After staying the night at Yelena's villa, the others and I decided to walk through Cherrygrove City.

All last night, I couldn't stop dreaming about Charcoal. I know it's already been a day, but I miss him dearly.

"So, what should we do while we're here?" Rina asked.

"How about a battle?" Eric suggested, "Nina, you up for a match?"

"Oh, yeah! It's been a while since I've battled you!" Nina exclaimed.

When the six of us arrived at the Pokémon Center, we healed our Pokémon and walked out to the battlefield. Nina and Eric took their positions on the battlefield while the others and I watched from afar.

"Totodile, I choose you!" Eric said, tossing a Pokéball.

At his command, the Big Jaw Pokémon appeared with a friendly cry.

"Totdile, huh?" Nina questioned.

"Yup!" Eric answered, "Thought I'd give the little guy a chance to get some battle experience."

Nina nodded with a smile as she pulled out a Pokéball.

"Florges, let's go!" Nina exclaimed, throwing the Pokéball.

At her command, the Garden Pokémon appeared with an elegant cry.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Eric said.

The small Pokémon cried out before firing a blast of water.

"Dodge and use Fairy Wind!" Nina cried.

The Florges hopped out of the way and released pink mist at the Totodile.

"Dodge, Totodile!" Eric cried.

The Big Jaw Pokémon cried out before rolling to the side and dodging the Fairy-type attack.

"Water Gun, again!" Eric said.

The Totodile growled before firing another blast of water.

"Counter with Razor Leaf!" Nina said.

The Garden Pokémon let out a cry before firing sharp-edged leaves at the blast of water. The leaves bounced off the water and fell to the ground. Totodile's Water Gun attack hit the Florges, causing it to fall back.

"Ah, Florges!" Nina cried.

The Garden Pokémon growled as it stood back up.

"Petal Dance!" Nina said.

The Florges raised their arms before whipping up a tornado of petals underneath the Totodile.

"Quick, Totodile! Get out of there!" Eric cried.

Before Totodile could react, the attack whisked him into the air and slammed him into the ground.

"Totodile!" Eric cried.

That must've hurt. A Grass-type move like that must've done some major damage.

The Big Jaw Pokémon groaned before hopping back on his feet.

"Formidable little guy, he is," Nina said.

"Samurott's been rubbing off on him." Eric joked.

"Cute. Alright, Florges, use Vine Whip!"

The Garden Pokémon let out a cry as it extended two vines from its flowers.

"Dodge them, Totodile!" Eric exclaimed.

The small Pokémon jumped around the battlefield as it dodged the Garden Pokémon's onslaught.

"Hidden Power!" Nina said.

The Florges retracted its wines before firing a glowing orb at the Totodile.

"Send it back with Water Gun!" Eric exclaimed.

Totodile inhaled sharply before firing a blast of water at the incoming attack. With the force of the Water Gun, Totodile was able to send the attack back at the Florges.

"Dodge, Florges!" Nina exclaimed.

Before the Florges could react, the Florges got hit with its own attack and Totodile's Water Gun. The Florges groaned before falling backward.

Whatever typing that Hidden Power was must've been super-effective against a Fairy-type like Florges.

"Alright! Way to go, Totodile!" Eric exclaimed.

The Big Jaw Pokémon turned around and jumped up and down, excitedly flailing its arms with a big grin.

"You did a great job, Florges," Nina said, "Take a nice long rest."

The Garden Pokémon let out a tired cry, returning to its Pokéball.

"Thanks for the battle, Nina," Eric said, "It was loads of fun!"

"I should be thanking you!" Nina said.

"That battle was great, you two!" Elsu said.

The others and I walked up to the duo with warm smiles. Then, Rina's phone started ringing. When my pink-haired friend answered, Yelena's face appeared.

"Hi, Yelena!" Rina exclaimed.

"Good morning, my dear," Yelena said, "Perchance, are the others with you?"

"We're right here, Yelena." I said.

"Ah, wonderful!"

"What's up, Yelena?" Kat asked.

The fashion icon breathed out before facing us.

"I just got you kids tickets for the St. Anne," Yelena said.

"The St. Anne?" Nina questioned in shock.

"Isn't that a luxury cruise liner?" I asked.

"It is. Annually, it stops at Vermilion City in the Kanto region. Since you kids are traveling the world, I thought you'd like to do it in style."

I couldn't help but smile at Yelena's words.

"Thank you so much, Yelena!" I said.

"Truly, thank you!" Kat said.

"Of course," Yelena said, "It's the least I can do for you for saving my models' Pokémon during my fashion expo. I owed you one."

This is amazing! Not only are we going to the Kanto region, but we're arriving there on the St. Anne!

"Thanks for the surprise, Yelena, but I must respectfully decline." Rina said suddenly.

All of us turned to our pink-haired friend with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked.

"As much as I would love to travel the world, I want to stay here and continue to study under Yelena to get better as a designer," Rina said, "I don't want to waste this opportunity..."

The others and I glanced at one another.

"If staying here will help you pursue your dream to be a better designer, then stay." I said with a smile.

The others agreed silently.

"Really?" Rina asked, "You're not upset?"

"Why would we be?" Nina asked, "This has been your dream since you were a kid. What friends would we be if we didn't support you?"

Rina smiled as tears welled in her eyes. Her Snubbull barked before licking its trainer's cheek.

"Thanks, Snubbull!" Rina chuckled, "And thank you all!"

"If it's all the same with you guys, I'd like to stay with Rina," Elsu said.

"Elsu, no; you don't have to do that." Rina said.

"But I want to, for you."

Elsu placed a hand on Rina's shoulder and stared into her golden eyes.

"I want to support you in every way possible. You were my first friend outside of my home and helped me into this new world," Elsu said, "It's only fair if I do the same for you."

What Elsu said brought tears to my eyes.

He's so sweet.

"So, Yelena, are you okay with us staying here with you?" Rina asked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yelena said, wiping a tear from her eye, "I promise to take care of you and support you in your fashion endeavors."

"Thank you, Yelena." Elsu said.

Yelena nodded with a smile.

"The St. Anne will be leaving tomorrow morning and will arrive at Vermilion City that afternoon," Yelena said, "You kids can sleep over tonight, and Quenton and myself will escort you to Goldenrod Harbor,"

"Thank you so much for everything, Yelena," I said, "This was such a wonderful experience!"

"I'm so glad you kids enjoyed your time here in Johto, but there's a whole world out there waiting to be explored!"

"We'll see you this evening, Yelena." Eric said.

"See you soon!" Kat said.

Yelena waved before her image disappeared.

"I can't believe we're going to the Kanto region tomorrow!" Nina exclaimed, "And we're going there on the St. Anne!"

Libby and Angel bounced up and down as they let out cheer-filled cries. I smiled at the two Pokémon before glancing at Rina, holding her Snubbull close to her chest.

"You okay, Rina?" I asked, walking up to her.

"Huh? O-Oh, yes! I'm fine!" she said, "Just daydreaming..."

"About your new life as a fashionista?" I asked.

"Yeah. That..."

I smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine," I said, "You wouldn't be here without your designs."

"I wouldn't be here without you," Rina said, "If we hadn't met, I don't know where I would be right now. So, I owe all this to you, Eragona. Thank you so much!"

Then, Rina threw an arm around me. I smiled and embraced my friend.

"So, what now?" I asked, pulling away from my friend.

"Why don't we say hi to the kids at the Earl's Pokémon School?" Kat suggested, "A nice goodbye before we head off to Kanto tomorrow."

"Now that I can get behind." Eric said.

The others and I agreed. After healing our Pokémon, we made our way to Violet City.

I wonder how the kids are doing.

When we arrived in Violet City, the smell of flowers filled the air.

"Now I get why it's called Violet City, the City of Nostalgic Scents," Nina said, "I didn't smell it at first, but now, the aroma smells familiar to violets, the flower."

I couldn't help but chuckle at Nina's reasoning for the city's slogan.

If that's true, that's hilarious!

We walked past the Pokémon Center until we arrived at the Pokémon school. When I knocked on the door, a familiar face answered it.

"Welcome back, you guys!" Miss Priscilla said with a smile, "It's so good to see you again!"

"Well, we said we would come back, didn't we?" Kat questioned.

Miss Priscilla nodded as her smile grew.

"Kids, look who's here!" Miss Priscilla called out.

After her call, the kids we'd met before came over. The kids all smiled and cheered at our presence.

"Can we play with your Pokémon again?" asked a little boy.

"Please?" the other kids asked with pleading eyes.

"I don't see why not," I said, taking out my Pokéballs, "Come on out, everybody!"

When I threw up my Pokéballs, my Pokémon appeared and softly groaned. The kids cheered before rushing over to my Pokémon.

I never get tired of seeing the smiling faces of children.

My friends smiled before releasing their Pokémon as well. The children could cheer any louder. Then, I felt a tug at my sweater. I looked down and saw Destiney.

"Hey, Destiney!" I said as I kneeled, "How've you been?"

"Great, now that you're here!" she said, "Where's Jet?"

I looked up behind her and whistled. Jet glanced over before stomping over.

"Jet, you remember Destiney, right?" I asked.

Jet smiled and softly groaned and nuzzled his jaw against the small girl. The little girl laughed as she hugged Jet's large head.

"Where's your Charizard?" Destiney asked.

I felt my heart skip a beat.

"H-He's uhm..." I stammered, "He's not here. He's in this wonderful place where Charizard go to get stronger."

"Will we ever see him again?" Destiney asked.

I smiled softly before placing a hand on the little girl's head.

"I'm sure of it," I said, "He'd never forget us."

The little girl smiled as he hugged Jet's head tighter.

"I can't wait to see him again!" Destiney exclaimed.

Jet softly groaned as his tail wagged back and forth. I chuckled at the sight before standing up and watching the other Pokémon play with the school kids.

"Thank you for visiting us again," Miss Priscilla suddenly said, "It's always nice to see some familiar faces,"

"It's no trouble, Miss Priscilla," I said, "Our Pokémon love your students, and your students love our Pokémon. Thought we'd see you again before we leave tomorrow,"

"Tomorrow? Where are you going?"

"The others and I are heading to the Kanto region."

Miss Priscilla's eyes widened before they softened with a smile.

"That's wonderful to hear!" she said, "I hope Johto treated you, kids, well."

More or less...

"But when we find the time, we'll come back to visit; I promise." I said.

"I'll be looking out for you." Miss Priscilla said.

I nodded before looking back at the students and Pokémon.

"You know, it's almost the kids' naptime, and they have all this energy to burn off," Miss Priscilla said, "Do you think you can tire them out with a Pokémon battle? The energy they have left will be used up cheering on the Pokémon; then, they'll grow exhausted."

"Certainly," I said, "I'm sure we can put on a show."

I sprinted over to the others and told them what Miss Priscilla had told me. The others agreed with smiles and nods.

This should be fun!

Miss Priscilla called her students over to the sidelines, everyone waiting excitedly for the battle to begin. Eric and I stood on opposite sides of the school's front yard before calling upon our Pokémon.

"Escavalier, I choose you!" Eric said.

At his command, the Cavalry Pokémon zipped in front of its trainer.

"Jet, take to the skies!" I exclaimed.

My Garchomp jumped over and landed in front of me, letting out a roar that shook the ground.

"Battle begin!" Miss Priscilla exclaimed.

After the teacher's shout, Eric and I started our battle. As Eric and I shouted our commands, I glanced at the children to see them smiling and cheering.

I'm going to miss them so much, but I promise to visit them!

Eric and I continued exchanging commands as our Pokémon fired, dodged, and got attacked.

"Wrap this up with Flamethrower!" I exclaimed.

Jet obeyed and roared out a ribbon of fire.

"Dodge it!" Eric cried.

Before Escavalier could react, it got hit with the super-effective attack. The Cavalry Pokémon let out a soft groan before falling to the ground.

"Escavalier is unable to battle," Miss Priscilla said, "The winner is Garchomp! Victory goes to Eragona!"

The students all cheered before running up to Eric and me.

"That was awesome!" said a little boy.

"You guys were really strong!" said a little girl.

"Again! Again!" exclaimed another little boy.

Eric and I glanced at one another and laughed. Eric's Escavalier woke up before floating above the ground, letting out a deep groan.

"You did great, buddy!" Eric said, patting the Bug-type Pokémon.

The Cavalry Pokémon smiled and leaned into its trainer's touch.

"That was an awesome battle, you two!" Elsu said, jogging up to us.

"Yeah," Kat said, "Jet and Escavalier did great!"

The Cavalry Pokemon and Jet glanced at one another and groaned softly with smiles. I looked down at the students to see their eyes growing heavy.

"Alright, kids, it's naptime!" Miss Priscilla said, "Say bye-bye to our friends and their Pokémon!"

A choir of goodbyes arose from the tired students as they walked back into the school.

"Take a nice long rest, Jet." I said, retracting my Garchomp.

"You too, Escavalier." Eric said, retracting his Pokémon.

"We should start heading back to the villa, guys." Rina suggested.

"Right," Nina said before glancing at Miss Priscilla, "We promise to visit when we can."

"Good luck on your journey, kids, and have fun in Kanto!" Miss Priscilla said.

After waving goodbye, the others and I went into the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon.

"So, what are you looking forward to most when you get to Kanto?" Elsu asked.

"I'm looking forward to the lore," Kat said, "I love anything to do with history, so learning about some Kantonian history will be awesome!"

"I'm the same way." Eric said.

"I want to check out Mt. Moon," Nina said, "Apparently, it's a place very special to Clefairy and Clefable."

"That sounds cool," Rina said, glancing at me, "What about you, Eragona?"

I hummed in thought as I gathered my Pokéballs.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, "I never really gave it much thought.

"Well, whatever we run into, y'know?" Nina questioned.

I smiled and nodded to the redhead. After thanking Nurse Joy, we walked out of the Pokémon Center and headed to Yelena's villa. As we passed through Cherrygrove City, I smiled as I watched the many Quagsire waddle around the city streets.

I'll never forget the lunar festival we participated in. It's a strange tradition, but it's a special one!

When we arrived at the villa, the sun was setting, and the sky was a pale orange. When I knocked on the door, Quenton opened the door and let us inside.

"Madame Yelena is in her design studio but does not want to be disturbed." Quentin said.

The others and I nodded before scaling the marble staircase. I walked into the bedroom and sighed as I flopped onto my bed.

"I still can't believe we're going to Kanto tomorrow." Nina said.

"And on the St. Anne to boot!" Kat exclaimed.

"I wish you could come with us, Rina." I said as I sat up.

"Me, too, but this is an opportunity I cannot waste." she said.

I smiled and nodded to my pink-haired friend.

"If I were given a chance for my dream to come true, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity like that either." Nina commented.

"Me neither," Kat said, "Just don't forget about us, okay?"

"I don't think I could forget about you guys if I tried," Rina joked, "I wouldn't be here without you guys.

The others and I smiled at Rina's words. After saying goodnight, the others and I fell asleep as the moon began to rise.

I cannot wait to see what Kanto has in store.

Morning came, and everyone in the villa got up early to make it to Goldenrod Harbor.

"Wait! Wait!" Yelena cried.

Before the others and I could walk out the door, Yelena sprinted up to us with medium-sized designer bags with her logo.

"I stayed up all night to make you these clothes for Kanto," Yelena said, passing out the bags, "While you're on the ship, you can change into them."

I looked inside my bag and smiled at the outfit inside.

"Wow, Yelena! Thank you so much!" I said.

"Truly, for everything, especially your hospitality." Kat said.

"It's my pleasure," Yelena said, "You kids are always welcome here!"

The others and I smiled at the fashionista as we walked out the door. After climbing into the limo, Quentin sat behind the wheel and started the engine. The limo pulled away from the villa and drove down the dirt road. I looked out of the back window as the beautiful house got smaller and farther from few.

So long, lovely villa...

After a few minutes of driving, we arrived at Goldenrod City. I looked out the window to see a large cruise ship docked on the outskirts of the boardwalk.

"Wow! Are you seeing this, Libby?" I asked.

My Eevee happily cried out as she stared at the large vessel. After parking the limo, we climbed out of the stretched car and walked to the harbor. My eyes widened as I craned my neck to get a better view of the cruise ship.

"It's even bigger up close!" Nina exclaimed.

Then, a low whistle rang throughout the area.

"Attention! St. Anne will be departing to Vermilion City in the Kanto region in 5 minutes," said a man over the PA, "All last-minute passengers, please make your way aboard St. Anne."

"That's us." Eric said.

"Your tickets are in the bags I gave you." Yelena said.

I reached inside my bag and pulled out a beige and green ticket with a boat on it and the words "St. Anne" written on the top.

"Thanks, Yelena," I said, "Again."

Yelena chuckled fondly and grinned.

"Have fun, and be sure to visit when you can." Yelena said.

We nodded before glancing at Rina and Elsu. Kat, Nina, Eric, and I smiled before embracing them tightly.

"We're gonna miss you so much!" Nina exclaimed.

"We'll miss you, too!" Rina said.

"We'll call you when we arrive." Eric said.

"You better!" Elsu joked.

We pulled apart and smiled. Libby smiled as she let out a soft cry toward Snubbull; Angel did the same. Snubbull smiled and softly groaned. Then, the cruise ship let out a deep whistle once more.

"Last call for the St. Anne!" said the man over the PA.

Eric, Kat, Nina, and I smiled at one another before sprinting over to the cruise ship. After presenting our tickets, the sailor led us onto the vessel.

Wow! I've never been on a cruise ship before! This is awesome!

Once aboard the St. Anne, I looked over the railing and saw Rina, Elsu, Yelena, and Quentin waving. I smiled before waving back. The others grinned and copied me. When the St. Anne let out another whistle, the ship started to pull away from the harbor. I looked back at the others as we drew farther away from Goldenrod City's port, watching as they became as small as Joltik. I breathed in the salty breeze as I watched the ship pull further out to sea.

This is the start of another chapter in our journey, but our story is far from over! I wonder what the Kanto region has in store. All I know is that I will love every second of it! Kanto region, here we come!