Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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Lilycove City is currently the largest port city in the Hoenn region, rivaling Vermilion City in Kanto in terms of prosperity.

Locals affectionately refer to it as "the place where the land ends, and the sea begins."

After a turbulent journey aboard the St. Louis, Sato finally set foot on Hoenn soil, fulfilling his long-held wish.

The three-day voyage had been both thrilling and harrowing, and stepping onto solid ground once more gradually eased his apprehension and awe of the sea.

After all, Sato had spent most of his life on land, and the ocean was still a foreign and intimidating frontier to him.

Setting foot on Hoenn's vast continent for the first time, Sato naturally felt a spark of curiosity to explore this new land.

However, he was painfully aware that he was still a pawn in someone else's game. With only 15 days remaining to complete his assigned task, time was not on his side.

Upon arriving in Lilycove City last night, Sato had no leisure to appreciate the local culture or scenery.

Aside from immediately bringing his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for comprehensive treatment, he focused on restocking supplies and getting some much-needed rest.

At dawn, after bidding farewell to his companions, Sato set off down the concrete streets.

Following directions from passersby, he quickly found his way to the ticket office at the Lilycove City port.

Despite the early hour, a long line had already formed at the ticket counter.

As Hoenn's largest port city, Lilycove also serves as the region's busiest maritime transit hub, drawing people from all over the world.

The daily flow of passengers here is staggering.

Recently, Hoenn had just weathered a typhoon season, and maritime transport had only just resumed.

This prompted a surge of travelers scrambling to purchase tickets and reach their destinations as quickly as possible.

However, with a limited number of transport ships available, the number of tickets sold each day was strictly controlled to prevent overcrowding and potential maritime disasters.

Buying a ticket thus became a competition, where quick reflexes and persistence were key.

In recent days, the ticket office line would start forming before dawn, with some dedicated scalpers even camping overnight to secure their spots.

Thanks to his top-seven finish in the St. Louis Pokémon Tournament, Sato had earned a monetary reward despite not making it to the semifinals.

Those who placed in the top ten but outside the top three received their prizes early.

As a result, Sato gained a windfall of 200,000 PokeDollars from the contest.

Combined with the 300,000 PokeDollars he already had, he entered Lilycove City with over 500,000 PokeDollars in hand.

However, that reward didn't stay in his pocket for long. After purchasing supplies at the local Pokémon store, his newfound wealth quickly dwindled.

With his Pokémon thriving and undergoing rigorous training, their appetites had grown significantly.

Adding Mudkip and Wingull—two notoriously big eaters—to his team had further increased his daily food expenses.

The 200,000 PokeDollars reward was barely enough to cover food for his seven Pokémon for a month.

If Sato didn't find a way to generate more income in the future, he worried he might not be able to afford caring for his growing team of Pokémon.

The stark reality for many ordinary trainers was that they struggled to compete with wealthy trainers due to a lack of resources.

The number of Pokémon a trainer could raise was often a telling indicator of their resources and potential. Every powerful trainer stood backed by a formidable roster of Pokémon.

If a trainer relied solely on a few frequently-used Pokémon, opponents could easily study and devise counters against their strategies.

In such cases, defeat would be almost inevitable.

Every powerful trainer typically has multiple Pokémon teams at their disposal. Don't assume that a trainer specializing in Rock-type Pokémon only uses Rock-types.

They might have a powerful Grass-type team hidden up their sleeve.

Currently, Sato only has seven Pokémon. Excluding Ditto, which isn't well-suited for battles, he effectively has six battlers.

While this might seem like a lot to some, compared to veteran trainers who've been at it for years, Sato's Pokémon roster is barely a fraction of theirs.

The lack of depth in his team is a significant challenge for Sato. However, for a trainer who's only recently started his journey, this issue is quite common.

Solving this problem isn't something that can be achieved overnight.

Sato will need at least two to three years of consistent effort to begin bridging the gap in team depth with seasoned trainers.

Fortunately, Sato had woken up early to join the queue for tickets. After nearly an hour of waiting, he successfully purchased a ticket for the last ferry from Lilycove City to LaRousse City.

By the time it was his turn, the ticket he managed to buy was for the final trip of the day, scheduled to depart at 6 PM.

Sato also spent a small amount of money to learn from the ticket seller that, although LaRousse City is relatively close to Lilycove City, the journey still takes over half a day.

This is because the waters surrounding LaRousse City are filled with hidden reefs and whirlpools.

Navigating safely through these hazards requires a winding route, significantly extending the travel time.

Initially, Sato had planned to set sail in the morning and arrive in Larousse City by evening. However, this plan was no longer feasible.

"At least I got a ticket. Arriving late isn't a big deal. I definitely need to train a large Flying-type Pokémon someday—it would make travel so much easier," Sato thought, looking at the hard-earned ticket in his hand.

Although Golbat can carry him for short flights, it's currently incapable of long-distance travel over the sea. Perhaps when it evolves into Crobat, long-haul flights might become possible.

Left with no other choice, Sato decided to leave the port and head into the city.

Since he couldn't leave Lilycove City right away, he figured he might as well take the time to experience the local culture.

Of course, battling trainers from Hoenn was also on Sato's to-do list. After all, a trainer who doesn't enjoy Pokémon battles isn't a true trainer.

As it turned out, Sato didn't have to look far. The moment he and Growlithe entered the city, a few local trainers approached him for a battle.

Growlithe was primarily native to the Kanto and Johto regions, making it a rare sight in other areas.

Coupled with Sato's distinctly Kanto-style appearance, the more experienced local trainers immediately recognized him as someone from another region.

Excited by the prospect of a challenge, they couldn't resist testing their skills against him.

"I'm a Kanto trainer, here to take on challengers from Hoenn. I suppose this isn't exactly invading someone's turf," Sato thought with a slight smile as he looked at the trainers in front of him.

He then reached for a PokéBall on his belt, ready to accept the challenge.

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