Fruitful Results

"Go, Starly!"

At Bai Shi's command, Starly burst forward, turning into a streak of white light that darted between the trees.

In moments, Starly had reached the target Bai Shi had set up.

Starly struck a wooden strip three fingers wide and snapped it in two.

"Beautifully done, Starly! You really are a genius!"

Seeing that Starly had nearly mastered the new move, Bai Shi beamed and praised Starly freely.

After several days of training, Starly's strength had improved noticeably.

The Quick Attack Starly had just used was the biggest gain from this trip.

Starly's improved explosive power had helped Starly learn the move.

"Star!" (Of course! I'm a Pokémon destined to become a Staraptor!)

At Bai Shi's praise, Starly's eyes curved into crescents, and Starly looked immensely pleased.

Perhaps Bai Shi had fed Starly a little too much motivational talk these past few days.

Quite a few of those speeches had come from stories Bai Shi had known before crossing into this world.

As a result, Starly now carried the air of a dramatic little hero.

Starly also had an almost inexplicable faith in Starly's own potential.

And Starly's personality was rather reckless.

To Bai Shi, Starly seemed like a character from an action manga.

Especially after picking up a few odd phrases from Bai Shi, Starly had gone all in on the act.

Starly often let out a spirited cry while striking what Starly apparently thought was an impossibly cool expression.

Bai Shi couldn't understand what Starly was saying.

But Starly's strange expressions usually told him roughly what Starly meant.

"A little dramatic shouldn't be too much of a problem... right?"

Bai Shi glanced at the still-smug Starly and sounded less than certain.

Besides training, Bai Shi had remembered to check in every day.

He had received the following items:

An Oran Berry, a small bag of Pokémon Food, and a pair of running shoes.

The first two had already gone into Starly's stomach.

The running shoes fit Bai Shi, so he had kept them to wear himself.

He considered them the best reward he had received so far.

"Come to think of it, those running shoes look awfully familiar!

"Haven't I seen them somewhere before?"

Bai Shi took the shoes out of his backpack and examined them closely.

After thinking it over, he realized they looked almost identical to the blue-and-black running shoes Ash wore on his travels.

"Wait... these aren't the shoes Ash actually wore, are they?"

At that thought, Bai Shi's expression darkened.

He had serious doubts about where the shoes had come from.

Summoning his courage, he gave them a sniff. Finding no foul smell, he finally relaxed.

"At least they're the same style as a future champion's. Maybe they'll bring me some luck."

Pleased with that thought, Bai Shi tucked the shoes back into his backpack.

He planned to wear them when he set out on his journey.

Bai Shi had good reason to watch every penny: the cost of training these past few days had exceeded his expectations.

Exercise alone had increased his appetite, forcing him to spend much more on food for himself.

And that was before counting what he had spent on Starly.

Training equipment, Pokémon Food, healing sprays, and more had drained his savings fast.

By Bai Shi's original calculations, his savings should have lasted another month.

Now they might not even last half that long.

The shortage of money had forced Bai Shi to revise his training plan.

He cut the training period from nearly two weeks to about one.

In other words, he would have to start looking for work in a few days.

"At least Starly has gotten a lot stronger."

"Starly should be able to handle some weaker Pokémon."

"But we won't know how strong Starly really is until we battle."

"When we get back, I can find a few people to practice against."

After some thought, Bai Shi decided to return to his rented room the next day.

He would battle a few friends from the orphanage who had Pokémon.

Most of them weren't particularly strong.

They would make ideal practice opponents.

With his plans settled, Bai Shi told Starly the news.

"Star!" (Just watch me tomorrow!)

The moment Starly heard there would be battles the next day, Starly grew excited.

Starly could already picture sweeping aside every opponent.

After all, this was what all that training had been for.

"I don't think I've checked in today. Might as well do it now."

"If I get something edible, I can give it to Starly as a reward."

"Check-in system, show me what you've got!"

Starly's fighting spirit was infectious, and Bai Shi wanted to check in to add to the excitement.

"Congratulations, Pokémon Trainer! You have received a boxed meal handmade by Brock!"

At Bai Shi's thought, the check-in was complete.

A lunch box wrapped in a scrap of cloth appeared before him.

When he opened it, he found the food inside still steaming.

"...As if I couldn't afford a meal myself."

With the resolve of a man marching to his doom, Bai Shi channeled his frustration into action. He picked up the box and began his "battle."

Before long, he had polished off every bite.

"Mm. That's good!"

Full at last, Bai Shi wiped his mouth with the cloth and couldn't help saying so.

"Your Starly has made a full recovery!"

The first thing Bai Shi did upon returning to town was take Starly to the Pokémon Center.

He asked Nurse Joy to give Starly a thorough examination.

He wanted to know whether training had left Starly with any injuries he couldn't see.

After examining Starly, Nurse Joy told him there were none.

Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

In this world, treatment for a regular Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon at a Pokémon Center was completely free.

It was a benefit the Pokémon League had introduced to keep some Pokémon Trainers' Pokémon from going without treatment.

The policy had greatly reduced Pokémon injuries and deaths, earning widespread praise from ordinary Pokémon Trainers.

Only meals and overnight stays at a Pokémon Center cost extra.

Except for Pokémon Trainers officially backed by the League who carried a Pokédex.

Bai Shi had nothing but an identity card, so he couldn't expect a free stay.

"Oh, right. I think you have to register at a Pokémon Center before challenging the League."

"Should I register while I'm here?"

Just before leaving, Bai Shi remembered this and rested a hand on his chin, considering it.

At his current level, though, collecting eight Badges would probably be difficult.

"Why am I overthinking it? I'll just register. It doesn't cost anything."

"Even if I can't make it to the Lily of the Valley Conference..."

"I can still have some fun challenging Gyms!"

With that, Bai Shi shook his head and made up his mind.