Pokémon: Just won the championship, the newbie growth system is here!

Rico carefully examined the box and, finding no signs of it being opened, breathed a sigh of relief.

"The things inside seem to be very important to you."

"Um."

Hearing Ye Luo's words, Rico nodded politely.

But she didn't seem to want to say what was inside, and Ye Luo was too lazy to ask.

However, the only thing worth worrying about is that the thief came prepared, and his target was probably something like the thing in the box.

"They deliberately chose to act on a quiet street, right at the moment you left the park. They've probably been following you for a while now. Can you guess who it is?"

Rico shook her head; she couldn't recall ever knowing a thief like that.

The zipper on her suitcase was broken. Although Ye Luo took her to the station, carrying a suitcase that was prone to falling apart would be quite troublesome for her future travels.

Sitting on a seat in the station, I noticed that the sky had started to mix snowflakes with raindrops.

Ye Luo pondered.

"The thief got away, but it's possible he has accomplices. I suggest you keep your valuables safe."

Rico nodded, but there was some hesitation in her eyes.

She didn't understand who she had offended, or why they were specifically trying to steal her luggage.

Ye Luo just had a gut feeling that this wasn't so simple, and the burly man didn't look like a simple thief.

While grooming Umbreon, Ye Luo and Riko stared blankly at the sky.

Rain and snow fell on the awning, dripping down like a curtain, and the air fell into a temporary silence.

Klee is rather introverted, and Ye Luo is also not a talkative person.

It's better to spend more time taking care of your own Pokémon than to interact with humans. After all, if you have a good relationship with them, they will work hard for their trainers, which is a real positive feedback.

Rico finally mustered her courage, not looking this way, but looking at her knees, and spoke softly.

"Mr. Ye Luo... is he a busybody...?"

He stammered as he searched for a topic he had heard from the thief earlier.

Lyco realized how impolite the topic was once she brought it up, but it was too late to take it back.

Ye Luo didn't seem to care, and continued grooming Umbreon while saying something.

"Because I have a lot of free time."

"I see... I see."

The air fell silent again, and now you could feel how difficult it was for the two of them to communicate.

At least Ye Luo had something to do to look after her Pokémon, but Riko was awkwardly idle, her eyes darting around as she stared at the ground.

Waiting for the train to arrive at the station is a very boring thing, and the intervals between long-distance trains are long.

The LCD screen next to me showed that we would arrive at the station in half an hour.

"There's still... half an hour left... We won't arrive until 4:50."

"Okay, let's wait patiently."

"Um."

You could tell that Riko was trying very hard to find topics to talk about; beneath her seemingly calm face, her mind was actually racing.

When chatting with friends, Rico often struggles to think of what to say. Instead of chatting with people, she usually spends her time scrolling through her phone watching Grumpy's live streams.

If Ye Luo were also a fan of Grumi, that would be great, then we'd have something to talk about, but Riko thought it was unlikely that such a coincidence would happen.

[It seems like she's thinking about a lot of things.]

Meloetta, perched on the other shoulder of the fallen leaves, grumbled through telepathy. She had just tried to read Riko's mind and found it to be a jumbled mess of thoughts.

[Ye Luo's ideas are more interesting; her thoughts are rather simple.]

Leaf Fall: "?"

What does it mean to have a simplistic mindset?

[After all, Ye Luo only thinks about how to take care of Pokémon and doesn't want to worry about anything else.]

"So that's what you were talking about."

Meloetta's understanding of human word choice and sentence structure is insufficient; what it actually wants to say is "pure"?

Ye Luo is also someone who hates trouble; in today's terms, he's a "laid-back" type of trainer.

He might think about things that are too complicated, but there are some things he's too lazy to bother with.

The idea that "with great power comes great responsibility" is a myth. This world is full of capable people; being able to do your job well and live each day to the fullest is already quite good.

Even so, Ye Luo does indeed hold the title of regional champion, so he has no choice but to intervene if serious crimes occur in the Kanto region.

Becoming the league champion comes with the obligation to "solve incidents that the police find difficult to handle" and "maintain regional peace."

Ye Luo looked up and watched the snowflakes falling outside the awning land on the ground, quickly melting and disappearing on the wet pavement.

At least until the Rockets disbanded, the world has remained peaceful.

On the station bench, Ye Luo didn't say much, focusing on taking care of the Pokémon, while Riko stood aside, hesitant and lost in thought.

"Would you like some cookies?"

Ye Luo took out a box of chocolate chips from her backpack, gave one to Meloeta, and handed her the box.

Still wary of food from strangers, Rico hesitated for a moment before carefully reaching into the box and taking a piece.

"Thanks."

Rico ate the cookies in small bites.

Ye Luo also took out a cookie and fed it to Umbreon. After finishing the cookie, Umbreon stretched.

Lico cast a curious glance at her from the side.

The feeling of being intimidated by the horned rhinoceros when I fought it before was completely different from the somewhat terrifying sense of oppression I felt now.

Umbreon lay lazily on Ye Luo's lap, casually flicking its ears.

"Incredible..."

"What do you mean?"

Lyco realized she had inadvertently revealed her true feelings and hurriedly explained.

"Um... I mean... Umbreon doesn't look like this in battle."

"That's just its personality; it shows no mercy to those who do bad things. In human terms, you could say it's full of a sense of justice."

"Aww~".

As its fur was stroked, Umbreon let out a comfortable groan.

The sound of raindrops hitting the ground made Umbreon a little sleepy.

"It loves to sleep on its trainer's lap."

"Oh... I see."

Klee seemed somewhat interested, and her demeanor became much calmer when the topic of Pokémon came up.

In the distance, the high beams of the bus shone like eyes in the misty rain. The vehicle, which came from Vermilion City, would make a brief stop in Cerulean City before heading to Pyrenees City and back.

The train doors opened, and a few tourists got off with their Pokémon. It was the off-season, and there were very few passengers heading back.

The driver in the blue uniform also got off the bus with Jili Dan, and Xiao Li, the long-distance bus driver in Hualan City, took over the shift.

"I once dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, until I became a member of the bus crew. Let's go, Chikorita."

"Chirp."

Now this driver has an easier way to realize his dream of traveling between cities by driving a long-distance bus between cities in the Kanto region.

He picked up the microphone on the front of the car and spoke.

The long-distance bus to Pewter City will depart at 5:20 AM. Passengers traveling to Pewter City, please keep an eye on your luggage and Pokémon, and board the bus in an orderly manner. Thank you for your cooperation.

The car door opened, and Rico dragged her suitcase onto the car. Then, as if remembering something, she turned around and got off, bowing to Ye Luo.

She blinked her azure eyes and said with a smile.

"I forgot to properly thank Mr. Ye Luo."

"No need to be so polite, please be careful on the road."

"Um."

For the first time, Riko felt so relaxed communicating with strangers. Even though she was nervous, she didn't mind and thought it was great to be able to study in the Kanto region.

Ye Luo suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Rico, do you have a cell phone?"

"no."

"Okay then, please wait a moment."

Ye Luo took out paper, pen, and a bracelet from her backpack, wrote down a row of phone numbers on them, checked them again, and handed them over.

"This is my mobile phone number. If you encounter any difficulties, just find a public phone booth and call me."

Considering that the thief from before was not simple, Ye Luo felt that he needed to have a backup plan.

Ye Luo gave her instructions.

Rico looked at the phone number on the note and assumed it was someone wanting to exchange phone numbers with a friend, and a hint of happiness appeared on her face.

"I see."

There was also a rope bracelet, decorated with several round metal rings of different sizes, which was very exquisite.

"This is?"

Consider it a gift to you, a testament to our friendship.

Riko's eyes lit up when she heard the word "friend." When she came to the Kanto region, she had thought about making new friends, but given her introverted and shy nature, she knew it would be difficult.

Without a second thought, Lico put the bracelet on her wrist and examined it carefully.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

After explaining everything, Lily carefully put the important note in the inside pocket of her clothes, boarded the bus, and found an empty seat at the very back.

She was alone for the rest of the journey and felt a little lost. She blinked and looked out the window.

Just like before, Ye Luo interacted with Pokémon in front of the station seats, looked at the back of the bus, and waved in their direction.

Riko waved slightly in response and embarked on her journey to Quartz Academy.