According to the map, New Bark Town lay east of Cherrygrove City, and the distance in a straight line was not very far. It was just that a large forest stood between them, with lush vegetation and many wild Pokémon living there, making the road somewhat difficult to travel.
On the other hand, this place could be considered a paradise for novice Pokémon Trainers. After receiving their first starter Pokémon, they could test their skills here, catching weaker Pokémon to their hearts' content and building up their strength.
Leaving Cherrygrove City, Xia You and Sabrina followed a country path eastward.
Just what mission was Looker carrying out in New Bark Town, for him to have gone all the way there?
After all, New Bark Town was only a small frontier town. Apart from Professor Elm's laboratory, there were no targets worth Team Rocket's attention.
Could Professor Elm's laboratory have been ransacked?
As he speculated, the two continued on their way, admiring the scenery and encountering many wild Pokémon along the route.
Perhaps because it was so close to Kanto, Pokémon moved between the two regions extremely frequently. Even here, they could still see many wild Pidgey and Raticate poking their heads out of the forest from time to time.
Of course, besides Pokémon from the Kanto region, many Johto Pokémon such as Sentret, Hoothoot, Ledyba, and Spinarak also appeared here.
They walked like this for a long while, until they had entered the vicinity of New Bark Town. Then Xia You suddenly spotted a girl in the distance, standing at the edge of the forest and trying to catch a Hoothoot!
Only when they drew closer did he get a clear look at her. The girl was very pretty, wearing a yellow-and-black striped jacket, with her hair tied into two