May had barely raised her phone, the text still glowing on its screen, when Lin Hao finished drinking the ramen broth on the table.
The sea breeze from Cianwood City slipped through the gap in the door, carrying a faint salty tang and dispersing much of the warmth inside the Pokémon Center.
Pikachu lay on his lap with half-open eyes. Its tail draped over the edge of the chair, and it looked as though it had no intention of going to work.
May set two room key cards on the table and sat across from him. "Are we really not traveling today?"
"Not for now." Lin Hao pushed his empty bowl aside. "I was going nonstop last night, and my brain still hasn't recovered. If we keep running around, I'm afraid I'll collapse first."
May looked at him. "You can collapse?"
"Of course. I'm an ordinary person."
She stared at him for a moment without responding to that, then reached out and pushed the key cards toward the middle of the table. "So we're taking the day off?"
"We are." Lin Hao leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers between his brows. The light from the window fell across his face, making his fatigue even more apparent.
After a while, he suddenly spoke. "May."
"Hm?"
"Do you want to meet them?"
The cup in her hand stopped halfway to her mouth. "Meet who?"
Lin Hao tipped his chin toward the row of Poké Balls at his waist. "You already know about them. You might as well say hello."
May's gaze lingered on the balls, and her breathing unconsciously grew quieter. "Here?"
"Of course not." Lin Hao stood, tugging his cap brim down as he did. "There's a deserted beach out back."
She rose with him. She said nothing,