Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 121 The Journey is About to Begin

After the two unfortunate brothers, "Careless" Daye and "Grumpy" Denji, left dejectedly, the coastline returned to tranquility.

Zhang Jianying walked towards the makeshift Pokémon medical tent, where the little guys were resting.

The evil spirit had already woken up, its mask carefully placed aside, and it was happily munching on a specially made energy cube.

Her little face was covered in crumbs, and her chubby, orange-like cheeks showed no trace of the fierce look she had just given the legendary ocean incarnation a good beating.

Zhang Jianying walked over, squatted down, and pinched its soft cheeks.

"Who would have thought that someone who's so cute could be so fierce when they fight?"

He muttered to himself, "What is the King of Sword and Shield of Galar? The true King of Sword and Shield is my Urquidone."

The creature looked up, bewildered, its starry eyes blinking, and continued to intently devour the energy cube.

The battle just now was too exhausting, so it needs to eat more to replenish itself. After all, its friend Gengar often tells it that the more it eats, the easier it is to unleash its moves, and Urgot firmly believes this.

The Salamence beside it finally stopped howling.

Although it acted exaggeratedly when it was jealous and seeking attention, the injuries it suffered were real.

Half of Salamence's body was wrapped in bandages soaked in medicine. It quietly leaned against Torterra, folded its wings, and closed its eyes to sleep.

The massive body of the Earth Tortoise, resembling a small mountain, was using the gentle [Grassy Terrain], a pale green aura slowly spreading from the ground beneath its feet, enveloping its resting companions.

Where the light touched, the grass trembled slightly, and the air was filled with a fresh plant scent, slowly restoring everyone's strength and spirit.

Under the big tree on the turtle's shell, New Leaf Cat and a pair of mice were unusually not chasing or playing; the three little ones were curled up together resting.

They also contributed a lot in the battle just now. Newleaf Cat secretly gave Kyogre several more [Magic Leaf] attacks, while a pair of mice provided crucial support to the main force through the [Help] skill.

They were exhausted at this moment, their furry bodies rising and falling slightly with their breathing.

Seeing this, Zhang Jianying did not disturb the little guys' rest. He quietly walked over, sat down next to Torterra, took out his Pokédex, and looked through the Sinnoh League registration process.

The screen displayed the entry requirements: collect all eight badges, no major violations—he scrolled through them one by one, his finger sliding across the touchscreen. When he saw "Registration Deadline: Two days before the start of the event," he breathed a sigh of relief; there was still plenty of time.

The seemingly asleep Salamence secretly opened one eye, its crimson pupil peeking through the gaps in its bandages at the trainer's direction.

It quietly moved its thick tail, and with a seemingly unintentional movement, encircled Zhang Jianying.

As the hard, cold touch of the tail scales reached Zhang Jianying, he didn't look up, but merely smiled slightly.

This little guy, who once suffered severe psychological trauma and was always sulking, is still so clingy even now that he has evolved into a majestic Salamence. He is very fortunate to be able to help it get out of its shadow.

He reached out and touched the smooth scales on Salamence's tail. Salamence, just like when it was a Baby Dragon, happily swayed the tip of its tail.

The Greatsword Demon remained silent as always, lying prone at the entrance of the medical tent, resting with its eyes closed. The Ice Goose sat on its back, intently flipping through the sketchbook.

Zhang Jianying smiled. This seemingly imposing and domineering guy was actually a severe case of chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), and surprisingly got along very well with the little penguin. Moreover, this Greatsword Demon often remained vigilant even when all its companions were fast asleep. Just like now, even though it knew that the coastline was heavily guarded by the Alliance and that it was safe.

Gardevoir sat quietly cross-legged on the grassy field, meditating with its eyes closed. Its sky-blue hair swayed gently in the sea breeze, and the red antennae on its chest emitted a faint glow.

It is slowly recovering its psychic powers, which were depleted in the battle, through meditation. Furthermore, this experience of facing a legendary Pokémon has given it a deeper understanding of the all-consuming will embodied in Psychic Break.

Only Gengar, as an energetic Ghost-type Pokémon that never worries about dying suddenly, shows no signs of fatigue.

It sat with its back to the trainer in a corner of the tent, holding a large bag of potato chips and excitedly showing off its snacks.

Its round body jiggled with each chewing motion, occasionally letting out a satisfied "hehe" laugh.

After Zhang Jianying finished registering, he looked up at his increasingly plump body and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Hmm—if I hadn't become a trainer back then, I could probably have published a paper and become a researcher, dangdang.

After all, no research has proven that Ghost-type Pokémon can grow rapidly by eating junk food.

The tent was quiet, with only the faint buzzing of Torterra and the crunching sounds of Gengar.

The two sounds mixed together had a strangely hypnotic effect.

In addition, the tension from confronting Kyogre, the lack of sleep, and the fatigue from continuously releasing the power of his waveguide-enhanced partner caused Zhang Jianying's head to start to throb.

He yawned, his body unconsciously leaning against the warm, solid shell of the earth tortoise.

Torterra sensed its trainer's drowsiness and silently slowed down the power of Grassy Terrain, making the pale green aura softer and slower.

Zhang Jianying's consciousness gradually blurred, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. To the rhythmic chewing sounds of Gengar, he tilted his head, leaned against Torterra, and drifted off to sleep.

The atmosphere was completely different inside the medical tent on the other side.

Cynthia's Garchomp, Gastrodon, Milotic, and other Pokémon are resting peacefully. The wound on Garchomp's side has been treated; the special spray has been very effective, and the traces of Ice-type energy erosion have almost completely disappeared.

-

It lay on a soft cushion, half-closing its eyes, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Karune's Gardevoir brought over two cups of freshly brewed coffee, gently placed them on the small table, and then gracefully sat down next to her trainer.

The two champion best friends were clearly not sleepy.

The two discussed everything from tactics to the ecology of legendary Pokémon, from Sinnoh mythology to the historical relics of Kalos, their topics ranging from whimsical to perfectly synchronized. This continued until the sun had fully risen outside the tent, its rays filtering through the gaps in the canvas.

Karuni put down her empty coffee cup and asked, "What are your plans next? Heading straight back to the Sinnoh League headquarters?"

Cynthia shook her head, her slender fingers gently stroking the rim of her glass. "The Sun has disappeared, and the Three Gods of the Lake are under the proper protection of Interpol and the Rangers. There's no need to worry for now. The Alliance Conference isn't until more than a month away."

She paused for a moment, then added, "There's nothing urgent to deal with lately."

Karuni's eyes lit up, and she immediately suggested, "How about we take a vacation in Carlos? A new dessert shop opened in Miare City, and they say their crepes are amazing. My treat."

Cynthia thought for a moment.

As the champion, having just dealt with a crisis involving legendary Pokémon, taking a two-day break isn't unreasonable, is it?

She quickly convinced herself.

"OK."

Cynthia smiled. "I was just thinking of visiting Dr. Blatano to talk about super evolution."

"I heard that Lucario and Garchomp have also discovered new Mega Evolutions. I'll go to Kalos and see if I can get two Mega Stones."

"Then it's settled!"

Karuni said happily, then, as if remembering something, a teasing smile appeared on her lips, "By the way, should we call your little boyfriend along?"

Cynthia was just about to use the excuse of arranging league affairs to ask Zhang Jianying if he was free to go to Carlos together.

Upon hearing this, her face flushed red.

"no--"

She tried to explain, but Karuni's "I know, I know" expression made her give up.

Cynthia took a deep breath and tried to appear nonchalant: "I'll go check on the injured and say a few words to the league officials."

After speaking, she walked out of the tent with the elegant demeanor of a champion, only her steps were a little faster than usual.

Outside the tent, the sea breeze, carrying a moist scent, caressed my face.

Cynthia stood at the door, raised her hand to pat her slightly flushed cheeks, took a few deep breaths, and then walked toward the rest area where Zhang Jianying was.

Zhang Jianying's tent was very quiet.

As Cynthia approached, the Greatsword Demon guarding the door opened its eyes. After recognizing the person, it nodded slightly as a greeting, then closed its eyes again to continue sensing the resonance between the water flow and the sword intent.

Cynthia gently lifted the tent flap and saw the scene inside:

Zhang Jianying leaned his head against the Earth Tortoise, fast asleep. The Salamence's tail coiled around him, rising and falling slightly with his breath. E'gui curled up beside the Ice Goose, still clutching half an Energy Cube in his hand.

Newleaf and a pair of mice huddled together in the shade of a tree on Torterra's back. Gardevoir, having finished its meditation, sat elegantly in a chair, watching the Grand Contest livestream in its Pokédex.

Gengar was still munching on its snacks when it saw Cynthia come in, then turned around and made a "shh" gesture to her.

Standing at the tent entrance, Cynthia looked at this heartwarming scene, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

Gardevoir stood up, ready to wake its trainer, but Cynthia shook her head, indicating that it was unnecessary.

She tiptoed to the small table inside the tent.

Hirona picked up a pen, thought for a moment, and wrote a few lines of neat handwriting on the sticky note. After finishing, she folded the sticky note in half and placed it under her cup.

After doing all this, she looked again at the sleeping young trainer. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tent, casting soft patches of light on his face. His face, which had been calm and resolute during battle, now relaxed, appeared somewhat childlike.

Cynthia's gaze swept gently over each Pokémon; these little guys had just accomplished an almost impossible task, and her eyes were filled with admiration.

Such a pure bond between trainers and Pokémon —

She smiled gently, turned and left the tent.

When I returned to the medical tent where Karuni was, my best friend was elegantly crossing her legs and sipping her second cup of coffee.

"Is everything arranged?" Karuni raised an eyebrow.

"Okay." Cynthia nodded, her face regaining its usual composure. "Let's go on vacation to Carlos."

"Shouldn't we ask him if he's going or not?" Karen said mischievously.

Cynthia picked up her bag, checked the Poké Balls and necessities inside, and said calmly, "I left a note. He'll come if he wants to."

Karuni shrugged, ceasing her teasing. After briefly instructing the Alliance officials in charge of the cleanup, the two boarded an Alliance-dedicated aircraft that had been waiting nearby.

With the sound of the propellers turning, the aircraft slowly rose into the air and flew towards Carlos.

Inside the cabin, Karuni watched the sea outside the window gradually turn into a blue arc, and said softly, "That young man is extraordinary. I've only ever seen his mastery of Aura Spheres in Mr. Cocoble. And that little green guy, he seems to be quite something as well."

Cynthia leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest: "Dr. Blatano would probably be very interested in him too. But before that—"

She opened her eyes, glanced at the clouds rushing past the window, smiled slightly at her best friend, and said, "Let's enjoy our vacation first."

As the sun set, Zhang Jianying awoke with a numbing, stinging pain.

He groggily opened his eyes and found that his legs were completely numb, as they had been crushed by the tail of the Salamence.

"hiss--"

He gasped and tried to move his toes, but only felt an even more intense sensation.

He gave the heavy tail a hard push.

The dragon grunted in dissatisfaction and reluctantly raised its tail slightly, giving Zhang Jianying the opportunity to pull its legs out.

He stood up, supporting himself on the tortoise's shell, and walked around the tent several times with a limp before slowly regaining consciousness.

"You bastard—"

He patted the uninjured wing of the Salamence with a sigh, "Its sleeping posture is terrible."

The Salamence simply rolled over, covered its head with its wings, and continued sleeping.

At that moment, Gardevoir floated over with a glass of warm water and handed it to him, its gentle psychic energy soothing the trainer's numb legs.

"Thanks, Gardevoir, you're the most reliable one."

Zhang Jianying took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp. The warm water soothed her throat, dispelling the dryness she felt after waking up.

Gardevoir waited until he finished drinking, then picked up a folded notepad from the table and handed it to him.

"Um?"

Zhang Jianying took it with a puzzled look and unfolded it.

The handwriting on the note was neat and strong:

[The League Conference is still over a month away, and your teammates need systematic recovery and special training. If you don't have any other plans in the near future, you can come to Luna City to find me. As a reward for your outstanding performance this time, I'll give you some extra training—Cynthia]

P.S.: [Bratano Institute, Miare City. Just mention my name.]

Zhang Jianying held the note, stunned for a few seconds.

As a contestant, he was even given special training by the champion himself? He stroked his chin.

"Hmm—is this special training you're giving seriously?"

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, he glanced at his still-sleeping companions and put the note into his pocket.

"Alright, little ones," Zhang Jianying clapped his hands, his voice gentle, "time to get up. Let's go home and rest up first, then get ready for our vacation in Carlos!"

Outside the tent, the setting sun bathed the entire coastline in a warm golden-red hue. The sea was calm, with the occasional long-winged gull gliding by, emitting a long, drawn-out cry.

In the distance, the lights of Binhai City gradually come on, and this city, which almost suffered a catastrophic disaster, is regaining its former vitality.