Pokémon Exchange

On the first day of his vacation, with the weather just right, Hu Yang slung on his backpack, brought Gengar, Poison-type Roserade, and Cramorant, and set off on a spontaneous trip.

To get to Rustboro City, the shortest route was through Petalburg Woods, but Petalburg Woods was closed now, so he could only take a long detour.

A bus emblazoned with a Torchic design cruised steadily along the smooth asphalt road.

A light, fresh Steel-type piano piece played over the bus's speakers, and a harmonious atmosphere filled the cabin. Passengers who did not know one another chatted softly with smiles on their faces.

They talked about Pokémon, the recently concluded Pokémon League, and their hopes for the journey ahead.

Yet Hu Yang was completely unaffected by the cheerful mood. He slumped in his seat and stared lifelessly out the window.

Sigh, this young body was actually getting carsick.

Maybe it was because I hadn't ridden in a vehicle for so long? Hu Yang thought helplessly.

Gengar, the only one not bound by a Poké Ball, floated out of the Sealing Orb and asked curiously, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Hu Yang slowly turned his gaze toward it and replied expressionlessly, "I feel like throwing up."

Gengar: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ!

"Don't tell me you're sick?" Gengar was startled. He had been lively and energetic before getting on the bus. How long had it even been? Why had he suddenly become so weak?

"Are humans all this fragile?" Gengar asked.

Before Hu Yang could answer, a pleasant voice came from beside him. "Eating an orange should help you feel better."

Hu Yang lowered his head and saw an orange being offered to him.

"No need. I'll be fine after I rest my eyes for a while." Hu Yang instinctively declined.

The girl did not get upset at being refused. Instead, she curiously glanced around and asked, "Who were you talking to just now?"

Hu Yang: "..."

Oh, shift!

He had forgotten that other people could not see Gengar!

"I was talking to an annoying ghost."

Gengar immediately became displeased. "Hmph! Yesterday, you were calling me cute Gengar, and now I'm an annoying ghost! You're the annoying one!"

Hu Yang: "..."

To prove that he had not been talking to himself, Hu Yang had Gengar reveal itself to the girl.

The girl's eyes lit up at once. "Wow! A Gengar! Are you a Trainer?"

Hu Yang said, "More or less. You can chat with it for a bit." He felt too sick to talk much.

The girl realized that as well, and an apologetic expression appeared on her face. "Sorry. Then get some rest. I'll wake you when we reach Rustboro City."

"Mm-hm." Hu Yang mumbled and continued resting with his eyes closed.

In his haze, he heard the girl beside him talking quietly with Gengar. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Half an hour later, Hu Yang arrived safely in Rustboro City. The moment he got off the bus and breathed in the fresh air, he immediately felt alive again.

Compared with Petalburg City, Rustboro City was clearly much larger.

Traffic flowed through the city, heading along different roads in different directions.

Come to think of it, Rustboro City's location was rather interesting.

Rusturf Tunnel lay to the east, Petalburg Woods to the south, while Meteor Falls, famous for its mineral deposits, connected to the north.

With important locations such as Devon Corporation and the Rock Gym as well, Rustboro City had become one of Hoenn's most popular cities.

If the passenger ship had not been about to depart, Hu Yang really would have liked to explore Rustboro City properly.

After boarding, Hu Yang and Gengar leaned over the rail and watched the coastline gradually recede, until nothing but the boundless blue sea remained in sight.

Through the sparkling water, they could vaguely make out the silhouettes of Water-type Pokémon swimming below.

Poison-type Roserade, which lived in the forest, had never seen the ocean before, so Hu Yang released it from its Poké Ball to watch the sea with them.

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him. "Your Poison-type Roserade has been raised wonderfully!"

Of course it had. He had painstakingly raised it every day with the best supplements. Hu Yang thought.

He turned around and saw a man in a tailcoat approaching, his entire bearing radiating aristocratic elegance.

The man also took a Poké Ball from his pocket, though it was not an ordinary Poké Ball. It was a glittering Luxury Ball.

With a click, a Persian with sleek, glossy fur appeared amid a flash of white light.

"Well? Would you like to trade Pokémon with me? My Persian for your Poison-type Roserade." The aristocratic man asked with a smile.

Without even thinking, Hu Yang firmly refused. "No."

He remembered that Ash had encountered something similar in the anime. On the S.S. Anne, Ash had traded a Butterfree for a Raticate.

But later, when Ash recalled all the memories he shared with Butterfree, he traded for it again.

Hearing his answer, the man showed a regretful expression. "All right. I've always wanted to catch a Poison-type Roserade, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to encounter one."

Hu Yang was somewhat speechless. "Budew are pretty common, aren't they? You could catch one by the roadside and raise it yourself."

"I tried, but even after a long time, they never evolved into Poison-type Roserade." The man said helplessly.

Hu Yang: "..."

He looked at the Persian trying to act cute with its Trainer, but the aristocratic man clearly did not care much about it. He was even rather perfunctory.

Moreover, their relationship did not resemble traveling companions. It was more like that of a lofty master and a dispensable pet.

From that alone, it was not hard to guess why his Budew had never evolved.

Not everyone treated Pokémon as companions. Hu Yang mused.

Seeing his expression, the aristocratic man smiled and explained, "Don't be nervous. This is perfectly normal for Trainers. Besides, trades only happen if both Trainers agree. If you don't want to, I won't force you."

If you dared force me, Cramorant could scatter your ashes in a second. Hu Yang twitched the corner of his mouth and asked instead,

"Then did you ask whether the Pokémon being traded were willing?"

The man was very surprised and seemed unable to understand. "Why would we ask what they think? Isn't it enough that we, as Trainers, agree?"

Hu Yang: "..."

He could not understand this man's way of thinking and could only say, "We don't share the same path. Goodbye!"

With that, he picked up Cramorant and Poison-type Roserade in his arms and left.

Gengar, an old relic from a thousand years ago, was curious about everything in the modern world. "Why didn't you trade with him?"

Hu Yang glanced at it and said, "If you like him, I can trade you to him."

Gengar choked up and hurriedly shook its head. "No!"

Hu Yang was somewhat speechless. "...Then why ask when you already knew?"

Gengar gave an embarrassed smile.

That was right. What Pokémon would not like a human willing to treat it as a companion?