On the vast open sea, Golurk, Houndoom, and, even more curiously… Weezing. All felt like throwing up. After all, they had barely escaped with their lives at sea before, so they naturally had no fondness for the ocean.
Skorupi, however, was different. It had only recently been born and had not seen much of the world. Exposing it to the world was also part of growing up, so Tetsuya released Skorupi to let it experience something new.
Only a dozen or so people were scattered across the deck, making the spacious deck seem especially empty. The moment Skorupi came out and saw the wide-open space and the vast ocean, it became incredibly excited. It immediately began hopping around the deck before scurrying through the crowd.
The instant Tetsuya looked away, Skorupi suddenly charged toward the railing on the deck. Although it was made of steel, it could not withstand Skorupi's impact. Two of the railings were bent on the spot, and Skorupi tumbled off the deck toward the sea…
"Ahhhh!Whose Pokémon fell into the sea!?"
Only after hearing the startled cry did Tetsuya realize Skorupi was gone. He hurried to the edge of the deck and looked down.
Sure enough, it was Skorupi…
Skorupi actually had no idea what fear was. Even after falling into the sea, it remained completely calm. In fact, it was more excited than ever, waving its pincers and stretching its four little legs as if it were all just a game.
Tetsuya shook his head helplessly and took out a Poké Ball, intending to recall the troublemaker immediately. It was always causing problems, and now he would have to compensate the ship for the damaged railing.
"Jynx, use Confusion."
A woman's voice was heard.
Before the red beam from the Poké Ball could even be fired, Skorupi was already caught by Confusion and stopped in midair.
Tetsuya turned around. There stood a beautiful girl of about fourteen or fifteen. She was not a stranger… but Lorelei!
Under Jynx's Confusion, Skorupi was safely returned to the deck. However, the little troublemaker had suffered no consequences at all and still looked extremely pleased with itself.
"Skorupi, don't run around like that again! If you'd fallen into the sea and been swept away by the waves, you'd have been done for. Now hurry up and thank Jynx," Tetsuya said to Skorupi.
Skorupi still did not understand what had happened, but it "thanked" Jynx anyway.
"You look really familiar… Have we met before?" Lorelei walked over and asked.
"You're Lorelei, aren't you?" Tetsuya said.
"I am. And you are…?"
"Tetsuya. We met at Mahogany Gym before. There was quite a fierce battle that day," Tetsuya said.
"…Oh~ So it's Tetsuya-kun~ It's been about five years since we last met, hasn't it? You've become so handsome that I almost didn't recognize you~" Lorelei said.
'Handsome…' Tetsuya was a little uncomfortable hearing Lorelei say that. After all, his mental age corresponded to that of an older man. Her words made him unconsciously raise a hand to his face. It gave him the strange feeling of an old tree blooming again…
"…You've become even more beautiful yourself, Lorelei. Thank you for saving my Skorupi," Tetsuya said.
"It was nothing! So~ Are you heading to Kanto too?"
"That's right. I have some business in Kanto. What about you? Are you planning to compete in the Indigo League?" Tetsuya asked.
"Hai! This time I'm aiming for the championship! Aren't you competing, Tetsuya?" Lorelei's words suggested she was determined to win the Indigo League this time, hinting at her current level. Tetsuya, however, was not intimidated by her at all. His biggest problem was simply that he had too few Pokémon to rotate them in battle for proper rest.
"I'm not. There are still many more important things I need to do right now," Tetsuya said.
"Ho~oh~ In that case, battle me instead! I haven't met a worthy opponent in quite a while! It's been five years since we last met, so let me see how strong you've become." Lorelei took the initiative to challenge him.
Pokémon Trainers at her level would almost always challenge anyone they considered a worthy opponent. Experiencing different Pokémon and different Trainers while increasing the battle experience was all for achieving better results in League competitions.
"We can battle on this ship?" Tetsuya asked. After all, his Pokémon's moves were quite powerful. Battling here would inevitably risk damaging the ship, and an environment like this made it difficult for Pokémon to display their true power.
"You have a point… Even though this ship has battle facilities, I always feel a bit restricted here. How about we wait until after we disembark to have our battle?"
"Un." After Lorelei finished speaking, Tetsuya nodded.
---◓---
On the entire ship, Lorelei was the only person Tetsuya knew, so he simply chatted with her to pass the time. It turned out that Lorelei had officially begun her journey through the League competitions three years earlier.
In her first Indigo League, she reached the Top Eight. The following year, she finished as the runner-up in the Johto League. Last year, she claimed the championship in the Hoenn League. By now, Lorelei had already become somewhat well known.
Her main reason for returning to Kanto this time was to clear the regret of reaching only the Top Eight in her first appearance. She was determined to win the championship.
This made Tetsuya look forward to battling Lorelei even more. She was the ideal opponent to measure his own strength against.
After stopping at Olivine and Cianwood City, the number of passengers naturally increased. The once quiet lounge immediately became lively, and even more people gathered on the deck.
[Attention, valued passengers. This ship is bound for Gringey City in the Kanto region. We have now officially set course for Kanto. I repeat, we have now officially set course for Kanto…
The voyage will take approximately two days. The main lounge is equipped with several battle fields and a Pokémon trading machine. Feel free to battle one another, exchange Pokémon, and help create a friendly atmosphere throughout the journey. Finally, we wish everyone a pleasant voyage!]
[Attention, valued passengers…]
[…Finally, we wish everyone a pleasant voyage!]
The announcement was broadcast three times throughout the ship.
"I'm going to check the Trainers on board," Lorelei said as she stood up.
"…Weren't you just saying you wouldn't be able to fight properly here?"
"That was if I were battling you! I'd definitely have to use my main Pokémon against you. But against average Trainers like these, my main goal is to give a few newly Pokémon more battle experience," Lorelei said.
"In that case, my Skorupi could definitely use some XP bags too," Tetsuya said as he took out Skorupi's Poké Ball.
There were four standard battle fields in the center of the lounge, but Tetsuya and Lorelei had arrived a little too late. All four courts were already occupied, so they could only wait for someone to lose.
Before long, one of the battles came to an end.
"Young man, it looks like you still need a lot more training. Being a Pokémon Trainer isn't nearly as easy as you think!" The victorious ojisan said earnestly as he "lectured" the defeated Trainer.
"I'll take the next battle!"
Lorelei then stepped forward and sent out a Shellder to face the middle-aged man.
"Oh my~ It's just a little girl! How am I supposed to fight you?" The man said, pretending to be troubled.
"Oh~? You don't need to hold back. Otherwise, you'll lose badly~" Lorelei warned him kindly.
In only two exchanges, the man who had just been lecturing someone else was swiftly proven wrong. He lost to Lorelei and could only leave the field with his head hanging low.