Seatmate

Unlike his first trip to Johto, Yuga chose not to take a boat this time and opted for a plane. As a result, it took them only three days to reach the Johto region, accompanied by Chatot.

There were no direct flights from Hoenn to Ecruteak City, so Yuga first took a plane to Goldenrod City. From there, they planned to take a train to Ecruteak City.

Ecruteak City was not far from Goldenrod City, with only Violet City in between. The transportation was convenient and the journey was smooth, so it wasn't much of a hassle.

Upon arriving in Goldenrod City, Yuga didn't linger elsewhere and went straight to visit Mr. Miltan. After all, he felt it would be disrespectful not to visit the elderly man while he was in Goldenrod City.

Yuga had maintained contact with Mr. Miltan, who had taught him a lot about breeding and raising Milktanks, so Yuga held great respect for the elderly man.

Upon hearing that Yuga was planning to visit Ecruteak City, Mr. Miltan was quite surprised. Ecruteak City was not a place where just anyone could gain access.

Before leaving, Mr. Miltan gave Yuga a letter of introduction to Ecruteak Gym, suggesting that Yuga seek their help if he encountered any trouble.

Mr. Miltan wasn't just the owner of Moo Moo Farm; he was also a Gym Leader at Goldenrod Gym and had been good friends with the previous Gym Leader of Ecruteak City.

The current Gym Leader of Ecruteak City was a relatively young Trainer named Morty. Despite his age, he possessed formidable strength.

Ecruteak Gym was technically part of the Bell Tower faction. However, since the establishment of Ecruteak Gym, there had been growing discord within the Bell Tower.

Ecruteak Gym had become stronger over the years, causing increasing tensions within the Bell Tower. Eventually, the Gym Trainers chose not to interfere with the internal affairs of the Bell Tower anymore, focusing solely on guarding the Burned Tower.

So, even though Ecruteak Gym was still officially affiliated with the Bell Tower, their relationship had effectively become strained.

However, there was no significant conflict between the two, just differences in ideology. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for both to coexist in the same city for so long.

After leaving Mr. Miltan's Moo Moo Farm, Yuga and Chatot boarded a high-speed train bound for Ecruteak City.

Once on the train, Yuga found his seat along with Chatot. However, upon arrival, he noticed that someone had already taken the seat next to his.

The person saw Yuga approaching, nodded politely in greeting, and Yuga responded with a nod in return.

The train quickly began moving, and the scenery outside the window started to retreat rapidly. Chatot anxiously asked, "Will our trip to Ecruteak City go smoothly?"

Yuga knew that Chatot had been quite anxious these past few days. It carried both hope of finding Ho-oh and the fear of returning empty-handed, making it a turbulent emotional journey.

"Don't worry; it will go smoothly," Yuga reassured Chatot with a smile as he gently patted its head.

In reality, Yuga himself wasn't entirely confident. Whether Bell Tower would be willing to provide any clues or not, even if they were willing, the information they could provide might be quite limited.

And so, Yuga and Chatot, each with their own concerns, continued to gaze at the rapidly receding scenery outside the train window.

"Um...hello there!" At that moment, an abrupt voice interrupted their thoughts.

Yuga turned to see the person seated next to him looking somewhat embarrassed while addressing both him and Chatot. The previous voice had indeed come from him.

"Hello. Is there something you need?" Yuga looked at the young man beside him, who seemed to be around his age.

"Haha, nothing important. I just heard this Pokémon speak, and it surprised me. I wanted to get to know you guys. Oh, by the way, I'm Eusine."

It seemed that this young man was quite interested in Chatot's ability to speak, as his eyes remained fixated on it while he spoke.

"I see. Hello, I'm Shimizu Yuga, and this is Chatot. Nice to meet you," Yuga replied politely, introducing himself and Chatot.

"Great, great! I'll call you Yuga, then! It's not every day you come across a talking Pokémon. In fact, it's my first time! So, this is Chatot, right?"

Eusine appeared thoroughly excited as he gazed at Chatot. He came across as quite sociable, addressing Yuga by his name without any hesitation, even though they had just met.

"Species like Chatot are naturally adept at learning and mimicking, which is why a small number of them can communicate like humans," Yuga explained.

"I see, I see. It's fascinating! Is Chatot not a native species in Johto then? I haven't seen them here," Eusine asked with curiosity.

Yuga replied with a smile, "Chatot is more commonly found in the Sinnoh region. It's not a common sight in Johto."

And so, Yuga and Eusine struck up a conversation on the train. As they talked, they became gradually more familiar with each other.

"You two are also heading to Ecruteak City? What a coincidence, so am I," Eusine exclaimed upon hearing that Yuga and Chatot were headed to Ecruteak City.

Yuga was equally surprised. He hadn't expected to meet someone randomly on the train, let alone someone with the same destination.

Thus, Yuga and Eusine decided to travel to Ecruteak City together.

Through their conversation, Yuga learned that Eusine was friends with Morty, the Gym Leader of Ecruteak City. He was visiting Ecruteak City to meet his friend Morty.

Yuga marveled at how small the world could be, to think that he'd meet someone with ties to Ecruteak Gym so easily.

However, Yuga didn't plan to immediately follow Mr. Miltan's suggestion to seek help from Ecruteak Gym. He wanted to try his luck at Bell Tower first.

It wasn't that Yuga was being obstinate; he just wasn't sure if his somewhat unreliable Cleanse Tag would work at a renowned Ghost-type Gym like Ecruteak Gym.

The high-speed train was incredibly fast, covering the distance in less than a day. They passed through Violet City and arrived at Ecruteak City's train station.

Yuga and Eusine parted ways at Ecruteak City's train station.

By the time they arrived in Ecruteak City, it was no longer early in the day. So, Yuga didn't head directly to Bell Tower but instead chose to visit the Pokémon Center first.

Since he needed to ask for help, Yuga felt it necessary to freshen up and be presentable. After all, he didn't want to appear rude.

From Hoenn to Johto, and then without a moment's rest from Goldenrod City to Ecruteak City, Yuji had indeed traveled extensively, and his condition was far from ideal.

Ecruteak City was a renowned historical city in the Johto region, exuding a rich ancient cultural atmosphere. Even the buildings here were constructed in traditional architectural styles.

The Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City, like the other structures, followed the traditional architectural style, making it unique and charming.

One more chapter is currently being written by the author. However, due to the author not feeling well today and a slower writing pace, there's a possibility that it won't be completed before midnight. If that happens, this chapter will be combined with the one for tomorrow.

The text has been edited for grammar, syntax, and clarity while preserving the original content and word count.