Tetsu walked toward Tyranitar Hall, which was located right next to his own building.
As he arrived, he looked at the architectural style of the building with a hint of envy.
I wish I lived in Tyranitar Hall, he thought. Although Heracross Hall is quite good, it's still not as cool as Tyranitar.
In the courtyard on the first floor stood a massive statue of a Tyranitar.
It was truly impressive. Tetsu took one last look before heading upstairs; Sato lived in room 406 on the fourth floor.
After a two-minute climb, he reached the fourth floor and walked a few steps to the right to reach the door of 406.
Knock, knock.
There was no response at first. After a short wait, the door opened.
It was Sato. He looked slightly surprised to see Tetsu.
"Tetsu? Why are you here?"
"Why didn't you answer my calls?"
Sato looked behind him and explained, "I was probably training at the time. I always turn off my phone during training."
Tetsu accepted the explanation, knowing Sato wasn't the type to lie.
"By the way, what's going on with you and Konan? Why did you apply for a leave of absence?"
Sato thought for a moment before replying, "Konan and I want to go on a journey just like Eichi."
"I've never been out on a journey in my life."
"Furthermore, Konan and I also plan to participate in this year's Johto League."
Tetsu nodded understandingly.
"I see. You two just don't want to lose to Eichi; you have to compete in everything."
"Did Director Yanagi agree to your leave?"
"He did. We already finished self-studying the second-year curriculum, so it won't delay our education."
"Alright then, I don't have much else to say. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"Then I wish you both a smooth journey."
Eichi walked across the muddy ground of a forest. He glanced at the sun in the sky.
Checking his watch, it was 11:00.
It was time for lunch. Eichi stopped and pulled a map out of his backpack to check his surroundings.
His current position was 20 kilometers away from the nearest Pokémon Center.
It would take too long to get there now, so he decided to rest nearby and eat lunch.
He released his perception, sensing the area as he walked, and quickly found a spot with a water source.
By the time Eichi arrived, many people were already there.
Everyone was gathered around a river, preparing meals together. Many Pokémon were chasing and playing with each other.
Eichi also found an open space, set down his backpack, and took out his tools to prepare lunch.
He set up the stove, gathered water, washed his supplies, and once the water boiled, he added vegetables and artificial meat.
After a few minutes, he added the seasonings. It would only take a few more minutes to be ready.
Eichi released his five Pokémon to let them move around while they waited for lunch.
"Eichi!"
Hearing a familiar and pleasant voice, he turned his head and saw a girl with white hair and delicate, cute features wearing a blue athletic skirt.
"It's you, Mizuki," Eichi said with a bit of surprise. Mizuki was a friend he had made in Celadon City.
At that time, right after he and Ryuichi had challenged the Celadon Gym, she had run up to challenge them.
Mizuki, like Ryuichi, was from the Hoenn region. Ryuichi actually knew her, though she didn't know him.
According to Ryuichi, Mizuki had set out on her journey at the age of ten and achieved a top 16 finish as a rookie in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
Now, she had come to the Kanto region to travel.
Mizuki's courage in challenging both him and Ryuichi was commendable, and her strength was decent. Unfortunately, she had run into the two of them. By the way, Ryuichi was a top 8 finisher in the last Lily of the Valley Conference.
Mizuki suffered two consecutive defeats. Honestly, her strength was quite formidable; otherwise, she wouldn't have made the top 16.
They could be considered "friends made through combat."
After that encounter, they had gone their separate ways. This was the first time they had met since.
Mizuki walked over, looked around Eichi, and asked curiously, "Wait, where's Ryuichi? Is he not with you?"
While watching his pot, Eichi replied, "Ryuichi? He went his own way because of something else."
Eichi recalled the event. He and Ryuichi had been traveling together after parting with Mizuki.
However, along the way, Ryuichi suddenly had a different idea. He claimed to have received news from a friend regarding sightings of Zapdos in Vermilion City.
Only then did Eichi realize that Ryuichi, like himself, possessed an intense curiosity toward Legendary Pokémon.
Of course, Eichi's goal was firm. He wouldn't turn back, so the two of them had parted ways.
"By the way, Eichi, what are you cooking? Can I eat with you?"
"That's no problem, of course. I'm cooking quite a bit."
Twenty minutes later, Mizuki sat on the grass, drinking the last bit from her bowl.
"Ah! That was so good. I'm full—so satisfying."
"Eichi, your cooking skills are truly amazing."
Beside her, Eichi unhurriedly sipped his soup.
Behind them, their Pokémon were eating their own Pokémon food and Pokéblocks from their bowls.
After finishing the meal, Eichi washed the dishes, packed his things, and set up a tent to take a nap.
Once everything was organized, he sat on the ground and observed Mizuki's Pokémon.
Mizuki currently had six Pokémon with her: Pidgeot, Swellow, Blaziken, Shiftry, Gyarados, and Teddiursa.
Among them, the talent grades of Pidgeot, Blaziken, and Gyarados had reached Outstanding, while the others were Excellent.
Furthermore, except for Teddiursa, the other five were all at the Experienced rank. Blaziken had even broken through to the Elite (Mid) rank.
At that moment, Mizuki stood up, looking full of energy. "Eichi, let's have another match."
"Let me show you how much I've improved over the past half month."
Looking at Mizuki's expectant eyes, Eichi thought for a moment; a little exercise after a meal wouldn't hurt.
"Sure. How about a one-on-one match?"
"Fine! I'll use Blaziken. It lost to Scizor last time, so let's continue that."
Hearing that it was being challenged, Scizor immediately stood up. Opposite it, Blaziken looked over, eyes filled with the flames of battle.
The two trainers moved to an open area and began the fight.
Compared to their last match, Mizuki had indeed improved a lot, causing some trouble for Scizor.
However, that was as far as it went. She was still a bit too early to defeat Scizor.
In the end, she was crushed by Eichi again. Mizuki looked at Blaziken, who was half-kneeling on the ground; Scizor had held back on the final blow, otherwise Blaziken would have been knocked flat.
Mizuki felt a bit discouraged, so Eichi went over to comfort her, which improved her mood slightly.
Afterward, Eichi went back to his tent to sleep.
When he woke up in the afternoon, Mizuki had left a note for him. She had already departed, and the note stated that they had to have another match the next time they met.
Eichi felt a bit of regret; he had originally intended to invite Mizuki to travel together.