Chapter 440
Returning back to Fallarbor Town.
Albus and Fujiki waited for Ayan to notify Terrance and bring back news. It didnât take long before the surprised Ayan came looking for them.
âTerrance will come back immediately. Please be patient and wait for a whileâŠâ
âAnd also, you are welcome to stay at Fallarbor Gym as our guests.â
Ayan didnât know just how attractive the words âMega Evolutionâ were, but from Terranceâs reaction, it was clear that these two people were very important.
Not daring to delay for fear of ruining Terranceâs business, Ayan wasted no time and quickly relayed the message to them.
âNo problem, no problem. As long as he can make it back within the agreed three days, thatâs fine.â Albus said with a grin. âBy the way, what was that about? You said weâre welcome to stay at Fallarbor Gym as guests?â
âNow that you mention it⊠we really donât have a place to stay for the time being.â
Fujiki shot him a glare but didnât stop Albus.
Without a Trainer identity, they couldnât stay at the PokĂ©mon Center. Compared to setting up a tent in the wild, having a place to stay at Fallarbor Gym would be much better.
âLeave it to me. There are a few vacant rooms in the Gym. With a bit of tidying up, theyâll be ready for use,â Ayan said.
The two settled into Fallarbor Gym without hesitation, while Ayan had no idea what kind of people he was actually hosting.
Meanwhile, far away in the Alola region, Terrance was rushing back to Hoenn without pause.
âThe environment here isnât bad. I wonder if theyâll provide us with meals.â
Albus tilted his head back, deep in thought.
âIâm going out for a walk.â
Fujiki ignored him and walked out of Fallarbor Gym alone.
League Calendar, Year 217, Fujiki had lost track of how long she had been away from her hometown. But there was no one she cared about in Almia anymore, so perhaps this was fine.
Fallarbor Town had now developed considerably. Thanks to Mt. Chimney, Fallarbor Gym, and Pokémon Contests, many Trainers visited this place.
At present, Fallarbor Town exuded an atmosphere of prosperity, liveliness, and harmony.
Ever since leaving Team Nightmare, Fujiki had rarely had time to truly experience the outside world. Instead, she had been constantly traveling for various matters.
Now, taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Fujiki wanted to take a good look around Fallarbor Town.
âHey! Are you a Trainer? Want to have a battle?â A stranger suddenly called out to Fujiki.
Although Fujiki had endured the nightmarish and bloody trials of Nightmare Island, her temper wasnât particularly badânor was it particularly good. Indifference had become her primary way of dealing with things. On Nightmare Island, she had been luckier than most people, so she hadnât developed any particularly nasty habits.
But even so, when faced with a challenge from some random nobody, she had no interest in responding. She turned her gaze toward the loudmouthed Trainer who had called out to her, immediately giving him a cold, piercing look.
Whoa, what a frosty stare! The person who had called out to Fujiki froze, muttering to himself in his mind.
âNever mind⊠I just remembered I have something else to do, so no battle.â
âBoring.â Fujiki wasnât in the mood for a battle right now.
She just wanted some quiet time to herself.
If it were Albus, that battle fanatic, he might have been thrilled instead.
âThis place seems to be an agricultural region.â
As she walked through Fallarbor Town, Fujiki gained a preliminary understanding of the town.
Out of curiosity, she headed toward Fallarbor Townâs farmlands. Along the way, she saw many residents busy working in the fields.
âHey there! A visiting Trainer, huh? Welcome, welcome! Here, want to try an ice pear?â
An elderly woman spotted Fujiki and complimented her, saying, âWhat a pretty young lady.â
âIce pear?â Fujiki looked blankly at the speckled fruit in the womanâs hand and shook her head. âThank you.â
With that, she left the area.
âThe people here seem really friendly.â
Fujiki muttered to herself as she started walking in another direction. However, she hadnât gone far before she suddenly stopped in place, her gaze locking onto a woman across from her. Èđêá»ÎČÄđą
That woman had also noticed her. She couldnât contain her shocked expression, as if she had just seen something unbelievable.
âItâs you.â
After a long moment of daze, Kotoko finally calmed herself down.
âWhy are you here?â
âYou are⊠one of the survivors of Nightmare Island.â Fujiki looked at her calmly and said, âWhat are you doing here?â
Kotokoâs expression shifted again and again before she finally said helplessly.
âLetâs talk somewhere else.â
âŠ
âŠ
Fallarbor Woods.
Fujiki followed behind Kotoko as they arrived here. She curiously looked around, finding the place quite interesting. Had someone developed this area?
Wooden stakes, rocks, and large cratersâFujiki immediately recognized that this was a place for training PokĂ©mon.
âAre you still training?â she asked.
âIâm used to it,â Kotoko was silent for a moment before replying. âBut itâs just some basic physical and reaction training.â
âI have a questionâIs he with you?â
âHe?â Fujiki pondered for a moment and said, âYou mean Albus, right?â
âYes! With your identities, why did you two show up here?! Arenât you afraid of being discovered?â Kotoko asked angrily.
âAfraid of what?â At first, Fujiki didnât understand, but when she realized what Kotoko meant, she burst into laughter: âBesides you survivors, no one else knows about us.â
âUnless you all sold us out.â
âOf course, thatâs impossible!â Kotoko said firmly.
âThen thereâs nothing to worry about,â Fujiki said indifferently.
âAlright, now can you tell me why you came to Fallarbor Town?â Kotoko asked.
âThis is your hometown, isnât it? You seem nervous,â Fujiki observed.
Kotoko remained silent. She wanted to say that it was none of her business, but strictly speaking, these two had saved her life.
âYes, this is my hometown. I just want to stay here and live a peaceful life. I donât want to be involved with the matters of Team Nightmare anymore.â
âDonât worry. Weâre just passing through. In a few days, weâll be gone, and we wonât cause you any trouble,â Fujiki reassured her.
âThank you,â Kotoko said slowly.
âHeâs not with you?â
âNo, heâs probably catching up on sleep,â Fujiki said, tilting her head slightly in thought.
Catching up on sleepâŠ
Kotokoâs mouth twitched slightly.
âIs there a restaurant in Fallarbor Town?â Fujiki suddenly thought of something important and asked Kotoko.
âA few families run businesses like that. Iâll take you there,â Kotoko exhaled and said.
âThen Iâll have to trouble you. But before that, we need to go and wake up Albus.â
AlbusâŠ
Kotokoâs expression turned complicated at the mention of that name. The best among the 300 experiment subjects of Nightmare Island, the terrifying individual who single-handedly destroyed Team Nightmare; she still had no idea what kind of monster he is.
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