By the time they reached the northern road, Pallet Town had changed.
The houses were fewer here, they were also spaced farther apart from each other. Their porch lights were dimmer, like the town was telling those who passed that they were closer to the route rather than the comfort of the town. Ahead, the dirt path stretched, narrowing as it met the tall grass beyond the final streetlamp.
Ludwig slowed without being told.
He didn't step into the grass. In fact, none of them did. After all, the line between town and route was clear enough without markers. And they don't want their one hour tour to be cut short.
Close to where they stood, another house stood. It was nothing to write home about. Just a normal house with wooden walls, a small porch., and windows with the curtains drawn
If Ludwig hadn't been looking for something, he might have passed it without a second glance.
But he paused.
The place tugged at him in an irritatingly vague way.
This house…
No. Maybe not. He had tried to remember a few minutes ago, but no. Nothing came.
He frowned faintly, trying to assemble the foggy memories inside his head into something concrete. What he knew was just this: A house slightly set apart. Near the edge of town. Close enough to wilderness that tall grass wouldn't be surprising.
Deep down, he knew. The house was Ash's house, or for those who play the game, their starting point.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the memories about the house refused to become something visible. Was the roof the wrong color? Too steep? Too low? He couldn't remember where the door was supposed to face, or if there had been flowers by the fence.
As he doubted himself due to his memory, Rimuru leaned towards him. "Yeah, that's the one is it?"
Ludwig moved his gaze from the house and looked at Rimuru. "You sound very sure for someone who has died and reincarnated in another world."
Rimuru hummed before giving him a chuckle while tilting his head to the side. "I wasn't at first. My memory of it was just as mushy as yours."
He then tapped the side of his head and smiled wryly. "But, I asked."
Ludwig didn't need the explanation. The Great Sage was pulling his memories from deep in Rimuru's head, maybe cross checking it with a bunch of other memories and recreated it as new memories.
"Single family residence." Rimuru went on, voice almost absentminded now. "Front door facing the road, small yard, positioned near the route so the trip to Professor Oak's lab isn't far. The place you leave from when you're ten to become a Champion."
He glanced at Ludwig then, smile softened.
"Even if my memories get fuzzy, the story doesn't change. This is where his or our journey starts."
Ludwig looked back at the house. "So you can see it clearly, huh?"
He felt Rimuru perking up from his back. "I remember it like it's a map I've never walked."
No sound came from Rimuru after he said that, but he could feel his hand landing on his right shoulder and pat it a few times.
In the next second, the slime had walked away, now standing just before Oak who was explaining to Claire.
"…and that path there." Oak gestured with an open hand toward the stretch of darkness ahead. "Is Route One."
Ludwig shifted his attention forward again.
Up close, the route didn't look dramatic. The dirt path continued for a short distance before being swallowed by tall grass that was moving gently due to the night breeze. The sound that came from it wasn't threatening as well. But it's alive with an ensemble of things that didn't sleep all at once.
"It connects Pallet Town to Viridian City." Oak continued, tone calm. "Most new trainers take it during the day due to safer visibility and fewer surprises."
Rimuru leaned slightly toward the grass, hands firmly clasped behind their back like a child resisting temptation. "Define 'fewer.'"
Oak smiled. "The Pokemon in Route one aren't aggressive. They are curious mostly while territorial sometimes. But they're used to people passing through."
"So they are used to beginners." Claire added.
"Yes." Oak agreed. "The route is meant to teach awareness not strength. You learn where to step, when to slow down, and when to listen."
Ludwig found that interesting.
In Ortus, roads were either defended or abandoned. In Tempest, paths were engineered. Here, the route felt… intentional in a different way. Like whoever built it expecting mistakes and thinking about growth at the same time.
"Wild Pokemon tend to stay within certain boundaries," Oak went on. "They'll approach if they're curious and retreat if they're not. Conflict usually only happens when someone ignores the signals."
Ludwig glanced at the grass again. The edge of it, just beyond the streetlamp's reach, seemed darker than the rest.
"So…" Ludwig started. "This is where they get their first experience, huh?"
Oak nodded. "Exactly."
Looker, who had been silent until now, stepped closer to the edge of the light. He didn't cross it. His gaze swept the route once, precise and measured.
"And where they stop being civilians." He added.
Oak didn't disagree.
Rimuru rocked back on their heels. "Wow. Imagine a world where the tutorial area is also a life lesson."
Claire snorted softly. Probably catching the reference due to her frequent chat with Rimuru and Ludwig.
Oak lowered his hand. "Unfortunately, this is where we stop today. Next time, when you guys finally get the permission, I'll walk you through the route."
Ludwig nodded. He agreed. Meanwhile, RImuru smiled widely, like he couldn't wait for that day to come.
Meanwhile, Claire. She gave no tells. She's just being her usual 'Administrator' self.
Oak turned back toward town first, as if the decision had already been made long before he said it out loud.
The light from the last streetlamp fell behind them as they walked away from Route One. The tall grass receded into sound and shadow, replaced again by fences, porches, and the softer geometry of homes meant to be returned to.
They hadn't gone far when Ludwig heard it.
They were footsteps that were slower and heavier than theirs. It was also accompanied by a faint, wet creak of something being dragged along the dirt.
Looker noticed it at the same moment.
Then, Ludwig felt it rather than see the subtle shift in Looker's posture. His shoulders squared. His stride shortened by half a step. His attention narrowed, no longer sweeping but fixing.
A fisherman emerged from the side path ahead.
He was broad-shouldered, coat still damp at the hem, a lantern hanging from one hand and a bucket swinging lazily from the other. The smell of brine and river water followed him like a second shadow. He slowed when he saw the group with eyes narrowing a fraction.
"Well." The fisherman said, voice rough but not unfriendly. "Don't see many folks out this late."
Oak stepped forward without hesitation. "Evening."
The fisherman's gaze moved across them. To Ludwig, then Claire, then Rimuru before settling back on Oak.
"Didn't expect company tonight, Professor." He said. "The town's been quiet since the kids left."
"I'm just showing some guests around." Oak replied easily. "Didn't mean to get in your way."
The fisherman grunted, seeming satisfied with that. He lifted the bucket slightly. "River was kind tonight. Got myself a couple good ones."
Rimuru leaned forward, eyes bright. "Oh? Anything interesting?"
The fisherman chuckled. "Depends who you ask. I got a couple of Magikarp, one fought harder than it had any right to."
Oak smiled. "They do that."
"Aye." The man said. "Wild's lively tonight, Professor. You will be able to feel it when you're out there long enough."
Ludwig glanced at Looker. The agent hadn't relaxed yet, but the tension had shifted.
"Best get home before it gets colder." Oak said. "You take care."
The fisherman nodded. "You too, Professor."
His eyes flicked once more to the others, curious but unconcerned, then he tipped his lantern and continued on his way, boots crunching steadily against the dirt as he disappeared deeper into town.
Only when the sound of his footsteps faded did Looker ease back into motion.
"That's why we don't wander." He said quietly.
Oak nodded. "Most people here don't mind strangers. But they still notice."
Rimuru grinned. "Village hospitality. Ask what you caught, then send you on your way."
They resumed walking and the row of houses finally gave way to open ground. The fencing also became looser, while the land became less even. Ahead, a cluster of lights spread wider than a single building should have allowed.
Ludwig noticed the gaps first.
Patches of dark where trees clustered naturally. A shallow depression that caught moonlight like water. Stone formations that looked too deliberate to be decorative, yet too organic to be ornamental. It didn't feel like a yard. It felt like land that had been left alone on purpose.
Movement stirred beyond the lights. Shapes shifting in the shadows. But this time, it was not people.
The main building sat at the center of it all, practical in design, its windows glowing steadily. Whatever this place was, it didn't shut down at night, it simply changed pace.
Oak slowed as they approached, pride quiet but unmistakable. His hand settled on the door handle like it had done so thousands of times before.
"This…" He said, turning back to them, "Is my lab."
He glanced past them, toward the darker stretches of land surrounding the structure.
"And those areas out there…" He added, "Are home—for now—to Pokemon who aren't traveling with trainers."
Rimuru's eyes shone. "So it's not just a workplace?"
Oak smiled. "No. it's part of my responsibility as a Pokemon Professor."
Ludwig took it all in. The lights, the land, the careful balance between structure and wilderness.
"Alright." He said. "That explains a lot."
Oak opened the door. Warm light spilled out, carrying with it the quiet sounds of life being carefully looked after.
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