Olivine City and Cianwood City were both coastal cities, and not too far apart, so many ships traveled between them every day.
At the pier, Natsui and Erika easily found a medium-sized passenger ferry heading for Cianwood City.
However, this ferry was not direct but had to first pass through the Whirl Islands and make a short stop there before continuing to Cianwood City.
In terms of the route, this would undoubtedly waste a lot of time, but it was the best option available at the moment.
The two bought tickets and boarded the ship, finding a spot on the deck to sit down.
The salty sea breeze blew on the two of them. Before long, with a vibration from the ship's hull, the ferry slowly left the port.
Natsui took out a Poké Ball and released the Eevee he had gotten from Sakura in Ecruteak City.
Eevee was clearly on a boat for the first time and was very excited, finding everything new and interesting. From time to time, it would run to the railing to look at the sea, and then run around the deck, full of energy. But perhaps it was a bit seasick, because after a short while of running, it curled up at Natsui's feet and refused to move another inch.
This little guy is clearly seasick.
Shaking his head with amusement, Natsui looked away from it and towards the sea.
Sailing on the sea was indeed very pleasant. Having gotten used to the fast pace of travel, relaxing occasionally was really nice, refreshing the mind and even making time feel slower.
He went to the bar on the deck and ordered two cocktails. He and Erika drank and talked, enjoying this rare journey.
The passenger ship cut through the sea, creating two regular waves. But after seeing the same scenery for too long, their excitement also quickly cooled down.
After sailing in the sea for over half an hour, Natsui was so bored, leaning back comfortably in a deck chair, that he was about to fall asleep when an old man suddenly sat down beside them.
At first, he just sat there quietly, but as the journey became tedious, he seemed to be too lonely and started a conversation with them.
The old man was very well-spoken and had unique insights on many things. And as a native of the Whirl Islands, he knew a little about every place and every matter here.
For example, he told Natsui and Erika that a flock of giant Pidgey lived on the Whirl Islands. Their size was more than three times that of ordinary Pidgey, quite huge compared to their counterparts. But precisely because they were too large, they had lost the ability to fly.
Pidgey that can't fly? Is it because of devolution?
Hearing such a novel thing, the two were greatly surprised and at the same time became more interested, taking the initiative to chat with the old man.
And through the old man's story, Natsui learned that the Whirl Islands were not just a single island, but should be called the Whirl Archipelago.
It was a series of archipelagos composed of four large islands—Blue Rock Isle, Red Rock Isle, Yellow Rock Isle, and Silver Rock Isle—and a group of small islands. These islands together formed a spiral shape. And the Whirl Islands were surrounded by powerful whirlpools, and the danger of the sea area made it difficult for people to approach in the past. It was only with the advent of modern ships that they were able to break free from the constraints of the sea currents and the Whirl Islands began to develop vigorously.
And it was said that in ancient times, the Whirl Islands were actually one huge island, which was only split into four large islands due to crustal movement.
Therefore, under the sea surface, a series of dark caves like a labyrinth were interconnected, making it quite difficult to explore from any of the islands on the sea surface. And there was even a rumor that Lugia could be encountered at the bottom of the complex caves.
Hearing the old man mention Lugia, Natsui couldn't help but think of the guardian of the sea he had met in the Orange Archipelago.
But clearly, the Lugia of the Johto region was not the same one. If he remembered correctly, the Lugia here should be a mother with its child, a total of two.
Just then, looking at the Eevee at Natsui's feet, the old man smiled. "You must also be here to challenge the Water Pokémon competition, right?"
"Water Pokémon competition?"
Natsui and Erika exchanged a look, then shook their heads at the old man in confusion. They hadn't planned on stopping at the Whirl Islands before, so they were not well-prepared.
"This is the first time I've heard of this event. What kind of competition is it?"
"Then you've come at just the right time!" the old man said enthusiastically. "It's held in Cooga City on Blue Rock Isle. It's a competition held once every three years specifically for Water-type Pokémon trainers. The winner not only gets a generous prize but can also become famous overnight. As trainers, you definitely can't miss such a grand event."
Natsui didn't care about becoming famous, but the generous prize money the old man mentioned…
Natsui still felt that his own funds were too little. If there was a chance to earn money, this event's appeal to him undoubtedly greatly increased.
With this thought, he couldn't help but glance at Erika.
And Erika also saw the eagerness in his eyes.
"Then you should participate," she said with a light laugh. "A competition like this will surely have many skilled contestants. It will also be good training for your Pokémon."
Natsui nodded and asked, "Are you going to participate?"
"I'm a Grass-type trainer," Erika shook her head lightly. "I don't have any Water-type Pokémon to participate in such a competition."
At three in the afternoon, the passenger ship passed by the port of Cooga City on Blue Rock Isle. This was the most prosperous city in the Whirl Archipelago and also its capital.
Originally, according to their previous plan, the two would have continued on the ship to Cianwood City. But now that Natsui had set the Water Pokémon trainer competition as his goal, he got off the ship directly here.
And after leaving the pier and entering the city, they found that the city was really very lively at this time.
Because of the competition, a large number of trainers and spectators from afar had appeared in the city. But while it was lively, it also brought a lot of trouble to the two of them.
Natsui first went to the Pokémon Center here and registered for the preliminary rounds of the competition. He was just about to stay here, but was told by Nurse Joy that all the rooms were already full of trainers.
Left with no choice, the two could only leave the Pokémon Center and go to a few nearby hotels and inns, but all of them were full.
It could be predicted that because of the influx of people, the entire city was like this.
In the end, Natsui simply booked a high-end suite in a hotel closest to the venue.
Perhaps because the room rate was too expensive, there was still one such room available. But in this case, the two of them would inevitably have to share a room tonight.
A different kind of atmosphere arose between the two.
Since they had started traveling together, they had never even stayed in a tent in the wild. If they had had that experience, it would be one thing. But now, to jump straight to this step, it always felt like a couple getting a room.