Chapter 5: A Rich Girl Only Gives You a Good Sword

Chapter 5: A Rich Girl Only Gives You a Good Sword

The girl in front of Hikaru Saito was named Sakura Hayashi.

It was during the summer of her sixth year, when Rattata were overrunning the streets, that Hikaru found her crying near a trash heap and brought her back to the orphanage.

Since then, she became the little "snot-nosed kid" who followed him everywhere.

Hikaru vividly remembered that time. She cried constantly, clinging to him like a weaned toddler.

Unlike Hikaru, who had only recently left the orphanage, Sakura was taken away three years ago.

Hikaru recalled that day clearly:

A massive Altaria descended from the sky, and a dignified woman emerged, taking Sakura with her.

That was when Hikaru learned the truth.

Sakura wasn't an orphan.

She was the eldest daughter of a prestigious family from Kyoto, left in the orphanage for unknown reasons.

---

Hikaru glanced out the window.

There, an orange, chubby Dragonite was waving goodbye to Sakura. Its expression seemed to say: "Mission accomplished, I'll be off now."

Instinctively, Hikaru used Insight Eye on the Dragonite.

[Pokémon: Dragonite]

[Ability: Inner Focus]

[Gender: Male]

[Potential: Champion]

[Level: 62]

[Moves: Protect, Hyper Beam, Dragon Dance, Wing Attack, Dragon Rush, Ice Beam, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Extreme Speed...]

Hikaru's eyes widened at the sight. The list of moves was almost absurdly luxurious.

He glanced at the Dragonite, then back at Sakura.

One meeting, and she had already dropped this bombshell on him?

"Haha, Hikaru! I'm a little rich girl now! Let me take care of you from now on!"

Sakura triumphantly held out a gold-edged bank card. "There's 10 million in here. Let's go pick out your first Pokémon!"

It's said that a man with no romantic distractions wields a sharper blade.

But a rich girl? She doesn't distract you—she hands you a legendary sword.

If Hikaru hadn't already bonded with Charmander, he might have accepted the card.

However, after three years apart, accepting such a large sum of money felt wrong.

Unless…

They upgraded from "friends" to something more.

"No need. I already have my first Pokémon."

Hikaru shook his head, pushing the card back. He pulled out Charmander's Poké Ball and gave it a little shake.

"What kind of Pokémon?"

"Charmander!"

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried Hikaru might have chosen something like a Caterpie or Weedle.

After all, once a Pokémon was registered with the league, abandoning it was illegal.

From that perspective, Charmander was an excellent choice.

In fact, Sakura had even considered sneaking a Dratini into a mystery egg for Hikaru to purchase.

"And the money..."

"Keep it! I don't want to be labeled as a freeloader."

Hikaru glanced at the silhouette Sakura's figure cast under the incandescent light, then took a sharp breath.

Damn.

Someone's lurking nearby.

"Alright..."

Sakura pouted, looking disappointed. After asking a few more questions, she invited Hikaru out to play, but he politely declined.

When Sakura finally left, the corridor outside Hikaru's apartment fell silent.

The flickering lights dimmed, and the air grew colder.

A faint, eerie voice echoed as purple mist began to seep from Sakura's shadow.

From the mist emerged a Gengar, its blood-red eyes glinting mischievously, its stubby limbs adding to its ghostly aura.

"You have good taste, girl. That boy's got potential."

Proudly, Sakura replied, "Of course! That's the man I've chosen!"

Even though she didn't fully understand what Gengar was praising Hikaru for.

"Kehehehe..."

Gengar cackled and disappeared back into the shadows.

Its praise wasn't for Hikaru's strength, but his character.

However, for someone like Hikaru to truly match a Champion's daughter, he had a long way to go.

A boy with an ordinary background, accidentally bonding with a Charmander…

Let's see how far he can go.

---

"A Level 62 Dragonite and a Level 73 Gengar..."

Back in his apartment, Hikaru sat on his bed, clutching his chest. His heart was still racing.

A Level 73 Pokémon, even with Champion-level potential, was a game-changer.

Such Pokémon appearing in Shuimu City—a mere tier-two city—was astonishing.

"What kind of background does she have?" Hikaru murmured, glancing out at the darkening evening sky.

His resolve to grow stronger deepened.

Sure, having a rich girl hand him a better sword sounded tempting.

But that sword came with risks—if he couldn't wield it, Gengar might just swallow him whole.

Staring at Charmander's Poké Ball, Hikaru muttered, "Charmander, we can't let anyone look down on us."

The Poké Ball trembled slightly, as if to echo Hikaru's determination.

---

Two Days Later

At the usual abandoned construction site, Hikaru continued Charmander's training.

Thanks to consistent energy cube supplementation, Charmander had grown to Level 7.

Its mastery of Fire Punch left Hikaru in awe.

One punch, and the concrete floor cracked, leaving a watermelon-sized crater.

If that punch had landed on a person, it would have been devastating.

In this world, there was a way for trainers to share their Pokémon's strength: Bonds.

The deeper the bond, the more the trainer could share their Pokémon's physical traits, achieving what was known as "Super New Trainer Mode."

Without such bonds, ordinary trainers would risk death in Pokémon battles.

This was why abandoning Pokémon was so heavily punished.

---

While wiping Charmander's sweat after training, Hikaru prepared to feed it energy cubes and check the day's entries and shop updates.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted him.

"Hey, want to have a battle?"

Hikaru turned to see a boy about his age.

The boy's voice carried a hint of shyness, but his eyes were alight with excitement.

Clearly, he was eager for a tense and thrilling Pokémon battle.

Hikaru noted that no one had been around earlier during their training session. This boy must have just arrived, drawn by curiosity after spotting Charmander.

"Char!"

Before Hikaru could respond, Charmander stepped forward, its eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

The past few days of training had only sharpened its desire to test its strength.

"Let's do it," Hikaru said with a grin.

"I'm Wang Miao from Shuimu No. 3 High School, a freshman. Go, my partner—Squirtle!"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. Another student from his school?

This could be interesting.

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