Vermilion City was one of Kanto's most important port cities, located at the southern maritime gateway of the region. Its coastline consisted almost entirely of natural deep-water harbors, making it the primary battleground for major shipping conglomerates.
Every morning at six o'clock sharp, more than a dozen massive cargo ships—each displacing tens of thousands of tons—would slowly sail into the port or depart in stately fashion. They brought goods and products from other cities into Kanto, and carried Kanto's manufactured items and regional specialties out to distant lands.
The moment Kael entered Vermilion City proper, he sensed that the atmosphere here was anything but ordinary.
On the main streets, there were surprisingly many pretty women dressed in provocative sailor outfits, handing out flyers to passersby.
As they handed out the flyers, they were also dancing to upbeat, energetic music.
The spectacle quickly drew crowds to a halt. Naturally, the most enthusiastic spectators were men, watching with undisguised delight. Female pedestrians, by contrast, wore looks of open displeasure. Quite a few men who lingered a bit too long were promptly "disciplined" by the women accompanying them.
Because the streets were so crowded, Kael had no choice but to slow his motorcycle to a crawl for safety's sake.
Just then, a beautiful red-haired girl suddenly hopped out from the side of the road, blocking his path. She was wearing the exact same sailor outfit as the others.
With no way forward, Kael swung his leg off the bike, removed his helmet, and looked at the girl in front of him.
"What can I do for you, miss?" he asked.
"Y-you, hello!"
She had only intended to hand out a flyer casually, but she hadn't expected to stop someone like him right away. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she worked up the courage to pass him an elegantly designed flyer, shaped like an invitation.
"Hi, I'm a staff member of the S.S. Anne. You can take a look at this first. The S.S. Anne is a world-renowned luxury cruise liner…"
"The S.S. Anne?"
Looking at the flyer in his hand—and the beautifully printed ticket that came with it—Kael's lips curved into an amused smile.
No wonder Vermilion City was so lively today.
The S.S. Anne was a luxury cruise ship famous worldwide. Since its maiden voyage three years ago, it docked in Vermilion City only once a year. Every year on this very day, the cruise company would organize a massive parade and celebration in the city to attract attention and drum up business.
After all, the company had spent an astronomical sum building the ship for one purpose: profit.
Top-tier VIP clients were few and far between, but the mid-range customer base couldn't be ignored. Only by appealing to both could profits truly be maximized.
Hire a group of attractive girls or models, put them in eye-catching sailor outfits, and send them into the streets—any man who got caught by them would, unless he was truly broke, end up gritting his teeth and buying an admittedly expensive standard ticket under their gentle but relentless persuasion. Only the truly wealthy big spenders would casually fork over the money for a VIP ticket.
Kael hadn't spent a single cent on the ticket in his hand.
He hadn't come to Vermilion City for the S.S. Anne at all. His goals were simple: first, to obtain an Elite Trainer certification; second, to check the Pokémon Center for suitable bounty missions. As Kanto's largest port city, Vermilion was bound to have high-paying jobs available.
As for the ticket—
The girl had given it to him for free.
The shipping conglomerate issued each promoter girl one internal ticket, which they could give to friends or family. It allowed free boarding on the S.S. Anne and granted all the privileges of a standard ticket.
It could only be said that there was always a very small group of people in this world who could truly live off their looks.
...
In the entire Kanto region, only three cities housed a Trainer Vocational Assessment Center.
One was Vermilion City, where Kael currently was.
Another was Saffron City, the heart of Kanto.
The last was Celadon City, a developed metropolis second only to Saffron in scale and prosperity.
Some League Trainers, due to special circumstances, failed to collect all eight Gym Badges in time—but still wished to participate in that year's Indigo Plateau Conference. In such cases, they could apply for a qualification exam at the assessment center within two months prior to the tournament. If they passed all sections, they would be allowed to compete even without badges.
The Trainer Vocational Assessment Center in Vermilion City lay directly south of the Vermilion Gym, not far from the Pokémon Center. Unlike the Pokémon Center, whose emblem was a simple white Poké Ball, the assessment center bore a striking official insignia above its doors: a massive white hand clenched into a fist, tightly gripping a red Poké Ball.
As he passed by the Vermilion Gym, Kael glanced curiously at its wide-open entrance.
He had never formally challenged a Gym—but he had once served as a Gym Leader himself, if only for three days.
When he had first arrived in this world, he too had dreamed of becoming a League Trainer—challenging Gyms step by step, collecting badges, winning a regional championship, and making his name resound across all of Kanto.
But as time went on, pressed down by survival and reality, that dream had gradually faded. Thinking back on it now, he realized that the fiery passion of those early days was gone.
Perhaps one day, when he grew tired of life as a bounty hunter, he could travel to some unfamiliar continent and become a proper League Trainer—just like those kids—challenging Gyms and competing in tournaments all over again.
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