In eastern Hoenn lies Lilycove City, a vibrant coastal metropolis. It is the largest and most prosperous city on the continent's east coast.
Besides the extremely busy port, this city also features a very famous department store and a well-known art museum. Although only slightly smaller than Mauville City, it draws the largest flow of people!
Each sweltering summer, waves of tourists flood Lilycove's broad, white sands, drawn by the city's infectious vibrancy and charm.
After a day of short-distance sailing, at dawn on the second day, Natsui and Misty also set foot in this city.
As the two began to make their way out of the port and walked toward an area crowded with docked yachts, they suddenly heard someone shout from afar, making both pause to see who was calling out.
"Hey, young man over there!"
It wasn't until the voice called out again that Natsui realized he was the one being addressed and turned to look for the source of the call.
Turning his head in response, Natsui saw an old man in the distance. He had a silver beard and waved at him from a deck chair under an awning. The old man wore a large white nautical cap. A black long coat was draped over his shoulders. He was shirtless underneath, wearing jeans and big leather boots.
Misty turned to look at Natsui. "It seems he's calling you. Do you know him?"
"Don't know him, but let's go over and take a look."
Dressed very much like a retired captain, the old man appeared to be in his seventies or eighties. Yet his frame remained sturdy, and his sharp, vigorous gaze belied his age.
Despite feeling puzzled, Natsui hesitated only briefly before following the narrow steps toward the old man, his curiosity growing as he approached until he stood in front of him.
Before he could speak, the old man had already stood up and looked him up and down. "You are that kid named Natsui, right?"
With this stance, Natsui realized the old man was actually quite tall, about the same height as himself. The old man must have been very strong in the past. Now, due to age, he had become somewhat thinner.
But his commanding aura remained undiminished!
"That's right, it's me." Natsui nodded. He was about to ask how the old man knew him, but scrutinizing the old man in front of him carefully, a thought moved in his heart, and the words on his lips changed to, "Are you... Could you be Elite Four Drake!?"
The old man gazed at Natsui, then burst out laughing.
"Truly rare, you actually recognized me!?"
Hearing his admission, Misty gasped in astonishment.
Unbelievable! Despite his presence, Misty never imagined this old man was one of Hoenn's Elite Four!
What an incredible coincidence!
Regarding this, Natsui said little. Since the other party knew his name, he must have known his achievements. Under such circumstances, still calling him 'kid' showed that he didn't put the title of 'Champion' in his eyes.
His outfit and age hinted at his identity. This made Natsui's guess unsurprising.
Although the four Elite Four members of Hoenn were strong, they were much less popular than those from other regions.
Most Trainers from elsewhere, and even locals, only know their names—rarely have they glimpsed the Elite Four in person!
Their main hurdle was isolation.
Take Drake, for example. He became an Elite Four member at a young age. He is a contemporary of Agatha from Kanto, Bertha from Sinnoh, and Drasna from Kalos. Worldwide, few have held the position for as long.
Aside from serving as an Elite Four member, Drake also captained ships and explored, spending most of the year at sea. Few ever truly knew him or heard of his exploits!
Even the other three Elite Four members—Sidney, Phoebe, and Glacia—were in roughly the same situation.
First, there is Sidney. Don't be fooled by his name; he is a real guy, an expert in Dark-type Pokémon. This red-haired man was once a delinquent!
As for why red-haired...
On his round, bald head, only a spiky tuft of red hair remains. It is striking and makes him appear even more menacing!
Coupled with his fierce expression, such an image made it hard for most people to have a good impression of him.
The other two Elite Four members, Phoebe and Glacia, were women who didn't appear in public much. Phoebe looked like a cheerful island girl, while Glacia seemed like a quiet, noble lady. Some people liked them, but most people in Hoenn didn't know them well.
To sum it up: Hoenn lacked a flag-bearer figure like Lance. He had a great image and a calm temperament, and was trusted and recognized by most people at a glance!
These thoughts only flashed through Natsui's mind; his face didn't show anything wrong.
Regardless of fame, as an Elite Four member, he was still worthy of Natsui's respect. Natsui was even happy to encounter him by accident!
"Recognizing you isn't strange. Anyone who knows about Pokémon in Hoenn knows you are a living legend, highly respected." Natsui smiled and asked, "But how do you know me?"
Drake laughed. "It's all because of those brats on my ship! Sailing at sea is dull, with no entertainment at all. So when they're bored, they watch competitions from other regions. I learned about you then!"
"So that's how it is." Natsui suddenly realized.
"You came to Lilycove as a stopover to reach Mossdeep City, right?"
"That's right. I've already obtained seven Badges. Once I get one more, I can register to participate in the Ever Grande Conference!"
As expected, Drake nodded and sighed, his expression saying 'Just as I thought.' "Those brats on my ship all guessed which region you'd visit after Johto. Only I guessed you'd come to Hoenn and win the championship too!"
Natsui never expected Drake to rate him so highly!
"You flatter me too much." Natsui shook his head. "The overall strength of Trainers in the Hoenn region is much stronger than that in Johto and Kanto. I can't guarantee winning the championship."
"Young man, being too humble isn't a good thing; it will make you lose your spirit!" Drake snorted. "Their strength is high, but has your strength hit a plateau? Actually, compared to those Trainers, the biggest obstacle to your challenge in the Conference this time is actually the Pokémon League itself!"
"Why do you say that?"
"I think you already know why," Drake said with disdain. "The Pokémon League won't just watch as a single Trainer claims regional championships one by one. Once the Conference starts, they'll set obstacles for you. Your opponents will be the toughest!"
"Isn't that just perfect?" Natsui smiled slightly. "Anyway, winning the championship requires defeating all opponents. So what difference does it make whether I defeat them sooner or later?"
Drake looked at Natsui in surprise, stared for several seconds, then suddenly laughed loudly.
"I take back what I just said. So you don't lack vigor, but are introverted! I really didn't misjudge people!"
Drake's face turned serious. He spoke solemnly, "Haven't met someone interesting like you in a long time. How about it? Want to fight me now? Sooner or later won't make a difference, right?"
"Forget it for now," Natsui said. "To be honest, my plan includes not challenging any Elite Four for now, even in Kanto and Johto. Only after I have tried all the Conferences will I set my sights on you guys."
"Oh?" Although slightly surprised, Drake understood his thoughts. "Alright, since you are unwilling, I won't force it. I just don't know if I can live until that time!"
"Of course you can. Seeing your frame is so sturdy, I believe you can definitely live to be a hundred years old!"
Having listened from the side for a long time, Misty couldn't help interrupting at this moment: "Um... excuse me, Mr. Drake, since you are a captain, where is your ship?"
"There, isn't it right there!"
Following Drake's gesture, Natsui and Misty turned their heads and looked in the direction he pointed until they spotted a huge wooden three-masted sailing ship docked at the pier.
"Eh? A sailing ship!?" Misty was stunned. She thought that as an Elite Four member, Drake's ship would be some luxury yacht!
Scoffing at Misty's shock, Drake declared, "You youngsters don't get it! Sailing ships capture the sea's romance—it's wind, current, and daring adventure, not motors and comfort."
Though Drake's passionate words almost sparked a fire, Misty found herself unable to resonate—his notion of adventure landed flat in her ears.
When taking a boat, shouldn't one simply lie comfortably on the deck to enjoy the sea breeze?
Although she liked Water-type Pokémon, she thought it was better to stay away from storms and giant waves.
Between the two, only Natsui could slightly identify with some of Drake's philosophy.
After all, before transmigration, he had watched several pirate movies. He also liked the various pirate ships and warships inside very much.
And he also knew that old people like Drake were actually quite nostalgic. It wasn't that they couldn't accept current cruise ships; it was just that retro sailing ships gave them a feeling of chasing dreams in their youth!
Gazing at Drake's sailing ship for a while, Drake turned back and said to Natsui, "Alright, since we can't battle, follow me onto the ship to take a look. A large part of those brats on the ship are your fans. Seeing you appear, they will definitely be very happy!"
Needless to say, since Drake spoke, Natsui naturally had to give this Elite Four member face.
Nodding, he and Misty followed behind Drake and walked toward Drake's sailing ship.
And when they got close, he could clearly feel that compared to watching from a distance, this sailing ship looked bigger and more spectacular than ever!
The black hull matched with white sails, covered with ropes, just like a pirate ship!
A rope ladder was thrown down from the ship at this time.
Natsui looked up and saw a man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with slightly bronzed skin, wearing a white shirt, waving to Drake.
"Captain! Preparations are complete; we can set off!"
"No rush for now." Drake climbed the rope ladder nimbly, saying, "We have guests visiting."
"Guests?"
The man was stunned upon hearing this. After all, in his opinion, except for a few of the Captain's old friends, he had never seen him treat anyone as a guest and bring them onto the ship!
Thinking of this, he cast a suspicious gaze on Natsui.
On the pier, seeing Drake had already climbed halfway, Natsui first pulled the rope ladder hard to confirm it was indeed strong enough, then signaled Misty to go up first while he brought up the rear.
This way, even if Misty unfortunately slipped and fell, he could catch her from below.
However, he obviously worried too much. After traveling through two regions with Ash, sleeping in the open and braving the wind and rain all the way, she had seen and experienced all kinds of big scenes and tribulations. This little difficulty counted as almost nothing in her eyes; she could climb up very easily.
The only thing that made her feel shy was that climbing before Natsui meant he might see her legs. She was wearing shorts, so if he looked up, well... she hoped he wouldn't.
But before she could think much, under Natsui's urging, she could only climb onto the rope ladder shyly. And once Misty climbed the rope ladder, Natsui followed closely behind.
Natsui looked up by accident but quickly looked away. He always thought of Misty as a younger sister, so he didn't think anything weird.
However, to avoid suspicion and unnecessary trouble caused by misunderstandings, he still tried to keep his gaze straight ahead, focusing on the rope ladder in front of him.
Until he climbed level with the hull and was about to step onto the deck, Misty's fair and tender little hand had already extended in front of him.
A faint smile hung on her face, and there seemed to be some expectation in her expression, seemingly wanting to see something in Natsui's eyes.
Holding her hand expressionlessly, with her help, Natsui stepped onto the deck steadily.
At this time, under Drake's greeting, the man who lowered the rope ladder just now and some surrounding sailors had all gathered around.
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