Imperial City didn't directly border the ocean. To reach the beach, one had to travel to the New District, over two hundred kilometers away.
Since it was still early in the day, David bought train tickets to the New District on his phone and boarded the bullet train with Zorua.
Perhaps it was because the little fox had never experienced a bullet train before, but Zorua seemed incredibly excited throughout the journey, bouncing around and peering curiously at everything.
Fortunately, David had purchased VIP tickets for a private cabin with plenty of space, so he let the little one explore freely.
David himself reclined comfortably in his seat, sipping a cold soda while quietly waiting for the train to depart.
Thanks to the existence of Pokémon, civilian technology in this world had advanced far beyond what David remembered from his previous life.
The electromagnetic levitation bullet train he was currently riding had been developed using principles inspired by Electric-type Pokémon.
Even under normal operating conditions, its speed reached an impressive four hundred kilometers per hour.
Only with such remarkable speed could it meet the travel demands of people living on an Earth whose landmass had vastly expanded due to the integration of Secret Realms.
Before long—in just half an hour—David and Zorua arrived in the New District.
The New District Coastal Resort was one of Imperial City's most famous leisure and tourist destinations.
Sun, sand, ocean, delicious food, and luxurious resorts—everything here met first-class standards across the entire Alliance.
Since the New District's completion a few years ago, it had become a highly praised vacation destination throughout the Alliance.
According to local information, the reason for its pristine environment was that the nearby land had formed when an undeveloped Secret Realm directly merged with Earth.
This explained why it maintained such a beautiful natural environment, though David didn't plan to investigate too deeply.
He wasn't a university student majoring in Pokémon Environmental Studies here to gather material for a graduation thesis. He was simply here to relax and have fun with Zorua.
Who cared if it was a Secret Realm in the past? As long as they could enjoy themselves, that was all that mattered.
After exiting the electromagnetic levitation train, David and Zorua took a shuttle bus and finally arrived at their destination—the New District Coastal Resort.
On this hot summer day, the beach was packed with tourists, truly living up to its reputation as a vacation paradise.
David quickly changed into his beach clothes and headed straight for the shore with the little fox.
Stepping barefoot onto the fine sand, a soft and comfortable sensation instantly spread through his body as the slightly warm grains shifted beneath his feet.
"How does it feel, Zorua?"
Despite being not too far from Imperial City, the temperature here was noticeably more comfortable than in the city center.
The eight o'clock morning sun had only been up for just over an hour. Under the warm sunlight, with bare feet on the heated sand and feeling the cool ocean breeze blow past, David took a deep breath and felt instantly refreshed.
No wonder so many people were willing to visit here even on such a hot day.
He quickly found an ideal spot on the beach, set up the beach umbrella he'd prepared, arranged his lounge chair, and settled down to begin enjoying this wonderful day.
Azure ocean, clear sky, fresh air, and attractive young women in various swimsuits scattered across the beach—"This is the life," he thought contentedly, taking another deep breath.
"Zorua~ Zorua~!" The little fox immediately began rolling around joyfully on the sand.
Everything seemed so new and exciting to him on his first beach visit. He pawed at the sand here, collected a few shells there, playing with obvious delight.
Besides David and Zorua, many other beachgoers were also vacationing with their Pokémon partners.
Pidgey, Oddish, Squirtle, Sprigatito, Shellder, Poliwag, Pelipper—all sorts of Pokémon were present.
David even spotted a Slowpoke fishing with its tail near the water not far away.
Hmm, Slowpoke.
If he remembered correctly, one of the signature dishes at the New District Resort was charcoal-grilled Slowpoke tail.
Better not think about that anymore—it would be impolite to keep dwelling on it.
David wiped away imaginary drool from the corner of his mouth.
In addition, many families were at the beach with their children. Some were digging in the sand and collecting shells with small buckets and shovels, while others were having water fights with Water Guns.
Some held swimming rings and surfboards, ready to play in the waves, and still others were constructing elaborate sandcastles.
"Go ahead if you want to! Have fun today," David said, noticing Zorua's eager eyes fixed on the other playing Pokémon.
"Zorua~!"
Hearing David's permission, Zorua enthusiastically mimicked the others, playing wildly and having water fights with the surrounding Pokémon. He joined other Pokémon to build sandcastles and eventually buried himself completely in the sand.
The other Pokémon warmly welcomed this energetic newcomer, and Zorua had an absolute blast.
Eventually, even David—who had been lying on his lounge chair wearing sunglasses and dozing—was pulled up by Zorua to join the fun.
After playing energetically for over two hours, the exhausted trainer and Pokémon finally collapsed together on the lounge chairs.
"How was it, Zorua?"
"Zorua~!"
Believe it or not, after this beach trip, Zorua had somehow learned Sand Attack and Water Gun just by playing in the sand and having water fights. David was left completely speechless.
One could only conclude that Zorua was truly exceptionally talented. Natural aptitude really was an indescribable quality.
Perhaps this was what top students meant when they claimed they just understood things naturally through experience.
Even David found himself wanting to exclaim, "My Zorua has legendary potential!"
After resting for a few moments, David retrieved the Abyssal Fishing Rod he had obtained that morning.
Since they were already at the beach, how could he not give it a try?
Finding a suitable spot for ocean fishing nearby, David relaxed and settled into the role of fisherman, while the tired little fox curled up in his arms, already fast asleep.
Taking out the special bait he'd purchased at the resort area, he carefully attached it to the fishing hook.
David cast the fishing rod with a strong swing, then sat watching the distant float, quietly waiting for a fish to bite.
Soon, the float bobbed.
David seized the opportunity and pulled, effortlessly reeling the biting fish onto the beach.
He quickly stood up, grabbed the pre-prepared landing net, scooped up the catch, and placed it into the waiting basket.
"Zorua~?"
The sudden movement of standing up startled Zorua, who had been napping peacefully in his arms.
The little fox, still groggy with sleep, "glared" at David reproachfully.
David examined the basket. This ocean fish weighed at least three or four pounds.
"Nice! A good start. Looks like I won't have to go home empty-handed today or end up like Dad, buying a fish from the market to pretend I caught it."
Holding the basket, David smiled, stroked Zorua gently, and said, "Good boy, don't be upset. I'll give you an extra meal tonight."
"Zorua~!"
Hearing about the extra meal, Zorua immediately stopped his mock "glaring" and chirped happily.
Perhaps he really had been a cat in his previous life—Zorua certainly seemed very interested in eating fish.
After waking up, Zorua had no intention of going back to sleep. He simply leaned against David, watching him fish attentively.
Soon, the float moved again.
David gave a strong pull, and a large fish—about a meter long with a golden crown and red scales—was reeled in.
It was a Magikarp, the most common Water-type Pokémon in the world.
Looking at the Magikarp before him, David felt somewhat deflated.
He couldn't eat it, and he wasn't planning to train a Gyarados from scratch, so what could he do with it?
He recalled Team Rocket's predicament from the anime series.
David could only sigh inwardly and politely return the Magikarp to the ocean.
Over the next few hours, David continued catching various Pokémon—more Magikarp, Staryu, Seel, Goldeen, and others.
One could only say that a top-tier fishing rod truly lived up to its reputation. Even a novice like himself, who hadn't fished much before, could have such impressive results.
In the end, David released all the Water-type Pokémon he'd caught back into the ocean, keeping only a dozen or so special local fish species from the resort as he left the beach.