"No way! I absolutely disagree with this."
"Master, our Orange Archipelago is very big! Didn't you just clear the surrounding small islands? There are at least dozens of small islands you haven't been to yet."
"Master, I think we shouldn't aim too high. We should be down-to-earth and take things one step at a time."
"And those two girls might be after you. How sad will May be when she finds out?"
"Yes, yes, we can't be so fickle. We should only love one person in our lifetime."
...
"Enough!" Riku said, a bit annoyed.
What did these guys take him for?
"The main reason I'm going to the Kanto region this time is to see if I can get some badges. You all think I'm going to pick up girls?"
"That's right, that's what we think," the legendary Pokémon said confidently.
"Now that Master can even defeat veteran Elite Four members, if you still go to the Kanto region to challenge Gyms, if it's not to show off in front of girls, then what is it for?"
"We've all been there, Master, we can see through your little tricks."
"I..." Riku was speechless.
"Say whatever you want, anyway, I've already decided."
"Let's go, I'll cook for you now."
Sigh...
Looking at Riku's back, the legendary Pokémon sighed deeply.
If Riku was just going to challenge Gyms to get badges, or to show off with girls, the legendary Pokémon would at most complain a few times and then wouldn't bother anymore.
The biggest problem was that it made them have no food to eat.
Before, when they went to the Hoenn region, Kyogre could still ask its underlings to come and help with meals. Now Riku had to come back every day, so they couldn't even have a party.
The legendary Pokémon, who usually devoured their food, ate their dinner tonight without any taste, but in the end, they still finished all the food.
---
The next day.
Riku called Farfetch'd early in the morning and told it some precautions.
Knowing that he would only be able to return in the evenings during this period, Riku had told Grandma Hale yesterday and asked her to arrange for a boat to bring a large batch of ingredients and seasonings this morning.
And Riku didn't pay a single cent.
Anyway, the League had said that all resources of the Orange Archipelago were at his disposal. If they still dared to charge him for some ingredients and seasonings, Riku would immediately resign.
As for the shops that delivered the ingredients and seasonings, the League would naturally have to pay them afterward. After all, they were the highest authority in the area, and they lacked nothing—especially not this little bit of money.
He asked Farfetch'd to keep the ingredients and seasonings, and for some things it didn't know how to cook, Riku also explained in detail.
Seeing Farfetch'd pat its chest, Riku then left the island with peace of mind and went to Mandarin Island to meet up with the two girls.
---
Serena had a Flying-type Pokémon, Togekiss, but this Pokémon could only fly for short periods; long-term flight might be very stressful for it.
And Dawn also didn't have a Flying-type Pokémon, so Serena had to give up flying and choose to travel by sea.
Lapras was dissatisfied that Riku had pulled two girls onto its back and wanted it to carry them.
Moreover, Lapras also knew that both girls had Water-type Pokémon. Lapras liked to carry people, but it also picked and chose.
Otherwise, what was the difference between it, a rare Water-type Pokémon, and a free ferry?
However, in the end, Lapras still listened to its master and carried Riku and the two girls to Cinnabar Island.
This was a Gym location relatively close to the Orange Archipelago. Lapras took less than three hours to send Riku and the others to Cinnabar Island.
"It's a bit hot here," Riku said, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as soon as he recalled Lapras:
"The Orange Islands were already hot, but I didn't expect Cinnabar Island to be even hotter."
"It wasn't this extreme before," Serena explained. "It seems that a few years ago, there was a volcanic eruption in this part of Cinnabar Island, which destroyed most of the buildings."
"So for those years, the Cinnabar Gym was moved to the Seafoam Islands."
"It only moved back here last year."
"But the heat has its advantages," Dawn laughed. "I heard that because of the volcanic eruption, the Fire-type energy on Cinnabar Island is very concentrated, which is very appealing to Fire-type Pokémon."
"Gradually, even some Fire-type Pokémon that weren't originally found in the Kanto region have appeared here."
"Now, this area is considered a popular training ground for trainers."
---
Fire-type Pokémon?
Leaf's heart leaped with joy. He didn't have any Fire-type Pokémon yet.
Compared to Water-type Pokémon, Leaf actually preferred Fire-types, especially the moment when flames erupted, looking so brilliant and dazzling.
Moreover, having two Water-type Pokémon already, it would be relatively easier for Leaf to catch Fire-type Pokémon.
Being unfamiliar with the area, Dawn suggested challenging the Gym first.
That way, they would definitely be able to get some information.
But when they arrived at the Gym, the old man guarding the entrance told them that the Gym Leader was not there.
"Grandpa, who is your new Gym Leader? I heard about what happened to the previous Gym Leader, Blaine..."
Dawn seemed to know something, but Leaf, knowing nothing, didn't interrupt to ask.
Because Dawn's tone when speaking to the old man sounded a bit mournful.
Leaf guessed that the previous Gym Leader, Blaine, might have passed away.
"It's Blaine's granddaughter, Summer," the old man replied.
"I will forward your challenge to Summer later."
"Please come back next week."
The old man seemed to be in low spirits, briefly explaining before closing his eyes, hinting that he wanted them to leave.
---
After leaving the Gym, Leaf finally asked about the former Gym Leader of the Cinnabar Gym.
"Blaine's death is related to that legendary Pokémon," Dawn and Serena, who knew something, slowly explained.
"However, the complexities involved are beyond our imagination."
"It's rumored to be related to Team Rocket, and that legendary Pokémon is a Psychic-type Pokémon that was created through cloning."
"It's called Mewtwo, a clone of the ancient Pokémon Mew."
"We don't know any more details than that."
Cloning?
Team Rocket?
Hearing these two keywords, Leaf immediately thought of Team Galactic, whom he had dealt with in Alamos Town before.
"Mew should be a Mythical Pokémon, right? What about Mewtwo?" Leaf asked.
"We're not sure how to classify it," Serena shook her head.
"Logically speaking, Mewtwo's power is terrifyingly strong; not even secondary legendaries are its match, so it should be considered a Mythical Pokémon."
"But Mewtwo is, after all, a Pokémon created by humans through cloning, so calling it a Mythical Pokémon doesn't seem quite right either."
"However, these are just our guesses, after all, such Pokémon are too far removed from our experience."
"Not a Mythical Pokémon?" Leaf was taken aback, and then an idea popped into his head.
If it wasn't a Mythical Pokémon, it should be possible to catch it.
Like his Darkrai, which was currently sleeping and evolving in a Master Ball, it was previously an incredibly powerful Pokémon somewhere between a Mythical and a pseudo-legendary, but he was still able to catch it with a Master Ball.
Even if it later gained divine authority, the fact that it was caught before wouldn't change, and it would still be his Pokémon.
Instantly, Leaf began to consider Mewtwo.
If he encountered it in the future, his Darkrai, which would evolve into a secondary Mythical Pokémon, had a type advantage over Mewtwo, so it shouldn't be at a disadvantage. At that time...
Perhaps he could catch Mewtwo!
---