"Pachichi!"
With the major issues resolved, the next day, Satoru and Sakiko were greeted by a lively and energetic Thwackey.
As for its injuries, after nearly a full night of care, it had mostly recovered. It looked quite healthy, with no signs of lasting damage.
"See you later, Thwackey!" Satoru waved his arm lightly, bidding farewell to the Pokémon before turning to leave.
The two of them walked back along the path.
"Satoru, are you really not going to catch it? You've already come all this way," Sakiko's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in her voice.
The strength of a Rillaboom needed no explanation. In the hands of the strongest champion, Leon, it was even more formidable, probably second only to his ace Charizard. No trainer would want to give up such an opportunity to catch one.
"This is fine. Just coming here and being able to save Thwackey is enough for me. More than catching them, I want to be friends with Pokémon, to make friends with all the Pokémon in the world."
"The choice is Thwackey's to make."
Satoru felt no sense of loss. Just being able to meet a Pokémon was a happy event in itself.
Besides, he didn't like to force a capture. Thwackey was probably still afraid of humans.
He chose to respect Thwackey's decision.
"I don't think that's quite right... Thwackey will probably still choose to go with you."
The corners of Sakiko's mouth lifted slightly. Her eyes were fixed ahead as she stood gracefully in place.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Hearing this, a trace of confusion appeared in Satoru's eyes. But as he followed her gaze, he immediately saw the figure of a Pokémon not far away.
"Thwackey... when did it get in front of us..."
"Pachi, pachi!"
At that moment, Thwackey was happily waving its arms, speeding towards them until it was right in front of Satoru.
With a light leap, it took a gleaming Poké Ball from Satoru's pocket.
"Pachi~"
Thwackey enlarged the Poké Ball and pushed it in front of Satoru.
"It seems to have taken a liking to you, Satoru."
For some reason, Sakiko felt happier now than if she had caught Thwackey herself.
"Is that so? Thwackey, do you want to come with us?" Satoru knelt on one knee, his eyes meeting Thwackey's.
"Pachi!" With that, Thwackey jumped slightly and pressed the button on the Poké Ball. A red light drew it inside, and with a single shake, it became Satoru's Pokémon.
Satoru watched this process in surprise, and then a smile spread across his face.
"I'll be in your care from now on, Thwackey."
As he said this, the Poké Ball gently nodded.
Satoru's mood was joyful as he lifted the Poké Ball high and shouted.
"I caught a Thwackey!"
[Satoru-baby... ehehe, my Satoru-baby caught a Pokémon~~]
"He really hasn't changed at all."
Sakiko was recalling the past, those sweet and precious memories.
When she was a child, the time she spent with her childhood friends on a certain island, and the small figure of Satoru holding a Poké Ball high.
Young Satoru:"I caught a Pichu!"
At this moment, a thought arose in Sakiko's mind.
That's right, if I invite him to my team, maybe we can go back to how we were before.
But my current strength is still too weak. To get stronger, that would mean taking back my old Pokémon from the family, or getting 'Haruhikage' back from Tomori.
Sakiko felt a headache coming on and didn't think too much about it.
It's just that she...
Suddenly, she just wanted to be with this boy.
...
"Damn old man..."
"Hoo~"
Back home, Sakiko and Milotic were cleaning up broken liquor bottles. It seemed her deadbeat dad had thrown a fit last night, probably because she hadn't come home and hadn't cleaned the house.
Sakiko truly wanted to become independent soon and never experience this life again.
In the past year, she had left the life of a young lady and moved into this dilapidated apartment.
She had gone through all sorts of things, even nights with no water or electricity, surviving on Milotic's Hydro Pump and her deadbeat dad's liquor.
It was an absurd life she didn't want to recall.
Currently, she had only two ways out. One was to become a strong trainer, at least Ace Trainer level.
The second was to work at the Tera Dome and, through Officer Jenny, become something like a police officer.
But both required strength.
So, Sakiko's current choice was...
"So nostalgic..."
Sakiko took a black mask from her bag. This was a gift from Satoru, bought with the prize money he won from their first Pokémon battle.
Young Satoru:"If you're shy during battles, just wear this mask. Maybe it will help you feel less nervous."
Frankly, Sakiko felt extremely embarrassed when she wore this mask, but she also felt a strange comfort, as if she had become another person.
Back then, she had felt shy when battling another childhood friend, Uika, so Satoru had given her this gift to help her overcome her awkwardness. And now, Sakiko needed it.
As a trainer, she felt unwilling to have lost to Satoru like that.
And then there was a selfish reason...
Sakiko gently put on the mask, looking at the face of what seemed like another self in the mirror, and an idea formed.
"I will become Satoru's rival and participate in the High School League!"
"HOOO—!" At that moment, the Milotic beside her cried out in excitement.
"As for my codename... I'll go with Oblivionis." A resolute and firm light shone in Sakiko's eyes. She took a deep breath and made her decision.
Just wait for me, Satoru.
...
"Crap, I'm late for class... Oh well, I'm going to lose points anyway, might as well not go to school."
Satoru slacked off, wandering the streets, looking left and right for something new and interesting.
For him, the price of not going to school today was merely a deduction of 50 points. With 4,500 points in his account, he was quite relaxed about losing 50.
Compared to studying, adventuring is so much more fun!
[Satoru-baby At our current strength, we really need to find strong people After all, we've already defeated Team Rocket Ehehe My Satoru-baby is so cool~]
Stop being weird!
"How could I just randomly run into someone strong? ...This world isn't that small... uh, I think I see someone."
Satoru felt a headache and subconsciously retorted, but when he looked towards a grassy area not far away, he did indeed notice something different.
"Electabuzz, charge in with Thunder Punch!"
"Mr. Bear, counter with Ice Punch."
A blonde girl with a pick-shaped ahoge was commanding her Electric-type Pokémon—an Electabuzz.
At the same time, a black-haired girl remained calm, instructing her Beartic to counterattack.
They were clearly students, yet they weren't in class but were battling outdoors. This obviously meant they had some special privileges.
"Those two girls are amazing~"
"Yeah, they could probably challenge a Gym, right? I heard they're still students."
This scene had attracted a crowd of spectators, making it difficult for Satoru to squeeze in and watch.
After managing to squeeze through the crowd, Satoru's initial surprise was replaced by a knowing smile.
[Satoru-baby, what's wrong?]
Watching their intense duel, Satoru's blood gradually began to boil.
"I sense the presence of a rival."
-------
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