” The Kanto Region.
Pallet Town, Professor Oak’s Pokémon Research Institute.
The original protagonists of the Pokémon Adventures generation had once again gathered on the sofa, four pairs of eyes fixed firmly on the television screen connected to the game.
While waiting for the loading screen to finish, Red spoke with a hint of emotion in his voice.
“So Brother Gray really started raising a new Pokémon…” His eyes shone with anticipation.
“I can’t wait for the day I finally get to battle him.” “Yeah.” Blue responded casually, though his tone carried its usual skepticism.
“Even though he keeps denying that he’s a Trainer, the battle instincts and experience he has are impossible to hide.” “Stop chatting already!
The game’s loading!
Hurry up and continue the save file!” Green impatiently interrupted them.
The screen had already switched to the loading interface.
Red pressed confirm.
A familiar scene unfolded before them.
It was the forest path just outside Pallet Town, the place where they had left off before.
A wooden sign stood nearby.
Route 1 Pallet Town – Viridian City “This time…” Red hesitated slightly.
“It won’t crash again…
right?” After a brief pause, he finally controlled Little Red and stepped onto Route 1.
The relaxing town music faded away.
In its place came lively wilderness music filled with vitality.
The entire screen was lush and Blue.
Pokémon could be seen everywhere.
Caterpie crawled among the leaves.
Pidgey flapped its wings as it flew overhead.
Several Rattata immediately darted into nearby grass upon noticing Little Red approaching.
Meanwhile, a few bold Spearow tilted their heads curiously as they observed him.
“There’s a sparkling spot under that tree!
Hurry and see what it is!” Green’s sharp eyes immediately spotted something in the corner of the screen.
Carefully controlling Little Red, Red maneuvered around a Beedrill sleeping among a patch of flowers before interacting with the shining object.
[Red found a Nugget!] [A golden Nugget that can be sold for a high price at shops.] “Hidden item exploration and collection!
And it can be sold too?” Green’s eyes immediately lit up.
Her excitement was impossible to suppress.
Red was equally delighted.
However, compared to making money, he found the treasure-hunting aspect far more enjoyable.
His entire playstyle instantly changed.
Carpet-search mode activated.
Ever since discovering that the game allowed for a much wider range of actions than ordinary games, Little Red had never taken a normal route while under Red’s control.
Three steps forward.
Quick sidestep.
Five steps later.
Combat roll.
In short: Whatever looked coolest.
Whatever looked fastest.
Whatever felt most stylish.
That was how he played.
As a result, a Route 1 that should have taken only a few minutes somehow consumed over half an hour.
The rewards?
Absolutely overflowing.
Under the precise guidance of Green’s “human treasure radar,” they managed to collect: Rare Candy ×1 Great Ball ×2 Super Potion ×1 Potion ×1 Pearl ×5 Big Pearl ×1 Nugget ×2 Along the way, they also encountered several NPCs who provided basic game guidance and tutorials.
Eventually, they arrived at the final intersection.
Viridian City was already visible ahead.
Just as they were about to enter, a loud splash suddenly came from the nearby stream.
A blue Pokémon leaped from the water and blocked their path.
[A wild Poliwag appeared!] “Oh?” Red grinned.
“A battle?” He immediately sent out Charmander.
“It’s your turn, Charmander!” Charmander stepped forward and assumed a battle stance.
Meanwhile, Little Red swiftly rolled to the side.
Poliwag’s Mud Shot had only just been launched when a Great Ball suddenly shot toward it from behind like a cannonball.
The ball struck Poliwag squarely in the waist.
Crack!
Its body folded inward as it transformed into red light and was sucked directly into the Poké Ball.
The Great Ball shook symbolically once in midair.
Ding.
Then it landed quietly on the ground.
“Hmph.” Red crossed his arms proudly.
“See that?
That’s the bond between me and Poliwag!” Not a trace of guilt could be found on his face despite the successful sneak attack.
Nearby, a Poliwrath NPC gave him a look filled with contempt.
Blue simply accepted it.
He was already used to this sort of thing.
“Why are all of you staring at me?” Red felt slightly embarrassed beneath everyone’s gaze and immediately defended himself.
“The wilderness is full of dangers!” “Safety comes first!” “The game allows it, okay?
It’s not because I’m fighting dishonorably!” “Mm-hmm.
Just hurry up and enter Viridian Ci…” Blue’s response abruptly stopped halfway.
Because the scene on the screen had changed.
Although Poliwag had been captured, the Mud Shot it launched earlier had not disappeared.
The mud projectile completely missed Charmander.
Instead, it flew through the battlefield and landed perfectly on the face of a sleeping Beedrill hidden among the flowers.
Buzz— In an instant, countless crimson compound eyes lit up throughout the flower field.
Not one.
Not two.
An entire swarm of furious Beedrill erupted into the air.
“What got hit was the leader!” Yellow was the first to react.
Her expression immediately changed.
“Red, run!” She anxiously pushed Red’s arm.
Red’s scalp instantly went numb.
Without hesitation, he controlled Little Red to snatch up the Poké Ball from the ground, grab the still-confused Charmander, and sprint toward Viridian City at full speed.
But the Beedrill swarm was terrifyingly fast.
Within moments, they became a black cloud that completely blocked the road ahead.
The furious swarm was about to engulf one Trainer and two Pokémon.
At that critical moment, Red’s eyes swept toward the rushing stream nearby.
An idea flashed through his mind.
No hesitation whatsoever.
Splash!
Little Red hugged Charmander tightly while clutching the Poké Ball and jumped directly into the icy water.
The powerful current immediately swept them downstream toward Viridian City.
The enraged Beedrill swarm chased after them relentlessly.
However, they could only circle helplessly above the riverbank, unable to reach their targets in the rushing water.
After a thrilling and heart-stopping journey through the stream, Little Red finally crawled onto the riverbank near Viridian City.
He was soaked from head to toe.
His appearance was utterly miserable.
As for Charmander?
The poor little Pokémon had long since become dizzy and was now sporting spiraling eyes.
“Whew…” Red wiped away nonexistent sweat.
“As expected of me!
A little difficulty like that was nothing!” Green rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile, Blue’s eyes lit up.
The ecological reaction of the Beedrill swarm after their leader was attacked, along with their pursuit behavior, differed slightly from the habits of real-world Beedrill.
However, the chain reaction itself, combined with the use of environmental hazards, brilliantly simulated the kinds of sudden dangers Trainers could encounter in the wild.
This game…
Could it actually be used to indirectly observe and analyze Pokémon behavioral patterns and ecological interactions?
Blue glanced at Red, who was still proudly showing off.
For the first time, he genuinely wanted to snatch the controller away and play himself.
At that moment, text appeared across the screen.
[Viridian City] [A city forever green, embraced by ancient forests] The notification faded.
Little Red had officially entered Viridian City’s boundaries.
Red immediately rushed to the Pokémon Center.
Only after Nurse Joy accepted Charmander and placed it inside the healing machine with her gentle smile did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Now he could begin exploring this forest-surrounded city properly.
His first destination was the Poké Mart.
After all, he had just survived a life-and-death chase.
It was time to restock supplies.
The shop menu appeared.
[Poké Ball: ¥200] [Super Potion: ¥300] [Full Heal: ¥600] [Silver Spray: ¥500] [Red’s Current Money: ¥500] “What?!” Green slammed the table.
“A Poké Ball costs two hundred?!” “Why doesn’t he just rob people outright?!” “How much did my Nugget even sell for?!” Before Red could react, Green snatched the Pokédex from his hands.
The next scene left the other three completely stunned.
Green immediately began operating the shopkeeper NPC.
Dialogue boxes erupted across the screen.
Bargaining.
Negotiation.
Threats.
Persuasion.
Psychological pressure.
Every possible tactic appeared one after another.
The barrage of verbal attacks was so dazzling that nobody could even keep up.
After an extended period of merciless haggling…
The shopkeeper NPC finally surrendered completely.
Not only did he purchase all the miscellaneous items in Little Red’s bag, including Pearls and Nuggets, for the astronomical price of ¥30,000…
He also gave additional gifts: Poké Ball ×10 Super Potion ×3 Super Repel ×1 Green calmly stuffed the Pokédex back into Red’s hands.
Her expression remained completely indifferent.
A true master hides her achievements.
Red remained frozen in place.
“You…” “You can actually do that?” Only now did he finally realize the significance of the free communication system he had previously ignored.
He silently swallowed.
A terrifying thought appeared in his mind.
From now on…
Under absolutely no circumstances should he ever argue with Green.
The exploration continued.
After Little Red, who had effectively become a combination of thief and burglar, finished looting the final cabinet in the final house of Viridian City…
He finally remembered the reason he had come here in the first place.
The main objective.
The Gym Challenge!
(End of Chapter)