Cynthia curiously strolled around the small island.
She spent a full hour and a half wandering about, and after finding nothing unusual, she returned to Tangelo Island.
As soon as Cynthia left, the legendary Pokémon immediately returned to the small wooden house.
When they heard that Riku was going on a mission with Cynthia and planned to head to the Sinnoh region in two days, they raised both hands and feet in opposition.
"Master, what will we eat after you leave?"
"If we don't have your cooking, what will we do if we lose weight!"
"What are you thinking about food for? The real issue is that woman's intentions. What if Master gets kidnapped and never comes back!"
"No way, I don't believe Master would do that…"
"Alright, alright," Riku waved his hand.
"Don't worry. I, Riku, am not the kind of person who forgets loyalty for beauty. I'll rush back as soon as the mission is complete."
Bullshit!
The legendary Pokémon looked at him disdainfully.
In just this short time, they had seen Riku bring three sweethearts to the island. If that wasn't lechery, what was? And now that Cynthia—the Champion of the Sinnoh League, beautiful and well-built—was involved, they wouldn't be surprised at all if Riku got kidnapped and never returned.
Still, their master had made up his mind. After a failed attempt at persuasion, they gave up.
Riku then began carefully explaining to the legendary Pokémon everything they needed to pay attention to during his absence.
Since Ralts refused to enter a Poké Ball, Riku had to ask the legendary Pokémon to look after it.
This meant he needed to spare a powerful Elite Four-level Pokémon to guard the island.
As Gengar was concerned about Ghost Island, Riku directly entrusted the task to him. When Riku left, Gengar would bring his descendants from Ghost Island to help guard the legendary Pokémon and Ralts.
"Listen carefully," Riku said seriously.
"Under normal circumstances, I believe Gengar can handle things and keep everyone safe. What I'm most worried about now is human trainers causing trouble—especially Bruno."
Speaking of which, Riku sighed.
"Though I got the feeling from our duel that Bruno isn't a petty guy, you can never judge a book by its cover. So here's my warning—run. If Bruno comes to the island, you must escape immediately. Don't act impulsively thinking you can take on an Elite Four-level Pokémon.
Do you all understand what I just said?"
"Understood!" the legendary Pokémon replied in unison.
But inwardly, they grumbled.
Bruno? Just a veteran Elite Four from a regional League. If he comes here causing trouble, we've already decided—he's not leaving alive.
Outside the island, they might spare his life.
But on the island—that was their bottom line.
No human or Pokémon could come and stir trouble at home.
Even someone as strong as Rayquaza—if it dared act up on the island, Groudon and Kyogre might even temporarily set aside their ancient grudge just to team up and give it a beating.
That guy had always meddled and tried to "mediate" between them. It was already enough to make them both furious.
After explaining everything, Riku went on to prepare essentials and dry food for everyone.
This trip would take at least a week, so he bought 200 cans of food.
Gengar and the others didn't eat them, and Ralts didn't like greasy food either.
So the five legendary Pokémon—the three legendary birds, Groudon, and Kyogre—quickly discussed and divided the cans.
Kyogre, having lost twelve cans in a previous bet (and very reluctantly), still honored the wager and handed them over to the three birds and Groudon.
Now looking at its pile of cans—just three more than before—the three legendary birds and Groudon were filled with regret.
If they had known Riku was going out and would buy so many cans, they would've definitely bet bigger with Kyogre that day.
After all, Kyogre was new and had no clue what cans even were.
---
Everything was ready.
Two days later, at 8 o'clock in the morning, Gengar led its descendants—a large, imposing group—across the sea from Ghost Island to the small island.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't far. Otherwise, Lapras would've had to carry them over.
Riku sternly instructed Gengar not to make the island as gloomy and terrifying as Ghost Island.
He emphasized that when he returned, the island should still be the same.
Gengar naturally listened and quickly promised.
Ralts, knowing Riku would be gone for at least a week, was in a foul mood.
When Riku was about to leave, Ralts clung to his leg, pleading non-stop.
Riku knew the mission ahead would be dangerous.
He hardened his heart and refused to let Ralts accompany him.
If Ralts could be put in a Poké Ball, things would be fine. But since it couldn't and would always be by his side, Riku was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect it the whole time.
If anything unexpected happened, it would be too late for regrets.
After saying goodbye to the legendary Pokémon, Ralts, and Gengar, Riku took Lapras, Milotic, and Metagross to Tangelo Island.
Cynthia had already been waiting for Riku at the pier for half an hour.
With farewells from high-ranking officials of the Orange League and the four elusive Team Rocket executives, Riku finally left the Orange Archipelago for the first time.
---
The Sinnoh region lies northeast of the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions.
It's far from the other regions and divided into east and west, with most roads located on the main island—somewhat similar to Mount Silver, which connects Kanto and Johto.
And Riku, who had just stepped foot in Sinnoh, was completely shocked by the region's prosperity.
Jewelry stores, clothing shops, nightclubs, dance halls…
Riku didn't care about those places. No matter how luxurious, he wouldn't give them a second glance.
What shocked him were the various Pokémon facilities and shops—especially the Poké Ball store.
When he walked into the Poké Ball shop and saw dozens of unfamiliar Poké Balls he had never seen or even heard of, Riku immediately felt like a clueless bumpkin.
There were a few Poké Balls with detailed descriptions that he genuinely wanted to buy.
Unfortunately, he was short on money. With great reluctance, he could only place them back on the shelves.
The Poké Balls that caught Riku's eye were simply labeled "Ultra" versions of the standard Poké Balls, but the capture success rate was on a completely different level.
Lapras, Gengar, and even the Feebas that evolved into Milotic had all been caught on the first try using regular Poké Balls.
But Riku knew he couldn't rely on luck forever.
Having a few Ultra Balls as backup would significantly raise his chances when encountering wild Pokémon.
Unfortunately… the price was absurd.
Because Riku had joined the temporary guard team and defeated Shiba, the Orange League had rewarded him with a million Poké Dollars.
He had initially felt rich.
But now, he realized a third of that reward could only buy one Ultra Ball.
Compared to the cost of just 1,000 Poké Dollars for a regular one, Ultra Balls were ridiculously expensive.
"You've taken a liking to Ultra Balls?"
Just as Riku reluctantly put them back, Cynthia approached and asked softly.
"No," Riku shook his head.
"Just browsing. Any Pokémon can be caught with an ordinary Poké Ball. Why waste money?"
"That's the theory. Reality's different," Cynthia smiled.
"Many rare and powerful wild Pokémon give you only one shot. In that moment, would you choose a regular Poké Ball or an Ultra Ball?"
"Anyone would pick the Ultra Ball," Riku said helplessly.
"If I had money, I'd use nothing but Ultra Balls. But they're 300,000 a piece! Who can afford that?"
"I can. It's just money, right?" Cynthia laughed.
"Since you're willing to take on this mission with me, I'll give you a few Ultra Balls."
"You'll give them to me?"
Riku didn't show the excitement Cynthia expected. Instead, he narrowed his eyes.
"You're not still eyeing my Ralts, are you?"
"What are you thinking?" Cynthia chuckled.
"Last time, I was too impatient and said the wrong thing. Ralts was mad at me the entire time.
So I won't do that again. I just want to build a good relationship so we can complete the mission smoothly."
"Forget it. Better safe than sorry."
Riku flatly refused and turned to leave the shop.
Being rejected like that—especially by a man—was a first for Cynthia.
Momentarily dazed, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Having always been treated like a goddess and constantly fawned over, meeting someone who rejected her was refreshing.
In fact, she found it rather amusing.
Of course, the main reason was that Riku was strong, handsome, and young.
---
After that, Cynthia led Riku to Professor Rowan's laboratory.
Hearing the word lab, Riku assumed the security would be tight.
As someone blacklisted in certain places, he thought there would be heavy screening.
Instead, they just pushed the door open and walked in.
Besides some researchers in white coats, there were also children inside.
After asking Cynthia, Riku learned they were locals receiving their Pokédexes.
This made Riku—a native of the Orange Archipelago—envious.
He had heard that in this world, Pokémon trainers were very enthusiastic about completing Pokédexes.
Apparently, discovering and recording a new Pokémon meant receiving a handsome reward.
Soon, Riku and Cynthia finally met Professor Rowan.
He was nearly sixty, with snow-white hair and beard.
Though a stern-looking man, he showed a hint of a smile only when talking to children.
Usually, he always had a stern face, as if someone owed him billions.
"Miss Cynthia, thank you for accepting my request."
Professor Rowan first expressed his gratitude, then looked at Riku.
"Is this young man the genius trainer you mentioned on the phone who will assist you on the mission?"
Huh?
Cynthia was quite considerate, actually praising me so highly.
Riku felt amused and also extended his hand in greeting.
"Professor Rowan, hello. My name is Riku."
"Hmm," Professor Rowan nodded, then immediately got to the point.
"Miss Cynthia, Team Galactic has already set up base..."
"What?!"
"How could it be so fast?!"
Who knew that as soon as Professor Rowan opened his mouth, Cynthia would exclaim in surprise.
Hearing the words "Team Galactic," Riku felt speechless.
How long had he been in the Pokémon world?
He had already heard of Team Rocket, Team Magma, and Team Aqua, and now there was Team Galactic...
Did all the "Teams" in the Pokémon world need to be listed like companies?
This was all so blatant, like some kind of Justice League.
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter