Chapter 138: Diantha

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Diantha

"Probably not, right?"

"Something like the S.S. Anne incident should be pretty rare."

"And this isn’t Kanto."

"An outrageous criminal organization like Team Rocket hasn’t expanded here yet."

Still—better safe than sorry.

Sora decided to leave some of his strongest Pokémon behind as a precaution.

"Let’s go."

Opening the door, he stepped out of the suite.

He had no particular destination in mind.

He simply wanted to stroll around the cruise ship.

The ship had not yet departed and was still docked at Shalour Harbor.

Along the way, Sora occasionally passed other passengers.

Most were clearly wealthy or influential.

The Pokémon accompanying them—or being carried in their arms—had all been carefully groomed and dressed up.

"Though their sense of aesthetics is... certainly avant-garde."

Sora was a Trainer.

Rather than dressing Pokémon up, he preferred improving their strength.

But Trainers were not actually the mainstream of this world.

Well—that wasn’t entirely accurate.

When people watched the anime, because the story revolved around Ash and other Trainers, it often seemed as if everyone received a starter Pokémon at ten years old and set off on a journey.

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

Being a Trainer was a high-risk profession.

Closer to an adventurer or explorer on Earth.

Most people never caught large numbers of Pokémon.

Nor did they train them seriously.

The vast majority of ordinary people entered school, attended university, and eventually joined society just like normal Earth citizens.

Those people accounted for over ninety percent of the population.

As for Trainers—more specifically, people aiming to compete in League tournaments—they were viewed as extraordinary professionals by ordinary citizens.

After all, training Pokémon was somewhat like handling dangerous animals.

There were risks.

People got hurt.

Most individuals neither possessed the ability nor the courage to pursue such a path.

Take Shalour City as an example.

Among its hundreds of thousands of residents, the overwhelming majority were ordinary people.

Some might own Pokémon.

But they didn’t battle with them.

They kept them as pets instead.

Like the wealthy ladies Sora had passed earlier.

They carried Jigglypuff, Snubbull, Marill, and similar Pokémon.

Most of those Pokémon were only around Level 20.

Some were probably not even Level 10.

True baby Pokémon.

Of course, Sora wasn’t criticizing pet owners.

The Pokémon world contained countless people who loved Pokémon in different ways.

Those wealthy women adored their Pokémon.

Some treated them like daughters.

Their food, clothing, and accessories were luxuries beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

As far as Sora was concerned—as long as they weren’t mistreating Pokémon—

it was their choice.

There was no need to interfere.

"Hm?"

"What Pokémon is that?"

"So cute!"

As he continued walking, several first-class passengers noticed Ogerpon and Magearna.

Sylveon didn’t even need mentioning.

Her appearance.

Her elegance.

To upper-class passengers, she possessed fatal charm.

Ogerpon and Magearna were no less attractive.

Since everyone was simply curious and fond of the two little Pokémon, with no malicious intent, Sora asked their opinion and then allowed them to interact freely.

The two stayed close by and never wandered far.

During that time, several people approached Sora asking whether he would be willing to trade them.

Sora refused without hesitation.

He couldn’t change how others viewed Pokémon.

Nor could he reform the culture of the entire Pokémon world.

But if someone proposed trading away his partners—he certainly wouldn’t give them a pleasant response.

After being rejected, those people wisely backed off.

After all, anyone staying in the first-class section clearly possessed considerable status.

No one wanted trouble.

"My, my~"

"This Pokémon... could it be the Magearna from the fairy tales of Azoth?"

Suddenly, an elegant yet intellectual female voice drew Sora’s attention.

Turning around, he saw that a woman dressed in a white gown had somehow approached Magearna.

She was crouched beside the Automaton Pokémon, examining her with amazement and disbelief.

"Mana?"

Magearna tilted her head.

She sensed no hostility from the woman.

In fact—the woman’s aura felt comfortable.

So Magearna didn’t resist her approach.

"So adorable."

The woman stood up and smiled warmly.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Magearna."

"My name is Diantha."

"May I ask where your Trainer is?"

"Diantha!"

The moment Sora saw her, he immediately recognized her.

Not just from the games and anime.

Since arriving in this world, Sora had watched several films starring Diantha.

Her impression had been deeply etched into his memory.

What he hadn’t expected—was to meet her here.

At the same time, Diantha’s appearance attracted countless glances.

However—

because she was both the Champion of Kalos and an internationally renowned actress—nobody dared approach casually.

"Hello, Miss Diantha."

Sora stepped forward naturally.

There wasn’t even a hint of nervousness despite facing a regional Champion.

"This child is my Pokémon."

"My name is Sora."

"It’s an honor to meet you here."

"Hello, Mr. Sora."

Diantha didn’t know who he was.

But anyone capable of obtaining the legendary Magearna could hardly be ordinary.

As always—being able to command powerful Pokémon was itself proof of a Trainer’s strength.

Whether they had personally raised the Pokémon from the beginning wasn’t what mattered most.

"I always thought Magearna’s story was merely a fairy tale."

"To think I would encounter her here..."

"This is truly a touching moment."

One of Diantha’s films had portrayed the legendary queen of Azoth.

In that movie, she had shared scenes with a CGI recreation of Magearna.

Well—since it was computer-generated, the entire experience had essentially been a solo performance.

"Would it be alright if I spent a little more time talking with her?"

"This..."

Sora looked toward the Automaton Pokémon.

"Magearna?"

"Didoo!"

Magearna’s pink eyes blinked twice.

Then she narrowed them happily at Diantha.

Clearly—she had agreed.

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