He signaled Abra and Beedrill to step aside, and Togepi followed him to the door.
Looking out through the peephole.
He found a little girl of about six or seven years old, with adorable twin braids, wearing a pretty pink dress, smiling sweetly, with a hint of expectation and a bit of nervousness.
Natsuhiko was taken aback.
Then immediately opened the door.
The girl saw Natsuhiko, was a little scared, but still mustered up the courage to ask crisply, "Unc...Uncle, are you a Trainer?"
Uncle?
Natsuhiko's face twitched.
He was still a bit unaccustomed to this form of address.
And the girl saw Togepi at Natsuhiko's feet, and her pure eyes suddenly lit up.
"Togepi!"
The girl actually recognized the Pokémon Togepi.
Although Togepi is not particularly rare, it is relatively uncommon, so someone being able to name it did not surprise Natsuhiko, but considering the girl's age, it was different.
And Togepi, seeing the girl, didn't show any unusual expression, but rather displayed a bit of affection.
"So cute!"
At this moment, an elderly man with a white beard and hair, wearing a brown sweater, quickly stepped out from the door next to Natsuhiko.
"Meiyu, don't run around."
He said, arriving before the girl and Natsuhiko, apologizing to Natsuhiko, "Sorry, sir, Meiyu is a bit naughty."
Natsuhiko glanced at the elderly man's subtle gesture of pulling the girl behind him, and smiled, shaking his head.
"It's fine, children are always curious about Pokémon."
"Yes, yes." The elderly man replied, smiling all the while as he pulled the girl back towards the room, still admonishing, "Meiyu, you can't run around, your grandpa will worry if he can't find you."
"I know... grandpa," Meiyu said, with her head down, looking back every few steps as she followed the man back to the room.
She seemed to really like Togepi, or rather, had a deep fondness for Pokémon.
In the Pokemon Realm, the relationship between Pokémon and humans is becoming increasingly harmonious, and more children love Pokémon.
Situations like this little girl's are not uncommon.
And why she came knocking might be because she noticed Natsuhiko when he boarded the ship.
"This pair isn't a grandfather-granddaughter relationship."
The door on the other side of Natsuhiko's cabin opened too.
A woman wearing a light blue large sweater, outlining the curves of her body, leaned against the door frame, speaking softly to Natsuhiko.
"They must be a master and servant."
Natsuhiko had his own judgment.
The gestures and words of the elderly man and the girl named Meiyu gave away some hints.
Natsuhiko just smiled without speaking, while the woman, seemingly quite sociable, walked up to him, extending her hand and introducing herself, "Gerwin, from Kanto Shallow Red City, a Trainer."
"Natsuka."
Natsuhiko also extended his hand and casually made up a name, anyway, they were just fellow travelers, no need to divulge everything like introducing oneself formally.
The encounters in Goldenrod City left him naturally a bit cautious of strangers.
However.
Just as Natsuhiko and Gerwin were about to shake hands, Togepi suddenly jumped up.
"Togepriii!"
It grabbed Natsuhiko's hand.
Then put its little hands on its hips, pouting, glaring at Gerwin with a bit of hostility.
Even though Togepi tried to look angry, with its appearance, it just looked cute no matter what.
Natsuhiko showed a bit of apology.
Gerwin didn't mind, waving her hand with a smile.
"Such a cute Pokémon."
She said, lifting her foot to walk towards the ship's hall, pausing after a few steps, she added:
"But a Pokémon's cuteness isn't always a good sign, as it often means they can't withstand the pain in tough battles."
With that, she disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
"Togepriii!" Togepi puffed its cheeks even more.
Look at her!
Natsuhiko laughed, patting Togepi's little head, "Alright, she meant no harm."
Returning to the room, he said to Beedrill and Abra, "The ship hasn't set sail yet, let's go explore this luxury cruise."
"Bzzzt—"
"Abrp—"
The two Pokémon didn't refuse.
Natsuhiko put them away with Poké Balls and fastened them to his waist.
Although they weren't directly carried by his side, they could still see the outside environment and situation through the red transparent glass of the Poké Balls.
Togepi clung tightly to Natsuhiko's trouser leg, and Natsuhiko let it be.
After passing through long corridors and stairs, he arrived on the first level of the cruise ship.
There were quite a few trainers like him walking around the ship with their Pokémon.
He passed through the cabin and arrived on the deck.
The place was bustling with people gathered around, watching a Pokémon battle in the center of the deck.
Where there are Trainers, Pokémon battles are often inevitable, especially when at least one-third of the people on this ship are Trainers.
Natsuhiko went to the temporary stands, finding a spot with a better view and fewer people.
He looked at the two Trainers and their two Pokémon battling in the center.
A Skiploom and a Furret.
In the noisy crowd, the battle had a certain flavor to it.
The two Trainers on the field were full of confidence, commanding the battle.
"The Excellence Level Grass Type Skiploom and the Excellence Level General Type Furret, trained decently, but it seems the outcome is already decided."
Natsuhiko watched the Furret that was retreating while fighting. Although the Furret seemed to be under pressure, he silently came to a conclusion about the battle.
Togepi, perhaps influenced by the lively atmosphere, stood on the railing, cheering for Furret enthusiastically.
"Togepi!"
Come on, don't embarrass the General Type!
"Who do you think will win?"
At some unknown time, Gerwin, who had greeted Natsuhiko in the cabin earlier, appeared beside him again.
Natsuhiko wasn't surprised by her appearance.
When he was just finding a spot, he had already noticed Gerwin, but he hadn't gone up to greet her.
Gerwin clearly had seen Natsuhiko too, and given her prior habit of striking up conversations, she came over proactively.
After all, they might become neighbors for a while, so there was no need to make the relationship too strained.
"Furret, I guess." Natsuhiko said casually.
It's also the Pokémon personally chosen by Teacher Poke.
"Oh? Furret's situation now seems unfavorable." Gerwin raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps." Natsuhiko shrugged, without stating his reasoning.
For General Type Pokémon, if Trainers intentionally train them, they often have a wider range of attacks compared to some Pokémon focused solely on attribute training.
Furret might seem at a disadvantage now, but it's very fast, and its runaway trait helps it dodge attacks well. Skiploom keeps attacking, and with increased attack frequency, it exposes many flaws.
The key is the performance of the two Pokémon's Trainers. The Skiploom's Trainer seems impulsive and hotheaded, while the Furret's Trainer is much calmer, often making reasonable judgments at critical moments.
It's a bit like the future Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak, one impulsive and one calm.
But not everyone can be Ash Ketchum.
Without Ash Ketchum's fate, don't catch Ash Ketchum's disease.
"Here it comes."
Natsuhiko's eyes flashed.
Soon after, Skiploom's attack failed, and Furret's Trainer seized the mistake of Skiploom being too close in its attack, demonstrating good timing judgment.
"Now! Furret, Frozen Fist!"
As Natsuhiko anticipated, Furret had mastered a move capable of turning the tables. Skiploom, with its quadruple Weak Ice, couldn't withstand such an attack.
One hit with Frozen Fist and the battle ended immediately.
"Togepi!"
Togepi jumped up excitedly, it had said Furret wouldn't lose.
Though it didn't know why.
Gerwin looked at the expressionless Natsuhiko in surprise.
They say those involved are unclear-minded, and bystanders are clear-minded, but the bystander must be able to decipher many things or even know more.
Gerwin became interested in Natsuhiko. "How did you figure out that Furret mastered the Frozen Fist move?"
"I guessed." Natsuhiko said calmly.
Natsuhiko's stance of not wanting to say much didn't make Gerwin retreat; instead, it piqued her interest.
"Would you like a battle? I suspect you're a formidable Trainer!"
Battle...
Natsuhiko shook his head while holding Togepi. "Sorry, I'm not fond of battling."
Having been through multiple life-and-death struggles, Natsuhiko really wasn't that interested in these battles that felt like playing house.
Of course, if the rewards were rich, it might be another story.
Congratulations to Gerwin for achieving the title: Side by Side with the Champion!
Because two future Champions, like her, were both outright rejected by Natsuhiko.
Rounding up, equivalent exchange, nesting dolls law, the conclusion is, Gerwin stands side by side with the Champion!