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"I thought after we parted last time, it would be a long while before you contacted me again. I didn't expect that after only a few days, you'd appear in front of me once more especially in the middle of the night."
Arching an eyebrow, Shelly leaned casually against the wall of her secret warehouse. Her arms were folded as she looked at the unexpected visitor Kai with a teasing expression.
It was already past seven in the evening. Darkness had settled outside, and the cargo warehouse district was completely silent.
Kai ignored her teasing tone and asked mysteriously,
"I remember when I came here last time, there seemed to be a… convenient place around here?"
Hearing that, Shelly's expression suddenly changed.
She instinctively covered her chest with one hand and stared at him cautiously.
"What are you trying to do!? I knew your help wasn't completely selfless, and I expected a day like this to come sooner or later but I didn't think you'd be this impatient!"
Kai blinked in confusion.
Two seconds later, he realized she had misunderstood him.
"What kind of nonsense are you imagining?" he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm asking if you have a private place. I need somewhere quiet to deal with something without being disturbed."
"Deal with something?" Shelly clearly didn't believe him. "You mean something physical, right? I was just wondering why you didn't bring that little follower who's always by your side, coming here alone this late at night so this was your plan!"
Kai sighed.
To be fair, he couldn't really blame her for thinking that way.
A man showing up at a quiet warehouse late at night…
He'd also had a glass of wine with dinner, leaving a faint scent of alcohol on him.
And he had pushed his way inside without much explanation.
Anyone would think something suspicious was going on.
But explaining would only make things worse.
Rather than waste time arguing, Kai simply walked deeper into the warehouse.
Following his memory from last time, he passed the indoor pool where Shelly's shark-shaped submarine was docked, moved through a partition door, and climbed a hidden staircase leading to the second floor.
The warehouse itself was enormous about 160 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 7 meters tall, designed for storing large cargo.
Among the dozens of similar warehouses in the harbor district, it looked completely ordinary from the outside.
But inside, Shelly had already transformed it into a fully equipped secret base.
The second floor, for example, had been cleverly created using compressed space and visual tricks. From outside the warehouse, no one would ever guess a second level existed.
The entire floor functioned as a living area.
There were several rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and even a well-equipped dining space. In addition, there was a large empty area that had been separated off but never fully developed.
Perhaps Shelly once intended to turn it into another functional space But after leaving Team Aqua, she had been too busy or lacked the motivation—to finish the project.
Kai walked straight into that empty room without hesitation.
Once inside, he casually tossed out several Poké Balls.
In flashes of light, Gardevoir, Raikou, and Suicune appeared.
He also called Gengar out from his shadow.
---
Shelly entered the room a moment later.
The sight that greeted her immediately made her realize something serious was happening.
Two Legendary Pokémon stood quietly in opposite corners. Gardevoir and the unusually powerful, human-speaking Gengar guarded Kai from either side.
The atmosphere felt tense, like soldiers preparing for battle.
"Alright," Shelly said, raising her hands. "I'll take back my earlier joke. It seems you didn't ditch that girl to come here and do something indecent with me after all."
A joke?
Kai gave her a skeptical look.
Just moments ago she had sounded completely serious.
Now she claimed it was only a joke?
What impressive acting.
He could only conclude that smart women were very good liars.
"Well, now that you understand," Kai said, "could you step outside and keep watch? Just in case something unexpected happens."
"So you just want to send me away," Shelly snorted. "No need to sugarcoat it. Even if I don't watch, I already know what you're planning."
She added with a warning:
"My place isn't very sturdy, Don't cause too much destruction."
"Relax," Kai replied calmly. "I know what I'm doing."
After giving him one last look, Shelly left the room.
---
Once she was gone, Kai took out an Ultra Ball and aimed it toward the center of the room.
"All security Pokémon are in position. Initiating the third communication attempt with Deoxys."
Speaking as calmly as if recording an experiment log, he pressed the button.
A blue light flashed.
Deoxys appeared.
Since defeating and capturing Deoxys during their previous battle near the lake, Kai had privately attempted to communicate with it twice.
Unfortunately, communicating with a Pokémon from outer space was extremely difficult.
Deoxys possessed immense power and extraordinary intelligence. Without provoking it, Kai could only communicate slowly through Gardevoir's telepathy.
Fortunately, because Kai had defeated it fairly in battle, Deoxys showed no hostility toward him.
After appearing, Deoxys simply looked around the room calmly.
Its gaze swept across the other Pokémon before finally resting on Kai.
Then a small beam of blue aurora emerged from the crystal in its chest and projected into the air before him.
This was exactly why Kai needed such a secluded location.
The aurora was far too noticeable.
If this happened outdoors even in remote wilderness anyone within kilometers would easily notice it.
Only a sealed room like this could keep it hidden.
For the same reason, even after capturing Deoxys, Kai still couldn't control it as smoothly as his other Legendary Pokémon.
He had once tried asking Gengar to translate, but Deoxys spoke an alien language Gengar couldn't understand.
Only Gardevoir's telepathy allowed real communication.
Kai nodded to Gardevoir.
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
Almost instantly, Kai felt the familiar sensation.
His mind had connected with Deoxys.
"…Friend…"
The first emotion he sensed was loneliness.
"Don't worry," Kai replied through the mental link. "As I said before, you aren't the only one who landed on this planet. Our journey has just begun. One day we'll find your kind."
He continued gently.
"And don't forget—my Pokémon and I are your companions now."
Deoxys drifted silently for a moment.
"…Promise…"
"That's right," Kai said. "Our promise."
"But in return, you'll fight alongside me against powerful enemies."
At the mention of strong opponents, Deoxys seemed to recall its fierce battles with Rayquaza.
A surge of emotion flared within it.
"Calm down," Kai quickly reassured. "I'm not talking about Rayquaza specifically. There are others just as powerful—Ho-Oh, Groudon, Kyogre, and more. Someday I may face them."
"…I understand… I will help you…"
Kai couldn't help but smile.
After three attempts, this had been their most successful communication yet.
At last, they had reached a true understanding.
---
When Kai left the room and went downstairs, Shelly was still leaning against the wall, looking bored.
She glanced at the clock and shrugged.
"That's it? Are you done already? You're pretty fast."
Kai froze.
Was she implying something or was he overthinking it?
Either way, he suddenly felt deeply insulted.
"Fast?" he snorted. "Impossible! I'm young, energetic, and full of stamina! My record speaks for itself. Anyone who tries it says it's amazing—how could I be fast!?"
"I knew it," Shelly smirked. "You really are that kind of person."
She continued lazily,
"You were upstairs for less than seven minutes. Subtract preparation, finishing up, and walking up and down the stairs that means the real action lasted maybe three minutes."
"That's called efficiency!" Kai protested. "It proves how capable I am!"
"Oh really?"
Shelly stretched lazily, her hips swaying as she walked past him toward the stairs.
"If I'd known you were that quick, I wouldn't have bothered sending you upstairs. You could've just handled it down here."
Before he could argue again, she waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't come to me for this kind of thing again. It's too troublesome."
She yawned.
"I'm going to sleep. Turn off the lights and lock the warehouse door before you leave. Good night… Quick Shot."
She was definitely doing that on purpose.
Watching her disappear upstairs in a good mood, Kai couldn't help shaking his head.
Still… the fact that she could joke with him like this meant something.
In a way, it showed that Shelly's attitude toward him had changed.
Perhaps this teasing was simply her way of venting after everything that had happened.
Kai sighed.
Fine. I'll let this one slide.
But if she called him a quick shot again…
He definitely wouldn't be so polite next time.
---
When Kai returned to the Pokémon Center, Misty was already asleep.
After a quick wash, he went to bed as well.
Thanks to the successful communication with Deoxys, he knew that in future battles against the world's strongest Pokémon, he would no longer need overwhelming numbers.
Even if he still lost, it would be a fair fight.
And as Deoxys grew stronger…
Aside from a few exceptional Pokémon, Kai might one day have nothing left to fear.
---
The next morning, after breakfast, Kai and Misty headed straight to the harbor.
They boarded a ship and left Sootopolis City behind.
The Grand Festival was still several days away, and since Wallace would be the final performer, Kai had no interest in staying.
Misty, on the other hand, was more than happy to leave quickly.
Their next destination was a series of small islands before eventually returning to the Hoenn mainland to challenge the next Gym.
Unlike their long journey from Petalburg City, this was only a short trip.
Within a single day, they would reach the mainland again.
And as Kai collected more Gym Badges, the Ever Grande Conference drew ever closer.
For a moment, he almost felt like he could already smell the sacred flame of the tournament.
The Pokémon League was waiting.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!