Chapter 245: Departure! Leaving the Qi Clan!
Two days later, the time Kenji had scheduled to leave the Qi Clan finally arrived.
"Larvi!!! —"
"Alright, alright, stop crying. I promise I'll come back to visit you later, okay?"
Larvitar hugged Kenji's leg tightly, wailing as if its heart was breaking—although not a single tear fell.
Kenji crouched down, speaking softly to comfort the little one while discreetly checking Qi Yanqun's expression out of the corner of his eye.
From the start, Qi Yanqun had been watching the duo with a bemused, half-smiling expression, like a spectator enjoying a dramatic performance.
After a long while, Qi Yanqun finally spoke with amusement. "Alright, alright, stop acting. The little guy has been crying for half a day, and I haven't seen a single teardrop."
Larvitar froze. It looked at Kenji, exchanging a glance with the human. Kenji read a hint of apology and helplessness in its eyes.
It couldn't be helped. Larvitar had tried very hard to play along with Kenji's script, but tears weren't something you could just squeeze out on command.
Kenji turned his head and gave Qi Yanqun a sheepish grin, though it was tinged with embarrassment.
Qi Yanqun shook his head but didn't scold them. Instead, he crouched down in front of Larvitar, rubbed its head, and asked, "Do you want to leave with him? To leave this place?"
Hearing about leaving, Larvitar's eyes lit up instantly. It nodded eagerly. Clearly, it yearned for the outside world.
Qi Yanqun's question was somewhat redundant. If Larvitar didn't want to leave with Kenji, it wouldn't have agreed to put on this show with him.
Qi Yanqun stood up and looked at Kenji. "If you take Larvitar away from the Qi Clan, will you train it yourself?"
Kenji shook his head. "No. I've already told Larvitar. I will find a reliable trainer for it."
"I assume you already have someone in mind? Who is it?"
"Bai Bai."
Qi Yanqun raised an eyebrow, sizing Kenji up. "Girlfriend?"
"..." Kenji's mouth twitched. He quickly denied it. "No, just a regular friend."
"You give Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon to 'regular friends'?" Qi Yanqun asked casually.
"..."
After teasing Kenji a bit, Qi Yanqun straightened his expression and became serious. "I know a bit about that girl. A young girl specializing in Dark-types... quite rare."
"But she would indeed be an ideal trainer for Larvitar."
Hearing Qi Yanqun's last sentence, Kenji's eyes lit up.
This meant Qi Yanqun was agreeing to let him take Larvitar.
"Thank you, High Priest Qi!" Kenji exclaimed happily.
Qi Yanqun waved his hand sternly. "Don't celebrate too early. The Qi Clan is responsible for every Larvitar, especially one with A-Rank potential.
The requirements for the trainer are strict. If Bai Bai fails to meet the standards to be Larvitar's trainer, the Qi Clan reserves the absolute right to reclaim Larvitar and bring it back here."
"No problem!"
Kenji believed in Bai Bai's ability. She would have absolutely no issue qualifying as Larvitar's trainer.
...
At noon, Qi Ping arrived at the settlement.
Outside the Tyranitar Temple, Tyranitar stood before the grand doors, facing Kenji.
Behind Kenji, Beedrill, Gyarados, Arbok, and the rest of the team were all released.
"Hnn..."
Tyranitar let out a low growl, looking reluctant to part.
"Tyranitar, train hard in the temple! When the Huaxia League Conference begins, we'll fight side by side again!!"
"Chaa!!! —"
"ROAAAARR..."
As Kenji spoke, Arbok, Gyarados, and the others roared in response, bidding farewell to Tyranitar.
After training and battling together for so long, the Pokémon had built deep friendships. Suddenly parting ways naturally brought some sadness.
"Hnn!!"
Tyranitar nodded with a low growl, then waved goodbye to Kenji and the team with a lingering gaze.
Kenji left under Tyranitar's watchful eyes.
He looked forward to seeing what level of strength Tyranitar would reach by the time they met again.
Breaking through to Elite level shouldn't be a problem.
While Tyranitar worked hard, Kenji continued his journey to qualify for the Huaxia League Conference.
Metropolis Gym, Sujiang Gym, East Mountain Gym, Imperial Gym, Southern Cloud Gym.
Kenji now held five Provincial Gym Badges.
Next up was the Saibei Gym.
The Saibei Gym was located in Green City (Hohhot).
Green City, the capital of Saibei Province, was named for its buildings constructed from blue-green bricks and the vast grasslands surrounding it.
Green City wasn't too far from Shabian City.
He was close to the eight badges required for the League Conference, and he wasn't pressed for time.
Kenji wasn't in a rush.
By nightfall, Kenji finally arrived back in Shabian City.
The first thing he did upon arrival was go to the Pokémon Center and make a video call to Bai Bai.
The call rang for a long time before Bai Bai picked up.
On the screen, only half of Bai Bai's face was visible. Her expression was unnatural, seemingly nervous. She appeared to be wearing pajamas.
Her hair was slightly wet; she had just showered.
"Just showered?" Kenji asked instinctively.
Bai Bai hummed a confirmation, then asked dryly, "Is something wrong?"
Kenji had expected her aloof personality, so he didn't mind. He sighed dramatically. "Sigh. Remember how I promised your brother I'd give both of you an S-Rank Pokémon?"
Bai Bai nodded. Her brother had told her about it, and she knew the Gulpin Tyson had received was from Kenji.
Could it be...
Bai Bai's expression didn't change, but thinking of the possibility made her heart flutter with excitement.
An S-Rank Pokémon! How could she not be excited?
But seeing Kenji's tone and expression, her heart sank.
Sure enough, Kenji continued dejectedly, "Although I tried very hard to find one for you, after searching all this way, I only managed to find a suitable A-Rank Dark-type Pokémon..."
Hearing this, Bai Bai felt a pang of disappointment, but she quickly adjusted her mindset.
"It's okay," Bai Bai said calmly. Then, as if realizing something, she suddenly tried to comfort Kenji. "Thank you for the Scraggy you gave me before. That's already enough."
Although that Scraggy had B-Rank potential, which wasn't low, for someone of Bai Bai's status, B-Rank Pokémon were optional. She didn't really need it.
Seeing Bai Bai trying to comfort him despite her awkwardness, Kenji couldn't hold it in anymore. Pfft! He burst out laughing.
His sudden laughter confused Bai Bai completely. Her brain short-circuited, unable to understand why Kenji was laughing.
"Larvi... larvi..."
While Bai Bai stared blankly at Kenji, a cry sounded beside him. In the next moment, a small head squeezed into the frame.
The tiny Larvitar pushed into the corner of the screen, looked at Bai Bai with its eyes, and waved hello with a smile.
"Larvitar??!!" Bai Bai exclaimed, staring at the Pokémon that had suddenly appeared next to Kenji.
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