Walking on the deck, Eric felt many people’s gazes fixed on Lilligant, who was walking beside him.
An uncle wearing an old knitted hat squinted, his granddaughter tugging at his coattail, standing on tiptoes to get a clearer look.
“Grandpa, look!
Are its petals glowing?” Everyone’s eyes collectively turned to Lilligant’s petals, and indeed, they saw several glistening dewdrops condensed on them, sparkling in the sunlight.
“Hoo~~” Lilligant’s pinkish-purple petal skirt swayed gently with the sea breeze, like a flowing aurora.
This beautiful figure immediately attracted the attention of many children on the cruise ship.
“What kind of Pokémon is that?” “It doesn’t seem to be from the Sinnoh region.” “She’s so cute, like a doll.” Petilil needs a Sun Stone to evolve into Lilligant, so wild Lilligant are very rare.
Furthermore, as a Pokémon found only in the Unova region, Lilligant’s presence is quite rare for many people living in the Sinnoh region.
“Lilligant~” Gradually, some children gathered around Lilligant.
They looked shyly at the cute, big-sister-like Pokémon, wanting to interact with her but hesitating to step forward.
“Go have fun.” Seeing Lilligant’s expression, Eric knew she didn’t mind playing with the children.
“Lilligant (￣︶￣)” Having received her Trainer’s permission, Lilligant narrowed her eyes happily and stepped forward.
Amidst the cheers of the children, she spun around in place and began to dance.
“Wow~~” “Hello there.” “Lilligant, is that your name?” “You’re so pretty.
Can I give you a hug, Lilligant?” “…” Seeing Lilligant so popular, Eric couldn’t help but smile.
He tilted his head up and whispered to the Victini on his head, “Do you feel lonely?” “Victini~~” Victini shook her head slightly; she knew her situation, as Eric had already told her.
The Pokémon world didn’t just have good people like Jenny and Joy; there were also many evil organizations and bad guys.
Before he had the strength to protect her properly, Eric couldn’t just expose Victini to the outside world.
Of course, this was only temporary.
Once Ogerpon joined the team and he found other powerful partners.
Then Victini would also be able to play as she pleased, just like Lilligant.
“Young man, are you a Trainer?” “Yes.” Eric chatted with a little girl’s grandfather, “I just arrived from the Unova region, planning to travel in Sinnoh for a while.” “Unova, huh?
That’s quite far from our Sinnoh.” The old man knew of the Unova region but had never been there, and he wasn’t familiar with the types of Pokémon there, “I didn’t expect there to be such a cute Pokémon as Lilligant over there.
That’s wonderful…” “Besides Lilligant, Deerling, Emolga, and Solosis are also very cute Pokémon.” Eric didn’t mind sharing his experiences in Unova with everyone.
Perhaps because of the existence of Pokémon, especially in modern times, the world had become peaceful due to the establishment of the League.
Except for a very few evil organizations and factions that still existed, everyone’s life was actually quite stable.
This meant that not many people were willing to leave their homeland to relocate elsewhere.
Trainers traveled, but they would eventually return to their hometowns.
However, because most people stayed in one place for years, their understanding of the outside world, in this era where information wasn’t yet highly developed, could really be described as very limited.
Eric naturally wouldn’t develop a sense of superiority because of this.
In Eric’s view, there was no difference between taking care of one Pokémon with heart and being a Trainer who owned many Pokémon.
Everyone was just someone who loved Pokémon.
“Young man, are you a Trainer?
Are you traveling to Sinnoh to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference?” Another passenger joined in, assuming Eric was a traveling Trainer, “Wait, hasn’t this year’s Lily of the Valley Conference already ended?
Are you planning to challenge the next one?” “No, I’m not a Trainer aiming for the League Tournament; I’m just a traveler.” “I see.” “Haha, well, you should have a good time here.
Our Sinnoh region has many wonderful attractions.” “…” “It’s actually a Lilligant.
That’s a very rare Pokémon.” The discussion on the deck attracted quite a few people.
Among them, a youth of sixteen or seventeen had appeared near the children at some point.
He leaned over slightly, observing Lilligant from across the children.
“Hm?” Eric quickly looked toward him.
The next moment, the youth also looked up, causing their gazes to meet in mid-air.
“Would you like to have a Pokémon battle?” No words were needed; the moment their gazes met, the battle had already begun.
“Lilligant?” “Lilligant!” Seeming to sense Eric’s fighting spirit, Lilligant waved goodbye to the children and then hopped back to Eric’s side.
Her eager appearance clearly showed she was looking forward to battling the youth’s Pokémon.
“It’s a Pokémon battle!” “Ah, is Lilligant going to fight too?” “Such a cute Lilligant, she’ll get hurt, right?” “But Lilligant looks really excited.” “Let’s cheer for Lilligant!” “Yeah, yeah, go, Lilligant!” “…” Hearing that there was going to be a battle, the passengers didn’t feel nervous at all; instead, they all became excited.
This was normal.
In the Pokémon world, Pokémon battles were an indispensable part of life.
Most importantly, with the physique of a Pokemon World Human, they didn’t fear attacks from ordinary Pokémon moves.
Even if they were caught in the crossfire, they would at most suffer minor injuries, which wouldn’t dampen their mood to watch the match.
“Are you sure you want to send out Lilligant?” The youth Trainer thought for a moment and said, “You can switch.” “No need.” Eric indicated he would send out Lilligant, “Do whatever you like.” The two went to the area on the deck specifically for Pokémon battles, which attracted many onlookers.
In just a short while, they were surrounded by a crowd, and even the ship’s staff turned their attention toward them.
“Then…” “Excuse me.” “Come out, Infernape!” The youth decisively sent out his Pokémon, which was none other than one of the Starter Pokémon of the Sinnoh region, the final evolution of Chimchar, the Infernape known as the ‘Big Brother’ in the anime.
“Oh?” Eric looked at Infernape, and to be honest, he was a bit surprised.
Starter Pokémon were not common items found everywhere in any region.
They were the initial Pokémon prepared by the League officials specifically for Trainers with potential, and they were almost in a monopolized state.
The chances of meeting a Starter Pokémon in the wild were basically like winning the lottery.
So, don’t look at those rare Pokémon in the anime that pop up like they’re free.
However, having lived in the Pokémon world for nearly two years, Eric had long since developed a clear understanding of Pokémon rarity.
You have to know that only regional Professors had the authority to distribute Starter Pokémon.
But Professors weren’t cabbages; there were only a few in each region.
This meant that the youth in front of him was highly likely a Trainer with potential who had gained the attention of the Sinnoh region’s Professor.
“He, he seems to be one of the top four in this year’s Lily of the Valley Conference!” “He’s actually a top-four Trainer of the tournament?” “Amazing, I didn’t expect to see a battle of this level in person here.” “…” Seeing that a tourist had recognized his identity, the youth couldn’t hide his smile and introduced himself, “My name is David, please take care of me.” “Eric.” Pleasantries weren’t the thing to do right now.
Whether it was showing off or flattering, everything could wait until after the battle.
“Victini~ Victini Victini~” “Don’t worry.” Feeling the weight on his head, Eric soothed her, then looked at the Lilligant beside him, “I’m counting on you, Lilligant.” “Lilligant!” Besides Lilligant, Eric only had Victini, and ‘V-Chan’ wasn’t suitable to be exposed here.
As for whether sending out Lilligant would result in victory Eric didn’t have a shred of doubt about it.
Just as he said, his Lilligant was super strong!