Chương 180: Chapter 173

"Make way, make way! Future Conference Champion coming through!" Redi practically burst straight into the restaurant before Sam, and Sam awkwardly followed her in. Just about every person here quieted down to send a look at the newly arriving pair of trainers. And then everyone saw just who they were. And the entire place erupted into cheers. Sam and Redi got to eat free, with food and drinks being slid their way from both the restaurant itself and other people paying respects.

In return, they shared stories, offered tips, and talked about their teams. The boisterous atmosphere lured other people into the building, and that was the perfect bait for the restaurant. Though Sam and Redi got to pig out without paying for anything, everyone who walked in still had to pay for their own meals. At a certain point, Redi jumped on a table to regale the place with all of their adventures.

She spoke of their first battle on the boat, their battle in the Beginner's Tournament, the time they had fished up a Muk in Ecruteak, Misdreavus's spooky approach in Ilex, the Lapras herd in Union Cave, the "wild" Dragonite attack outside of Blackthorn, their fight through the Pokémon horde north of Mahogany Town, and then so much more. She had a story to tell for every question, and Sam laughed along. The bright atmosphere was infectious, and some people even approached him with questions of their own.

He made sure to give answers, advice, and anecdotes in reply. Out of all of the people to approach him with questions, the vast, vast majority had a Gastly or Haunter on their teams. He'd give them his answer, and then someone else would speak up to ask him for advice. Though he was being crowded, he found he didn't mind this. It was nice to help out. With the tournament having lasted for what had felt like ages, Sam was already tired heading into the party.

As time passed, he started to feel outright exhausted and needed to escape. Redi still looked pumped and full of energy, but she caught his glance and understood. Somehow, she managed to get them a chance to slip out of the restaurant, and then they found themselves a nice, quiet bench that let them look out across the entire town.

"Ugh, yeah. All of my Pokémon are exhausted," Sam said to Redi as they took in the sea of lights that was Silver Town.

"I might have to use a Haunter in my next match. My team went from a bunch of tough battles straight into a fight against Xavier, and then they had to use basically all they had left in our battle against you." Redi laughed at the unintentional compliment.

"I think Ursaluna passed out in the Pokémon Center and still hasn't woken up," she said.

"Porygon's in my PokéGear, and Wyrdeer likes to go to bed early. I've already sent Kangaskhan back home, and she's making sure Baby is getting all of the candy he needs." Sam laughed as well, but then he let out a sigh as he thought about the current state of his team.

"Yeah," he said.

"Typhlosion fights as both my starter and finisher, but think about everything she's gone through recently. She kept standing even after Honchkrow's attack when facing Xavier, she finished it off with the strongest Blast Burn I'd ever seen her use, and then against you, she did the same thing again to knock out Ursaluna with a Flame Wheel."

"Huh," Redi replied.

"So if your team's so exhausted, are you worried about your next battle?"

"Eh." Sam waved a hand.

"Maybe, but not really. Most of us are pretty tired, but we have tonight to rest and should still have a few good fights left in us. We still have a few tricks left, too. Like, Gengar hasn't even used Haze to punish anyone trying to set up against us—and did you know Dragapult knows Sucker Punch?"

"Wow. She never used that against Dragonite," Redi mused.

"That's because she didn't need to," Sam explained.

"That whole battle with Dragonite was all about straightforward clashes. And then, at the end, Sucker Punch should have been used, but she was too far away to slip past Draco Meteor. But her use of Dragon Darts was pretty much inspired by that." After their battle, Sam and Redi had received a pretty stern talking-to. As much as it was a victory that Dragapult and Dragonite had evolved, immediately throwing themselves into such a serious fight could have been a risk.

Evolutions needed time to stabilize, although, as Dragon Types, this match was likely to their benefit. Evolving and immediately trying to prove their superiority against another Dragon probably helped them out, but fainting so soon right after likely wasn't great.

"Dragonite is still in the Pokémon Center," Redi said to Sam, "but she's not injured. The Chansey there are helping her get used to having hands."

"Dragapult is asleep, but I'm not sure about her chances in battle from here," Sam said with a sigh.

"She's stronger than ever, but she only has one Dreepy with her. Like, a Dragapult uses its Dreepy to fight, but they also help stabilize a Dragapult's flight. Unless she wants to slow down, she's going to have a pretty nasty drift to one side. Our future opponents will be able to take advantage of that. And I doubt she'll get another Dreepy any time soon unless I find some way to talk to a Dragon Tamer in Galar."

The only Pokémon on Sam's team that he could say were truly ready for their next battle were Annihilape and Mismagius. Annihilape could take and recover from a punishment quickly, but Mismagius didn't actually have that much stamina she'd need to recover. Technically, she tired out quickly, but she recovered just as fast and could shift a lot of that exhaustion off onto others by clever applications of Pain Split.

"But that's enough about the Conference," Sam said, turning to the side and throwing an arm over the bench.

"I know it's the big thing on everyone's mind, but I have to know—" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. He spoke in a reporter's voice for this.

"So! Miss Meredith! Now that you're free of all these battles, what are your plans next?"" Well," Redi said alongside a giggle, "I'm going to go to Pokémon Land!" Both of them cackled at that joke.

"But... for realsies, I've been thinking about this. Sam, I know the rest of the Conference still needs to happen, but I think... I might pay a Psychic Type trainer to teleport me home." Sam shot up in his seat.

"You're leaving? So soon? You lost, and now... you're going home?" Redi's eyes widened as she heard his shocked tone, and she quickly waved her arms in a panic to try to get him to calm down.

"No, no! It's not like that! I'm not abandoning you because you beat me! It's just..." Her gaze fell, and she returned to staring out over the city. Sam knew this was serious, and he fell back into his normal position as he stared out alongside her.

"I left home without saying goodbye to anyone," Redi said quietly.

"I took Teddiursa, and then I just... dashed. I used all of my savings to buy myself a ticket on a boat, and from what I heard from my parents, Mama Bear was furious." She let out a conflicted laugh.

"My parents were terrified until my aunt contacted them and told them I was with her, and then I spent months without calling home because I was scared about what they were going to say. But I kept advertising their business, and my Pokémon kept getting stronger. And then, when I finally called them to talk about Mr. Pokémon, they were just... happy that I had contacted them at all.

"I... don't want to stay so far away from them any longer," Redi said.

"I want to go home. I want to see my parents. I want to see my family. I just... I want to see Mama Bear. Our Machoke. Our Machop. And everyone else! I've been gone for months at this point, and I want to see everyone again.

"Plus," she said, continuing as a bit of laughter returned to her voice.

"Imagine their reaction to Dragonite! I've talked to her, and both of us want to see the looks on everyone's faces when they witness a pseudo-Legendary help them carry everything around." Sam laughed alongside her at that idea, but his laughter faded away into a long sigh. It hurt to know that Redi would be leaving so soon, but at the same time, he understood.

"I get it," he said, tired.

"I was able to call my mom all the time, and that helped me not get too homesick. But, I think if she hadn't come to the Conference, I would have wanted to go back to her. As much as I love traveling the world and seeing all these new places and training with so many Ghost Types, I also miss my home. I wouldn't have had the energy to stay." Redi wiped her eyes as she nodded, but she wore a soft smile on her face. Despite her defeat, she hadn't mourned her loss in the slightest.

She might have been eliminated from the tournament, but everything she'd accomplished meant her journey overall had been a victory. She had earned all eight Gym Badges. She had earned herself a sponsorship. She had gathered a genuinely incredible collection of rare and powerful Pokémon, and she had made it into the top sixteen of a Conference that involved hundreds. Her achievements firmly placed her within the top few percent of every trainer in Johto.

Honestly, she probably would have even had the chance to go further if she hadn't faced Sam in the previous round.

"All that time apart just to meet up for a week and a half, and now, I'm heading home," she mumbled. Sam stared at her sullen expression until an idea came to mind, and he stood up from his seat. The shadows under his feet supported his decision, vibrating merrily in return.

"Why look so sad?" he asked. Redi snapped her head up. She saw his smile and looked at him in shock, and that shock grew when he held out his hand.

"Sure, you're heading back, but is this really the end?" he asked.

"I'm still in the Conference. You still have your Pokémon. And we've only been through one region. Sure, you're going home, but is that going to be it? Are you really telling me that you're planning on ending your journey here?" Redi stared at him, wide-eyed, her gaze flicking between the bright smile on his face and his offered hand. And then, she laughed. Joyously. This wasn't over just yet. She clasped his arm, and Sam dragged her to her feet.

"Yeah!" she cheered.

"No point in getting sad—we've only been to one region out of so many! And the Conference is still going on! We have to support you! As soon as I get home, I'll spend some money—" Sam gasped in mock-surprise, and Redi rolled her eyes." I'll spend some money," she continued, "and I'll buy a bunch of snacks while gathering my entire family! I'll even grab the projector we use for movie nights just so we can watch your battle! Because of me, you'll have the support of my entire family behind you!

We'll cheer so loudly that you'll be able to hear all of us in Vermillion from your battle in Johto!" Sam laughed.

"Thanks, Redi," he said.

"No problem, Sam. You'd do the same for me, right?" He blinked, mouth falling open without any response behind it. He would try to do the same for her, but he didn't exactly have as many people and Pokémon to gather up as Redi. Seeing his blank stare, Redi blinked as well before bursting into laughter.

"Aw, come on, Sam! You'd really let me down like that?" she asked, elbowing his arm while batting her eyes.

"No, no! I'd... I'd walk all over town talking about you!" he replied quickly.

"I'd have my Ghost Types enter every home in Dewford! I'd get my mom to share the news with all of her contacts! Before too long, I'd have the entire island shouting your name!"

"Nah, with your Ghost Types, they'd be shouting your name out of fear," Redi quipped.

"Anyway, once I have everything set up, I'll take pictures of everyone and send them to—" She froze.

"Hold on, you have an email, right?" Redi asked. Sam ended up going stock-still as well.

"... Did we really never exchange emails?" he whispered in disbelief.

"I mean, we sent each other messages during the last month of the season, but we usually just passed notes through the Pokémon Centers or talked through calls," Redi said with a sniff.

"We were busy training, and Porygon would get hungry. Neither of us had any access to usable computers."

"Shoot. Uh, okay. Yeah." Hurriedly, Sam checked his pockets to see if he had any loose paper on him, but Redi just pulled out her PokéGear with a typable screen open and placed it in his hands.

"Okay, thanks. I'll give you the same email I use for online forums."

"... I think I have to make a new one," Redi muttered.

"Now that I'm thinking about this, I probably can't just use my family's business email to send messages to you." The idea of that made Sam laugh. They quickly swapped contact information, and they made jokes about how they had never bothered to do this until now. Once the next season started, Sam promised they'd meet up in Vermillion, and then they would decide on where to continue their journey together next. But for now, they started to head back to the restaurant.

As stuffed as they were, they wanted to see just how much food they could bring back to their teams.

"Oh, yeah. By the way, who's your next opponent tomorrow?" Redi asked as they walked back to the people who were so willing to give them free food.

"Oh. Victor, I think," Sam said.

"That other first-season trainer?"

"Yeah, but I'm not too worried," he replied.

"I've already beaten him twice, now. Sure, it might have been a while since our last fight, but how hard could he possibly be?"