Standing guard

Two days later, Starly had completely shaken off its fatigue and regained its usual energy.

Bai Shi brought it along to Suzuki's orchard to report for work.

After their discussion yesterday, Bai Shi was extremely pleased with the terms Suzuki had offered.

The two had hit it off and quickly reached an employment agreement.

Bai Shi and Starly would do their utmost to protect the orchard's valuable produce.

In return, Suzuki would pay them a generous wage.

The base pay for just one month was as much as Bai Shi had managed to save over several months working at the fruit shop.

"Sure enough, all the promising jobs in this world have something to do with Pokémon Trainers."

Bai Shi couldn't help feeling grateful to Paul, who had given him his Pokémon.

If he hadn't met Paul, he probably would have died long ago.

He certainly wouldn't be where he was today.

Perhaps Paul had considered it too trivial to mention.

Yet it had truly changed Bai Shi's fate.

"Paul... just you wait. We'll meet again sooner or later."

Judging by the Elekid at Paul's side, Bai Shi had a good idea of what came next.

Paul would most likely follow the anime's storyline and challenge the Sinnoh League.

Bai Shi, who was already preparing for his own journey, would definitely have a chance to meet him again.

"When that time comes, I'll make you see me in a whole new light!"

Bai Shi silently vowed that, if he got the chance, he would properly repay Paul someday.

For now, though, with neither money nor strength, he could only focus on bettering himself.

He could think about repaying Paul once he had "made it."

"Come to think of it, the best way to repay a Pokémon Trainer in the Pokémon world seems to be battling them."

"If I beat him once with the Starly he gave me, that should be the best repayment, right?"

At that thought, Bai Shi's lips curled upward, and his steps grew lighter.

"Starly~" (Did my Trainer think of something nice?)

Circling overhead, Starly pondered this as it watched Bai Shi chuckle to himself.

A little while later, Bai Shi arrived at Suzuki's orchard on the outskirts of town.

"Hahaha, Bai Shi, you're here!"

Suzuki waved with a hearty laugh, greeting Bai Shi warmly.

"Good morning, Uncle Suzuki. I'm here to report for work."

Bai Shi returned his greeting politely.

"That Starly is your Pokémon, right?"

"It looks pretty lively!"

"With you two here, I can finally rest easy!"

Looking at the Starly circling above Bai Shi's head, Suzuki gave it a thumbs-up in praise.

Although he had hired quite a few Pokémon Trainers, very few had flying Pokémon like Bai Shi did.

After all, any Trainer with a little strength had already set off on a journey.

Why would they come work for him?

As a result, his orchard struggled to effectively drive off wild Pokémon that invaded from the air.

That was why, upon learning during the interview that Bai Shi had caught a Starly, Suzuki had offered a generous sum without hesitation to bring him aboard.

Suzuki's only slight regret was that Bai Shi had no intention of staying permanently.

He only wanted to work here for a short while.

"Oh, you're too kind."

Bai Shi waved a hand and responded modestly to Suzuki's praise.

"Starly~"

Starly, however, chirped smugly, indicating that Suzuki had a good eye.

Then, with Suzuki leading the way, Bai Shi arrived at a grove of fruit trees.

This area, planted with plenty of fruit trees, was the section Bai Shi would be responsible for guarding.

"From now on, I'll leave this area to you."

"If you run into any wild Pokémon you can't handle, remember to use this to ask the others for help!"

Suzuki handed Bai Shi a black walkie-talkie as he gave his instructions.

Under certain circumstances, the Trainers standing guard would encounter Pokémon they couldn't handle alone.

If they were unlucky, their lives could even be in danger.

At times like those, they needed wholehearted support from their fellow workers.

For that reason, Suzuki had made a point of equipping every guard with a walkie-talkie.

That way, everyone could receive help as quickly as possible.

"Understood, Uncle Suzuki. I'll remember!"

Bai Shi took the walkie-talkie and nodded solemnly.

"One more thing. Remember to..."

After explaining a few more work-related matters to Bai Shi, Suzuki finally left.

As the owner, he had plenty of other things to worry about.

He had only gone to such lengths because Bai Shi's Pokémon was rather special.

Moreover, he had heard that Bai Shi had recently beaten the somewhat well-known Kuroda, so his strength was not to be underestimated.

And since they already knew each other, Suzuki had taken the time to explain so much.

For an ordinary Trainer, having a veteran employee show them around would have been enough.

"Wow, this place is pretty big!"

Bai Shi carefully surveyed his surroundings, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Starting today, he would have to spend twelve hours here every day.

Only when someone came to relieve him could he go home.

Fortunately, there was also a small house near the grove.

It provided the Trainers on duty with somewhere to eat, drink, and use the bathroom.

That allowed Bai Shi to work without worrying about those needs.

Bai Shi took Starly on several patrol rounds but saw no invading wild Pokémon.

Overall, it was a fairly easy job.

"Since I've got nothing else to do, I might as well train my Pokémon!"

Once Bai Shi had familiarized himself with the surroundings, another idea came to mind.

He took a stone out of his backpack and tied it to Starly's back.

He had it carry the weight while patrolling the skies.

That way, it could get some exercise without neglecting its work.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

If they spotted any invading wild Pokémon, there would still be time to remove the stone.

"Starly~" (Stop right there, you little thief!)

Suddenly, Starly seemed to spot something. It let out a piercing cry, immediately picked up speed, and flew off in one direction.

"There it goes again!"

Bai Shi frowned when he saw Starly acting on its own again.

Still, he tightened his grip on the walkie-talkie and chased after it.

By the time Bai Shi arrived, Starly was already fighting a Rattata.

This Rattata, however, was a little weaker than Oniki's and was no match for Starly at all.

Starly drove it off in no time.

"Starly~"

After repelling Rattata, Starly let out a smug cry.

"Well, look at you, Starly. You drove that Rattata off all by yourself!"

Bai Shi shot Starly a glare and spoke sarcastically.

"..."

At his words, the smile on Starly's face instantly froze.

It had been so focused on getting into a fight that it seemed to have accidentally forgotten its Trainer again.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

I need to find a way to cure this nasty impulsive streak.

Looking at the thoroughly embarrassed Starly, Bai Shi decided to teach it a lesson it would remember.

Even if its impulsive nature made Starly exceptionally bold in battle, that wasn't the whole picture.

Letting it carry on like this wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.

It might not matter when it was steamrolling weaker opponents.

But against a powerful enemy, one careless move could easily cost it the entire battle.

By then, it would be too late for regrets.

Its battle against Kuroda, for example, had nearly ended in defeat for precisely that reason.

As Starly's Trainer, Bai Shi needed to correct this behavior.

"Since you're already so strong..."

"I'm sure even doubling your training will be a breeze for you!"

Bai Shi smiled as he spoke to Starly.

"Starly~" (Of cour... huh? No, please!)

At first, Starly had thought Bai Shi was praising it and nodded smugly.

Only afterward did it realize that Bai Shi's smile concealed a blade: he meant to punish it.

It couldn't help letting out a wail of despair.