Chapter Ninety-Five: The Dark Organization from Alola

The amber cost fifty thousand League Credits. It seemed that Dayton had little enthusiasm for it; he had bought it only so the company’s staff could study it. If it had been a stone he truly liked, the price might have been even higher.

“Mr. Dayton, I see the League has been keeping the harbor sealed off. Are we still unable to go out for the time being?” Zhao Fang asked curiously over the coffee the butler had brought him.

Since Zhao Fang left the harbor moments ago, the League’s blockade had remained in force. The television in Fighting Town had already begun broadcasting the news: due to an abnormal situation, the sea beyond the town had been closed off, and all Trainers were asked to remain and rest in Fighting Town. The League seemed to have anticipated that this measure would provoke dissatisfaction, so it was offering each affected Trainer a certain amount of financial compensation, which could be collected at the local Pokémon Center.

“Mm... It’s nothing too special, really. A group from a dark organization that ran over from the Alola region has made its way to Fighting Town. The League’s investigators are hunting them down, and to prevent innocent Trainers from being caught in the crossfire, the area was sealed off.” Dayton nodded. It was the sort of thing that could be said without issue, and there was no harm in saying it.

Zhao Fang wore an expression of sudden understanding, but then he thought of the Shelgon at Cinder Mountain. Could that Pokémon from the Alola region appearing there have something to do with this dark organization that had come from Alola?

Though Zhao Fang had been suspicious of it in his heart, he still did not say it aloud. After chatting with Dayton for a few more moments, he hurried off. He still needed to find a room at an inn. No one knew how long Fighting Town would remain sealed off, and if he did not hurry, there might be no vacancies left.

Unfortunately, Zhao Fang was still a step too late. Clearly, others had reached the same conclusion. After inquiring at many inns, he only received the answer that they were full. Fighting Town did not have the kind of battle hotel found in Rustboro City, so in the end Zhao Fang had no choice but to camp and spend the night outdoors.

“All right, next time I’ll let you battle, okay?” Zhao Fang coaxed Amaura inside the tent. Ever since it had come out, the little one had worn a thoroughly sulky expression. After thinking it over, Zhao Fang felt that the only thing that had upset Amaura was that he had not sent it out to battle today, leaving it disappointed.

After comforting it for a long while and promising that next time he would definitely bring it into battle, Amaura finally let out a cheerful cry and ate the Pokémon food Zhao Fang had prepared for it with peace of mind.

During seven days of training, Amaura’s greatest gain had been mastering control over its Snow Warning ability. Now, when it came out, it would no longer trigger a blizzard immediately. What delighted Zhao Fang, however, was that Amaura had an exceptional talent for Ice-type moves, while Rock-type techniques simply did not suit it at all.

The stones it hurled, Zhao Fang felt, might even be breakable by him. For a Pokémon that could use rocks to strike an opponent, this was an extremely difficult thing to achieve. Fortunately, her Ice-type talent was indeed formidable. At present, if Amaura gave its full strength, the snow produced by Snow Warning could already reach a very dense level.

“You really are a specialist in one thing and hopeless in another,” Zhao Fang said, stroking Amaura’s neck. He was thinking about what he should do during the period when the sea route was sealed.

After some thought, Zhao Fang decided that during the blockade he would go find Coach Stone, the one from last time, and learn some outdoor rock-climbing knowledge. With daily exercise, his physical condition had improved somewhat, but he was still a long way from the level of being able to knock down a Snorlax barehanded.

After settling on his plans for the future, Zhao Fang went to sleep. In his dreams, he once again passed through a long stretch of darkness. Since that woman with the Gyarados had come to challenge him last time, he had not seen another Trainer come to battle for a very, very long while. Fortunately, he could still think while dreaming, so every night Zhao Fang considered questions of Pokémon raising and the learning of moves.

The next morning, Zhao Fang set out to find Coach Stone and learn outdoor rock climbing. However, he discovered that the League’s blockade had already been lifted, and the harbor had become lively once more. Zhao Fang felt a little helpless, but he still went to the Pokémon Center first to claim yesterday’s compensation: one thousand League Credits. Only then did he go find Coach Stone and tell him that he wanted to learn outdoor rock climbing.

Coach Stone agreed readily, though his tuition was somewhat steep: five thousand League Credits, and Zhao Fang would also need to buy a full set of mountaineering equipment. According to Coach Stone, if one wanted to rock climb outdoors, professional gear could make the effort twice as effective for half the work. Of course, once Zhao Fang’s stamina and strength continued to improve, he could try climbing without equipment and with bare hands.

Zhao Fang accepted the advice of the professional in full. He learned patiently the climbing techniques Coach Stone taught him. Because he already had experience with indoor climbing, the learning went a little more smoothly this time. After spending six days in Fighting Town, Zhao Fang could be considered a qualified climber.

“You kid, though you can now climb some cliffs, for safety’s sake you’d best still bring protective gear. If you’ve got a Flying-type Pokémon, even better. Remember to respect nature at all times. Back when I was on Cinder Mountain...” As Coach Stone went on and on and once again mentioned Cinder Mountain, Zhao Fang felt both amused and helpless. Coach Stone often brought up the story of how he had climbed Cinder Mountain with his bare hands.

After thanking Coach Stone, Zhao Fang prepared to set out again. He intended to take a ferry to Slateport City, and from there head to Mauville City to challenge the Electric-type Gym.

“The ferry tickets to Slateport are really expensive. Almost twice as much,” Zhao Fang muttered from inside his cabin, feeling a bit dizzy.

Still, he was quite looking forward to Slateport City. Although Slateport did not have a League Gym, he could visit the shipyard and the museum there, and perhaps see if there was anything worth buying. Besides, Yuuki had not moved over yet, so Team Aqua probably did not intend to move against that shipbuilding professor for the moment.

And to target a professor inside the city so brazenly—did they really think the Juniper family was good for nothing?

“Sleep, sleep. These days on a ship are just too hard to endure.” Zhao Fang yawned, then lay down and drifted into sleep. Rather than sea sickness, he would much rather spend that time in dreams planning his training methods.