The Ones Picking Them Up

"Bleurgh—"

Blake clutched a trash can beside the airport and vomited violently. It was the first time he had learned that he actually got airsick! He had been fine on the plane, but after getting off, the nausea hit him hard instead!

"I... bleurgh—"

Blake wanted to ask for some water, but before he could finish, another wave of nausea cut him off. He could only continue clinging to the trash can and making a spectacle of himself.

"Gengar? (´･ω･)ﾉ(._.`)"

Haunter held out a bottle of water to Blake. Blake took it, but before he could take a sip, he began dry-heaving again.

"What kind of problem is that?"

Louise helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead. At a time like this, she really did not want to admit that he was her son. How embarrassing.

"Everyone has things they are not good at. Not being able to fly is no big deal. There are plenty of options for traveling; he can take a ship or even ride a Pokémon. Blake has no problems with either of those."

Unlike the lively Louise, James was much more composed. He looked at Blake, who was gradually recovering.

"Bleurgh... I feel better. Bleurgh... much better."

After dry-heaving twice more and getting the last of the nausea out, Blake slumped to the ground and spoke with a lifeless expression. He had ridden trains, taken ships, and traveled on Pokémon in this life without any problems. He had thought he was immune to every form of transportation, but he had not expected to be betrayed by an airplane.

"Gengar—" "Dreepy!" "Dhelmiise."

Haunter, Dreepy, and Dhelmise all floated over to Blake, watching him with concern.

"I'm fine. Hah... Don't worry, I'm all right now."

Blake used the trash can to pull himself upright and looked apologetically at the airport staff. The smell from that bin was truly unbearable now. However, the airport personnel were clearly used to this. The staff expertly brought over their equipment, and in less than half a minute, everything Blake had just thrown up was packed away and removed.

"Feeling better?"

James handed him a piece of chocolate.

"Much better. I'm fine now."

Blake took the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. The energy brought by the sweetness quickly settled his stomach. Still, he had to admit that people in this world were physically strong. He was not the sort of person who could become a saint through sheer physical strength like Ash, but his recovery speed was certainly not slow.

"Let's go. They're already waiting for us."

James patted Blake on the shoulder. After confirming that Blake was not merely putting on a brave face, he picked up the luggage and headed out of the airport.

Outside the airport, a young man in a black-and-brown windbreaker, with tousled light-blue hair, leaned against a black business van and idly tossed two stones in his hand.

"They're not here yet, Dad?"

The young man called into the car.

"They should be soon. The tracker just showed that Professor James's plane has landed. Oh, right, I'll ask Professor James to take you along this time, but we agreed on this: no running around, no acting on your own. Follow instructions for everything. Archaeological excavation is not Pokémon battling. You may be very skilled in Pokémon battles, but that does not mean your battling skills can save your life in underground ruins. Understand?"

The car window rolled down, and a middle-aged man with the same hair color, dressed in a silver-gray suit, spoke.

"Got it, Dad. But you're actually the one who wants to take part in the excavation more, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have skipped all those meetings just for something that could have been handled with a phone call."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The young man had barely finished speaking before the middle-aged man cut him off. The expression of a business elite and upper-class gentleman instantly vanished from his face, leaving only a hint of panic and a faint blush.

"Dad's the same as ever, isn't he, Metang?"

The young man smiled and called to his side.

"Rumble!"

A silver-white, robotic-looking Iron Claw Pokémon—Metang—floated over and nodded with a smile. Clearly, it was already accustomed to scenes like this.

"I—"

"Grandma, I can manage on my own. You didn't have to come all this way."

Just as the middle-aged man was about to say something else, a woman's voice swept past from nearby, cutting him off. The two turned toward the sound and saw a blonde girl in a black dress helping an elderly woman who looked to be in her sixties or seventies, with dry yellowing hair and a cane. (I combined elements from the anime and manga designs; their apparent ages differ quite a bit.)

"Stop talking nonsense. Professor James's team isn't something you can simply join whenever you please. Don't think you're so impressive just because you published a paper on historical mythology. Compared with actual professionals, you still have a long way to go. You can't research anything worthwhile by sitting in your room every day. If you want to truly become a historian and myth historian, what you need most is to get out and see the world. Those ruins, especially ruins that have not been fully excavated, are your best learning opportunities. And don't think your little bit of Pokémon battling skill makes you invincible. Ancient ruins contain countless hidden dangers that cannot be solved without professionals. If you rely on force, all you will get is a pile of debris."

The elderly woman was clearly dissatisfied with her granddaughter's words and tapped the blonde girl on the head with her cane. The blonde girl could only pretend it hurt and hold her head. As for the shark-like Pokémon beside her, it merely turned its head away and pretended not to see anything. That was its trainer's grandmother! What could she say? She was only a poor, helpless Gible. For the sake of Grandma's cooking, it was better to keep quiet.

"Yes, yes, Grandma. Don't be angry, don't be angry."

The blonde girl smiled ingratiatingly. Then she noticed an appraising gaze. It held no hostility, but it was undeniably direct. She turned and saw a young man leaning against a black luxury sedan.

"Gwaaah!"

Gible noticed him as well. She disliked that appraising look and immediately roared in the young man's direction. However, her roar clearly displeased the others.

"Rumble!"

Metang flew in front of the young man, blocking Gible's line of sight, and roared back without backing down.

"Gible! Metang! Stop fooling around!" *2

The young man and the girl shouted at the same time. Both Pokémon obediently retreated to the side, though the elderly woman and the middle-aged man were clearly more familiar with each other than the younger pair.

"Professor Carolina, I have long admired your reputation."

"President Stone Mu Jin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Professor Carolina and President Stone shook hands. Clearly, they were old acquaintances.

"I didn't expect Professor Carolina to come here. Are you here to pick someone up?"

President Stone asked with a smile.

"Yes, for the sake of this disappointing child in my family. But compared to this old woman, it is far more surprising to see President Stone here. Don't tell me you are here to pick someone up as well?"

Professor Carolina asked with a smile. After all, he was the head of a giant corporation that practically controlled the Hoenn Region.

"The same, the same. It's all for the children in our families. But in that case, it seems we may be waiting for the same group of people."

"Yes, Professor James should be here by now."