Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Coordinator

On April 4th, the fourth day since Am and Xiaoxia arrived in Viridian City, Xiaoxia set out to challenge the Viridian Gym.

Since it was only her first badge, there were no spectator seats and friends and family weren’t welcome. It happened to be raining that day as well, so Am and Sonoko waited together in the dessert shop opposite the Viridian Gym, ready to celebrate with Xiaoxia afterward.

Ran and Conan hadn’t come along this time. It was said that Ran’s mother, who had lived apart from the family for some time, was in Yanta City on a business trip, and Ran wanted to create an opportunity for her parents.

Perhaps it was the weather, but Sonoko seemed especially subdued that day. Her usual lively chatter felt as though it were being measured and charged by the word, as if her tongue had been rented and now she was counting every syllable.

Seeing Sonoko gazing out the window, absentmindedly biting her straw, Am considered whether to take advantage of the quiet moment to pull out a book. Upon second thought, it seemed a bit impolite, so Am decided to initiate conversation instead. “Yesterday my Bulbasaur evolved into Ivysaur! How about yours?”

Sonoko: …

“That’s really impressive!” Sonoko managed a slight smile.

“Oh, it’s nothing…” Am hurried to appear modest.

Sonoko realized that if she didn’t continue the conversation, Am might awkwardly perish right there, so she took the initiative: “How did you meet Xiaoxia? You’ve already found a travel companion so quickly.”

“It was a quiet evening. I thought I’d run into an Aegislash…”

Sonoko: ???

After listening to Am’s tale, Sonoko discovered that there was a surprisingly complicated story behind it all.

“So Xiaoxia is the daughter of the Flare Gym Leader? Yet she prefers Water-type Pokémon…” Sonoko’s eyes suddenly sparkled.

Xiaoxia’s background wasn’t exactly a secret; it simply hadn’t been mentioned before. Now that Sonoko asked, Am naturally brought it up when explaining the reason for forming their team.

“If you were to choose, what kind of Pokémon would you like… Fairy type?” Sonoko grew a bit enthusiastic.

“No, no, Xiaoxia really wants to be a trainer,” Am reminded gently.

Xiaoxia truly loved Water-type Pokémon and aimed to become a Water-type trainer, but as for Sonoko, well…

It was more that she thought such “rebellion” would be cool. As for Fairy types, Sonoko probably just liked their cute and pretty appearances. Diancie, for example, was both Rock and Fairy type.

“Did I ever say I didn’t want to? I’ve already got the Viridian Gym badge!” Sonoko replied, righteous and bold.

“Actually… if you’re more interested in the charm of Pokémon, being a coordinator is a great choice too,” Am offered thoughtfully.

A coordinator, officially known as a Pokémon Coordinator, is a kind of trainer. However, their “main stage” isn’t Pokémon battles, but the Pokémon Contest! Professional coordinators often dabble in acting and modeling as well.

“Coordinator?” Sonoko was stunned at first, then her gaze went distant, her smile growing increasingly peculiar.

Perhaps, in her mind, she was already fast-forwarding to winning the Contest Grand Festival, claiming the Mikuri Prize, starring in blockbuster movies, becoming a popular heroine, outshining Diantha and Cynthia…

“Uh… I was just suggesting,” Am began to regret, wondering if he’d given her unrealistic dreams.

“No! You have great taste!” Sonoko slapped Am’s shoulder, stood up, and declared, “It’s settled! I’ll become a Pokémon Coordinator… Champion of the Contest, here I come!”

No matter that many in the dessert shop were glancing at her oddly, Am quickly ducked his head to avoid being noticed, while tugging Sonoko back into her seat.

“It’s not that easy to become a coordinator…” Am started to explain, but stopped halfway, realizing Sonoko wasn’t listening at all.

On second thought, with Sonoko’s notorious short-lived enthusiasm, there was no real need to worry. To speed up her cooldown, Am ordered a double-scoop ice cream, figuring by the time she finished, she’d have forgotten all about it.

Besides…

It couldn’t really be considered misleading her, could it? With the Suzuki Group’s wealth, if Sonoko truly wanted to be a coordinator, they could easily produce a few movies for her to play with.

Just then, Sonoko’s absent-minded face suddenly showed a hint of annoyance, then switched to a smug, almost eccentric smile.

While Am was puzzled, the ice cream arrived, and Sonoko snapped out of it, complimenting Am, “You really have an eye for things, no wonder you’re an expert-level apothecary! Far better than Mikuri…” Sonoko sounded somewhat disgruntled at the mention of Mikuri.

“Huh?” Am wondered, what did Mikuri have to do with this?

Mikuri, after all, was this world’s king of fashion, the top coordinator, and the current champion of Hoenn. He was the undisputed number one in the world of coordinators.

Sonoko didn’t answer, but Am quickly realized—in the original story, Mikuri and Steven were good friends, right?

And now Steven happened to be Sonoko’s brother, which meant…

Mikuri must have met Sonoko!

Judging by Sonoko’s reaction, it was clear Mikuri hadn’t recognized any talent in her as a coordinator.

Am: …

Alright, alright, as an apothecary, I know more about coordinators than Mikuri, apparently.

Seeing Sonoko’s mood, Am didn’t argue and instead went along, chatting with her about coordinators.

The more Sonoko talked, the more animated she became, finally dragging Am out into the rain, heading to the bookstore next door, and stopping in front of the magazine rack.

“Quick! Help me figure out which style suits me best!” Sonoko studied the glossy photos of female stars—fresh and lively, elegant and noble, heroic and dashing—already imagining herself in their place.

Just then…

“Hey!” Sonoko rolled her eyes at Am, who was holding a magazine featuring an idol girl group in swimsuits, “Is this really helping me?”

Am replied earnestly, “Look, it says here that to maintain their figure, they can’t eat after four in the afternoon… No desserts either. There are strict requirements for breakfast and lunch, too.”

Am found the interview she was looking for and showed it to Sonoko.

Meanwhile, Am mused that the Pokémon world truly was wholesome—no one ever claimed they just couldn’t gain weight.

“Well… I can handle swimsuits now!” Sonoko puffed out her chest with pride, but deep down she felt a little anxious.

She could manage it for now, but maintaining her figure like that… probably not.

“So I think this kind of coordinator is good too—doesn’t require much upkeep,” Am said, handing Sonoko another magazine.

Sonoko quickly looked down…

“Pokémon Comedian Debut: Quirky Tips You Must Know”

Sonoko: …