"Is it really that easy to understand me?"

"In addition"

"Yes?"

"I want to get to know you too."

It's been less than twenty-four hours, but I'm already thinking about seeing her. Even though we are together every day, I want to see you even if we are separated for a short while. Sirona once called Kam a "lonely person", and Sirona laughed in her heart, thinking that she was usually a lonely person too.

“… Really"

"I'll be able to eat your cooking tomorrow."

"Don't say anything that makes me want to see you. Aren't you a convicted criminal? ”

"Really? I said this on purpose to make you do it. ”

"Oops"

Just as Kem sighed, he heard a voice different from Kem's.

"Looks like Daigo has taken a bath. "It's time to cut it out. ”

"yes, you warm up first."

"Yes. Good luck with tomorrow's meeting. ”

"Yes"

"Well..."

"Keim"

When Kem tries to hang up, Shirona stops him.

"Love You"

"Ah, I love you."

Just one word. But with this sentence alone, I feel that the loneliness between two people disappears. Our hearts are connected. Realizing this, Hakuna felt a warmth rise from deep in her chest.

"Good Night"

"Good Night"

I said so and ended the call.

Sirona put her smartphone in her hoodie pocket and turned her attention to the sea as she could see from the balcony. Unfortunately, it's not a full moon today, so I can't see the sea, but I can feel the slight breeze and the sound of the waves.

Vogel, who was sitting on the balcony railing, turned his head to look at me. Noticing this, Sirona smiled and gently stroked Vogel's feathers. Vogel screamed with joy as he was stroked, and Shirona looked at him as if she was looking at something cute.

"I think I can get a good night's sleep."

It's too early to fall asleep, but I can hear Kem's voice. Tomorrow I can go home and see Daigo. I feel like that alone gives me the energy for tomorrow.

Ah, but I already want to see you

I would very much like to see you on the phone. Even though we see each other every day, I find myself wanting to see you after a day apart. I'm sure if I hadn't called, my feelings would have been stronger and Sirona would have called me.

Gently stroking Vogel's feathers, Hakuna turned her attention to the Sinnoh Alliance headquarters.

I'm excited when I think about the upcoming league and the events that are currently being decided.

"I'm looking forward to it."

As if in response to Sirona's whispers, Vogel's cries echoed across the island of the valley at night.

*

When Kem came out of the bathroom, Daigo was sitting on the wooden deck drinking a glass of wine. There are two giant gold monsters in front of Daigo's line of sight.

"You're drinking again?"

Hearing Kem's voice, Daigo turned around and smiled happily as he handed him a glass of wine. It contains a clear liquid with a slight alcoholic odor.

"Refined sake? For a drunken party, the flavor is strong. ”

"Tomorrow is a day off. It's not bad to take a break once in a while, right? ”

"Okay, but tomorrow you won't know if I'm hangover."

"It's okay, I've had quite a few drinks beforehand."

"By being well prepared."

Caimu sighed and sat down beside Daigo. In the silence of the night, only the sound of two giant grasses could be heard.

"Metagros, it looks like you've gotten a lot stronger."

Originally, Kem's Giant Golden Beast was a Pokémon entrusted to Daigo during the Meitang period. Therefore, after understanding the original ability of Jujin, it can also be seen that Jujin's current ability is much higher.

"I have a good host."

"I think, with such a powerful master, your strength will definitely be stronger."

"In terms of ability, I guess Daigo isn't that different."

Daigo, who is also a champion, has the same ability as Sirona. In fact, he was just one step away from the championship. Although this move is large, being able to narrow the gap to one move shows that their abilities are equal. As Kem says, his abilities will likely remain almost the same.

However, Daigo puts down his glass and turns his gaze to Kem.

\"yes. I don't think I'm that different from Miss Sirona's combat prowess. If you play like this ten more times, it will probably be about five to five. \"

"Right?"

"Yes, but I don't think it's possible for me to make you so strong, on the one hand, because I'm not very good at teaching you, and on the other hand, in terms of combat thinking, we don't have a good compatibility with you."

Daigo and Kem. The two have very different fighting styles. Daigo's style is to use his high defense and attack power to go head-to-head with his opponent, while Keim's style is to withstand his opponent's attacks and end them with a counterattack.

They may look similar, but they are very different. Daigo's style stems from his absolute confidence in his physical abilities and technique. His style of play is "both offensive and defensive", which is thanks to his physical strength and technique, which allows him to minimize damage while being attacked by opponents, while also being able to hit his own attacks.

Keim's style, on the other hand, is to take advantage of the void created by the opponent's offense. He is adept at dealing damage with counter-attacks while minimizing his opponent's attacks. Although it may seem similar in words, Keim's style doesn't allow him to attack and defend at the same time; His style is to "block an opponent's attack and then attack".

"My style of infighting is very different from your style of confrontation. Unless you are someone who can do a lot like Sirona, it will be difficult for you as a leader. \"

I see. Is that so? \"

\"It's obvious that I'm going to change my approach to fit the other side's, but I can't be as versatile as Sirona. \"

Shirona Shirona has a good balance of genres in her team, so she can do a lot of things. Instead of "sticking to her own way" like Daigo, Shirona "changed her way to fit others". It doesn't mean who's stronger. This is exactly the style that suits them best.

"Moreover, I am a very sensitive person, and it is impossible for me to train you so much."

"Perhaps, but you've been terrible at teaching."

"Ah, is that so?"

Daigo scratched his cheek with a wry smile, as if he realized it himself. It is quite difficult for the emotional Daigo to teach the theoretical man Kem.

Kem also recalled that time and smiled wryly.

"How do I get stronger in Pokémon battles? I guess we should do the right thing for every Pokémon, right? I think if I do what I want to do, I can be stronger. ”

"I'm guessing you asked because you didn't understand."

Now I might have been able to give him better advice, but since I was a kid at the time, it was hard to put into words. That's why Daigo can't give Kem good advice.

"I don't want to ask you for guidance right now, because you're a very emotional person."

"Hahaha! Well, I don't want to instruct anyone in Pokémon battles anymore. But if I want to stand above others one day, I can't say that. I have to make sure that I can convey this to people appropriately. ”

“。 It's not a big problem for you, though. ”

"Wow, you trust me so much."

\"You're not that stupid. If you live consciously, you'll get used to it very quickly. If you're smart, you're probably better than me, and if you're at the level of Sirona, right? ”

Daigo is very intelligent, and Kem knows this from the time he travels with him. After the explanation, I was able to understand it in general and was able to break it down in my own way. Keim has a slight advantage in pure academic ability, but may be superior in terms of basic level.

"Hehe, that's what you think of me."

"Indeed. Indeed it is. \"

"Maybe, but your attitude is cold, and I don't know how much you appreciate me."

“… Is that so? ”

"That's it."

"It's true that being a good friend is not the same thing as being complimented."

Maintaining a good relationship with someone and how to assess their abilities are two different things. As for Daigo, apart from his Pokémon battles, I didn't expect him to be so highly praised for his learning and ground skills. Even though it wasn't a bad review, I didn't expect it to be so highly rated.

"I see. That's what you think too. ”

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, that's what I'm thinking about for you."

Well, I realized halfway through that it wasn't possible, Kem added, tilting his glass and drinking sake. The refreshing taste and the heat of alcohol flowing through the throat are pleasant.

"It's delicious."

"Really? My recommendation. ”

"It's just that the smell of alcohol is so strong, I feel like I'm getting drunk easily."

"Haha! Maybe. I drank this glass of wine and it was over. ”

Daigo drank the cup and put the empty cup down.

Then, as if remembering something, she took something out of her breast pocket and threw it at Kem.

"Keim"

"Yes?"

Kem could easily catch anything thrown at him with one hand. The object in my hand feels almost like a glass ball.

"What?"

"Take a look."

Hearing Daigo's words, I tilted my head and opened my hand. The thing in his hand looked like a glass ball, but there were some patterns carved inside. As soon as Kem saw it, he immediately realized what it was.

"You—this!"

"I think I'll entrust it to you."

"I'll leave it to you, isn't this a boulder?"

Daigo gave Kem a super stone that allowed Pokémon to evolve super. The value of the boulder is extremely high, and its origin is basically only found in the Carlos and Hoenn regions, and it is rare in the Kanto region. As a result, trainers from other regions rarely use Super Evolution, and people like Sirona from the Sinnoh region use Super Evolution even rarer.

Daigo, on the other hand, entrusted such a precious thing to Kem. I'm thankful for Kem, but I don't know why this happened. Because I don't understand, I can't accept it.

"Why this"

"That boulder can't be used by any of the Pokémon on my team. But it's compatible with your Pokémon, and I even worked tirelessly to become the Gym Curator, is this like a celebration of recognition? ”

\"For something like that? \"

"Is that so? It's a big deal for me, my best friend has grown up and is back in the world of fighting. Oh, don't get me wrong, you went to the battlefield and I'm not dissatisfied at all. "The world of archaeology. No, right? But other than that, I'm really glad you're in the same world as me again. And you're also the gym leader, which is amazing. So it's not a big deal. ”'

Daigo is glad that Kem is back in the battle world as a friend. I had a bit of a hard time talking to Kem about the fight before I gave up, but now that I'm back in the fight, there's no need to worry. You can also talk about your favorite stones and battles. The only reason to worry is gone, and Daigo becomes a person who can be more honest.

The reason is not this, but Daigo entrusted the boulder to Kem this time. One of the reasons is that Daigo feels that since it is such a valuable thing, he wants to entrust it to someone he can trust. There were other options such as Yuki and the Four Heavenly Kings, but I chose Kem because it was the first option that came to mind.

"I want to entrust it to you. That's what I thought, too. ”

"Can I do this?"

"Because it's you."

When Cam looked directly at her, he realized it wasn't a joke. Then he nodded and grabbed the giant stone.

"Okay, I'll use it."

"Yes. I know it's difficult, but use it wisely. ”

"So? Whose monolith is this? ”

Since it's a giant stone, there should be Pokémon that support it. Kem has three Pokémon that can be super evolved: Bashamo, Lucario, and Giant Golden Monster. Kem asks Daigo, thinking he's responding to someone.

"Who do you think it is?"

Seeing Daigo answer with a probative smile, Kem lowered his gaze to the giant stone. There's no way Cam has seen a giant stone just by looking at it, and he doesn't know who the giant stone is for. That being the case, the only option is to sense the wavelength emitted by the megastone itself, but Kem's sense is not that acute.

I closed my eyes and wondered what was going on. At this moment, the boulder had a slight reaction. When I opened my eyes, the boulder resonated with the trapezoidal stones on the shelf and glowed slightly. From the sense of presence I felt from this faint light, I could sense what type of Pokémon the giant stone corresponded to.