Chapter 246: Hikaru's Confusion
After thinking it through—
Hikaru looked around and said, "Alright, I'll head over right away."
Sakura cheered excitedly.
"Yay~!"
She immediately jumped on her bed, celebrating.
The two of them chatted for a while before Sakura hung up on her own.
Left standing there—
Hikaru found himself spacing out, lost in thought.
A long while passed—
Before he finally snapped out of it.
But even now—
He wasn't sure what he had been thinking about.
All he knew was—
He felt incredibly lost.
With a sigh, he decided to find a quiet place to summon Latias and leave.
However—
Before he could move—
A massive shadow suddenly loomed over him.
He looked up.
A Pidgeot was descending from the sky.
And flying behind it—
Was a Charizard.
In Waterwood City, there were only a few trainers who owned a Pidgeot and a Charizard.
And Hikaru recognized them instantly.
It was Luo Hoshino.
And beside him—
Was Chong Yue, the Fire Gym Leader.
The Pidgeot landed gracefully—
And to Hikaru's surprise—
Luo Hoshino wasn't alone.
Beside him—
Was a mature, golden-haired woman with an elegant and intellectual aura.
"You brat. Came to school, left school— didn't even think to let me know, huh?"
His former coach dismounted, grinning widely, before giving him a hard slap on the shoulder.
Luo Hoshino had never cared about Hikaru's current status.
To him—
Hikaru was still his student.
"Tch—"
Hikaru pretended to wince, rubbing his shoulder.
At the same time, he greeted them,
"Coach, Gym Leader Chong— good to see you."
Then his gaze fell on the golden-haired woman.
She looked familiar.
Hikaru vaguely recalled she was a coach from another school.
But why was she here?
And more importantly—
Why did she seem so close to Luo Hoshino?
"And this is…?"
Before the woman could answer—
Luo Hoshino grinned proudly and pulled her closer.
"Your sister-in-law!"
Hikaru: "???"
For a moment, his brain short-circuited.
Luo Hoshino… had a girlfriend?!
"Wait— what??"
Hikaru stared in disbelief.
This guy…
A certified muscle-head, straight as a ruler, actually found someone?!
"What's with that reaction?!"
Luo Hoshino fumed.
"What, you think I can't get a girlfriend?"
Hikaru waved his hands frantically.
"No, no! I just— I just think you two look… great together!"
…Though in his heart—
He was thinking the opposite.
"They look like Beauty and the Beast."
But at the same time—
Hikaru had to admit.
Luo Hoshino had changed.
Before, he always had a thick beard and kept his hair cropped short.
But now—
His beard was gone, and his hair had grown out nicely.
Though he looked less rugged, he did seem more polished.
Maybe love really changed people?
Watching the lighthearted exchange, the golden-haired woman chuckled.
She was impressed by Hikaru's demeanor.
Despite being a world champion, he didn't show a hint of arrogance.
Even in front of his former coach, he still acted like a regular student.
"Nice to meet you, Hikaru."
She smiled warmly.
"Honestly, if it weren't for you, Luo Hoshino and I wouldn't have ended up together."
Hikaru was stunned.
"Huh? What does that have to do with me?"
Seeing his confused look, she laughed and explained the whole story.
As she spoke—
Hikaru's expression turned stranger and stranger.
"Wait— I was part of some sort of romantic bet?!"
"And I didn't even know?!"
The golden-haired woman playfully nudged Luo Hoshino.
"If it weren't for Hikaru, how long were you planning to stay clueless?"
Luo Hoshino awkwardly scratched his head.
Hikaru watched this big, muscular man turn into a shy little boy in front of his girlfriend.
Unbelievable.
"There really is someone for everyone, huh?"
Standing to the side—
Chong Yue finally spoke up.
"Alright, we actually stopped by because we saw you standing here. Something on your mind?"
Hearing this—
Luo Hoshino and the woman also turned their attention to Hikaru.
"This kid's always been carefree. What's got him looking so lost?"
Hikaru quickly shook his head.
"Nah, nothing serious. I was just talking on the phone and got distracted."
Chong Yue nodded.
"Alright. We've got work to do. With everything that happened in Waterwood, it's gonna be a busy few days."
His thick brows furrowed.
The Secret Realm merging—
The Pokémon rampage—
The sudden arrival of Ho-Oh—
If that Legendary Pokémon hadn't appeared and healed so many injured Pokémon—
The city's hospitals would have overflowed.
However—
Despite the initial chaos, in the long run—
This event could actually benefit Waterwood City.
A city visited by two Legendary Pokémon.
And the home of a National Championship winner.
This was a golden opportunity for development.
"Waterwood City is going to prosper more than ever…"
After a few more words, the group bade farewell.
Since they were officials, they could fly their Pokémon freely over the city.
Moments later—
The Pidgeot and Charizard soared into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
Hikaru watched enviously.
"Man… It'd be great if I could fly my Pokémon in the city too."
He muttered under his breath—
"What do I need to do to become a Field Investigator?"
If he had that authority, he wouldn't have to sneak around summoning Latias.
Shaking his head—
Hikaru found a hidden spot.
After confirming no surveillance cameras were nearby, he summoned Latias.
Then—
With a burst of red light, they shot into the sky.
Even with Latias' speed—
The trip from Xiang Province to Kyoto would still take a while.
So—
Hikaru decided to check his Pokémon's progress.
The blessings from Ho-Oh had granted his team various boosts.
His Charizard leveled up once, now at Lv. 49.
The others—
Greninja, Latias, and Gardevoir—
Hadn't gained levels.
However—
Tyranitar's pre-evolution pushed up two levels, reaching Lv. 39.
Bulbasaur reached Lv. 26.
And the biggest surprise—
Gible jumped up four levels, reaching Lv. 16!
"Huh, maybe it's time to feed Gible a Growth Fruit soon?"
But what caught his attention most—
Was that Bulbasaur's potential had changed…
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