The Pantheon

Pacifidlog Town

The following week passed quietly in Viridian City.

Ashley kept to the same routine she had settled into, splitting her time between her parents, meditation with Janus, and spending time with the Pantheon. The structure helped, and by the end of the week she no longer felt the same lingering weight that had followed her after Team Magma.

That was enough.

She had never been the kind of person to stay in one place for long, and once the thought of leaving settled in her mind, it remained there. There was still something waiting for her beyond Viridian, something she had set aside while everything else demanded her attention.

The Hoenn Grand Festival was approaching.

Ashley still needed her fifth Ribbon.

She left a few days later, saying her goodbyes without much ceremony. Her parents understood well enough by now that she would not stay still for long, and there was no need to turn her departure into anything more than it was.

This time, she did not return to the Indigo Plateau.

Her path carried her back to Hoenn.

Pacifidlog Town greeted her with the soothing motion of the ocean beneath her feet. The floating platforms shifted gently with the tide, the wooden walkways creaking softly as waves passed beneath them. The air smelled faintly of salt, and the sound of water was constant, blending with the distant calls of Wingull circling overhead.

It felt different from Viridian in every possible way, and Ashley found that she did not mind.

She allowed herself a day to settle in before focusing on the upcoming Contest. There was still time before registrations closed, and rushing straight into preparation felt unnecessary after the calm  she had kept in the previous weeks.

Instead, she took the opportunity to walk through the town.

Diana and Juno accompanied her, both of them drawing their fair share of attention as they moved along the floating paths. Diana perched lightly along the railings or glided short distances between platforms, her pale feathers catching the sunlight in a way that made her stand out even among the constant movement of Flying-type Pokémon around the town.

Juno stayed closer.

The Kirlia walked at Ashley’s side with quiet composure, her movements as precise as ever while her orange eyes observed everything around them. Every so often she would pause, tilting her head slightly as if listening to something beyond the surface noise before continuing on without comment.

They moved without any particular destination.

Ashley stopped occasionally to watch fishermen tending to their lines or trainers preparing their Pokémon along the edges of the platforms. A few small shops built into the larger structures sold simple goods, and she took her time browsing without any real intention of buying much.

The town itself encouraged that pace.

Nothing in Pacifidlog felt rushed. The constant motion of the ocean seemed to set the rhythm for everything else, and Ashley found herself matching it without thinking. It was easy to walk without urgency, to let the hours pass without focusing on what came next.

Diana eventually took to the air more freely, circling above before returning to perch nearby whenever Ashley slowed. Juno remained grounded, though she occasionally reached out with a light touch of psychic energy, interacting quietly with objects or simply testing the space around her.

After a while, Ashley turned back toward the main path leading deeper into town.

The Contest Hall sat further in, built on one of the larger platforms where the walkways widened enough to handle the constant flow of coordinators and spectators. Even from a distance, it stood out. Banners hung along the outer railings, and the steady flow of people made it clear how excited everyone was for the contest.