"What Pokémon is that?"
Walking along the deck, Sora Kenji noticed many people casting curious glances toward the Lilligant at his side.
An old man wearing a worn wool cap squinted his eyes, while his granddaughter tugged at his sleeve, standing on tiptoe to get a better look.
"Grandpa, look! Are its petals glowing?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to Lilligant's petals. Sure enough, several crystal-clear droplets of dew clung to them, sparkling under the sunlight.
"Phew~~"
Her pinkish-purple petal skirt swayed gently in the sea breeze, like drifting clouds at sunset. The graceful sight imdiately drew the attention of many children aboard the cruise ship.
"What Pokémon is that?"
"It doesn't look like it's from the Sinnoh region."
"She's so cute—like a doll."
For a Petilil to evolve into Lilligant, it required a Sun Stone, making wild Lilligant extrely rare.
Moreover, as a Pokémon native to the Unova region, Lilligant was a very uncommon sight for many people living in Sinnoh.
"Lilligant~"
Gradually, several children gathered around her.
They gazed shyly at the doll-like Pokémon, wanting to get closer, yet hesitating to step forward.
"Go on, have fun."
Seeing her reaction, Sora Kenji knew she didn't mind playing with the children.
"Lilligant (*￣︶￣)"
With her trainer's permission, Lilligant narrowed her eyes happily, stepped forward, and—amid the children's cheers—spun gracefully in place, beginning to dance.
"Wow~~"
"Hello!"
"Lilligant, is that your na?"
"You're so pretty! Can I hug you, Lilligant?"
"..."
Watching how popular she was, Sora Kenji couldn't help smiling. He tilted his head slightly and spoke softly to Victini perched above him:
"Do you feel lonely?"
"Bini~~"
Victini gently shook her head. She understood her situation—Sora Kenji had explained it to her before.
This world didn't only have kind people like Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. There were also many criminal organizations and dangerous individuals.
Until she had enough strength to protect herself, Sora Kenji couldn't openly reveal her existence to others.
Of course, that was only temporary.
Once Ogerpon joined their team—and once they found more powerful partners—
Victini would be able to play freely, just like Lilligant.
"Hey there, young man—you're a trainer, right?"
"Yeah."
Sora Kenji struck up a conversation with the little girl's grandfather.
"I just ca from the Unova region. I'm planning to travel around Sinnoh for a while."
"Unova, huh? That's quite far from Sinnoh."
The old man had heard of the region but had never visited it, nor did he know much about its Pokémon.
"I never imagined they had such a cute Pokémon like Lilligant over there. That's wonderful..."
"Besides Lilligant, Pokémon like Deerling, Emolga, and Solosis are also very adorable."
Sora Kenji didn't mind sharing his experiences from Unova.
Perhaps because of Pokémon—especially in modern tis, with the establishnt of the League—the world had largely beco peaceful.
Aside from a handful of criminal organizations and rogue factions, most people lived stable lives.
As a result, few people were willing to leave their hotowns and relocate elsewhere.
Trainers traveled, but most eventually returned ho.
Even more people spent their entire lives in one place.
In this era, where information flow was still limited, their understanding of the outside world could be astonishingly narrow.
Yet Sora Kenji never felt superior because of that.
In his view, soone who devoted themselves to caring for a single Pokémon was no different from a trainer who owned many.
After all—
they were all people who loved Pokémon.
"You're a trainer, right? If you're traveling in Sinnoh, are you planning to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference?"
Another passenger joined the conversation, assuming Sora Kenji was a traveling competitor.
"Wait—that can't be right. This year's conference already ended. Are you preparing for the next one?"
"No, I'm not aiming for the League tournant. I'm just traveling."
"I see."
"Haha, well then, make sure you enjoy your ti here. Sinnoh has plenty of beautiful places to visit."
"...."
"Hey—that's a Lilligant. You don't see those very often."
The chatter on the deck drew even more attention.
Among the crowd, a teenage boy—around sixteen or seventeen—had quietly approached the children at so point.
He bent slightly at the waist, observing Lilligant from behind them.
"Hmm?"
Sora Kenji imdiately looked toward him.
In the next mont, the boy raised his head.
Their eyes t in midair.
"Care for a Pokémon battle?"
No further explanation was needed.
The instant two trainers locked eyes—
the battle had already begun.
"Lilligant?"
"Lilligant!"
Sensing her trainer's fighting spirit, Lilligant waved goodbye to the children, then skipped back to Sora Kenji's side.
Her eager expression made it obvious—she was excited to face the young trainer's Pokémon.
"It's a Pokémon battle!"
"Ah—Lilligant is going to fight?"
"She's so cute. Won't she get hurt?"
"But she looks really excited."
"Let's cheer for Lilligant!"
"Yeah! Go, Lilligant!"
"..."
Hearing that a battle was about to start, the passengers didn't grow nervous.
Instead, they beca excited.
That was perfectly normal.
In the Pokémon world, Pokémon battles were an essential part of life.
More importantly, with the sturdy physiques of humans in this world, most ordinary attacks weren't particularly dangerous.
Even if soone got caught in the crossfire, the worst outco would usually be minor injuries—nothing serious enough to ruin the excitent of watching a match.
"Are you sure you want to use Lilligant?"
The young trainer considered for a mont before adding:
"You can switch if you'd like."
"No need."
Sora Kenji calmly confird his choice.
"I'll use Lilligant."
They moved to the designated battle area on the deck, quickly drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
Within monts, they were surrounded—even the ship's staff turned their attention toward the scene.
It only proved once again:
Pokémon battles were the most popular form of entertainnt in the world.
"Well then..."
"Excuse ."
"Co out—Infernape!"
Without hesitation, the young trainer released his Pokémon.
It was the final evolution of one of Sinnoh's starter Pokémon—Chimchar—known in the ani as the fiery powerhouse often nicknad the "Big Brother."
"Oh?"
Seeing the Infernape, Sora Kenji couldn't hide his surprise.
Starter Pokémon were never common.
In any region, they were special partners provided exclusively by the League to promising trainers—essentially a monopolized resource.
Encountering one in the wild was about as likely as winning the lottery.
In the ani, rare Pokémon often seed to appear everywhere.
But after nearly two years living in the Pokémon world, Sora Kenji had developed a very clear understanding of rarity.
Only regional Professors had the authority to distribute starter Pokémon.
And Professors weren't exactly everywhere.
Most regions only had a handful.
That ant the boy before him was highly likely to be a talented trainer personally recognized by a Sinnoh Professor.
"H-He looks familiar..."
"I think he was one of the Top Four in this year's Lily of the Valley Conference!"
"A semifinalist from the League tournant?"
"That's incredible. I can't believe we get to see a battle of this level in person."
"...."
Hearing that soone had recognized him, the boy couldn't hide a faint smile. He introduced himself confidently:
"My na is Brock. Please take care of ."
"Sora Kenji."
This wasn't the mont for pleasantries.
Whether boasting or flattery—those things could wait until after the battle.
"Bini~ binibini~"
"Don't worry."
Feeling the weight on his head shift slightly, Sora Kenji offered a quiet reassurance. Then he turned to Lilligant beside him.
"I'm counting on you, Lilligant."
"Lilligant!"
Aside from Lilligant, Sora Kenji only had Victini—and Victini wasn't suitable to reveal in public.
As for whether Lilligant could win—
Sora Kenji didn't have the slightest doubt.
Just as he had always said:
His Lilligant was incredibly strong.
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