Not Being a Trainer This Time

With a flash of white light, a Pokemon shaped like a blooming flower, with deep-blue petals, appeared opposite Dragonite.

Five minutes later, Glimmora collapsed to the ground.

The referee outside the field blew his whistle and announced the result of the battle.

”Glimmora is unable to battle! The winner of this match is the challenger from the Johto Region, Clair!”

Clair wasn’t particularly surprised by this result.

She lowered her head and glanced at her Rotom Phone.

With this, she now had the right to challenge that strongest mysterious Trainer in the Paldea Region.

Geeta didn’t feel dejected at all from losing the battle.

She put her hands together, smiling with squinting eyes: ”Congratulations, Clair, you’ve cleared the Paldea Region Champion challenge. You’re now a Champion-level Trainer.”

Clair, who had no intention of joining the Paldea League: ”...”

She stayed silent for a moment, then ultimately declined Geeta’s invitation in a tactful way.

Because she was not only the heir of the Dragon Taming Clan, but also the Gym Leader of Blackthorn Gym in the Johto Region...

At this, Geeta looked very disappointed.

But she didn’t press the matter, instead smiling as she said: ”The Paldea League will always welcome you if you decide to join.”

*

After leaving the Paldea League Headquarters, Clair used her Rotom Phone to call her cousin Lance.

Very quickly, the call connected, and Lance’s handsome, stern face appeared on the screen.

”What’s up?” Lance asked. He was currently on an infiltration mission: an Inspector from the Kanto League had discovered the location of a Team Rocket base, and he was preparing to slip in under disguise to investigate.

Clair replied: ”I’ve already collected the eight badges of the Paldea League and passed the Champion challenge. I’ve now earned the right to challenge him.”

”Got it.” Lance recalled that battle at the Unova banquet years ago, fell silent for a moment, then reminded her: ”He’s very strong. It’s not just his Dragon Type Pokemon—he’s extremely good with other types too. Be careful. That Dragonite of his is especially skilled at a Rain Dance plus Thunderstorm tactic.”

For a Dragonite, that tactic is the simplest and easiest one to pull off. Under stormy weather, it massively boosts Thunder’s accuracy.

Once it hits, aside from certain Pokemon that can ignore electricity, Pokemon of other types will all take heavy damage.

In theory, that kind of tactic should be easy to counter and respond to, but that man’s Dragonite seems different from other people’s Dragonite.

His Dragonite is extremely adept at using Rain Dance and Hurricane, able to change the weather almost in an instant.

That leaves its opponents basically unable to seize control of the weather, forced to watch as that Dragonite whips up an outrageous storm and turns the entire battlefield into its own domain.

Hearing her cousin’s description, Clair was slightly stunned and asked in disbelief: ”Is it really that exaggerated?”

Lance nodded seriously. Imagining it, he described: ”You know what a typhoon is, right? The storm that Dragonite creates feels like you’re standing right inside a typhoon.”

Of course Clair knew typhoons—before her Dragonair evolved into Dragonite, it had once trained by harnessing the power of a typhoon.

Except, even though Dragonite is a Flying Type Pokemon, to beat its wings and conjure a gale on par with a typhoon...

That’s something not even her cousin Lance could do!

Clair’s expression grew grave, and inwardly she was utterly shocked.

Just how overwhelming was the strength of that man’s Dragonite?!

Even scarier was the fact that he didn’t only have one Dragonite...

Clair clearly remembered that his ranch had quite a few Dragonite.

By comparison, where was the real Dragon’s Holy Sanctuary supposed to be?!

Thankfully that Trainer lived alone, with no family. Otherwise they might have even stolen away the Dragon Taming Clan’s very name.

They’d have turned into the bootleg Dragon Taming Clan...

”Still, a battle with him might give you some new insight, help you break through to a higher level.” Seeing Clair’s expression grow a bit strange, Lance assumed she was worried and continued.

Clair put away those odd thoughts swirling in her heart and said solemnly: ”I understand.”

After the call ended, Lance continued his Inspector mission, rushing in with his Dragonite through an air duct into that base.

Clair, meanwhile, tried out Paldea’s local Squawkabilly Flying Taxi, taking the taxi toward her destination for this trip, Porto Marinada Town.

The Squawkabilly Flying Taxi drifted leisurely through the clear blue sky, while big fluffy white clouds floated by overhead from time to time.

Clair stared blankly at the scenery around her, her whole self uncharacteristically quieting down.

The sky in the Paldea Region is really blue, and the people are great too...

Compared to her hometown in the Johto Region, everything here feels very safe and peaceful—no Team Rocket, no evil organizations, and no Pokemon Hunters stealing Pokemon.

All the way here, Clair hadn’t run into any of those things even once.

If only the Johto Region could be like the Paldea Region too, Clair couldn’t help thinking.

Without realizing it, Clair drifted off to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the driver up front was turning back to her with a kindly smile, saying:

”Miss, we’ve arrived in Porto Marinada Town. Please take all of your personal belongings with you, don’t leave anything behind!”

Clair nodded to the driver, then got off the car.

What met her eyes was a very beautiful seaside town.

Of course, if not for all the buildings still under construction, it would look even better.

Clair could tell that this town was developing at a rapid pace.

Maybe in just a few years, it would grow from a small town into a more advanced, more high-tech city.

Clair opened her Rotom Phone and checked the map, but she couldn’t find any marker for Naoki Ranch on it.

With no other choice, she had to ask a local.

”What? Naoki Ranch? You’re going there to look for Naoki too?” A middle-aged man widened his eyes and grinned.

Clair paused for a moment: ”Too? So besides me, lots of people have been there?”

The man nodded: ”Of course! Naoki Ranch is a pretty famous place here in Porto Marinada Town! The owner there is a really strong Trainer! And the MooMoo Fresh Milk and Life Sheep Milk produced at the ranch are top-class—those get exported all the way across the sea to the Hoenn Region!”

Clair: ”...May I ask which direction I should go to get there?”

”Oh, just head out of town and keep going straight along that country road, and you’ll get there. Naoki Ranch is right at the end of the road!” The man said, pointing in a direction.

”Alright, thank you very much.” Clair thanked him politely.

Then she said goodbye to the man and took a Poke Ball from her waist.

With a flash of white light, a Dragonite appeared on the street.

Clair swung herself up onto its back, pointed ahead, and said to Dragonite: ”Dragonite, take me there!”

”Rawr!” Dragonite nodded its big head, then beat its dragon wings and flew forward.

Porto Marinada Town slowly fell behind them, and ahead, a large stretch of forest and grassland came into view.

And at the end of the road, Clair really did see a big ranch.

That had to be Naoki Ranch!

But just then, the Dragonite under her suddenly grew wary, as if it had sensed something.

”Huh?” Clair was slightly taken aback and asked, puzzled: ”What’s wrong?”

Before Dragonite could say anything, Clair felt shadows passing over her head one after another.

A strong gust swept past, whipping her cape up and down so that it rustled noisily.

Clair looked up, only to see a whole flock of Dragonite flying in formation right over her!

Each Dragonite had the same little satchel slung around its neck and a pair of goggles on its head—it really looked like they were employees who’d all been trained by the same delivery company.

Seeing this scene, Clair was instantly stunned.

Dragonite! So many Dragonite!

And those Dragonite seemed to notice them too, all dropping lower.

In no time at all, Clair was surrounded by a whole group of Dragonite dressed up like couriers.

Their gazes kept drifting between her and the Dragonite under her, their big eyes full of curiosity. Some Dragonite even scratched their own heads with their chubby claws in confusion.

Because they had never seen this Dragonite before back on Dragonite Island.

Was this Dragonite a Dragonite from somewhere else?

Clair, meanwhile, instinctively widened her eyes.

”So, so many!” Clair was completely shocked.