Sandgem Town

Sandgem Town, east of Twinleaf Town, was a beautiful coastal town.

To its south lay a famous tourist attraction—Sandgem Beach.

When the sun rose, its rays draped the beach in a shimmering veil.

Residents near the beach could even catch the fresh scent of the ocean.

"So this is Sandgem Town?"

A black-haired boy with white goggles on his head murmured as he strolled through the streets.

After several days on the road, Bai Shi had finally reached Sandgem Town.

Any other Trainer might have already made it to Jubilife City.

By comparison, he had been traveling at a snail's pace.

Still, Bai Shi had no regrets.

If he hadn't stayed cautious and taken his time, he might never have caught Dunsparce.

After several rounds of trouncing weaker opponents in the wild, Dunsparce had built up some confidence.

Against Pokémon that looked relatively weak, Dunsparce could now battle normally.

Only when faced with fierce-looking Pokémon did Dunsparce become timid and reluctant to fight.

Aside from Dunsparce's personality, that problem also stemmed from a lack of strength.

It wouldn't be easy to resolve completely in such a short time.

That was why Bai Shi had decided to leave the Pokémon Center where he had spent several days and resume his journey.

Having a new Pokémon on his team had made the next stretch of the trip much easier.

With hardly any trouble along the way, he had safely reached his destination—Sandgem Town.

"This place really is much livelier than Twinleaf Town."

"I'm not in any hurry to challenge a Gym, anyway."

"I could stay here a little longer."

"Maybe I can find a chance to earn some extra cash and fatten up my wallet again."

"And find somewhere to keep training while I'm at it."

Bai Shi wandered around town, cupping his chin as he mused aloud.

His consecutive nights at the Pokémon Center had already eaten into his funds.

On top of that, he needed to replenish his travel supplies.

His wallet was shrinking at a visible rate.

He still had enough to cover his living expenses for a while.

But Bai Shi wanted to plan ahead rather than wait until he was in trouble.

Besides, he now had a second Pokémon.

The cost of feeding his Pokémon alone was higher than before.

"First, I'll find somewhere to sell those two Seviper fangs and recover some funds."

"Then I'll replace the supplies I used up on the road."

With that in mind, Bai Shi headed to the town's market.

After a round of haggling, he sold the two venomous fangs for a fairly handsome price.

That went a long way toward easing his financial strain.

He then used the money to buy a large batch of travel supplies.

Throughout his travels, Bai Shi had never forgotten to check in at the same time every day.

Unfortunately, the things he received left much to be desired.

They were either Berries such as Oran Berries or jerky from various animals.

Even when he got incredibly lucky, all he received was a bottle of Moomoo Milk.

Their main use was adding some variety to his two Pokémon's meals.

Bai Shi had hardly ever drawn a prize worth much money.

With luck that rotten, he had completely abandoned the idea of getting rich through the system.

He had decided to keep earning money through his own efforts instead.

As a renowned professor in the Sinnoh Region, Professor Rowan was a leading authority on Pokémon evolution.

His laboratory was also Sandgem Town's signature landmark.

Every year, large numbers of new Trainers came to the laboratory to receive their own starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan.

Naturally, Professor Rowan's influence was immense.

Making a connection with him could only be a good thing.

Who knew? If the professor took a liking to him, he might even give him a starter Pokémon.

So Bai Shi mustered his nerve and showed up outside the laboratory.

He hoped to enter under the pretext of taking a tour and meet the professor in person.

Perhaps he could find a chance to get to know him better.

That would expand his network and open up more opportunities.

"Sorry, Professor Rowan has gone into the field to research Pokémon."

"He probably won't be back anytime soon."

But the best-laid plans often went awry, and that was the news Bai Shi received from Professor Rowan's assistant.

"Well, if he isn't here, there's nothing I can do."

"The beach here is pretty famous, too."

"I might as well go take a look around."

Turned away at the door, Bai Shi settled for his second choice and headed to the equally famous Sandgem Beach.

"This feels amazing!"

Walking across the soft, thick sand with the cool sea breeze against him, Bai Shi relaxed without even realizing it.

For that brief moment, he put all the worries weighing on his mind aside.

"Come on out, Starly, Dunsparce!"

Of course, Bai Shi hadn't forgotten his Pokémon.

He tossed two Poké Balls and let them both out.

"Starly~"

As soon as Starly emerged, the little bird began scanning the surroundings with a keen gaze.

Starly was looking for a Pokémon nearby that could offer a satisfying battle.

The practice battles Bai Shi had arranged lately had been far too boring.

Not only was Dunsparce weak, but the little snake also kept hiding underground.

Fighting Dunsparce was no fun at all.

Starly couldn't even savor the pleasure of crushing an opponent.

All Starly wanted now was a real, blood-pumping showdown against an evenly matched foe.

If Bai Shi hadn't repeatedly warned Starly to stay calm beforehand, things would have been different.

Starly would have already charged off to battle other Pokémon.

Dunsparce, meanwhile, remained wary, ready to burrow underground at any moment.

"Thanks for all your hard work lately."

"Now, let's enjoy this rare break together!"

Bai Shi addressed the two Pokémon in front of him.

A short rest would help them move forward more effectively.

Even though the environment here was ideal for training, he had made up his mind.

Bai Shi would still give his two Pokémon a short vacation.

He hoped it would ease the fatigue they had accumulated over days of training.

Earning money and training could wait until tomorrow.

"Starly~"

Upon hearing there would be no battles, Starly sounded deeply disappointed.

Starly hadn't even evolved into Staraptor yet. Who had time to slack off?

"Dunsparce~"

Unlike Starly, Dunsparce secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When they had come out together just now, Dunsparce had thought Bai Shi had arranged another practice battle.

Learning there would be no fighting was more than enough reason to celebrate.

Dunsparce wasn't as afraid of battling as before, but that didn't mean getting beaten up was welcome!

Especially when a brute like Starly never knew how to hold back.

"Starly~" (Hmm? Why do you keep looking at me? Want to battle?)

Noticing that Dunsparce seemed to be watching, Starly asked in confusion.

Dunsparce might be a little weak, but if this was a genuine challenge, Starly wouldn't refuse.

"Dunsparce~" (No, no!)

Seeing Starly getting eager, Dunsparce hurriedly shook that little head in frantic denial.

With a rare chance to rest at last, Dunsparce wasn't foolish enough to pick a fight with Starly.

So Dunsparce burrowed into the sand, leaving Starly no chance to make a move.

"Starly~" (Hey, don't run away!)

Starly was left hovering in midair, staring helplessly in frustration.

"Hahaha..."

Seeing Starly get snubbed by Dunsparce, Bai Shi burst into gleeful laughter.