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The next day, under a bright, clear morning sky, Black Ape once again came to find Liam.
"Champion sir, this card contains 500 million PokeDollars. Because the funds had to be transferred around, it arrived a little late. Please forgive the delay."
Standing respectfully before Liam, Black Ape handed him a brand-new magnetic card, his tone apologetic.
Liam stiffly accepted the card.
Honestly, Liam had never seen this much money in his life. He'd barely ever spent money to begin with —and suddenly, he was a billionaire.
He didn't quite know what to do with himself.
Even after Black Ape left, Liam remained in place holding the card for a while longer. Only when a certain thought suddenly hit him did he finally move.
There were communication devices inside the temple, so Liam contacted Professor Oak.
"Hm? Liam? What's wrong? Why are you so excited?"
As soon as the call connected, Professor Oak immediately noticed the excitement on Liam's face. He looked taken aback and asked in confusion.
"Hehe! Professor Oak! I'm a rich man now!"
Liam held up the magnetic card proudly for Oak to see.
Professor Oak: "…"
For a moment, Oak simply stared at him with an even stranger expression, his face frozen.
"Uh… Professor Oak? What's with that look? I really am rich now! There's 500 million PokeDollars on this card!"
Feeling unnerved by Oak's stare, Liam quickly raised his voice.
"What?! Five hundred million?! Where did you get that kind of money?!"
Upon hearing the number, Professor Oak went completely blank for a moment, then shouted in shock.
"Ahem—this money was the reward given to me by the Johto League! See how generous they are? They gave me 500 million all at once! Now look at our Kanto League—they haven't even paid me my monthly salary…"
Liam's voice dripped with contempt as he compared the two leagues' treatment of him.
"Hmph. Someone who ran away on his second day of work dares mention salary to me?"
Oak shot him a disdainful look before continuing.
"Well, since the League gave it to you, I won't question it. So why did you call me this time? Don't tell me it was just to show off?"
Oak's glare at that moment practically screamed: If you nod, I'm hanging up immediately.
"…N-no. Professor Oak, I actually want you to help me with something. I'll mail this card to you later. Please help me buy the forest and the little river next to the stream in Pallet Town, and then do this, and this, and then like this…"
And so, as Liam muttered on and on—sounding as if he were plotting something—the entire morning quietly slipped away.
After lunch, Liam and Delia bid farewell to the shrine maiden and headed together to the docks. They boarded a ship bound for Alto Mare.
Alto Mare, also known as the Water City, was a southern island city built atop a remote islet. The whole city was interwoven with canals, beautiful and serene, with its own unique culture and history.
It was beloved by maritime traders and tourists alike.
After half a day's sea voyage, Liam and Delia finally arrived at the Water City, Alto Mare, by dusk.
Because the city had no Pokemon Center-like facility, the first thing they did after disembarking was search for lodging.
As a popular tourist destination, Alto Mare had no shortage of places to stay. The two picked a nearby hotel, chose a sea-facing room, set down their luggage, and happily set off to explore Alto Mare at night.
The city's traditional mode of transportation was a long, narrow wooden gondola with pointed ends. A boatman operated each one, and for a small fee, passengers could enjoy a tour of Alto Mare's beautiful waterways.
Liam and Delia chose this option. After paying the fare, they sat together at the bow of the boat, quietly admiring the ancient, picturesque scenery drifting by.
"Eh? Liam, what's that? Such a huge poster!"
The gondola drifted slowly until it reached the plaza of Alto Mare's guardians.
There, on the shore, a massive poster stood upright. It depicted some kind of water sport. A crowd was gathered beneath it, seemingly signing up for an event.
Liam turned to look. On the poster, people held reins and stood on round watercrafts as Pokemon pulled them across the waves. After thinking a moment, he recalled that Alto Mare indeed had such a sport.
"That is the registration area for the annual Pokemon Tour de Alto Mare. The competition begins the day after tomorrow. It's one of Alto Mare's biggest events. If the guests aren't in a rush to leave, you can stay to watch it. Of course, if you want to participate yourselves, you can sign up too. It's all about enjoying the experience."
Before Liam could get a word out, the boatman behind them had already said everything—both what Liam knew and what he didn't.
It left Liam sitting there awkwardly, mouth open with nothing to say.
Delia, however, was instantly excited. Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed Liam's arm.
"Tour de Alto Mare! It sounds so fun! Liam, Liam! Let's enter together! Please?"
Liam: "…This is a water race. You need Water-type Pokemon. I don't have any that can participate."
Looking over his team, Liam could only admit that all of them were extremely land-based—not a single one suited for water racing.
But Delia immediately shook her head dismissively.
"That's fine! You don't have any, but I do! I have Lapras and Wartortle. They're both great swimmers! I'll let Wartortle help you."
Pounding her chest confidently, Delia looked full of anticipation.
"…Alright, alright. I'll join you. But if you lose to me, don't start crying!"
Seeing her expectant face, Liam finally relented. He gently ruffled her hair and teased her.
"Hmph! I won't lose! Mister boatman, please pull over! We're signing up for the water race!"
Pouting, Delia slapped his hand away, then turned to the boatman. Once the gondola docked, she grabbed Liam's hand and hurried toward the registration area.
After signing up, they visited the free round-board docking area provided for contestants to choose their racing boards.
The race only allowed Pokemon registered at sign-up.
Delia registered Lapras. Liam registered Wartortle.
Since it was already late, after picking their boards, they released Lapras and Blue, attached the reins, and practiced riding the waterboards back toward their hotel.
They still had a full day left to train before the official race, so there was no need to rush. After a tiring day, Liam decided it was best to rest and train tomorrow.
Time flew quickly. In the blink of an eye, the day of the Tour de Alto Mare arrived.
At the starting line, dozens of contestants stood ready in life jackets, gripping their reins, waiting at their marks.
Liam and Delia stood side-by-side. Their gazes met. Delia's eyes sparkled with stubborn determination as she lifted her chin and made a face at him.
"Heh…"
Liam could only chuckle helplessly.
At that moment, the speakers onshore finished the host's opening remarks. At last, the race was about to begin!
"Beep! Beep! Beep! … GO!!"
"The race begins!!"
"Charge!!"