"What was that thing… what was it here for?"
Itsuki stared at the window where Umbreon had disappeared, his expression frozen, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
If he had been the one to battle… could he have won?
No!
He would win!
He, Itsuki, was a genius!
Back in his hometown, even adults couldn't beat him.
"Not necessarily, kid."
Bugsy, seeing through Itsuki's thoughts, teased, "If that new Eevee has a Trainer, and they teamed up, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"What a joke! I've never lost since I started my journey!"
Itsuki shouted, fuming, and stormed out of the Azalea Gym.
"That Eevee's battle style was really unique, though. I wonder what kind of person its Trainer is. If they're also in this year's Silver Conference and face off against that kid Itsuki, it'll be interesting."
Clatter~ Clatter~
Pebbles fell onto Bugsy's head.
He looked up, noticing the hole Umbreon had blasted in the ceiling.
"Ugh… better apply to the League for repair funds."
…
Meanwhile, Elijah, who'd gone out, successfully met up with Giovanni and went into full-on Double 11 shopping mode with the man's card.
In the end, he bought so much stuff that he couldn't possibly carry it all back, so he had the mall arrange for delivery.
"I've bought pretty much everything I can. The rest is up to you, Uncle Giovanni."
Elijah glanced at his shopping list.
Iodine, test tubes, beakers, microscopes…
These basic medical supplies were readily available in specialty stores.
But professional equipment was another story—most of it was controlled by the Joy family.
Incubators, medical centrifuges, clinical analyzers…
To buy those, you needed not only professional certifications but also approval from the Joy family.
Elijah didn't have the time to waste on that.
He'd have to rely on Giovanni's connections.
Giovanni took the list, glancing at some equipment he didn't even know the purpose of, feeling that this kid was becoming harder and harder to read.
"Heh, the cost of these things, plus that house, is already worth more than a Dratini."
Giovanni half-joked.
He'd originally thought offering a Dratini would earn him some favor with Elijah.
When the kid turned it down, he figured he'd save some money.
After all, while Team Rocket was somewhat notorious in Kanto, it wasn't yet the colossal organization that could shake the entire region with a single stomp.
Otherwise, his son wouldn't have vanished so mysteriously.
But reality proved he'd underestimated things.
The stuff Elijah wanted, all added up, cost more than a Dratini.
"You can't catch a Mightyena without risking a pup. Besides, it's just a Dratini, right? The returns you'll get in the future will be far more than this."
Elijah urged Giovanni to think bigger, oh great Team Rocket boss.
"Heh, sounds like you're looking down on Dratini a bit? You know it's the dream Pokémon of countless Trainers."
Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly, it's just that its situation is a bit… awkward."
Elijah's comment left Giovanni puzzled.
What did that mean?
Well… in this era, things like Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax hadn't been researched yet.
In the eyes of Elijah, a transmigrator, Dragonite, as a first-generation pseudo-legendary, had a pretty rough deal.
No Mega Evolution, no exclusive Z-Move, no Gigantamax form… nothing.
Salamence, Metagross, Garchomp… all the moderately popular older pseudo-legendaries got some kind of buff.
Even Goodra has an ancient Hisuian form.
But Dragonite? It's just awkwardly left out, with nothing.
Compared to Charizard, often jokingly called Game Freak's "favorite child," Dragonite might as well be the neglected stepchild.
"Whatever you're trying to say, don't let the new Elite Four member from the Indigo League hear that."
Giovanni chuckled, half-joking.
He was referring to the Dragon Tamer who'd dominated last year to become one of the Indigo League's new Elite Four.
Though Giovanni hadn't met him in person yet, he'd heard how obsessed the man was with Dragon-types.
Rumor had it his team of six included two Dragonair and one Dragonite.
Giovanni had been stunned for a while when he learned that.
Who builds a team like that?
"The Flying-type Elite, right? Haha, got it."
Elijah flashed a "I'm trying not to laugh, but I can't help it" grin.
In this era, basic information was already accessible online.
The current Indigo League Champion was still Agatha.
But it probably wouldn't be long before Lance took her place.
By the way, Lance's full name isn't Dragon Tamer Lance.
His name is just Lance.
"Dragon Tamer is a nickname.
Like "Straw Hat Luffy"—the first part's the title, the second's the name.
…
"The stuff you wanted, I've already got people working on it, but it'll take about a week to arrive."
As they neared the seaside cabin, Giovanni put down his phone.
"No problem. With what I've got, I can start researching for a while."
Elijah said, then turned to the delivery company workers. "Put the office desk over there, the lab table by the window. Thanks for the hard work…"
The workers nodded, directing their Machoke to start unloading.
Elijah suddenly recalled that in his previous life, playing Pokémon Emerald, wasn't it Machoke that helped the protagonist move?
Wait, no, was it Vigoroth?
He couldn't remember clearly.
Glancing at the name on the truck—Machoke Moving Company.
Yup, Pokémon were truly integrated into every aspect of this world's daily life.
"Mr. Giovanni, here's the housing contract. If everything looks good, you can sign it."
At that moment, another group arrived.
Leading them was a man in a sharp suit, about Giovanni's age.
Compared to the burly Giovanni, he was slimmer, with gray hair and a distinguished, handsome uncle vibe.
Su Sheng noticed the nameplate on the man's tailored suit:
[President · Riyue]
"Long time no see, President Riyue."
Giovanni shook the man's hand, taking the contract.
"Put the house under this kid's name, alright?"
Giovanni jerked a thumb toward Elijah.
"For a minor… according to League law, that's not allowed. But if it's a request from Mr. Giovanni, we can make a small exception."
The man named Riyue smiled, his gaze tinged with curiosity. "I'm just wondering who this young master is…"
"Uh, he's…"
Giovanni hesitated.
Damn, he hadn't thought of an excuse.
"Half my life, I, Elijah, have wandered, regretting only that I've yet to meet a worthy lord. If you, sir, do not scorn me…"
"Uh… this kid's my nephew."
Giovanni blurted out a quick excuse.
For some reason, he had a gut feeling that if he let Elijah finish, he'd be in big trouble.
(End of Chapter)