Natsui and May stayed at the Cerulean Gym for one night. Early the next morning, they said goodbye to Daisy, Misty, and their friends.
Misty and May looked at each other. They were sad to say goodbye, but they were also very moved.
"Misty..." May started to speak but then she stopped.
"Cheer up." Misty was no longer as sad as she was at first. Even though she did not want to say goodbye, she smiled. "Next time we meet, you must be a great Pokémon Coordinator! I will watch all your competitions on TV, so do not lose to anyone!"
May was usually a positive person.
She heard Misty's kind words and nodded quickly.
"Don't worry, I will definitely become a Top Coordinator!"
"Take care."
The two young women shook hands strongly. They understood everything without needing more words.
After saying goodbye to May, Misty looked at Natsui. She looked at the face she loved and his eyes. Misty almost could not control her feelings. For a moment, she almost started crying.
She took a slow breath to stay calm. Her eyes were a little red. She took something out of her bag and gave it to Natsui.
"Natsui..." her voice was shaking a little. "I cannot travel with you anymore. I made this a long time ago. I am giving it to you now. I hope you will think of me when you see it in the future!"
Natsui looked down. It was a fishing lure that looked like Misty!
It was strange. He wondered when she made it. He had not noticed it before.
In the anime, Misty gave a similar lure to Ash. He did not expect her to give one to him now.
He thought it was quite cute.
However, he wondered if a lure like this could really catch Water-type Pokémon.
Even if it could not catch anything, the truth was that Natsui did not have much time to go fishing.
Still, this was a special gift from Misty. Natsui took the lure seriously and thanked her.
"Then, thank you."
Natsui nodded again to the three Cerulean sisters. Then, he waved to Misty one last time. He led May away.
Misty watched the two of them leave. She did not look away, even after they were gone.
Daisy, Violet, and Lily saw this. They looked at each other. Finally, Violet joked with her sister.
"Stop looking. They are already far away. No matter how much you look, they won't come back."
Violet thought Misty would get angry and argue. But Misty just wiped her eyes and turned around with a big smile.
"What are you talking about?" Misty laughed. "I was just thinking about how to be a good Gym Leader! I have decided—I am going to make the Cerulean Gym the strongest Gym in Kanto!!"
The three sisters were surprised for a moment. Then, they all laughed.
"You silly girl... but that is good. With you here, we can focus on our underwater ballet!"
"Yes, finally someone can help us share the workload!"
...
After they left the Cerulean Gym, May waited for a moment. Then she asked a question.
"Natsui, where are we going next?"
When Misty was with them, May felt normal. But now she was alone with Natsui. Her heart was beating fast. She was nervous and did not know what to do around him.
But Natsui acted the same as always. He was gentle and smiled. "Originally, I wanted to visit Professor Oak's Laboratory, but the plan has changed. I must go to Celadon City first."
May knew who lived in Celadon City.
At the start of her journey in Hoenn, she had met Erika. She liked Erika very much.
Because of this, she was happy to go to Celadon City with Natsui.
Natsui was right. His first plan was to go to the Battle Dome and then visit Professor Oak. After that, he planned to go to Celadon City. However, Tucker had told everyone about Natsui's challenge. Now, Natsui had to see Erika sooner than he expected.
He knew the next few days would be very busy and tiring.
To go from Cerulean City to Celadon City, they had to go through Saffron City. The path looked like a square.
They had to go back to places they had already visited, but they moved fast. Natsui talked to Ash on the phone last night. Ash had just arrived in Pallet Town.
This meant Natsui was faster than Ash because Natsui already had two Symbols.
However, Pallet Town was very far from where they started.
When they were in Saffron City, Natsui did not stay long. He only met Sabrina once. They had lunch together, and then he left with May.
The Saffron City Pokémon Contest was coming soon. They had to hurry so they would not miss it.
At first, the journey with May was very quiet.
May was a nice and happy girl, but she did not talk a lot. Natsui was also quiet. This made the trip feel a bit boring at the start. But this was only for a short time. When they knew each other better, they would have many things to talk about.
They walked west.
The cities in Kanto are mostly in the middle of the region. The land there is flat. There are no tall mountains, only many trees. When they were tired, they rested. When they felt strong again, they kept walking.
Because of this, May saw the beautiful views of Kanto.
In general, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn looked very similar.
"Natsui, will the Sinnoh region be like this too?" May asked.
"Actually, no matter where you are, places with big cities look the same." Natsui looked at the sky. He felt very thoughtful. "They are all full of tall buildings, and people are busy moving around. Only the remote mountains, lakes, and vacation resorts will truly make you feel the difference between regions."
He saw that May looked a bit disappointed. So Natsui said something else.
"Of course, Sinnoh is a large island on its own continent. It has many special places to see. For example, Mt. Coronet and the lakes in Sinnoh are very beautiful. The northern part is covered in white snow. You will never forget it if you see it."
May imagined the snow while Natsui talked.
"That sounds really nice. Unlike Hoenn, where there are very few places where you can see snow." May smiled. "Natsui, you are so amazing. You even know about the Sinnoh region."
Natsui moved his hand and shook his head. "I only read about it in records. It's not the same as seeing it for myself. Besides, just like you, I am also looking forward to stepping onto the land of Sinnoh!"
After they talked, they felt much more comfortable. May started to talk more. She asked many questions, and Natsui answered them.
This showed that Natsui had traveled to many places.
May's knowledge was improving little by little. This was very different from her time traveling with Ash.
...
The trip from Saffron City to Celadon City is short. It is shorter than the trip between Saffron and Cerulean. They saw the city before it got dark.
Some things happened during the walk.
On the road, some Trainers wanted to battle Natsui. They did not know who he was. They just wanted to battle him after seeing him.
Usually, Natsui would battle them. But he was in a hurry, so he said no to all of them.
They entered Celadon City and went to the Gym.
This time was different from his visit to Sabrina. Erika knew he was coming. Natsui could not surprise her. Erika had called him many times while he was walking. She asked where he was. She had prepared a big dinner and was waiting for him!
She was like someone waiting for a loved one to come home.
The Celadon Gym looked very different now.
He remembered that a fire destroyed the Gym. That was why Erika traveled with him. Now, the Gym was finished and looked new.
If the location was not the same, Natsui might think it was a different place!
The old Gym looked like a Gloom. The new one looked like a huge stadium. It looked very modern.
It was very big and had new technology. It had a metal roof that looked like a Vileplume. It was in the center of the city and looked like a huge nature park!
It was a very impressive building. It looked much better than the tall business buildings nearby.
Natsui stopped in front of the gate for a long time. Then, he felt nervous and walked inside.
The Gym was different, but the people working there were the same. They were all young women.
When Natsui walked in, they knew who he was. They did not walk to him immediately. Instead, they stood far away and whispered. They were very curious.
They knew how their Gym Leader felt after her trip.
They were sure that she liked this man.
Erika tried to hide her feelings, but it was impossible. The staff saw Natsui's Pokémon in the Gym. They also saw Erika watching his matches and calling him!
Also, Erika had been very nervous all day because Natsui was coming. It was very obvious.
However, no one said anything to her.
Erika was kind to them, but she was still the Gym Leader and the boss of the perfume shop. They knew the truth, but they kept it private.
Also, Natsui was a very famous person. He was a Champion in three regions. Any news about him was a big deal. They did not want to say too much about him.
They only talked about it with each other.
But someone had to talk to Natsui since he was there.
The oldest woman walked to Natsui and smiled.
"May I ask if there is anything I can help you with?"
She already knew the answer.
Natsui saw their smiles and shook his head.
"I am here to see Erika. Is she in?"
"Of course she is. Please follow me."
The young woman led Natsui and May into the Gym. They walked through a big greenhouse and went to a Japanese-style room.
The woman told them to wait. Then she went inside to tell Erika they were there.
May looked at the woman. She was a bit confused.
She knew Natsui and Erika liked each other. She did not understand why they acted so formally.
Natsui spoke quietly to explain it to her.
"Celadon City is different from other places. You saw it too. Not only is the whole Gym built very grandly, but there are also many people coming in and out. Here, Erika's identity is first that of a Gym Leader, and then our friend. Before everything is made public, we have to follow the Gym's procedures."
May nodded. She almost understood.
She did not see Sabrina hug Natsui in Saffron City. So, she believed what Natsui said.
She understood that adults have to follow rules sometimes. It was not as free as it was for her and Ash.
Then, the door opened.
Erika was wearing her best formal clothes. She walked out with a smile. The woman from before was with her. When Erika saw Natsui, she bowed a little.
As Natsui said, they had to act normal in front of others. They could not show their relationship yet.
This was also because of Erika's personality.
Even if she married Natsui, she would always act professional in front of other people. She was not like Sabrina. She cared about what people thought.
"You are here?"
Natsui looked into Erika's eyes. He saw her feelings. He nodded.
"Yes, I've come to see you."