"...Did we lose them?"

Jin stood in a port town, a short distance from the Brave Olivine. He had tracked them this far, but once they reached the town, the trio dismounted their flying Pokémon and disappeared into the crowd.

"...mence."

"It's not your fault."

In reality, Salamence had done an excellent job. After the attack at the academy last night, it carried Jin and the others to the Brave Olivine and then immediately began pursuing the Explorers. It had been flying almost non-stop for an entire night.

"Salamence, land."

"Sala.!"

Salamence obeyed and slowly descended to the ground.

"Good job. Take a break for now."

If the Explorers had a base in this town, they had likely already retreated there. Searching from the air was no longer viable; the search would have to continue from the ground.

"Which means, it's time for you."

"Hey! Over here!"

"Huh? That's… Friede!"

As Jin put away Salamence's Poké Ball and reached for the next one, Friede, riding Charizard, approached from the sky, with a Pikachu wearing a captain's hat on his shoulder.

"Friede, what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that. Don't go off on your own like that."

Friede explained that he had rushed to follow Jin after hearing about Sprigatito's abduction and Jin's solo pursuit of the Explorers.

"Sorry for worrying you."

"I understand your feelings. I would have chased after them too if I were in your shoes."

"...Thank you."

Friede wasn't one to shy away from reckless actions. He understood Jin's actions on an emotional level. His reprimand was more out of a sense of adult responsibility.

"So, did you find the Explorers?"

"No… I lost them in this port."

"I see. Then let's head back to the ship and regroup. With my team, we can search more effectively."

Friede suggested that they return to the ship to gather more people for the search. However, Jin had already made up his mind.

"No, I'll continue searching here."

"Wait! We'll find Sprigatito, I promise. So…"

"Friede, I trust you all. I've trusted you ever since I saw the Pokémon on that ship."

When Jin first met Friede at the academy, he thought he was more trustworthy than the Explorers, but still held some doubts. However, Jin had come to trust the people on the Brave Olivine, including Friede.

"The Pokémon on that ship all had genuine smiles. It shows that you treat them kindly. I believe that anyone who is kind to Pokémon can't be bad."

Pokémon are inherently honest creatures. While their personalities can vary, they are greatly influenced by their environment and their trainers. The Pokémon Jin saw on that ship were proof that the crew were good people.

"...In that case..."

"But it hasn't been long since I lost Sprigatito. My Pokémon can still track it by scent."

If too much time passed, the scent trail would fade. If the Explorers took Sprigatito far away, searching would become impossible.

Even if they stayed in town, the Explorers would use Sprigatito as a valuable bargaining chip for the pendant. If it came to that, they would have all the leverage. Jin needed to recover Sprigatito and protect both the pendant and Liko.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Sprigatito is still somewhere in this town. We need to search now."

"...Alright. Then, I'll join you—"

"No, Friede. Please go back to the ship and inform Liko and the others."

"But—"

"Liko must be worried about Sprigatito. Tell her we're still searching and there's hope. Please."

"..."

"And you said it yourself, more people means a better search. If I fail, I'll need your help."

Jin looked straight into Friede's eyes as he asked. After a few moments, Friede sighed deeply.

"Alright, alright. You win."

Realizing he couldn't convince Jin, Friede raised his hands in defeat.

"Friede..."

"But promise me one thing. If you find their hideout, don't go in alone. Contact me via my Rotom Phone."

With that, Friede took a piece of paper from his pocket, wrote down a number, and handed it to Jin.

"...Understood."

"Charizard, Cap, let's head back to the ship!"

"Char!"

"Pika!"

(...So this Pikachu is called Cap.)

Friede mounted Charizard again, with Cap the Pikachu on his shoulder, and they flew back toward the ship.

"Friede! Take care of Liko for me!"

"Leave it to me! My crew and your Sceptile are with her."

Watching them until they disappeared from sight, Jin then turned toward the town.

(...Sorry, Friede. I might not be able to keep that promise.)

Alone, But Not Reckless.

Jin didn't plan to charge in recklessly, but he knew it would depend on the situation. If he found their hideout and they tried to take Sprigatito somewhere farther away, or if they hurt it, he would act immediately, no matter the circumstances.

"Let's do this, Manectric!"

"..Tric!"

Manectric, the Electric Pokémon with spiky yellow fur, was one of Jin's partners. Like Growlithe and Rockruff, it was a canine Pokémon and excelled at tracking scents. In this situation, it was the perfect choice.

"Manectric, listen carefully."

"Mane?"

"Liko's Sprigatito has been kidnapped."

"Manectri!"

"The kidnappers are likely hiding somewhere in this town. Can you track Sprigatito by scent?"

"Mane!"

Manectric responded confidently. It often sunbathed with Sprigatito and was close to it. Jin believed that with Manectric's keen nose, it would surely find Sprigatito.

"Manectric!"

"That way, huh?"

(Hang in there, Sprigatito... I'll find you, no matter what.)

***

Memories of the Past..

"Wow, so beautiful!"

This was a memory from before Liko arrived at the academy, a time when she had not yet received the pendant. Back then, her grandmother still held onto it.

"One day, Liko, you'll wear this and go on an adventure."

"Will I really? Adventures sound scary."

"The first step is the only scary part. Once you take it, you'll see a world you've never seen before, and the fear will disappear… especially if you have Pokémon by your side."

(Grandma...)

With these words echoing in her mind, Liko slowly awoke. She had dreamed of her grandmother for the first time in a long while, likely due to all that had happened since last night involving the pendant her grandmother had given her for protection.

(Where am I?)

This wasn't her room. It was a room aboard the Brave Olivine. After Sprigatito had been kidnapped, she had been given a room on the ship to rest.

(It's not here...)

Usually, Sprigatito would be sleeping next to her, but it was gone.

"Sprigatito..."

Liko whispered softly, feeling a sudden wave of loneliness. At that moment, a gentle hand was placed on her head.

"Sceptile..."

It was Jin's Sceptile. Jin had entrusted Liko's care to Sceptile before leaving the ship. Since last night, it had stayed by her side, watching over her.

"Thank you. I'm okay, Sceptile."

"Scept..."

Liko reassured Sceptile, who looked at her with concern.

"Don't worry. I will get Sprigatito back. Go! Salamence."

(It's okay… Jin is chasing after them. He will find a clue.)

Liko had no way to move from the ship, so she had to trust and wait.

(I will definitely get Sprigatito back.)

With a strong resolve, Liko changed into her uniform and went outside with Sceptile. She found the ship's mechanic, Orla, and Murdock and Mollie, whom she had met last night.

"Um... I..."

"You're going to get Sprigatito back, right?"

"Huh?"

"Friede is currently chasing Jin and the Explorers."

"That's right. Panicking won't help anything."

All three were concerned about Liko, and their care warmed her heart.

(Maybe these people aren't bad after all...)

"Friede will find Sprigatito and bring your friend back too."

Orio reassured her just as a shadow passed overhead. Friede had returned to the ship on Charizard.

"Speak of the devil."

Charizard landed on the deck, and Friede joined them. However, to Liko's disappointment, neither Sprigatito nor Jin was with him.

"Hey, you're awake."

"Where is Sprigatito? And Jin?"

"We found Jin near the port, but we lost track of the Explorers."

Lost track. Those words weighed heavily on Liko. She didn't blame Jin, but losing their only lead was a heavy blow.

"… I see."

"So, what about Jin?"

"I told him to come back here, but he insisted on continuing the search, saying there's still a chance to find Sprigatito."

"Hey, is he going to be okay?"

"Well, he promised not to do anything reckless. I told him to contact us if anything happens, so he should be fine. And, Liko."

"Y-Yes?"

"I have a message from Jin: 'The search continues. There's still hope, so believe in us.' I know it's tough, but can you trust him a little longer?"

"Yes!"

Those words gave Liko courage and hope. Jin hadn't given up on anything. He was still out there, searching for Sprigatito.

(… Sprigatito… Jin… I won't give up either!)

Even without any leads, Liko wouldn't give up on Sprigatito. She believed in Jin's words that there was still hope.

---

Somewhere a short walk from the port town, Jin and Manectric had tracked Sprigatito's scent to a certain facility.

"Manectric!"

"Is it over there?"

Indeed, hope remained.

---

Jin's Current Team

- Sceptile

- Aggron

- Salamence

- Manectric

- ???

- ???

The fourth team member is Manectric! It seems like I have a lot of Mega Evolution-capable Pokémon, but that's just because many of my favorites from the Ruby era happen to have Mega Evolutions. It's not intentional.

// END