Most of the Kanto Region was flatland, which meant many of its highways were fairly straight. Heath had just checked: if he took the highway directly from Pewter City, he could reach Lavender Town around two that afternoon at the earliest. Thanks to the Pokémon Tower, Lavender Town was actually the largest and most populous of Kanto's many towns. Heath had even heard that the League planned to upgrade Lavender Town to Lavender City.
Although that seemed a little hard to believe, Lavender Town's standing was not actually so difficult to understand upon closer thought. After all, its Pokémon Tower was famous throughout the Kanto Region, and the people of the Kanto Region believed that the tower's presence allowed the souls of Pokémon buried there to rest in peace, and that those Pokémon would accompany their Trainers in another form in the future.
Lavender Town was therefore very popular. Many Trainers who had lost their Pokémon chose to live there to stay with their departed companions.
Lavender Town had started out as just a small town, but as more and more people moved there, it gradually grew far beyond that, almost reaching the size of a city.
"Lavender Town, huh." Heath's expression was somewhat complicated. He thought of Grandpa Ma Zhide in Viridian City. After Grandpa Ma Zhide's Charizard died, it had been buried in Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower, and the once exceptionally hale old man had grown stooped. Heath had not seen Grandpa Ma Zhide in a long time.
Thinking about it now, Heath really missed the old man who had often brought his Charizard over to buy meals. He wondered whether Grandpa Ma Zhide was doing any better now.
After serving the afternoon's customers, Heath said goodbye to Officer Jenny Jing, bought some ingredients, and set off for