After they finished laughing, Professor Elm said, "I was actually asked to come here to help research a certain kind of Poké Ball."
He then looked at Natsui's travel-worn appearance and smiled. "Let me guess, you're here to challenge the Azalea Gym, right?"
"That's right," Natsui nodded. "I came to challenge the Azalea Gym Leader, Bugsy."
Professor Elm pushed up his glasses, mentally mapping out Natsui's journey.
"Considering Azalea Town's location, you must have taken a long detour to be challenging it now. By the way, how many badges have you collected?"
"It was a long detour, but I had a lot of good experiences along the way. As for badges, I just got my sixth one."
"Six, you say?" Professor Elm sounded impressed. "That's not slow at all. From what I know, many of the trainers who started from New Bark Town have only collected four or five by now."
Not slow?
Natsui just smiled and shook his head, not explaining further. If he hadn't been distracted by Team Rocket and other events, he would have already collected all eight badges long ago. But then, he wouldn't have been able to properly train his Pokémon or enjoy the journey.
Just then, Professor Elm noticed Erika. "And who is this young lady?" he asked.
"Let me introduce you," Natsui said, stepping back. "This is Erika, the Gym Leader of the Celadon Gym in the Kanto region. She's traveling with me. Erika, this is Professor Elm, a leading Pokémon Professor in Johto and a former student of Professor Oak."
Erika gave an elegant bow, her grace showing her good upbringing.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor."
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Erika."
After they greeted each other, Natsui asked, "Professor, you mentioned researching a Poké Ball...?"
"It's a mysterious Poké Ball that a trainer brought all the way from the Kanto region. We haven't been able to open it yet, which is why I was invited here to help. Hey, since you're here, why don't you come take a look with us? As a champion, maybe you can give us some ideas!"
Hearing this, Natsui already had a good guess what it was. A mysterious Poké Ball brought from Kanto to Azalea Town had to be the GS Ball that Ash brought from the Orange Islands to Professor Oak's lab, which was then sent here. He couldn't believe they still hadn't figured it out after all this time.
Well...
He wasn't in a hurry to challenge the gym. Natsui and Erika exchanged a look, then agreed to go with Professor Elm. They followed him as he led them toward the west side of town.
Azalea Town wasn't very big or busy. The streets were mostly empty, with only a few people passing by now and then, giving it a very slow-paced feel. Most small towns in Kanto and Johto were like this.
Along the way, they saw a surprising number of Slowpoke. They were lying under trees, on walls, on roofs, and in the middle of streets, lazily soaking up the sun. There were even "Beware of Slowpoke" signs everywhere. The townspeople didn't seem to mind at all and lived in harmony with them. Even when a Slowpoke openly ate fruit from a stall, the owner didn't seem to notice.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Professor Elm explained. "The people here have a special respect for Slowpoke. Some even see them as gods."
Erika asked, "Is it because of the rain from four hundred years ago?"
"Exactly. That downpour saved this land and many lives. Since then, Slowpoke have been beloved here. Harming a Slowpoke in any way is forbidden and can even get you sent to the police station."
Professor Elm nodded, then added with an approving look, "You even know about that story. It seems you did your homework before coming here."
"Of course! It's always best to be prepared," Natsui replied. He then wiped some sweat from his forehead and looked up at the sun. "Wow, it's really hot here."
"It certainly is," Professor Elm sighed. "The sun is very strong, and the town is surrounded by mountains on three sides, so the sea breeze can't get in. That's what makes it so hot."
"I see," Natsui said. "No wonder there was such a bad drought four hundred years ago."
As they passed a Slowpoke lying in the middle of the road, Erika glanced at Natsui. "There are so many of them, just waiting to be caught. You're not going to get one?"
Natsui shook his head.
"No, I'm not really interested in them. Besides, if I caught one here, the townspeople would probably chase me all over town. It's not worth the trouble."
But speaking of Slowpoke, Natsui couldn't help but think of the Slowking that Sabrina had caught in the Orange Islands, which in turn made him think of her.
What is Sabrina doing at the Saffron Gym right now?
As they chatted, the three of them crossed most of Azalea Town and arrived at its northwest corner. They stood before a large, old-fashioned house.
"Alright, we're here," Professor Elm said. "This is Mr. Kurt's house."
He went up and knocked on the door. A moment later, a little girl of about four or five opened it. She had her hair in two little buns and looked quite cheeky.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked in a clear voice.
"Hello," Professor Elm said with a friendly smile. "I'm Professor Elm. I was invited by Mr. Kurt."
"Oh! I know you!" the little girl said, her eyes widening. "Grandpa told me that if a doctor who looks like a monkey with glasses came by, I should just let him in!"
Professor Elm was speechless.
Natsui and Erika tried their best not to laugh, but it was hard.
He got called a monkey...
To be fair, when Natsui first saw the thin professor with his unique hairstyle, he had a similar thought.
"So you're Mr. Kurt's granddaughter," Professor Elm said with an awkward smile. "You're very... lively and cute."
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