Chapter 145: The Dazzling Star

"Thank you for your hospitality these past few days, Gym Leader Juan!"

Rex expressed his gratitude to Juan.

It had been four days since his Gym challenge, and Rex had spent most of his time at the Sootopolis Gym. During this period, his Lapras had managed to master the Aqua Ring move and had even learned the Life Dew skill.

The principles of these two skills are not much different. The essence of Aqua Ring is for a Pokémon to gather a large amount of life energy-infused water to surround itself, continually nourishing and healing its body. Similarly, Life Dew involves gathering life energy-infused water droplets, which are then sprinkled on oneself or another Pokémon to restore health directly.

Lapras's quick mastery of life energy manipulation was largely due to Rex transferring his accumulated life energy to it over the past few days. This repeated exposure helped Lapras gain a deeper understanding of life energy, allowing it to swiftly learn the most challenging part of the Aqua Ring skill—condensing life-energy-infused water.

Milotic, impressed by Lapras's rapid progress, even taught it several water-type skill techniques. Although Lapras couldn't master these techniques in such a short time, the foundational knowledge would significantly aid its future learning.

Having achieved his goal at the Sootopolis Gym, Rex decided it was time to return to his farm. Although he had no personal ties with Juan, the Gym Leader's kindness in allowing Lapras to train was more than generous. Staying longer would have been presumptuous.

Bidding farewell to Juan, Rex boarded a ship bound for Slateport City. The journey would take a day and a night, with the ship stopping briefly at several islands.

The large ship, named the Dazzling Star, was one of many stopping points for Sootopolis City before heading to Slateport City. Although it would briefly dock at a few islands, the stops would last only about half an hour each.

"Hello, lunch is ready on the Dazzling Star. Please head to the top-floor restaurant for your meal!"

As Rex rested in his cabin, a crisp female voice followed a knock on the door. It was a crew member of the Dazzling Star.

"Okay, I'll be there soon!"

Rex didn't keep the staff waiting long. When he opened the door, he saw a young girl of about 15 or 16, dressed in the ship's uniform. Despite the simplicity of the uniform, it couldn't hide her graceful figure and pure appearance.

After confirming the message, the girl went on to notify other passengers. Rex, not giving it much thought, tidied his luggage and locked his cabin door before heading to the top-floor restaurant.

The environment on the top floor was excellent. Through the transparent windows, one could see the vast ocean and various Pokémon occasionally jumping out of the water. Wingull followed the ship, resting on the deck when tired. Passengers, accustomed to their presence, often fed them.

After admiring the view, Rex surveyed the restaurant. Passengers had gathered in small groups, many accompanied by their Pokémon. In such crowded places, people usually brought smaller Pokémon to avoid disturbing others.

The lunch was a buffet. Rex selected a few dishes and found a window seat. While eating, he enjoyed the scenery outside. Though the food didn't compare to what Yuli and the others cooked, it was still quite good, and he ate heartily.

His travels with Ash had been thrilling, with new adventures daily. Even though Brock's cooking was excellent, he felt too preoccupied to truly savor it.

As he enjoyed his meal, a commotion broke out nearby, drawing a crowd.

"Watch where you're going! Do you know how expensive this outfit is?"

A coarse voice disrupted Rex's mood.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll compensate you for the clothes."

The voice belonged to the girl who had called him to lunch, now filled with apology and helplessness.

"You said it. This is a custom-made outfit. Don't think I'm scamming you. Pay me 30,000 Alliance Coins. Consider it a favor."

The coarse voice mocked.

Clearly, he was harassing the staff. For context, a normal person's monthly salary of 3,000 Alliance Coins was considered good. Demanding nearly a year's worth of wages for a set of clothes was excessive.

Passengers began to criticize the man, but he ignored them.

"I can't pay that much now. Could you give me some time to gather the money?"

The girl knew she was at fault and had no choice but to plead.

"No way. If you run off, where will I find you? Here's the deal, come work for me until you repay the debt. Heh!"

The man's lecherous tone made his intentions clear. If the girl followed him, she might never return.

"I want to keep working on the Dazzling Star. I won't run away!"

She firmly rejected his proposal.

"Hmph, that's not up to you. I'm a VIP here. You think you can just walk away after spilling food on me? I'll report you and see if they'll let you keep working here!"

He threatened, making his intentions obvious. He wouldn't relent until he got what he wanted.

Rex joined the crowd, observing the situation. The victim was a pudgy middle-aged man exuding nouveau riche vibes. His clothes, though messy, were indeed high-end.

However, Rex knew the fabric was ordinary. As a provider of high-end materials, he could tell the man's clothes couldn't exceed 10,000 Alliance Coins.

The middle-aged man was clearly taking advantage of the situation. If the girl paid, he'd profit over 20,000 Alliance Coins. If she couldn't pay, he'd keep her under the pretense of working off her debt, likely leading to more unspeakable acts.

The girl, now desperate, pleaded with the surrounding passengers for help, hoping someone would lend her the money.

But 30,000 Alliance Coins was a significant amount for most, making it difficult to aid a stranger.

"Your outfit isn't worth that much. You're just scamming her. Don't think we can't tell!"

A boy with a Luxray spoke up, unable to tolerate the situation any longer.

"You nosy brat, what do you know? I say it's worth 30,000 Alliance Coins.

"How about this: you seem to be a Pokémon trainer. Let's have a battle. If you win, I won't make her pay. But if you lose, you'll owe me 30,000 Alliance Coins. Dare to battle?"

The middle-aged man challenged, trying to provoke the boy.

"Why wouldn't I dare? Let's go to the battle arena right now, and I'll show you what I've got!"

After being taunted by the middle-aged man, the boy couldn't hold back any longer and decided to engage in a Pokémon battle right there and then.

Seeing this unfold, Rex couldn't help but shake his head. The fact that the middle-aged man dared to issue a challenge indicated his confidence in his strength. The boy, on the other hand, seemed like a newly minted trainer, and his Luxray wasn't well-trained. The chances of him winning were slim.

The girl, seeing the boy stand up for her and challenge the middle-aged man, looked worried, wanting to speak but unable to find the words.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Rex reassured her.

"And you are?"

The girl, not recognizing Rex, asked.

"I'm Rex. You just called me for lunch. Do you remember?"

Rex introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Karen. Sorry, the incident just now left me a bit flustered!"

The girl, Karen, apologized with some embarrassment.

After notifying all the passengers, Karen had come to the restaurant for lunch herself. While carrying her tray, she tripped over something, causing her to spill the food onto the middle-aged man, leading to the current confrontation.

Rex, after hearing Karen's account of the events, found the situation suspicious. It seemed possible that the middle-aged man had orchestrated the entire scene. However, this was just speculation without any concrete evidence.

Soon, the group arrived at the battle arena, with a crew member serving as the referee.

"Come on out, Ursaring!"

The middle-aged man released his Pokémon first, clearly unafraid that the boy could turn the tide.

The boy was shocked to see the intimidating Ursaring but gritted his teeth and sent out his Luxray.

Seeing this, the surrounding passengers shook their heads. The difference in strength was too great; the boy stood little chance of winning.

"Luxray, use Thunder Fang!"

Following the trainer's command, Luxray gathered electric energy in its mouth and charged at Ursaring.

"Ursaring, use Hammer Arm!"

As Luxray approached, the middle-aged man smirked and issued his command.

Just before Luxray could bite down, Ursaring's right arm, glowing with terrifying energy, slammed down on Luxray's head, knocking it out with a single blow.

The boy, realizing the vast gap in strength, regretted his decision. He could have simply helped Karen by covering the 30,000 Alliance Coins instead of agreeing to the battle in a moment of anger. Now, he had not only lost 30,000 Alliance Coins but also failed to resolve Karen's predicament.

With a gloomy face, the boy recalled Luxray into its Poké Ball, then used his phone to transfer 30,000 Alliance Coins to the middle-aged man. However, he didn't have enough left to help Karen, so he avoided her gaze and hurried out.

"Hehe, anyone else want to play the hero? I'm right here. If you can defeat my Ursaring, everything will be settled!"

The middle-aged man, having won easily, spoke with smug satisfaction.

His name was Jeston, a high-ranking executive at a trading company. He had been involved in underground activities in his youth but switched to the trading company, finding the pace of money-making too slow in the underground scene. Thanks to his Ursaring's strength, he often handled rivals for the company, eventually rising to an executive position.

On this trip aboard the Dazzling Star, Jeston noticed Karen, a pretty young girl, and was filled with lustful thoughts. He deliberately caused her to trip and spill food on him, using the opportunity to extort and coerce her.

Many passengers, seeing this arrogant man, were furious but felt helpless against his strong Ursaring.

Karen, watching this unfold, turned pale, seeing her future looking bleak.

"I'll be your opponent. How about that?"

Rex stepped forward, calmly facing the middle-aged man.

"And who are you, another reckless kid? Since you want to play the hero, I'll oblige. The stakes are the same as before, no problem?"

Jeston, seeing Rex's young age, doubted he could defeat his Ursaring and readily accepted the challenge.

"Your previous bet was too small to be exciting. Let's raise the stakes. If you win, I'll give you 130,000 Alliance Coins. But if you lose, you waive her 30,000 Alliance Coins debt and pay me 100,000 Alliance Coins. Dare to take the challenge?"

Rex smiled, provoking Jeston into raising the bet. If he refused, his carefully crafted image of a strong trainer would crumble.

"Fine, but you'd better have the money to pay up, or you'll regret it."

Jeston, gritting his teeth, agreed. He couldn't believe this young boy could defeat his well-trained Ursaring.

(End of the chapter)