Farewell

"Bai Shi, are you sure you don't want to stay and work for me a few more days?"

"We can talk about the pay!"

Suzuki clasped Bai Shi's hand, looking regretful as he made one last attempt to keep him.

After spending time together, he had become convinced that Bai Shi was a Pokémon Trainer with tremendous potential.

If Bai Shi stayed on, Suzuki could finally rest easy.

He would no longer have to worry about powerful Wild Pokémon coming after his Orchard.

"Sorry, Uncle Suzuki!"

"The world's so big. I want to see it!"

Bai Shi firmly shook his head at Suzuki's offer, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

His heart was clearly already elsewhere.

"You want to see the world...?"

Seeing that Bai Shi had made up his mind, Suzuki fell into a daze. For a moment, he seemed to see his younger self.

Back then, he had been just like Bai Shi, eager to travel and become a powerful Pokémon Trainer.

But after he got Bibarel, his dream had changed.

He had returned to Twinleaf Town, determined to make a fortune through farming.

It had taken years of hard work to build what he had today.

Now he was middle-aged and no longer young.

He had even forgotten his original dream.

"It really is wonderful to be young!"

"In that case, all I can do is wish you the best!"

Suzuki came back to himself with a long sigh and offered Bai Shi his blessing.

He hoped Bai Shi would stay true to his dream and take a different path from his own.

As for his Orchard, he had the Spearow Bai Shi had left behind.

They should just about be able to fend off any Flying-type Pokémon that came for it.

"Thank you, Uncle Suzuki!"

Bai Shi thanked him sincerely.

After all, Suzuki had looked after him while he worked there.

Especially back when he had no Pokémon of his own.

Now Suzuki had even provided him with a substantial sum to start his journey.

It was the final piece Bai Shi needed for his travel plans.

To Bai Shi, that kindness meant more than he could say.

Uncle Suzuki, I'll make a name for myself!

Before leaving the Orchard, Bai Shi made that vow in his heart.

"Ishimaru, here's the Pokémon I promised to catch for you. Go on, take it!"

As Bai Shi spoke, he pressed the Poké Ball into Ishimaru's hand.

During the previous operation, Starly had successfully knocked down four Spearow.

Bai Shi had the right to decide what to do with them, so he handed three straight over to Suzuki.

Then he traded the remaining Spearow to Suzuki for a Pokémon suited to Ishimaru.

That saved him the time it would have taken to find one himself.

More importantly, he hadn't had to take any risks.

"Th-this..."

Ishimaru trembled as he accepted the Poké Ball, too excited to speak.

Until then, he had thought Bai Shi would take him out into the wild.

He had expected to go through a difficult adventure before getting his own Starter Pokémon.

He had never imagined Bai Shi would simply put a Poké Ball containing a Pokémon into his hand.

The surprise was so overwhelming that he could not collect himself.

"Aren't you going to see what Pokémon is inside?"

Bai Shi smiled and prompted him.

"Oh! Right, right. The Pokémon first."

Ishimaru came to his senses and, his heart pounding, tossed the Poké Ball into the air.

The Pokémon inside appeared before them.

"What Pokémon is this?"

Ishimaru stared in confusion at the mushroom-shaped Pokémon with green spots.

With his limited knowledge of Pokémon, he could not put a name to it.

"It's called Shroomish. It's a Grass type!"

Seeing Ishimaru's confusion, Bai Shi explained.

Ishimaru's finances were little better than Bai Shi's had been.

As a Grass-type Pokémon, Shroomish was easy to care for, making it a good fit for him.

If Ishimaru raised it well, Shroomish might even evolve into Breloom, a Grass- and Fighting-type Pokémon.

That fit Ishimaru's fondness for Fighting-type Pokémon perfectly.

"Hello, Shroomish!"

Now that he knew its name, Ishimaru grinned, showing his white teeth, and greeted it warmly.

Ishimaru's smile helped Shroomish lower its guard a little, and it nodded to him.

That small gesture left Ishimaru grinning from ear to ear.

Looks like Ishimaru really likes the Pokémon I picked for him.

Watching Ishimaru and Shroomish get along, Bai Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Bai Shi had once relied on Paul's gift to get a Pokémon of his own.

Now he had fulfilled Ishimaru's dream with his own hands.

That reversal of fortune filled him with satisfaction.

He could leave Twinleaf Town without a worry.

That night.

Back at his rented room, Bai Shi began his final preparations for departure.

He packed everything he thought he might need into his Space Backpack.

He had recently obtained the Space Backpack from the system through a check-in.

It held more than four times as much as his old secondhand backpack, which had been about the size of a suitcase.

It was among the most valuable and useful things Bai Shi had drawn recently.

Even after he filled it with all sorts of odds and ends, plenty of room remained.

There was enough space left to store whatever items he obtained from the system during his journey.

"The famous Professor Rowan is in Sandgem Town."

"It isn't too far from Twinleaf Town."

"That makes it a good first stop!"

After packing, Bai Shi lay on his bed and planned the next leg of his journey.

He intended to cut straight through the forest to the north, then head east to Sandgem Town.

"Starly's much stronger than when I first caught him."

"And he's learned three new moves."

"If I'm careful, I shouldn't run into much danger."

"Still, to be safe, I should catch a second Pokémon as soon as possible."

Rather than another headstrong Pokémon like Starly, Bai Shi wanted one with more practical abilities.

Ideally, it would be a Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokémon that could help him protect himself.

Bai Shi also planned to earn as much extra money as he could by other means.

That way, when he returned to Twinleaf Town, he and Starly would not have to cram into such a tiny room again...

"Zzz..."

Before he knew it, Bai Shi was snoring.

With high hopes for the future, he drifted into a pleasant dream.

The next day, the sun had barely risen.

Bai Shi shouldered his bag, put on running shoes like the ones Ash wore on his journey, said goodbye to Ishimaru, and left Twinleaf Town.

His first journey had officially begun.

"Ishimaru, arrange another battle with Bai Shi for me!"

Kuroda, who had lost to Bai Shi in their previous battle, suddenly approached Ishimaru with the request.

"Sorry! Bai Shi left on his journey a while ago!"

Ishimaru gave him an odd look and refused outright.

"What? He beat me once and just up and left?"

The news struck Kuroda like a bolt from the blue. He could hardly believe it.

Lately, he had been training his Pokémon hard.

He had done it all so that one day he could wipe away the humiliation of losing to Bai Shi.

At last, he felt confident he could beat him.

And now he was being told Bai Shi had already left Twinleaf Town.

How could Kuroda, who had set his heart on redemption, accept that?

"How about you and I have a match instead?"

Ishimaru pulled out the Poké Ball Bai Shi had given him, ready for a fight.