Silas smiled as he thanked Nurse Joy for the reminder.
Then, taking his room key, he headed deeper into the Pokémon Center.
The whispers behind him were completely ignored.
The moment he had let Ralts appear outside, he had already prepared himself mentally.
"An event's coming up. Which of you wants to come with me?"
Inside the room, Silas looked at his partners and raised the poster in his hand as he asked.
"Pii~"
Lying lazily on the floor and basking in the sunlight streaming through the window, Pidgeot was the first to refuse.
Immediately after, Blaziken, Gigalith, Serperior, Togekiss, and Ampharos all expressed their lack of interest as well.
"Huh?"
Silas let out a puzzled sound.
What, have you all gotten cocky now?
"Could it be that none of you want to spend a joyful day with your beloved Trainer?"
Faced with Silas's shameless statement, every Pokémon present wore an expression of pure disdain.
"Every time you say that," Blaziken calmly transmitted via aura, "nothing good ever happens."
Silas's smile instantly froze.
"Ral…"
Ralts sighed and gently patted its Trainer on the head.
"You little one, you definitely want to come with me, right? Great! Then it's decided—you're the one! You're going to love this event."
Silas spoke at lightning speed, making the decision for Ralts without leaving it even a second to react or refuse.
Ralts's hand, which had just been about to lower, froze in midair.
It really wanted to refuse.
But seeing Silas's hopeful expression, and having been raised with excellent manners, Ralts simply couldn't bring itself to say no.
"Ral…"
It lowered its head helplessly.
"Woohoo~!"
Silas let out an excited cheer.
At last, he wouldn't have to go out alone like some lonely single Trainer.
Blaziken quietly took the poster from Silas's hand and unfolded it.
What greeted its eyes were countless images of Tauros.
The Tauros were clearly charging wildly through a city.
At the same time, numerous human figures weaved frantically among them.
The bottom-right corner of the poster was filled with dense human text.
Although Blaziken couldn't read it, its instincts told it one thing—
This event was definitely weird.
"This is Leaf Town's exclusive special attraction, the Tauros Chase Festival.
"As long as you manage to touch a Tauros's horns, you'll be praised as a person of courage! That's a title only the strongest who fight their way through thousands of rampaging Tauros can earn!"
Silas described the event with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"And that's not all, after the chase ends, there'll be one-on-one Tauros duels, the Tauros Showdown held at the local battle arena. Tons of people take part every year."
Blaziken immediately tossed the poster back at him.
Just as it suspected, extremely boring.
Blaziken thought that any sane human would avoid facing a charging Tauros head-on.
Mad bulls and madmen, perfectly matched.
Ralts, perched on Silas's shoulder, was completely stunned.
Wait, was it still possible not to go?
It was honestly afraid it wouldn't be able to Teleport away fast enough.
Thousands of Tauros…
Just imagining it made Ralts feel dizzy.
"Don't you want to show off your courage, Blaziken?" Silas continued trying to persuade it.
Blaziken made a casual grabbing-and-throwing motion in the air.
Not to brag, but Tauros-type Pokémon?
It could kick most of them away one by one.
The reason it didn't want to go had nothing to do with numbers, it just wanted a break today.
Didn't Silas know how exhausting training had been?!
"…Alright."
Silas sighed regretfully.
Then his gaze swept across the rest of his team.
Pidgeot silently covered its head with its wings.
Gigalith turned into an unassuming chunk of bluish rock in the corner.
Serperior leaned over to whisper with Togekiss.
Ampharos turned sideways and played with its tail.
"Well then, it looks like you'll all regretfully miss this event."
Faced with Silas's "what a shame" tone, every Pokémon nodded frantically.
Yes, yes—so regrettable.
"Ral…"
Ralts let out a weak cry.
But amid the others' cheerful reactions, its voice was completely drowned out.
"Then be good and wait for me to come back~"
Bang.
As the door closed with a dull thud, Pidgeot and the others all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Finally, he's gone.
Gigalith transmitted.
"Don't you think this is a little cruel to the new kid?"
Serperior replied calmly:
"Didn't the Trainer say it himself?
Endure the harshest beating, make the fastest progress. The little one will adapt soon enough."
The other four Pokémon—busy eating—nodded in agreement.
Nearby, the Alolan Vulpix Egg resting on the bedside table trembled slightly.
On the other side, Silas had already stepped out of the Pokémon Center, holding Ralts in his arms.
He wasn't sure what had happened, but Ralts had suddenly slipped off his shoulder earlier.
Probably because it wasn't used to being stared at so much.
Even though the Tauros Chase Festival hadn't officially started yet, Leaf Town was already packed with people.
As a coastal town, Leaf Town didn't really look like a "small town" at all, it felt more like a developed city.
This was largely due to the enormous economic benefits brought in every year by the Tauros Chase Festival and Tauros battles.
Another major factor was the Pokémon Trade Convention held after the festivities.
Pokémon trading, a social activity highly praised by many in the Pokémon world.
The idea was that Trainers would exchange Pokémon with one another, strengthening friendships while helping Pokémon find suitable human partners.
It all sounded very noble.
But in Silas's and many others' eyes, it was simply a different form of Pokémon transaction.
For Pokémon with emotions and independent thought, being traded was undeniably cruel.
Pokémon that were traded repeatedly often developed serious negative emotions.
And traded Pokémon generally formed weaker bonds with their new Trainers.
Although the Pokémon Protection Association had repeatedly called for boycotts, Pokémon trading remained widespread.
After all, many aristocrats and gentlemen loved this sort of thing.
And not everyone in the Pokémon world truly valued Pokémon, plenty saw them as tools.
If Pokémon growth weren't so deeply tied to emotional bonds and Trainer compatibility, the situation would be far worse.
Leaf Town's annual Trade Convention was the result of compromise.
Compared to unsupervised private exchanges, this public, regulated format was at least more legitimate.
It helped prevent illegal trading or Pokémon abandonment disguised as exchanges.
After all, for most Trainers, capturing dozens of Pokémon in a single region was normal—over a hundred wasn't impossible.
Not everyone had a system like Zero, allowing every captured Pokémon to remain a core team member.
As the Trade Convention's reputation grew, it gradually expanded beyond simple Pokémon exchanges to include item trades, material transactions, and more.
The tax revenue generated in just these one or two days each year was astronomical.
The middle-aged gentleman who had earlier offered to trade a pseudo-legendary for Ralts was clearly here for this very event.
Silas didn't believe for a second that someone like that would participate in the Tauros Chase Festival.
Still—
Silas gently stroked Ralts's head.
There was no way he'd agree to that man's request.
Silas treasured his partners deeply.
Ralts closed its eyes comfortably.
Silas had indeed come to Leaf Town partly for the Trade Convention.
He planned to sell off some valuable items he no longer needed.
For example, the Rainbow Wing Suicune had given him.
A large-scale convention like this was the perfect place to sell them.
Collectors, artists, businesspeople—excellent marks, every one of them.
Of course, he'd need to be careful.
Once supply increased, the value would drop.
"Here it comes, here it comes!"
Just as Silas was thinking that, people on the street suddenly began shouting nervously.
The once-crowded road was instantly cleared, leaving only tightly packed spectators on both sides.
"I will touch a Tauros!
This time, the title of Number One Warrior of Courage will definitely be mine!"
Many young men around Silas's age flushed red with excitement as they made their vows.
Silas responded with a polite smile.
This was honestly beyond his expectations.
He had always thought the Pokémon Exchange Convention was the main attraction.
Who would've guessed that, in these people's eyes, the Tauros Chase Festival mattered even more?
Following the crowd to the side, Silas looked into the distance.
At the far end of the road, clouds of dust were rolling toward them.
"Hmm—"
The Ralts in Silas's arms instinctively released a pulse of psychic energy.
"Don't worry. Relax."
Silas quickly reassured the little one.
The pressure of thousands of Pokémon charging together was simply overwhelming.
"These Tauros are all captured Pokémon."
A single glance was enough for Silas to notice the details.
Naturally—if they were wild, who knew what kind of disaster might occur?
The Pokémon League would never allow that.
An endless herd of Tauros thundered past along a predetermined route.
"Charge!"
From time to time, young men would roar and rush head-on toward the stampeding Tauros.
The crowd erupted into cheers for them.
As for the outcome…
Well, that wasn't particularly important.
At worst, they'd be sent flying, foaming at the mouth, or trampled until they were covered in hoofprints.
Given the physical toughness of people in the Pokémon world and modern medical care, these were minor injuries.
"Leaf Town TV, Leaf Town TV!
We're bringing you a live broadcast of the Tauros Chase Festival!
Our young Trainers are boldly challenging the title of Bravest One!"
In the sky, an official League female announcer provided commentary from an airship.
As the cameraman switched angles, a string of cringe-worthy moments unfolded one after another.
Yet the duo clearly had plenty of experience—they handled it with ease.
"Oh? What's this?
That handsome young man holding a Ralts—what's he planning to do? Could he be trying to challenge the Tauros horns with a Pokémon in his arms?!"
The announcer's voice rose in surprise.
The cameraman instinctively locked onto the "handsome young man" she mentioned.
There was no helping it, his presence stood out too much.
"Well then… let's do this."
Caught up in the atmosphere, Silas felt his blood boiling.
He lowered his head and smiled at Ralts.
Then, holding it firmly, he charged forward.
Ralts instinctively used psychic power to anchor itself to Silas's body.
It didn't even realize that its emotions had shifted, from initial resistance to a faint sense of excitement.
This feeling…
It wasn't bad at all.
That was Ralts's thought.
The next instant, the world spun.
"Damn it."
Silas cursed internally as his hand brushed against a Tauros's horn.
Why were these Tauros so ridiculously strong?!
He'd even deliberately chosen a smaller one.
Feeling the massive impact through his arm, Silas's eyes sharpened and instead of retreating, he advanced.
Using the Tauros's forward momentum, his entire body pivoted around his arms, tracing a perfect semicircle in midair.
"What a beautiful arc!
But how will this handsome young man deal with the Tauros herd charging right behind him?!"
The announcer exclaimed.
While airborne, Silas spotted the next Tauros rushing toward him.
If nothing changed, the moment he landed, it would slam straight into him.
It wouldn't be fatal, but it would definitely hurt.
"Ralts."
Silas called softly.
"Ral."
The Ralts in his arms opened its tightly shut eyes.
A faint red glow flickered.
Then, before the stunned eyes of everyone watching, silas took several steps in midair.
Tap.
He landed gently on the rooftop of a nearby building.
"Well done."
"Ralts~"
Only then did the crowd below erupt into deafening cheers.
The seamless coordination between Silas and Ralts.
One word: stylish.
"Nom…"
In a place unseen by human eyes, a small fairy-like Pokémon with two gray tails, each tipped with a red jewel, let out a soft cry.
Its head was an inverted blue triangle.
"Ux…"
"Mes…"
Beside it, two similar Pokémon made indistinct sounds.
One had a yellow, helmet-like head.
The other was purplish-red, with four long appendages resembling octopus tentacles.
Reflected in all three of their eyes, were Silas and Ralts.
"So, was it exciting?"
Unaware he was being watched, Silas asked with a grin.
"Ral!"
Ralts cried out excitedly.
That experience had been unlike anything it had ever felt before.
"So don't be afraid," Silas said cheerfully.
"Just charge forward bravely, and that's all there is to it~"
....
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