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After resting for a night at the Pokémon Center, Kai and Sabrina didn't rush to leave Violet City. Instead, they made their way north of the city, crossing a lake until they arrived at Sprout Tower.
Sprout Tower was situated within a temple on the outskirts of the city. Nestled against the mountains and surrounded by forests, the temple was far from the bustling city centre, making it an ideal place for quiet meditation and training.
Since it was a well-known tourist attraction and had free admission, many visitors came here every day. However, it was still early only nine in the morning. The monks had just finished their morning prayers, and as a result, there weren't many tourists around.
Kai and Sabrina stepped through the temple's grand entrance.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the moment Kai entered the solemn temple grounds, he felt a faint sense of tranquillity washing over him.
However…
Glancing at Sabrina, Kai chuckled wryly to himself.
Forget tranquillity he was far too entangled in worldly affairs for that. Being inseparable from Sabrina while also having a few young girls showing interest in him meant he was probably destined to be at odds with enlightenment for the rest of his life.
As they ventured further into the temple, Kai took in his surroundings and was surprised by the simplicity of the layout.
Small housing quarters for the monks lined the area, and a few monks could be seen sweeping the courtyard in the distance.
At the centre of the grounds stood a three-story wooden pagoda elevated on a stone platform.
"That must be Sprout Tower…"
To be honest, Kai was somewhat disappointed.
When he first heard the name "Sprout Tower," he had imagined a towering structure, perhaps six or seven stories tall. But now that he saw it in person, it looked no different from an ordinary wooden pagoda.
It had wooden walls and blue-tiled roofs nothing remotely resembling a Bellsprout, nor was it particularly tall. It was far from what he had envisioned.
From the shadows, Gengar emerged, scanning its surroundings with curiosity. Clearly, it shared Kai's confusion.
"I really don't get it why is this called 'Sprout Tower'? It doesn't look anything like a Bellsprout."
Kai flipped through the travel guide he had picked up at the Pokémon Center. "Apparently, inside the tower, there's a giant wooden pillar that constantly sways to maintain balance just like a swaying Bellsprout. That's why it got its name."
"A swaying pillar?" Gengar tilted its head. "If it's always moving, wouldn't that make the whole structure unstable? Why would they design it that way?"
"I don't fully understand the mechanics either." Kai shook his head. "The guide doesn't explain much, but I've heard that this type of flexible structure has excellent earthquake resistance. It's called a 'soft structure.' Even modern buildings still use similar designs. It might look unstable, but in terms of architecture, there's nothing wrong with it."
As they spoke, Kai and Sabrina ascended the stone steps and entered Sprout Tower through its open doors.
Creak.
Their footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as they stepped inside. Almost immediately, their eyes were drawn to the massive wooden pillar at the centre of the tower, which swayed rhythmically like a giant pendulum.
The enormous log, nearly two meters wide, extended from the upper floors down into the underground foundation, rocking steadily back and forth.
"Whoa… That's huge!"
Curious, Gengar phased through the walls, first checking the upper levels before diving into the ground below. When it floated back up to Kai, it was mumbling in amazement.
"I checked it out this pillar isn't being moved by any external force. It's designed in a way that allows it to sway naturally! That's incredible!"
Kai nodded. "Yeah, it really is."
As Gengar continued marvelling at the pillar, Kai and Sabrina explored the upper floors.
However, his initial disappointment only grew aside from the massive wooden pillar, there was nothing particularly remarkable about Sprout Tower. Structurally, it was just like any other wooden pagoda, and there wasn't much else worth seeing. What a letdown.
Still, since it was a well-known landmark, Kai took a few photos as a souvenir before they finally left.
At around eleven in the morning, they stayed a bit longer to enjoy a simple vegetarian meal provided by the monks. To their surprise, the meal, though modest, was incredibly delicious perhaps the most rewarding part of their visit.
It was only during lunch that Kai noticed something interesting all the monks had a Bellsprout by their side.
It seemed they had chosen to train with Bellsprout to match the temple's name and spirit.
Once they finished their meal, Kai and Sabrina pressed their palms together in gratitude, bidding farewell to the monks before leaving Violet City behind.
With a few days left before their scheduled meeting with Looker, their next destination was Blackthorn City. They planned to journey through the vast, dense forests before challenging the Blackthorn Gym.
After the Gym battle, they would head to meet up with Looker.
They followed the wide road for about half an hour, nearing the entrance of the forest when suddenly, a sleek red sports car sped down the road toward them.
The car zoomed past Kai, kicking up a trail of dust, but before the dust even settled, the vehicle suddenly reversed and stopped in front of him.
The scene was oddly familiar, making Kai instinctively glance inside the car.
Sure enough, sitting in the front passenger seat was a familiar face someone about Ash's age.
"Huh? Gary?"
There was no mistaking it only Gary Oak would make such a flashy entrance!
As always, his car was packed with stylishly dressed young women, and he sat in the passenger seat, looking just as surprised to see Kai.
"Kai? I didn't expect to run into you here!"
"I'm just as surprised." Kai waved at him before glancing down at the sports car. "It's been a while, but you haven't changed a bit still travelling around in a sports car, huh?"
"Of course." Gary crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. "This is the fastest way to travel! Compared to you walking around, I'm way ahead in speed!"
Hearing that, Kai naturally thought of Ash and asked, "Speaking of which, if you're here, have you seen Ash?"
Gary snorted. "We parted ways at the lab yesterday. That slowpoke is heading this way too, but at his pace, he's probably still trudging around the Indigo Plateau!"
Still at the Indigo Plateau? We'll about that...
Turning his attention back to Gary, Kai smirked. Just like their last meeting, he took out a Poké Ball from his belt, tossing it up and down in his palm as he looked at Gary with a grin.
"So? It's been a while how about a battle?"
Unexpectedly, Gary shook his head.
"Now? No way. Our match has to wait for the Silver Conference. That's when I'll make sure I don't lose to you again you'll get a taste of defeat for once!"
With that, he waved dismissively, signalling to the driver. The young woman at the wheel stepped on the gas, and the sports car roared off into the distance!
Vroom! Dust swirled in the air once more.
Watching Gary's car disappear down the road, Kai couldn't help but smile.
One after another, strong rivals were appearing.
And with the unknown challengers waiting at the Silver Conference, things were bound to get exciting!
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