Chapter 693 - 693: 693. Will We Meet Again?

The butler referee announced the result in his aged voice something everyone already knew.

"Milotic is unable to battle. The challenger wins this match!"

Two rounds of applause rang out at the same time.

Misty was clapping in the stands, but she soon noticed that the person beside her Lisia was also clapping enthusiastically for Kai's victory. Her eyes even sparkled with excitement.

Misty immediately glared at her.

"Why are you clapping? Didn't your master lose? Aren't you cheering for the wrong side?"

Lisia turned her head and looked at her with a "so what?" expression.

"I'm not cheering for my master. Kai is my friend, Isn't it normal for me to be happy when my friend wins?"

"Your friend!?"

Misty was instantly annoyed.

What kind of joke is that!?

You've only known Kai for a short time, and you're already calling him your friend!?

If you met him a few more times, would you start calling him Kai-bro as I do!?

Is this how shameless idols are?

'Hmph, what a thick skin!'

She fumed silently, though there was little she could do about it. After all, Lisia could say whatever she wanted.

But Misty became even more determined about one thing—

Once the Gym battle ended, they had to leave immediately!

She absolutely could not let Lisia get any closer to Kai!

---

The two girls left their seats and headed toward the battlefield below.

Unfortunately, the passage in the stands was narrow, and they ended up squeezing into the same space.

Neither of them was willing to give way.

They exchanged a glance before both pushing forward at the same time, trying to get through first.

Although Lisia was an idol who sang and danced regularly and seemed physically fit, Misty ultimately won thanks to her superior strength and squeezed ahead of her.

Instead of heading straight toward Kai, Misty turned back and looked at Lisia provocatively.

She didn't say anything, but the meaning on her face was obvious:

Hmph. Whether it's a man or anything else, you can't beat me.

Lisia glared back just as fiercely.

You may have won this time… but the one who laughs last will definitely be me!

---

Down in the Trainer's area, Kai had no idea about the small conflict between the two girls in the stands.

His attention was entirely focused on his Combusken.

The light of evolution slowly faded.

When the glow finally disappeared, a brand-new form stood before him—

Blaziken.

After evolving, its typing remained the same: Fire and Fighting.

The biggest changes were its appearance and base strength.

Compared to the slightly immature Combusken, Blaziken had clearly reached maturity. It had a mane of white feathers, a V-shaped crest, blue eyes, bandage-wrapped claws, and powerful legs.

Blaziken faced its opponents bravely and never backed down, even in the fiercest battles. It was said that every few years it burned away its old feathers so that vibrant new ones could grow.

During battle, flames could burst from its wrists, and the stronger its opponent, the hotter those flames burned.

Its legs were incredibly powerful. Some people had even tested its jumping ability Blaziken could clear a thirty-story building with only a few leaps.

For Kai's main team, this evolution was undoubtedly a major improvement.

At his signal, Blaziken simply jumped once across the large pool and landed easily on the shore. Kai then walked with it toward Wallace, whose expression was complicated.

By now Misty and Lisia had also arrived at the battlefield and stood beside their respective companions.

Unlike Misty, whose attention was focused on Kai, Lisia was smiling brightly at him, completely ignoring her master, who had just suffered defeat and clearly needed comfort.

Truly… daughters grow up and leave their mentors behind.

---

No matter how unwilling he was, Wallace had to admit that he had been outmatched.

He cleared his throat and spoke as if trying to sound casual.

"Ahem… You performed quite well about as well as I expected. But don't become arrogant because of this. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you. There's plenty of room for you to grow. I hope you'll continue working hard and maintain this momentum…"

After all these years, and with his experience among many admirers, Wallace spoke with elegant composure. His words sounded like a senior encouraging a junior. Anyone unaware of the situation might even think he had intentionally held back.

Kai simply listened with a polite smile.

To him, the words were like wind passing by his ears he felt nothing at all.

He had already achieved his goal by winning the battle. There was no need to provoke Wallace further.

Wallace was merely trying to save face, and Kai understood social etiquette well enough to allow him that.

Besides, he had already proven everything in battle.

Still, Misty didn't like hearing it.

They had just met, and things had been tense from the start so why was this guy suddenly talking so much?

She was about to say something sarcastic when Lisia beat her to it.

"All right, that's enough," Lisia said helplessly, rolling her eyes at her master. "After battling him this long, don't you realize who he is?"

"Hm?"

Wallace suddenly sensed something was off.

Could this man actually have an extraordinary background?

"Oh?" he asked calmly. "Then I'd like to hear exactly who he is."

Just as Lisia was about to speak, Kai raised a hand and stopped her.

He knew what she wanted to say that he was a two-region Champion.

While he didn't mind people knowing, hearing it repeated everywhere he went in a new region made it sound like he was showing off.

Even if others said it on his behalf, relying too heavily on that reputation would bring more disadvantages than benefits.

"Who could I be?" Kai said with a self-deprecating smile. "Just an ordinary challenger who arrived in Hoenn not long ago and is preparing to compete in the Ever Grande Conference. Nothing special."

Lisia looked at him in surprise.

Once she understood his intention, her admiration for him only deepened.

Ever since she became an idol, her dream had been to let more people know and love her. Fame brought both reputation and wealth things many people desired.

But how many people could truly remain indifferent to it?

What a charming man…

Looking at Kai with shining eyes, she said nothing more and simply urged Wallace to bring out the Gym Badge.

---

With no choice, Wallace reluctantly took out his badge.

"Take it," he said, tossing it over. "This is the Rain Badge. Proof that you defeated me."

The badge spun through the air toward Kai.

However, halfway there, a large gray claw caught it firmly.

For something as trivial as catching a badge, the Trainer didn't need to act personally.

Blaziken held the badge, glaring coldly at Wallace. Flames seemed to flicker in its eyes.

Although it was dissatisfied with Wallace, it hadn't received any command from its Trainer. After glaring for a moment, it turned and handed the badge to Kai.

Kai glanced at it.

The Rain Badge from the Sootopolis Gym had a simple design—three raindrop shapes forming a larger triangular droplet.

He put the badge away.

Instead of saying anything to Wallace, he simply shook his head with a faint smile, as if amused by Wallace's pettiness. Then he said goodbye to Lisia.

Before Lisia could speak again, Kai left the Gym with Misty and Blaziken.

---

But just as they stepped outside the Gym, hurried footsteps sounded behind them.

"W-wait… please wait!"

Before Misty heard the voice, she had already been praying they wouldn't see Lisia again.

Unfortunately, reality didn't follow her wishes.

She took a deep breath and turned around with Kai.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked gently.

He actually had a good impression of the girl. She was beautiful, cheerful, and radiated youthful energy. Spending time with her had been relaxing and pleasant.

Of course… it would be even better if she and Misty didn't argue all the time.

After catching her breath, Lisia spoke apologetically.

"About my master… please don't take it to heart. He's actually a very good person. He's just worried I might get deceived, so he doesn't like me getting too close to men."

"Don't worry," Misty said flatly before Kai could answer. "Kai-bro wouldn't get angry over something like that. He wouldn't even remember it."

"I wasn't asking you!" Lisia snapped.

Here we go again…

Kai quickly pulled Misty behind him to keep the peace.

"It's fine," he said softly. "As Misty said, I don't mind. During my travels, I've met all kinds of people—some far worse than your master. By tomorrow, I'll probably have forgotten about it."

"That's a relief," Lisia said, visibly relaxing.

Then she looked into Kai's eyes before lowering her head shyly.

"Um… will we meet again someday?"

Misty's face nearly twisted with irritation.

But remembering Kai's request to stay quiet, she could only sulk behind him.

"I think we will," Kai replied. "The road ahead is long. Maybe someday we'll meet again somewhere. And since you're a Pokémon Coordinator, you'll appear at Contest venues across many cities. Our chances of crossing paths again are quite high."

"That's true!" Lisia brightened immediately.

"After the Ever Grande Conference… where will you go next?"

"If nothing unexpected happens," Kai said, "probably the Sinnoh region."

"Sinnoh!?"

Her eyes lit up.

"That's perfect! My next work projects are focused on Sinnoh! Looks like we really are destined to meet again!"

---

After reluctantly exchanging contact information, Kai and Misty finally left the street where the Sootopolis Gym stood.

Misty walked beside him in silence, clearly unhappy.

She couldn't believe Lisia had not only gotten Kai's contact information but might even meet him again in the future.

Why is she so persistent…

After sulking for quite a while, she finally noticed something.

"Wait… this isn't the road to the harbor," she said, pouting. "Why are we heading back to the Pokémon Center? Don't tell me you can't bear to leave that girl and want to stay longer?"

Kai flicked her forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" he said with a laugh. "Several of my Pokémon were injured. Of course, they need treatment first. Besides, there's something important I still haven't taken care of. I need a quiet place without interruptions."

Strangely, that single flick erased all of Misty's complaints.

She instantly returned to her usual lively and slightly mischievous self.

And she knew Kai was right.

Although training Feebas had slowed them down these past few days, there was indeed something important Kai still needed to deal with…

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