The 243rd day after leaving the Orange Islands, evening.
The lingering glow of the setting sun spilled across the sea. A yacht had drifted lazily through the glittering golden waters for three days before finally arriving at the harbor of Cherrygrove City in the Hoenn Region.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As soon as they neared Cherrygrove City, the loud sound of ceremonial cannons reached their ears. In the quiet evening, the blasts seemed especially abrupt to outsiders like them. They had no idea what was happening in town or what competition was being held.
Yu Hai frowned slightly and looked at A Long beside him. "A Long, return the yacht, then go into town and find out where this is and what those cannon blasts were about."
"Yes, boss," A Long replied quietly.
He quickly packed up and disembarked. Standing on the dock, he took out his phone and skillfully called the yacht company, asking them to send someone to receive the yacht and return the deposit.
After hanging up, A Long headed toward the town. It was bustling with activity. Weaving through the crowd, he went to a small shop to buy a pack of cigarettes and casually asked the owner about the cannon blasts.
Seeing A Long's travel-worn appearance, the owner warmly explained, "This is Cherrygrove City. Those cannon blasts were for the Pokémon Contest. Today's competition just ended. It was quite exciting, and it'll continue for several more days."
After thanking the shop owner, A Long continued wandering around town to make sure he had not missed any information. Then he hurried back to the harbor to report to his boss.
"Boss, this is Cherrygrove City. Those cannon blasts were from the Pokémon Contest. They marked the end of today's competition," A Long reported as