Kyogre had recently been staying in the Orange Islands with Lugia, the Pokémon celebrated throughout the world as the Guardian of the Seas.
Honestly, Kyogre was rather envious of Lugia.
Lugia was genuinely revered as the Guardian of the Seas. In a sense, it constantly benefited from the power generated by human faith.
That power did not significantly increase a Pokémon's strength, but it could keep the Pokémon in an excellent mood.
Both members of Johto's legendary pair, Ho-Oh and Lugia, benefited from that kind of faith.
Kyogre and Groudon might have been the creators of the sea and land respectively, but they received very little faith from humans. The only meaningful contributions came from the members of Team Aqua and Team Magma.
Now that Kyogre was going to Unova to perform as an extra, it suddenly considered collecting some of that faith for itself.
Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem did not seem to need the faith of Unova's people anyway.
There was nothing wrong with Kyogre taking a little for itself, as long as it showed restraint.
Thinking this, Kyogre revealed its large white teeth and nodded at Little Riolu.
"No problem."
Lugia, meanwhile, scratched its head with one wing.
"So, uh... are we getting paid for this? My wife is about to give birth again, and I'd like to earn some money for baby supplies and help her recover afterward."
Lugia's wife was also a Lugia. Recently, it had found time to return to Johto and spend another intimate evening with her.
Pokémon pregnancies did not work exactly like human ones.
For Lugia, apparently one attempt had been all it took.
Since its wife was close to giving birth, Lugia wanted to make certain she received plenty of nourishment afterward.
It would be even better if Mew could provide a few restorative supplements.
With suitable compensation, Lugia would happily work as an extra.
"Oh? Your wife is expecting again? Congratulations!"
Little Riolu congratulated it before thinking for a moment.
"How about I give you a few leaves from the Tree of Beginning?"
Little Riolu had originally considered offering a branch.
However, there were not many branches available. After giving it some thought, it decided that leaves would be better.
Their effects were almost identical, and they would be more than sufficient for Lugia's wife. She was not suffering from any serious injuries, so there was no reason to use something so valuable.
"That works."
Lugia accepted Little Riolu's offer.
The three Pokémon then headed toward Unova.
Meanwhile, in Unova, Caitlin continued strolling through the Marine Tube while holding Grey's arm.
After looking at the scenery for long enough, the novelty gradually faded.
What Caitlin truly enjoyed was the opportunity to spend time alone with Grey.
Watching Pokémon was merely a pleasant distraction.
She could watch Pokémon anywhere.
The real reason Caitlin had chosen to walk back to Undella Town through the Marine Tube was because she wanted to be alone with Grey.
"Grey, what is life like as a Gym Leader? Does it ever get boring? Being a member of the Elite Four is incredibly dull. Every day, there's an endless amount of work to handle. It's more entertaining when a challenger occasionally appears, but hardly any Trainers in Unova are qualified to challenge the Elite Four."
Caitlin began complaining to Grey about her life.
When she was younger, she had longed to become a member of the Elite Four.
Only after holding the position for some time did she discover just how repetitive and tedious the job could be.
"It's not too bad. Most of the work involves guiding challengers. However, since I've spent so much time traveling recently, Sabrina and Bumiao have been handling all the Gym challenges for me."
Grey smiled slightly.
"Most Trainers are fairly average, but there are also plenty with considerable potential. You offer them advice, wait for them to improve, and then welcome the next group of challengers. That's the daily life of a Gym Leader."
"It can certainly become repetitive. However, when you encounter an interesting challenger, the entire experience becomes exciting again."
After serving as a Gym Leader for so long, Grey had gradually come to understand people like Lt. Surge and Volkner.
Neither of them had raised Pokémon specifically for dealing with inexperienced challengers. Even their weakest partners were strong enough to overwhelm elite Trainers.
When they first encountered young and inexperienced Trainers, they might have shown mercy and deliberately held back.
However, doing that repeatedly eventually became tiresome.
Grey's current team was in a similar situation.
Apart from the few baby Pokémon he had caught in Unova, almost every Pokémon he owned possessed at least high Elite Four-level strength.
Under those circumstances, genuinely holding back was extremely difficult.
"I see. Being a Gym Leader isn't easy either."
Caitlin sighed softly.
No matter what someone did, repeating it for long enough would eventually make it feel tedious.
She had no idea how her best friend Cynthia had convinced Lucian to handle so much work for her without complaint.
An Elite Four member like Lucian appeared only once in a century.
"It's still manageable. After a little more time passes, I'll apply to retire from the League. I've accumulated enough contribution credits already. After that, I can raise a few apprentices and spend the rest of my life taking it easy."
Once the final group of Grey's Pokémon reached Elite Four level, he planned to ask the Pokémon League to grant Saffron City greater autonomy.
He would submit the city's taxes on time, while spending his days drinking tea in a café or inviting several friends to relax with him at the Gym.
He would live entirely according to his own whims.
That was practically every Gym Leader's ultimate dream.
"They should be here soon," Grey suddenly murmured.
"What should be here?"
Caitlin blinked, confused by the unexpected remark.
"I can sense the seawater moving unusually quickly. Something far beyond the ordinary must be approaching."
Grey pointed into the distance.
Caitlin focused her attention in that direction and saw a waterspout suddenly forming outside the tunnel.
Currents roared through the ocean, causing many passing tourists to stop and watch.
People naturally loved witnessing a spectacle.
Something like this might only happen once in a lifetime.
Perhaps an extraordinary opportunity was about to appear.
Were they worried that the Marine Tube might suddenly collapse?
There was no point.
If the situation became truly catastrophic, they would not be able to escape anyway. If it was not serious, there was no need to run.
Besides, if the tunnel really did collapse, there were plenty of Water-type Pokémon nearby.
The pedestrians therefore remained where they were, eagerly watching to see what would happen.
A distant whale-like cry rose from the depths of the ocean trench. It passed through countless layers of water and echoed across the entire sea.
Before everyone's eyes, an enormous whale-like silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness.
It extended its broad fins as faint light flowed across its body beneath the deep currents.
The massive creature then began swimming slowly along the curved glass of the Marine Tube. It circled the transparent passageway with remarkable leisure before finally stopping directly in front of the section closest to Grey and Caitlin.
Kyogre revealed its large white teeth, looking almost simple and friendly.
"That's Kyogre. Go ahead, sweetheart. Say hello."
Grey pointed at Kyogre and encouraged Caitlin.
"It's very well behaved. It won't hurt anyone."
Everyone nearby stared at him.
Was this man listening to himself?
He was using a Legendary Pokémon to impress a woman, apparently confident that Kyogre would not shatter the Marine Tube.
They enjoyed watching drama, but that did not mean they wanted to become victims of it.
If Grey's attempt to impress Caitlin angered Kyogre and caused the Marine Tube to collapse, they would haunt him for eternity.
They would never forgive him.
However, what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.
"Hello!"
Caitlin smiled and waved at Kyogre.
Everyone assumed Kyogre would simply ignore her greeting.
Instead, Kyogre nodded slightly toward Caitlin, its smile becoming even broader.
"Grey, it really is exactly as you said! This Kyogre is so well behaved!"
Caitlin's eyes sparkled. She had never imagined that Grey would even know Kyogre's personality.
"Of course."
Grey rubbed his nose.
Showing off in front of so many people felt surprisingly satisfying.
The surrounding tourists immediately began greeting Kyogre as well. Some even took out their phones and started recording, hoping a video of Kyogre might help their accounts attract followers.
Kyogre did not object.
It had heard a little about the human world's short-video platforms.
If the footage of it became popular across the internet, Kyogre could gather more faith from humanity.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
However, it naturally did not interact with the tourists as warmly as it had with Caitlin.
Most of them received nothing more than a brief nod.
At that moment, someone suddenly shouted.
"Holy crap, Lugia is here too!"
Everyone turned around.
On the opposite side of the tunnel, an enormous white avian Pokémon emerged from another ocean trench. It folded its wings close to its body and swam gracefully toward the glass on Grey's other side.
"That's Lugia. It has a gentle temperament too. Go ahead and say hello, sweetheart."
Grey leaned against Caitlin's shoulder and whispered into her ear.
Caitlin's face immediately turned bright red.
She had never expected Grey to move so close.
They were practically pressed against each other!
This was so embarrassing.
Something like this should only happen after they returned to the villa tonight.
They should not behave like this in a public place filled with passing pedestrians.
Caitlin's cheeks became scarlet. She desperately suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind and waved at Lugia.
Lugia imitated her enthusiastically, flapping its wings together as though applauding her.
"Wow! This Lugia is even friendlier than Kyogre!"
After seeing Lugia's response, many tourists shifted their attention away from Kyogre and toward Lugia.
Lugia responded to every person who greeted it, performing with remarkable enthusiasm.
It was clearly taking a completely different approach from Kyogre.
Kyogre stared at it in disbelief.
What?
Kyogre immediately became anxious.
Was Lugia deliberately trying to steal its audience?
Lugia already received an enormous amount of faith from humans. Was that still not enough? Did it really have to compete with Kyogre too?
Kyogre became increasingly furious.
Lugia, however, found its reaction strange.
It interacted with humans like this every year. Why was Kyogre becoming so angry?
For Lugia, this was completely normal. Responding to a few greetings cost it nothing.
It could also enjoy the constant stream of faith and remain in an excellent mood.
There was no reason not to do it.
For Kyogre, who was trying this for the first time, however, being overshadowed was deeply humiliating.
Kyogre swam over and nudged Lugia with its head.
"Lugia, I have restorative treasures in my collection too. Take some home for your wife and leave this place to me."
Kyogre spoke directly into Lugia's mind.
At this rate, Lugia would collect all the available faith.
Kyogre therefore decided to sacrifice some of its treasure to eliminate the competition.
It would give Lugia a portion of its collection in exchange for Lugia leaving.
"No. I already promised Mew that I would work as an extra. I can't simply leave halfway through the job."
Lugia answered with a righteous expression.
Kyogre fell silent.
So Lugia refused to do this the easy way.
Just as the situation seemed close to spiraling out of control, Grey suddenly spoke.
"Kyogre and Lugia each possess their own unique charm."
He did not lower his voice, so everyone nearby heard him and immediately began discussing the two Legendary Pokémon.
"Kyogre might seem a little aloof, but this is probably its first time interacting with humans like this. It's perfectly understandable! Besides, that cool and distant attitude makes Kyogre look incredibly impressive."
"Exactly! Being aloof has its own charm. I'm completely obsessed with Kyogre!"
As the crowd continued praising it, Kyogre gradually began feeling happier.
Ah...
The power of faith was truly delicious.
A faint smile appeared on Kyogre's face.
This really did feel wonderful.
Grey's intervention completely erased Kyogre's desire to attack Lugia.
Instead, Kyogre patiently began interacting with the tourists.
As more and more people gathered, Grey took Caitlin and quietly slipped away.
When Kyogre and Lugia noticed them leaving, both Legendary Pokémon immediately followed.
The tourists saw the two Legendary Pokémon departing and hurried after them, following Kyogre and Lugia through the tunnel.
For a time, the area became chaotic, yet the crowd somehow maintained a strange sense of order.
It was not until evening that Grey and Caitlin finally emerged from the Marine Tube.
Kyogre and Lugia disappeared into the ocean trenches, vanishing from everyone's sight.
"Grey, how did you know Legendary Pokémon would appear there? Two of them even arrived at the same time."
Caitlin had finally recovered from the excitement of seeing Kyogre and Lugia. Thinking back on what had happened, she was almost certain that Grey had arranged everything.
Grey had caught Reshiram and Kyurem. Other than him, hardly anyone possessed the connections necessary to accomplish something like this.
"Who knows?"
Grey merely smiled and answered lightly.
Before long, they arrived outside the villa.
"This is my home. Other than Cynthia and Shauntal occasionally staying here, I usually live alone."
Caitlin held Grey's hand, a faint blush already spreading across her face.
"Well, look who it is. Caitlin and Grey, welcome home."
The front door opened.
Shauntal stood in the entrance wearing casual clothes and greeted them both.
Caitlin suddenly remembered that Shauntal had been staying at her home recently.
Wait...
Did that mean she could not leave her bedroom door unlocked tonight?
Caitlin immediately felt disappointed.
"You and Caitlin must be tired, Grey. I already prepared the bath. Would you like to wash up first?"
Shauntal did not notice anything unusual. She hurried over to Grey's other side, linked her arm through his, and smiled brightly.
"I wouldn't mind even if the three of us bathed together. I can scrub your backs too!"
Caitlin stared at her.
Shauntal, what are you saying?!
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