Chapter 160: The Kalos Region, Exploring Lumiose City

After stopping and going along the way, it took Cheng Cheng and Moko three days to finally return to Professor Oak's research laboratory.

"Cheng Cheng, the research project for Pokémon Mega Evolution has been officially approved. We can start the research right away."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Hearing that the project had been approved, Cheng Cheng was overjoyed. He believed that once the research on Pokémon Mega Evolution was successfully completed, he would be able to smoothly advance to a Senior Pokémon Breeder.

"However, that still has to wait until you bring back the Mega Stones. I can do some preliminary preparations and research here, but to truly begin the actual research, we must wait until you retrieve the Mega Stones and Key Stones."

"No problem, we will set off immediately."

"Very well, I look forward to hearing your good news."

Afterward, Cheng Cheng informed Moko about their upcoming trip to the Kalos region, and Moko was extremely excited upon hearing it.

"That's great! We can finally go to the Kalos region. Are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Of course. Let's depart from Viridian City tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Tracey drove Cheng Cheng and Moko to Viridian City in his car, where they boarded an airship bound for the Kalos region. Since there were not many exchanges between the Kalos region and the other regions, airship flights were quite limited. Cheng Cheng and Moko were very fortunate, as there happened to be a flight heading to the Kalos region that very day.

Although interactions were currently sparse, Cheng Cheng believed that once the Fairy type and Mega Evolution were fully revealed to the world, the Kalos region would become the center of everyone's attention.

The distance from the Kanto region to the Kalos region was quite far, and even an airship took a full day to complete the journey. Aboard the airship, Cheng Cheng and Moko enjoyed some very delicious meals.

In the evening, the airship finally arrived in the Kalos region. However, it was already midnight by the time they landed, so Cheng Cheng and Moko headed straight to the Pokémon Center to rest.

The person in charge of the Pokémon Center in the Kalos region was still Officer Jenny—wait, Nurse Joy, yet her attire looked somewhat different.

Although Cheng Cheng and Moko had already established their relationship, they still stayed in separate rooms.

That night, Cheng Cheng sat on the bed and took out his laptop. This time, he had purchased a portable laptop, as it would come in handy on numerous occasions.

Connecting to the Pokémon Center's network, Cheng Cheng began browsing the map of the Kalos region.

He was not very familiar with the Kalos region, so he needed to learn about many things through the computer.

Cheng Cheng reviewed all the cities in the Kalos region. He was quite familiar with some of them because major events would take place there, while other cities remained completely unknown to him.

Next, Cheng Cheng checked the composition of the Kalos League. His primary focus was on the Champion, the Elite Four, and all the Gym Leaders. The Champion of the Kalos region was Diantha, who owned a Gardevoir that was capable of Mega Evolution.

Cheng Cheng decided to find some time to meet with Diantha and discuss Gardevoir's Mega Evolution.

Additionally, the Elite Four of the Kalos region were specialized type masters: Malva the Fire-type expert, Siebold the Water-type expert, Wikstrom the Steel-type expert, and Drasna the Dragon-type expert. The presence of a Dragon-type Elite Four member in the Kalos region proved that the Dragon type was indeed the strongest attribute.

However, since the Fairy type had already flourished in the Kalos region, the status of Dragon-type Trainers had actually faced a certain degree of threat. As for the Gym Leaders of the various cities, Cheng Cheng glanced through them roughly, though he did not show much interest.

The city Cheng Cheng was currently in was Lumiose City, which featured the Lumiose Gym. However, Cheng Cheng had no intention of challenging the Gym this time; he was much more interested in exploring the fun and entertaining places the city had to offer.

This time, Cheng Cheng and Moko had come here primarily for travel and sightseeing, so naturally, they needed to seek out fun and interesting spots.

Cheng Cheng browsed through all the attractions in Lumiose City and discovered that the city indeed boasted many fascinating places. The most famous landmark in Lumiose City was the Prism Tower located in the Central Plaza. The Prism Tower was breathtakingly beautiful, attracting countless tourists, and Cheng Cheng marked it as a top priority. The Prism Tower would undoubtedly be an excellent choice.

In addition, Cheng Cheng marked several other locations, such as Café Soleil, the Stone Emporium, the Poké Ball Boutique, as well as the Juice Shoppe and the Second-Rate Restaurant where they could grab a bite to eat. At the same time, Cheng Cheng spotted a very famous location, but it made him hesitate slightly. He wondered whether he should visit this place; if he did, his wallet might not survive. This place was none other than the Fashion Boutique. Cheng Cheng jotted down the Fashion Boutique as well, though he decided to figure out whether to visit it later.

After making all the preparations, Cheng Cheng entered a state of meditation before going to sleep.

The next morning, Cheng Cheng and Moko woke up, had breakfast at the Pokémon Center, and officially began their sightseeing tour.

Cheng Cheng also checked for information regarding Diantha and discovered that her recent appearances had been right here in Lumiose City, meaning there was a chance he might actually run into her.

The first place Cheng Cheng wanted to visit was naturally the Prism Tower. As the most famous attraction, it naturally drew a massive crowd of people.

"Cheng Cheng, I'll leave today's itinerary entirely in your hands."

"Of course, no problem at all. The very first place we're heading to is the magnificent Prism Tower."

Cheng Cheng and Moko arrived at the Central Plaza and gazed up at the towering Prism Tower.

Cheng Cheng noticed that the Prism Tower was currently undergoing repairs, seemingly having suffered slight damage from some unknown incident.

"This tower looks gorgeous, but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about it right now."

Cheng Cheng pulled out his travel guide and discovered that the Prism Tower was at its most stunning during the evening.

"Since that's the case, let's go check out some other places first."

"Alright, no problem! There are plenty of other places to visit. Let's go to the Poké Ball Boutique!"

"The Poké Ball Boutique?"

"Yes! The Poké Ball Boutique features a wide variety of Poké Balls, and there are so many different types. Who knows, maybe we can discover some interesting Poké Balls there."

"Well, alright. If we look closely, we might even find a Love Ball."

"Love Balls don't appear just anywhere easily. It took me a lot of time to find one before. But it's still possible."

Following the map, Cheng Cheng and Moko arrived outside a distinctive exhibition hall. The venue was divided into two sections: the first part was a massive showroom displaying various kinds of Poké Balls, while the other side was a shop where visitors could purchase them.

Cheng Cheng and Moko decided to check out the exhibition hall first to observe these Poké Balls.

"Let's go in."

Cheng Cheng took Moko by the hand and led her into the Poké Ball Boutique. As soon as they stepped through the doors, the two of them saw numerous Poké Balls neatly arranged in display cabinets on both sides.

The first ones that caught their eyes were the most standard red-and-white Poké Balls. Of course, the red-and-white balls kept here held profound historical significance. Compared to other types of Poké Balls, the first-generation standard Poké Ball held immense importance.

Aside from the ordinary red-and-white balls, there were Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and even Master Balls. Three special balls were placed right in the center of the exhibition hall, one of which was the Master Ball. The Master Ball could capture any Pokémon, and even legendary Pokémon were unable to resist it. However, capturing a Pokémon was one thing, but whether it would obey you was an entirely different matter. Even if you captured a Pokémon using a Master Ball, it might very well refuse to follow your commands, making the capture practically no different from not having caught it at all.

Placed in the second display cabinet was a pure white Premier Ball. This Premier Ball was the very first Premier Ball manufactured in the Kalos region, holding symbolic commemorative significance just as its name suggested.

As for the third ball, Cheng Cheng did not recognize it at all. It was pitch black, with no name inscribed on it and no descriptive placard accompanying it.

Cheng Cheng felt a spark of curiosity toward this mysterious ball. He used his psychic power to probe it, only to find that his psychic energy could not penetrate it in the slightest. At the same time, the ball looked no different from any ordinary sphere.

Abandoning his exploration of the strange ball, Cheng Cheng turned his attention to the other exhibits.

Further down the back half of the showroom were many other types of Poké Balls, such as Heal Balls, Dive Balls, Safari Balls, and the Love Ball that Cheng Cheng had previously given to Moko.

"Cheng Cheng, they really do have Love Balls here!"

"Yeah. Even though Love Balls are extremely rare, it's completely normal for them to be showcased in a museum like this."

"Cheng Cheng, why don't we go buy some Poké Balls?"

"Sure."

Cheng Cheng and Moko walked over to the adjoining shop and prepared to purchase a few Poké Balls. When the two of them stepped inside, they found that both sides of the store were lined with all sorts of Poké Balls, surpassing even the quantity displayed in the exhibition hall.

Actually, for Cheng Cheng, the standard red-and-white balls were already sufficient. However, under Moko's strong urging, Cheng Cheng still purchased a few Ultra Balls. Meanwhile, Moko bought a Love Ball, a Love Ball—wait, a Dream Ball—and a Heal Ball.

These three specialty Poké Balls were somewhat more expensive than Cheng Cheng's Ultra Balls. After paying for their items, the shopkeeper presented each of them with a complimentary Premier Ball, as everyone who made a purchase at the store received one as a gift.

"Alright, we've got our Poké Balls. Cheng Cheng, where should we go next?"

"Hmm, it's getting a bit late. Why don't we head to a restaurant for lunch first?"

"Okay! Where are we going?"

"Not far from here, there's a place called the Second-Rate Restaurant. The food there should be quite good."

"The Second-Rate Restaurant? Why isn't it called a first-rate restaurant?"

"I'm not quite sure about that either. But even though it's called the Second-Rate Restaurant, I'm sure their cooking is top-notch!"

When Cheng Cheng and Moko arrived at the Second-Rate Restaurant, they found that the atmosphere inside matched its name quite well. Both the interior environment and the staff's service style could only be described as casual and unpretentious. Yet, it was precisely this laid-back ambiance and relaxed service attitude that managed to attract a large number of patrons.

It wasn't that the waiters had bad attitudes; rather, the vibe they gave off felt wonderfully carefree and easygoing.

Cheng Cheng and Moko decided to look over the menu and place their orders.