After an hour of morning training, Ash returned to the hotel with his Pokémon.
"Good morning, Mr. Ash! Out training your Pokémon again?"
One of the hotel greeters standing by the entrance greeted him with a bright smile.
"Good morning."
"Yeah. We've been busy with the Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition these past couple of days, so training has fallen a little behind."
"And the early morning hours are too valuable to waste. After all, the whole day is shaped by how you begin the morning."
Ash smiled as he replied before leading his Pokémon into the hotel and heading upstairs.
After sweating through an entire morning workout, all he wanted now was a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes.
Watching his departing figure, the greeters couldn't help sighing in admiration.
"Mr. Ash is really hardworking. Every single morning at six o'clock he takes his Pokémon out to train."
"Exactly. People outside only see him as a genius trainer blessed with extraordinary talent. They don't realize how much effort and sweat he pours in behind the scenes to achieve everything he has today."
"The scariest thing is that someone with more talent than you also works harder than you."
"But honestly, what I admire most isn't his talent or diligence—it's his character. He actually opened an online clinic and uses his powers to help other trainers' Pokémon for free."
"Right. Most people with psychic abilities either hide them away or act like they're somehow superior to everyone else. Ash is willing to use his abilities to give back to society."
"And he's incredibly humble and friendly."
"No wonder everyone calls him the Light of Kanto."
"If he really becomes the future Indigo League Champion, that'll be a blessing for the League and for all of Kanto."
The group continued chatting enthusiastically among themselves.
Naturally, Ash had no habit of constantly using Aura to eavesdrop on others.
By then he had already taken the elevator upstairs and knew nothing about the conversation taking place below.
Back in the hotel suite, he was surprised to see someone already awake.
"Green? You're up this early today?"
Normally, at this hour, Gary, Green, and Clarissa would still be enjoying their sleep.
Seeing Green already sitting in the living room working caught Ash completely off guard.
Before Green could answer, Rotom's voice came from the laptop sitting in front of her.
"Green didn't go to bed until one-thirty last night, Rotom! Then she got up again at six-ten this morning, Rotom!"
Green rubbed her tired eyes.
"I just want to finish organizing all the text material for the Feebas Beauty Guide as soon as possible."
"That way we can get it published while the competition is still fresh in everyone's minds."
"Oh, right."
"I won't be coming down for breakfast later."
"Can you ask the hotel staff to send something up?"
"And I won't be joining you all for sightseeing today either."
"I need to focus on finishing the manuscript."
Ash nodded.
"Alright."
"But don't overwork yourself."
He knew Green's personality well enough.
Once she set her mind on something, there was no changing it.
Rather than trying to persuade her otherwise, he was actually pleased.
For him, the publication of the Feebas Beauty Guide was simply another source of income and publicity.
A nice bonus.
For Green, however, it represented something much more important.
It was tied directly to her future career path.
The fact that she was willing to devote herself so wholeheartedly to it made Ash genuinely happy.
She was finally pouring her passion and effort into a dream that belonged to her.
Leaving Green to continue working, Ash headed into the bathroom.
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, he also helped clean up his Pokémon.
Then he got busy with work.
The Pokémon entrusted to his Skill Shop by customers needed feeding.
Those scheduled to learn moves received their new techniques.
Once finished, Ash used the portable Poké Ball transfer device to send each Pokémon back to its trainer.
By the time everything was taken care of, Gary and Clarissa had also woken up.
The three of them headed downstairs for breakfast together.
After asking the hotel staff to deliver a meal to Green upstairs, a brand-new day officially began.
Waiting outside the hotel entrance, Misty and her three sisters had already arrived to pick everyone up.
Seeing only three people emerge, they looked around curiously.
"Ash, Gary, Clarissa—where's Green?"
Ash explained the situation.
"She's rushing to finish the manuscript for the Feebas Beauty Guide."
"She wants to get it published as quickly as possible."
Daisy nodded in understanding.
"She's working really hard."
"After all, this affects her future career."
"Besides, the Water-Type Beauty Competition just ended, and Feebas evolved into Milotic to win the championship."
"The topic is still at peak popularity."
"The sooner the book is released, the better."
"Exactly."
"Then let's leave her alone today and not interrupt her work," Sakura said.
Everyone agreed.
Soon, as usual, they climbed into the sisters' sports cars and set off.
Now that the Water-Type Beauty Competition had officially concluded, there was no need to visit the swimming stadium anymore.
Today would be dedicated entirely to sightseeing around Cerulean City.
Misty's eldest sister sat in the driver's seat while outlining the day's itinerary.
"This morning we'll explore the city."
"I'll take everyone around to see Cerulean's most famous attractions."
"In the afternoon, when the temperature rises, we can head to the coast and go diving or surfing."
"Sounds good."
"Guests should follow the host's arrangements," Ash said with a smile.
"We're happy with anything."
"Perfect."
"Since we just finished breakfast, nobody's ready for food yet."
"So we'll start with sightseeing."
"Anyone visiting Cerulean City absolutely has to see the Cerulean Cave and White Cape."
"Besides those, our city's Miracle Bicycle Shop and Pokémon Fan Club are also very famous."
"So first we'll visit White Cape and Cerulean Cave."
"Afterward we'll return to the city and stop by the Pokémon Fan Club."
"You trainers should find that place especially interesting since you can exchange ideas and battle experiences there."
"Oh, and I remember the Miracle Bicycle Shop is hosting a bicycle racing event around ten o'clock this morning."
"After visiting the Fan Club, we can go watch the race."
"By then it'll be close to lunchtime."
"And that's when I'll take everyone to eat."
Cerulean's famous restaurants were well known across Kanto.
But Daisy grinned mysteriously.
"However…"
"There's another place."
"A restaurant known only to longtime Cerulean locals."
"A hidden gem."
"The restaurant is called Patty Palace."
"Their secret-recipe crab burgers are unbelievably delicious."
"You absolutely have to try them."
Hearing Daisy's recommendation, Ash, Gary, and Clarissa all felt their excitement rising.
A day filled with famous landmarks...
A legendary cave...
A beautiful coastal cape...
A gathering place for Pokémon enthusiasts...
A bicycle racing event...
And finally, a secret local restaurant serving famous crab burgers.
The adventure-filled day in Cerulean City was only just beginning.
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