At the club, Ren—Keiko's boyfriend—had only just come back to his senses from the shock of Electivire's power when his heart gave a hard thump, then beat faster and faster…
His eyes left the screen and shifted to Taro, the senior coach leading their group this time. Taro had an Electabuzz—and by now it had very likely evolved into an Electivire.
Taro was on the phone, clearly anxious, and hurried out. Through the window, Ren noticed the direction he left in: back toward the Electric Club.
Seeing Taro off, Ren looked back up at the broadcast. On screen, Electivire had already defeated the Exeggutor trainer's Pidgeotto and Quagsire, and the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.
Who knew whether they were cheering the win, the thrilling match, or the sheer power of the new Pokémon.
A first appearance, and Electivire already had sky-high popularity—plus overwhelming strength.
Ren was determined to get one and raise it. Working at the Electric Club made obtaining an Elekid simple—as long as you had money. He, however, didn't.
And even if he got one, its talent was another question. Still, there were ways to find a high-talent Elekid—it would just be difficult.
Weigh that difficulty against the potential payoff and it barely registered as risk. It might even be his lucky break.
Next, the TV showed Taro releasing an Electivire for a club match against the Electric Club's breakout dark horse. Their battle was fierce, giving the day's audience a real treat.
Many spectators had been ready to leave for the Grand Arena to see the Electivire there. Now that the Electric Club also had an Electivire on stage, there was no need to go.
As word spread that Electivire had appeared at both the Grand Arena and the Electric Club, crowds surged to those venues, and several thousand more tickets were sold.
Witnessing Electivire's dominance again only firmed Ren's resolve: no matter what, he would get an Elekid. Maybe, in this lifetime, he could even brush the threshold of Elite Four level.
The old bar owner had also seen Electivire. He'd long known Electabuzz could evolve; otherwise he wouldn't have planned ahead to secure an Elekid.
Watching Electivire be that strong, the old man tapped his index finger lightly on the armrest, imagining his grandson's Elekid—if the boy raised it well, could it be as powerful as the tournament Electivire?
With a single Thunder, it had blanketed the entire field, leaving Pidgeotto nowhere to hide. A casual jolt sent the bird tumbling out of the sky.
And it even ignored Quagsire's immunity to Electric moves—just lifted a hand and slapped it. No typing, just a slap, and Quagsire flew out of bounds and blacked out.
Shun's Elekid ought to manage that future too. With that Elekid, the old man no longer needed to worry about Shun's path.
…
"Reiji, this Pokémon is crazy strong…"
Whether it was the shock in the arena or the pressure felt through the screen outside, Shun felt it all.
"Yeah. It's very strong," Reiji said. He'd wanted an Electivire for ages—because it looked amazing, hit hard, and radiated safety.
But high-talent Elekid were too rare.
Shun did have a good one—except Shun was his student, called him "big brother," and trusted him unconditionally.
He wasn't some paragon—he'd complained about society and cursed heaven's unfairness—but he hadn't gone crooked. He'd worked hard, struggled… and, in the end, chose to lie flat.
So, at the end he couldn't—no, shouldn't—cross his own bottom line.
If he did, he'd be a thorough villain—black-hearted in a way no whitewash could fix.
No different from those "charities" that preyed on goodwill without transparency.
That's why he'd said before: donating to the orphanage wasn't the complicated part; people are. You never know what color lurks beneath a "human face and a beast's heart."
His own heart was black—he wouldn't deny it—but he'd still hold a human bottom line.
That's the line that lets him walk in the sun. He didn't want to be a hyena of the night—sly, greedy, always stabbing backs.
He just wanted to be a decent person, not live by the blade, and lie his way peacefully through this life.
He used to lie flat and fish in his previous life; even without Electivire in this one, he wouldn't force it.
For anything he liked, he'd try his best; if he didn't get it, he wouldn't steal it.
Life's too short—barely a hundred years. He only wanted to spend his days with his lovely Pokémon. That would be enough…
That's the true inner monologue of a man who lies flat.
He doesn't want to be cannon fodder, fuel for someone else's fire, churned endlessly, treated like a consumable, used up until nothing remains but a handful of ash…
He's just an ordinary person—who thinks and breathes.
After lying flat, there's little regret or obsession left; he lets go.
In the end you ask what living is for, and how you really want to live—he'd thought it through…
He refused to be the shepherd boy in that story: herd sheep, have children, the children herd sheep, and on and on, generation after generation without end.
The shepherd's life is a cycle. Without accidents, it repeats forever…
The boy never wonders why he repeats; he doesn't even realize it is a cycle.
He'll trace his forebears' steps, round and round…
Reiji didn't want to become that boy—numb in the wheel. If this is suffering, let it end with me. Don't pass it to the next generation…
That was the honest portrait of most young people in his past world.
In the end, you chase what you can actually reach—not the things with crushing cost and microscopic odds…
Like now: he wanted high-potential Pokémon—if he met them, he'd catch them; if not, fine.
He'd already decided: spend a happy life with his partners; join a Gym; see this brilliant, colorful world; cook himself a beautiful meal; sleep till he woke naturally; read a book; learn something new. There was so much to do…
If he couldn't pull off the big stuff, he'd start small—say, with a bowl of instant noodles. Simple.
Even if he failed, that was okay. People need small goals—that's the fuel for the road.
Poliwhirl, Butterfree, Kingler, Rhyhorn, Pelipper, Croagunk…
With partners that all had at least quasi–Elite potential, any angler would be more than satisfied. He wouldn't ask for more.
After watching Electivire's 1-vs-2, he finished breakfast too. He told Shun to wash the dishes, then went out to the yard to lie down and soak in the warm morning sun.
These were his last two days at the villa; the tranquil days would be gone. He'd be on the road again.
Unless he became a League-certified trainer, he couldn't stay here forever to enjoy the ease.
Even without becoming a Gym apprentice or a League-certified trainer, he couldn't spend his whole life in Kinnow island.
He'd finally reached this marvelous world; of course he'd travel—see different customs, cities, landscapes, battle cultures, trainers, Pokémon, and…
In short, plenty of places to go, see, and play…
Becoming a Gym apprentice was just a tiny errand on life's long road.
Even without League certification, he could live just fine.
From start to finish, what mattered most were his Pokémon partners. Wherever they were—that was home. A warm home…
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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