"Ah... Chén Nuò! Where are we going?"
As soon as they left the airport, Lillie immediately asked Chén Nuò about their itinerary. They had spent the entire night on a plane, though fortunately, the private jet was exceptionally comfortable, making even sleeping on board quite pleasant.
"We need to go to Professor Birch's place first! After all, even though my family has money, we pay our taxes too, so I'm entitled to go pick up a starter Pokémon from Professor Birch. More importantly, I haven't received my Pokédex yet, nor my Poké Balls. After that, we should head to Rustboro City—that's where the Rock-type Gym is, and where our journey begins!" Chén Nuò said after a brief moment of thought. He needed to get his Pokédex before registering for the Gym challenge, and he was also eligible to claim a starter Pokémon. Both were crucial; right now, the only Pokémon he had on hand was a Cottonee, so getting one that officially belonged to him was a must.
Strictly speaking, taxes paid in a specific region should entitle someone to claim a starter Pokémon in that same region. Yet, heaven knows what method his old man had used to transfer his starter Pokémon claim all the way to the Hoenn region. Truly, his father possessed boundless magical powers!
Chén Nuò didn't mind this arrangement at all. After all, the Pokémon native to the Hoenn region were quite impressive. Among all the regional starter trios, only Hoenn's starters boasted both sky-high popularity and battle prowess, easily surpassing even the Kanto region of the first generation. There were the two immensely popular ones—Blaziken and Sceptile—alongside the evolution of the king of memes, Marshtomp, the so-ugly-it's-strong Swampert!
"Seriously, any of them would be super awesome!" Chén Nuò strode forward, smiling.
"Chén Nuò, Chén Nuò, what are you muttering about?" Lillie followed behind him with a puzzled expression, sticking close like a little duckling.
"Oh, I was just thinking about my starter Pokémon!" Chén Nuò didn't hide it, reaching out to take the girl's hand. He had promised to keep an eye on her so she wouldn't get lost, though he seriously felt like he was babysitting a little kid right now.
"So have you figured out what Pokémon you want, Chén Nuò?" Lillie asked curiously, her sparkling eyes blinking away.
"Me? Any of them is fine, I suppose. I like all three!" Chén Nuò wasn't particularly picky; all three Pokémon were great and had their own unique advantages. It would mostly come down to chemistry at first sight, though if he had to choose without that factor, a Grass-type might be his initial inclination.
"Then let's go, let's go, time to move out!" Lillie pumped her small fist in the air and darted forward with spirited steps.
"She's usually such a quiet girl, but the moment she steps outside, she gets as lively as a Siberian husky left home alone?" Chén Nuò muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the sight of the girl rushing ahead before quickly following after her.
Two hours later.
"Ah, I'm so exhausted!" Lillie complained, wearily massaging her white-socked calves as if her entire soul had been sucked out of her body.
"Who told you to run so fast? I originally planned to take a vehicle with you, but since you sprinted all the way out here, we're stuck walking!" Chén Nuò wasn't all that tired. Ever since he was a kid, he had dreamed of going on a journey, so he frequently worked out at home to build up his stamina. Hiking endurance was a must-develop skill; otherwise, how could anyone travel if they got out of breath after walking just a few steps?
"Ah, why didn't you say so earlier?!" Hearing this, Lillie clutched her head in agony. "Bad Chén Nuò! Mean Chén Nuò!" She seriously suspected that Chén Nuò had set her up.
"Well, traveling means you have to do a lot of walking for quite a long time," Chén Nuò said with a wry, helpless smile. "I thought you wanted to experience the joy of a proper journey, so I didn't bring up taking a ride."
"Ugh, I don't care, I don't care, this is all your fault!" Lillie refused to listen to his explanation, stubbornly shifting the blame.
Seeing the girl's defiant, give-up-on-life attitude, Chén Nuò couldn't help but be reminded of his past life when he acted the exact same way toward his parents! Since she was around his age, there wasn't much point in lecturing her.
After thinking it over for a moment, Chén Nuò offered, "Traveling involves a bit of hardship, you know. How about I carry you on my back the rest of the way? It's not far now anyway!"
"Oh, forget it, never mind!" Lillie immediately stood up. To be honest, she wasn't actually that exhausted anymore; she had just been walking for so long that she wanted a break. Besides, there was no way she would let Chén Nuò carry her. Leaving aside the awkwardness that she might find hard to accept emotionally, she was far too grown up to make someone else piggyback her—especially since coming here to train herself had been her own initiative.
"Hiking is part of the training too, after all!" Lillie declared, then set off again with determined strides.
Watching the girl put on such a solemn face, Chén Nuò couldn't help finding it rather amusing.
The two walked side by side through the mountain forest. Professor Birch's research institute was located deep within these woods, and taking a shortcut along the narrow path branching off to the right from the main vehicle road would get them there much faster.
However, just as they were walking down the narrow path, they suddenly heard a cry for help.
"Someone's in danger!" Hearing the voice, Chén Nuò reacted instantly—it was a call for rescue.
"Come on, let's hurry!" Lillie's gaze turned resolute, showing not the slightest hint of fear. And that was hardly surprising; after all, in the future, Lillie would prove herself remarkably courageous while tracking down Ultra Beasts.
Guided by the sounds, they soon spotted a bicycle abandoned on a side path ahead.
The sight of that bicycle gave Chén Nuò a strange sense of familiarity, but the situation was urgent, leaving him no time to ponder. He prepared to lead Lillie down the slope beneath the bicycle.
Before they could even reach the slope, however, as they drew close to the bicycle, they witnessed a utterly comical scene.
A young girl was shouting at a Marshtomp: "Water Gun!"
Obediently, the Marshtomp blasted a point-blank stream of water right into the girl's face.
Hilarious—absolute comedic gold, and a timeless classic!
Chén Nuò stared down the slope at Professor Birch, who was currently being cornered by a pack of Poochyena, alongside the thoroughly obedient Marshtomp and the utterly clueless, rookie girl standing nearby.
The scene was far too familiar.
Of course, this wasn't the time to reminisce. He immediately rushed down the slope.
Standing in front of the girl without a word, Chén Nuò drew a Poké Ball from his belt and declared, "I choose you, Cottonee!"
With a flash of red light, a fluffy white ball of cotton burst out of the Poké Ball.
"Míngmíng!"
As soon as she appeared, the Cottonee looked around curiously before turning her gaze to Chén Nuò, happily waving her little leaf-arms.
Seeing that the little girl's very first reaction upon coming out was to greet him, Chén Nuò couldn't help but find her adorable.
That's right—Chén Nuò's Cottonee was a female. As for her Ability, he had already checked it beforehand: Prankster.
This Ability was critically important; without it, Cottonee would struggle to play her role as a support effectively.