Mauville City, located in the center of the Hoenn region, is a massive metropolis wrapped in steel and neon.
Quite different from the dark and damp natural environment of Granite Cave, the air here was filled with the scent of prosperity.
Towering buildings stood in rows, while crowds of people and various Pokémon intertwined on the ground, forming a bustling and busy picture of a futuristic city.
Swellow practically dove onto the plaza in front of the Pokémon Center, stumbling upon landing and nearly failing to keep its footing.
Its feathers were a mess; the once-spirited look in its eyes was now replaced by exhaustion and terror. It gasped for air, its chest heaving violently.
Throughout the journey, it felt like it wasn't carrying one person and three Pokémon, but four massive mountains.
Especially that Sandile and Sneasel; they hadn't been still for a moment, occasionally pacing around on its back to adjust their positions.
Every step felt like it was treading on the bird's racing heart, fearing that a single mistake would displease these "lords" and force it to experience a free fall from ten thousand meters up.
"Bird Bro, thanks for the hard work." Jiang Han hopped lightly off the bird's back and patted its shoulder with moderate force. "As expected of you, this flight experience can be summed up in one word: stable!"
Sandile, Inkay, and Sneasel also landed one after another, their three pairs of eyes staring in unison at Swellow.
Swellow shuddered at his pat. Hearing Jiang Han's praise, it felt no Joy, only endless sorrow.
Stable?
Big brother, you call this stable? Ask my poor little heart if it was stable!
Jiang Han seemed to see through its thoughts and continued with a smile:
"Once my Sandile evolves into Krookodile and Inkay evolves into Malamar, I'll still look for you, Bird Bro, to fly us around. Don't find us too heavy then."
Hearing this, Swellow's pupils suddenly constricted.
Krookodile? Malamar?
The sizes of those two behemoths instantly flashed through its mind... Fly? Like hell it would! Before even taking off, its old bones would probably be crushed into a bird pancake!
Swellow's survival instinct exploded at this moment. As if injected with adrenaline, it shook its head like a rattle, letting out a series of hurried "Cha! Cha!" sounds.
In the next second, it flapped its wings, used every last ounce of strength to soar into the sky, and turned into a small black dot on the horizon without looking back. Its speed was more than twice as fast as when it arrived.
Watching Swellow's fleeing back, the smile on Jiang Han's lips deepened.
He rubbed his chin. The resentment he had been holding onto ever since he got a face full of sand back then was finally completely vented.
Jiang Han wasn't the type to hold a grudge, really... He turned and stepped toward the modern Pokémon Center.
Mauville City's Pokémon Center was much grander than the one in Dewford Town. It had a circular design with outer walls made of smooth white metal plates, and a giant red cross logo shone in the sunlight.
The automatic doors slid open silently, and a puff of comfortable air with a faint floral scent greeted him.
The lobby was spacious and bright, with people coming and going. Electronic screens scrolled through the latest Pokémon news and battle videos.
As soon as Jiang Han stepped in, he heard the heated conversations of the Trainers around him.
"Did you hear? Mauville City's Food Festival starts tomorrow! It's at the Food Court to the east!"
"Of course! I've been ready for a long time. This year's goal is to challenge for the Big Eater Competition championship. I heard the prize is a year's supply of Moomoo Milk!"
A burly Trainer patted his chest, speaking with conviction.
His companion curled his lip in disbelief: "You? Forget it. You didn't even pass the preliminaries last year. Didn't you get sick of it after just two Moomoo Baked Milks?"
"Nonsense! I just wasn't in good form! This year, I'll definitely redeem myself!"
"Another special day..."
Jiang Han muttered to himself as he listened to their conversation. He wasn't surprised; it seemed like every time he arrived in a new city, he'd run into some sort of festival or celebration.
He was already used to it.
He walked straight to the front desk. There were lines at several windows, except for the VIP window on the far right, which was empty.
Jiang Han didn't hesitate and walked right over.
"Hello, how may I help you?" The Nurse Joy behind the window showed a professional, sweet smile.
Jiang Han didn't say much. He took a card from his pocket and placed it gently on the counter.
It was an entirely black card with dark gold patterns along the edges, proving Jiang Han's status as a League Direct Descendant.
The moment Nurse Joy saw the card, her smile froze for a split second, but then it became incredibly sincere and enthusiastic, with even a hint of respect in her eyes.
"So you are a distinguished guest. Please wait a moment; I will check you in immediately." Her voice was several degrees softer than before, and her fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard with high efficiency.
In less than half a minute, a room card was handed out.
"Sir, this is your room card. We have prepared a luxury single room on the top floor for you. The room has an independent Pokémon recovery device and a small training ground. If you need anything, feel free to contact us at any time."
"Thanks."
Jiang Han took the room card but didn't leave immediately. He leaned casually against the counter and asked offhandedly:
"Nurse Joy, I heard them talking about a Food Festival just now. Do you know the details?"
"You've really come at the right time!"
At the mention of this, Nurse Joy immediately became interested and introduced enthusiastically,
"The Food Festival is an annual event in Mauville City, held at the Food Court in the southeast. It starts tomorrow and lasts for three days! It brings together delicacies from the entire Hoenn region, and there are many interesting activities, like the Big Eater Competition you just heard about."
Food Court?
Jiang Han's eyes shifted slightly.
He was all too familiar with this place name.
In an inconspicuous corner of the Food Court, there was a shop called "Singing Cafe."
And directly beneath that cafe was Team Rockets' secret base in the Hoenn region!
Jiang Han's mind was as clear as a mirror.
Given Team Rockets' tendency to stir up trouble, such a large Food Festival with such a dense flow of people was a natural breeding ground for mischief.
It would be strange if they didn't take the opportunity to plot something.
Creating chaos to cover up a secret operation? Or was the target the Food Festival itself? For example, kidnapping a chef with a secret recipe or stealing some precious food-related Pokémon?
Or was it simply to make money?
Several possibilities flashed through Jiang Han's mind in an instant.
It seemed that as a Regular Cadre who had just arrived in Mauville City, he wouldn't be able to stay idle.
His primary purpose in coming here was originally to challenge Iron Xuan's Electric-type Gym and get his second badge.
But now it seemed the plan had to change.
"Thanks for the introduction." Jiang Han nodded to Nurse Joy and turned toward the elevator.
The elevator rose steadily. Jiang Han watched the rapidly changing city scenery outside the window, lost in thought.
With a "ding," the elevator reached the top floor.
Jiang Han swiped his card and entered the room; an aura of luxury greeted him.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of Mauville City's prosperity. The room's facilities were complete, and there was even a mini-bar stocked with various pokéblocks and nutritional supplements.
"Tsk, how decadent."
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