Chapter 271: Chapter 272: Meeting Beach Again
Rex didn't have to wait long before a tall, fair-skinned girl, around 16 or 17 years old, arrived at Professor Birch's lab.
"Rex, let me introduce you. This is Mai, your companion for the upcoming Meteor Falls expedition!"
Professor Birch smiled as he introduced the girl to Rex.
"Hello, I'm Mai, nice to meet you!" Mai naturally walked over to Rex, extending her hand.
"Hi, I'm Rex. Nice to meet you too!" Rex shook her hand and introduced himself.
After the introductions, Professor Birch didn't stay long. Being a Pokémon professor, his daily schedule was quite busy.
Once Professor Birch left, Mai began to assess Rex. For a boy who was clearly only about 13 or 14, her first impression of him was favorable—he didn't seem like the troublesome type.
To have earned Professor Birch's approval and be paired with her for the expedition meant Rex's skills as a trainer must not be underestimated. Overall, Mai was satisfied with her new partner.
Of course, this was only a first impression. If Rex's performance during the upcoming adventure turned out to be poor, she might reconsider.
Soon, Rex and Mai started chatting casually, getting to know each other since they'd be traveling together for the expedition.
Through their conversation, Rex learned that Mai's parents both worked for the Hoenn League. Though not high-ranking officials, they were core staff of the League. Her first Pokémon had been a Treecko, which had since evolved into a Sceptile.
After completing the Hoenn League challenges, Mai had traveled to other regions before recently returning to Hoenn. She hadn't expected Professor Birch to rope her into this expedition.
Nonetheless, Mai had a keen interest in Mega Stones. During her travels in Kalos, she hadn't had the chance to acquire one, something she deeply regretted. After all, she had witnessed firsthand the incredible power of Mega Evolution.
Mai was also quite surprised that someone as young as Rex could run a farm. Even more shocking was the fact that Professor Birch had included someone who wasn't a League insider in this expedition.
This didn't fit with her previous experiences. In the past, whenever she accepted tasks from regional Pokémon professors, her teammates were always League members. She had assumed only League insiders could receive such commissions.
It seemed Mai had just gained some new knowledge. However, since she was enjoying her conversation with Rex, she didn't dwell on this detail for long.
Time passed quickly, and by the afternoon, two more trainers arrived. One of them, upon seeing Rex, looked a bit surprised but smiled and nodded at him.
Rex furrowed his brow at first, but soon relaxed. It was Beach—the trainer who had attacked his Swellow some time ago.
"Rex, it's good to see you again." Beach casually approached Rex and greeted him.
Beach hadn't expected to run into Rex so soon, and certainly not at Professor Birch's lab. It was now obvious that Rex had also been selected for the Meteor Falls expedition.
"Hello, Beach." The matter from before had been settled, and Rex couldn't bring himself to be cold toward Beach, so he returned the greeting politely.
"Beach and John were recommended by Professor Sycamore. They'll be joining you on the expedition to Meteor Falls. It's great that you already know each other, Rex!"
Professor Birch was a little surprised to learn that Rex and Beach were already acquainted. But this was good news for the team, as conflicts between trainers from different regions were not uncommon.
With the introductions done, Professor Birch left the group to get better acquainted.
"My name is John, nice to meet you both!" John nodded to Rex and Mai.
John was actually a good friend of Beach's. After Beach received the commission from Professor Sycamore, he recommended John. It just so happened that John was also interested in Mega Stones, so he flew in from Kalos.
Don't think that just because John was from the Kalos region, he had easy access to Mega Stones. Even in Kalos, the number of trainers who could Mega Evolve their Pokémon was small, mostly limited to the top tier of trainers.
For instance, the Kalos Champion Diantha had a Gardevoir capable of Mega Evolution, and it was through the incredible power of Mega Gardevoir that she had defeated many challengers and risen to the top.
Although Rex was also very interested in Mega Evolution, he couldn't compare to John and Beach in that regard. This was why they had come rushing to Meteor Falls upon hearing about the Mega Stones.
As the four young trainers got to talking, they quickly bonded. When John and Mai learned how Rex and Beach knew each other, they exchanged surprised glances—they hadn't expected the story of their acquaintance to be quite so... eventful.
Especially John, who had known Beach since childhood and had traveled to other regions with him. He knew very well how formidable Beach was, so he was astonished to hear that his friend had been bested by the young Rex.
"Haha, Beach, I'm definitely telling your parents about this 'glorious' event!" The more John thought about it, the more amusing it became. He couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Ugh, if I'd known Rex was here, I wouldn't have invited you." Beach groaned, looking troubled.
Beach had always been the model child in front of his parents, which often left them feeling frustrated that they didn't have a chance to experience the thrill of scolding him. If they found out that Beach had gotten into danger due to his recklessness, they'd definitely give him an earful.
"Well, let's see how you do in the expedition. If you perform well, I'll keep your little secret." Seeing how much this matter bothered Beach, John teased him further.
"You little... I'll fight you!" Beach couldn't take it anymore and playfully started wrestling with John.
Mai watched the two of them fooling around and felt a bit speechless. It seemed they were even less mature than Rex, who was younger than them. She began to feel a bit concerned about their upcoming expedition to Meteor Falls.
Fortunately, the two quickly calmed down after their reunion, and the group began discussing their plans for the expedition.
"Does everyone have a Flying-type Pokémon?" Beach asked.
The other three nodded, confirming that they did.
The four trainers decided to set out for Meteor Falls the next morning, flying on their Pokémon. They also agreed that each of them should prepare at least a month's worth of survival supplies before the end of the day.
Even though Steven had already discovered Mega Stones in the depths of Meteor Falls, they knew there was still a high chance they'd return empty-handed. Thus, they planned to stay at Meteor Falls for an extended period to increase their chances of success.
(End of Chapter)