Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

After Lillie blushed, she probably realized that Rowe's words were mostly a joke and not meant to tease her.

So, after calming herself down, she carefully bent down and let Luo Wei carry her on his back.

"No, it won't be too heavy... will it?"

After being carried on Rowe's back, Lillie asked cautiously, her voice barely audible, clearly concerned about her weight.

"Haha, no way, it's so light you can't even feel it!"

This statement is certainly an exaggeration, but Lillie is indeed not heavy, and can even be described as quite slender. Although Lowell himself is only a twelve-year-old boy, he has been playing with Pokémon since he was a child, and has been running around with Pokémon all day long since he was able to walk.

The family also has a father who runs a martial arts school. He has systematically studied combat and grappling techniques and has always been physically fit. Not to mention anything else, climbing mountains and hills every day is a very high-intensity form of exercise.

So, all things considered, Rowe's physique is actually quite good. Although it certainly can't compare to a Pokémon, his well-trained body, even if it can't match a Super Rookie, isn't too far off.

At least, carrying Lillie on my back isn't a big problem. As for that thing in Lillie's bag, no problem, it floats...

Lillie also found the scene to be truly amazing. She had been rescued by Rowe and was now in such close proximity to someone she was meeting for the first time. As a pampered young lady, she had always been well protected by her mother and brother and rarely had the opportunity to be in close contact with men like this.

Surprisingly, there was no discomfort, probably because Rowe was indeed a kind gentleman, and his actions were simply to help Lillie without any extra emotions involved.

...After all, compared to pretty girls, Lowell was clearly more interested in Pokémon.

But Rowe himself wasn't interested, which made Lillie feel a little embarrassed. Leaning against Rowe's back, she could feel the reassuring steadiness of his back, which didn't seem very broad.

His well-trained physique revealed its strong lines at this moment, and under the well-fitting shirt, it was hard to believe that this young man, who did not look particularly strong, actually had such a good physique.

(Hmm, what am I thinking about?)

Lillie quickly brought her thoughts back to the present. Perhaps it was because she was a well-protected young lady who rarely had the opportunity to interact with men. Such close physical contact inevitably led to some unnecessary speculation.

We walked in silence through the Orange Blossom Forest and arrived at our destination.

——Hoenn Region - Rustboro City——

Upon arriving in Coralz City, Rowe didn't have the time or inclination to wander around and explore. Instead, he carried Lillie straight to the Pokémon Center.

"Excuse me, could you please lend me a hand?"

After entering, Luo Wei greeted Miss Joey apologetically, and the nurses there quickly followed.

"What happened? Hmm, were you poisoned? Were you attacked by stinging beetles in the Orange Blossom Forest?"

The nurse only glanced at Lillie and immediately determined that the injury on her calf was caused by poisoning. In addition, since Petalburg Woods was nearby, it was estimated that many poisoned Pokémon and trainers were brought here often. Therefore, her professional skills allowed her to make such a judgment at a glance.

"Yes, it is like that!"

Lowe naturally didn't intend to explain anything in detail, so he simply took the opportunity to respond. Miss Joey, being a professional, immediately helped Lillie lie down, carefully took off the girl's shoes and socks, and then examined the injured area.

"They've already done quite timely treatment..." Miss Joey glanced at the wound; the swelling had subsided considerably, and the toxins seemed to have mostly gone away. She couldn't help but praise, "Who helped with the emergency treatment?"

"Haha, I learned a little from my dad, so I just did a quick fix. I hope it didn't delay the treatment?"

Upon hearing what Rowe said, Miss Joy immediately shook her head. "How could that be? You're truly amazing! You're an excellent trainer. Please rest assured and leave it to us. It's not a serious problem; it will be completely cured quickly."

With Miss Joey saying that, Rowe was naturally relieved, after all, she was a professional.

At that moment, Luo Wei also stood up and waved his hand...

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer. See you again sometime, Lillie~"

Just as Rowe was about to leave, Lillie, seemingly having made up her mind, quickly spoke up, "Um... excuse me, could I trouble you for a little longer?"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Acquisition of Key Mission Items

"Excuse me, may I trouble you for a little longer?"

Luo Wei stopped and immediately replied with a smile, "Of course, is there anything else you'd like to tell me, Lillie?"

The girl in front of him was silent for two seconds, then reached into the handbag beside her, fumbled around for a while, and took out a flute that was entirely golden and decorated with sun patterns, which looked quite valuable.

"..."

Oh, shit!

Upon seeing the flute, Luo Wei's eyelids twitched wildly. He knew what it was and was aware of its value.

"I was thinking of asking Rowe to keep this for me temporarily. Of course, I'll pay a storage fee, but this might cause you some trouble, so if you find it inconvenient, then forget it..."

It was clear that Lillie had put in a lot of effort and courage to make this request, and Rowe understood what the flute represented. Indeed, if he suddenly said anything, it would definitely cause some trouble.

However, after pondering for two seconds, Luo Wei decisively and readily extended his hand, "No problem, just let me keep it for now. But this is a very valuable treasure, isn't it? Aren't you afraid I'll embezzle it if you just hand it over to me like this?"

"No, how could that be? I believe Rowe would never do such a thing..."

"Haha, since you've said that, I can't let this cute girl down. No problem, leave it to me..."

After all, there were many outsiders around, so Lillie couldn't say much. However, Rowe knew very well that Lillie wanted to entrust this important item to someone she could trust, so that even if something unexpected happened to Lillie, at least this important item could be preserved.

Lillie was unfamiliar with the Hoenn region. She had just arrived in this land and was attacked while crossing Petalburg Woods before even reaching her first city. She almost suffered a serious accident.

Thanks to Luo Wei's help here, she was able to escape a disaster. She clearly realized that her abilities were too weak and she was simply not capable of protecting the secret she carried.

Therefore, she hoped to entrust that important secret to a trustworthy person, but she also understood that this secret would definitely bring trouble to that person.

That's why she hadn't dared to say it until now, when she finally made up her mind to tell him her request.

Unexpectedly, Rowe took it over very readily. In fact, based on the previous experience, it was easy to deduce that this flute must be related to the Ultra Beast they had encountered before.

Rowe had already witnessed the danger of Ultra Beasts, but even so, he still decisively chose to accept the flute.

The reason is simple...

...This is a crucial item that involves an important part of the plot, just like the Pokédex. Once you see it, how can you refuse it?

Besides, he knew Lillie's situation and understood her current predicament. He had really liked Lillie in the game, and since she had made such a request, he naturally agreed without hesitation.

As for whether it's dangerous or not, judging from the current situation, Luo Wei felt that he probably couldn't escape the entanglement with the Ultra Beasts. In any case, he had more debts to bear.

So, Luo Wei readily accepted the flute, which seemed to be some kind of ancient relic, and put it in his backpack, placing it together with the two rhombus-shaped crystals he had found earlier.

The two then exchanged navigator numbers. Lowe noticed that the navigator Lillie had was exactly the same as his own; both were limited edition models newly released by Devon Corporation.

"……What's wrong?"

Lillie noticed that Rowe seemed to care a little about her navigator, so she asked him a question out of curiosity. Rowe just shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"If you want to conceal your identity, you'd better get an older model..."

Lowe whispered in Lillie's ear, and then Lillie seemed to suddenly understand.

This young lady is truly oblivious. This new model, limited to a thousand units, which even her father, the dojo owner, had to give Wen Company face to get, is definitely not something an ordinary person can afford.

Luo Wei's identity doesn't matter. He is Qianli's son, a fact that can be openly stated to the whole world, so there will be no problem for him to hold this limited edition Navigator.

Lillie, carrying this limited edition item, was practically flaunting it to everyone, declaring that she was no ordinary person and was definitely some rich young lady from somewhere.

Perhaps in Lillie's eyes, this is not something worth paying special attention to. When luxury goods have become everyday items, she may not even notice that what she takes for granted is actually very rare for ordinary people.

Fortunately, the people in this world are kind and honest, and the first person she encountered was Luo Wei. If this had happened on another set, the innocent young lady would have faced a much worse fate.

But it is precisely because of this gentle world that such a young lady can be raised so naturally without feeling out of place.

Lillie...

...Lusamine, the youngest daughter of the Ether Foundation's president, is a top-tier young lady, a true princess, even in the entire Pokémon world.

With that, things here were temporarily settled. After leaving the Pokémon Center, Rowe finally had the chance to take a closer look at the city before him.

Kanazon City is an industrial city that started due to the presence of large mines nearby, and is famous throughout the Hoenn region because the headquarters of the famous Devon Corporation is located there.

As an industrial city, and further developed through Devon Corporation's various business activities, its scale and level of industrialization far surpass those of Orange Blossom, where Rowe's father worked, or even small towns like Last White.

This is undoubtedly a metropolis, with towering high-rise buildings, bustling streets, and all kinds of residential buildings, truly giving Luo Wei a sense of everything a genuine modern metropolis should have.

Then, Luo Wei's gaze swept around and focused on the two most prominent landmark buildings in the city...

One is a towering high-rise office building, but unlike typical office buildings that house hundreds of companies of all sizes, this office building belongs entirely to one company: the headquarters of Devon Corporation.

On the opposite side of the city, another building stands like a mirror image, its identity clearly displayed by a huge Poké Ball logo...

...The Rock Gym of Laputa City!

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Rock's Elite Student~

Rustboro City, Rock Gym...

...Unlike Petalburg Gym, which is pronounced as a gym but is actually a martial arts arena, the Rock Gym in Rustboro City looks more like a Pokémon academy from the outside.

In fact, it does serve as part of the Pokémon Academy's functions; the students of the Pokémon Academy in Rustboro City take their graduation exams at this gym.

The Gym Leader of Rustboro City will personally serve as the proctor. In addition, she will also go to the Pokémon Academy every few days to give special lessons, and she is very popular among the local students.

After all, as a gym leader, her strength and knowledge of Pokémon are top-notch. Even teachers in schools would most likely not be her match in terms of overall strength.

Therefore, the academy naturally welcomes dojo masters to serve as instructors, and even the academy's teachers can learn a lot of useful new things from their teaching.

Luo Wei's gaze swept over the dojo in front of him, and he had already mentally prepared himself.

"Alright, let's go!"

As he said this, Luo Wei took a step forward, and just as he arrived at the main entrance of the dojo, a familiar figure ran out of the dojo.

"Hey, Luo Wei?"

When Luo Wei saw the familiar figure wearing a red headscarf, he immediately knew that he was now behind.

That was May, Luo Wei's childhood friend, with whom he had made a promise to challenge the gym together. When she saw Luo Wei preparing to enter the gym, she understood what was going on.

"I see. So, Rowe is planning to challenge the Rustboro Gym? Well then, that means I'll take the first win!"

She proudly pulled open her collar, revealing a small badge worn on it—a symbol awarded only after passing the gym membership.

At the same time, a Pokémon that reached up to Xiaoyao's waist appeared beside her and enthusiastically waved its wings at Luowei.

That was Torchic, which had already completed one evolution and arrived at its second form, Combusken. It seems that challenging the gym and her previous journey had given her a lot of experience.

Furthermore, Rowe noticed that May was wearing several Poké Balls around her waist, indicating that she had made quite a haul along the way.

"Haha, that's amazing! I was a little late, but it's okay, I'll catch up right away!"

"Hmm, if it's Luo Wei, he'll definitely catch up immediately~ Well then, I'd better speed up too, see you later~"