Gently stroking Sylveon's soft fur, May Kuroda tried once more to earn the chance to hold it.
Perhaps sensing her intention, Sylveon leaped gracefully aside, leaving May staring at its elegant back.
What Sylveon didn't know was that the colder it acted, the more May fell for it.
"May, we'll be out of the forest soon. When that happens, don't resist. I'll have Kadabra take us quickly near Saffron City."
"Even if someone wants to attack you then, they'll hesitate once they see the city's police."
Seeing May fail again, Gu Yuan knew she would probably never get the chance to hug Sylveon.
He had already told Shadow about Sylveon's situation.
As Gu Yuan expected, the existence of Fairy-type Pokémon was already known among the top circles.
Even so, Sylveon was still an incredibly rare Fairy-type. After all, its evolution conditions were far too strict.
But Shadow told Gu Yuan not to worry. For now, very few people could recognize it. At most, someone might try to sell Sylveon as a rare Pokémon.
And if those top figures happened to see it, their status and power meant they wouldn't attack Gu Yuan just for one Pokémon. After all, the title of League-affiliated Trainer still carried some weight.
"Alright, I understand," May said, noticing the seriousness in Gu Yuan's tone.
Gu Yuan nodded and released Kadabra, instructing Sylveon to stay alert.
In the next moment, Kadabra used Teleport, and the group vanished from sight.
To reach Saffron City as quickly as possible, Kadabra didn't rest once. It kept using Teleport again and again.
Thanks to its mastery of the move, now at the Expert level, it could manage this kind of travel.
When Kadabra finally grew tired, the outline of Saffron City appeared before Gu Yuan's eyes.
"Good work, Kadabra. Take a rest."
"May, put on this mask. We'll walk from here."
After recalling the exhausted Kadabra, Gu Yuan grabbed May's hand and sprinted toward the city.
At this distance, no one would dare to attack.
Saffron City was the largest and most prosperous city in Kanto, a symbol of the entire region.
If anyone dared to cause trouble near it, they would be disgracing the Kanto League itself.
Even though the League's system was corrupt, it remained the most powerful organization in Kanto.
Aside from Team Rocket, no one had the courage to provoke it.
Still, Gu Yuan didn't lower his guard. He kept up the pace, determined to reach the city without incident.
"Alright, we're safe now."
Walking through the crowded streets of Saffron City, Gu Yuan finally relaxed.
After running for so long, May was too out of breath to speak. She could only nod weakly.
"That's it for me. My mission's complete. With your family's reputation, it won't be hard for you to find them. What happens next isn't my concern. Goodbye."
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan turned and disappeared into the crowd.
May raised a trembling hand, wanting to stop him, but her body wouldn't move. She could only watch as he vanished from sight.
Staring at the sea of people, she couldn't help but recall the day they first met.
Back then, she thought she was going to die, but in truth, it had been his way of saving her.
During their time together, she had come to sense Gu Yuan's quiet kindness.
It was a pity she couldn't even say goodbye.
After a long pause, May gathered herself and began looking for the Kuroda family's estate.
She hadn't gone to the Kuroda family to fight for the inheritance. She just wanted to see what the man who abandoned her mother looked like.
If possible, she wanted to bring him to visit her mother's grave. That had been her mother's dying wish.
At that moment, a man dressed in black walked past her.
The instant their eyes met, May felt the world spin, and her consciousness faded.
To everyone else, it looked like she silently followed the man away.
***
"Looks like we'll have to stay at an inn tonight," Gu Yuan said with a sigh outside the Pokémon Center.
There was no helping it. As the biggest and most popular city in Kanto, Saffron City was packed with Trainers.
To save money, most Trainers preferred to stay at Pokémon Centers, which meant there were no single rooms left.
Since Gu Yuan didn't want to share a room with strangers, staying at an inn was the best option.
Before arriving in Saffron City, Gu Yuan had already contacted Shadow. That was why he felt safe leaving May Kuroda behind once they entered the city.
Fortunately, there were plenty of hotels, and he quickly found a place to stay.
After settling the lodging issue, Gu Yuan went to register for a Gym battle.
As one of the few Psychic-type Gyms and because of Sabrina's fame as a beautiful prodigy, the Saffron Gym was always flooded with challengers.
The main reason was that Sabrina was said to have reached the Advanced level as a Psychic, which made many people eager to witness her abilities.
Psychics could use their awakened powers to fight on par with Pokémon.
Their abilities were ranked from Beginner to Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert. Each stage was further divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper tiers.
Beginners were like Newborn Rank Trainers. They couldn't use their powers in battle, but could bend spoons and communicate telepathically.
Intermediates had actual combat ability, with power comparable to Junior Rank wild Pokémon. They could even use Teleport.
Advanced Psychics stood at the top of the League. At the Upper tier, they could rival Ace Rank Pokémon.
As for Experts, historical records mentioned only a few. None of them ever reached the Upper tier, so no one knew how strong they truly were.
But there had once been a Middle-tier Expert Psychic said to be capable of fighting on equal ground with an Elite Rank Pokémon.
That was before humans had learned to capture and train Pokémon.
For that reason, the young Sabrina was now seen as the most likely to surpass the Expert level.
When Gu Yuan registered for the Gym battle, he was placed five days down the waiting list.