The dream of becoming a Pokémon master

Honglian Island is an island, a very small island.

The location is good.

There are many people coming and going.

In the center of the island is an active volcano that looks like a dormant volcano, but it's uncertain whether it will erupt.

A place once dreamed of by trainers.

However, since the hot spring was discovered, it has been transformed into a tourist destination, and the proportion of trainers among the visitors has decreased sharply, while the number of tourists has increased significantly.

And Kyosuke finally arrived here.

"I heard that Blaine closed the Cinnabar Gym, but there are also reports online that he occasionally invites trainers to challenge him. If possible, I'll try to get the badge while I'm at it." Kyosuke had just disembarked from the cruise ship and was walking on the streets of Cinnabar Town on Cinnabar Island.

As for why he came to Crimson Island, it was because of a post he saw a long time ago recording a sighting of the Crimson Island Moltres, which was Kyosuke's biggest goal for this trip.

Kyosuke doesn't have much free time to search for the hidden Crimson Lotus Gym; a busy and fulfilling life is his style.

Anyway, there are many dojos in the Kanto region, and they are all easy to find, so Kyosuke is never worried about participating in the Quartz Conference.

"Now, let's head to the Pokémon Center."

Would Kyosuke know the location of the Pokémon Center? No way.

So he casually asked an elderly man in front of him who was clearly bald but wearing a yellow wig and sunglasses, "Excuse me, which direction is the Pokémon Center?"

"What is something with a cold head but a warm body?" The bald old man didn't answer immediately, but instead posed a riddle that Kyosuke found even colder than Articuno's absolute zero.

"An open-air hot spring. So, which direction is the Pokémon Center in?" Kyosuke replied instantly.

"You must be a trainer, right? Are you here to challenge the Cinnabar Gym? What is that thing so close yet unseen?" Kyosuke's question was ignored once again.

"I know this dilapidated building used to be the Cinnabar Gym, so where exactly is the Pokémon Center?" Kyosuke felt that this person seemed a bit abnormal.

"Anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to come find me here." The bald old man with the wig handed Kyosuke a small card and left.

In the end, he still didn't tell Kyosuke the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Kyosuke looked at the card in his hand: "The bottom is a swing, and the top is an older brother chasing his younger brother, running and jumping. What is this?! Even a guesthouse has to use weird puzzles to hide its secrets?! Would anyone actually go to a place like this?! Is the first person I meet on Crimson Lotus Island a mental patient?!"

Kyosuke decisively threw the card in his hand into the non-recyclable trash can, observed carefully for a while, asked a normal local, and learned the way to the Pokémon Center.

"Both sides of the road are lined with hot spring inns." Kyosuke headed towards the Pokémon Center, observing Cinnabar Town as he went.

Just like in the legends, since the hot spring was discovered, hot spring hotels have become a way for locals to make money. With the constant influx of tourists, the trainer's holy land has naturally declined.

Compared to trainers, there are far more ordinary people without talent and without money.

Suddenly, Kyosuke thought of the situation in Poor Earth Town: "What if... the Pokémon Center is completely full again this time?"

Unlike regular hotels, Pokémon Centers do not accept online reservations; they are generally on a first-come, first-served basis. The situation in Poor Town is a special case and a special treatment.

Although logically speaking, there shouldn't be too many trainers in Cinnabar Town, Kyosuke's ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger...

"Let's get to the Pokémon Center as soon as possible!" Kyosuke used Extreme Speed!

It didn't take long for Kyosuke to arrive at the Pokémon Center.

Upon entering, to Xiong Jie's surprise, the hall was filled with people wrapped in blankets!

Besides trainers, there are also many ordinary people among them!

Kyosuke understood that this was due to the special environment of Cinnabar Island. Every year, tourists from all over the world came to visit, and the Pokémon Center earned a lot of money just by providing a lobby for rest. After all, the League wouldn't care if the fees were a little higher for people who weren't trainers.

Although ordinary people are allowed to rest, the rooms will still be exclusively for trainers, Kyosuke is certain of that.

But seeing the trainers in the hall also wrapped in blankets, Kyosuke naturally didn't need to ask if there were any vacant rooms.

Given that this is the case at Pokémon Centers, Kyosuke could easily guess that there wouldn't be any vacant rooms at other hot spring inns.

Is going to that bald, mentally ill old man's hotel the only option? Would anyone really care that much about a mystery from the last century?

Kyosuke remembered the strange riddle on the card again and gave up. Even if he had to camp out in the wild, he would rather not go to a guesthouse run by an old man!

Just as Kyosuke turned to leave the Pokémon Center, a voice came from inside.

"Miss Joey, please help me check out."

In an instant, Kyosuke arrived at the front desk.

"Then, please help me with the check-in process as well." Kyosuke was finally able to skillfully pull out his Pokédex as his identification document.

Miss Joy was also stunned by Kyosuke's speed. It took her a few seconds to recover, and she blushed slightly as she took the catalog: "Okay, okay. So, here's your room key..."

"Wait a minute! We were here first!"

"Exactly! We've been sleeping in the lobby for ages, why do you get to come in and try to take a room?!"

"Exactly, you brat, you need to respect others!"

Trainers wrapped in blankets expressed their dissatisfaction.

Normally, when someone checks out, it's an unspoken rule that whoever arrives first in front of Miss Joey gets the room. But the fact that a newcomer snatched the room right away makes people feel resentful, as it violates the principle and the blame is directed at Kyosuke.

Naturally, they wouldn't dare to blame Miss Joey, so it could only be Kyosuke's fault.

Kyosuke saw the ugly faces of these people and smiled mockingly: "Then, let's do it according to the trainer's rules."

"Once your eyes meet, it's time to start the battle!"

Looking around at the trainers who were all "rebelling," Kyosuke took out a Poké Ball and walked towards the door.

"Let's come outside the Pokémon Center. It's a place that needs peace and quiet, and we can't let battles affect it."

Once all the trainers who wanted to take on the challenge had arrived outside, Kyosuke threw out the Poké Ball in his hand.

The earth trembled, and Charizard appeared in the arena!

"You're all here to challenge the Crimson Lotus Gym, right? Let's treat this battle as a practice match for the gym battle. Whether it's a one-on-one duel or a group fight, it's up to you. The outcome won't be any different anyway."

On the other side, no one was the first to summon a Pokémon.

"This guy is so arrogant, we don't need to talk about morality anymore, let's all attack!" a voice suddenly rang out.

Kyosuke locked his gaze. Just a nobody.

Upon hearing this sound, everyone else summoned their Pokémon as well!

"Go, Psyduck!" "Please, Vaporeon!" "Onix, it's up to you!"

"Water system, water system, rock system, water system, rock system... all the same." Kyosuke's eyes flashed with information. "Old man, finish this quickly."

"Wow!"

On the other side, Mimi stayed at a local family's house.

The elderly man, who was previously suspected of having a mental illness, was pacing back and forth.

"Why hasn't that boy arrived yet...?"