The three walked further inside together.
"Once you become Champion, you'd better look out for me." Heiduo draped an arm around Red's shoulders. It was always easier to get things done when you had someone influential backing you. He couldn't rely on Yujian and Teng Jun forever.
Even though Yujian and Teng Jun were not much older than him.
Besides, more friends meant more connections. The importance of connections would become clear during the upcoming Decision Meeting.
"But honestly, I still don't know what a Champion is supposed to do."
Red spread his hands helplessly. Though he had not yet come of age, this seemingly serious but actually lively boy was unlike Lance, who was so "cynical" that he rejected humanity. Red still loved having fun.
For example, back when this guy and Gold had been on Mt. Silver, Gold had egged him into secretly drinking the rice wine Heiduo had buried in the ground to make fermented rice dumplings. Neither of them handled alcohol well, and once they got drunk, they completely wrecked Heiduo's vegetable patch.
Naturally, after wrecking it, Poliwrath blasted them awake with Water Gun. Looking at the garden Heiduo had painstakingly cultivated for an entire year before it had finally begun to take shape, the two stared at each other, then dejectedly went to apologize to Heiduo, who had been doing laundry at the time.
Fortunately, Heiduo had generously forgiven them and made them dig through the soil with their hands as Punishment. Otherwise, neither of them would have been able to live with themselves.
He liked playing around and making trouble instead of spending every day and night doing nothing but Pokémon battles.
That made Red seem more human in Heiduo's eyes.
Rather than the battle-crazed maniac from the manga who only knew how to