Ash caught the feather in his hand and looked at the sky. Ho-Oh's figure had disappeared, and Misty, standing next to him, also gazed at the feather in Ash's hand with surprise.
"It's so beautiful! I didn't expect to see a Pokémon that I've never seen before. I feel lucky, except for the broken bike."
Ash looked at the feather in his hand, then at the rainbow soaring in the sky. His eyes became determined.
"Yeah! It's really lucky. I'm leaving now, what about you?" Putting the feather away, he asked Misty.
In the anime, there is an unbreakable bond between them because of the bicycle, but for now, the bicycle matter seems to be over. Ash didn't know if Misty had other goals.
"Ah! I..." Misty was slightly taken aback when she heard Ash's words.
Although they had only known each other for a short time, she felt a bit reluctant to part. She wanted to say she would go with him, but since they had only known each other for less than two days, she felt embarrassed to say it directly.
Not knowing what to do for a while, Misty asked a little awkwardly, "Then you... where are you going?"
"Me? I'm going to Viridian City first, and then I'll start collecting Badges to participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference," Ash explained his plan.
"Is that so? I just came from Viridian City. Why don't I show you the way? This way, you can avoid getting lost!" Misty's eyes lit up at the idea. No matter what, she would go to Viridian City first.
"That's it! Well, thank you! Let's go!" Ash felt amused by her eagerness but didn't mention that traveling alone would indeed be boring.
"Um!"
The two packed up their things and set off. On the road, Misty planned to give directions but found that she couldn't remember clearly.
Looking at Ash, she noticed that without her guidance, he didn't get lost at all. He just seemed to know the way, which made Misty a little embarrassed. She peeked at Ash from time to time, her head down.
Fortunately, Ash didn't say anything. Misty knew that he knew the way but didn't reveal it on purpose. Looking at the boy's side profile, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. This boy is really considerate, she thought.
The two chatted and hurried along the road, finally seeing the town at dusk. It was Viridian City, and they had already embarked on their journey.
They entered the city along the highway. Viridian City was not far from Pallet Town, but the main problem was the jungle in between.
As they entered the town together, the first building they saw was the police station. As soon as they entered, they were stopped by a female police officer with cyan long hair in a police uniform.
"You two, wait for me!" she called out.
"Huh? What's the matter, Officer Jenny?" Misty, more familiar with the Pokémon world than Ash, recognized the female police officer in front of them as Officer Jenny.
Ash also looked at Officer Jenny with great interest. He knew that she was a recurring character in the Pokémon world, an important NPC used frequently in the series. The setting was interesting to him. Though there were male police officers, it seemed only Officer Jenny played a prominent role in most situations. Every city had an Officer Jenny, and they all looked the same and had the same name. Similarly, Ms. Joy managed the Pokémon Centers, providing healing and accommodation.
"A doctor and a police officer from the same family," Ash mused. "They've been trained for generations, all looking the same. I wonder if they're clones or if it's some kind of unique family trait."
"You two look suspicious!" Officer Jenny said, looking at them and then glancing at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"Huh? What? We're not suspicious!" Misty, with her straightforward personality, retorted immediately.
"There's been a Pokémon theft incident in Viridian City recently. Preliminary investigations suggest it's the work of a Pokémon theft group. Pokémon are usually kept in Poké Balls, but you have yours out in the open. I have reason to suspect you."
Officer Jenny's eyes were on Ash and Pikachu, and Pikachu's ears twitched slightly.
"My Pikachu doesn't like being in a Poké Ball. This can prove my identity," Ash said calmly, understanding she was just doing her job.
He knew that even young kids could be thieves; there were 10-year-old Pokémon thieves in the games. Ash took out his Pokédex. While he didn't need it to introduce Pokémon to him, it served as a valuable identification tool.
For many trainers, the Pokédex was like an ID card. Not all trainers had one, as most had a regular ID card. Only a select few had a Pokédex, making it a prestigious form of identification.
"Huh? This is..." Officer Jenny recognized the Pokédex in Ash's hand instantly.
Ash pressed a button on the Pokédex, and it opened automatically.
"Hello, I'm Professor Oak. This Pokémon Pokédex is given to Ash from Pallet Town. This Pokédex is very precious. Once lost, it cannot be replaced. Please keep it safe. Good luck!" Professor Oak's voice played, along with Ash's image on the screen.
"Ash from Pallet Town! You're the fourth trainer from Pallet Town in these two days. Okay, no problem. You can go in. But be very careful, as there are Pokémon stealing syndicates in Viridian City these days."
With his identity proven, Officer Jenny no longer doubted him. A regular trainer couldn't get a Pokédex, making it an excellent proof of identity.
"Thank you for the reminder!" Ash and Misty said. Ash glanced at the gate of the police station, noticing a blurry arrest warrant but not paying much attention to it.
Knowing their identities already, he didn't think too much about it and entered the city with Misty, heading toward the Pokémon Center.