At dawn the next day,
Baimu arrived at the dock where the salvage ship was moored.
The Dreepy siblings perched on his shoulders as usual, while Dragapult stayed hidden, too afraid to show itself.
Rounding a freighter docked nearby, he spotted a tall, muscular, cow-colored bear standing upright.
It was training onshore with Kieran, who wore only a black tank top above the waist.
They stepped forward and threw straight punches, each one cracking through the air like a whip.
Crack!
"Single Strike Urshifu!"
Baimu's interest was piqued.
Urshifu's base stats totaled only 550, putting it near the bottom among Legendary Pokémon. But its exceptionally powerful signature move, top-tier Ability, and well-distributed stats made it stronger than many Legendary Pokémon with far higher totals.
If his unused lead had pointed to its pre-evolution, Kubfu, Baimu would have thought he'd hit the jackpot.
"Morning."
He greeted Kieran, who had stopped training.
Kieran nodded coolly. After Baimu boarded, he called out, "Your breakfast is in the dining room. Don't forget it."
"Got it. Thanks."
Baimu entered the cabin. Doctor Hodaka and Asahi were enjoying breakfast: steaming coffee with sandwiches and Berry salad.
They greeted him warmly as soon as they saw him.
Asahi lifted the insulated cover from the seat beside her and smiled. "Try it and see if you like it. Kieran made it especially for you."
"I'm not picky."
Baimu sat down, glad he had always preferred to stop eating before he was completely full.
The resort hotel where he'd booked a room offered meal service, so he and his Pokémon had already eaten. He hadn't expected Kieran to prepare him a portion too.
"Yah?"
Dreepy Little Brother suddenly floated down from his shoulder and sniffed the sandwich.
He was like a puppy that came nosing around whenever its owner