Pokemon : I'm Just a Photographer!

Chapter 127: Chapter 127

Mike eventually opened his eyes and yawned.

He could hear Gengar nearby, sounding unusually excited.

Curious, Mike shifted onto his side, gently pulled the still-sleepy Glameow into his arms, and looked toward the noise.

Gengar was holding several playing cards.

A girl sat beside him while three of the young travelers played against him.

Mike blinked.

He closed his eyes.

Then opened them again.

Gengar was now performing an unnecessarily elaborate shuffle before dealing the cards with remarkable flair!

Mike: "..."

’How long was I asleep?’

’He already infiltrated an entire group of strangers?’

"Meow~"

Glameow gave a lazy little cry and wriggled free of Mike’s arms.

She sat nearby and began grooming one paw.

Mike pushed himself upright and watched Gengar play for another moment before looking toward Snivy in the tree.

"When did he meet them?"

"Sni."

[While you were sleeping. He went over for lunch and somehow became friends with them.]

Mike stared at her.

’He went over there and ate too?’

Of course he had.

Gengar looked like he was having fun, so Mike saw no reason to interrupt him.

Instead, he pulled out his tablet and began planning the next stage of their journey.

First, they would continue to Floaroma Town.

They would probably stay there for several days while Mike investigated the ruins and filmed whatever caught his interest.

Afterward, they would head north, pass through Eterna Forest, and eventually reach Eterna City.

From Eterna, they could continue north toward Crown City.

And while they were near Floaroma, Mike still intended to make that trip to the coast.

He had promised himself he would take Snivy to see the ocean.

Canalave City lay across the water as well, although that could wait until they had more time.

One of the girls at the neighboring campsite eventually stood to grab some snacks.

She noticed that Mike was awake and leaned toward Gengar.

"Gengar, your Trainer’s awake."

Gengar looked back.

Mike was sitting beneath the tree with his head lowered over the tablet.

Gengar grinned, handed his cards to the girl, waved goodbye to the group, and floated back toward him.

"Gar—"

Mike looked up.

Gengar was hovering beside him with a broad smile.

"Done playing?"

Gengar shook his head.

"Gar—"

[Aren’t we leaving soon?]

Mike glanced toward the other group, then back at Gengar.

"If you’re still having fun, go play a little longer. We’re not in a hurry, and you don’t meet new friends every day."

Gengar immediately brightened.

He leaned over, licked Mike across the cheek, then happily floated back toward the others.

Mike wiped his face.

"Share your snacks too."

"Gar—"

[I know!]

Gengar returned to the blanket and found one of the girls looking miserable after apparently losing another hand.

He thumped himself confidently on the chest, clearly promising that he would win everything back for her.

Mike watched him for a moment and laughed softly.

Who would have guessed that this little fat ghost was such a social butterfly?

Mike then glanced toward the mushroom basket.

Only half the contents remained and a much larger pile was sitting beside the other group.

He didn’t need an explanation.

Mike smiled, emptied the remaining mushrooms onto the blanket, and began cleaning them so they could be dried and stored properly.

...

After a while, the neighboring group began packing their campsite.

Gengar returned as well and helped Mike gather their belongings.

Once the four travelers had finished, they approached Mike together.

The girl who had first spoken to Gengar stopped in front of him and gave a small, apologetic bow.

"Sorry if we disturbed your nap earlier."

Mike blinked, then waved the apology away.

"You really don’t need to apologize. The roadside belongs to everyone, and you’re free to stop and rest wherever you want."

He smiled.

"If anything, I should thank you for being considerate enough to lower your voices when you noticed we were sleeping."

Mike glanced toward Gengar, who was folding away the last of their equipment.

"He didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?"

"No, not at all!"

The girl shook her head quickly.

"Your Gengar is really cute."

Mike looked at the grinning Gengar.

He decided not to make a comment.

"And you don’t need to call me ’sir’ or anything formal like that. I’m Mike."

The four introduced themselves in turn.

"I’m Suzu."

"I’m Hina."

"I’m Naoki."

"And I’m Yuna."

Two boys and two girls traveling together.

It was practically the classic rookie-Trainer road group.

"Are you heading to Floaroma Town, Mike?" Suzu asked.

"Yeah. I’m planning to spend some time there."

Suzu looked puzzled.

"But the Floaroma Pokémon Contest already ended, and there isn’t a Gym there either. What are you going there for?"

Hina immediately tugged on her sleeve, silently warning her not to pry into a stranger’s business.

Mike merely laughed.

"I have a few things I want to look into there. Besides, I’m not traveling specifically as a Gym challenger or a Coordinator, so I don’t have to plan my route around Gyms or Contests."

"Oh, that makes sense."

Suzu nodded.

Then Mike remembered what she had said.

"You mentioned the Floaroma Contest. Are you two Coordinators?"

Suzu rubbed her nose and grinned proudly.

"Yep! Hina and I are working toward becoming Top Coordinators. Naoki and Yuna are aiming to become top-class Trainers."

"I see."

Mike looked interested.

"So who won the Floaroma Contest?"

"A Coordinator named Dawn," Suzu replied. "She and her Piplup were amazing together."

Mike nodded.

’So it was Dawn after all.’

He had remembered correctly.

"Then you four are heading toward Oreburgh so Naoki and Yuna can challenge the Gym?"

"Exactly!"

Suzu nodded so enthusiastically that her whole upper body bobbed with it.

Mike couldn’t help smiling.

She was the kind of naturally cheerful girl who seemed incapable of remaining gloomy for long.

By then, Gengar had finished packing everything.

He even gathered the unused firewood and stacked it neatly beneath the tree.

Suzu noticed.

"Mike, if you’re leaving, why are you organizing the leftover firewood?"

Mike glanced over.

"That?"

He smiled.

"Leaving it scattered around would just waste it. If we stack it somewhere obvious, the next traveler who stops here can use it for their own fire instead of having to gather everything from scratch."

Suzu looked at the neatly arranged pile.

"Oh... I never thought about that."

Once Mike confirmed that everything was packed, he picked up his camera and hung it around his neck.

Then he looked at the four young travelers.

"I’m a photographer. Want a picture before we go our separate ways?"

Suzu’s eyes widened.

"Really? That would be amazing!"

"Sure."

Mike first photographed the four of them together, then took another picture with their Pokémon.

For the last shot, Gengar enthusiastically joined them.

Mike exchanged contact information with the group, transferred the photographs to his tablet, and sent the finished images over.

Suzu stared at the pictures with both hands over her mouth.

"Whoa! These look amazing! Mike, you’re really good!"

"I’m definitely getting these printed when we reach Oreburgh," Hina said.

Mike smiled.

"Glad you like them."

He adjusted the strap of his camera.

"Then we’ll get going. Good luck with your Contests and Gym challenges."

The four waved.

"Have a safe trip, Mike!"

Mike turned and continued down the road.

Snivy and Glameow walked beside him.

A moment later, the leaves above the four young travelers rustled heavily.

They looked up.

An enormous Beedrill emerged from the canopy.

His sheer size alone was intimidating, and the cold gaze from his crimson eyes made all four of them instinctively stiffen.

Beedrill looked at them once before turning and flying after Mike.

Only then did Gengar hoist the backpack onto his shoulders.

Before leaving, he pulled out the case containing Mike’s Coal Badge and Contest Ribbon and proudly held it up for the group to see.

"Gar—"

[Hehe! I’ve got a Ribbon and a Badge too!]

After showing off his treasures, Gengar waved enthusiastically and hurried after Mike with his bamboo staff raised over one shoulder.

The four young travelers remained where they were for a moment.

Then they exchanged glances.

Yuna swallowed.

"So while Mike was asleep... that Beedrill was guarding the entire area?"

She remembered those cold crimson eyes and swallowed again.

"That Beedrill has definitely been through serious battles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Trainer’s Pokémon give off that kind of pressure before."

Hina looked down at the photographs on her phone.

"Mike has a Contest Ribbon..."

Naoki slowly added,

"And an Oreburgh Gym Badge."

The four stared at one another again.

Then, almost in perfect unison, they said.

"Mike is sooo cool!"

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