The next day, after a wild night of goodbye sex with Nyx, Kaia, and Rhea, Alex gathered his Pokémon and gear before teleporting with Arcanine straight to Viridian City. From there, he continued west along Route 22.
There were other ways to reach the Johto region, such as taking a ship or teleporting through the League, but he wanted to establish his own teleportation route between regions. To do that, Arcanine and Gardevoir needed to physically travel the paths and become familiar with them, so Alex chose to make the journey on Arcanine instead.
As for the trains that existed in the games, Alex found no trace of them here. The land was simply too dangerous to allow trains to operate across regions. The idea of fighting off a wild nest while traveling at bullet train speeds was absurd. Both the nest and the passengers would be annihilated on impact.
It took a day for Alex to reach the crossroads between Route 22, leading east to Viridian City; Route 23, leading north to Victory Road; Route 26, leading south to Tohjo Falls; and Route 28, leading west to Mt. Silver. This was even with riding on Arcanine almost nonstop.
Along the way, Alex noted the distinct lack of threatening Pokémon in the area. This indicated that the area was a common traveling route for the more powerful trainers heading north to Victory Road for training.
Victory Road was the perilous mountainous path leading to the Indigo Plateau, where both the Kanto and Johto Elite Four and Champions worked together to protect both regions and take on challengers.
Alex had read that Victory Road was particularly dangerous, filled with numerous wild nests. The nests were left uncontrolled on purpose, allowing trainers to test themselves during the journey.
Mt. Silver was reportedly even worse. It was infamous as a gathering place for multiple Champion ranked nests. Rumor had it that if Mt. Silver were ever disturbed and Champion ranked Pokémon were forced to flee, both the Kanto and Johto regions would be overrun.
Alex highly doubted that possibility, given the presence of Legendary Pokémon among the Champion ranked trainers, but he didn't know the full picture, so he wouldn't comment on it.
Once Alex reached the crossroads, he found a checkpoint that required identification to pass. More specifically, it verified whether a trainer had signed the region-specific NDA, meant to prevent visitors from unknowingly causing trouble during their stay.
Trying to bypass the checkpoint was pointless. Without signing the NDA, a trainer couldn't use any form of identification in the new region. If they tried, they would be fined and made to sign it on the spot.
Nearby, there was a campsite for trainers traveling through the crossroads. Alex could roughly tell where most of them were headed based on their strength. The few Elites were making their way north to Victory Road for training, while the rest were heading south to cross into the Johto region.
As for those bound for Mt. Silver, Alex knew he wouldn't find them camping here. They were Champion ranked and likely had better ways to travel than going on foot like he was.
Alex spent the night at the camp, choosing to avoid the awkward return home after the farewell the girls had given him the night before.
Early the next morning, when the checkpoint opened, he lined up with the others to pass through.
"Identification," the guard asked.
Alex passed his trainer license over before the guard inserted it into his device, which sent red warning flashes as Alex hadn't signed the NDA yet.
"It says here you're missing the Johto Region information packet. You'll need to sign this to pass through," the guard said, handing Alex a pad to sign.
Alex signed it blindly before being given the green light to proceed.
Once Alex passed through the checkpoint, he headed south while staring west at Mt. Silver. It was a gigantic, snow-covered mountain that might easily be larger than Mount Everest, although Alex wouldn't know, as he had never actually seen it in person. Still, it was a majestic structure, visible even from a day's travel away on Arcanine.
Along with its majesty came the unmistakable aura of Champion ranked Pokémon, as even from Alex's current distance, he could still feel it radiating a threatening presence.
"Someday," Alex said as he continued his travels south along Route 26, heading for Tohjo Falls.
Along the way, Alex checked the email he had received, which contained a copy of the NDA he had signed at the checkpoint.
Essentially, it was the same as the Kanto version, except it included areas marked as strictly off limits, as well as levels of caution to take depending on the area. It also identified areas where Elite and Champion ranked nests usually resided.
Mt. Silver, for example, was strictly off limits for Alex, as well as Dragon's Den, Whirl Islands, and even Tohjo Falls. There were some areas that were allowed, of course, but the deeper areas were strictly reserved for Champion ranked trainers.
Alex could easily tell that the sites listed contained Champion ranked nests. His knowledge from the games made it obvious, as these areas all had deeper sections where high-level Pokémon appeared. Mt. Silver in particular was by far the most dangerous among them.
Still, Alex had little interest in nest extermination. He only accepted the job for the credits and nothing else.
Of particular note, however, was a warning against damaging Ilex Forest. Passing through was allowed, as there were few threatening nests in the area, but damaging the forest was strictly prohibited. It was similar to the restriction at the power plant in Kanto, where going above the first floor was not allowed.
Ruins of Alph was also restricted for unknown reasons.
Alex continued traveling as Route 26 stretched before him, a rugged and winding path that descended from the highlands toward the ocean. Dense forests flanked the route, their trees forming a thick canopy over parts of the trail. From the higher vantage points, gaps in the trees revealed a breathtaking view of southern Kanto and Johto, with the sea glimmering in the distance.
As he traveled south, Alex began to notice something unusual. The Pokémon in the area seemed to mix more freely than usual, with Kanto and Johto species blending together in the wild.
Normally, the local Pokémon would vastly outnumber those from other regions, making foreign species rare sightings. However, the mix here was much more pronounced, likely due to Route 26's strategic location between the two regions.
Alex also noticed plenty of properties for sale along the route. It was easy to see why. The area sat far from major cities, and only homesteading trainers ever bothered to live this deep in the wilderness, especially near a gathering point for Champion ranked nests. The League was likely doing its best to attract powerful trainers to the area in order to keep the nests under control and bring some measure of stability.
Still, the path remained well traveled despite its distance from civilization. To Alex, it seemed like a good place to settle down, provided the League offered the land without burdening it with heavy taxes or strict regulations.
After a full day of traveling south, Alex reached Fallsend Town, a port town that served as the perfect stopping point between Routes 26 and 27 to the west. It was a relatively large town with a thriving pier.
The town offered boat trips to New Bark Town in Johto, Pallet Town in Kanto, and even some ships that offered longer journeys to Cinnabar City. Alex could have taken one of these ships for a slower but more comfortable trip. However, traveling by sea wasn't ideal since Arcanine and Gardevoir would have to teleport over water, so he had no choice but to continue on foot.
An interesting fact about Fallsend Town was that it was a relatively new settlement with less than two decades of history. It had started as a simple pier built to improve travel and trade.
The pier was originally owned by a trainer who had built it from the ground up through the League. The owner eventually decided to open the area for further development, catering to trainers traveling between Johto and Kanto.
After the pier was built, it became little more than an over-glorified campsite, with a market selling food from local homesteaders, sparse accommodations through rented campsites, and boat trips offered by desperate sailors. Over time, however, the town gradually grew into a thriving port, undoubtedly bringing significant income to its founder and the local residents.
Since it was a relatively new town, the architecture leaned toward a more modern style, with more buildings than homes to accommodate the steady flow of travelers. However, as expected, the prices for the more luxurious accommodations were quite high, comparable to those found in Celadon City, though without the same level of amenities.
Still, it was pocket change to Elite trainers like Alex, so he decided to spend the night in the town's most luxurious suite, located on the top floor of a local hotel.
Tomorrow, he would continue his journey west toward Route 27 and finally reach Tohjo Falls.
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