The stretch of road from the shores of Lake Verity to Rowan's Laboratory became the most "noisy" journey Shinji had experienced since his reincarnation.
Hikari walked right by his side, her chirping voice never stopping, like a cheerful Chatot.
"Shinji, where are you from?"
"Veilstone City."
"How long have you been traveling?"
"Two years."
"..."
Questions like these came one after another. Shinji's answers were always so brief they were stingy; if he could use one word, he would never use two.
But even so, the amount he spoke on this road seemed to be more than his past year combined.
The continuous, crisp voice in his ear made him a bit uncomfortable, yet strangely, he didn't feel any real annoyance.
Through this one-sided "interrogation" along the way, Hikari gained a preliminary understanding of Shinji.
From Veilstone City, experienced in traveling, and his goal is to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer.
Although he was a man of few words who could be blunt, and his personality was as cold as a block of ice, his strength was great, and he was very reliable at critical moments.
This contrast made her even more curious about the purple-haired boy before her.
The two of them soon arrived back at Rowan's Laboratory.
As soon as they entered, Hikari carried Piplup and walked quickly toward a steady-looking elderly man in a white lab coat—Professor Rowan.
"Professor, I've brought Piplup back!" Hikari's voice carried the relief of completing a task.
"Thank you for your hard work, Hikari." Professor Rowan nodded gently, took Piplup, and checked it carefully, confirming it was in good condition.
Shinji also stepped forward at this time, bowing slightly to Professor Rowan with the appropriate respect: "Hello, Professor Rowan. I am Shinji from Veilstone City, here to visit you today. Also, my brother Raiji asked me to give you his regards."
"Oh? It's Shinji. And that boy Raiji, how thoughtful of him." Professor Rowan turned around and gave a gentle smile upon seeing Shinji, then noticed Hikari next to him.
Hikari immediately leaned in, her eyes sparkling as she added, "Professor! It's all thanks to Shinji's help that I was able to bring Piplup back safely!
And just now at Lake Verity, we even saw the legendary Pokémon Mesprit!"
Hearing "legendary Pokémon," the surrounding research assistants all showed surprised expressions, but Professor Rowan remained calm, clearly having seen many great storms before.
He looked at Hikari and encouraged her solemnly: "Lake Verity has had many legends since ancient times. Being able to see Mesprit's figure shows that you are a child with a pure heart.
Hikari, this is a rare experience, but do not forget that as a Trainer, it is more important to be down-to-earth in cultivating bonds with your Pokémon and fulfilling the responsibility of caring for them and growing together."
"Yes! I understand, Professor." Hikari nodded seriously.
Only then did Professor Rowan turn to Shinji and nod. "Shinji, thank you for taking care of Hikari and Piplup."
"It was only right." Shinji waved his hand slightly, not saying much.
"So, Shinji, do you have some business here at the laboratory?" Professor Rowan asked naturally.
"I've come to visit you, Professor, and I'd also like to ask for your help in upgrading my Pokédex," Shinji explained his purpose. "I'm preparing to start challenging the Sinnoh League."
"Challenging the Sinnoh League? A fine ambition." Professor Rowan nodded approvingly. "However, please wait a moment. Let Hikari finish choosing her starter Pokémon first, and then I will upgrade the pokédex for you."
"No problem." Shinji nodded in agreement and quietly stepped aside.
Professor Rowan signaled an assistant to bring three Poké Balls. With flashes of red light, Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig appeared before Hikari.
"Hikari, these are the three starter Pokémon of the Sinnoh Region," Professor Rowan introduced. "Chimchar, the Fire type; Piplup, the Water type; and Turtwig, the Grass type.
They are all excellent Pokémon. You can choose one of them as your partner."
Hikari's gaze circled the three Pokémon, and Shinji's words from earlier suddenly flashed through her mind: 'This Piplup has good potential; it's worth training.'
Recalling the wonderful fate of witnessing Mesprit's appearance together with Piplup, she had her answer in an instant.
She no longer hesitated and pointed at Piplup, saying seriously, "I choose Piplup!"
"An excellent choice."
Seeing this, a hint of a smile appeared in Professor Rowan's eyes. He handed the Poké Ball containing Piplup to Hikari, along with a brand-new Pokédex and five empty Poké Balls.
Then he gave Hikari a detailed explanation of how to use the Pokédex and the basic knowledge of Poké Balls.
Hikari solemnly accepted these "essentials" for becoming a Trainer, then crouched down, looked Piplup in the eye, reached out her hand, and said with a bright smile:
"Piplup, starting today, we are partners traveling together! Please take good care of me!"
"Piplu-Piplup!"
Piplup nodded vigorously and placed its small wing on Hikari's hand.
Watching this scene, Professor Rowan smiled and then gestured to Shinji: "Shinji, come with me. I'll upgrade your pokédex."
Shinji followed Professor Rowan into the inner workshop.
The process of upgrading the pokédex was very fast. A moment later, he handed the updated pokédex back to Shinji and encouraged, "Shinji, I look forward to seeing you show your strength on the stage of the Sinnoh League. Good luck!"
"Thank you, Professor, I will." Shinji took the pokédex, nodded his thanks again, and then turned to leave the laboratory.
Just as he stepped out the main door, a crisp voice called out to him: "Shinji! Wait a minute!"
Shinji turned back and saw Hikari pushing her bicycle, quickly catching up.
Perhaps the conversation along the way had softened the atmosphere a bit, or perhaps because of that sliver of care he hadn't even noticed himself, he didn't leave immediately, but instead took the initiative to ask: "What is it?"
Hikari ran up to him, her cheeks slightly flushed. She somewhat bashfully twirled a strand of hair with her finger, her voice a bit softer than usual: "I... I heard you're going to challenge the Sinnoh League. This is my first time traveling, and I don't have much experience. Can we... can we travel together? I think I can learn a lot from you."
"No." Shinji refused without even thinking, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable firmness. "I'm used to being alone."
After saying that, he turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.
"Eh! How can you be like this?" Hikari was stunned for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks and quickly pushed her bicycle to catch up, following closely by Shinji's side.
"Just take me with you! I won't hold you back! I can take care of myself and Piplup!"
"What's so bad about traveling together? I can help you with many things!"
"Look, I know a lot of information about the Sinnoh Region!"
"Hey! Shinji! Listen to me..."
"..."
Hikari made full use of her spirit of perseverance. Along the way, she was like a Chatot, chirping incessantly in Shinji's ear, trying to convince him with all sorts of reasons.
Shinji remained expressionless, walking straight ahead without looking aside, completely treating Hikari's words as wind passing his ears.
But it was undeniable that this journey was indeed much more "lively" than when he was alone.
Therefore, Shinji didn't deliberately speed up his pace to lose her.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the entrance of the Sandgem Town Pokémon Center.
"Aren't we going traveling? What are we doing at the Pokémon Center?" Hikari asked curiously, looking at the familiar red and white building before her.
Hearing Hikari's "naive" question, Shinji finally couldn't help but stop. He glanced at her with quite a bit of speechlessness, looking at her as if she were an idiot, and coldly spat out a few words: "It's getting dark. We'll continue the journey tomorrow."
Shinji thought to himself that if it weren't to take care of her since it was her first time traveling and he wanted her to get a good night's sleep, how could he possibly have come to the Pokémon Center?
With those words, Shinji walked straight into the Pokémon Center. He used his newly upgraded pokédex to register for the Sinnoh League Conference and then walked toward the cafeteria.
Seeing this, Hikari also pushed her bicycle in and followed him like a little tail.
Shinji looked at this "tag-along" stuck behind him; in the end, he couldn't bring himself to ignore her completely.
He walked to the counter and first got a well-balanced meal for Hikari before turning to get his own portion.
Hikari looked at the meal handed to her and was stunned for a moment, then a wave of warmth surged in her heart.
It turned out this cold guy could actually care about people.
This made her even more determined to travel with Shinji. She held her meal and sat obediently to the side to eat.
After finishing the meal, looking at the little tail that had been following him, Shinji sighed helplessly. He took Hikari to the front desk to handle the accommodation procedures and booked two adjacent rooms.
The night passed in silence.
The next day, the morning light was faint, and the air was fresh.
Shinji packed his things early and walked out of the Pokémon Center.
Just as he reached the door, he saw Hikari already waiting for him with her bicycle, a smile full of energy on her face.
Shinji's gaze fell on the bicycle by her side, his brow twitching slightly: "Are you planning to tour on a bicycle?"
"Yeah! Aren't we going to ride? It'll be faster that way, right?" Hikari said as if it were a matter of course.
"I'm walking." Shinji was too lazy to explain the significance of a Trainer's walking journey to her and directly stated his stance.
"Eh! Wait for me!" Hikari immediately became anxious. She hurriedly took two steps to catch up, then looked back at the bicycle, shouting with an anxious face, "Then what about my bicycle? Don't walk so fast, Shinji!"
Hearing her anxious voice, Shinji's footsteps finally stopped.
He turned around, helplessly walked back, took the bicycle from her hand, pushed it into the Pokémon Center, and handed it over to Nurse Joy for safekeeping. After giving a few simple instructions, he walked back out.
Seeing that Shinji had settled her bicycle for her, the anxiety on Hikari's face instantly turned into a brilliant smile, her deep blue eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
Shinji felt a bit uncomfortable being looked at with that silly smile. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and said irritably, "Let's go."
"Okay!" Hikari responded crisply and quickly followed by his side.
The morning sun elongated their shadows, casting them onto the clean stone path of Sandgem Town, gradually merging and extending toward the distance.
Shinji still walked in front with steady steps, while Hikari followed at his side, her chirping voice starting up again.
Although Shinji was still a man of few words, this time, he did not refuse her company again.
Their Sinnoh journey officially began in such a wonderful atmosphere.
PS: Happy New Year, everyone!