"Misty, you should join us too~"
Just before the orange-haired girl's expression completely shattered, Hakuya turned his head and casually dropped the bomb.
"Eh? EEEHHH?!" Misty froze, a squeak of shock escaping her lips.
"Why are you so surprised? Didn't we agree earlier that I'd help you with special training?"
Hakuya tilted his head, genuinely amused by the girl's reaction.
He naturally remembered that back in the outskirts of Viridian Forest, because she had to face a League Inspector's Gym qualification exam in three months, he had promised to train her Pokémon for a while.
But for some reason, perhaps associating it with a certain keyword, a deep blush rushed to the girl's cheeks.
"W-We didn't agree on anything!" Misty turned her flushed face away, taking a long moment to compose herself before forcing a haughty tone. "But... since you're insisting, I suppose I can reluctantly join in..."
"Huh?"
You know... I need to state for the record that the 'tsundere' act is really outdated in this era—
Hakuya shook his head and decided not to say anything else that might make the girl blush harder.
Because a certain hissing cat was rapidly approaching their location.
"Milcery, I'm counting on you."
"Nai~"
Entrusted with this heavy responsibility, Milcery looked at the glowing starfish and the yellow rodent in front of her and let out a soft sigh.
Heaven only knew how much she was going to have to hold back to avoid knocking these two out cold in the first five seconds.
Before long, the rhythmic, agonized cries of Pikachu and Starmie echoed from the Pokémon Center's training battlefield.
"Hang in there, Pikachu! If we just keep pushing, we can crush the Kanto Gyms under our feet just like Hakuya-bro!"
Ash roared encouragingly at the yellow rodent, which looked ready to lie flat and play dead any second now.
"That is the ONE thing you cannot do! Starmie, don't fall! We have to protect the glory of the Cerulean Gym to the bitter end!"
Refusing to let another rookie Trainer come and wreck her Gym, Misty shouted just as fiercely, unwilling to be outdone.
"Meowha?"
"It should be... fine, probably~"
Faced with Sprigatito's confused head tilt, Hakuya just shrugged casually.
Compared to fighting a [Wonder Guard] Milcery, dealing with Randomized Emerald's [Desolate Land] Reshiram, [Prankster] Arceus, [Dark Aura] Darkrai, [Contrary] Rayquaza, [Fairy Aura] Palkia, and [Cloud Nine] Dialga was what truly made a person sweat bullets.
———— While Pikachu and Starmie Were Actively Getting Elbowed ————
When night fell, Hakuya entered the world of Randomized Emerald as usual.
[Rustboro Gym, the first League Gym in the Hoenn region. Gym Leader: Roxanne. Specialty: Rock-type. Challengers are advised to bring Pokémon that have an advantage against Rock-types.]
"Uh, when did this shiny Fearow feather get into my backpack?"
A confused voice echoed through the massive Rustboro Gym.
Looking at the feather radiating a seven-colored brilliance in his hand, Hakuya couldn't help but stare blankly.
[Rainbow Wing: A mysterious feather that glows with a rainbow light.]
No wonder he had suddenly been dubbed the "Rainbow Hero." That shiny Fearow had slipped a feather into his inventory.
"Whatever, I'll just hoard it in my bag."
Hakuya shook his head and tossed it into his System Backpack as if it were a common potion.
He already had a Legend Plate gifted by an NPC; a mere Ho-Oh feather wasn't going to shock him. It could sit in the inventory and gather dust with the rest of his loot.
Having dealt with the shiny Fearow's feather, Hakuya pulled out the Boulder Badge he had obtained from Brock.
But to his surprise, the badge didn't trigger anything.
Then, two holographic screens popped up before his eyes.
—[Randomized Emerald Gym Challenge Rules (Addendum)]
—[The real-world badge must match the Gym's type AND be obtained from a female Gym Leader.]
"Huh?! That's what you meant by 'special'?!"
Hakuya squeezed the Boulder Badge in his hand, desperately fighting the urge to scream at the sadistic developer of this Randomized Emerald.
You cryptic bastard, why didn't you say that earlier?!
Where the hell was he supposed to find a female Rock-type Gym Leader right now?
Oh wait. Roxanne in the Hoenn region actually fit the bill perfectly!
After wracking his brain, Hakuya glanced at the figure wearing red thigh-high socks in front of him and realized he genuinely couldn't think of a second female Rock-type Gym Leader.
Alright, before fighting the Gym in Randomized Emerald, he'd have to go pay her a visit in reality first.
Without a shred of hesitation, Hakuya finalized his plan: he was heading to the Hoenn region to violently elbow Roxanne in the next few days.
...
Traveling is always full of accidents and sudden changes.
This is especially true in the Pokémon world.
"W-What? You're saying you're heading back to the Hoenn region in a few days?!"
Misty's shocked exclamation echoed through the Pokémon Center early the next morning.
"Yeah, something came up and I need to head back to Hoenn for a bit. I think I need to catch a ferry from Vermilion City..."
Hakuya nodded gently, confirming the news.
If he wanted to continue progressing the Emerald storyline, going to Hoenn to kick down the Rustboro Gym was unavoidable.
Receiving Hakuya's definitive answer, the girl with the orange side-braid fell silent.
The side-braid that usually bounced with youthful energy was now visibly drooping.
Just as Misty lowered her head, feeling utterly crestfallen, a voice suddenly sounded near her ear.
"Um..." Hakuya scratched his head and said, sounding a bit embarrassed, "I'm not entirely sure where Vermilion City is exactly. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to guide me there, Misty?"
"Eh? O-Of course no problem! Leave it to me!"
With the plan to head to Vermilion City for the ferry after elbowing the Pewter Gym settled, Hakuya returned to his room.
The Pokémon Egg he had received from Officer Jenny in Viridian City was resting safely on his table.
"Hmm... it feels like it's going to be a long time before this hatches~"
Hakuya gently picked up the egg, which was covered in silver and pink patterns but showed no signs of movement, and sighed softly.
A Pokémon Egg's incubation period generally ranged from a month to half a year. As time passed, the egg would begin to rock more frequently.
If this were a game, hatching an egg just required putting it in the party and walking a specific number of steps. But perhaps because he had obtained it in reality, no matter how many steps Hakuya ran in the Randomized Emerald, the egg showed zero signs of hatching. It seemed he had no choice but to wait patiently.
As he was wiping the egg down with a towel, Ash's shouts of "Dodge it!" echoed from outside the window.
During this special training, not only was Ash's Pikachu getting an intense workout, but Milcery, acting as the drill instructor, was benefiting greatly as well.
Because she was so used to violently elbowing overpowered monsters in the Randomized Emerald, her raw power had skyrocketed, but her fine control had suffered, often resulting in her using too much force. Therefore, occasionally playing in lower-tier lobbies to practice reigning in her immense power was a good thing.
Were there negative examples of her failing to control her strength?
Naturally, yes.
Hakuya carefully placed the Pokémon Egg back onto the folded towel, his gaze drifting over to a massive, ragged hole torn right through the bedsheets.
Needless to say, this masterpiece was the result of a certain cat's terrible sleeping posture last night.
Turning his head, Hakuya swiftly snatched up the cat, who had just woken up and was attempting to sneak away.
"Sprigatito, why did you tear a hole in the blanket again?"
"Meowha, meowha~"
Faced with the undeniable evidence presented by her Trainer, Sprigatito stiffened. Then, she forced tears to well up in her large eyes, looking incredibly pitiful.
The willful kitten frequently used this tactic to fish for her Trainer's sympathy.
But having seen it so many times, Hakuya's heart was now as still as a tranquil pond.
Heh, wait until you evolve into Meowscarada before trying these cheap tricks on me—