May practiced in the noise for over an hour. Then it was finally the midday break. After she finished her lunch, she went to the greenhouse by herself.
The greenhouse at the Celadon Gym was much larger now than it was before it was rebuilt. It was thousands of square meters in size. It was divided into areas of different sizes. Inside, there were many green plants that made the place look lush. There were also many Grass-type Pokémon living there.
Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel were there.
There were also some Grass-type Pokémon that Erika had caught in Johto and Hoenn. These Pokémon lived together peacefully. Sometimes, a Pokémon would look out from the bushes. They looked relaxed and calm.
However, May was not looking for these Pokémon.
She walked slowly through the greenhouse. She looked carefully between the trees to find Celebi.
She had seen a quick glimpse of it earlier. Now she really wanted to meet this Pokémon face-to-face.
After all, that was a Mythical Pokémon!
It was a rare Pokémon that many people would never see in their whole lives!
Now it was right here in the Gym. This was a chance that only happens once in a lifetime. Of course, she had to get a good look at it.
Most importantly, this was Natsui's Pokémon. It would not get scared and run away. It would not attack her. It was safe and harmless. This made her feel brave enough to search for it.
However, the terrain in the greenhouse was very complex. The plants were very thick. May walked for a long time but could not find Celebi again.
Fortunately, she did not give up easily. She was determined to see Celebi before she left. She went into the deepest part of the greenhouse.
It was much harder to walk here than in other places. The area was full of thick, strong trees. These trees were so close together that they blocked her view. May could only see about one or two meters around her. She was not sure if it was real, but she felt like the air was getting thin. After walking only ten meters, she felt like she could not breathe!
May stumbled and had to grab a tree trunk so she would not fall.
She walked a few more steps in this situation. She went around a large tree that blocked her path. Then a small clearing appeared in front of her. The situation finally became a bit better.
She was just about to sit down and rest. At that moment, she looked across the area. She saw a small, green Pokémon. It was flying lightly and quickly above some flowers.
It was Celebi!!
May felt much better. She forgot that she needed to rest. She quickly took a few steps closer.
At this moment, she finally saw this Mythical Pokémon clearly.
It had a small green, bulb-like head. It had transparent wings on its back. It had large blue eyes and two small antennae on its head. It looked very cute.
May approached carefully. She moved close to Celebi and it saw her.
Celebi was often with Erika and the others. Also, it already belonged to a Trainer. So Celebi did not seem to fear May. Instead, it flew around her with interest. It looked at the girl it was meeting for the first time.
"Hello," May said to it with a smile. "I'm Natsui's friend. I'm very happy to meet you."
"Bi~"
Celebi tilted its head and looked at her. It had a confused expression on its face.
May was about to say something else. Then Natsui's voice suddenly came from behind her.
"You used the wrong name." Natsui spoke as he walked to May's side. He looked at Celebi with her. "I am the one who caught Celebi, but I have not built a very strong bond with it yet. If you want to get close to it, it is better to say Erika's name."
"Huh?" May was surprised. "But isn't it your Pokémon?"
"It is mine," Natsui said with a smile. "However, I left it here with Erika not long after I caught it. You know about my relationship with Erika. So, even though it belongs to me, it is a Pokémon shared by Erika and me."
When Natsui said this, May understood everything.
No wonder those girls said it was a love-pledge Pokémon between Natsui and Erika. This showed how close they were. So that was the reason.
"So, do you plan to leave it here forever?"
"We'll see." Natsui shook his head. "I originally left it here so it could stay with Erika for me. Celebi is a Psychic-type and also a Grass-type. It matches Erika's specialty perfectly!"
Celebi had not seen Natsui in a long time, but it recognized him. He was the one who caught it and spent time with it.
It turned and began to fly around Natsui. Natsui looked at it from a short distance. He noticed that it looked a bit chubbier. It seemed Erika had taken very good care of it.
Natsui thought of something and laughed again. "Actually, this little guy is just like you. It is a total glutton! I caught it back then using only one bowl of cup noodles."
"Cup... cup noodles!?"
May's mouth stayed open in shock. She really could not imagine it. A great Mythical Pokémon is something many people dream of but never find. But it was caught with a bowl of cup noodles!
"That's right. It happened because it loved food too much."
Natsui sighed as he said this.
"However... I remember when I first caught it. I promised I would take it all over the world to taste many kinds of delicious food. Now it seems like I won't be able to do that for a while."
"Why is that?" May asked. She was confused. "Why can't you take it with you on your journey? Don't you have that... that one..."
May did not finish her sentence, but Natsui knew she was talking about his Deoxys.
Misty had told him later that she told May about Deoxys. So, it was not surprising that May knew he had a Legendary Pokémon.
Also, May was going to travel with him now. He would slowly show his secrets to her anyway. He did not need to hide them.
"The situations for these two Pokémon are different." Natsui shook his head. He said, "Deoxys was born for battle. I trained it to treat battle as its main goal. Celebi has good fighting skills, but it prefers peace. It does not have a strong competitive spirit. In my current situation, I don't know when I will have to fight powerful enemies. I can only carry a limited number of Pokémon. Celebi is very strong, but I can't keep it with me all the time."
May understood. So that was the reason.
Natsui continued, "Of course, I will take it on a trip around the world when my journey finally ends. For now... I'll let it stay with Erika for a while longer."
They had a relaxing day of rest at the Celadon Gym. Then evening arrived. The three of them had dinner. After that, Natsui and Erika returned to the bedroom. They worked hard together that night.
However, Natsui saved some of his physical strength that night. This helped him wake up very early the next day.
He had already stayed here for one extra day. He had to leave today.
Erika knew this very well. She did not want him to leave, but she acted like a good wife. She prepared the travel bags for Natsui.
"I made lunch boxes and put them inside. There is enough for both of you to eat until you reach Pallet Town."
She stood in front of the Gym and handed the bag to Natsui. Erika did not care about the people watching them. She fixed Natsui's clothes carefully. She gave him some instructions.
Natsui looked at Erika. He felt moved. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Natsui immediately smelled the pleasant scent of her perfume and hair.
He held her soft body and said softly in her ear, "Go back. You don't need to watch me leave. I'll come back here after my Sinnoh journey is over."
Being apart for a long time was never easy.
But Erika also knew what Natsui wanted. She knew he wanted to challenge the world. She was sad to see him go, but she encouraged him. In her heart, she looked forward to their next meeting. She also thought about the life they would have when Natsui stopped traveling.
"Yes, I'll be waiting for you."
The Gym assistants watched them. Natsui gave Erika a light kiss on the lips. Then he waved to the group. He left with May and did not look back.
For Natsui, this was not the time to stay in a comfortable place. He had come to this world, so he had to make the most of it. He wanted to make a place for himself.
Most importantly, Erika and Sabrina were both excellent in every way. They were strong and beautiful Gym Leaders. Natsui felt he had to work harder to be good enough for them.
Three regional championships were not enough for him.
That alone meant nothing to him!
He wanted to be the strongest in the world!
...
Natsui and May left the Celadon Gym. They went straight west toward Pallet Town.
Their destination was Professor Oak's Research Lab in Pallet Town.
May did not understand why. She thought they were just going to meet Ash. But Natsui's real goal was to help her get the Squirtle. It was the one she was supposed to have!
Natsui had to take responsibility since May was traveling with him.
He did not know much about being a Pokémon Coordinator. He had battle skills and knowledge, but he could not offer May much help with Contests. But he wanted to make sure she got the Pokémon she was supposed to have!
Also, the next Battle Frontier facility was near Mt. Moon. That was not far from Pallet Town. So this trip was also on the way.
Once they had a goal, the road did not seem so hard to walk.
They traveled for half a day. Then Natsui passed by the long bridge in Kanto again. Natsui felt many emotions when he saw the place where Team Rocket once attacked. This time, they did not walk across the bridge. Natsui and May rode on Dragonite to save time. They flew directly across the sky.
This was the first time May had ridden with Natsui. She sat behind him and looked at the sea below. She felt curious, but the close distance made her heart race a little.
Sometimes Dragonite tilted while riding an air current. Then her body would press against Natsui's broad back. This made her face turn red.
At her age, thoughts like that came easily.
She was already a bit more mature than boys. Usually, she was with young boys like Ash and Max. This was the first time she really saw what a mature man was like.
She thought about everything she had seen in the last few days. It all had a big impact on her. It also made her feel some strange emotions.
She was experiencing what Misty had experienced before.
Unfortunately, it seemed she was also following in Misty's footsteps.
Dragonite landed and Natsui helped May down. He immediately saw that something was unusual about her.
However, he did not think about it too much. He just thought she was cold from the wind.
After they crossed the bridge, they were not far from Pallet Town. But they could not reach it quickly.
"Natsui..." May waited for a moment and then asked, "Why don't we just ride Dragonite all the way there? Wouldn't that be faster?"
Misty had asked this same question before. Natsui looked at May. He felt like he was seeing Misty again.
He came back to his senses and the image of Misty disappeared. Natsui saw clearly that the person in front of him was not Misty, but May.
Natsui pointed at the rivers, trees, and stones on the sides of the road. He did not answer her question first. Instead, he asked her a question.
"What do you feel?"
"Huh?"
May did not understand what Natsui meant at first. However, she was an intelligent girl. She thought for a moment and then she understood the point.
"I feel nature... Natsui, are you trying to say that riding Dragonite is just traveling? Are you saying you can't learn anything from these surroundings?"
"You're overthinking it." Natsui laughed out loud after he heard her answer. "I just wanted to tell you that you can enjoy the scenery when you walk. But in the sky, there are only clouds and the ground passing by!"
May: ...
She had thought seriously for a long time. She did not expect the reason was so simple!!
May helplessly put her hand to her forehead. However, she now knew Natsui's humorous side.
They talked and walked for another part of the journey.
Natsui was about to suggest a break to eat. Then May suddenly got a phone call from Max.
"That's strange. Why is Max calling me?"
May felt confused. She answered the call. She heard Max's excited voice.
"Sis, where are you!? Hehe, you don't know yet, right? I'm currently a guest at Professor Oak's Lab with Professor Birch!"