In the end, after a round of bargaining, Lumiere still managed to secure seventy percent of the payment. The two of them didn't linger and set off right away.
They borrowed a shared bicycle painted in Rotom colors from the neighborhood gate, and within a few minutes arrived at Jubilife South Station.
The departure frequency here was pretty fast, and their luck wasn't bad either—they happened to catch the first train just as it was pulling out of the station.
Just as Lumiere was about to board, he seemed to sense someone watching him and glanced back, as if he caught a flash of a yellow figure darting past.
"Hm?"
A hint of confusion crossed his face, but before he could think further, the passengers behind him urged him to get on.
The train then started moving. Volo sat on the other side, while Lumiere hugged Rowlet and began enjoying the scenery outside the window…
By the roadside, Bidoof were chasing Rattata, playing and roughhousing. When the train passed by, they heard the noise and were frightened back into the grass. Only after the sound faded did they poke their heads out to check the situation.
Butterfree flew together over the forest. A trainer leading a Luxio emerged from the woods, gazing at the distant city with an excited smile filling his face.
Because Jubilife City had needed to connect to the Obsidian Fieldlands back in the day, the route had been dug out early. After a hundred years of evolution, it had already formed a direct high-speed passage.
Compared to the half-cut mountain road near Floaroma Town that was dug out later, this route benefited from Sandgem Town being closer to begin with, so a travel time of about an hour was perfectly normal.
However, many trainers who loved adventure were more accustomed to spending about a week trekking through the forest, both to strengthen their Pokémon and to temper themselves in the wild.
"Traveling on an adventure with Pokémon, huh? Sounds pretty nice."
"Goo~"
Soon, an hour passed, and the train slowly came to a stop at Sandgem Station. Volo picked up his backpack and got off, with Lumiere following closely behind.
As soon as they disembarked, a refreshing sea breeze blew toward them, gently lifting Rowlet's feathers.
It turned its head to look toward the distant beach, its blank expression giving no hint of what it was thinking—perhaps it was seeing the ocean for the first time.
Sandgem Town was a small sandy town adjacent to the sea. Because it was close to Jubilife City, and because Professor Rowan's Pokémon Research Lab was also located here, its economic development was fairly good.
It used to be the Sandgem Plain. To the southeast was a sea route, where one could take a boat to Rose Island, which had now been designated as a wild Pokémon nature reserve.
To the southwest, aside from the southernmost town of Twinleaf Town, one could also see from afar the dividing line formed by the endlessly stretching Coronet Mountain range.
By crossing this mountain range—spanning hundreds of kilometers, treacherous in terrain, and home to many powerful wild Pokémon—you could head straight to Anville Town in the Unova region, a rest stop where many trains passed through.
Many trainers would cross the Coronet Mountains to challenge their limits and hone themselves, while also aiming to capture powerful and rare Pokémon to strengthen their teams.
Of course, if you wanted to get there directly, it was simple too—you could choose to take a ship from Canalave City or a plane from Jubilife City.
"This Coronet Mountain range is way too magnificent,"
Looking at the distant mountains, a look of surprise unconsciously appeared on Lumiere's face.
Originally, Mount Coronet should have been located in the center of the Sinnoh region, but here it had expanded many times over into a massive Coronet Mountain range, becoming the center of the Arce, so it couldn't be judged by the same standard.
"Stop staring. We're on a tight schedule—I still need to personally explain the situation to Professor Rowan," Volo said, grabbing Lumiere and heading toward the distant Pokémon Research Lab.
Professor Rowan was an authority on Pokémon evolution and also an honorary professor at the Jubilife City Pokémon School.
It was said that his ancestor, Magamoku, had once been the leader of some organization. After handing the position over to someone else, he began researching Pokémon, a tradition that had been passed down to this day.
Just as the two followed the signs and finally arrived at the gate of the research lab courtyard,
a girl on a bicycle suddenly came charging toward them from not far away. "I'm late, I'm late!"
The girl shouted in panic. When she noticed the two people suddenly walking in front of her, her heart jumped, and she hurriedly slammed on the brakes.
But there happened to be a protruding stone on the ground ahead. At the instant she braked hard, she hit it and was flung completely into the air.
"Ah!!!"
"Hm?"
Hearing the scream, both of them stopped in their tracks and looked over.
But at the very moment they did, accompanied by a faint fragrance, Lumiere's body was suddenly struck heavily, and he was sent flying backward.
In the end, he was pinned beneath the girl, nearly dying on the spot. The startled Rowlet flapped its wings and landed steadily on Lumiere's head, tilting its head and looking rather dazed.
"Ow, ow, ow…"
The girl was sitting on Lumiere's stomach, subconsciously pressing down her skirt with one hand while rubbing her forehead with the other, a pained expression on her face.
"Are you two okay?" Volo walked over with concern, but when he saw the girl's appearance, a flash of shock suddenly crossed his face. "You are…"
"Hm?"
Hearing his voice, the girl finally snapped back to her senses. Only then did she notice Lumiere beneath her, and her cheeks immediately flushed red, a hint of shyness flashing across her face.
"I'm sorry!"
She hurriedly helped Lumiere—who was barely clinging to life—up from the ground. But when she noticed Volo staring at her with a strange look, she asked in confusion, "Do you need something?"
"Uh… no, it's nothing. I probably mistook you for someone else, haha," Volo froze for a moment, then laughed it off.
"Oh." The girl nodded subconsciously and didn't pursue it further. Although he was pretty good-looking, she didn't know him after all.
After waiting a bit, Lumiere finally recovered. Heaven knew what he had just experienced—was that a rocket headbutt? And then he finally got a clear look at the girl in front of him.
She had delicate features, long black hair, and wore a white cap with a pink Poké Ball pattern on it, inexplicably cute.
She was dressed in a black mini-skirt with pink trim, exposing her thighs to the air. She didn't look very old, but at the moment she appeared rather disheveled.
"Isn't this Dawn…"
Hearing his muttering, the girl immediately asked in confusion, "Eh? You know me?"
"No."
"..."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'll be alright after a bit," Dawn replied with a smile.
Only then did she remember that she still needed to apologize to Lumiere—it was her who had crashed into him, after all. After receiving his forgiveness, the three of them were considered acquainted and began chatting.
It turned out that Dawn had ridden her bike all the way from Twinleaf Town. Since she had just turned eleven today, she had come to see Professor Rowan to receive the starter Pokémon they had agreed on.
But because her alarm clock had broken, she overslept and rushed over in such a hurry that she hadn't even had time to tidy herself up.
"Eleven years old? Didn't you go to Pokémon school?" Lumiere asked curiously. That said, Dawn being the same age as Cynthia? Why would I have such a dream?
Dawn put one hand on her hip and replied with a grin, "School isn't really for me. I prefer wandering around freely. And my mom is a top coordinator trainer…"
"I see, so you're taught at home," Volo said, stroking his chin and nodding, though his gaze kept drifting toward Dawn's face from time to time.
Lumiere noticed his strange behavior and said with a look of disdain, "Stop staring. You're already an uncle, why are you still gawking at a little girl?"
Volo immediately retorted, "What do you mean uncle? I'm only twenty."
"Have some shame…"
Listening to the two of them talk in a way that made little sense, Dawn suddenly seemed to recall something. Her expression instantly turned panicked, and she spun around and ran toward the research lab.
"Oh no, I'm completely late!"