As soon as they boarded the ship, Satoshi and Ash parted ways. Ash, eager to test his skills, headed straight for the Trainer Battle Arena to have some fun and shake off his nerves.
Meanwhile, Satoshi walked towards his cabin, memorizing the ship's layout along the way. Though they were here to enjoy themselves for now, he hadn't forgotten the real reason for their presence.
Unlike Ash, who had no idea who their enemy was, Satoshi knew exactly what kind of powerful adversary they were up against. That meant preparing—understanding the ship's structure, learning escape routes, and mapping out key locations in case things turned dangerous.
However, while making his way through the corridors, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance—or rather, someone he had known before his rebirth.
She was a beautiful little girl dressed in an elegant princess cake dress, with short brown hair tinged with gray, adorned with a lace headdress. Pure white cotton socks covered her slender legs, tucked into small leather shoes—she looked exactly like a noble princess from a fairy tale.
Of course, seeing such an outfit on the S.S. Anne wasn't unusual. Many nobles and wealthy second-generation heirs were on board.
But Satoshi recognized this girl immediately.
Even though she didn't know him yet in this life, he had interacted with her before his rebirth.
The young girl stood there shyly, her head lowered, hands twisting together nervously. Her large, gem-like blue eyes gleamed like the ocean's surface, filled with innocence and hesitation.
"She looks uncomfortable… her father must have left her alone while he went to socialize."
Satoshi pondered for a moment before deciding to approach.
After all, even though she was just a little girl right now, in the future, she would become a Pokédex holder—one of the world's strongest trainers. In other words, she was one of the protagonists of this world.
More importantly, he was interested in her father.
"I feel like I've struck gold by meeting a little princess like you on the S.S. Anne."
"Hello, my name is Satoshi. Little princess, may I ask for your name?"
With his most gentle and friendly tone, Satoshi introduced himself and smiled warmly.
"...Hello, my name is Sapphire Birch."
That confirmed it.
This adorable noble-looking girl was actually the daughter of Professor Birch, the renowned Pokémon Professor from the Hoenn Region.
In the Pokémon anime from Satoshi's past life, she was also known as May, though the manga version, Sapphire, had a very different personality and life experience.
It was like they were alternate versions of the same character in different universes.
"Sapphire birch? That means your father is Professor Birch from the Hoenn Region! It looks like he's on this ship as well."
"But aren't you bored standing here all alone?"
Satoshi subtly mentioned her father's name, knowing that it would instantly make Sapphire more comfortable around him.
As expected, her shy demeanor softened a little, and a hint of excitement flashed in her ocean-blue eyes.
"Dad went to get me some delicious drinks… he told me not to wander too far, so I stayed here," she explained in a soft voice.
"I see! Well, standing around alone must be boring. Why don't we play with some Pokémon while we wait?"
With that, Satoshi released his Grovyle.
On a ship like this, it wasn't unusual for wealthy passengers to bring out their Pokémon. As long as they didn't cause trouble, no one minded.
"Wow! This Pokémon looks so strong! Brother Satoshi, what's its name?"
As the daughter of a Pokémon Professor, Sapphire had seen many Pokémon before. However, she hadn't encountered too many powerful ones firsthand.
Professor Birch had probably avoided exposing her to strong or dangerous Pokémon for safety reasons.
"This is Grovyle. It evolved from Treecko."
"Grovyle, play with Sapphire."
Satoshi released Grovyle with a purpose in mind.
Treecko was a starter Pokémon in the Hoenn Region, meaning it was very likely that this Grovyle originally belonged to Professor Birch before it was given to new trainers.
If that was the case, Satoshi wanted to confirm it.
However, judging from Sapphire's reaction, she didn't seem to recognize Treecko's name. That meant she probably hadn't been introduced to it yet.
"No rush. I'll ask Professor Birch about it later. For now, let's just play."
And so, the two of them started playing with Pokémon.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, a burly man with a friendly face returned.
"Sapphire, I'm back! Huh? Who's this?"
It was Professor Birch, returning from his errand.
Seeing his daughter laughing with a strange young man and a Grovyle, Birch was momentarily puzzled.
"Hello! You must be Professor Birch."
"I saw Sapphire standing alone and decided to chat with her. She seemed a bit lonely, so I thought we could play with Pokémon together."
"Oh, I should introduce myself properly—**I'm Satoshi, a Rookie Trainer. This is my good friend, Grovyle, who was a Treecko just a few days ago."
At the mention of Treecko, Professor Birch's expression changed subtly.
It was just for an instant, but Satoshi, who had been closely watching, caught it.
The way Birch's eyes briefly widened, then returned to normal—it was a sign of recognition.
Not only that, but Grovyle walked up to Birch eagerly, as if seeing a long-lost friend.
It even let out a few excited cries, rubbing its head against Birch's hand.
"Looks like Grovyle recognizes him. So my guess was right—Professor Birch was the one who originally raised it."
Birch hesitated for a moment before finally sighing.
"...I didn't expect to see you here, Treecko—no, I should say Grovyle now."
"In just three days, you've already evolved."
Realizing that he couldn't pretend not to know this Pokémon, Professor Birch smiled warmly and patted Grovyle's head.
End of the Chapter.
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