First Arrival in Lilycove City

After Kam returned, he told Teacher Zhihe at the school about his plans. Teacher Zhihe was not surprised by his decision and supported it wholeheartedly, even giving him a business card.

Kam requested leave for Zeno and took him to Lilycove City. They drove there in a truck, which was loaded with goods the villagers had collected over the past few days.

Kam had traveled this road many times, but it was his first time bringing Zeno along. For some reason, he suddenly wished the road were a little longer.

"Uncle Kam, why are you taking me to Lilycove City this time?"

Though confused, Zeno was also looking forward to it. He had heard from Teacher Zhihe that Lilycove City was a bustling metropolis, one of the finest in all of Hoenn.

"I'm taking you to enroll at a Trainer Academy. What do you think, Zeno? Are you looking forward to it?"

"But aren't I already attending the school near the village?"

Zeno was excited to hear Uncle Kam say that, but he still wanted to get the facts straight.

"Teacher Zhihe told me that you've been doing very well at school. Strictly speaking, they don't have much left to teach you. You're always troubling Teacher Zhihe with questions about knowledge she can't teach, and that isn't ideal. I thought it over and decided to send you to a Trainer Academy instead."

"But that must cost a lot of money!"

Zeno was tempted, but he was also sensible. Although Uncle Kam had never denied him anything, he knew their family was not well-off, and Trainer Academy tuition was expensive.

"You don't need to worry about that. I'll handle it. Besides, those things you found a few days ago were worth quite a bit!"

Zeno stopped dwelling on it. After all, he was still a child, and he had already begun imagining life at his new school.

The truck moved quickly, and Big Shell Village was not far from Lilycove City to begin with. Just over an hour later, they finally arrived in Lilycove City.

The moment Zeno got out, he was stunned by the bustling metropolis before him. Unlike Big Shell Village, Lilycove City was full of towering buildings, and its streets teemed with pedestrians. The sight left Zeno dazzled.

"Let's deal with these materials first. Then I'll take you to enroll at the Trainer Academy." Kam patted Zeno's head. Seeing his keen interest, he added, "You can look around the market, but don't wander too far."

"Okay."

Zeno nodded and ran toward the dazzling array of merchandise. Kam smiled and left him to it.

"Brother Kam, I've finally been waiting for you!"

A kind-looking middle-aged man walked toward Kam with a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was delighted.

"Shiro."

Kam stepped forward and shook his hand. The man was Matsubara Shiro, someone Kam had met in his youth. They had a good relationship, and he was now the supervisor of this market. Most of Big Shell Village's materials were sold to him.

"You're finally here. The materials from your village are always the best. The goods sent from other places are always damaged to some extent."

"You pay such a high price. We can't let you take a loss."

"Leave this stuff to them. Let's go inside and have a proper chat."

Matsubara Shiro put an arm around Kam's shoulders and invited him in as a guest. Kam looked over at Zeno and, seeing that he had not gone far, followed Matsubara Shiro inside with peace of mind.

Zeno wandered around and discovered that the market sold quite a lot of things: food, drinks, clothes, and daily necessities. There were even Pokémon, though they were all common ones.

"Little one, is this your first time here?"

An elderly man at one of the stalls saw Zeno looking around and asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's my first time in Lilycove City."

"I see. Then you should have a good time. There are lots of interesting places here!"

"Really? Grandpa, could you introduce some to me?" Zeno asked with great interest.

"Haha, this old man has lived here for decades, so you've come to the right person. Lilycove City has all sorts of places, but the most famous is probably Lilycove Department Store. See that tallest building over there?" The old man pointed at a high-rise not far away and asked with a smile.

"Mhm."

"They have everything there. As long as it exists in Hoenn, you can buy it there. They even have plenty of goods from other regions."

"Wow..."

"Don't listen to that old fool's nonsense. The things there are expensive, and there's nothing fun about it. The big beach to the east is much more interesting. Whether you want to sunbathe or enjoy the sea view, it's wonderful. Oh, and you can surf there too! Best of all, Wailmer often put on shows there!" an elderly woman at another stall hurriedly said.

Seeing how adorable Zeno was, the enthusiastic stall owners all gathered around. A middle-aged woman stared into Zeno's eyes, smiling happily.

"Such a cute child. Aside from those two places, the Pokémon Contest venue is lively too. The museum in the northwest is also quite good, though the admission fee is rather expensive."

Zeno carefully remembered every place they mentioned. Seeing how serious he was, the woman handed him a bottle of soda.

"There's a large lighthouse at the plaza in the southeast. The night view there is especially beautiful."

Zeno accepted the soda and was just about to take out some money when he heard Uncle Kam calling him. Zeno saw the price list at her stall, placed five dollars in her hand, and immediately ran toward Uncle Kam.

The woman looked at the money in her hand, somewhat helpless. She had originally planned to treat him.

"What a good child."

The old man and old woman nodded as well when they heard her say that.

After Kam had dealt with all the goods, he took Zeno to Lilycove Trainer Academy. Looking at the new and spacious school, Zeno was thrilled. He sat quietly in his chair, but his heart would not settle down.

Suddenly, Zeno saw Uncle Kam come out looking dejected.

"Uncle Kam, what's wrong?"

"Zeno, I'm sorry. This is all Uncle's fault. Lilycove Trainer Academy has already stopped accepting applications. We came too late."

Kam blamed himself deeply. If he had made up his mind sooner, none of this would have happened. Because Lilycove Trainer Academy was officially run, it did not allow midyear transfers. If Zeno wanted to enroll, he could only wait until next year.

"It's okay. I'll be fine even if I don't go," Zeno quickly comforted him when he saw how guilty he looked.

Kam suddenly remembered the business card Teacher Zhihe had given him before he left. When he took it out and looked at it, he discovered it contained the contact information for a teacher in the admissions office of the Pokémon Trainer School in Rustboro City.

Kam had heard of that school before. It was highly renowned in Hoenn, even better than the one in Lilycove City. To avoid a similar situation, Kam specifically called to confirm things.

Since they had already come this far, Kam did not want to simply take Zeno back home. After entrusting the truck to Matsubara Shiro, he brought Zeno to Lilycove City Harbor and bought two tickets for a ship bound for Slateport City.