Once David had made up his mind, he moved fast.
In under three hours, he was already on a train bound for Belon City.
Having done this before, he knew the routine well. He booked a private VIP compartment, and the moment he stepped inside, he dropped into the seat and stretched out. Then he took out his Poké Balls, called out his Pokémon, and waved over the attendant to take their drink orders.
Shelgon, naturally, was not invited out. Releasing a Pokémon that size inside a train carriage would guarantee they never made it to the Sea God's Festival at all — they would be escorted somewhere far less pleasant. Better to let Shelgon keep sleeping soundly in its Poké Ball.
Still, the sight of the Poké Balls in his hand got David thinking.
After the high school League, I'm getting everyone new Poké Balls.
Because new Trainers were required to register their Pokémon with the Alliance, David had always used the standard-issue Poké Balls provided through official channels. They weren't bad by any means, but compared to Ultra Balls — or proper custom-made Poké Balls — the difference was significant.
A Poké Ball was a Pokémon's home. Think of it like housing: a standard Poké Ball was a modest one-bedroom apartment. An Ultra Ball was a spacious luxury villa. And a fully custom Poké Ball, designed around a specific Pokémon's nature and needs? That was more like a tailored mansion. You get what you pay for, as the saying goes.
He understood why the Alliance issued standard Poké Balls to new Trainers — there were simply too many of them, and costs had to be managed. But if he had the means, David wanted something better for his team.
The attendant arrived with their drinks and a small plate of snacks. David leaned back, took a slow sip, and glanced around at his Pokémon.
"Alright, who's up for some cards?"
Since it wasn't their first time on a train, the novelty had worn off. There was no pressing urge to peer through every window or explore every corner of the carriage. Instead, the group settled in comfortably and got a game going.
With David plus three Pokémon, the numbers worked out neatly enough — though they added a rule to keep things interesting: the loser of each round would sit out the next one, and as before, a face full of stickers awaited whoever lost the most.
Lucario, however, politely declined to join at first. It had been pulled away from its morning training routine early, and it wasn't willing to let that slide. It told David and the Zorua to start without it and went to the far end of the compartment to finish its exercises.
That left Zorua and Kirlia to play as a team against David.
It did not go well for them.
David drew the Landlord's hand round after round, and his card luck was almost unfairly good. Zorua and Kirlia, meanwhile, were supposed to be coordinating — but any coordination between those two existed in name only. They bickered constantly under normal circumstances, and a card game did nothing to improve matters. Each was more interested in outplaying the other than in beating David. A few of their bombs went off aimed squarely at their own teammate.
By the time a few rounds had passed, both of their faces were plastered with stickers.
Lucario finished its training and looked over. Even with its naturally composed temperament, it couldn't hold back. A sharp "Luuuu—!" escaped it, somewhere between a snort and a laugh.
That was the last straw for Zorua. She flung her cards away with a flick of her tail, ears flat, and told Lucario — through Kirlia's Confusion — that it could take her seat. She was done.
And so the four of them played the rest of the morning away in that VIP compartment. Not long after lunch, the train pulled into the station.
"So this is Belon City. It's really lively."
David stepped off the train with Zorua curled on his shoulder, taking in the scene around him.
Decorations were going up all along the streets, layered on top of the lingering New Year's atmosphere, giving the whole city a festive, buzzing energy. Even at the station, the crowd was thick — and it was clear that many of the people streaming through had come from out of town. The reason wasn't hard to guess. They were all here for the Sea God's Festival.
"Good thing I had Indeedee book a room three days out," David muttered, watching the queue snaking out of a nearby hotel. "Otherwise I'd be in trouble right now."
He couldn't help feeling rather pleased with himself.
The crowds made sense, of course. Lugia held a place unlike any other Pokémon in the history of the Cloudspire Alliance. For over a hundred years, it had served as the guardian totem of the Cloudspire Empire — a legendary Pokémon revered by generations. It was only natural that people would travel from all over to take part in a festival held in its honor.
There was one thing David had always found quietly amusing, though: Lugia was called the Sea God, and yet it wasn't a Water-type. The God of Monsoons and Ocean Currents, the Diving Pokémon — and not a drop of Water typing to show for it.
Still, the title was hard to argue with. According to the Pokédex, even a gentle flap of Lugia's wings was enough to kick up a storm that could last thirty days. And by all accounts, Lugia had a long history of patrolling the seas and rescuing people who had fallen overboard. Sea God was earned.
While David had been on the train, Indeedee had taken care of the accommodation. A single call had sorted everything — the room was booked and confirmed before David even arrived. All he had to do was show up with his things. Indeedee had also sent the addresses for both the hotel and the Azure Wave Gym directly to his phone.
David's phone buzzed. He answered.
"Mm… I see… I'll head over myself later. You don't need to come — go take care of whatever else you need to." He paused. "Thanks, Indeedee. Really."
"Dee!"
He hung up and looked at the map on his screen.
He hadn't brought much luggage to begin with, so there was no rush to check in first. The Gym wasn't going anywhere, and the Festival would keep the city busy for days.
Gym first, he decided.
With Zorua settled on his shoulder, David set off in the direction of the Azure Wave Gym.