A high-end restaurant in Kaina City.
Flint wiped his hands and the corners of his mouth with a napkin from the table, glanced at his watch, and said with a hint of apology, "Natsuhiko, I should be going."
"Alright." Natsuhiko also put down his fork.
This meal was probably the most expensive one he had eaten since coming to the Pokémon Realm.
Fortunately, he didn't have to pay for it himself, so he wouldn't have to look at that long string of numbers.
"By the way." Flint handed over a golden card, "This is a VIP card from our Devon, you can enjoy free services at all Devon establishments. I hope you have fun in the Hoenn Region."
Natsuhiko accepted the golden card engraved with elegant rose patterns. It wasn't heavy, but its significance was.
"I'll be busy in Kaina City for another three to five days. You can explore the nearby area or go to Kanaz City. There, you'll get a better sense of the Hoenn Region's local culture and customs."
With those words, Flint stood up to leave.
As he reached the door, he added, "By the way, Natsuhiko, I read the paper you and Researcher Sakuragi published; it's quite outstanding."
Then he turned and disappeared through the door.
Natsuhiko's fingers traced the rose patterns on the metallic card.
Flint and Hilona knew his nickname "Dodo."
Lately, their paper on "Affinity" had been quite popular.
Especially as Sakuragi repeatedly published the experimental results and various data, even creating a tool to measure affinity, sparking a new wave of interest in the research community.
Many people were paying attention to the progress of this research.
The existence of "Affinity" had basically been proven. The next step was to demonstrate its effects and significance.
That is to show how a particular Pokémon, or certain Pokémon, could evolve when their affinity reached a certain threshold.
If even this could be successfully proven, the value of that paper and the research would be greatly enhanced.
Some say this is the final step for Sakuragi in obtaining his Doctorate degree, and his success this time will pave the way for him to become a Doctor smoothly.
Others say Sakuragi has already secured his Doctorate, and this will be his first success after becoming a Doctor.
Of course, many people focus on the other author listed on the paper.
That is the "Dodo" alias used by Natsuhiko.
Many have speculated about his identity and the role he played in the experiment.
Knowing that "Dodo" was Natsuhiko, Flint's regard for him naturally increased.
This might be one reason why Flint took the time to entertain Natsuhiko amidst his busy schedule.
Of course, it could also be because they got along well. Flint had invited Natsuhiko back in Goldenrod City, fulfilling a promise.
But whatever the case...
"Even though I only provided the initial idea and hypothesis, the impact of that paper is slowly becoming evident." Natsuhiko shoved the last piece of beef into his mouth and casually wiped his mouth.
Regardless, the paper definitely influenced Flint's perception of Natsuhiko to some extent.
He left the hotel in strides.
"There are still many places worth visiting in the Hoenn Region."
...
...
The sun was setting in the west.
At the western entrance of the Hoenn Region, by Meteor Falls.
Natsuhiko arrived there holding Togetic.
"The speed of a private jet is truly quick," Natsuhiko couldn't help but marvel.
Flint's golden card was more useful than he anticipated. Originally, he only planned to fly to Kanaz City, which was theoretically the largest city in the Hoenn Region and likely to have the biggest black market. He intended to sell some items and perhaps purchase others.
To his surprise, the golden card allowed him to take a private jet.
So Natsuhiko decided to forgo the idea of going to Kanaz City first and instead headed to Meteor Falls, north of Kanaz City.
This is one of the most famous places in the Hoenn Region, second only to Chimney Mountain.
Legend has it that Meteor Falls was formed by the impact of a massive meteorite, featuring a large waterfall and several smaller ones.
Moreover, the high temperatures brought by the meteorite's fall created intricate caves and tunnels within, housing many wild Pokémon.
And Natsuhiko came here for two reasons.
Primarily, he wanted a place to train his Pokémon.
Beedrill had just reached Elite Level, with improvements in physique, energy enhancement, and changes in strength. These had made it stronger, but it still needed time to adapt to its changes and better understand its current power.
Togepi had evolved into Togetic, and many of its abilities needed to be developed and explored.
Abra was still at the Excellence Level, but its daily progress was evident. Perhaps, upon encountering an opportunity, it might break through to Senior Level, or even evolve into Yujira.
All three Pokémon needed training, and battles were undeniably one of the best training methods.
The other reason was that he had heard there were Bagon in Meteor Falls, though extremely rare. He wanted to try his luck.
Bagon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, ultimately evolves into Salamence, one of Hoenn Region's quasi-god Pokémon, also known as "Blood-winged Flying Dragon."
The term "Quasi-God Pokémon" speaks for its value.
Any quasi-god Pokémon, if auctioned on the black market, would surely fetch a sky-high price.
Because having a quasi-god Pokémon and raising it successfully represents the upper potential of a Trainer.
However, while quasi-god Pokémon are powerful, they are only truly so after reaching their final evolutionary form.
Before evolving, the strength of a quasi-god Pokémon isn't prominently displayed.
Moreover,
The evolution of a quasi-god Pokémon is undoubtedly much slower compared to other Pokémon, requiring far more resources than training an ordinary Pokémon.
So without enough resources, having a quasi-god Pokémon that isn't fully grown can be a burden rather than a blessing.
With only four million Alliance Coins in resources, Natsuhiko's means on the path of raising a quasi-god Pokémon might just make a ripple in a calm lake.
Completely unaffordable.
But being unaffordable doesn't mean he can't hope for it. You never know what might happen.
Just like a house giveaway lottery, knowing he can't afford the renovations but still wanting to join in the fun, just in case.
It wouldn't hurt just to look.
Moreover, selling a quasi-god Pokémon could ensure that Natsuhiko wouldn't have to worry about resources for the coming years.
"Just a thought." Natsuhiko chuckled self-mockingly.
Looking at the bustling crowd outside Meteor Falls, many people shared his mindset.
There were many people harboring unrealistic fantasies.
Since any place would be suitable for training, why not come to Meteor Falls? What if by some stroke of luck, he encountered a Bagon?
The notion of selling it if he couldn't raise it was just a joke.
If Natsuhiko did capture a Bagon, he would go all out, even if it meant going broke, turning to become a Pokémon Hunter, a Bounty Hunter, joining some underground organization, or even taking on some "tasks" not sanctioned by the Alliance.
Whether he could afford to raise it was a matter for later; even just having it was stylish!
"I haven't even gone in yet, and I'm filled with these unrealistic dreams." Natsuhiko shook his head, following the crowd into Meteor Falls.
The number of people coming and going to Meteor Falls is huge, yet nobody has ever been seen capturing a Bagon, indicating just how low the odds are.
Natsuhiko let his imagination run wild for a bit, then focused on the training and development of his Pokémon.
This was his true focus for now.
He wasn't going to drop the bag of sesame seeds he had for a watermelon he couldn't even see.
He wasn't going to mix up priorities.