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That night, because Kai and Misty had missed the nearest town, they had no choice but to camp beside a small nearby lake.
Kai set up the tent and invited Misty inside. Of course, this was nothing like the shared-blanket nights he'd had with Erika or Sabrina there was a lantern placed between them, each sleeping on one side with a clear space in between. The tent was simply meant to shield them from the wind and possible rain.
Even so, Misty's face flushed red immediately, and her thoughts couldn't help but wander.
With Erika not around, Kai naturally took charge of preparing dinner. Though his cooking skills were only average, staying with Erika for so long had rubbed off on him.
After some effort, he managed to prepare a seasonal thick soup as the main dish and surprisingly, it turned out quite delicious.
At least, he was very satisfied with it, and Misty praised it nonstop.
Together with their Pokémon, they enjoyed a hearty meal. Once the sun fully set and darkness enveloped the surroundings, with the moon hanging high in the sky, they cleaned up the dishes and sat in front of the tent, gazing at the calm, rippling surface of the lake as they chatted leisurely.
The campfire crackled softly. Starlight scattered across the lake's surface, reflecting above and below as if a galaxy had descended upon the water.
Nearby, Eevee and Torchic played around with Misty's Pokémon, while Gengar sat quietly to the side like an old monk, admiring the beauty of the night sky.
Kai stirred the burning firewood with a stick, then turned to Misty and asked,
"I didn't expect your sisters to agree so easily to let you travel again this time."
"It's no big deal." Misty smiled, though there was a hint of forced calm in her expression. "They've always supported my journey. And even if they didn't agree, it wouldn't matter—I wouldn't listen to them anyway!"
In truth, after returning to the Cerulean Gym, Misty had rested at home for several days. But when she mentioned that she wanted to head to Hoenn for another journey, Daisy and Violet had strongly opposed it.
These days, the Cerulean Sisters had fully devoted themselves to aquatic ballet and dance performances.
They were eager to hand over the responsibility of running the Gym to Misty as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Misty secretly sought out her eldest sister, Daisy. After an earnest heart-to-heart conversation, Daisy persuaded the other two at last. Only then did they reluctantly allow Misty to continue traveling for a while longer.
But when the time came, she would have to return and properly take over as the Gym Leader.
Misty didn't tell Kai any of this. Even though the agreement existed, she had long realized that her three sisters had no real interest in the duty of being a Gym Leader.
The Cerulean Gym was their home they couldn't abandon it. So in the end, that responsibility would inevitably fall on her shoulders.
Being able to delay it for just a little while longer already felt like a blessing.
Hearing Misty's answer, Kai didn't think too much of it. Having seen the anime, he more or less understood that it wouldn't be long before Misty would have to return to Cerulean City and officially replace her sisters as the Gym Leader.
Thinking of the Cerulean Gym…
Remembering that Misty was a Water-type specialist, Kai took out a Poké Ball and released the Feebas he had recently caught on the beach outside Oldale City.
When Misty saw the dull, brownish-yellow, extremely ugly fish Pokémon, even she, a seasoned Water-type trainer, couldn't help but frown.
"Kai… is this your new Pokémon? It looks… kind of… um…"
Knowing what she wanted to say, Kai laughed and pulled out his Pokédex, showing her Milotic's image.
"Don't judge it by its looks. After it evolves, it becomes incredibly beautiful."
After the explanation, Misty realized she had judged too quickly and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Kai then took the opportunity to ask her for advice on how to properly raise a fish Pokémon like Feebas.
Although he had raised Magikarp before, the method of lifting it up and smashing it into opponents obviously wasn't suitable for Feebas at all.
Being consulted by him made Misty both happy and proud. Suppressing her excitement, she shared every bit of knowledge she had without reservation. As someone who had grown up in a Gym environment, even her small details contained insights Kai had never considered.
The more they discussed, the more Kai felt he was gaining immensely.
That wasn't all under Misty's guidance, Kai even tested out some professional training methods for Water-type Pokémon in the lake. The results turned out to be quite good.
After all this, his confidence in properly nurturing Feebas increased significantly.
...
Early the next morning, the two packed their belongings, buried the ashes from the campfire, and set off again.
After walking for a little over an hour, they left the plains behind, and Kai arrived in Rustboro City for the second time.
With Misty accompanying him, he didn't wander elsewhere this time and went straight to the Rustboro Gym.
The Rustboro Gym stood on an open plot within the city. As an official Pokémon League Gym, it was surrounded by yellow soil and massive stone formations—clearly a deliberate design choice to showcase its Rock-type identity.
The Gym itself was shaped like a giant artificial mountain, as if a battle arena had been carved directly into a towering rock face.
The Gym Leader, Roxanne, specialized in Rock-type Pokémon and was known as a scholarly prodigy obsessed with stone. In addition to being a Gym Leader, she also served as a teacher at the Pokémon Trainer's School. Both professions carried great respect and social status, giving her considerable prestige throughout Rustboro City.
After steadying himself, Kai took a deep breath and stepped into the Rustboro Gym with Misty.
After greeting the front desk staff, they were immediately led toward the battlefield.
Before they even got close, Kai saw a girl in a blue-gray dress, red stockings, and a matching red ribbon and hairband, commanding a group of uniformed students as they cleaned up the rocky battlefield.
To be honest, Roxanne's age was hard to judge.
From her outfit, she looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. But from her face, she seemed to be around Kai's age.
If he had to describe it, it felt like she was deliberately dressing younger but not in a bad way. It simply reflected her youthful mindset and her expectations for herself.
Hearing footsteps, Roxanne naturally noticed their arrival.
She walked forward a few steps, stopped in front of Kai, and gave a polite bow.
"Welcome. I'm Roxanne, the Gym Leader here. I look forward to your challenge at the Rustboro Gym."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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