Yang Qianqian had been waiting for Xu Mu outside the Training Hall for quite a while.
"So, are you leaving Fengcheng today to start your journey?"
Trainers needed to travel, though most waited until they had graduated from school and completed their studies.
Yang Qianqian herself had only set out after graduation, challenging Gyms to prepare for the Elite Four Challenge.
Of course, some Trainers skipped school and went straight into traveling and adventuring.
But those Trainers often ended up among the ten percent who met with accidents in Secret Realms...
Dying on the street would almost be a blessing by comparison. If they vanished inside a Secret Realm, there might not even be anyone to recover their bodies.
That would be truly miserable.
Xu Mu was a little surprised to see Yang Qianqian, but he quickly understood why she was there. He smiled. "Yeah, it's time I got out and saw the world."
"Thanks for looking after me all this time, Ms. Yang!"
Challenging Gyms was one reason to leave. Another was that Xu Mu wanted to see Cynthia.
He hadn't seen her in ages. Phone calls were all they had to ease how much they missed each other, and he was finding it hard.
"All right. Stay safe. Things have been a little unsettled out there lately. I hear some troublemakers are stirring things up again."
Yang Qianqian gave him the warning.
Just as Team Rocket and other villainous groups existed in the anime, criminal organizations existed in the real world too.
In various places, small gangs regularly disturbed the peace and committed petty crimes.
Larger organizations existed as well, but they tended to keep a low profile and rarely made a move.
Most of the time, they lived quietly. Only when a target appeared would they strike