The next day, the snow fell even heavier. The streets were completely covered in a thick white blanket, making it impossible to go outside. Forced to stay indoors, Albus could only remain in his room with his Pokémon, sipping tea and admiring the snowy scenery around the small stove.
Since Manchester Town was set to host a grand contest in three days, many coordination trainers had arrived in town over the past two days. Coordination trainers carrying illustrated guides could stay in the Pokémon Center, while those without guides had to find accommodations in the town's hotels.
By evening, after spending two days lying around, Albus felt the need for some activity. When the heavy snowfall eased into a light flurry, he took Magical Leaf and Ancient Moon Bird to the backyard of the hotel to build a snowman.
Lorcan floated in the snow, clearly wanting to play but unable to physically touch it. Seeing this, Albus built a chubby snow Lorcan and said, "Look! Doesn't this look just like you?"
Lorcan looked down at the snow sculpture, then stepped forward to compare. It instantly became defensive, puffing up in protest. "I'm not that fat!"
Albus waved him over. "Come here and stand still."
Lorcan didn't understand the request but floated over anyway. "What are you doing?"
Standing in position, his limbs and body clearly extended beyond the size of the snow sculpture.
Albus tried hard not to laugh.
At first, Lorcan was confused. But then, glancing down, realization hit—it was almost as if steam would start coming out of his head. "I will never pay attention to you again!" he huffed.
Albus chuckled. "Ignore whom?"
"You!" Lorcan blurted out.
Albus grinned. "Then who are you talking to now?"
"You—" Lorcan turned around, folding his arms and looking away. "You are not allowed to speak anymore!"
Trying his best to suppress his laughter, Albus nodded solemnly. "Alright, alright, I won't talk anymore."
Lorcan "hmphed" and floated away, sulking as he drew circles in the snow with his fingers.
Albus really did stop talking.
After a while, Lorcan, noticing the silence, couldn't help but sneak a glance back.
There, rising from the snow, was a "tall, handsome, and cool" Snow Lorcan.
Albus waved at him. "Come here quickly. That fat Lorcan earlier was the one from the mansion. This one is you now."
Lorcan stared at it.
"…I'm not a fool," he muttered. "And this is not me." He still had self-awareness.
Albus sighed. "Alright then, come stand still, and I'll make a perfect snow version of you."
Lorcan finally floated back, standing on the ground as Albus carefully shaped the snow around his outline.
This playful scene attracted other trainers staying at the hotel. Before long, they brought their own Pokémon outside to join in the snowy fun.
On the third day, the heavy snow finally stopped.
With the temperature slightly rising, Albus took his Pokémon outside to handle some important business.
Manchester Town was located in the northwest of the Hoenn region, known for its rich agricultural lands. Unlike the towering skyscrapers of Carnaz City, this town was filled with a rustic, pastoral charm.
The town wasn't very large, and standing on the main street, one could easily see the neatly arranged terraced farmland stretching into the distance.
Several important locations from the games were present here—such as the home of a fossil fanatic obsessed with rocks like Anderson, the residence of Dr. Solans, who studied meteorites, and the grand contest hall.
Although these places crossed Albus' mind, they weren't his current concern.
His priority today was to find an internet café and look up the name of Dr. Ohmu's grandson.
As for the Phoenix King's feather, since Hoenn had its own native mythical Pokémon, its value might not be fully recognized here. Albus decided against selling it in this town.
However, after searching for a while, he realized there were no internet cafés in Manchester Town.
"I remember there was one in Adelaide City…" he murmured in frustration. With no other choice, he decided to check the local bookstore instead, hoping to find any relevant biographies.
Inside the bookstore, a mature woman wearing an apron greeted him. Noticing his aimless browsing, she asked, "Hello, can I help you find something?"
Albus asked, "Do you have any books related to Dr. Ohmu?"
"Dr. Oki from the Kanto region?" The woman seemed surprised.
Albus nodded. "Yes."
"Let me check." She walked to a bookshelf, scanning through the titles before pulling out two books. "Sorry, we don't have books by Dr. Ohki, but we do have some by Dr. Odamaki."
Dr. Odamaki… Albus instantly recalled the image of him being chased by a Vigoroth in the game.
After considering for a moment, he nodded. "That's fine."
A few minutes later, he sighed in relief.
From the information in the book, he learned that Dr. Odamaki did not have a daughter named Shafia, nor a son named Ruby.
Joseph, who served as the prototype for Shafia, was still the daughter of Qianli, the leader of Adelaide Gym, just like in the anime.
This confirmed that the world he was in was not based on the game's dangerous settings or the manga's more intense storylines but followed a safer, more anime-like structure.
Feeling reassured, Albus stuffed the book into his backpack, planning to use it to prop up a wobbly desk leg when he returned to school.
He was broke now, after all, and couldn't afford to waste anything.
If this world followed the anime's timeline, then there was a good chance he would eventually meet Sammy, Musashi, Nyankojiro, Joseph, and others.
Perhaps even a certain one-goal superman.
However, at this point in time, Sammy likely hadn't started his journey yet.
Albus tried to recall the early events of the series, but since it had been a long time, some details were fuzzy.
Still, he clearly remembered key moments—such as Sammy's abandoned Charmander, the giant Dragonite at Lighthouse Hill, and the three ancient Pokémon.
After leaving the bookstore, Albus headed to the contest venue.
A large electronic screen hung outside, displaying highlight reels of past competitions.
Mikri and his signature Milotic were featured prominently in the footage.
The competition venue was bustling with activity, filled with trainers and coordinators signing up for the event.
Unlike him, most of them were traveling in groups, accompanied by fellow trainers and Pokémon breeders.
Albus had come to Manchester Town to test Magical Leaf's recent training, so he went looking for a trainer willing to battle.
"You want to have a Pokémon battle with me?" A girl named Saori asked, pointing to herself.
Albus nodded. "Is that okay?"
Saori smiled. "Of course! That's pretty common for traveling trainers."
Then, after sizing him up, she added, "But I already have three gym badges. Judging from your appearance, you must have just started your journey, right?"
Albus didn't deny it. "That's right."
This was, after all, his first long-distance journey since arriving in this world.
Saori smirked. "In that case, let's see what you've got!"
She threw her Pokéball with a swift motion.
A flash of white light, and a Combusken nearly one meter tall landed in front of Albus.
The battle was about to begin.
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