Once the news of the Cerulean Water-type Pokémon Beauty Contest was released, Cerulean City instantly came alive.
The entire city buzzed with excitement.
Trainers from nearby cities, upon hearing the announcement, eagerly packed their bags and rushed toward Cerulean.
But what truly elevated the event—
From a local city competition…
To something known across the entire Kanto region—
Was Ash.
The moment it was revealed that Ash would participate—
Everything changed.
Through his social media, his Skill Shop fan communities, and even his daily livestreams during Online Clinic sessions—
Ash personally promoted the event.
And now—
The news had spread across all of Kanto.
What was originally meant to be a city-level contest—
Had transformed into a regional-level spectacle.
Even if the scale hadn't officially reached that level—
Its popularity and influence already had.
And the reason for that…
Was Ash's name.
—
After lunch—
Ash, Gary Oak, and Green rode their bicycles to Viridian City.
Ash had already taken leave from his mentor at the Viridian Gym—Giovanni.
After meeting up with Clarissa Joy—
The four of them took a taxi to the Viridian High-Speed Rail Station.
From there—
They boarded a train bound for Cerulean City.
Viridian City and Cerulean City were both top-tier cities in Kanto, connected directly by high-speed rail.
"Attention passengers: Train C1496 from Viridian Station to Cerulean East Station is now boarding. Passengers for Train C1496, please prepare your tickets and belongings…"
The announcement echoed through the station.
Ash and his group picked up their small bags, brought along their Pokémon, and passed through the ticket gates.
Pokémon were allowed on board—as long as they weren't too large.
Pikachu.
Gary's Fletchling and Umbreon.
Green's Dedenne and Flabébé.
All met the requirements.
As for Clarissa Joy's Chansey—
It had evolved from Happiny during a City Arena match two weeks ago.
But Chansey's size made it unsuitable for traveling outside its Poké Ball on the train.
After boarding and finding their seats—
Ash gazed out at the platform, watching the steady stream of people moving back and forth.
For some reason—
He found it fascinating.
"Woo—"
"Wooo—"
Once all passengers were on board—
The doors closed with a series of beeps.
The white steel serpent of a train slowly pulled away from the station—
Then accelerated rapidly toward its destination.
Viridian City lay in the southwestern inland region of Kanto, nestled between the Indigo Plateau foothills and the vast Viridian Forest.
Cerulean City, on the other hand—
Was a northeastern coastal metropolis.
Something like a seaside city such as Qingdao.
The distance between them was enormous.
But with the high-speed rail—
That distance shrank dramatically.
In just a few hours—
People from Cerulean could travel to Viridian to enjoy its forests and fresh air.
And residents of Viridian could easily head to Cerulean—
To bask in sunshine, beaches, and ocean breeze.
As the train left Viridian City—
Ash watched the scenery outside blur past.
Though he wasn't originally from Viridian—
He had spent most of his time there since arriving in this world.
Pallet Town itself was just a small town under Viridian's jurisdiction.
So in a way—
Viridian was his city.
This—
Was his first time leaving it.
Watching the towering buildings in the distance gradually shrink and fade—
Ash felt something strange.
A sense of unfamiliarity.
As if he had never truly understood the city before.
But that fleeting feeling quickly vanished—
Replaced by excitement.
After all—
Even though he wasn't yet ten years old and hadn't officially begun his journey—
This trip to Cerulean City…
Was, in its own way—
His first real adventure.
And more than that—
He wasn't just going to attend a contest.
He was going to meet someone.
Misty.
They had known each other online for quite some time.
And today—
They would finally meet in person.
If he said he wasn't excited—
That would be a lie.
—
12:40 PM.
The train departed from Viridian City.
Heading north first—
It passed through Viridian Forest and arrived at the city of minerals, fossils, and energy—
Pewter City.
Arrival time: 2:10 PM.
As a major station, the train stopped for five minutes to allow passengers to board and disembark.
2:15 PM—
The train departed again.
Continuing eastward—
It crossed the vast Mt. Moon range and the expansive Mareep Plains.
Its next destination—
The city of gardens and perfumes—
Celadon City.
During the journey, Ash noticed something.
Up until now—
His understanding of Kanto had been limited to major cities like Viridian, Pewter, and Celadon.
But in reality—
The Pokémon world was vast.
And Kanto was enormous.
Beyond the major cities—
There were countless smaller cities and towns.
On the way north from Viridian, the train passed mostly along the edges of Viridian Forest.
Between Viridian and Pewter, there were no stops due to the terrain.
But after leaving the forest and crossing Mt. Moon—
Ash began to notice more settlements.
North of Viridian lay towns like Silver Town, Gardenia Town, and Cremini Town.
Near Pewter—
There was Oreburgh, a smaller industrial city rich in iron ore and home to a Steel-type Gym.
Across the Mareep Plains—
There were Sunnytown and Mossgreen Village.
And just before reaching Celadon—
The train briefly stopped at Neon Town.
Seeing these smaller cities and towns—
Ash's understanding of Kanto deepened.
It was no longer just a map of major locations—
But a living, breathing region.
The distance between Pewter and Celadon was much greater—
Two to three times longer than the distance between Viridian and Pewter.
The train left Pewter at 2:15 PM—
And didn't arrive at Celadon until 4:40 PM.
Fortunately—
After Celadon—
Cerulean wasn't far.
After a five-minute stop—
The train continued northeast.
And after more than an hour—
They finally arrived at their destination—
The coastal port city—
Cerulean City.
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