Ten o'clock in the morning.
After setting out from Pallet Town, Silas finally arrived in Viridian City.
Normally, walking from Pallet Town to Viridian City would take Silas just about three hours, but because of Pikachu, Silas had to slow down so Pikachu could follow the whole way.
Viridian City Pokémon Center.
After handing Charizard and Pikachu to Nurse Joy to recover their strength, Silas called home, since Nurse Joy had just informed him that Professor Oak wanted to speak with him, and told him to call back as soon as possible.
The call connected quickly.
On the screen appeared the image of his Grandpa, Professor Oak.
"Silas!" Professor Oak's voice, a bit more aged than usual, was noticeably louder than normal. His face was full of displeasure, and his tone was full of reproach: "Why did you just leave home without saying a word? Don't you know you make us worry when you do things like this? I know you're mature and responsible, and want to avoid the pain of goodbyes, but you still can't just leave without a word!"
"Sorry." Silas pouted and responded with a brief apology.
"You…"
Professor Oak was momentarily speechless at Silas's reaction. Seeing his grandson's expressionless face, he realized it was pointless to keep lecturing, so he changed the subject himself: "Where are you now?"
"Viridian City Pokémon Center."
"Perfect," Professor Oak said, a faint smile appearing on his face. "The travel companion I arranged for you is also in Viridian City. Later, go to the Viridian Grand Hotel to meet them. On your journey from now on, your travel companion will take care of you."
"I refuse."
Silas rejected the idea without hesitation, since he was proficient in wilderness survival skills, Pokémon food preparation, and cooking. He really couldn't think of anything he needed help with—and he hoped this companion wouldn't just end up being a burden.
"You need one." Professor Oak immediately retorted, and then, wearing a mysterious smile, continued, "Don't decide so quickly. Meet the travel companion I've arranged first. If, after you meet, you still think it's unsuitable, I won't force you."
"All right."
With Professor Oak putting it like that, Silas had nothing more to say.
"Good luck!" Seeing Silas agree, Professor Oak's face broke into a bright smile. He encouraged Silas with a few words, then hung up!
Just after the call ended, Nurse Joy happened to bring over his Poké Balls. "Hello, the two Pokémon you left with me have fully recovered. If you need anything else, be sure to come back again!"
"Thank you."
After thanking her, Silas took the Poké Balls and left the Pokémon Center directly.
He didn't immediately head to the hotel Professor Oak mentioned, but instead went to the city center for a shopping spree: Pokéblock ingredients, food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, training equipment for Pikachu, and all sorts of healing sprays—anything he might possibly need, he bought in one go.
Fortunately, the level of technology in this world was very advanced. Silas's travel bag was made with space-folding technology; otherwise, with so many purchases, he wouldn't be able to fit them in even a hundred bags this size, let alone just one.
When he finished shopping, Silas finally arrived at the entrance to the Viridian Grand Hotel and dialed the number his Grandpa had given him.
The call connected quickly, and a refined, somewhat familiar female voice answered.
"Hello."
"This is Silas Oak."
Silas gave his name directly, causing a short pause on the other end. "Are you downstairs at the hotel now?"
"Yeah."
"Wait a moment," she immediately replied. "I'll come down right away."
...
Five minutes later.
A green-haired girl in casual clothing, carrying a travel bag, appeared in front of Silas. When he saw her, Silas's face showed a surprised expression. "Suzie, why is it you? Weren't you training at Breeder's Lane?"
"That's right." Suzie nodded, then smiled. "But I felt that being by your side would be even better training. Your Pokémon are just as picky as you are in every way. If I can win over your Pokémon, I think it will give me more experience than I could get at Breeder's Lane!"
Sorry for being so picky and making things hard for you...
Silas rolled his eyes. The resistance he'd felt about having a travel companion had already melted away.
After all, at present, the only Pokémon Silas could really count on was Charizard; the rest would all need to be trained up step by step. Intense training would inevitability leave hidden injuries in addition to powerful abilities, and on the road, it was never easy to find a Pokémon Center for treatment in time.
But with Suzie along, everything would be different.
Suzie's massage skills were truly outstanding. While she couldn't instantly heal the more stubborn injuries, she could keep them under control, and minor injuries could be treated directly. This would undoubtedly save Silas a lot of trouble.
Furthermore, as Silas understood it, every Champion or Elite Four member always had one or more Breeders at their side. Regular Trainers might see little use for Breeders, but to Champions and Elites, every top Breeder was a treasure. Pokémon raised by Breeders might develop more slowly, but they would become far stronger than the average Pokémon.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Silas lost in thought, Suzie smiled and asked, "Am I not qualified as your travel companion?"
"You're definitely qualified."
Silas shook his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm just wondering why you want to come with me. If you want to improve, you could have gone to Sinnoh to study further. The Breeder system there could help you advance from an eighth-rank Breeder to a ninth-rank Breeder. Even Champion-level Trainers would want to recruit you then."
"That's true." Suzie nodded, still smiling. "But more than following Champions from other regions, I'd rather follow a native Kanto Champion. That's why I caught a red-eye flight to come here overnight!"