Lucas spent two more days at the Pokémon Center, using the time to think everything through.
He couldn’t stay on Popu Island forever.
This wasn’t his home.
The only place he could truly call home in this world was the small two-bedroom apartment in Petalburg City—the home his parents had worked so hard to buy.
No matter what he planned to do in the future, he needed to return there first.
Only after sorting out everything at home could he decide what came next.
The following morning, Lucas visited Officer Jenny’s office.
Officer Jenny was organizing documents when she looked up and saw him.
“So,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “have you made your decision?”
Lucas nodded.
“I’d like to return to Petalburg City first.”
“My home is there.
I want to sort everything out before deciding what to do next.”
Officer Jenny didn’t ask any further questions.
Instead, she opened a drawer and handed him a ferry ticket.
“I’ve already booked your passage.”
“The ferry leaves tomorrow morning at eight o’clock and will arrive in Slateport City around three in the afternoon.”
“From there, you can take a train directly to Petalburg City.”
Lucas accepted the ticket with both hands.
“Thank you.”
Officer Jenny hesitated for a moment before asking,
“What are your plans after you get back?”
Lucas smiled faintly.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“I’ll take care of things at home first.”
“Then I’ll decide.”
“Hmm.”
Officer Jenny nodded.
“You’re still young.
There’s no need to rush.”
“The League has already restored your identification documents and your bank account.”
“There are 5 million League Credits in it.”
“Spend them wisely.”
“It should be enough to support you for quite some time.”
Lucas nodded once more before returning to the Pokémon Center.
Early the next morning, Lucas and Ralts boarded the ferry.
It was Ralts’ first time traveling by sea.
The little Pokémon clearly wasn’t comfortable.
As soon as the ship left the harbor, it climbed onto Lucas’ shoulder, its tiny body stiff with tension.
Its little paws tightly gripped his collar while its crimson eyes remained fixed on the rolling waves outside.
Lucas could feel it trembling.
“It’s alright.”
He gently lifted Ralts into his hands.
“The ship is stable.”
“It won’t tip over.”
He wasn’t only reassuring Ralts.
He was reassuring himself as well.
Nestled safely in his arms, Ralts gradually relaxed.
The ferry sailed across the ocean for most of the day.
Lucas spent much of the journey inside the cabin, occasionally stepping onto the deck for fresh air.
The sea sparkled beneath the afternoon sun.
Sometimes flocks of Wingull followed behind the ferry.
Occasionally, the dorsal fin of an unknown Pokémon would slice through the water before disappearing beneath the waves.
At around three o’clock that afternoon, the ferry finally arrived at Slateport City.
Slateport City was far larger than Popu Island.
The harbor bustled with activity.
Dockworkers moved cargo while travelers boarded and disembarked from countless ships.
Traffic flowed continuously through the nearby streets.
On the rooftops of several tall buildings, Flying-type Pokémon carrying passengers rested quietly.
Lucas stood at the harbor for a few moments.
Fragments of memories that weren’t truly his slowly surfaced.
He had once visited Slateport City with his mother during a vacation two years earlier.
Following those memories, he found the train station and purchased a ticket to Petalburg City.
The train departed at 4:30 p.m.
Outside the window, the scenery constantly changed.
Busy cities gave way to endless fields.
Fields became forests.
Forests turned into mountains.
Eventually…
Cities appeared once again.
By the time the train reached Petalburg City…
Night had already fallen.
Streetlights stretched into the distance, illuminating rows of modest houses.
The sweet fragrance of flowers drifted through the cool evening air.
Somewhere far away, the cry of an unfamiliar Pokémon echoed softly through the night.
Rather than disturbing the silence…
It somehow made everything feel even more peaceful.
Following the route preserved in his memories, Lucas walked for nearly an hour.
His destination stood in the northwest corner of the city, close to a small forest.
It was an aging two-story apartment building.
The once cream-colored exterior had faded, with patches of peeling paint exposing the walls beneath.
Lucas quietly stood downstairs.
Looking up at the dark second-floor window…
A dull ache suddenly welled up inside his chest.
It wasn’t his own emotion.
It belonged to the original Lucas.
Using the spare key, he unlocked the apartment door.
The room beyond was dark and silent.
He reached for the light switch.
Click.
Warm light filled the apartment.
It wasn’t large.
There were two bedrooms.
A small living room connected directly to the kitchen.
The bathroom sat at the end of the hallway.
Everything looked completely ordinary.
The leather sofa had begun to crack with age.
A forgotten cup still rested on the coffee table, its bottom coated with dried mineral stains.
Everything remained exactly as it had been the day his parents left.
It almost felt as though they could return at any moment.
Lucas quickly pushed that thought aside.
He gently set Ralts down.
The little Pokémon curiously wandered around the apartment, sniffing every unfamiliar corner.
Lucas began cleaning.
There wasn’t much to organize.
He entered his parents’ bedroom first.
Carefully folding several meaningful pieces of clothing, he stored them inside the System’s storage space.
Everything else that seemed useful was also packed away.
While searching through a drawer, he found an old bankbook.
Opening it, he froze.
500,000 League Credits.
That was almost certainly his parents’ largest remaining savings besides the apartment itself.
Looking through the transaction history…
He noticed regular monthly deposits.
None of them were particularly large.
But they had never stopped.
His parents had worked ordinary League jobs.
Their salaries had never been impressive.
To save this much…
They must have spent years living frugally.
Five million…
Plus another five hundred thousand.
A total of 5.5 million League Credits.
After searching the apartment one final time…
Lucas made a decision.
He would sell the house.
It wasn’t an impulsive choice.
Leaving it vacant served no purpose.
Selling it would give him more financial freedom for whatever future awaited him.
As for what came after that…
He already had an idea.
He wanted to buy a farm.
Early the following morning, Lucas headed to the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City.
Compared to the one on Popu Island, this Pokémon Center was enormous.
The lobby was crowded with Trainers and Pokémon coming and going.
Lucas waited patiently at the reception desk.
Before long, a familiar pink-haired Nurse Joy emerged from the back room.
“Hello, how can I—”
She suddenly paused.
Her eyes moved from Lucas’ face…
To the Ralts resting on his shoulder…
And finally to the keys in his hand.
“…Lucas?”
she asked softly.
Lucas blinked in surprise.
“You know me?”
“I always thought it was impossible to tell one Nurse Joy from another.”
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
“Your mother used to bring you here quite often.”
“Have you forgotten?”
She hesitated briefly.
“I also heard about the shipwreck.”
“I’m very sorry.”
Lucas quietly nodded.
“I actually came to ask you something.”
“I’d like to sell my apartment.”
“But I don’t know how to go about it.”
“Do you know anyone who could help?”
“I can.”
Without hesitation, Nurse Joy reached beneath the counter and handed him a business card.
“I know a reliable real estate agent.”
“Give me your house information and your contact details.”
“I’ll forward everything to her.”
“She’ll list the property.”
“If anyone wants to view the house, she’ll contact you directly.”
Lucas accepted the card.
“Thank you.”
He quickly wrote down the necessary information and handed both the note and the spare key to Nurse Joy.
After thanking her once again, he turned toward the exit.
“Lucas.”
She called after him.
He stopped and looked back.
“There is one more thing.”
“Your parents mentioned it to me before.”
“I think you deserve to know.”
Lucas waited silently.
“Before the accident…”
“Your parents had been preparing something for you.”
“They had spent years saving money.”
“Their goal was to give you a gift when you turned eighteen.”
She smiled gently.
“They wanted to give you the opportunity to choose your own starter Pokémon.”
Lucas froze.
He understood exactly what those words meant.
In this world…
Receiving a starter Pokémon wasn’t something anyone could simply do.
The Pokémon League maintained an official Trainer development program.
For a child to qualify for a League-issued starter Pokémon…
Their family had to contribute 200,000 League Credits every year for ten consecutive years.
Only then…
Upon turning eighteen…
Would they earn the right to choose one.
Ten years.
Two hundred thousand each year.
A total of 2 million League Credits.
His parents had never mentioned it.
Perhaps they wanted it to be a surprise.
Or perhaps they worried that knowing the burden would only make him feel guilty.
Either way…
They had quietly continued saving all those years.
Lucas stood silently at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
Warm sunlight streamed through the glass doors, falling across his shoulders.
Ralts sensed the change in his emotions.
The little Pokémon gently rubbed its head against his cheek.
Without saying a single word…
It quietly stayed by his side.