"You have to come back, Baimu!"
Yuko's eyes brimmed with tears as she held a Meowth that looked utterly defeated.
Cats respected their elders and doted on the young, but beat up everyone in between. Cat Pokémon were no different. So even though Meowth had once helped Tetsuya win the Hoenn League Conference, he still ranked below Yuko in the family.
Poor guy.
Baimu withdrew his pitying gaze from Meowth and waved goodbye to Yuko.
The way she addressed him had caught him off guard, but she was only a young fan. More importantly, she listened: the moment he said he wasn't used to it, she changed it.
She was far more endearing than brats who insisted on doing the opposite of whatever you asked.
After Tetsuya had treated him to a meal, night had fallen.
Tetsuya said taxis rarely came through the area and insisted on riding his electric tricycle to take Baimu back to New Mauville.
"..."
Baimu checked with Porygon2 and confirmed that the Pokémon World didn't have ride-hailing apps yet. With no proper transport, he'd have to walk through a city where riding Pokémon was forbidden, so he reluctantly accepted Tetsuya's offer.
There was no helping it.
"Once my parents come back next year, I'm planning to travel through the Kalos Region."
On the road, Tetsuya went on. "I heard there's a mysterious power there that can make my Pokémon even stronger. Have you heard of it?"
"Mega Evolution?" Baimu asked over the wind.
"Right. The Hoenn Elite Four and the current Champion have all mastered it. If I want to beat them, I'll need that power."
"Mm."
"As far as I know, Mega Evolution exists in Hoenn too, but I have no idea how to obtain it. Since I'm going to Kalos anyway, I might