Crossing Lake Verity, we entered the territory of Wetland City.
And Wetland City is most famous for the "Great Wetland."
A place similar to the Safari Zone, where one can enter after paying a certain fee to capture all kinds of Wild Pokémon.
However, you must use the special Pokeballs provided by officials, with a quantity limitation, and you cannot have your Pokémon participate in battles. All Pokémon must be deposited before entering.
What kind of Pokémon you can catch is entirely up to luck.
As everyone knows, it is very difficult to capture Wild Pokémon just by throwing a Pokeball unless they are already defeated.
Unless the Pokémon has a good impression of the person trying to capture it.
Moreover, the Pokeballs provided by the Great Wetland are not even as good as regular Pokeballs, with a very low capture rate.
So, this place is more for tourism and sightseeing.
However, to be fair, the variety and quantity of Wild Pokémon in the Great Wetland are quite impressive, and there are some rare Pokémon as well.
If you're lucky, there's a chance to encounter rare Pokémon.
But capturing them is not very likely.
Natsuhiko didn't enter Wetland City and instead proceeded along the edge of the "Great Wetland," still aiming for Celestial Crown Mountain.
Walking along the edge of the Great Wetland is not much different from walking in it; every step could land in mud.
For this reason, Natsuhiko had to use psychic powers to wrap his feet to prevent sinking into unknown holes.
The wetland is a major feature of the southern area of the Sinnoh Region.
The area was once covered by seawater, but due to some special reasons, the terrain retained its original wet environment, gradually forming the wetland.
The wetland is rich in resources, minerals, and trace elements, much loved by Wild Pokémon, eventually becoming a gathering place for them.
The League established a hunting area to protect such a natural environment.
Officially, it offers Trainers more hunting opportunities, but because of the low capture rate, it actually protects the ecology and the Pokémon living there.
Natsuhiko didn't linger long.
He didn't think his luck would allow him to encounter any rare Pokémon in the wetland.
But due to the management of the League, the Wild Pokémon here are not very aggressive, and the abundant resources in the wetland mean they have no worries about food and won't randomly attack passing Trainers and Pokémon.
Natsuhiko even saw an Arbok and a Bibarel coexisting harmoniously.
He didn't understand this sight.
Yet, because of this, the Wild Pokémon lack the pressure of survival and the harshness of competition, generally resulting in weaker abilities, making this the easiest part of his journey through Sinnoh.
However, after passing the radiation range of the Great Wetland, it became dangerous again.
...
...
Three days later.
Natsuhiko paused in a vast Rock Area, gazing up at the gigantic peak before him, nearly seeing its summit, feeling the awe of the magnificent nature of the Pokémon Realm.
Celestial Crown Mountain!
More accurately, it's the edge of the Celestial Crown Mountain Range; the real Celestial Crown Mountain should be located to the north of this range.
But reaching here meant that Celestial Crown Mountain wasn't far.
However, as Natsuhiko approached the mountain, he suddenly realized a significant issue.
And that was the appearance time of Celestial Crown Mountain!
It should have appeared after the epic battle of Giratina, Dialga, and Palkia.
About two hundred million years ago, due to crustal changes, Celestial Crown Mountain emerged.
So, the mountain range where the stone tablet fell, which he saw, might not be Celestial Crown Mountain.
It was a slightly awkward realization.
Even, perhaps due to crustal changes, the original mountain peak could no longer be found.
But since he was already here, it would be a shame not to take a look.
So, Natsuhiko decided...
"We won't camp outside today; according to the map, if we continue north, we can reach Suiyi Town."
Natsuhiko looked down at the map displayed on his phone.
Let's admit, the tools developed by Devon and Silver are quite good and useful at times.
Hearing that they wouldn't be sleeping outside tonight and could rest on a comfortable soft bed, Togetic was the first to jump up happily.
"Togetic!"
Natsuhiko also considered this.
The frequency of battles in the wild had been too high recently, although the Pokémon's states were still quite good, such high-intensity and prolonged situations could inevitably cause some hidden injuries.
It's more reassuring to use professional instruments at the Poke Center to check through.
Natsuhiko looked up at the sky.
"We won't be able to reach Suiyi Town before dark. If we want to sleep on a comfortable soft bed tonight, we need to speed up."
The sun had already set behind the Celestial Crown Mountain Range, with its massive shadow enveloping them; if they didn't hurry, they might not make it in time.
"Togetic!"
'Hurry! Hurry!'
Togetic waved its tiny hand, leading the way in front.
Natsuhiko smiled helplessly, signaled Beedrill to keep an eye on Togetic, and also picked up his pace.
It's just.
Sometimes, the more you want to get something or achieve a goal, the harder it becomes.
Even in the Pokémon Realm, Great God Murphy can exert its influence.
As the sun set and night gradually descended, a thin mist spread across the forest.
Another unique environment of the Sinnoh Region, mainly concentrated on Route 210 north of Suiyi Town, where the clash of southern and northern air currents and sudden temperature changes often lead to dense fog in this area.
Suiyi Town also falls within the fog's coverage, so Natsuhiko and his team, on their way to Suiyi Town, inevitably got shrouded in mist.
Of course, it's not that other regions don't have fog, but it's not like Route 210 in Sinnoh, where it's almost always foggy, and at night the fog-covered area gets larger.
So it happened.
In their hurry to travel, led by Togetic....
They got lost.
Togetic looked around in confusion, full of despair.
It seemed that tonight they might miss out on sleeping in bed.
Natsuhiko helplessly rubbed its small head.
"It's my fault. I knew the road north of Suiyi Town and the forest would be filled with dense fog, but I didn't realize it would spread to such a large area at night. I should have just stayed at the foot of the Celestial Crown Mountain Range to pass this night."
Togetic hung its head, feeling a bit down and self-critical.
"It's okay, we'll try for another hour, maybe we can find the way; if not, we can spend another night outside."
Seeing Togetic still a bit depressed, Natsuhiko smiled and said, "Alright, even if we can't make it to Suiyi Town today, we'll rest there for a day tomorrow, ensuring you get to sleep in a bed."
Sometimes, an insignificant thing falls through due to too much expectation, leaving a considerable impact on the heart.
Such as the current Togetic.
Natsuhiko and the other Pokémon didn't seem to mind.
But after hearing Natsuhiko's words, Togetic finally came around, clenching its small fists, eyes filled with hope.
"Togetic!"
'I don't believe it, we won't make it today!'
With that said, it glanced around with determination, deciding to make one last effort in the hour Natsuhiko mentioned.
Natsuhiko and the Pokémon just exchanged smiles and didn't object to its persistence.
So, Teacher Poke took the lead again.
And even planned a little strategy by marking the ground to avoid getting lost again.
But after they left.
In the fog emerged a petite black shadow, eyes like gems twinkling with slyness.
Lifting its head, it silently erased the marks Togetic had left on the ground.
This behavior, if Togetic were present, would surely look quite familiar.
Wasn't it exactly what it had done to Natsuhiko in the tunnel below the Dark Ruins before?
As the saying goes, justice may be late, but it eventually comes.
The black shadow let out a low laugh, stealthily following behind.