"Okay, I'm heading out first. See you tomorrow." Tetsuya called out before dashing away.
Brock barely reacted, already used to his friend's antics, and went back to his own business.
On his way back, Tetsuya reflected on what Brock had asked him to help with today. It made sense—Brock had a lot on his plate, taking care of his younger siblings. He was naturally hesitant to leave them in the hands of strangers, and the Gym Leader himself was too busy to make the trip. So, in the end, it fell to Tetsuya.
Not that he minded. He wasn't even 17 yet, but he was already stronger than Brock, so it was only logical for him to go.
After countless battles, Brock must have realized that his Combusken, while powerful, wasn't exactly top-tier in terms of potential. But that wasn't too big of an issue.
What worried Tetsuya wasn't obvious organizations like the Pokémon League. As long as he kept Zero hidden, even if his Combusken showed signs of being champion-level material, it wouldn't be a huge problem.
After all, the Pewter Gym had already invested in him. They wouldn't pull any shady moves themselves, and other factions wouldn't risk angering Pewter Gym just to steal a Pokémon with uncertain potential.
Even if someone tried and got caught, they'd have to return the Pokémon and offer an apology—it just wasn't worth the risk.
The real threat was poachers. They didn't care about rules. They only cared about money. And they wouldn't hesitate to kill if it meant getting what they wanted.
This particular tournament was limited to Gym heirs, so it was relatively safe. But for future competitions, he'd need to be extra careful.
Tetsuya glanced at the list of competitors Brock had sent over and skimmed through the details.
"So basically, this is a kids' tournament," he muttered.
Among the 32 participants, 17 had only just turned 16. Their starter Pokémon were still at the Normal rank, and their second Pokémon were even weaker, barely worth mentioning.
Another eight were slightly older, with two Normal-ranked Pokémon each. Three of them had even managed to push their starters to Elite level.
That left the final three—besides himself. They were all Gym-invested trainers like him, a little over 17 years old.
"So my real opponents are just those three." Tetsuya stared at their familiar photos, lost in thought.
Well, no point overthinking it. Even if he didn't win, he'd still walk away with 2 million Pokédollars. Not a bad deal.
At the end of the day, he was just doing a favor for a friend.
Ten days later, at 4 p.m.
Vermilion City—an international port town on Kanto's southern coast, where even luxury cruise ships made their stops. The city was split into two main areas: the bustling urban center and the expansive harbor district.
The harbor saw a constant flow of ships, fueling the local economy. Cargo vessels and passenger ferries alike made their way through, including the famed Water Current, which connected Vermilion to Olivine City in Johto.
Then there was the legendary St. Anne, a luxury cruise liner that traveled the world but returned to Vermilion Harbor once a year.
Tetsuya arrived at the port, exhausted, but the sight of the St. Anne in the distance immediately caught his eye.
Even among a sea of other ships, it stood out—massive, pristine, and impossible to ignore. Its gleaming white hull was adorned with golden embellishments, and its multiple decks stretched high above the docks.
As he got closer, its grandeur became even more apparent. Taking out his ticket, he approached the security checkpoint.
A guard scanned his ticket and, upon confirming its authenticity, nodded respectfully. "You're good to go."
Nearby, a crowd of onlookers watched with envy. The St. Anne was exclusive. Most people would never set foot on it.
Stepping into the ship's lobby, Tetsuya was immediately greeted by a sharply dressed attendant.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Tetsuya Tamaki. You are a VIP guest, and your suite is located on the fourth deck, offering the best view on the ship.
Would you like a tour of our facilities?"
"Just a brief rundown would be fine," Tetsuya replied with a polite smile.
"Of course. Please follow me." The attendant bowed slightly and gestured forward.
"The St. Anne is a six-deck vessel. The second deck houses standard rooms, while the fourth deck is reserved for VIP suites like yours.
We are currently on the first deck, which features various entertainment facilities. From left to right, you'll find the game room, theater, bar, library, gym, hot spring bath, chess lounge, and our all-day buffet restaurant. The outer deck also has an open-air swimming pool and water park.
The third and fifth decks are dedicated to battle and training areas, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for guests.
Finally, the sixth deck is a semi-open dining venue, available exclusively to VIP guests and select others. It will be open on the second and third nights of our voyage, and you will receive a personal invitation beforehand.
Each deck is equipped with support services. Should you require anything, feel free to ask any of our attendants."
By the time they reached his room, Tetsuya had to admit—it was impressive. This was no ordinary cruise ship.
The attendant stopped at his door and gestured. "This is your suite. Access is granted via your ID card, which has already been registered to this room.
If there's nothing else, I will take my leave."
"Got it. Thanks." Tetsuya pulled out his ID, swiped it against the lock, and stepped inside.
"We hope you enjoy your journey on the St. Anne," the attendant said before bowing and walking away.
The moment Tetsuya walked in, he raised an eyebrow in appreciation.
The first thing that caught his eye was the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering an unobstructed view of the open sea. The golden sunset painted the horizon, casting a warm glow over the waves.
"Man... this is something else."
He sighed in satisfaction, tossed his backpack onto the bed, and collapsed onto the plush sofa.
After a few moments, he lazily reached for the minibar, grabbed a drink, and popped it open. He took a sip and glanced at the label.
"A limited edition can? Damn, rich people live on a whole different level."
It was three times the price of a regular drink, and he wasn't even paying for it. The perks of a VIP ticket.
As for the high-end wine selections available?
Yeah, no thanks. That was way out of his league. A fancy soft drink was already more indulgence than he was used to.
With a groan, he stretched out his arms. "Alright, I can't just laze around all day."
He forced himself up from the couch, his back aching from the long ride to Vermilion.
"Might as well take a shower first. That electric bike ride wrecked my spine. I should sell it and get a new one—it's way too uncomfortable."
He made his way toward the bathroom, pushing the door open.
"Whoa... so this is what rich people use for bathrooms?"
His eyes widened as he took in the luxurious marble interior, complete with a massive rainfall shower and a jacuzzi tub.
"Yeah, I could get used to this..."
At the back of the bathroom, there was a single hot spring pool, a shower room next to it, and a double bathtub outside.
This setup alone wasn't particularly impressive—many upscale resort hotels had similar amenities.
The real spectacle was the color scheme of the entire bathroom. It was gold. A brilliant, gleaming gold.
Tetsuya confirmed that the interior was, in fact, gold-plated. While gold wasn't considered particularly valuable in this world and wasn't commonly used as currency, decking out an entire room in it was still an extravagant expense.
The sheer opulence was almost blinding at first glance because it was just so striking.
Scanning the room, Tetsuya noticed the toiletries nearby—all high-end brands from the Pokémon world, perfectly aligning with the luxurious atmosphere.
He stripped down, stepped into the hot spring, and slowly sank into the water. In one word, it was bliss.
The perfectly warm water melted away the fatigue in his body, making him feel completely at ease. He leaned back, exhaling in contentment, and turned on the television in front of him.
"So, the power of a move isn't determined solely by the amount of energy it holds but also by the Pokémon's own energy and mastery. If a Pokémon possesses energy but lacks proficiency, it won't be effective. Trainers, when training, you must…"
Tetsuya found himself lost in thought while listening to Professor Oak's scientific lecture on TV.
Unfortunately, none of his three Pokémon were particularly fond of water; otherwise, he would have let them enjoy a soak as well.
Pidgeot could probably manage, but its massive size made drying off a hassle.
As for Combusken and Boldore, they would much prefer a sand bath. Combusken might endure a water bath begrudgingly, but Boldore would be miserable.
Stretching lazily, Tetsuya sighed.
This was the dream—living in luxury, taking things easy.
Unfortunately, his bank account wasn't quite deep enough to sustain this lifestyle indefinitely.
Even with the 2 million Pokédollars Brock had advanced him, he had only managed to earn around 18 million in total so far.
And nearly all of it had gone straight into training his Pokémon.
Just this past month, Combusken had broken through to the elite level, causing his training expenses to skyrocket—about 3 million Pokédollars alone.
It had taken only four months to reach the elite level. The rapid progress was not just thanks to Combusken's championship-tier potential but also the result of a hefty financial investment.
Tetsuya estimated that advancing Combusken to level 40 with his current method would require another 1 million Pokédollars just to establish a solid foundation—never mind the costs beyond that.
Pidgeot had been more manageable, requiring only 1.5 million this month, which was still within the expected budget. Its progression wasn't as rapid as Combusken's, so the financial strain wasn't as intense.
But the biggest expense of the month had been Boldore. The costs had been staggering—around 3.5 million Pokédollars in total, with an unexpected surge in the past ten days alone.
Due to Boldore's unique nature, Zero had designed a specialized training plan focused on rapidly accumulating energy before its evolution. This also involved feeding it specific rare rocks to enhance its physical attributes.
These specialized rocks were anything but cheap. In just ten days, Tetsuya had spent roughly 2 million Pokédollars on them—and that was with the significant discount provided by Pewter Gym. Without that deal, acquiring those rare materials would have been nearly impossible.
And as Boldore continued to grow, these expenses would only increase.
A rough estimate put the total cost of evolving Boldore at around 15 million Pokédollars. That didn't even account for the additional expenses needed to continue strengthening it post-evolution.
In the end, training Boldore was just as expensive as training Combusken—after all, its evolved form would be just as powerful.
Breeding and training Pokémon was truly a money-draining profession. Tetsuya chuckled bitterly. Every time he raised a Pokémon, he practically went bankrupt.
Thankfully, as his own strength increased, earning money became easier.
But for most ordinary trainers, simply throwing money at their Pokémon wasn't a viable path to power. Without a structured training plan, they could easily waste millions with no results to show for it.
For civilian trainers, the road to becoming stronger was riddled with obstacles—not just financial ones. A Pokémon's potential, the effectiveness of their training, and even the trainer's own knowledge all played crucial roles.
Looking at his remaining balance of 8 million Pokédollars, Tetsuya figured it would last for a while. If he managed to win the upcoming competition, he could make a fortune overnight.
After all, a Charcoal with a 10% effectiveness boost was worth a respectable 10 million Pokédollars.
The real jackpot, though, was the evolution stone with a randomized attribute. Some rare evolution stones were nearly priceless.
The Stone Brothers of Stone Town could casually offer them as rewards because they made their fortune mining evolution stones.
Exhaling lightly, Tetsuya stood up.
"I should get a haircut soon… maybe even change my hairstyle. How about a wolf tail?"
As he toweled himself off, he caught his reflection in the mirror and took a moment to admire his physique.
The past six months had been a whirlwind—completing missions, training Pokémon, studying, and watching battle footage. He hadn't even had time for a haircut, leaving his hair a bit unruly.
Fortunately, his habit of showering twice a day kept him looking presentable. Otherwise, people might have mistaken his hair for Pidgeot's nest.
Dressing quickly, he picked up his phone and called for service.
"Hello, how can I assist you?" A clear, polite female voice answered.
"I'd like to schedule a massage and cleansing for my three Pokémon—Pidgeot, Combusken, and Boldore."
"Certainly, sir. A staff member will come by shortly to collect them. The entire process will take about three hours. Since it's currently dinner time, you can enjoy your meal in the meantime. We'll notify you via your watch when the service is complete, and you can choose when to have their Poké Balls returned."
"Sounds good. Thank you."
"You're very welcome. Enjoy your trip."
Tetsuya hung up without hesitation.
The VIP room service the attendant had mentioned earlier included professional care from top-tier breeders, hired at a premium. Though he usually handled grooming and maintenance himself, he figured he might as well take advantage of the luxury while he was here—especially since it was complimentary.
A deep, resonant ship's whistle echoed across the deck as the S.S. Anne slowly began its voyage.
Tetsuya stretched. Now, he was officially in semi-vacation mode. No more intense training or relentless money-making—at least for a little while.
A firm knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Sir, this is room service," a male voice called.
Tetsuya grabbed the three shrunken Luxury Balls, opened the door, and handed them to the waiting attendant.
Before the attendant left, Tetsuya asked if he could dine in the buffet restaurant on the first floor. The answer, of course, was yes.
Feeling refreshed and carefree, Tetsuya made his way downstairs, ready to indulge in his first dinner aboard the ship.