Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

Chapter 209 In short, let's expand the team first.

"Haha, this is actually quite embarrassing. Hmm, I'll use it less often in the future..."

While this power is indeed formidable from a human perspective, from a Pokémon's point of view, if Masked Meow were to use force against Loew, the only dignity it could maintain would probably be deciding on the position from which it would be assaulted...

So, although it's a very powerful ability, it's nothing compared to Pokémon. Once he realized this, Rowe felt relieved.

Now, I've sorted out everything I had to do, reported my recent situation to my parents, defeated my father, and finally confirmed the correct way to unlock ultimate power and Mega Evolution.

Of course, Rowe did not forget that he had another important task: to help the Meteor Dwellers of Higana end their long-cherished wish of more than a thousand years and completely fulfill the mission of the Meteor Dwellers.

Of course, at this stage, the main focus is still on collecting badges, and after defeating his father, there are still three gyms left to challenge.

In Lilycove City, there's Nakia, who pilots Flying-type Pokémon; in Mossdeep City, there are the twin Gym Leaders, Maple and Konan, who pilot Psychic-type Pokémon; and finally, there's Wallace, the Gym Leader of Sootopolis City, who pilots Water-type Pokémon…

...Of these three, the strongest is undoubtedly Wallace, after all, he was the one who succeeded Steven as the champion of the Hoenn region. In other words, he is a man with genuine champion-level fighting power.

On the other hand, this man is also the holder of the Grand Contest Master Ribbon and Daigo's best friend.

Another, less important identity... He is Rukia's mentor, the very same Rukia he mentored to become a Grand Contest idol.

In conclusion, it will undoubtedly be a formidable and terrifying opponent, and as the final stop of the eight gyms, it is a force to be reckoned with.

As for the remaining two dojos, their strength is similar. In terms of strength, they are not as good as Senri, whom they just defeated. Since Luo Wei can now beat Senri, they are theoretically not particularly threatening opponents.

Of course, considering that Rowe was able to defeat Senri, it cannot be said that Rowe's strength surpasses Senri's. It's just that he won one battle in a Pokémon battle, which doesn't count as a complete surpassing of his strength. If they were to fight again, the outcome would be very difficult to predict.

Therefore, considering this, the outcome of facing the three Gym Leaders—Nagi, Maple, and Konan—is still uncertain, but it certainly won't be more difficult than battling Senri. In fact, the only remaining formidable opponent and challenge is Wallace…

as well as……

...Team Aqua and Team Lava!

In short, Wallace is the final challenger, and the cities where the remaining three Gym Leaders reside must be reached by water.

Of course, flying there directly is also an option, but naturally, Rowe currently lacks both of these means of transportation.

Having just defeated Qianli, and with his team in dire need of further expansion, Luo Wei felt that now was the best time to do so.

“So…” Luo Wei composed himself and said to the people around him, “…Next, I plan to expand the team and add new partners!”

The others also agreed with Rowe's decision, saying, "That's right, more encounters mean more connections, and forming bonds with Pokémon is an essential step to becoming an excellent trainer..."

Qianli gave a very high evaluation to Luo Wei's decision. Of course, Luo Wei felt that this was probably just because Qianli himself was a veteran Pokémon fan.

"Speaking of which, Lillie, have you ever considered training your own Pokémon?"

"Eh?"

Lillie was taken aback when suddenly asked this question, while Rowe remained calm.

"What Lillie wants to do first is to increase her strength, and becoming a trainer is the most reliable way..."

After all, in this world, most problems can only be solved by relying on the power of Pokémon, and to use the power of Pokémon, one must become a trainer. This is the most righteous path.

Lillie also subconsciously tightened her grip on her handbag. In a sense, she did have Pokémon; Nebula could be considered Lillie's Pokémon partner.

However, Little Nebula's existence is too secretive, and currently, Little Nebula's power seems very unstable. Occasionally, it will suddenly unleash terrifying power, but in most cases, Little Nebula seems completely harmless and has no fighting ability at all.

In short, excluding Nebula, Lillie could become a trainer if she gets new Pokémon partners.

Lillie seemed hesitant about this. Rowe knew that Lillie's character had a fear of Pokémon, seemingly due to a psychological trauma left from being attacked by a Pokémon when she was young.

So Rowe hadn't brought this up before, but now, Rowe felt that Lillie had already come into contact with quite a few Pokémon with him, and at least for now, Lillie no longer showed any fear when she came into contact with Meowth and the others.

Therefore, Lowe thinks that Lillie may now be able to overcome her psychological shadow and try to become a trainer. In fact, Lillie had this idea before when she was undergoing Iron Spin training.

However, she tried to listen to Professor Tie Xuan's training tips, but she couldn't understand them for a long time.

Luo Wei felt this was understandable, since Lillie hadn't received any systematic training in Pokémon battles when she arrived, and Professor Tess's lecture could be considered an "advanced teaching material," which wasn't originally intended for beginners.

On the other hand, Lillie is clearly different from traditional trainers. As Lowell said before, she is more suited to the cheerleading style. She doesn't need to provide any tactical support. All she needs to do is provide emotional value. In short, as long as she is willing to wear a cheerleader outfit and dance, everything else can be left to the Pokémon to handle.

...Lillie herself was clearly somewhat unconfident about this kind of metaphysical tactical approach, but now Lillie was indeed willing to try some changes, just as Rowe had thought.

"Yes, Rowe is right. I can't stay lost like this forever. It's about time I took the initiative to try to make some changes and become a trainer... If that can give me the power to change the way I want, I will definitely work hard!"

It sounds like a naive statement, but Rowe knows that Lillie is the type who "can do what she wants." She is quite talented, but she is just suppressed by her overly powerful mother.

Let's be reasonable. In front of a strong woman like President Rosamund, unless you're a truly exceptional genius, anyone who's just average will inevitably blend into the crowd...

and so……

"...Let's go meet some new friends together~"

Chapter 210 More Friends, More Paths

"So, if the goal is to meet new friends, where exactly are we going?"

Lillie was naturally very curious about this, while Rowe chuckled and patted his chest, "Don't worry, I have someone who knows people here. Isn't this Orange Blossom City? I know someone around here~"

The acquaintance that Rowe mentioned was none other than the old captain Hatch, who lived near Petalburg Woods. Rowe's goal was to capture a Water-type Pokémon to expand his team and, incidentally, to serve as a means of transportation to various bodies of water.

The most convenient option is naturally to go out to sea, and since we're talking about going out to sea, going to Old Man Hachi is definitely the right thing to do...

...And it just so happened that the cottage where old man Hatch lived was only a few steps away. Rowe and Lillie went out, turned a corner, and walked for less than two hours before finding old man Hatch's cottage.

As expected, when Luo Wei explained his purpose, Old Man Hachi immediately and without hesitation agreed.

"It's a piece of cake. It's just about going out to sea to find a suitable Water-type Pokémon, right? Well then, let this old man take a look..."

Old man Hachi took out his navigator and, in no time, contacted a friend.

"Well, that's good..." The person on the other end seemed to be a middle-aged man. After the old man Hachi explained a few words to him, the other man readily agreed.

“The old man’s body can’t handle long voyages these days, but I know a lot of friends who are still sailing. I just contacted one of them, and he said he’d be happy to give you guys, young Luo Wei, a ride. Come on, the old man will take you to meet him right now…”

Although the old man claimed that he was too old to go to the open sea, judging from his energetic appearance, Luo Wei suspected that the old man was fully capable of making two round trips in the deep sea.

Of course, the old man doesn't have a suitable large boat right now, and his speedboat can only operate on inshore waterways, so he contacted his friends for help.

In short, Rowe and Lillie boarded Old Man Hatch's speedboat, which roared off and sped away...

"Luo Wei really has a lot of connections..."

Lillie couldn't help but sigh. When she first met Rowe, he proudly told her, "I have connections!"

At the time, Lillie only took it as a joke to lighten the mood, but now it seems that she might have been serious about it.

Rowe certainly has a lot of connections. He knows the League Champion, has a Gym Leader as his father, chats with the president of Devon Corporation, and seems to get along well with the Contest Idol. It even seems like the other person is actively pursuing Rowe.

Now that I know a respected old captain like Hatch, I can contact a large ship to help me with just one phone call.

Luo Wei smiled and waved his hand, "Of course, it's good to make more friends when you're out and about. You never know when it might come in handy. I believe that as long as you're willing to be sincere, you can get along with most people. That's true for humans, and it's true for Pokémon too~"

As he said this, Lowe didn't forget to tease the Sylveon in his arms. As usual, Meowth didn't like the sea, so it didn't come up to the deck, while Gardevoir followed behind at a distance of half a body length.

In any case, given Gardevoir's psychic power, she can sense Rowe's spirit anytime, anywhere. Her psychic power gently entwines around Rowe, forming an invisible aura.

Simply put, if any unexpected event occurs, this aura can effectively protect Lowe. With Gardevoir's current psychic power, this aura's defensive capabilities are more than enough to withstand a sneak attack from an ordinary Pokémon.

In addition, it can also repel mosquitoes and venomous snakes, making it very convenient when you're out and about...

...Naturally, the greatest use of the aura is that, while enveloping Luo Wei, it allows one to clearly and accurately sense every subtle change in his body through mental power.

For a Pokémon like Gardevoir with powerful psychic abilities, psychic energy is an extension of her body and can be considered a part of her body. In other words, although the two seem to have no contact, they are actually always closely connected.

Of course, there are also less troublesome methods. For example, Sylveon in Lowe's arms always has a ribbon tightly wrapped around Lowe's wrist. In a sense, this is "declaring ownership." Compared to Gardevoir, which prefers to stick to Lowe more subtly, Sylveon's way of expressing affection is much more direct.

This is also because Sylveon's personality is the type that "she seems to know she's cute," which contrasts sharply with the reserved Gardevoir.

Lillie was naturally very envious of this, wishing she could have such a partner.

She loves Pokémon, but because she was attacked by a Pokémon when she was young, she subconsciously has a psychological trauma when facing wild Pokémon. She is fine if the Pokémon is captured by someone, but she will unconsciously be afraid when she sees wild Pokémon.

Fortunately, after so many years, the psychological trauma has lessened considerably, and traveling with Luo Wei has broadened his horizons considerably, which can be considered as tempering his personality and temper.

Compared to the naive young lady she once was, she is now a somewhat respectable new adventurer.

As long as you have your own Pokémon, you can become a true trainer...

...She could have gone directly to the research institute to get her starter Pokémon. Lillie had also studied at the Pokémon Academy system, and her grades were definitely not a problem.

However, the nearby research institute does not have a suitable starter Pokémon prepared yet. After all, training a starter Pokémon is not simple. It needs to start in advance every year in conjunction with the graduation season. Before a suitable starter Pokémon can be delivered to a new trainer, it needs to undergo several years of training.

So after thinking about it, Luo Wei decided it would be more efficient to have him take Lillie to the scene to capture any monsters that looked pleasing to the eye...

As they chatted idly, Luo Wei suddenly stopped talking as he caught the sound of waves crashing against the shore…

"coming!"

He looked in the direction of the sound of water and saw a genuine ocean liner cutting through the waves. Lillie was, after all, a young lady from a wealthy family, and had been on luxury ships more than once, so the large ship in front of her was not too shocking for her.

But she also knew very well that such a large ship was not something that could be summoned casually. Could old man Hachi really get such a large ship to help with just one phone call?

"Haha, the captain of that ship used to be a sailor under the old man's command. The old man even helped him set up his ship!"

Old man Hachi explained the reason in one sentence: with such a connection, it's no wonder that the other side came to help as soon as they received a phone call...

"Let's go, let's get on the boat!"

Chapter 211 The Legend of the Island of Awakening

The two boats came to a stop, and the three men on Rowe's side boarded the other's large boat. As for Old Man Hachi's small speedboat, it was naturally stored on the large boat as well.

"You're still as energetic as ever, Captain Hatch..."

Among the group of sailors, a middle-aged man dressed as a captain stood out. He immediately greeted the old man, Hachi, in a friendly manner.

This man must be the sailor that Old Man Hatch mentioned, who used to be under his command, and is now the captain of this large ship.

"Haha, what's with all this talk about being energetic? This old man can't even go out to sea anymore, he can only wander around in the shallows all day. You can't deny getting old, he's not as good as that old rascal Genji, who can still wander around at his age..."

"Haha, what are you saying... Back then, who didn't know your story of conquering the ocean and visiting the 'Island of Awakening'? Alright, young men, perk up and show your senior what you've got!"