Chapter 101: Chapter 101: The Return Journey
"Come out and see the outside world, Carbink!"
After Rex had adapted to the outside environment, he took out the Poké Ball containing Carbink and released it.
Similar to Rex, Carbink, who had already adapted to the dark environment, initially couldn't accept the bright stimulation of the outside world. After taking a moment to adjust, it gradually began to see its surroundings clearly.
To Carbink, everything outside seemed so unfamiliar yet filled with various colors, a stark contrast to the extreme darkness of Granite Cave.
During the journey back to town, Carbink could only circle around Rex, seeking psychological comfort by staying close to him.
However, it was very curious about its surroundings. It looked here and there, finding everything outside to be full of novelty. From the squint of its eyes, one could see how happy it was at the moment.
By now, it was approaching noon. When Rex arrived at the Pokémon Center, Luna and the others were chatting in the rest area.
"Rex, you're back."
Seeing Rex, who looked a bit disheveled from spending several hours in Granite Cave, digging, Luna quickly greeted him.
After all, having spent several hours inside the cave, Rex's clothes were stained with a lot of dirt, making him look quite disheveled.
"Yeah, what about you guys? What did you do this morning?"
Rex walked up to them and casually asked.
"Kai spent the morning training his Pokémon, while Drake and I went surfing with Brawly. His and Machop's surfing skills are really amazing! Oh, by the way, what Pokémon is that behind you? I've never seen it before."
Luna, who was originally excited to share her morning experiences with Rex, suddenly brightened her eyes and noticed Carbink peeking out from behind him.
For Pokémon trainers, unless they deliberately studied, they might not even recognize all the local Pokémon, let alone a rare one like Carbink that was hardly seen in the Hoenn region.
So, after seeing Carbink, everyone showed curious looks.
In particular, Drake, who directly took out the Pokédex to try and identify Carbink's identity. Unfortunately, his Pokédex only recorded common Pokémon in the Hoenn region and didn't have information on Carbink.
"Carbink, no need to hide. Say hello to them!"
Rex turned around and encouraged the timid Carbink.
Encouraged by Rex, Carbink finally floated out from behind him, greeted everyone with a call, and then shyly retreated.
"So cute! Is it called Carbink? Why isn't it recorded in the Pokédex?"
As a girl, Luna was somewhat mesmerized by Carbink. Besides its cute appearance, the diamonds embedded on its body also caught her attention.
"Yes, I unexpectedly captured it in Granite Cave this morning. Normally, Carbink lives in the Kalos region, so it's not included in the Hoenn Pokédex."
Rex then briefly recounted some of the experiences from this morning in Granite Cave to everyone, not hiding his achievements.
After hearing about Rex's gains, everyone showed regretful expressions. If they had known there would be so many gains and even encountering rare Pokémon, they wouldn't have refused to go!
Kai in particular, who loved Rock-type Pokémon, looked enviously at Rex. He envied him for capturing a rare Rock-type Pokémon like Carbink.
In response, everyone expressed their intention to explore Granite Cave before leaving, and they also wanted to invite Rex to go again.
However, Rex knew the probability of further gains was low, so he directly declined.
He planned to enjoy life for the next two days and had no intention of going back in. However, due to the complex and changing environment inside the cave, Rex reminded them that it would be best for three people to explore together.
Time passed quickly, and it was time to leave the island. During this period, Kai and the others did explore Granite Cave, but they didn't have the luck Rex had and didn't find any hidden mines.
The one who probably gained the most was Kai, who captured a Phanpy, and Rex wondered if it was the same one he encountered earlier.
Moreover, yesterday afternoon, Kai challenged the Dewford Gym again, but unfortunately, the outcome remained unchanged. Overcoming a type disadvantage wasn't that easy, but perhaps he gained the gym trainer Brawly's recognition during the battle, awarding him the Knuckle Badge.
Having experienced two good things in succession, Kai was in an especially good mood. Rex often saw him grinning foolishly, wondering what good things he was thinking about.
During these days, in addition to enjoying life, Rex also tried fishing as a leisure activity.
Unfortunately, the Water-type Pokémon species here were still as scarce as they were on the beach. After fishing all morning, he only caught a Magikarp. He could only reluctantly give up his fishing career here.
Of course, he overlooked the fact that there was a fishing elder on the island who had successively caught Pokémon like Sharpedo, Tentacruel, and Qwilfish.
Around 9 o'clock in the morning, Rex and his group finally saw Mr. Briney's figure.
Today, Mr. Briney was dressed in a sailor suit with a sailor hat on his head and a pipe in his mouth, emitting billowing white smoke. Meanwhile, Peeko, the Wingull, was perched on his head resting.
"Youngsters, come up, we're about to depart!"
Seeing Rex and the others waiting on the pier, Mr. Briney waved his hand and shouted loudly.
Rex and the others didn't hesitate and directly boarded the Peeko's Speedboat, embarking on their journey home.
Completely different from the journey here, without that sense of urgency, the few of them who had already achieved their goals returned with a sense of contentment.
During this journey, there were no unexpected situations. The speedboat soon arrived in the nearby sea area where Rex had trained before. After bidding farewell to Rex and the others, Mr. Briney's Speedboat returned to the land.
Riding on the back of Swellow, Rex reviewed the gains from this special training. Due to Mr. Briney and his group's interference, he changed his schedule, but he also gained a lot. Now, he had a feeling of returning with a full load.
Now, he had obtained 5 Gym Badges. With only three more badges, he would have a chance to participate in this year's Ever Grande Conference.
Soon, Swellow carried Rex back to the sky above Rex Farm.
Looking down, he could already see herds of Mareep gathered together leisurely eating grass, several Miltank frolicking around, and a large number of Poliwags floating on the surface of the artificial lake, basking in the sun with their bellies up.
As soon as Rex landed, without waiting for his instructions, Swellow directly flashed back into its orchard territory. As the leader of the group, it was usually busy. Having been missing for so many days, it needed to comfort its younger followers.
Rex could only smile helplessly and then released all the restless Pokémon from their Poké Balls. Even Magikarp and Feebas weren't exceptions.
Now, only Torchic, Haunter, Machop, and Carbink remained by Rex's side.
"Oh, boss, you're back!"
It was almost noon now. Yui was preparing lunch for herself and Yuli. Seeing Rex push the door open, she said happily.
"You probably haven't eaten yet, right? I need to make more food. Yuli is currently taking care of the plants in the backyard. I'll go busy myself first!"
After Yui said so quickly, she didn't wait for Rex's reaction and turned to return to the kitchen.
Leaving Rex, who was about to speak to her, opening his mouth but ultimately saying nothing.
(End of Chapter)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone