Homecoming

There were quite a few Trainers on the bike path. Whenever they met, they would nod or wave in friendly greeting, while some were even racing along the path.

Xinhai maintained a steady pace, neither going so slowly that he held others up nor so quickly that he wasted his stamina.

After cycling for a while, a fork appeared ahead. A road sign indicated that one smaller path led to "New Mauville" (unfinished).

Xinhai merely glanced at it before continuing down the main bike path. That was the massive project currently underway by Wattson, Mauville City's Gym Leader. Rumor had it that he had run into quite a few technical difficulties, and it was not yet open to the public.

As they continued onward, scattered wild Pokémon began appearing on the road below the path. There were Skitty hopping about, Zigzagoon poking their heads out from the grass, and occasionally one or two Electrike racing in the distance.

"Look, is that Mauville City over there?" Xinhai narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance.

On the horizon, the outline of a vast city gradually came into focus. Unlike Slateport City's harbor atmosphere, Mauville City felt vibrant and modern, its towering buildings gleaming beneath the sunlight.

"Vee!" (What a huge city!) Eevee spotted it too and cried out excitedly.

"Gardevoir." (It looks so bustling!) Gardevoir gazed at the distant city.

Xinhai pedaled faster, heading purposefully toward Mauville City. He planned to make a brief stop there for lunch before taking a bus to Verdanturf Town.

Around noon, Xinhai and his companions arrived at Mauville City, one of the Hoenn Region's largest cities.

The moment they entered the city, its noise and energy washed over them. Traffic flowed along the broad roads, shops lined both sides of the streets, and enormous neon