Brock and Misty exchanged a glance but said nothing. It seemed they were already used to this sort of thing—they had even often acted as referees for such battles.
Even though Pikachu had just recovered from the overload state, it still looked eager to battle.
Rowan didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Nekomi.
"Want to try battling?"
"Meow~"
Nekomi's attitude was indifferent. She could battle anytime if needed, but her eyes weren't on Pikachu—they were on Ash.
Earlier it was an exam. In previous game worlds, you also had to pass tests to obtain certain items, so Nekomi knew she wasn't supposed to attack an instructor.
But aside from instructors, all battles were essentially wild battles. Compared to regulated arena matches, Nekomi was purely a wild fighter.
Meowscarada's speed was already top-tier among Pokémon, and with her unique attack style, the enemy Trainer would most likely be down in the first round.
Rowan didn't mind a battle—he hadn't gotten much out of the earlier exam, and he did want to conduct a full test—but now wasn't the right time.
Nekomi's habits have yet to be fixed, though that wasn't a big issue. A simple reminder would do. The real problem was that he had another appointment.
This wasn't the wilderness, where you could just find an open spot and battle right away. Arranging a place to fight was a hassle. After thinking it over, Rowan decided not to battle right now.
"Forget it. You should take your Pikachu to the Pokémon Center for a check-up first. We can talk about battling another time."
"Ah… alright then. Let's exchange contact info."
Anyone whose bike was fried by Pikachu usually ended up close to Ash, and so Rowan became Ash's first contact in the Illumina region.
Ash had thought Rowan was going to accept the challenge—he didn't expect such a sudden change, but he didn't insist on the battle either.
Rowan didn't have a Pokédex. In the end, they just exchanged email addresses, and he left the university on foot with Nekomi.
Graduation wasn't far off, so he was planning to sell that bike at a discount—this could be considered an alternative way of trading.
"Something's off."
After Rowan left with Nekomi, Brock crossed his arms and squinted slightly, a faint thoughtful look in his eyes.
"What is it? He just doesn't like Poké Balls. Pikachu doesn't like staying inside one either—that's pretty normal."
"No, Ash, you don't get it. This is a man's intuition."
As someone who can tell apart every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny in the world, Brock has a unique talent in this regard.
Besides this talent, Brock is also a Gym Leader and a Breeder.
Even though Brock wasn't familiar with that species of Pokémon, seeing the Meowscarada holding Rowan's sleeve as they walked away, he could still sense the closeness between them.
However, Ash couldn't understand what Brock meant. For Ash, battles were always more important.
Even if a girl were to say to Ash, "If you lose, you have to be my boyfriend," Ash's response would still be…
"I'm definitely going to win!"
The weather in June was quite hot, and the sprinklers on the university lawn were running non-stop.
Perhaps due to age and disrepair, the mist wasn't spraying evenly—some was spilling onto nearby paths, and some areas weren't being reached at all. Flowers in those spots had already begun to wilt under the blazing sun.
As they passed by, Nekomi didn't avoid the sprinklers like a human would. Instead, she intentionally walked into the spray, letting the water cool her down.
She was a cat, but more importantly, a Grass-Type Pokémon—not afraid of water.
"Nekomi, come back! That water isn't clean!"
"Meow? Meow~" (The water looks clear, isn't it clean?)
Looking at the glistening droplets clinging to her fur, Nekomi didn't think the water was dirty at all.
Still, since Rowan called her out, she didn't linger. She shook her head on the spot, flinging off the water droplets.
"It just looks clean, but it'll cool down soon once we get home and turn on the air conditioning."
That water was either leftover rainwater or minimally filtered wastewater. It was fine for watering flowers or being used as fountain circulation water, but not suitable for much else—it could easily harbor bacteria.
Losing the bike did have a small upside—at least now they didn't have to take the long way along the main road.
Rowan led Nekomi through a damaged portion in the university's perimeter wall, taking a shortcut to their planned meeting spot.
It was called a food court, but in essence, it was just a small gathering place. As soon as they stepped through the entrance, a wave of heat washed over them.
In this season, a few old fans on the ceiling clearly weren't enough to beat the summer heat. With all the stoves turned on, the place felt more like a steamer basket.
"Meow…"
"Yes, we'll get takeout and eat at home… Let me return it first."
At this time, the food court wasn't very crowded, so Rowan quickly found Zhang Lin's spot.
"You really waited in here the whole time? Isn't it hot?"
"What do you think? You're gonna pass this time, right?"
"Theory shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for lending me your Weavile."
Even though he hadn't used it, Rowan still expressed his gratitude.
In a world with Pokémon, being able to borrow someone's Pokémon means you have a pretty good relationship.
Borrowing a Pokémon meant more than borrowing a car.
Besides, as far as Rowan could remember, this was one of the few people he still kept in touch with after graduation.
"No worries. Just give me back Weavile first—I seriously can't bear it anymore."
"Huh?"
"Weavile, Icy Wind—just a little."
As he took back the Poké Ball, Zhang Lin issued a command while releasing the Pokémon. A cool breeze laced with fine ice shards blew from Weavile's mouth, bringing a refreshing chill.
"There's no air conditioning in the dorms. If you didn't finish your exam soon, I would have surely gotten a heatstroke."
"I'll treat you to dinner tonight. I'm getting takeout and heading back after this. Want to chill at my place for a bit?"
"Got a dorm dinner. Maybe in a few days. Won't you come back to the dorm to check it out?"
"Besides, you..."
Before he could finish, a person pushing a cleaning cart walked by, clearing the leftover dishes from the tables. Behind them were two others sweeping the floor.
Even in this kind of heat, they were wearing their uniforms neatly and properly.
But Rowan was more struck by their hair color—one had burgundy hair coiled up under their hat, another had medium-length blue hair, and the last was a short fellow who looked like a child laborer.
Seeing this familiar trio, Rowan, who had just run into those three earlier, couldn't help but feel that it somehow made perfect sense.
Ash's travel companions might change with each region but Team Rocket doesn't—whether in Kanto or anywhere else, they would always follow Pikachu without fail.
"They really are inseparable…"
"Inseparable who?"
"Oh, nothing. By the way… is there a reward for reporting foreign organizations?"