"Gurgle, gurgle…"
Elijah's stomach let out another protest.
"Fruit just doesn't fill you up."
Elijah patted his grumbling belly and looked down at Umbreon, saying, "There's an old saying in Johto: 'Good Food is the Foundation of Genuine Happiness .' Let's fill our stomachs first, then figure out what to do next."
"Bree~"
Umbreon nodded in agreement.
Though it still hadn't recovered from the pain of being abandoned by its original Trainer, in the short ten minutes it had spent with this human boy, Umbreon could sense that he harbored no malice or prejudice toward it.
That alone was reason enough for Umbreon to follow him.
…
After Elijah and Umbreon left, a figure cloaked in a black coat, dressed like a gambling king, emerged from the corner of an alley by the street.
Beneath the brim of his round hat, his eyes were filled with disbelief as he muttered to himself, "Dark-type… devolving an evolved Pokémon… that kid… is he joking?"
Under normal circumstances, he'd dismiss it as the delusional ramblings of a kid with a middle-school syndrome.
But after observing Elijah briefly from the shadows, he noticed the boy exuded a maturity far beyond his age and a powerful confidence in his eyes.
It made him wonder… could he actually pull it off?
Giovanni remained silent for a long time.
On any other day, even if he didn't investigate personally, he'd at least send a subordinate to tail the kid and see if he was up to something.
But now… he wasn't in the mood.
Lately, Giovanni had been secretly searching for his missing son.
When he couldn't find him in Kanto, he came to Johto.
He hadn't even mobilized Team Rocket's resources.
Giovanni had never told anyone—not even his subordinates—that he had a child.
Because a child is often a parent's weakness.
As the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni had made countless enemies in the underworld.
If his rivals learned he had a son, what might happen? A seasoned schemer like Giovanni could easily imagine.
That's why he'd kept it a closely guarded secret.
Yet, despite all his precautions, his child had still gone missing!
"Who… could it be!?"
Giovanni gritted his teeth, too preoccupied to bother with Elijah, and turned to melt back into the darkness.
…
Pokémon Center
"Big sister, the food at the Pokémon Center is free, right?"
Elijah tilted his head, blinking his adorable eyes and giving Nurse Joy a sweet smile.
Along the way, he'd gathered plenty of information using his youthful appearance.
First, he learned that this was Azalea Town in the Johto region.
However, the timeline differed from the Pokémon world he knew from watching the anime and playing the games in his previous life.
The current Kanto League Champion was Agatha, a Ghost-type specialist, not the Flying-type Elite Four member.
In other words, the events Elijah was familiar with were still several years away.
Moreover, Professor Oak hadn't invented the Pokédex yet, so the general public was unaware of the relatively uncommon "Dark" type.
And those features players took for granted in the games—like Poké Ball transfer systems or Pokémon healing machines—none of them existed here.
But one thing was the same as in the anime: Pokémon Centers offered free medical services, food, and lodging, just like for Ash.
"Of course, little brother."
Seeing such a cute young boy, Nurse Joy, on the other side of the counter, returned a warm smile.
Elijah was starting to understand the kind of joy Momonosuke, that little creep from One Piece, must have felt.
Sigh, my biggest regret from my previous life was not taking down the World Government. My second regret? Not killing that punk Momonosuke.
When he heard the Pokémon Center indeed provided free food, Elijah's face lit up with a grin.
I love this world!
But Nurse Joy's next words left him dumbfounded.
"Little brother, can you show me your Trainer ID?"
"Huh?"
Trainer… ID?
What's that?
Oh, wait!
In the games, there was something like that, wasn't there? It had the Trainer's name, Trainer number, and the number of Gym Badges earned, right?
But since it was mostly cosmetic, he hadn't paid it much attention when playing in his previous-previous life…
Noticing Elijah's expression, the bright smile on Nurse Joy's face took on a hint of confusion.
"Youngster, are you saying you're not a registered League Trainer? In that case, you'll need to pay. One day's lodging and meals cost 1,000 Poké Dollars."
Elijah patted his pockets, which were cleaner than his face… and started mentally calculating how to leave without looking too embarrassed.
"…This meal's on me, then."
Nurse Joy suddenly added.
"This…"
Elijah was caught off guard.
Nurse Joy smiled gently, "It's just a small amount. Big sister can afford it."
…
Half an hour later, in the dining hall of the Azalea Town Pokémon Center, several Trainers cast incredulous glances at Elijah.
Yup, they were looking at a ghost.
A starving ghost.
Even Umbreon, crouched on the floor with a bowl of Pokémon food in front of it, found its meal less appetizing.
So embarrassing…
"Is it good?"
At that moment, Nurse Joy approached with her Chansey.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll repay you someday."
Elijah swallowed a mouthful of curry rice and gave Nurse Joy a thumbs-up.
From her introduction, Elijah learned that "Joy" was the surname of the Joy family.
Each Joy, naturally, had a given name after their surname.
And from Nurse Joy, Su Sheng gained a wealth of knowledge about this real Pokémon world.
Among the information was the concept of "League-registered Trainers."
Only these Trainers could enjoy free lodging and medical services at Pokémon Centers, just like the player in the games or Ash and his friends in the anime.
To become a League-registered Trainer, one had to pay an annual tax to the League starting from birth. Then, at age 10, the Trainer would receive a high-potential Pokémon—usually one of the starter trio.
However, this service only lasted until the Trainer turned 20, during their minor years.
Well, that made sense.
If you could eat and sleep for free at Pokémon Centers for life, why would anyone in this world bother being a "salaryman"?
In his previous life, Elijah had battled plenty of Trainers labeled as "Businessman" on the roadside while playing the games.
But after learning all this, Elijah thought of another question—
Where did Ash's mom, Delia Ketchum, get her money?
Out of curiosity, Elijah asked Nurse Joy Elijah how much tax one would need to pay over ten years to become a registered Trainer.
After hearing the answer, Elijah was genuinely curious about how Delia Ketchum, who didn't seem to work in the anime, could afford it.
Could it be… Professor Oak's sponsorship?
"…Little Elijah, you're not an orphan, are you?"
While Elijah was lost in his wild thoughts, Nurse Joy suddenly asked out of the blue.
Elijah: ???
Hey, hey, hey, why are you asling questions like that!?
(End of Chapter)