” The three Pokémon completely ignored every rule of Trainer battles.
They rushed forward together and began a merciless group beating.
Water Gun.
Gust.
Poison Sting.
The attacks came crashing down on Poliwag from every direction.
“Wha…
What the heck?!
You…” Red became so angry that he could barely form coherent sentences.
Pointing at the screen, he lodged an indignant accusation.
Beside him, Yellow looked worried.
“Red…
calm down…” Her voice was as gentle as ever.
“Serves you right.” Blue had finally lost the battle against his own amusement.
While trying desperately to suppress his laughter, he leisurely twisted the knife.
“So…” “Next time you’ll still choose…” “‘Extremely Easy’?” On the screen, Poliwag fought alone against overwhelming odds.
Although its level advantage allowed it to struggle for a while, it was still being attacked by multiple opponents at the same time.
After a brief resistance, it finally collapsed unwillingly.
[Red has no Pokémon capable of battling!] [Red was defeated and lost ¥3,600…] [Red’s vision went black!] [Red hurried to a Pokémon Center to prevent his exhausted Pokémon from suffering further harm…] The screen changed.
Little Red’s figure appeared in the brightly lit lobby of Viridian City’s Pokémon Center.
Accompanied by the familiar, soothing healing music, Nurse Joy returned the Poké Balls with a professional and sweet smile.
[Nurse Joy: Your Pokémon have fully recovered.
Please come again.] “Three thousand six hundred!” Green exploded before Red could even process his humiliation.
“A whole three thousand six hundred!” “Red!
Pay me back for my hard-earned money!” Red opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Faced with the wrath of the team’s financial backer, he genuinely lacked the courage to argue.
His face turned red as he hurriedly made promises.
“Don’t worry!” “I’ll win it back!” “I’ll win back double!” The frustration of being crushed by higher levels, overwhelmed by numbers, and even physically kicked in the rear…
It had been a very long time since he’d experienced something that miserable.
After painfully spending money at the Poké Mart to replenish healing items, Little Red resolutely stepped into Viridian Forest.
It wasn’t because he was eager to reach the next city.
No.
He wanted to grind levels.
Everything he had lost…
He intended to win back.
The moment he stepped into the edge of the forest, a figure suddenly burst out from the dense grass nearby.
It was a young boy carrying a bug-catching net.
A carefree grin, bordering on foolishness, covered his face.
An enormous exclamation mark instantly appeared above his head.
[Bug Catcher: Since our eyes met, let’s have a Pokémon battle!] “Huh?” Red immediately perked up.
“A Trainer battle?” He was still angry from earlier.
Battle spirit ignited in his eyes.
“Then don’t blame me for being ruthless!” “Go, Charmander!” “Char!” Charmander leapt forward energetically.
Its opponent was…
A Metapod.
Red didn’t hesitate.
“Ember!” “Keep using Ember!” The moment he issued the command, his control of Little Red also became noticeably smoother.
The Bug Catcher had never witnessed such aggression.
After all, he existed primarily as an experience package for beginners.
His Level 7 Metapod only knew Harden…
The battle quickly became painful to watch.
For the Metapod.
[Charmander gained 80 experience points!] [Charmander advanced to Level 16!] [Red: Huh?
Charmander’s appearance!] Brilliant white light suddenly erupted from Charmander’s body.
Within the radiance, its form rapidly changed.
Its body grew taller.
Its limbs became stronger.
The flame on its tail burned even more fiercely.
Its entire appearance transformed dramatically.
Charmander evolved into Charmeleon!] [Red defeated Bug Catcher!] [Red received ¥300 in prize money from Bug Catcher!] “It evolved!” “Charmeleon!” Red stared at the proud and energetic Charmeleon displayed on the screen.
Joy practically overflowed from his face.
All the frustration from earlier vanished instantly.
Green’s focus, however, was completely different.
Her eyes had practically transformed into currency symbols.
“You get money for winning?!” “Hurry!” “Go beat him up again!” “See if he’s hiding any other valuables!” “Th-that doesn’t seem very nice…” Yellow looked at the Bug Catcher lying on the ground with a resentful expression.
She felt somewhat sympathetic.
“A challenger should always be prepared to lose.” Blue folded his arms and spoke coldly.
“If a challenger loses, paying a price is only natural.” “The same applies in reality.” “Not everyone is willing to waste their valuable time accepting your battle request.” “This is a perfectly reasonable game mechanic.” “Go!
Go!
Go!” Green excitedly directed Red.
“Look over there!” “There are several more hiding in the grass!” “Go rob them of all their money!” “If you do that, I’ll temporarily forgive your mistake!” “And!” She pointed at another location.
“That tree on the left!” “There’s a shining spot inside the hollow trunk!” “Don’t miss it!” “Got it!” Having just enjoyed a satisfying victory and witnessed Charmander’s evolution, Red’s morale skyrocketed.
Little Red immediately launched what could only be described as a full-scale sweep of Viridian Forest.
The harvest was incredible.
Not only did they train their Pokémon.
Not only did they gather numerous items.
They even discovered a valuable TM disc hidden beneath the roots of a concealed tree.
[TM: Fire Spin] Red immediately taught it to Charmeleon without hesitation.
However, learning moves was not as simple as pressing a button.
The system explained that move mastery required actual training.
To accomplish that, players needed to use the Wilderness Camping Set.
After setting up camp, Little Red would personally accompany and guide Charmeleon through practice sessions.
A campfire crackled.
The tent stood completed.
Poliwag lazily dozed nearby.
Meanwhile, Charmeleon circled around the fire, diligently practicing Fire Spin against imaginary targets.
Watching the scene, a warm smile unconsciously appeared on Red’s face.
Softly, he said: “This feeling…” “It reminds me of when we traveled together.” “Yeah…” Blue unexpectedly nodded in agreement.
“The immersion is genuinely impressive.” A trace of nostalgia flashed through his eyes as well.
After successfully accompanying Charmeleon through its Fire Spin training, they packed up camp and continued deeper into the forest.
The farther they traveled, the darker the surroundings became.
The atmosphere grew increasingly quiet.
Suddenly— A deep rumbling noise emerged from beneath the ground.
Then came violent tremors.
“Uuuuh!” “Pii!
Pii!” Nearby Caterpie, Pidgey, and other small Pokémon panicked.
Like startled birds, they fled in every direction while crying out in fear.
“What’s going on?” Red immediately became alert.
His conclusion came almost instantly.
“A powerful Pokémon is active nearby.” Without a second thought, he controlled Little Red to crouch down and move stealthily toward the source of the disturbance.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Step by step.
Finally, after pushing aside a patch of tall grass, he discovered the cause.
[Kangaskhan Lv.46] [Ability: Inner Focus (Its mental fortitude prevents it from flinching due to an opponent’s attacks.)] A gigantic brown beast over two meters tall stood in the clearing.
Muscles bulged across its massive frame.
Its eyes were bloodshot crimson.
With a crazed expression, it continuously swung its claws, attacking everything around it indiscriminately.
It didn’t appear to have a specific target.
Instead, it seemed desperately intent on protecting something.
At the same time, overwhelming pain and confusion drove it into a destructive frenzy.
Ancient trees were snapped in half with single strikes.
Deep trenches were torn into the earth.
Even the shockwaves generated by its claw swings sent gusts of wind powerful enough to make Little Red’s clothing flutter from a considerable distance away.
“Something’s wrong.” Blue frowned deeply.
Remaining calm, he analyzed the situation.
“The Kangaskhan isn’t behaving normally.” “It’s Outrage.” “This Kangaskhan has entered a state of confusion.” “At that level, it’s not a Pokémon we can deal with right now.” “My recommendation is to leave.” Red nodded.
He controlled Little Red to quietly retreat from the side.
Everything seemed fine.
Then, at the exact moment he turned around— The corner of his eye caught sight of something.
A small figure.
Lying motionless among broken branches and fallen leaves.
Hidden within the wreckage.
And dangerously close to the rampaging Kangaskhan.
(End of Chapter)