Near the lake by Indigo Academy, Jin and Liko snuck out of the dorm again tonight for another training session.

"Sprigatito, use Leafage!"

"Meow!"

A barrage of green leaves shot out from Sprigatito toward Jin's Pokémon.

"Here it comes! Aggron, use Iron Defense!"

"Goh!"

In response, Jin's Aggron crossed its arms in front of itself, bracing for impact. Sprigatito's Leafage engulfed Aggron, completely obscuring its form. This continued for a few seconds until Sprigatito's strength waned, causing the Leafage to dissipate gradually.

"...Goh"

Emerging from the leaves was Aggron, standing firm on both legs, though it bore a few small wounds.

"...Meow..."

"Ugh, it didn't work at all…"

(Oh no, it did work.)

Aggron is a Steel/Rock type, making Grass-type attacks normally effective. However, Aggron was undoubtedly Jin's most durable Pokémon. Normally, a move like Leafage wouldn't cause any damage.

However, since starting their secret training by the lake, Sprigatito's growth had been remarkable.

(Wait, was that really Leafage?)

Sprigatito's Leafage didn't match the scale or power of Sceptile's Leaf Storm, but it was clearly stronger and larger than Sceptile's own Leafage. While the result of hard work, Jin and the others were astonished by Sprigatito's high potential.

"Let's take a break. We've reached a good stopping point."

Jin decided this as continuing further might cause significant damage to Aggron.

"Here you go."

"Thanks!"

Jin and Liko drank the bottled water they brought. Since they started training together, Liko had secretly come to enjoy the water they drank after training.

"Nyaa…"

"...Scep."

"...Goh…"

Sceptile and Aggron sat back-to-back, while Sprigatito rested on Sceptile's tail. Sceptile and Aggron looked slightly bemused as Sprigatito began grooming itself while resting on Sceptile's tail.

"Sorry! Sprigatito, get down!"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. He's really grown attached."

Since the day they started training, Sprigatito often clung to Sceptile. Watching Sceptile use Leaf Storm had apparently left quite an impression on Sprigatito.

Initially, Sceptile had been Sprigatito's training partner, but as Sprigatito's power increased, Jin decided to split the training: Sceptile for accuracy, given its speed, and Aggron for power, given its durability.

"It's good they get along. Sceptile doesn't really mind it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, if anything, Sceptile would feel lonely if he wasn't needed. He'd never admit it, though, so it's great that Sprigatito is so upfront."

Jin thought that Sceptile would never acknowledge it, so he was grateful for Sprigatito's straightforward interactions.

"You've improved a lot. Not long ago, you could barely hit a stationary rock. Now you're landing hits on moving targets."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Really? But I still can't hit Sceptile, and Aggron barely takes any damage…"

"That's because your opponents are Sceptile and Aggron. Other students' Pokémon would take more damage. If you're still worried, why not challenge some of the other students to a battle?"

Among the new students, there wouldn't be a significant level difference. Thanks to training with Jin, Sprigatito's level was slightly higher than other freshmen's Pokémon. Battling lower-level opponents would be good experience. At this academy, it wouldn't be hard to arrange battles during classes.

"I've battled Ann a few times…"

"What about anyone else?"

"......"

"Have you seriously only battled Ann?"

"B-but…"

Just when she seemed brave, she would become shy and introverted in unexpected ways. With the extended break approaching, there wouldn't be any more battle classes. Jin wanted Liko to gain battle experience with more than just Ann or himself.

"Liko, do you have any plans for the extended break?"

"Um, not really. My parents are busy, so I decided not to go home."

"In that case, why don't you come on a little trip with me?"

"A trip?"

"Yeah. I was planning to visit some battle spots in the Kanto region. Want to come?"

Sprigatito needed more varied opponents to avoid developing bad habits and to grow stronger by battling similarly matched or slightly stronger foes.

"...Just the two of us?"

"Huh? Of course, our Pokémon will come too, but it'll just be us as trainers."

(A trip with just Jin…)

"Sure, I'd like to go."

After thinking for a few seconds, Liko blushed slightly and agreed to go on the trip.

"Great! Leave the travel plans to me. Like I said before, I've got some travel experience."

"O-okay. Thanks."

(I'm so lucky. I was worried I wouldn't see Liko during the break.)

(I said yes on impulse, but will it be okay? Still, I want to be with Jin…)

---

At the bus parking lot of Indigo Academy, many students gathered with their luggage, preparing to go home for the extended break. Jin and Liko had decided to stay at the academy, but they came to see off Liko's roommate, Ann.

"It's been so long since I've been home. I'm gonna laze around!"

As usual.

"And I need to introduce Oshawott to my parents."

"Oshawott!"

Oshawott also seemed excited to meet Ann's parents, cheerfully responding from atop Ann's bag.

"Liko, Jin, you're not going home for the break?"

"I think it's fine for now. My parents are probably busy."

"Same here. I want to explore Kanto during the break."

"I see. You're going on a trip, huh? Jin, since you're an experienced traveler, take good care of Liko."

"Of course."

"Yeah, Jin's reliable, so I'll be fine."

"Reliable, huh? Hehe, Liko~"

"W-what? Ann, why do you look so mischievous?"

"Never mind that. Come here, come here."

Ann beckoned Liko closer and whispered just loud enough for her to hear, but not Jin.

"Since it's a trip just for the two of you, you have to make a good impression!"

"N-no! I told you, it's not like that!"

"Oh, come on~. You're really happy he invited you, right?"

"Well, yeah, I've been spending so much time with Jin lately that I felt lonely without him, so when he invited me…"

(Is Liko really not aware? She pretty much confessed just now.)

"Let me know how far you've gotten when you get back!"

"Geez, Ann!"

While the two girls were having their secret conversation, Jin was left out, only able to tell that they were having a lively discussion. He was very curious about what they were talking about.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

"N-nothing at all!"

"Too bad! Girls' talk is a secret from the boys!"

This was the utmost discrimination. Gender was something he couldn't help, after all. And at his age, Jin was very interested in the content of their girls' talk.

"Don't make such a sulky face! Sceptile, Sprigatito, take care of Jin and Liko, okay?"

"Nya!"

"Scept!"

Ann shook hands with Sprigatito and Sceptile and then boarded the bus.

"See you! Enjoy your trip, you two!"

"Yeah."

"Have a good time too, Ann."

Jin and Liko watched Ann get on the bus and then decided to head back to the dorms to prepare for the next day.

"Hey, what were you talking about earlier?"

"...It's a secret."

Jin, left feeling frustrated, returned to the dorms still in the dark about their conversation.

---

Jin returned to his dorm room after parting with Liko. He began preparing his things for tomorrow's journey, packing the essentials like clothes, food, medicine, a map, and Poké Balls into his bag.

"Well, that should do it."

With his preparations complete and no training session planned for the night, there was nothing else left to do. Just as he considered having an early dinner, his Rotom Phone started ringing. He picked it up and saw Liko's face on the screen.

"Liko? What's wr—"

"Jin, help me!"

She cut him off, sounding extremely distressed. It was clear that something serious was happening.

"Calm down. What's going on?"

"There's a suspicious person at the dorm right now. They claim to know my grandma, but they seem really shady and..."

"Liko, where are you right now?"

"I'm still in my room. I told them to wait outside, but..."

Suddenly, Liko's voice cut off, and all Jin could hear were unsettling noises. His mind raced, imagining the worst possible scenarios like kidnapping or robbery.

"Liko! Liko! Are you okay?!"

"I'm okay, I think. The person came to my room, so I climbed out the window and onto the roof..."

"Stay hidden there. I'm coming right now."

Jin ended the call and bolted out of his room, heading straight for the girls' dormitory.

"Please, let me make it in time."

The story was about to take a dramatic turn.

---

Jin's Current Team:

- Sceptile

- Aggron

- ???

- ???

- ???

- ???

//End