[Pokemon] Chapter 69: The Seventh One

A/N: This time, Jin’s seventh Pokémon (one he caught before Scizor) makes its appearance.

---

After their clash with the Lapras Pirates and the unexpected appearance of the black Rayquaza, Jin and the others somehow managed to return safely to the ship.

However, “safe” didn’t mean there were no problems. In the Brave Olivine’s infirmary, Terapagos was now fast asleep.

“Mollie, how’s Terapagos doing?”

“No sign of injuries. Looks like it pushed itself to the limit and wore itself out.”

After nullifying Draco Meteor, Terapagos had reverted to its usual form and had been asleep ever since. Mollie’s examination found no external wounds, but Liko still gazed at it with deep concern.

“I’ll stay with it tonight, so you two should get some rest. Especially you, Jin! First Lapras, then Rayquaza—you’ve been fighting nonstop. You need proper rest.”

“No, I’m fine—”

“No excuses. You need to rest too, Jin. I’ll walk you back to your room.”

“…I’m not an invalid, you know.”

“Maybe not hurt, but you’re exhausted. Even I can tell that much.”

And in truth, Liko and Mollie were right. The battle against Lapras of the Six Heroes, planning and executing the mission to take down the pirates, and then a fight against Rayquaza on top of it all—Jin bore no physical injuries, but his mental fatigue had built up considerably.

“…Guess there’s no hiding anything from a doctor and a girlfriend.”

“Of course.”

“Yeah. Keeping secrets is no good.”

At the mention of “secrets,” Jin’s thoughts instantly jumped to Coral. He quickly tried to mask his expression, but Liko noticed the faint change and tilted her head.

“…What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing… Anyway, if you’re going to walk me back, how about staying with me and sleeping beside me too?”

“Eh!?”

“Like you said, I’m tired. If you’re there with me, Liko, I’ll recover my strength in no time—”

Before he could finish, Mollie’s Brick Break came crashing down on Jin’s head. The blow was so strong that his words cut off, and he clutched his skull.

“S-some impact you’ve got there…”

“You little perv… I get that you’re curious, and I won’t say you can never do that in your life. But… you’re walking back alone.”

Mollie placed herself protectively in front of a blushing, red-faced Liko, glaring at Jin like an older sister shielding her little sister.

“…Fine. I’ll retreat quietly.”

Even Jin, who had overcome countless trials, knew breaking through that defense was impossible. Raising both hands to show he had no fight left, he withdrew from the infirmary.

“Honestly, that guy… Liko, are you okay? If something makes you uncomfortable, you have to say it clearly, or he’ll never get it.”

Once Jin left, Mollie released Liko and faced her. But Liko’s face was still crimson as she kept her gaze down.

“…Mollie.”

“W-what is it?”

The next moment, Liko suddenly raised her head. Her cheeks were still bright red, but her expression brimmed with barely contained excitement.

“He asked me to sleep together… does that mean that!?”

“…Huh?”

“I-I mean! Does Jin want to do that kind of thing with me!?”

“Wha—!? Liko!? Calm down!”

“I-I’ve never done anything like that before, so I don’t know what to do… Ah! Right, Mollie! Tell me in detail about your first time so I can use it as reference!”

“Wha—hey!?”

“Is it true that the first time hurts!?”

“Ugh—!? Calm down, you pink-brained girl!”

“Fugyah!?”

Mollie’s follow-up wasn’t Brick Break this time but a slightly gentler Karate Chop, which landed squarely on Liko’s head. Liko let out a voice no girl should really be making and collapsed to the floor. For the record, Mollie had never experienced anything of the sort herself, so it’s safe to assume she didn’t actually “use” any firsthand knowledge in that attack.

“Uuugh…”

“You hormone-driven couple…”

Mollie scolded while looking down at the crouched Liko. And yet, seeing that the girl who had been so dejected and worried over Terapagos a moment ago now looked at least a little lively again, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved.

---

Jin left the infirmary and headed toward his cabin. But as he walked, the aftereffects of Mollie’s Brick Break left his head throbbing faintly, making his steps feel a little heavier.

(…That hit harder than I thought…)

Holding his still-aching head, Jin decided to get some fresh air before returning to his room and stepped out onto the deck.

“Phew…”

The Brave Olivine was in flight, and a refreshing breeze swept past him. Somehow, it eased his mood more than he expected, and he let out a quiet sigh. Standing there, gazing up at the night sky, the pain in his head gradually faded, and he started walking toward his cabin again.

“Hm?”

“Ah…”

Up ahead on the deck stood Roy, with Fuecoco beside him, nodding off and looking half-asleep. Perhaps because of what had happened earlier in the day, an awkward silence hung between Jin and Roy for a while. The first to break it was Roy.

“…We finally met it, but I couldn’t do a thing. It didn’t even acknowledge me.”

“……”

“Jin, you said it before, right? If I really want to catch Rayquaza, I have to know exactly what I can and can’t do as I am now…”

“…Yeah, I did say that. So what do you want to do?”

“I’ve thought about it a lot, but… in the end, I just have to get stronger. Even if it’s impossible now, I have to keep training and believe that one day I’ll be able to reach Rayquaza. That’s why…”

Roy looked straight at Jin, then bowed his head deeply.

“Please train us!”

(…The last time he asked me so earnestly was back when we first met…)

On that remote island in Kanto, Roy had begged to become his disciple, and Jin had accepted. Since then, the harsh training had often felt more like Jin forcing him into it. But now Roy was openly admitting his weakness and asking again, of his own will, to be trained.

“…You’re really okay with me?”

“After seeing your battle with Rayquaza, I’m sure. It has to be you, Jin!”

There was no longer any room to doubt Jin’s strength. And watching him command a Legendary Pokémon like Darkrai with ease had sealed it for Roy—if he trained under Jin, became strong enough to be acknowledged by him, maybe then he could stand a chance at catching Rayquaza.

“…Alright.”

“R-really!?”

“Yeah. I never intended to abandon you halfway.”

Since he had accepted the role of mentor, Jin had no plans of quitting until Roy was at least strong enough to battle a serious Gym Leader on equal footing. Now that Roy had found his own determination, Jin welcomed it wholeheartedly.

“Then let’s start right away—!”

“No, not tonight. It’s late, and you’re tired. So am I. And Fuecoco too. Rest for now.”

Roy glanced at Fuecoco beside him. The little one had gone from drowsy to completely asleep without him noticing. Training now was clearly impossible.

“…You’re right. Okay then, tomorrow!”

Lifting the sleeping Fuecoco into his arms, Roy hurried back to his cabin to prepare for the next day, leaving Jin alone on the deck.

“Roy’s getting impatient… but better that than having no drive at all.”

There were plenty of people who dreamed of catching a Legendary Pokémon. But most never even encountered one, and those who did often gave up after experiencing their overwhelming power. Considering that, Jin figured Roy was already ahead for not giving up.

“Nine o’clock, huh… He should still be awake.”

Jin pulled out his Rotom Phone, checked the time, then scrolled through his contacts and placed a call. After a few rings, the person he wanted finally answered.

『Oh, Jin-kun?』

“Sorry for calling so late… Professor Birch.”

The man he called was none other than the one who had entrusted him with Treecko and taught him so much about Pokémon—the well-known Hoenn Pokémon Professor, Birch, famous for his studies on Pokémon distribution.

『It’s fine. What’s the matter?』

“I’d like to request a Pokémon transfer.”

『Of course. But this is a bit earlier than usual, isn’t it?』

Jin usually rotated his party about once a week. But it had only been a few days since his last switch. It was only natural for Birch to find the unusual timing curious.

『So, which one should I send? Scizor? Or Annihilape? Maybe the new Snorlax? All three are doing great!』

“That’s good to hear. They’re not causing you trouble, are they?”

『Not at all! Well, aside from Scizor pinching me on the first day, Annihilape punching me, and Snorlax flattening me—but nothing serious!』

That was nothing but trouble. But for Birch, that was everyday life.

“…Sorry about that.”

『Don’t worry. I just got a little too close without thinking.』

Jin could easily picture the scene. Birch had deep knowledge of Pokémon, but he also had the strange knack of provoking dangerous ones—whenever Jin saw him, he always seemed to be under attack for some reason.

『Still, it’s fine. As always, that one helped me out. Just recently, I was ambushed by a wild Mightyena during fieldwork, and it drove it away for me.』

“…Actually, I want you to send that one over.”

The moment Jin said that, Birch’s cheerful face turned serious, his tone shifting with weight.

『Y-you mean that one…?』

The Pokémon Jin requested would be his seventh—joining Sceptile, Gardevoir, Aggron, Manectric, Milotic, and Salamence. For various reasons, it had been left in Birch’s care at the lab. But now, Jin intended to call it back to his side—for a very specific purpose.

“Yeah, I need its strength for a little while.”

『R-right… No, of course, I’ll arrange the transfer, but… well… honestly, I shouldn’t be saying this, but if that Pokémon leaves, it’ll cause me all sorts of trouble here…』

“…Another fight?”

『Y-yeah. Without it, quarrels could break out again…』

At Professor Birch’s lab, Pokémon of many different types were housed together. Because of that, territorial disputes frequently arose.

But the Pokémon Jin had left there had the special ability to understand the feelings of others, and so it acted as a mediator, keeping the peace within the lab. If it were gone for long, conflict might flare up again—that was what worried Birch.

『By the way, how long are we talking?』

“If things go smoothly, just a few days. A week at most.”

『A week, huh… I see. That much should be manageable… I’ll start preparing the transfer right away.』

“Are you sure?”

『Of course. That Pokémon is yours, after all. Just promise to return it within the week. If anything happens here, I’ll deal with it myself.』

“Understood. I promise.”

『So then, you already have six Pokémon with you, right? Which one are you sending back?』

“Ah, right…”

Of the six he currently carried, all but one had only just been rotated in. Sending any of them back so soon felt unfair. Which meant the one to go was obvious…

(…But is it really okay to send him?)

The Pokémon Jin hesitated over was Darkrai. By rotation, it was Darkrai’s turn. But if he sent it, Birch was exactly the kind of person who might decide to “study” it by deliberately subjecting himself to nightmares.

(He’s the kind of man who grew up physically but stayed a child at heart…)

Friendly, unpretentious, and warm-hearted, but also somewhat lacking in adult judgment. That much wasn’t hard to imagine.

『Jin-kun? Something wrong?』

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Still, keeping Darkrai with him at all times wasn’t ideal either. He would continue to catch new Pokémon, and if Darkrai never went to the lab even once, it might cause problems later. With that in mind, Jin pulled out Darkrai’s Poké Ball.

『So, which one is it?』

“This one—caught in Galar. Darkrai’s inside.”

『Darkrai!? You mean that Darkrai!? But how could the mythical Pokémon of Sinnoh be in Galar!?』

At the name, Birch’s eyes lit up instantly. Even a renowned professor rarely had dealings with a Legendary Pokémon, much less one from another region.

“Well, you see…”

Jin explained how he had come to encounter Darkrai in Galar. Much of it was speculation, and in order to explain fully, he also had to touch on the Six Heroes and Terapagos. The story took some time.

『I see… So that’s what happened.』

“Please, keep this confidential for now. We don’t know where leaks might come from.”

『Of course. Still… your Darkrai sounds like a kind Pokémon.』

“…Yes, it is.”

『Excellent! Now I’m really curious about Darkrai! Send it to me, please!』

“Alright… but please, handle it carefully. And don’t go deliberately seeking nightmares, okay?”

『Hahaha! Even I wouldn’t do something like that!』

(…I’ll hold you to that…)

Jin ended the call and prepared the transfer. Soon after, Birch confirmed his side was ready, and the Poké Ball containing Darkrai vanished into the machine. A moment later, a new Poké Ball appeared in Jin’s hand.

“Come on out.”

He tossed the Ball, and from it emerged a Pokémon that landed softly on the deck, then hopped happily onto his shoulder.

“It’s been a while… Sorry for leaving you to babysit Professor Birch.”

There was another reason Jin had kept this Pokémon at the lab besides its role as mediator—it also served as Birch’s bodyguard. Without fail, whenever Birch went into the field, he attracted wild Pokémon attacks, and this Pokémon was there to protect him.

Because of that, Jin rarely kept it on hand. But this time was different. For Roy’s growth, its presence was essential.

“Sorry to throw you into things right away, but take a look at this.”

He pulled up a video on his Rotom Phone and showed it.

『Watch this! You there, Pokémon! I’ll catch you for sure! …Heh… just kidding…』

“Ah—sorry, wrong one.”

It was an old, embarrassing video of Liko outside the Poké Ball factory. The Pokémon tilted its head, baffled. Jin, who had never seemed interested in girls before, having such a video surprised it even more.

“Here, this is the one I meant.”

Stopping the clip, Jin played the intended footage—highlights of Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel training and battling.

“These are videos I’ve recorded of them so far. Tonight, I need you to memorize their movements completely. With your ability, that won’t be difficult, right?”

The Pokémon watched intently, nodded once, and immediately replayed the footage, analyzing every detail and habit. It seemed there would be no problem.

“…Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.”

//END

That’s where the chapter ends for now. The identity of the seventh Pokémon will be revealed next time.

As for why it’s usually left at the lab—think of it like Ash’s Bulbasaur: a trusted mediator, and in this case also Professor Birch’s ever-needed bodyguard against his constant “wild encounters.”

---