Sinnoh Region Pier
Riku could see the reluctance on Cynthia's face as she saw him off. When he boarded the ship, she seemed like she wanted to say something—but in the end, no words came out.
To stay?
Riku's home was the Orange Archipelago, so it was unrealistic for him to remain in Sinnoh.
To go with him?
As the former Champion of the Sinnoh region, Cynthia had many responsibilities. After the Eterna City incident, she had to return to report to the League.
After boarding the ship, Riku took a deep breath and began to tally the benefits he had gained from this trip:
A black card with 10 million Poké Dollars
Six special Poké Balls
320,000 system points
He hadn't paid much attention to the system points before, too focused on dealing with Team Galactic. Now, seeing that he had 320,000 points, he was quite satisfied. After all, the entirety of Team Galactic combined probably wasn't even a match for Bruno. The strength of veteran Elite Four members often surpassed that of current Champions.
Cynthia herself had said that if she fought Bruno, it would be a 50-50 chance at best, with no guarantee of victory. That was why she had traveled to the Orange Archipelago—hoping Riku would carry out the mission with her.
"Darkrai, are you awake yet? I'm taking you back to the Orange Archipelago. If you're awake, just respond."
Since being teleported out of the alternate dimension yesterday, Riku had been calling out to Darkrai from time to time. But until now, Darkrai hadn't made a single sound.
Dialga and Palkia had made it clear—Darkrai would definitely gain secondary legendary status. As for primary status, that would depend on fate. When Darkrai's ancestor perished in Eterna City, those two primary legendaries must have gathered something—and they had infused a part of their legendary laws into Darkrai's body. It was like a "moment of enlightenment" straight out of a martial arts novel.
Suddenly, Riku was a little envious of Darkrai. Despite its arrogance toward Dialga and Palkia, it had pulled off a dramatic "thirty years east, thirty years west" turnaround—and it had actually worked, even earning it rewards.
Could the Darkrai in my Ultra Ball be the legendary child of destiny? Then what am I? The master?
Just as Riku was questioning his life choices, he thought about going to the ship's deck. It had been days since he'd smelled the sea breeze. Having lived by the sea so long, not smelling it for a while felt strange.
Coincidentally, a girl with golden-brown hair was already there, gently holding down her red hat while enjoying the breeze by the railing.
Riku was never the "old pervert" his legendary Pokémon jokingly called him. Seeing this beautiful girl, he had no improper thoughts—let alone any intention of striking up a conversation. But unexpectedly, just as he stood beside her and looked down, he noticed two Pokémon swimming happily in the sea.
He was surprised. Many wild Pokémon were still wary of humans. They knew humans could capture them, subdue them with Poké Balls, and use them for their own purposes. Moreover, the ship was massive. Most Pokémon should have avoided it.
Could they be this girl's Pokémon? That would be incredibly carefree.
Riku pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the two Pokémon. As soon as he did, the girl beside him turned to look at him, her expression slightly displeased.
Beep...
"Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon—a first-stage evolved form of Froakie."
"Its coloring has changed, and its body is taller and more slender. It has two long arms, head protrusions, and two white spots on its nose."
"Frogadier's neck is still wrapped in bubbles, resembling a white scarf."
"No gender differences."
Note: Frogadier has excellent jumping ability and can scale a 600-meter-high tower in one minute. In battle, it disrupts opponents by jumping between trees and ceilings and attacks with small stones wrapped in bubbles.
The name was quite fitting.
The Frogadier in the water looked up at him curiously, but Riku didn't mind and turned the Pokédex toward the second one.
Beep...
"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon—a Water-type evolved from Eevee via Water Stone."
"Blue in color, it has a white frill around its neck, fin-like ears, and a fish-like tail."
"No gender differences."
Note: Vaporeon's body cells are similar to water molecules, allowing it to melt into water. It can also predict rain.
Both were pure Water-type Pokémon. That was unexpected.
Riku paused. It was obvious they were Water-types—they were swimming freely, after all. But dual-type Pokémon like Lapras could also do this. The Pokédex was still useful for confirming their exact types.
As he put it away, he noticed the girl was still staring at him.
"Are you a Pokémon Trainer?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course. Otherwise, how would I have a Pokédex?" Riku replied with a smile. Had someone asked him that before, it might've felt awkward.
"Miss, the Pokémon swimming in the sea right now are wild, right?"
"No!" the girl said warily. "They're mine. It's rare to be at sea, so I just wanted them to swim for a bit."
"I see," Riku nodded, though he felt a bit disappointed. He had considered capturing them—especially with the special Poké Balls he had recently obtained, including one designed specifically for Water-types.
But after a moment, he understood. He already had several Water-type Pokémon. Of the three he carried, he'd already brought out two. Both Cynthia and Lorelei had advised him to start capturing more varied types.
The Indigo League Elite Four, for instance, actually trained a wide variety of Pokémon—but personal preferences led them to focus on single types. This made them easier to counter. Riku had even considered targeting Bruno last time, but lacked strong Flying-type Pokémon.
"Is it allowed to let your Pokémon swim alongside the ship like that?" Riku asked curiously.
"No problem," the girl replied indifferently.
"My Pokémon are just swimming. They're not bothering anyone."
That was true.
Riku nodded, then suddenly threw two Poké Balls:
"Lapras, come out."
"Milotic, come out."
Bang! Bang!
Two flashes of white light, and his Water-types appeared on deck.
"Lapras... Milotic?" the girl gasped. Lapras was rare, but she had seen a few. But Milotic—this was her first time seeing one in person.
"How do you have a Milotic?" she asked, astonished.
"Just I do," Riku shrugged.
"Every Trainer has their own opportunities. We don't even know each other's names yet—I can't just tell you everything."
I'm not some simp who spills everything upon meeting someone. What do they take men for?
"No, that's not what I meant," the girl quickly waved her hand.
"I was just surprised—Milotic is really rare."
"Rare or not, they're all Pokémon," Riku replied casually. Then he looked at his happy Lapras and Milotic and smiled.
"Looks like you two really want to swim?"
"Go ahead—but don't cause any trouble."
With that, Lapras and Milotic joyfully leapt into the sea. Watching them, Riku couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment.
"Hello, my name is Serena," the girl said, suddenly extending her hand.
"I'm a Pokémon Trainer from the Kalos region."
Feeling slightly awkward but maintaining his manners, Riku shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Riku—from the Orange Archipelago."
"The Orange Archipelago?" Serena nodded.
"No wonder you have Water-types like Lapras and Milotic."
"The Pokémon seem really happy out there. Want to have a race?"
"A race?" Riku blinked. "How?"
"Simple—we'll race their swimming speed." Serena pointed to a red buoy in the distance.
"Let's see which of our Water-type Pokémon can reach it and return the fastest."
"Alright," Riku smiled. He knew she wanted to test his strength—but he didn't mind.
After giving their Pokémon a few instructions, the Water-types became visibly excited.
"Start!"
As the two gave the command simultaneously, the four Water-type Pokémon surged toward the red buoy.
In just under a minute, they had a general sense of each Pokémon's speed in open water.
Unsurprisingly, Lapras was the slowest. Frogadier came next. The fastest were Milotic and Vaporeon, almost neck and neck.
Riku had already expected this. Lapras loved swimming, but that didn't make it fast. It was more of a steady cruiser, especially since it was used to carrying people and avoiding sudden movements that could jostle its passengers.
So, Riku wasn't disappointed by the result. Each Pokémon had its own strengths. No matter how fast the others were, he would still pick Lapras to carry him across the sea.
Milotic and Vaporeon, on the other hand, were built for speed. With their sleek bodies and powerful tail fins, it was obvious just by watching them.
Five minutes later, the results were clear:
Milotic came in first.
Vaporeon was second.
Frogadier followed in third.
Lapras brought up the rear.
As Lapras returned to Riku, it let out a soft, slightly forlorn cry. Riku smiled and gently patted its head.
"Good job out there. Take it easy for a bit," he said warmly, letting Lapras continue swimming freely in the sea.
While Riku consoled Lapras, Serena was also tending to her two Water-types. But as she did, her gaze kept drifting toward Riku.
"You're heading back to the Orange Archipelago, right?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Riku replied with a smile. "I was only away for a week. It's time to head back."
"That's perfect," Serena said, hesitating for just a second. "I was actually planning to go there too. Let's travel together."
It was a small lie.
She had originally intended to explore more of the Kanto region. But after meeting the mysterious young man named Riku, she'd changed her plans on a whim.
After all, she'd never been to the Orange Archipelago before. It was just another adventure waiting to happen.
Besides, she really liked Milotic. And if she stuck close to Riku, maybe—just maybe—she'd get lucky enough to catch one herself someday.
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter