Johto Region, Goldenrod City.
As an ancient city steeped in history, Ecruteak naturally couldn't have an airport built... No, to be precise, that city doesn't even have a train station!
Thus, Hayashi and his group, who wanted to go to Ecruteak, had no choice but to first take a plane to Goldenrod City, then board a short-distance cruise to Olivine City, before finally walking the rest of the way to Ecruteak on foot.
"Honestly, I don't know whether to praise Ecruteak for preserving tradition or criticize it for being inflexible," Hayashi grumbled as he walked along Route 39, looking utterly exasperated. "Even if you don't support trains, you could at least build a station nearby!"
Sabrina calmly explained beside him, "Generally, trainers would catch a Flying-type Pokémon for long-distance travel, so even without trains, you could just fly over—except we don't have one."
"Ah..." This reminder struck Hayashi, who tapped his chin and muttered, "Oh right, how could I forget about Flying-type Pokémon?"
Right, residents of the Pokémon world mostly rely on Pokémon for travel, making Hayashi's group—who are used to planes, ships, and trains—the real "odd ones."
Thinking this, Hayashi nodded firmly and declared, "We really should get a Flying-type Pokémon—Erina, Hisako, any suggestions?"
Hisako quickly raised her hand, eager to speak. "Me, me! I have one in mind!"
"Oh~"
Hayashi looked surprised, teasing her, "Wow, this is the first time I've seen Hisako actively ask for something—come on! Let me see which Pokémon caught your interest!"
Erina also nodded curiously beside her, saying, "Yeah! Hisako, it's rare for you to make a request—"
Hisako had always seemed like the hardworking, devoted little fan girl, so this was truly the first time she'd made a request—Hayashi and Erina exchanged glances, silently agreeing that they absolutely had to make this happen for her.
"Actually, we've talked about this Pokémon several times before—" Hisako shyly held up her Pokédex and said, "It's this one—"
Hayashi, Erina, and Sabrina immediately leaned in to look at the screen, where a gentle, good-natured green figure was displayed. In unison, they exclaimed, "Tropius?"
Tropius—its name includes "dragon," but it isn't a Dragon-type, instead being a Flying-type Pokémon—got it, this must be Lance's favorite (big misunderstanding).
"Mhm!" Hisako nodded vigorously. "Last time we discussed whether the bananas on Tropius's chin were edible, I started paying attention to it. And since it's a Flying-type Pokémon..."
Hayashi looked at Hisako with a strange expression—Hisako, you might not know this yet? In the third-generation games (Emerald), Tropius can learn Fly, Cut, Strength, Flash, and Rock Smash—making it one of the best utility Pokémon in the team, ya know!
"Tropius is mostly found in the Hoenn region, if I remember correctly—" Hayashi rubbed his chin, then chuckled helplessly. "So our spontaneous way of traveling is kinda just creating extra trouble for ourselves, huh—"
After all, before arriving at Ecruteak City, Hayashi and the others had just left the Hoenn region! But if they wanted to help Hisako catch a Tropius, they'd obviously have to go back to Hoenn.
"Um, if it's too much trouble..." Before Hisako could finish, Hayashi and Erina spoke in unison: "Not at all!"
Erina thought: 'This is a rare request from Hisako…'
It's just one extra trip to Hoenn—let's go!
Hayashi thought: 'Even if she wanted a Mewtwo, I'd help her… catch one in the game!'
But in reality? Nah, leave Mewtwo to Ash to deal with.
At that moment, the couple reached a silent agreement.
...
...
Lunchtime.
Hisako, while eating curry rice, asked curiously, "Mr. Hayashi, if it were you, which Flying-type Pokémon would you choose?"
"Me?" Hayashi set down his spoon, crossed his arms, and muttered, "Flying-type Pokémon, huh?"
When it came to Flying-types, the first things that came to mind were the regional bird Pokémon. Among the eight regional birds, Hayashi's favorite wasn't the popular Pidgeot or the infamous Taillow, nor was it Talonflame with its Gale Wings ability—it was Galar's Corviknight!
First, Corviknight's average height was 2.2m, and with proper training, it could even reach three meters.
Second, its Flying/Steel typing gave it incredible stamina, allowing it to fly all day without tiring.
Most importantly—who could resist a Corviknight clad in armor-like feathers? It was just too cool!
"It's gotta be Corviknight!" Hayashi nodded firmly. "The majestic Corviknight!"
"Is the reason for choosing Corviknight its appearance?" Hisako asked curiously. "But if we're talking looks, Altaria and Salamence are pretty cool too, right? And if we're not limited to Flying-types, Flygon isn't bad either, is it?"
"You don't get it!" Hayashi sighed and shook his head. With utmost seriousness, he declared, "Security! The most important thing in a Flying Pokémon is security! Doesn't Corviknight's appearance just scream reliability? Plus, its massive size means stability—you could even have it carry a basket while flying! Can other Flying-types do that?"
Hayashi still remembered watching Pokémon: Twilight Wings and seeing that awesome Corviknight air taxi! Sure, that might be too dangerous for kids, but for adults? That was peak coolness!
"Not only that, but there's also the joy of raising them!" Hayashi snapped his fingers, his face lighting up with excitement. "Corviknight's initial form is Rookidee—tiny, round, absolutely adorable, right? But the intimidation and sense of security it brings after evolving into Corviknight? It's like raising a little puppy into a big, fierce wolf. Tsk tsk! The sense of accomplishment is unreal!"
"Whew—" Sabrina couldn't help but inhale sharply at Hayashi's explanation, murmuring, "Hearing you say that makes me want to raise a Rookidee and evolve it into a Corviknight too."
"Do it! Go for it! What's the big deal?" Hayashi was fired up now, sounding like a friend egging another to pull the gacha now instead of saving for the next banner. He poured all his energy into persuading Sabrina. "Corviknight is so cool! And the types that counter Psychic don't really counter Corviknight much. Isn't that a win?"
Beside them, Erina pressed a hand to her forehead, thinking how much of a shame it was that her boyfriend's silver tongue wasn't put to use as a salesman—though honestly, why was he so smooth when talking about this but could only muster cheesy pick-up lines when it came to romance?
Erina had once suspected Hayashi was putting on an act, but she couldn't find any proof.
"Stop tempting me—" Sabrina waved her hands as if swatting away Hayashi's devilish whispers, shaking her head like she was trying to dislodge a green hat. "I only have eyes for Psychic-type Pokémon! Flying-Steel types aren't even on my radar!"
Hayashi scratched his head and pulled out his Pokédex. "But look—Psychic-Flying types are limited to Xatu, Swoobat, Sigilyph, and Oricorio in its Pom-Pom style. Unless you're planning to catch Lugia?"
Staring at the Psychic-Flying options on the Pokédex, Sabrina fell into rare silence—none of these looked particularly safe!? Wait, no—why was her thinking being influenced by him!? They just looked unsafe...
Whatever.
Sabrina gave up after a few seconds of silence. "I have a way to get to the Galar region, but I won't be able to use Poké Marts or Pokémon Centers."
The subtext was clear: Let's go catch a Rookidee!
Hayashi blinked, then crossed his left arm under his right elbow, resting his chin on his hand thoughtfully. "The method you're talking about… wouldn't happen to be smuggling, would it?"
Sabrina sighed. "What choice is there? The Galar region is practically under lockdown right now. For ordinary people, smuggling is the only way in—unless you can get a Pokémon Professor's credentials and enter officially under the guise of ecological research."
Hearing this, Hayashi and Erina exchanged glances before speaking in unison: "That might actually work!"
Please, Professor Oak!
...
...
Two days later, Ecruteak City.
Pokémon Center.
Sabrina eyed the trio with a strange expression. "Are you three Professor Oak's secret love children or something?"
Since when could normal people just casually get permits from a world-renowned Pokémon Professor with a few words? Was Professor Oak running a family business for them?
"Sabrina, today, Hayashi is going to teach you a lesson—the world isn't just about fighting and killing, it's about human relationships and social graces~" Hayashi winked at Sabrina, looking smug as he boasted, "Your Hayashi here has friends everywhere. What connections don't I have?"
"Tsk—"
Sabrina couldn't help but suck in a breath. Oh no, is he really showing off like this?
"Alright, first we'll swing by Bell Tower, then we're off to Hoenn to catch Hisako a Banana Dragon—"
"Mr. Hayashi, it's called Tropius."
"But it doesn't produce any other tropical fruits, just bananas. So why not call it Banana Dragon?"
There are banana peel boats and banana geoducks, so having a Banana Dragon makes perfect sense, right?
Hisako froze for a moment, then wore a thoughtful expression—though, now that he mentions it, Mr. Hayashi does have a point? Huh, why is it called Tropius and not Banana Dragon?
"Smack—"
Erina slapped her own forehead—my boyfriend, do you have some kind of idiot aura that turns everyone around you into the same kind of dumb goofball!?
Otherwise, how could my clever, capable, virtuous, and wise Hisako have turned into this not-so-bright version of herself?
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