"Welcome to Cerulean City, everyone. There's tons of great food and fun places here. Make sure you stay a few extra days—we'll show you all around properly."
As the eldest sister, Daisy stepped forward warmly and greeted everyone with elegant hospitality.
"Alright, enough standing around here," Violet said with a smile. "Since you've come to Cerulean, just treat it like home and relax. This isn't the best place to chat."
"I already booked a table at a restaurant. Let's head back to the Gym first, rest a little, and then we'll go have dinner."
"Sounds good."
"Okay."
As guests, Ash and the others naturally had no objections to the arrangements.
The group chatted casually while walking toward the plaza exit.
Misty's sisters had parked their cars nearby in a temporary parking area.
They were two convertible sports cars—
One yellow.
One red.
Ash didn't know much about cars, but judging by the sleek design and luxurious details, even he could tell they were extremely expensive.
Clearly—
Even though the Cerulean Gym was currently declining, as the official Gym of a major Kanto city, it still received massive League funding every year, along with a percentage of Cerulean City's tax revenue.
And from what Misty had said earlier, her sisters were exceptionally talented in business and management.
In short—
The four sisters were rich.
Still, nobody on Ash's side felt particularly envious.
After all—
None of them had ordinary backgrounds either.
Ash himself might have started from a normal family, but after crossing into this world and building his career, he had already become both a celebrity trainer and a wealthy entrepreneur.
Gary was the only grandson of Professor Oak.
Money and status were never lacking for him.
Green's family was equally impressive—her father had once won a League Conference and reached Elite Four-level strength, while her mother was a top-tier Breeder.
Between company shares and institutional affiliations, Green certainly wasn't from an ordinary household either.
In fact—
There really weren't any "ordinary people" in Pallet Town.
And Clarissa Joy?
That went without saying.
The daughter of the current head of the Joy family.
The treasured jewel of the Kanto Joy family.
A true heiress.
So after a brief moment of curiosity—
Everyone simply accepted the luxury cars calmly.
Among the eight people present, only Misty's three older sisters were old enough to drive.
Daisy drove the yellow convertible, with Violet sitting in the passenger seat while Gary and Green took the back.
Meanwhile—
Ash and Clarissa got into Lily's red convertible.
Misty sat in the front passenger seat.
After fastening their seatbelts—
The engines roared softly.
And the two sports cars sped away into the city.
Cerulean City's urban planning was exceptional.
Purified seawater was drawn from the northern ocean into canals that flowed gracefully throughout the city before reconnecting with the sea in the east.
Geographically—
The city leaned against the Mt. Moon mountain range to the northwest.
Inside the city, rivers flowed gently among flowers and greenery.
And to the east—
One could see the endless sea.
Mountains.
Water.
Ocean breeze.
Cerulean City possessed it all.
Though it was also one of Kanto's top-tier cities—
Its atmosphere was completely different from Viridian's eco-technological grandeur.
And unlike Celadon's vibrant, dazzling colors—
Cerulean City felt peaceful.
Elegant.
Its white-toned buildings weren't especially tall, yet each resembled a refined luxury villa.
The pace of life here was slow and comfortable.
Everything carried a subtle air of understated wealth.
Looking out the car window—
Ash even spotted Pokémon rarely seen outside other regions.
Wooper and Quagsire from Johto played in the canals.
Lotad and Surskit from Hoenn drifted peacefully across the water.
"What a beautiful city…"
Ash couldn't help saying sincerely.
"Hehe~ Right? Cerulean City's amazing, isn't it?" Lily said proudly from the driver's seat.
"Yeah," Ash nodded. "It's completely different from Viridian, Pewter, or Celadon. Every city has its own atmosphere."
"Then you and Clarissa should stay longer!" Lily said enthusiastically. "Misty and I will show you around every corner of Cerulean. I promise you won't regret it."
"Alright," Ash smiled. "Then we'll be relying on you, Lily."
"Hehe No problem at all. We're basically family anyway"
The moment Lily said that—
Misty instantly turned bright red.
"Third Sister!!"
"Hahaha! But it's true!" Lily teased shamelessly. "You're usually calling him 'Ash Ash' all sweetly. Why are you suddenly so shy today?"
"Hmph! I'm ignoring you!"
Misty puffed up her cheeks and turned away in embarrassment.
Then, as if trying to change the topic quickly, she lifted a paper shopping bag she had been carrying.
"Oh right, Ash… Clarissa… you two rode the train for over five hours, so you must be tired."
"I bought some Soda Pop for you earlier."
She handed two bottles back to them.
"Thanks."
Ash and Clarissa accepted them with smiles.
Soda Pop had originally become popular in the Hoenn region. It refreshed the mind and restored stamina, making it effective for both humans and Pokémon alike.
After spreading across the regions, it had become a widely loved drink everywhere.
"Oh right, Misty," Ash suddenly asked, trying to ease her nervousness, "how's the Marill I gave you doing?"
The moment Pokémon were mentioned—
Misty instantly relaxed.
Her eyes lit up.
"Marill? It's doing great!"
"Just like you said, it really can become my ace Pokémon."
"It trains super hard every day. It's already reached LV.22 now, and it's learned a lot of moves."
"I'm planning to have it participate in the Water-type Pokémon Beauty Contest too."
"And after hearing that you'd be coming…"
Misty became more and more animated as she spoke.
"Marill's been preparing seriously all week! Every night before bed, it even puts on seaweed face masks…"
Listening to her excited rambling—
Ash and Clarissa exchanged a glance in the back seat.
And quietly smiled together.
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T/N:
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