"Swin?"
Piloswine stared at the photo in Reiji's hand, and for a moment, it went completely still. The man in the picture was young, but Piloswine recognized him at once. To it, all of that felt like it had happened only yesterday.
Then the memories came rushing back.
"Pilo! Pilo!" Piloswine grew frantic, still worried about Pryce's burns, and charged straight toward Reiji.
"Gengar." Reiji's face darkened. If that thing hit him head-on, he'd be lucky to get away with broken bones.
"Gen." Gengar lifted Piloswine with psychic power before it could reach him. The moment its feet left the ground, Piloswine panicked and kicked its stubby legs wildly in the air.
"Calm down." Reiji walked up with the photo and held it in front of Piloswine again. "Do you know this person? Is he your Trainer?"
"Pilo!" Piloswine nodded with everything it had. That was its Trainer. What had happened to him? Had his burns healed?
"It says that's its Trainer," Lokoko translated. "It's asking whether his injury got better."
"Tell it he recovered. It doesn't need to worry anymore." Reiji finally relaxed, though the relief quickly turned into a quiet sigh.
He had found the right Piloswine. That part was good.
The bad part was that this Piloswine wasn't Elite Four tier. Gengar's psychic hold had caught it cleanly, and it still hadn't broken free. It had just woken up, so weakness was understandable, but the gap in raw strength was still obvious.
That meant Piloswine didn't fit what Reiji had hoped for. In that case, returning it to Pryce was the better choice. With two Elite Four-tier Pokémon already protecting him, Reiji could manage for now—as long as he didn't run into another monster who enjoyed bullying rookies.
Still, whether this counted as lucky or cruel was hard to say. Piloswine had slept for over 40 years and finally had the chance to see its Trainer again, but Pryce was already an old man. They had missed 40 years together.
"I'll take you to your Trainer," Reiji said, rubbing Piloswine's fur. It was still cold to the touch, so he fed it a few Pokéblocks to help it recover. "But you need to behave, all right?"
"Pilo." Piloswine nodded. This human was going to take it back to its Trainer and had even given it something tasty. Clearly, he was a good person.
Great. Friend-zoned by a Piloswine.
"It says you're a good person," Lokoko translated, then blinked at Reiji's expression. Wasn't being called good supposed to be a compliment? Why did he look annoyed?
"Haha…" Reiji laughed awkwardly. The joke was probably his alone to suffer through. He wasn't a good person, and he had no interest in becoming one.
"Come on, Piloswine. Let's go into town." Reiji climbed onto Pelipper again and had Pidgeot carry Piloswine as they flew back toward Mahogany Town.
They landed outside town and continued on foot. All they had to do now was find Mahogany Gym and return Piloswine to Pryce.
"Pilo." Once Pidgeot set it down and Reiji recalled Pidgeot, Piloswine called out to him again.
"It says the herb is gone," Lokoko said.
"It's not gone. I wouldn't lose something that important." Reiji smiled and took the herb out of his bag. When they had melted Piloswine free, the herb had thawed with it, and he had picked it up right away. This was the key proof of Piloswine's bond with Pryce. Of course he hadn't forgotten it.
"Pilo!" Piloswine brightened immediately, took the herb in its mouth, and started running into town.
Reiji recalled Pelipper and hurried after it with Lokoko. Worried Piloswine would cause trouble, he released Poliwrath as well. "Keep an eye on Piloswine. Don't let it run wild."
"Poli!" Poliwrath rushed forward and grabbed Piloswine by the tail, leaving it to trot in place without getting anywhere.
"Don't run off. Follow me." Reiji caught up, asked someone for directions to Mahogany Gym, and led Piloswine there.
Their timing was decent. A Gym battle was underway when they arrived.
Reiji had no intention of interrupting Pryce's match, but Piloswine couldn't hold itself back. The second it saw Pryce, it charged across the field and threw itself at him. Pryce, focused on the battle, was caught completely off guard and knocked to the floor. Piloswine pinned him down and began licking his face.
When Pryce finally shoved it off, his eyes snapped to Reiji. "Trainer, control your Pokémon. Gym challengers wait outside until they're called. Who let you in?"
"I'm sorry, Leader Pryce. Piloswine saw you and bolted before I could stop it." Reiji could only stand there in embarrassment. He hadn't expected Piloswine to rush him the instant they entered.
"Then keep your Piloswine under control. Why is it so clingy? How annoying." Pryce wiped the saliva off his face. Did this Piloswine really have to be that enthusiastic?
"Pilo…"
The word annoying hit Piloswine like a blow. It froze in place.
Did its Trainer hate it?
Or did its Trainer not recognize it anymore?
And why was his hair white?
"Leader Pryce," Reiji said carefully, "you don't recognize this Piloswine? It has a burn-healing herb in its mouth, and it seems very attached to you."
He had to spell it out. This wasn't his Piloswine. It was Pryce's.
"What am I supposed to recognize? I've had plenty of Piloswine. Who remembers every single one…" Pryce stopped halfway through.
He did have one Piloswine that mattered more than the rest.
But that Piloswine had been gone for 40 years.
"Pryce," Sheila said from the referee's position, staring at the way Piloswine looked at him. "I think it's that Piloswine."
"My Piloswine…" Pryce stared at it in disbelief. His hands began to tremble, and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Is that you? Piloswine?"
Had it not abandoned him after all?
Why had it come back now, after 40 years?
"Pilo!" Piloswine nodded excitedly. Its Trainer still knew it. That was all it needed.
"Pryce, look at the herb," Sheila said softly. "It went looking for medicine for your burns. It never left you."
"Piloswine…" Pryce threw his arms around it and broke down like a child. "Where did you go? I waited for you for so long. I missed you so much. Where were you all this time?"
He held Piloswine tighter, his voice shaking.
"I'm sorry. I was such a fool. I thought you had abandoned me. I'm sorry, Piloswine…"
Sheila turned to Reiji. "Child, where did you find it?"
"Ma'am, I was exploring outside town and accidentally fell into an ice cavern," Reiji said. "There was a Piloswine frozen inside. I woke it up, and the moment it came around, it ran straight toward town. I had no choice but to chase after it."
"By the time I caught up, it had already reached Mahogany Town. I tried using a Poké Ball, but it wouldn't work, so I guessed it belonged to a Trainer. I planned to challenge the Gym first, then ask around for its owner."
"I didn't expect it to charge at Leader Pryce the moment we arrived. When I saw how excited it was, I thought maybe he knew it. That's all."
Reiji quietly changed the story of how he had found Piloswine. The truth would have been far too suspicious, and these old foxes would definitely notice.
"Thank you, young man." Pryce was crying openly now. "I do know this Piloswine. I waited 40 years for it. Forty years… Thank you."
He had finally seen Piloswine again.
And Piloswine had never betrayed him. It had only gone to find medicine for his burns. The pain he had carried for so many years, the knot he had never been able to untie, finally came loose.
"Pilo! Pilo!" Piloswine nodded hard, backing up Reiji's story as if it understood exactly what he was doing.
"You're back. That's all that matters." Pryce tossed the Badge to the challenger from earlier, then called to Sheila, "Sheila, close the Gym for the day. We're done taking challengers."
If the Gym was closing, Reiji had to play his part all the way through. He turned to leave, but after only two steps, Pryce caught him by the arm.
"Not you, young man. I'd like to talk to you."
"Huh? But I thought challenges were closed for today?" Reiji looked at Pryce in confusion, acting as if he had no idea why he was being stopped.
"You're different. You brought Piloswine back to me. Stay for dinner." Pryce's expression had softened completely, making him look almost gentle.
"Well, look at you," Sheila teased. "You've gone soft."
That wasn't the Pryce she knew. For 40 years, he had worn the same cold face with people and Pokémon alike, refusing to grow close to anyone or anything because he was afraid of being abandoned again.
"Sheila, don't laugh at me." Pryce scratched awkwardly at his white hair. "I misunderstood Piloswine all these years. I don't have to keep everything locked away anymore. And I owe this young man my thanks."
After Piloswine disappeared, Pryce had been afraid to give his heart to another Pokémon. If he did, and that Pokémon left him too, he didn't think he could bear it. That fear had turned him into the cold, winter-like man everyone knew.
"All right, all right. Today's a happy day. I'll make a few dishes, and we can have a drink later." Sheila laughed and headed off to prepare dinner, leaving Reiji and Pryce alone on the battlefield.
"Leader Pryce, I…" Reiji kept his act as a nervous rookie. Pryce was an old Elite Four-tier specialist, just like Blaine. One specialized in Fire types, the other in Ice types, and both were serious heavyweights. This was a connection worth handling carefully.
"What's your name, young man? Where are you from?" Pryce beckoned him over and started asking as they walked.
"My name is Reiji. I'm a Trainer from the Orange Archipelago, traveling through Johto." Reiji took out his Pokédex. "This is my Pokédex."
It was proof of his identity. He wasn't going to rely on words alone and expect Pryce to believe him.
"A Pokédex, huh?" Pryce took it and checked Reiji's profile.
He found that Reiji was a Gym Trainer. He could also see Reiji's registered Pokémon, and more importantly, that he had won the Indigo Plateau Conference. For a boy this young, that was no small thing.
The older generation might not take the Indigo Plateau Conference too seriously, but a championship was still a championship, especially at Reiji's age.
"Not bad at all. Indigo Plateau Champion already?" Pryce led Reiji into the courtyard and had him sit down. Sheila arrived soon after with a pot of water and a plate of snacks.
"Don't be so nervous," Sheila said kindly. "Make yourself at home. Have something sweet and drink some water."
Pryce set Reiji's Pokédex down and exchanged a glance with Sheila. Then he said, "Rest here for a bit. I'm taking Piloswine in for a proper checkup."
"It has been 40 years," Sheila added. "It really should be checked over. I'll go prepare dinner. You eat something first."
She left with Pryce. Once they were out of Reiji's sight, Pryce turned to Sheila and lowered his voice. "What do you think?"
"Pryce, Piloswine is back. Isn't that enough?" Sheila said. "The boy's identity checks out. What is there to suspect?"
"I just…" Pryce couldn't finish the sentence.
It all felt too sudden. Too perfect. He had been sitting at home, and somehow Piloswine had come back to him.
"You're afraid it isn't real," Sheila said with a sigh. She understood him. After such a shock, of course his heart was swinging all over the place. "But Piloswine is real. And that child went through a lot to bring it here. You can't treat him like a suspect."
"All right." Pryce sighed. "I'll look through his profile. He's the Indigo Plateau Champion, so the League's records should be reliable."
He went to the computer room, entered Reiji's identity information, and pulled up a long list of records, including the battle footage from Reiji's Indigo Plateau finals.
Pryce watched the final match at double speed. By the time he finished, the last of his doubts had faded. When he returned to the courtyard, he smiled at Reiji and asked, "So you know that old turtle?"
"Old turtle?" Reiji looked genuinely lost. "Who?"
"Haha, listen to me. I mean Blaine." Pryce sat down and poured himself a cup of water.
If this boy was connected to that old man, then Pryce could trust him. He was a good kid.
"Pfft—Blaine is old…?" Reiji nearly sprayed his water. The reaction was partly an act, but honestly, hearing that nickname really had caught him off guard.
Around old foxes like these, it was better to play a little dumb. Not too much, or it would look fake. Just enough to seem like a young Trainer still new to the world.
"Haha. I watched your Indigo Plateau final just now. That Flame Armor looked familiar." Pryce had recognized Reiji the moment he saw the Rock Armor technique. So this boy had ties to that old turtle too. That made him feel much more at ease.
"Blaine taught me that move." Reiji scratched his head with perfect rookie embarrassment, playing the part so well he almost believed it himself.
"No need to be nervous. I know the old man." Pryce took out his brick-like mobile phone and dialed a number he hadn't called in a very long time.
After a few rings, the call connected, and Blaine's voice came through.
"Hello? Who is this?"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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