The weather was wonderful today. The sun shone brightly overhead, and the feeling of summer was gradually settling in.
Yet as Liam walked across the Bridge, he couldn't feel even the slightest bit of warmth.
The moment he thought back to the bizarre events of the previous night, a chill ran down his spine.
Although he had long known that ghosts existed in this world, actually encountering one himself was still something he couldn't quite get used to.
Fortunately, the little girl named Mayoi had been rather adorable... very adorable. Otherwise, the experience probably would have left him with lasting psychological trauma.
Even so, alongside his lingering discomfort, Liam also couldn't help but feel sorry for Mayoi's fate.
From their brief encounter the night before, he could tell that although Mayoi had a bit of a rebellious streak, her heart was pure. She was just an innocent child... and for someone like her to meet such an end at such a young age...
"...Sigh..."
With those indescribable emotions weighing on his mind, Liam and N finally walked off Marvelous Bridge together.
Not long after crossing the bridge, they arrived at the first city beyond it—Nimbasa City.
Just as its name suggested, black was the city's dominant color. Black buildings could be seen everywhere, making Liam's already complicated mood even gloomier.
It was around noon when they reached Nimbasa City. Liam found the Pokémon Center, had lunch, rested for a short while, and then prepared to continue their journey.
However, the moment he stepped outside the Rescue Center, several young trainers blocked his path.
Besides its distinctive appearance, Nimbasa City was also famous for its residents' love of Pokémon battles. Whenever traveling trainers passed through, the city's young people would almost always challenge them to friendly matches.
Normally, Liam would have ignored them—he simply wasn't in the mood.
But then...
"There are three of us. Each of us will battle you with one Pokémon. If you beat all three of us, these two train tickets for the 5:00 PM train from Nimbasa City to Anville Town are yours! If you lose, though, we won't ask you for anything. So, what do you say?"
The short-haired boy leading the group held up two train tickets with a smile.
"I accept."
Liam agreed immediately.
'You've got to be kidding. Why would I turn down free train tickets? Though... since when has there been a direct train from Nimbasa City to Anville Town?'
He accepted the challenge without hesitation, though inwardly he was puzzled.
In truth, Liam had no idea that Nimbasa City now had a direct railway to Anville Town. The line had only recently opened, so not many people knew about it yet.
To increase its popularity, the station staff had come up with an interesting idea.
Most visitors to Nimbasa City were headed for the seaside resort of Anville Town. Taking the train there saved both time and energy compared to traveling on foot.
So the railway staff reached an agreement with a group of Nimbasa City's young trainers. They transformed what had once been ordinary, consequence-free Pokémon battles into matches where train tickets were awarded as prizes.
This greatly increased trainers' enthusiasm, gave the local youngsters valuable battle experience, and provided excellent publicity for the railway—all while benefiting everyone involved.
Since it was mutually beneficial, the people of Nimbasa City fully supported the idea. Together with the railway staff, they even built numerous battlefields and rest areas near the station specifically for trainers.
Today, it had become one of Nimbasa City's unique attractions.
....
Time passed quickly.
It was now 5:30 PM.
The train from Nimbasa City to Anville Town had already been traveling for half an hour. The black locomotive thundered across mountains and plains like a giant steel dragon, roaring along the tracks.
Yet despite the tremendous noise outside, the passenger cars were remarkably peaceful.
Liam and N sat facing each other on the train's soft seats. The window beside them was half-open, allowing the cool evening breeze to drift in while the scenery outside rapidly flashed by as night gradually fell.
As Nimbasa City's railway became more well-known, more and more people had begun riding the train. Many passengers were clearly tourists, likely traveling to Anville Town for vacation.
Anville Town was a famous seaside resort.
During most seasons it wasn't particularly crowded, but once summer arrived, the town became packed with visitors.
Its beautiful scenery and excellent location had attracted many wealthy people, who built private villas there as vacation homes. As a result, land in Anville Town had become incredibly expensive. Owning property there was considered a true symbol of status.
Perhaps because so many rich people lived there, they had jointly funded the construction of a small helipad next to the town's Pokémon Rescue Center to make traveling more convenient.
Three civilian helicopters remained on standby at the helipad at all times. Their sole purpose was to shuttle distinguished guests back and forth between Anville Town and Driftveil City.
After reading this information in the latest travel guide, Liam quite naturally concluded that he should already qualify as a distinguished guest.
Taking a helicopter ride shouldn't be a problem... right?
Yeah... definitely not a problem.
The train continued speeding onward.
Outside, darkness had completely fallen.
N was curled up on his seat, hugging the precious Pokémon Egg tightly in his arms, sleeping soundly with an occasional sleepy smack of his lips.
Liam was beginning to feel drowsy as well. Resting his head on one hand, his eyelids gradually grew heavier.
Just as he was about to drift off, a clear, pleasant voice came from beside him.
"Um... excuse me. May I sit here?"
"...?"
Liam instantly woke up.
Looking up, he saw a beautiful young girl standing beside his seat, wearing an apologetic expression. It was obviously she who had spoken.
She looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a delicate oval face and long golden hair tied into a ponytail that reached her waist. She wore a simple light-colored travel outfit, giving her an energetic and cheerful appearance.
"Um... I just went to the restroom. When I came back... my seat had become... well..."
She pointed awkwardly toward a nearby row.
"...I noticed that no one seems to be sitting here. If it's alright with you... could I sit here instead?"
Following her finger, Liam immediately understood.
A huge man dressed like a mountain hiker had sprawled across the girl's original seat. Although each row was meant for two passengers, the enormous man occupied well over one and a half seats by himself. His sheer size was astonishing.
"Uh... of course. Please, have a seat."
Having already figured out what had happened, Liam promptly sat up straight. Following his usual habit of helping others, he picked up the backpack resting on the adjacent seat and invited the girl to sit down.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
The ponytailed girl thanked him repeatedly before gracefully taking the now-vacant seat beside Liam.