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Lorelei had always dressed rather lightly, showing no fear of the cold weather. Even when standing atop an icy mountain, she never once showed signs of being cold.
But now, she was bundled up in warm clothing, clearly preparing to head somewhere frigid.
This reminded Liam of Ice Island and the things Lorelei had mentioned before. With a smile, he asked her, "Heh, have you finally settled on a date? You look like you're in a bit of a hurry."
Being asked so directly, Lorelei seemed momentarily at a loss for words. Her hands fidgeted beneath the table for a while before she finally spoke, her voice carrying a tinge of apology.
"I've already bought my ticket back to the Orange Islands. I'm leaving at noon today..."
"So soon?! Is there something urgent? Do you need my help?"
Hearing that she was leaving in such a rush, Liam thought something might have happened to her family and quickly asked with concern.
Hearing his words, Lorelei felt warmth bloom in her heart. A trace of anticipation flickered across her face, but it quickly faded. She shook her head with a soft smile and replied,
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that the Indigo League Tournament is coming up soon, and there's not much time left. Since traveling back and forth takes time, I figured I'd head back early to start my special training. If I improve my skills, I'll be able to teach you a lesson in the tournament. Let's see if you'll still underestimate me then!"
Liam could only smile bitterly at that. He felt an inexplicable sense of reluctance in his heart.
Though they hadn't known each other for long, he and Lorelei had already built a strong friendship. They were not only trusted companions but also battle comrades.
Now that she was about to leave, it was hard not to feel attached.
But this was her decision, and Liam wouldn't try to stop her. Instead, he just smiled and said,
"Since you've already made up your mind, what else can I say? I can only wish you a safe journey and hope your special training goes well. But if you think you can just waltz into the tournament and defeat me, that might be a bit difficult. I don't throw matches, but since we're friends, maybe I'll let you win a little. Just a little, okay? Hahaha!"
"You're way too arrogant! Just wait and see how I deal with you!"
"Hahaha!"
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
Hearing Liam's words, Lorelei—whose eyes had already begun to mist over—couldn't help but burst into laughter.
She rolled her eyes at him as usual, and soon, both of them were laughing freely together.
—
By the time noon had passed, Liam sat alone on the dock, watching the ship carrying Lorelei disappear into the horizon.
His heart felt strangely empty, as if a weight had been lifted but something was missing at the same time.
"Sigh, nothing to do now... Might as well go home. I haven't been back in so long. Cinnabar Island isn't too far from Pallet Town anyway. I can have Nidoking Surf there. There are plenty of small islands along the way, so I won't have to worry about him getting too tired. Yeah, that sounds like a plan! Time to go home!"
Lorelei's departure had stirred up Liam's own feelings of homesickness, and once the thought entered his mind, he couldn't shake it.
Without hesitation, he quickly returned to the Pokémon Center, packed up his belongings, and went downstairs to inform Nurse Joy about Bruno's situation.
He asked her to hold onto his room for now, just in case.
After that, he headed back to the dock, pulled up the navigation map to confirm his direction, then took out Nidoking's PokéBall and threw it forward.
"Nido!"
With a flash of light, Nidoking landed beside him, letting out a powerful roar before turning to Liam, awaiting orders.
"Nidoking! We've been away for a while, so let's head home for a bit. If we follow that water route ahead, we can reach Pallet Town directly. It'll be tough on you, but I'll be counting on you to Surf us there!"
Liam patted Nidoking's broad back with a grin.
"Nido!"
Hearing Liam's words, Nidoking flexed an arm in a show of strength, signaling that it was no problem.
Then, it turned and leapt into the water, its broad back surfacing above the waves. It looked back and let out an urging growl.
"Alright! I'm coming!"
Liam leapt onto Nidoking's back, excitement lighting up his face as he pointed forward and shouted,
"Let's go! Back to Pallet Town!"
"Nido!"
With a mighty roar, Nidoking's powerful tail spun like a propeller, propelling them forward like a speedboat slicing through the waves.
—
The sea route between Cinnabar Island and Pallet Town was long, with numerous uninhabited islands scattered along the way.
These were small, barren islands with few Pokémon, mostly deserted. As they traveled, Liam made several stops to let Nidoking rest before continuing.
Along the way, Liam encountered many Pokémon—mostly common Water-types that lived in the open sea.
His Pokédex was quickly filling up with entries of Tentacool, Staryu, and the like.
These Pokémon weren't particularly afraid of humans. Some even swam curiously alongside him, though they kept a cautious distance.
With Pallet Town growing closer, Liam's mood lightened. He reached into his bag, took out some delicious Pokémon food, and scattered it into the water.
At first, the surrounding Pokémon were startled, darting away. But after a while, realizing there was no danger, they noticed the sinking food.
The enticing aroma quickly spread through the seawater, and soon, the Pokémon swarmed in a frenzy to snatch the treats.
From above, Liam could see dark shapes swirling beneath the waves, splashing wildly like a pond full of koi fish being fed.
Not expecting things to escalate so much, Liam quickly tossed the rest of the Pokémon food in different directions to prevent the feeding frenzy from getting out of hand.
Sure enough, as more food spread out, the Pokémon dispersed and happily feasted near Nidoking.
Seeing everything settle down, Liam let out a small sigh of relief. He crossed his legs, sitting on Nidoking's back, and absentmindedly petted a nearby Staryu that was happily eating.
It didn't seem to mind at all, too absorbed in its meal.
Noticing how these Pokémon had grown comfortable around him, Liam got playful and reached out to touch a few more, having fun as he patted one after another.
Just then, he suddenly felt something tugging at his backpack. Startled, he turned around—only to see a small, blue creature had climbed onto Nidoking's back without him noticing.
The little Pokémon had its head buried deep inside his bag, rummaging around for more food.
Its sturdy shell had gotten stuck on the bag's zipper, leaving its short legs dangling in the air. Its curly tail wiggled as it kept searching, completely unfazed.
Liam's jaw dropped in surprise as he stared at the little stowaway. Almost instinctively, he pulled out a PokéBall and lightly tapped it against the Pokémon's shell...