Chapter 154:
He watched as his idol flew into the sky.
So close, just a little bit closer and he would be able to meet his idol...
His idol had appeared right before his eyes but he missed the chance.
Suzuki Takeshi stood frozen in place like a stone.
Beside him, Rikuchi Homura was also excited. Although he wasn't as fanatical about the Champion as Suzuki Takeshi was, seeing the Champion in such a remote town was undeniably thrilling.
However, unlike Suzuki Takeshi, who was standing there dumbfounded, he quickly reminded him:
"Stop spacing out! Champion Kazephyr just came out of the breeding house, and he was with Mr. Hayashi. They might even know each other. Shouldn't you go ask right now?"
"Oh, right, right!" Suzuki Takeshi snapped out of it, and the two hurried toward the breeding house, calling out to Hayashi Kaede before he went inside. "Mr. Hayashi, Mr. Hayashi..."
"Hmm? You two?" Hayashi Kaede turned around curiously. "Did you complete the challenge?"
That shouldn't be...
"No, no, we wanted to ask—was that Trainer riding Moltres just now Champion Kazephyr?" The two looked at Hayashi Kaede with shining eyes.
Hayashi Kaede came to his senses. Seeing their admiring expressions, he quickly realized the Champion's visit had excited the two high school students.
Thinking about it, even as a transmigrator, when he was young, watching the Horizon Cup live broadcasts would leave him speechless with excitement.
But as time passed, he didn't get that excited anymore.
Especially after seeing the Champion getting pressured about marriage, his sense of distance from the Champion had lessened considerably.
In the end, everyone was human, just with different life experiences.
"Yes, it was Champion Kazephyr. He was here to investigate the nightmare incident in Haikou City and had some questions for me" Hayashi Kaede answered truthfully.
"Ah?" Hearing this, Suzuki Takeshi's face fell. "So that means, after the investigation, he won't come back?"
"Well... I'm not sure. He might come again." Hayashi Kaede was uncertain.
When Kazephyr left, he had Rotom take a photo of him, planning to use it for promotion.
It wasn't a big deal.
In the public eye, Kazephyr was known for his easygoing personality, along with his "workaholic" reputation.
He generally ate wherever he went. Sometimes, if he bought milk tea in another city, that milk tea shop could take a photo with him, frame it, and put it in the store, saying the Champion had drunk there.
"Ah... what a shame..."
Suzuki Takeshi was still frustrated about not coming earlier.
Their spirits dampened, the two lost interest in continuing the challenge. Additionally, the sun was already setting, so they wandered toward the town exit.
But before leaving, they asked Hayashi Kaede about the cost per attempt for the "Sky Challenge."
This question made Hayashi Kaede ponder for a moment.
He finally set the price at 1,000 Pokedollar for the first level, 2,000 Pokedollar for the second... and so on.
It was expensive, but this fee allowed for six hours of training throughout the day.
That meant, if you came in the morning, you could train until the six hours ended.
If you came at noon, you could also train until 6 p.m, until you completed the challenge.
Another rule was that the same Pokémon could not challenge the same level of the Sky Challenge repeatedly after attempting it.
Furthermore, after challenging once, the same Pokémon needed to rest for three days before challenging again.
This was to prevent some Trainers from challenging daily and causing issues like overtraining.
For example, sparking a dislike for training in Pokémon.
Or keeping Pokémon in a state of energy depletion due to excessive challenges.
The reward mechanism also needed refinement.
But that could wait until someone actually completed the challenge.
"Alright, if you think it's good, help spread the word. We'll develop other challenges later..."
Hayashi Kaede called out to the two young men as they left.
They both nodded.
Hayashi Kaede let out a long breath.
"Whew..."
Losing Dragonite and Mew so suddenly left him feeling a bit melancholy.
But soon, something else caught his attention.
In the distance, on the bluestone path, a familiar figure slowly approached.
"Hey, Kaede... little Kaede..."
...
Kanto Region.
Mewtwo and Dragonite's speeds were unquestionable. In just an hour, they had traveled from the Eastova region to the Kanto region. (TSL note: Eastova region is original region where the Kaede is at)
.....
New Island City.
Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, whose goal was to become a Pokémon Master, and his friends had just reached the suburbs of New Island City and were having lunch.
Because someone had challenged Ash along the way, their lunch was slightly delayed.
Of course, thanks to the efforts of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu, the battle was won successfully.
Just as they were eating lunch, an orange figure streaked by at incredible speed, finally landing steadily beside them without causing a single ripple.
"Dragonite?"
The trio was stunned.
This Dragonite carried a satchel, its expression kind but seemingly a bit reluctant.
Upon seeing the three, it compared them to something, confirmed they were the right ones, then took out an envelope and handed it to Ash among the three.
"An envelope?"
Ash took the envelope, bewildered.
The moment the envelope was in his hand, a certain energy attached to it projected a virtual image.
The image was of a humanoid, light pink Pokémon.
It spoke slowly, "Hello, human Trainer. I have been observing you in the Kanto region for a long time."
"Huh? Observing me?" Ash was even more confused.
"Yes. You are the Pokémon Trainers I have selected. You have the potential to become the strongest Pokémon Trainers in the future. To that end, I am hosting a battle to select the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the waters near New Island. If you are interested in participating, please check the 'yes' option above."
"The strongest Pokémon Trainer?" Ash didn't hear anything else; he only heard "strongest Trainer," and his eyes immediately lit up. "Misty, Brock, did you hear that? This Pokémon says we are the strongest Pokémon Trainers!"
Misty picked up the envelope. Hearing such praise, her eyes also shone. "Then let's go participate..."
The next moment, Ash excitedly checked the "yes" box.
Then, the three set off toward New Island...
Meanwhile, in the waters near New Island, Mew held a Moltres feather in its left hand and a pitch-black stone in its right, spacing out.
It was wondering if it had been too willful and "run away" very decisively, but how was it supposed to go back now?