After walking for a little over half a day, Liam and little N finally made their way through Pinwheel Forest. Standing before them now was—
"Wow~ Is that the Skyarrow Bridge? It's so huge! It's so long!"
The first thing little N saw after leaving the forest was the Skyarrow Bridge stretching so far into the distance that its end couldn't be seen. Faced with such a magnificent structure, she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Now that they had reached the Skyarrow Bridge, it meant Castelia City was just ahead. Once they crossed the bridge, they would arrive there.
Castelia City was the largest city in the Unova region by area. At the same time, it was also Unova's largest and busiest maritime trade port.
Castelia alone had five major commercial harbors. Countless ships arrived and departed every day, bringing enormous economic benefits to the city. Because of this, Castelia was often known as the Capital of Commerce.
The city was filled with every imaginable kind of shop, and vending machines lined nearly every street corner. The roads bustled with people coming and going, everyone busy with their daily lives, making Castelia seem even more prosperous.
Since it had taken Liam and little N only a little over half a day to reach Castelia, Liam—eager to keep making good time—decided they would only rest briefly in the city before continuing their journey that afternoon.
So, the two sat together on a bench in Castelia's Central Park, taking out the food they had bought along the way. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery, they happily enjoyed their lunch.
Liam had a canned drink and a hamburger in his hands, while little N held two ice creams, happily licking them with a blissful smile. Purrloin and Pidove sat nearby as well, contentedly eating their Pokémon food.
The ice cream little N was eating was the famous Castelia Cone. It was produced in limited quantities and was extremely popular. Liam and little N had been lucky enough to buy the last two available when they passed by—but now little N had already finished both of them.
After enjoying a satisfying lunch, Liam and little N set off toward their next destination, Nimbasa City.
However...
When they reached Castelia City's eastern exit, they were stopped by several police officers.
"Please stop. This route is currently closed to the public."
A middle-aged officer in uniform addressed them politely.
"Huh? What's going on? Did something happen up ahead?"
Liam paused in surprise and immediately asked.
"It's Route 4. The desert conditions have become much worse. The entire route is currently engulfed in a sandstorm, with sand and debris flying everywhere. Anyone attempting to pass through would be putting both themselves and their Pokémon in danger. That's why the Castelia Police have sealed off this road."
The officer sighed helplessly as he explained.
"Then... do you know when the sandstorm will end?"
Liam frowned slightly.
"That's hard to say. Judging from previous records... at least one or two weeks."
The officer stroked his chin thoughtfully before answering.
"..."
Liam was speechless.
One or two weeks was far too long. They were still quite a distance from Accumula Town, and if they wasted two weeks waiting in Castelia, their entire schedule would be delayed even further.
"Isn't there any other way? I'm actually in quite a hurry."
Though feeling rather helpless, Liam still asked hopefully.
Then—
"Well... if you're really pressed for time, there actually is another option."
The officer suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? There is? Please tell me!"
Liam's spirits instantly lifted.
"See that giant pipeline over there?"
The officer pointed toward an enormous pipe not far away.
"That's part of Castelia City's underground waterway system. Our underground pipeline network covers a huge area, and part of it extends all the way to the outskirts of Route 4."
"Normally, people are free to travel through these tunnels. But during spring and summer, most of them become flooded with seawater, making them impossible to walk through."
"However, if you have a Water-type Pokémon, it can carry you through the flooded tunnels. That way, you'll be able to bypass Route 4 entirely and avoid the sandstorm on the surface."
"I see! That's perfect! I have Empoleon—he can carry us across! Thank you very much! Goodbye!"
No sooner had Liam finished speaking than he grabbed little N's hand and sprinted toward the underground waterway. Within moments, the two had already run a considerable distance away.
Just then, the smiling police officer suddenly seemed to remember something.
His expression changed dramatically.
"Oh no!"
He hurried forward several steps and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the rapidly disappearing pair.
"HEY!! AFTER YOU ENTER THE PIPELINE, FOLLOW THE SIGNS THE WHOLE WAY! YOU'LL REACH A THREE-WAY JUNCTION! TAKE THE FAR-RIGHT TUNNEL! THE OTHER TWO AREN'T FINISHED YET!! DID YOU HEAR ME?!"
His voice echoed across the area.
Far in the distance, Liam and little N turned back and waved their arms, indicating that they had heard him.
A short while later, they reached the entrance to the pipeline.
Looking at the enormous underground pipe, whose massive opening continuously swallowed and discharged seawater—
"Big Bad Guy, what was that police officer shouting just now? We were too far away—I couldn't hear him clearly."
Little N looked at the gigantic flooded pipeline before turning toward Liam.
"Huh? I didn't hear it very clearly either. I think he said there would be signs inside the pipeline, and we just have to follow them. It was probably something like that."
Liam admitted that he had only caught part of what had been shouted.
"...Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?"
Little N frowned slightly.
"Relax, relax. As long as I'm here, nothing's going to happen. Come on out, Empoleon!"
"Empo!!"
After hearing little N's concern, Liam immediately flashed a confident smile and patted his chest reassuringly before releasing Empoleon.
Splash!
The moment Empoleon appeared, it didn't need any further instructions. With a graceful leap, it dove straight into the water.
An excellent swimmer, Empoleon quickly floated on the surface, looking from a distance like a small blue boat.
Liam then picked little N up and helped her onto Empoleon's back before climbing aboard himself.
It was obviously little N's first time riding on a Pokémon across the water. As soon as she found her footing on Empoleon's back, her face lit up with excitement. Pointing enthusiastically toward the entrance of the flooded pipeline, she shouted,
"Full speed ahead, Penguin Express!"
"Empo..."