Clair's face darkened: "Search for it yourself. The ID is just 'Clair.'
I sent you a friend request seven days ago, and it still hasn't been accepted."
"Sorry, sorry! So many people have been adding me lately; I must have missed it."
Caster awkwardly pulled out his phone and searched the friend request page.
Sure enough, there was an ID called Clair who had requested to add him as a friend seven days ago.
She'd even passed real-name verification, and her profile stated she was the Blackthorn Gym trainer.
Shortly after, seeing the request had been accepted, Clair released her Flygon again and leaped onto it.
"Blackthorn Gym has a lot of matters waiting for me to handle, so I'll head back first."
Looking down from her elevated position, Clair said, "You can take care of your affairs over the next few days, then come find me at Blackthorn Gym. Contact me on your phone if anything comes up."
With that, Clair patted Flygon's back, ready to leave with decisive efficiency.
But Caster quickly called out to her, somewhat embarrassed: "Actually, I don't really have anything to take care of.
How about I go with you to the Johto region right now? Let me hitch a ride on your Flygon."
The Dragon's Den was located in the Johto region. If Caster wanted to get there, his only current option was to go to Vermilion City and take a ship by sea route, which was relatively time-consuming and exhausting.
As for the maglev train that shuttled between Saffron City in Kanto and Goldenrod City in Johto, it wasn't finished yet, so Caster couldn't take it.
The key issue was that traveling to the Johto region was extremely expensive, and Caster wasn't exactly well-off.
After all, in the Pokémon world, different regions basically equaled different countries.
So if possible, Caster wanted to mooch a ride on Clair's mount. On one hand, it would save money; on the other, it would save time.
Because going to Vermilion City first and then taking a ship to Johto would take at least two weeks at the fastest, whereas riding Flygon, Caster estimated it would take a day at most.
"A few days ago, I saw on PokéStation that the Johto region's 'Seaking Fishing Tournament' is starting in a few days.
If I can make it, the Bounce TM should be no problem. Besides that, the other rewards should be pretty generous too..."
Caster was filled with longing and hope for the Johto region.
After all, the Pokémon there weren't common in Kanto. As long as Caster went fishing, he could catch plenty of new Pokémon and gain extra rewards.
For instance, the upcoming 'Seaking Fishing Tournament' was located in the bay waters of Goldenrod City, where schools of Seaking lived.
They seemed to migrate from the sea to spawn; this opportunity only came once a year.
While Seaking wasn't particularly powerful, it was still an evolved Pokémon.
The key point was their sheer numbers!
If quality wasn't enough, quantity would make up for it.
If he could seize this opportunity, Caster's strength would definitely see explosive growth.
And Seaking could also learn Bounce. He could first collect a few Bounce TMs, then teach them to Clair's Magikarp. Two birds with one stone.
Learning that Caster's purpose was to go to Goldenrod City to participate in the Seaking fishing tournament, Clair suddenly remembered that, besides being a trainer and move tutor, Caster also had the identity of an angler.
Clair looked exasperated, muttering, "Is that really so interesting?"
"Get on!"
After receiving Clair's permission, Caster clumsily climbed onto Flygon, saying gratefully: "Thank you!"
"Fly~"
With a beat of its red wings with green edges, Flygon immediately floated into the air.
Caught off guard and unsteady, Caster instinctively grabbed Clair's waist.
"Where are you putting your hands? Do you have a death wish?"
Having her slender waist grabbed, Clair reacted extremely strongly, clearly never having been held like this before.
CRACK!
The whip snapped through the air; Caster nearly got hit.
"I... I don't have anywhere else to hold!"
Caster looked aggrieved, quickly putting some distance between himself and Clair to show he hadn't done it on purpose.
The whip in Clair's hand was a dragon-taming whip; getting hit by it was no joke.
McDonald's might be thrilled, but Caster really didn't have that kind of preference.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to Johto after all!"
Caster made as if to jump off Flygon.
"Fine, just hold on then!"
Clair felt somewhat helpless.
She could grip the two green antennae on Flygon's head as handles to steady herself, but Caster truly had nowhere to hold.
The key issue was that Flygon's antennae swayed; they couldn't each hold one, as that would make both of them unsteady.
She couldn't very well have Caster hug Flygon's neck, could she?
Then he'd be pressed against her thighs?
Even less appropriate!
Besides, it was just holding her waist; honestly, it wasn't that big a deal.
As a member of the Dragon Tamer clan, Clair was someone who didn't sweat the small stuff. She'd just reacted strongly because it happened so suddenly.
"No, no, I'm good!"
Caster shook his head like a rattlesnake.
After all, he really hadn't meant anything by it; it had just been an instinctive action.
"I said hold on, so hold on!"
Clair's face turned cold as she swung her whip again. Caster immediately obeyed the order and grabbed hold.
He had to admit, it felt pretty nice!
"Flygon, let's go!"
Clair patted Flygon's head, and the creature immediately beat its wings and soared into the sky.
"Wow, so high! So fast!"
Feeling the strong wind blowing in his face and watching the ground and buildings continuously shrinking, Caster shouted: "So this is flying? What an amazing feeling!"
Clair rolled her eyes because at this moment, Caster looked exactly like some country bumpkin.
Pewter City was located in the western part of the Kanto region. Flying further west for a moment, they could already see Mt. Silver.
Mt. Silver was a massive, sprawling mountain range inhabited by countless Pokémon. Many powerful trainers trained in seclusion within it.
Beyond that, Mt. Silver was also the dividing line that separated Johto and Kanto into two distinct regions.
The Johto region was located west of Mt. Silver.
So to reach Johto, one had to fly over Mt. Silver.
...
Whoosh!
Thousands of meters in the sky, Flygon was flying at high speed.
Although it didn't have the Flying type, Flygon could actually master multiple Flying-type moves, including Fly, Air Cutter, Tailwind, Wing Attack, and Sky Drop. Its skill in manipulating Flying-type energy was quite masterful.
On Flygon's back, a semi-transparent membrane blocked the high-altitude turbulence from reaching Caster and Clair, preventing them from being harmed.
Without this, normal people couldn't survive thousands of meters in the air.
"Once we fly over this ridge, the Johto region is just beyond."
On Flygon, Clair pointed ahead while introducing the area, then sighed with relief: "This trip has been smooth sailing; we haven't encountered any wild Pokémon foolish enough to attack."
However, just as Clair finished speaking, a flock of strange bird Pokémon flew in from not far away.
Their entire bodies were covered in armor as hard as iron, appearing silver all over, though their wings were red on the inside, and they had sharp teeth.
"It's a flock of Skarmory!"
Caster's expression changed slightly, and his grip unconsciously tightened.
According to Pokédex entries, Skarmory could fly at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour.
They could glide freely and gracefully through the sky, using their razor-sharp wings to slash opponents.
Most critically, like Fearow, these creatures were thugs of the sky.
"Don't worry! They're just a few foolish birds; I can handle them!"
Clair reassured Caster, then looked at the encircling Skarmory flock with a dark expression.
When the Skarmory closed to within a hundred meters, Caster could clearly see their steel wings and steel beaks, and his heart rose to his throat.