PBK 65 New Friends (Patreon)

Cerulean City

Pokémon Center 20897

We had won, but the journey ahead was long. Another thought popped into my head.

She didn't utter a single command.A wry smile formed on my face.

Is this how people feel when they face me?

With a wry grin, I returned Caesar to his Poké Ball and made my way toward the stands. It was fortunate there wasn't much of an audience; I'd been gaining considerable attention online within certain groups. This was something I'd started years ago at Ashley's prodding. Unlike her, I wasn't active, but I did keep an eye on the situation.

I wasn't sure a prominent online presence was entirely beneficial. Fame could be good, but at this point, I didn't want potential contenders to have a front-row seat to my Pokémon or my strategies, especially since I had extremely rare Pokémon on my team. My battle with Sabrina had proven I still had a long way to go, and in a real fight, I could easily be overwhelmed, particularly since I lacked a good exfiltration strategy.

Livia wasn't large enough yet, perhaps when she evolved. Though having a Pokémon with the ability to teleport would be nice...

As I walked toward the stands, a middle-aged woman with snow-white hair approached, an attendant trailing quietly behind her. She was beautiful, with sharp features, high cheekbones, expensive clothing, and the faintest crow's feet near her eyes, which only seemed to enhance her presence.

"Good afternoon, young man," she said with a calm, measured smile. "I'm Kazuko Sasaki."

She held out a sleek business card. I took it out of politeness, glancing at the name. Sasaki. The name felt vaguely familiar, like I'd heard it somewhere before, but I couldn't place it.

"Arata Ishida," I introduced myself.

"I would like to offer you a sponsorship," she said simply. "Your performance just now was... impressive."

I politely declined. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not looking for a sponsor at the moment."

She laughed lightly, as if she'd expected the answer. "That's perfectly fine. Do give me a call if you change your mind."

With that, she turned and walked away, her attendant following without a word. I slipped the card into my pocket and put the encounter aside for now, continuing toward the girls. Erica and Sabrina had also made their way over, and from what I could see, small talk between them was awkward—I could literally see Sabrina's entire body twitch comically every few seconds as she noticed me approaching.

Wanting to break the

ice, I said to Sabrina, "So, nice battle... your Pokémon are trained well." She gave one more comical twitch.

"Wasn't it a good match?" Erica said, gently coaxing Sabrina. "Yes?"

Sabrina gave a pouty little nod.

She's just a sore loser, huh? I thought with amusement.

Erica quickly grabbed Sabrina's arm and held it to her chest as the girl tried to walk away rudely.

"Shouldn't we get your Kadabra checked out by the Center?" Erica suggested.

"Caesar needs to be patched up as well," I added.

We all made our way up to the main lobby. Sabrina and I both handed our Pokémon over to the nurse on standby. I sent a quiet pulse of affirmation through our bond as I passed Caesar's Poké Ball over.

Once that was done, I looked over at Marrie.

"So... shall we look for a place to board?" I asked, hinting at our current problem of not being able to secure lodging at the Center.

"Yeah. Should I go over to the computer station and look at other options?" Marrie suggested.

It was a good idea. Better than roaming around aimlessly. We could even contact the inns before heading over. Before I could answer, though, Erica overheard us.

"You guys can stay with us," she said brightly.

"So... we'll have to book rooms or something?" I asked.

Erica shook her head, waving a hand gently. "Oh no. You'll be guests. The inn belongs to one of my distant relatives."

Marrie and I shared a look. Marrie answered carefully, "We wouldn't want to impose..."

"Nonsense, I insist."

I glanced at the still-silent Sabrina. Feeling my stare, she finally looked over and muttered, "The brute and the others can stay."

One of my eyebrows twitched despite my amusement at her saltiness.

With that, we all agreed and made our way out into the city. After nearly thirty minutes of walking through Cerulean's late afternoon streets, we reached a charming inn that blended modern comfort with traditional Kantonian design, with thick wooden beams and lanterns that were yet to be lit, nestled inside a large courtyard just off the street.

We stepped inside, checked in under Erica's arrangement, and were shown to our rooms. I entered my room and dropped my backpack. Despite its reduced weight owing to space-folding technology, it was uncomfortable to carry for extended periods. I unclipped my belt with all my Poké Balls, excluding Caesar's, and placed it on the nightstand in the room.

Not having Caesar with me did make me feel just a little off, but he was in good hands. Pokémon Centers all around the world were some of the safest places in existence, or the places where bad actors simply refused to act.

You never mess with the white mages...

I wanted to collapse onto the comfortable-looking bed but decided against it. I was filthy. After a long, hot shower and a clean change of clothes, I finally sank onto the mattress, letting my body relax into the soft sheets.

I need dedicated training time...

I could immediately challenge the gym based on the gym leader's availability, but I didn't think it would be wise. Especially since I knew the gym battle would take place in a water environment that was known to be quite deep, with floating pads here and there. Only Livia could fight at her best in such an environment. It would be hard even for her if the opponents' Water types submerged themselves.

Though I did have a strategy for that... Caesar and Orin would have a tough time in such an environment. Not to mention, Caesar had been plateauing in his training. It was inevitable for Dragon types during their mid-stage evolutions, but I had to do something about it. With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes for a little nap before waking up for dinner.

Next Day

I woke up to the sunlight falling on my face, realizing it was already morning.

Last night had been quiet. After feeding my Pokémon, I'd had a simple dinner and only exchanged a few light words with the girls before they headed off to the inn's private onsen. Marrie and Erica seemed to have grown a little closer already. That was good. Marrie and Maggie needed good friends. After finishing my morning routine, I stepped out into the main room of our suite. The layout of the inn was very traditional, with multiple large central rooms and smaller ones branching off to the sides, and we had occupied one of the central ones.

Erica had mentioned there would be a proper breakfast spread this morning, apparently in celebration of our new "friendship." I could get behind that.

I walked into the main room to find a large low table already set in traditional Kantonian style. Erica looked immaculate in a comfortable kimono. Marrie and Maggie were neatly dressed as well. Sabrina, on the other hand, looked half-dead, with puffy hair and a dead expression—she was clearly not a morning person.

"Good morning, Arata!" Erica greeted brightly.

"Morning, girls," I replied, stifling a laugh at Sabrina's appearance as I sat down across from her, right next to Erica.

Maggie, noticing my amusement, started giggling. Sabrina glared at me first, then turned her dull stare on the little girl.

"Silence, little child. You have no understanding of a woman's struggle."

Maggie didn't listen and only giggled harder. Credit where it was due—the little imp really knew how to get under someone's skin, especially after Sabrina learned she had a Fighting-type.

"Let's all eat, yes?" Erica rallied everyone before things could escalate.

We ate in relative silence. I found it a little embarrassing to have Erica help me with some of the more traditional dishes, but I made do. As we came to a close, I let Marrie know of my plans; after all, I was somewhat responsible for them.

"Marrie, I'll be training for at least a couple of weeks here in Cerulean."

"Oh."

"That's great!" Erica said excitedly. "We could all train together—"

Sabrina sat up a little straighter, looking at me with sudden intensity.

I had to break it to the beautiful girl who had suddenly invaded my personal space in her excitement.

"I'd prefer to train alone, Erica."

Her face fell a little, but she understood. Some trainers were like that.

"Will the both of you be okay?" I asked Marrie.

She nodded confidently. I still had my doubts.

Erica looked confused. "Why wouldn't they be?"

I briefly explained their situation without going into too much detail.

"Oh, you poor things..." Erica leaned over and gently took Marrie's hand. Marrie looked a little overwhelmed by the kind girl.

Erica continued brightly, "You're not going to be alone! Both me and Sabrina will be with you. We can use this opportunity—train together, go shopping... it'll be exciting!"

"Really?" Marrie asked, hopefully.

"Of course!"

"Me too, me too!" Maggie added excitedly.

Sabrina, ever the stoic, muttered, "I would like to train alone like the brute as well."

She was promptly ignored by the now-excited girls.

I smirked at the scene.

Looks like we just made some more friends.