July 22.
After saying goodbye to Roxanne, who had come to see him off, Xia Chi boarded the Flying Car controlled by the Rotom Autopilot system and officially set off for Petalburg City.
What? Why hadn't Steven come to see him off?
The Champion had only just returned, travel-worn, from an unsuccessful search for the Diamond Kingdom in Kalos. But the day before yesterday, as soon as Xia Chi mentioned a meteorite that had fallen near Meteor Falls two thousand years ago, he had left Rustboro City and headed north to dig up rocks.
Forget stopping by the Devon Corporation to see his father-he hadn't even found time to change his Mining Workwear.
He rather resembled Yu the Great from Donghuang mythology, who passed his own doorstep three times without entering while taming the floods.
Well, their names both contained the character for "great." Their stubborn streaks really were remarkably alike.
The Flying Car rose smoothly into the air, activated its optical camouflage, and sped south.
The cabin was quiet and peaceful, with only the faint hum of the engine.
Before long, the city's steel jungle fell away behind them, replaced by a genuinely vast, boundless sea of green-
Petalburg Woods, which connected Rustboro City and Petalburg City, now stretched beneath them.
The lush forest seemed endless, extending all the way to the horizon.
As more and more bird Pokémon like Swellow and Staraptor appeared nearby, Xia Chi asked Rotom to lower their speed a little further.
They might have optical camouflage to keep them invisible, but who could guarantee that some powerful Flying-type Pokémon wouldn't "speed" straight into them?
Fortunately, their first long-distance flight went smoothly, without any mishaps.
A sea of trees wasn't all that different from an actual sea. Once the initial novelty wore off, the Pokémon