"Wing!"
A flock of Wingull flew overhead.
The train crossed an elevated bridge over the river.
Baimu gazed out the window.
The high-tech city built on Central Island came into view. Shiny Gengar had never seen anything so bustling, and it turned to him excitedly.
"Gen, gen!"
"That's right. That's where we're headed—LaRousse City."
Baimu smiled and patted Shiny Gengar's head.
He had spent the previous night at the guesthouse run by Wally's cousin. He had also chatted with the green-haired young man in Johto and learned that Wally had already collected eight Badges.
It had only been a little over four months, hadn't it?
That was fast.
Wally had said he was going to win the Silver Conference this time. Then he would bring his trophy to watch Baimu compete at the Ever Grande Conference.
Judging by his confident tone, Wally was determined to take the title.
Wally after all that growth, huh?
Baimu was looking forward to seeing him.
They might not be advancing along the same path right now, but they were rivals of a sort. Besides, Wally was bound to visit Orre for its inaugural tournament someday.
Ding!
The arrival chime rang out.
"Come on! Let's get a closer look!"
Baimu stood and put on his mask. Keeping one hand on the eager Shiny Gengar, he guided it off the train with the crowd.
From what he had seen over the past few days, the big gray Pokémon was outwardly cheerful. It loved to laugh, fool around, and pull faces. It probably liked pranks too, though it hadn't dared try any before getting to know him better.
In short, it was a Gengar version of Hoopa.
On the outside, at least.
He would need more time with it to understand what it was really like.
So