Making Plans

"My gaps in knowledge have been filled."

"It's time to catch up with the Original Storyline."

Bai Shi went to an internet café, rented a computer, and searched for the information he wanted.

Now that he had enough money to live comfortably for a while, he needed a new goal.

He planned to use what he found to guide his next move.

He had wanted to do this back in Twinleaf Town.

But his family had been poor, and he hadn't been able to justify the expense until now.

"Pokémon Refuses Orders! Young Trainer Disqualified and Eliminated!"

"Boy from Pallet Town Defeats Orange League Champion, Becomes New Honorary Trainer!"

"Fire Meets Fire! Ash Narrowly Loses to Tyson, Finishes in Silver Conference Top Eight!"

He typed "Ash" and hit search.

Information about Ash immediately filled the screen.

Among the results, Bai Shi found videos of some of his battles.

The most prominent was Ash's battle against Tetsuya at the Ever Grande Conference in the Hoenn Region.

But that video was already some time old and offered little help.

Bai Shi searched instead for the latest news about Ash.

He found rare footage of Ash competing in a Pokémon Contest in Jubilife City not long ago.

Ash had lost to a Coordinator named Zoey in the second round of judging.

To make sure he had the right person, Bai Shi patiently searched for more information about Ash.

He found that Ash's route and achievements matched the anime almost exactly.

Ash had competed in several league tournaments, reaching the top sixteen at the Indigo League Conference and the top eight at both the Silver Conference and the Ever Grande Conference.

That fit with Bai Shi's encounter with Paul outside Twinleaf Town.

Bai Shi was now fairly certain where he stood in the timeline.

"Before I got the Check-In System, I treated the anime's plot as my only advantage and went over it again and again."

"So I still remember quite a bit of it."

"Maybe I can use what I know about the story to gain an edge?"

With money to spare, Bai Shi could now travel long distances.

If he was willing to pay, he could reach anywhere in the Sinnoh Region fairly quickly.

In theory, he could get to an opportunity before the protagonists did.

Traveling to another region was too expensive, so he set that aside for now.

"The latest information I found puts Ash and his friends at the Pokémon Contest here."

"Going by the timing, Ash should already have won the Oreburgh City Gym battle."

"Eterna City is probably their next destination."

"If they're moving fast, they might even have beaten the Eterna Gym already."

"The Hearthome Gym comes after the Eterna Gym."

Bai Shi pulled up a map of the Sinnoh Region and used the Gyms and Pokémon Contests as reference points to estimate how far Ash's group had traveled.

In the Original Storyline, Ash caught six new Pokémon in the Sinnoh Region.

Bai Shi was interested in only two of them: Gible and Chimchar.

He couldn't remember where Ash had caught Gible.

But he clearly remembered that Paul had abandoned Chimchar during the Double Battle Tournament in Hearthome City, after which Ash had taken him in.

There should still be plenty of time before Ash's group reached Hearthome City.

If Bai Shi arrived on time, he might have a chance to get there first.

"Ash's group and Paul will all enter the Double Battle Tournament in Hearthome City."

"Even if I can't get Chimchar, I can meet Paul again."

"I could return the favor he did me."

"Even if Paul himself has probably forgotten."

"Come to think of it, Hearthome City is a pretty good choice."

Bai Shi's eyes lit up. He decided on the spot that entering Hearthome City's Double Battle Tournament would be his next goal.

He used the map to plan his route.

Hearthome City lay northeast of Jubilife City.

There was a long way between them.

Even traveling day and night, Bai Shi would struggle to get there quickly.

So he decided to add nearby Oreburgh City to his itinerary as a stop along the way.

"Oreburgh City is a coal-mining center rich in natural resources. You can even dig up valuable Ancient Pokémon fossils there."

"And I have Dunsparce, who can dig, and Stantler, who knows Confusion."

"I might make a fortune in Oreburgh City."

After thinking it over, Bai Shi settled on the plan.

His route would take him from Jubilife City to Oreburgh City, then on to Hearthome City.

"I checked online, and the Double Battle Tournament in Hearthome City won't start for a while."

"I still have plenty of time to prepare."

"There's no need to rush. I can travel at my usual pace."

The thought of battling Paul and the others in Hearthome City filled Bai Shi with energy. He wanted to leave at once.

Once he calmed down, he remembered that he was still far weaker than they were.

Forget Paul and Ash—even against Brock, he couldn't be sure of winning.

Only against Dawn, who was also a rookie Pokémon Trainer, did Bai Shi feel somewhat confident.

If Bai Shi wanted to hold his own against Ash and the others, he would have to make the most of the remaining time and work hard to improve.

"Right now, Staravia is probably my strongest Pokémon. His battle style has mostly taken shape."

"Stantler is strong too, but he's always slacking off. I can't count on him in a normal battle."

"And Dunsparce is clearly much weaker than the other two. He still has a long way to go."

"I should focus most of my effort on Staravia."

"Oreburgh City has a Gym. Maybe I can use it to test Staravia and help him grow stronger."

Of course, improving his current Pokémon wasn't Bai Shi's only option.

He could also catch a powerful new Pokémon.

If he succeeded, his strength would change dramatically.

With his current funds, Bai Shi could just about afford the daily expenses of four Pokémon.

So he planned to do both: train hard while looking for the right Pokémon to catch.

"The new Pokémon should be able to fight well right away."

"It needs to enjoy battling and be willing to follow my orders. I don't want another situation like Stantler."

"I don't care about its type, as long as it's strong enough."

Bai Shi set those points as his criteria for catching a Pokémon.

There was still time. He hoped to catch one that met his standards on the way to Hearthome City.