It was still early when they left Undella Town.
Xia You and his three companions headed southwest along the coastline. The sea breeze blew in from their right, carrying the salty dampness peculiar to the early morning.
Dawn walked at the front, clearly in a good mood, humming an unfamiliar tune while Piplup bobbed his head to the rhythm on her shoulder.
Cheryl walked beside Xia You, occasionally looking back at Makomo, who had fallen behind. Makomo kept her head lowered over her phone, probably looking something up.
After about two hours, the coastline began curving north, and they left the seaside and headed inland.
Stretches of woodland gradually appeared on either side of the road-not dense, impenetrable primeval forest, but open broadleaf woods. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting patches of golden light on the ground.
"White Forest is just ahead." Makomo finally looked up from her phone and adjusted her glasses. "After we pass through it, we'll go through Black City, and then we can reach Marvelous Bridge."
"White Forest? Black City?" Dawn turned around. "Those names are so interesting. What are those places like?"
"There are lots of wild Pokémon in White Forest. It's a great place for new Pokémon Trainers to catch Pokémon." Makomo paused. "As for Black City... it's actually just an ordinary city. The buildings are a little darker, that's all. Only the name sounds scary."
"Oh," Dawn said, looking a little disappointed.
White Forest was indeed just as Makomo had described it, with wild Pokémon everywhere. The woodland paths were covered in fine wood chips, soft underfoot and making little sound. The air was filled with the scent of leaves and soil, and now and then they saw new Pokémon Trainers pop up from behind bushes before quickly heading off again.
Dawn tried