The Top Priority

"Your Pokémon are back in good shape!"

As she spoke, Nurse Joy handed the three Poké Balls to A Lin and Bai Shi.

"Thanks for your help, Nurse Joy!"

The two took their Poké Balls and thanked her.

After driving off Seviper, Bai Shi had accompanied A Lin to the Pokémon Center.

They had asked Nurse Joy to heal their Pokémon.

Which brought them to this moment.

"Bai Shi, I really can't thank you enough!"

Clutching his Poké Ball, A Lin thanked Bai Shi again, his expression conflicted.

Without Bai Shi's help, he might not have made it out in one piece.

And only a short while ago, he had looked down on Bai Shi, thinking him a coward for refusing to battle him.

Yet before long, Bai Shi had rescued him from that vicious Seviper.

The thought filled A Lin with shame. Turns out I was the fool all along.

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

Bai Shi waved a hand, unconcerned.

Before he had stepped in, A Lin's Pokémon had already left Seviper with quite a few wounds.

Even so, Bai Shi had failed to capture it.

He wasn't happy with that outcome.

He had stepped in partly to save A Lin, but he had also hoped to take advantage of the fight and come away with something.

After all that effort, Seviper had still escaped.

In the end, he simply wasn't strong enough yet.

That was why Seviper had found a chance to get away.

And why Bai Shi had missed out on a sizable payday.

Still, no amount of regret would change what had happened.

He needed to look ahead.

I promised Starly I'd find him an opponent once we got through the forest, so he could let loose.

And there's one right in front of me.

Bai Shi's eyes lit up, and he looked toward A Lin.

From what he had seen, both of A Lin's Pokémon were about as strong as Starly.

A Lin would make an ideal opponent.

Besides, now that Bai Shi was through the forest, he no longer needed to conserve his Pokémon's energy. He could battle other Pokémon Trainers to his heart's content.

"If you really want to thank me, have a one-on-one battle with me tomorrow."

Bai Shi considered his words briefly before making the suggestion.

Why tomorrow instead of today? Because he wanted a good night's rest.

He had barely slept while camping in the forest.

He'd been afraid a Pokémon might come along and give him a nasty "surprise" in his sleep.

He also needed time to sort through what he had gained over the past few days.

Then he could prepare properly for the next leg of his journey.

"Huh? You want to battle me?"

"Sure, sure! No problem!"

A Lin froze for a moment at Bai Shi's words, then recovered and nodded eagerly.

He didn't understand why Bai Shi, who had kept refusing to battle him, had suddenly changed his mind.

But he realized this was a perfect chance to regain some pride.

If he defeated Bai Shi, he could prove something to him.

Seviper had only thrashed him

because he'd had the bad luck to run into an opponent out of his league.

It wasn't because he lacked skill.

"All right. See you tomorrow."

After agreeing on a time, they parted and went to the rooms they had booked at the Pokémon Center.

Like Bai Shi, A Lin was an ordinary Pokémon Trainer without a Pokédex, so he had to pay for his room.

Fortunately, staying at a Pokémon Center wasn't too expensive.

Even a Pokémon Trainer of modest means could afford it.

"Not bad at all."

Bai Shi looked around the room and nodded in satisfaction.

It was far better than the place he rented.

I still need to find a way to earn more money.

Then I can move when I get back to Twinleaf Town.

Right now, there isn't even room for my Pokémon to move around.

Bai Shi resolved to find a bigger home for himself and his Pokémon.

That was his most important short-term goal.

Challenging the League and everything else could wait.

Still, I can't rush earning money.

I can figure that out when I reach Sandgem Town.

Right now, the priority is finding a suitable Pokémon to catch.

The past few days in the wild had made Bai Shi increasingly aware of how important it was to have more Pokémon.

One more Pokémon would give him more room for error.

If Bai Shi had had a second Pokémon with him,

he wouldn't have needed to be so cautious out in the wild.

He had been afraid that a clash with a wild Pokémon might leave Starly unable to fight, costing him his only battler.

He even had to think twice before trying to catch a Pokémon.

If the attempt failed, he might anger the Pokémon and start a fight.

Then Starly could get hurt for no good reason.

When other Pokémon Trainers challenged him, he had turned them down without a second thought.

So Bai Shi's top priority was to catch another Pokémon.

After my battle with A Lin, I don't have to leave right away.

I can stay at the Pokémon Center for a few more days.

The room and food aren't that expensive anyway.

During the day, I'll search the area for a Pokémon that feels right.

Then I can come back here to rest at night.

Bai Shi soon had a plan for the next few days.

The next day.

Bai Shi and A Lin went to a nearby clearing to keep their promise and have a one-on-one battle.

"Come out, Poochyena!"

Hoping to regain some pride, A Lin sent out his Starter Pokémon, Poochyena.

A chance encounter had allowed him to catch Poochyena.

Because of that, he had been able to become a Pokémon Trainer and follow a path entirely different from his parents'.

A Lin had complete confidence in Poochyena's strength.

Unless Bai Shi had a Pokémon like Seviper,

A Lin was sure he had a chance to win and restore his pride.

"Starly, get ready to battle!"

Bai Shi sent Starly onto the field.

"Starly!" (Haha! Finally, a chance to go all out!)

The moment he appeared, Starly let out a loud cry, brimming with excitement.

Since leaving Twinleaf Town, he had hardly had a proper battle with another Pokémon.

For a Pokémon as eager to fight as he was, it had been driving him restless.

Now that he had the chance, he intended to enjoy it.

With both Pokémon in position, the battle began.