The dream of becoming a Pokémon master

After introducing themselves, Kyosuke briefly explained Eevee's current situation and immediately had Chimchar and Leafeon lead the way to Celeste City.

Fire Monkey knew this wasn't the time for pleasantries, so he immediately led Kyosuke to the airport parking lot and found his car.

A brand new hover sports car.

The neighbor's.

A beat-up pickup truck.

"Who are you?! Why are you impersonating one of the Four Heavenly Kings?!" It's true, netizens are completely unreliable!

Fire Monkey was also confused by Kyosuke's words: "What, are all the Four Heavenly Kings necessarily rich?"

"I've looked into it. The Elite Four's salaries are calculated differently in different regions. The Elite Four's missions are simple, but their appearance fees are high. The Sinnoh region is the richest, so you absolutely can't be the Fire-type Elite Four member, Big Leaf!" Kyosuke's reasoned analysis was so convincing that if Charizard didn't know himself well, he would have believed it.

"This is my own problem. Back then, in order to improve my strength, I made the tough decision to travel alone. Later, after becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings, I realized that I had lost a lot of emotions. And as I've mentioned before, I don't like being tied down by worldly affairs, so even now that I've become one of the Four Heavenly Kings, they've promised not to arrange too much work for me, so naturally I don't have any money," Fire Monkey explained.

"girlfriend?"

"No, best friend."

Kyosuke stepped back, recalling some unpleasant memories.

"What are you thinking about... Never mind, get in the car. I'll tell you my story later. Getting to Chefeng City is the priority."

Kyosuke knew this wasn't the time to focus on such trivial matters, so he quickly got on the bus.

The car was indeed bumpier than expected while driving on the road, and Ibu woke up from his sleep.

Upon waking, Eevee was about to transform into Jolteon, but thankfully Jusuke caught it in his arms just in time. Feeling that warmth from before and seeing the person who saved it, Eevee stopped its reversible transformation, remaining in its Eevee form and lying quietly, looking at the different scenery outside the window, a smile gradually appearing on its face.

"It seems the pain has lessened after waking up," Infernape said with a smile, glancing at Kyosuke and Eevee beside it.

"No, it's just being considerate." Kyosuke looked down on this Elite Four member even more, though he wasn't sure if it was really him. But regardless, they were still good friends online. "By the way, how much longer until we get to Kirito City, Infernape?"

"I was just saying it offhand, Kyosuke, you're teasing me again. But we'll probably arrive in the evening, Kyosuke," Infernape replied. Sinnoh isn't a small place; Kirito City is located at the northernmost tip of Sinnoh, and Kyosuke comes from Kanto, which is located south of Sinnoh.

Upon hearing this reply, Kyosuke closed his eyes to rest.

Night finally fell. We finally arrived in Chefeng City.

As they approached Kirito City, Kyosuke woke up, feeling the air growing colder, and took a blanket from his belt to cover Eevee.

Seeing the Fire Monkey's surprised look, Kyosuke casually asked, "Do you want one too?"

"How could the Fire-type Elite Four member be afraid of the cold, Kyosuke!" Infernape retorted.

Kyosuke thought about it and agreed, so he didn't say anything more.

Upon arriving in Kirifu City, Kyosuke realized what the internet meant by "there is only one season in a year." It was only almost August, supposedly the hottest time of the year, yet the city was still covered in snow.

"The snow here falls from Mount Tianguan, which is why it's always so white," Fire Monkey explained. "Come with me, I've already found out the location of that rock."

Kyosuke knew that the rock had long since become a tourist attraction, and generally there was no chance to go in at night. Since Fire Monkey had a way in, he could just follow along.

However, "Let's figure out what to eat first. We can handle it, but the Pokémon can't," Kyosuke suggested. They hadn't eaten lunch either, as they had been traveling the whole way, and Kyosuke had only casually fed Eevee a little food.

Fire Monkey gave Kyosuke a strange look, then nodded in agreement.

Kyosuke and Chimchar immediately summoned their Pokémon in the wild, and Kyosuke also took out a table and chairs from his bag.

"You're quite well-prepared. Typical rich kid gear," Fire Monkey remarked in surprise after taking a look.

"After all, it's our first time traveling, so we naturally need to be fully prepared," Kyosuke said as he installed the equipment.

"But Kyosuke, you're still a kid, hahaha. You even talked about being a seasoned Pokémon catcher and stuff." Fire Monkey remembered Kyosuke's self-praise online.

Public execution.

Kyosuke stopped responding.

When dinner was finally served, the two people and the four elves sat at the table and continued chatting, changing the subject.

"This Charmeleon must be your starter Pokémon, one of the three Fire-type starters from the Kanto region. You've trained it well," Infernape commented seriously, looking at Kyosuke's Charmeleon.

"Yes, Zhonghuo is a very competitive and hardworking kid."

"Midfire, hahaha, your naming skills are really nothing to write home about. But this Nidoran seems a bit off, is it confused?" Charizard laughed immediately upon hearing Charmeleon's name, but then looked at the silent Nidoran who was only focused on eating and noticed that he seemed a little off.

"Right now, I just hope he can grow up well. After all, I am his parent too." Kyosuke was referring to the matter entrusted to him by the overlord.

"Parents? That's a very good analogy. Kyosuke, since you're a parent, you should show him more care and concern," Fire Monkey lectured Kyosuke.

Kyosuke knew this was also his shortcoming, so he humbly asked for advice.

Then, the topic finally turned to the Pokémon Cimarron.

"By the way, Infernape, do you only have one Infernape?" Kyosuke asked.

"Of course not, I'm the Fire-type Elite Four member, how could I only have one Pokémon?" Infernape was puzzled by Kyosuke's question. "I just knew you also liked Infernape, and I wanted to show you, so I brought him along."

Just as Dragon Ball brought a huge wave of popularity to Dragonite, Journey to the West also attracted a large number of fans to its main characters, with Infernape being the one with the most fans.

This is also the reason why Kyosuke and Fire Monkey got to know each other.

"But won't the Pokémon feel neglected if they're not with you? Or won't they be able to train properly if they're alone at home?" Kyosuke asked, puzzled.

He has always believed that the reason why the Elite Four members and champions only have a few Pokémon is so that they can always carry them with them for training and to maintain their fighting strength.

He shared his doubts with Fire Monkey, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, every Elite Four member and champion started as a rookie trainer, and without a love for Pokémon, they couldn't go far. But since they have such a deep love for Pokémon, would they abandon the Pokémon that once followed them, keeping only a few of the same type?"

Kyosuke was stunned when he heard this.

He never even thought of such a simple question!