A stranger suddenly appeared on Ye Island.
The three silly birds immediately looked toward the beach. Upon discovering that it was the familiar May, the three exchanged glances, spread their wings, and flew away.
They were the three legendary birds of the Orange Archipelago—creatures of legend for countless years. Their totems and stone tablets were carved at the center of every island. Although May was a Pokémon Coordinator from the Hoenn region traveling abroad, she shouldn't be unfamiliar with their appearance.
Even if they had shrunk in size, they would still be recognized immediately. Therefore, whenever a stranger appeared on Ye Island, the three legendary birds would always choose to avoid them.
"Roar—"
The sudden departure of the three legendary birds stunned Groudon. It quickly roared, asking what was going on.
"Gaa gaa—"
"Stupid shrimp, the master's sweetheart is here! Can't you be more observant?"
"If you ruin the master's good time, be careful—you might get a beating!"
Zapdos, as always, was the most talkative. While Moltres and Articuno flew away without even turning their heads, Zapdos paused mid-air to warn Groudon.
Upon hearing this, Groudon didn't hesitate. It took off on its short legs immediately.
It didn't want to witness humans doing embarrassing things.
Thus, without even realizing it had been tricked, Groudon plunged headfirst into the forest.
---
At that moment, Riku was tidying up the kitchenware inside the small wooden house. Hearing the commotion outside, he assumed the three silly birds and the little red shrimp were fighting again after having eaten their fill.
However, when he stepped outside to check, there was nothing around the small wooden house.
"Riku!"
A clear voice called out. Riku turned his head and smiled. "May, why did you come over?"
"I wanted to ask you to come watch the excitement with me!"
May said excitedly, "Do you know? A Pokémon Trainer just landed on Mandarin Island and is actually going to challenge Drake!"
Riku was surprised. "Really? Isn't the prerequisite for challenging Drake to first defeat the four members of the Orange Crew?"
Drake was the Champion of the Orange League. Defeating him earned the title of "Honorary Trainer," but he wasn't a champion of any regional Pokémon League.
Riku had met Drake once. The man always seemed to hope someone could finally defeat him.
Many Trainers, even if they managed to pass the various competitive matches held by the four members of the Orange Crew, couldn't even defeat Drake's first Pokémon—Ditto.
Eventually, Drake began wearing his Dragonite's Poké Ball around his neck, as a kind of confident provocation.
Riku had heard about a Trainer who came to the Orange Archipelago a couple of years ago named Ash, who had been the first to defeat Drake.
May said anxiously, "That Trainer is really strong—he defeated all four members of the Orange Crew in just one day!"
"How about it? Will you come with me?"
Riku nodded. "Of course! I definitely have to join in on such excitement."
Saying that, the two of them quickly ran toward the beach.
---
"Blastoise, come out!"
May threw her Poké Ball onto the ground, and a Blastoise taller than a person appeared with a loud thud.
The moment it saw Riku standing next to May, Blastoise shuddered all over, clearly nervous.
"Blastoise, what's wrong?" May asked, puzzled.
"It's not like you haven't seen Riku before. Come on, we need to hurry to Mandarin Island."
Blastoise nodded slightly but still kept glancing worriedly at Riku.
Then the two of them climbed onto Blastoise's back with ease.
"May, I remember your turtle didn't look like this before," Riku said suddenly. "It seems stronger and taller now. And what's with those two cannons on its back? Don't tell me you installed rocket launchers."
"Are you really asking, or just teasing me?" May gave him a glance. Seeing his genuinely puzzled face, she sighed and smiled bitterly. "It evolved."
"Actually, I don't really know what happened either. Ever since I last saw you, Wartortle just suddenly evolved."
Riku said enviously, "Pokémon can actually evolve? I really envy you. You've got Pokémon that can fly in the sky and swim in the water."
"Poor me… I only raised three dumb birds, and now I might have to raise one more Pokémon that even has trouble finding food."
"No way," May said in shock. "Even Magikarp, the Pokémon with the least fighting ability, wouldn't have trouble finding food…"
Suddenly, May looked at Riku with deep admiration. "I didn't expect you to be so kind-hearted that you'd adopt disabled Pokémon."
"Plus those three dumb flying Pokémon—that's already four. You must have such a heavy burden."
"Not really an issue," Riku shook his head. "It's just a bit clumsy and moves slowly—it's really not disabled."
"If it can't even get food, it's practically the same as being disabled," May sighed.
"How about this? Hold out your hand."
Riku was surprised but still extended his hand.
Unexpectedly, May handed him three Poké Balls.
"It's hard for just one person to raise four Pokémon."
"I'll catch some useful Pokémon later to help you out."
Riku felt a little embarrassed.
Truthfully, he was more worried that there'd be too much food and it would go to waste if they couldn't finish it.
As long as he let Snowy swim in the lake for a while, he could get as many fish and shrimp as he wanted—no problem.
Still, Riku accepted May's Poké Balls. Ever since he first learned that Pokémon could be caught, he'd wanted to try it.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to buy red Poké Balls.
The system had rewarded him with something similar before. It was purple, and something about it said "Master Ball," but Riku simply ignored it.
To him, the system was just messing around.
He wasn't even a proper Pokémon Trainer, and it gave him a Master Ball. How was that not just plain humiliation?
---
The usually lively Blastoise remained silent as it carried Riku on its back.
It felt an immense pressure.
Unlike Groudon, who reacted to Riku with awe, Blastoise felt earth-shattering terror.
Originally, May had been focused on Pokémon Contests and hadn't paid much attention to battle training. At that time, it was still a Wartortle, far from evolving.
But just a few days ago, after being glanced at by Riku, it felt a strong sense of crisis.
Driven by that pressure, Wartortle evolved into Blastoise.
---
Soon, the two landed on Mandarin Island.
The usually bustling streets were strangely quiet. Even the people gathered here and there were excitedly chatting about something.
"That Trainer challenging Drake is really strong!"
"It's been ages since I saw someone beat Ditto."
"You think Drake can keep up his winning streak this time?"
"Hard to say. This Trainer might be even stronger than that Ash kid from two years ago."
---
The conversations of the old women on the street made May even more nervous and excited. She suddenly grabbed Riku's hand and bolted toward the Gym.
As for Riku, who was single his whole first life been held—he felt a bit helpless.
He wanted to watch the excitement… but was there really a need to be in such a hurry?
---
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