If you'd said so earlier, I could've taken you to one of my family's five-star hotels. But... I was afraid my family would find out."
"What, am I really that embarrassing to be seen with?"
Grey couldn't help making a joke.
The way she said it made it sound like they were carrying on some secret underground relationship.
"N-no... If you really want to stay there, then... then we can stay there together!"
The moment she said it, Caitlin looked as if she were ready to face death.
At worst, she'd settle everything tonight and tell her family exactly what she wanted.
The truth was that Caitlin really was a little afraid of taking Grey to meet the family.
Even if Grey had already reached Elite Four level in strength, and his dojo now stood in first place just like Viridian Gym—
her family had always insisted on status matching status.
Not only did strength have to be comparable, their assets had to be in the same range too.
At the very least, the gap couldn't be too large.
And in Grey's case—
the strength was there.
But in terms of assets, he clearly fell short.
Things like monetizing his personal brand and turning influence into cash were, at best, only average.
So even if she wanted her family to approve of them being together,
the most likely path was probably Grey marrying into her family instead.
Of course, if Grey could reach Champion level—
even just Champion gatekeeper level, like Wallace—
then everything would change.
Maybe her family would even be willing to hand her over along with a massive dowry...
No, just thinking about it was mortifying!
Whenever Caitlin thought about her family, she felt both love and resentment.
They had definitely made her life easier in many ways.
But it was also suffocating.
Thankfully, once her strength approached the level of an Elite Four member, her family's expectations of her had started to change.
If she had been weaker, there was a very real chance she would've been treated like a piece on a board.
For example, they might have casually arranged a marriage alliance with some noble family from another region, trying to make the strong even stronger through a union.
Maybe in some parallel world, another version of her really had become a marriage pawn because she wasn't strong enough.
Come to think of it, the only truly successful case of a rich family's eldest child escaping that fate also seemed to have come from Kanto.
All you could say was that Kanto really was ahead of its time.
It always seemed to be first at everything.
It was honestly terrifying.
"I was teasing. Just joking. But I didn't realize your family was that strict."
Grey raised a brow slightly and pulled Caitlin in by the shoulder, not letting her get lost in thoughts of her family.
"Right now you're my boss, so I can't let you sit around looking miserable. If there's anything you want me to do, just say it."
"Then let me lean on you a little longer."
Caitlin still liked resting against Grey's shoulder. That sense of solidity was something her cold, distant family could never give her.
What she wanted was a warm harbor.
What she needed was someone she could rely on anytime, anywhere, whenever she needed to.
And clearly, Caitlin had found that feeling in Grey.
If she could, she really wanted the Fighting Dojo to become her second home.
Or maybe...
should she just buy all the commercial property around the Fighting Dojo?
That thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
Honestly, it sounded pretty feasible.
After all, it was only the outskirts of Saffron City. In terms of raw value, it really wasn't all that expensive.
At least, to Caitlin's family, the profits from that kind of commercial land were basically pocket change.
Unfortunately, once this stretch of time passed, she'd probably have to stay in Unova and take up her post.
And when that happened, seeing Grey again would become a lot harder.
"So this is where you two were. Did you have fun? Enjoy yourselves?"
N walked over holding an ice cream in his hand, clearly having gone off to enjoy the park on his own before returning.
"It was good. The Ferris wheel really was nice."
Grey gave a positive answer.
Beautiful scenery and a beautiful girl—he was more than satisfied.
"It really was... Tonight's Ferris wheel was wonderful."
Caitlin, meanwhile, was thinking of the photo she'd taken with Grey.
Every time she leaned against his shoulder, it felt a little different.
And what she'd felt on the Ferris wheel had been completely different from what she felt now.
"I'm glad to see both of you so happy. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
N said he was happy for both of them.
But in reality, his eyes never left Grey.
Caitlin: "..."
Tch. Unovans really are terrifying.
Sure enough, N was a difficult rival.
Caitlin silently nodded to herself, even more certain now that it had been correct to classify N as a rival.
"Leader Grey, sorry to keep you waiting!"
Lacey came out from the entrance of a nearby high-rise building, with six Safari Balls hanging at her waist. She looked thoroughly prepared.
Next up: Lacey of the Blueberry Academy Elite Four steps in!
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810