The next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains and into the room, and the sleeping boy slowly opened his eyes.
He looked around. Aside from Steelix, who had been recalled into a Pokémon Ball because of his size, Marshtomp and Aron were still fast asleep on the carpet.
He stretched, then went straight into the bathroom to wash up without waking them.
Soon, looking at the handsome figure in the mirror, the boy nodded in satisfaction.
"Another day of looking good!"
After waking his two companions and recalling them into their Pokémon Balls, Yong shouldered his backpack, went down to the lobby, and checked out.
Destination: Route 111! Time to go!
He rode north along the express cycling lane and passed smoothly through the automated walkway.
Watching pedestrians travel in groups of two and three, Yong folded up his bicycle, stowed it in his backpack, and set off on his journey alone once more.
North of Mauville City lay a vast stretch of mountains. A main road cut between the mountains to the east and west, forming a long canyon passage-Route 111. The mountains to the west prevented the great desert from spreading south, while to the east stood the Hoenn Region's largest active volcano-Mt. Chimney.
As a result, the farther north he went, the hotter the weather became, and the sparser the vegetation grew.
Feeling the hot wind blowing through the canyon, Yong wiped the sweat from his forehead. He watched a Trainer speed past on a Tauros, imagined Steelix crawling along the ground with him on his back, and shook his head. None of his current companions were suitable for riding.
Tearing his envious gaze away, Yong found a large rock in the shade and decided to rest there before continuing. He had been walking for ages and