"Here's the thing..." Luli said, looking a little embarrassed. "My son Koji set out on a journey with a Pikachu last year, but he's been gone for almost a year now without a word. There hasn't been any news at all. It's really worrying!"
Xia You raised his eyebrows. "So you want me to help you find your son?"
"That's right." Luli gave a bitter smile. "Both the Gym and the hotel need me to manage them. I really can't get away, let alone leave this place, so I was wondering, if you run into him on your travels, could you ask him to come home soon?"
Not even a message?
Did he run away from home? Or did he simply go traveling?
Xia You pondered for a moment.
That really wasn't how a child should behave. Whatever the circumstances, he should at least send a message or make a call!
But for things to have reached this point, he could imagine that either there was a problem with how their family got along, or this boy named Koji had fallen out with his family over something.
"Don't worry. Koji, right? If I run into him, I'll be sure to try to persuade him to come home."
"Thank you," Luli said gratefully. "But that boy can be rather stubborn, and he has a mind of his own. If he refuses to come back, at least make sure he gives me a call!"
"That said..." Xia You shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up too high. It's a big world, after all, and I can't promise I'll run into him."
Luli, however, wasn't particularly worried about that. "Actually, you both have the same goal. You're both going to the Johto Region to challenge the Silver Conference, so I think there's