The drinking in the Hisui region lasted well into the night and through the next morning.
John didn't manage to escape everyone's enthusiastic send-off until noon the next day, stumbling out bleary-eyed and more than a little hungover. Before he left, Akari grabbed his arm and made him promise she could visit. "When I get stronger, I'm traveling to the Hoenn region," she'd declared with conviction. "And I'm definitely coming to find you!"
It was a sweet sentiment, though one that would never come to pass.
After passing back through the time portal, John found himself in his secret base, Gameboy in hand. His character was already positioned near Jubilife Village in the Sinnoh region, the "present day" version, not the ancient Hisui he'd just left behind. Without wasting time, he enabled fly mode and cleared all the dungeons he'd been putting off. Sure, they posed zero challenge at this point, but the rewards and experience were still worth collecting.
It had been ages since he'd visited here as Hoenn Champion. "Probably got a mountain of incomplete missions on the board by now," he muttered to himself while navigating through the game world.
He also needed to make trips to both the Burned Tower and Bell Tower, that had been on his to-do list for a while now.
Thanks to using Lugia as his personal transport, the journey to Ecruteak City was quite short. No need to spend two or three days pedaling a bike or navigating through routes on foot. Just two minutes of flight time, and Lugia had already touched down above Ecruteak City.
[Enter story mode?]
"Story mode?!" John blinked in surprise. The last time he'd come to Ecruteak City, there hadn't been any story mode content available. Must be because his mission level had increased enough to unlock it, probably tied to the Ho-Oh Festival somehow.
"Don't tell me Ho-Oh itself is actually here too?" he wondered aloud. If it was, he definitely wouldn't pass up the chance to capture a Ho-Oh, not to mention getting his hands on the Sacred Ash, which had the legendary power to revive the dead.
He selected yes.
The scenery before his eyes shifted dramatically. Lugia had been recalled to its Pokeball, and John now stood on solid ground in the middle of Ecruteak City's streets, fully immersed in the game world.
Ecruteak City was called a city, but honestly, it barely qualified as more than a small town. The entire place was pretty compact, maybe only a quarter the size of Lilycove City, one of Hoenn's more famous metropolitan areas. What really stood out was the building height, or rather, the lack of it. Aside from the towering Bell Tower that dominated the skyline, not a single structure exceeded three stories.
At first glance, you might think it was some backward little hamlet stuck in the past.
In reality, though, the people living here were loaded. They probably lived more comfortably than most big city residents, enjoying a quality of life that money could buy when you weren't paying urban rent prices. The low-rise buildings weren't a sign of poverty, everyone deliberately maintained traditional architectural styles, preserving the city's antique atmosphere and historical character. Cherry blossom trees lined the river running through the city, their branches creating a canopy of pink petals that drifted lazily through the air. Combined with the ancient Ho-Oh legends that had been passed down through generations, the whole place had this timeless, almost sacred quality to it.
John took his time walking through the streets, soaking in what a "real" Pokemon world felt like when it wasn't just pixels on a screen.
His first stop was the Ecruteak City Gym, the Gym Leader had sent him an invitation, after all. When he arrived, though, the place was practically deserted. A lone staff member manning the front desk explained that challenges had been temporarily suspended for the Ho-Oh Festival. If John wanted to find the Gym Leader, his best bet was the Dance Theater, where tonight's main festival events would be held and where the Gym Leader was currently helping with preparations.
So John changed course and headed toward the Dance Theater instead.
"Long time no see, Eusine." John raised a hand in greeting when he spotted the familiar researcher.
"John? You came to Ecruteak City to travel?" Eusine looked genuinely surprised to see him, then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, didn't you take some position in the Hoenn League?"
John turned slightly and swept back his cloak with practiced flair, revealing the Champion emblem emblazoned on the back. "Not to brag, but yeah? currently serving as Hoenn League Champion."
Eusine's eyes practically bulged out of his head. He remembered competing against John what felt like just yesterday, back when the guy had only successfully challenged a handful of gyms. How the hell did someone go from that to Champion in just a year or two?
Then again... thinking back to how he'd been absolutely demolished by a Champion-level trainer, his wounded pride felt a bit better. At least he'd lost to someone genuinely elite.
"I've already reserved a room for you at a nearby inn," Eusine said, recovering his composure. "You can head there to rest up first if you want. The Ho-Oh Festival doesn't kick off until after 6 PM, so you've got a couple hours to kill."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll drop my stuff off at the inn and swing back around 6."
"Allow me to escort our honored guest to his accommodations." A young woman who'd been chatting and smiling with Eusine stepped forward gracefully, taking the initiative. "I'm Sakura, one of the dancers from the Dance Theater."
Sakura led John to a traditional courtyard-style inn located not far from the Dance Theater. A large tree dominated the center of the space, its branches providing shade over a weathered stone table beneath. On the opposite side, a small koi pond reflected the afternoon sunlight, its surface occasionally disturbed by fish breaking the water.
The neighboring courtyards appeared to follow the same aesthetic design. This was clearly where Ecruteak City housed its distinguished visitors from other regions, people like John who rated special treatment.
"This will be your lodging during your stay," Sakura explained as they reached the entrance. "If you need anything at all, there's a phone on the fridge you can use to call the kitchen. And if you feel like exploring before the festival starts, I highly recommend the temple street in the city center. Lots of delicious street food vendors set up there this time of year, it's always incredibly lively." Having fulfilled her guide duties, she offered a polite bow and turned to leave.
"Thanks," John called after her, though he had no intention of lounging around the inn for two hours. Sure, he was here for the Ho-Oh Festival, but his real objective was getting access to the Bell Tower itself.
Once Sakura disappeared down the street, John left the inn and made his way toward the towering structure that dominated Ecruteak City's skyline.