“Pidgey, don’t rush.
Pokémon food has to be made like this to taste good, meow.”
In the forest, after walking for most of the day, the trio finally stopped to set up camp and cook.
Aaron was preparing food for himself and Meowth, while James was busy making Pokémon food—especially for the Pidgey he had just caught.
A classic regional bird Pokémon.
Its final evolution, Pidgeot, boasts speed second only to Dragonite, soaring freely through the skies.
Because Aaron already had Togekiss, he had no intention of raising another Flying-type.
He had simply caught this Pidgey for James as a starter Pokémon.
To James, his second-ever Pokémon was like a treasure.
He cared for it meticulously, treating it like a child.
Aaron watched from the side, raising an eyebrow.
He seriously suspected James had some kind of “housewife trait.” Over the years, his attentiveness to Pokémon care didn’t even need mentioning.
And in the original story, whenever he cross-dressed for disguises with Jessie, he would inevitably end up in female clothing.
He even shamelessly participated in the Luvdisc Beauty Contest with her.
Aaron couldn’t help wondering what James’s parents would think if they saw this.
Then again… recalling the anime episode where James returned home, he shook his head.
Probably nothing would happen.
His whole family was kind of unreliable anyway.
“Boss, our travel plan is ready.
To enter the Indigo League, we need eight Gym Badges first.
I’ve checked the map—the nearest is Viridian City Gym.
If we hurry, we can reach Viridian by tonight and challenge it tomorrow,” Meowth said while planning seriously.
“Remove Viridian Gym from the route.
And also remove Saffron Gym,” Aaron said.
“Boss, why?
Viridian Gym mainly uses Ground-types.
Ice-type moves counter Ground-types.
With just your Ninetales, you could sweep through it,” Meowth said in confusion.
“If it were only Ground-types, that would be fine.
Just skip those two Gyms,” Aaron said with a faint smile, not elaborating further.
He knew exactly what Viridian Gym really was.
The Gym Leader—Giovanni, the “Earth’s Giovanni.” Strength aside, he was at least Elite Four level.
And more importantly, he was the boss of Team Rocket, the largest underground criminal organization in Kanto and Johto.
And then there was the so-called “completed” Mewtwo…
In the Pokémon world, the biggest difference from the games was how terrifying Psychic and Ghost types actually were.
But in reality, Psychic types were an absolute game-breaking force.
A simple Psychic attack could turn a Trainer’s mind upside down.
In this world, Psychic powers were a bug, Legendary Pokémon were a bug—and Mewtwo, a man-made Pokémon combining both, was a bug among bugs.
As for Saffron Gym…
Sabrina, the Psychic Queen, was not just a nickname.
If there was any girl in Kanto who could rival Lorelei’s Elite Four position among her peers, Sabrina was the only one Aaron could think of.
The problem wasn’t how strong her Pokémon were.
The problem was that her own psychic power was almost on the level of a Legendary Pokémon.
She could even turn failed challengers into dolls to play with.
That alone said everything.
Aaron wasn’t stupid.
Why would he actively walk into places where he might lose all his Pokémon—or worse, become a toy?
Besides, Kanto had more than eight Gyms anyway.
In the original story, Gary had more than ten badges even without challenging Cinnabar or failing at Viridian Gym.
After researching, Aaron had discovered there were actually fourteen Gyms in Kanto.
So back when he used to read fanfiction in his previous life, he always found those protagonists who casually challenged Sabrina or Mewtwo without even having a Legendary Pokémon completely insane.
Living was better, wasn’t it?
“Alright, boss decides, meow,” Meowth said, marking the map and crossing out Viridian and Saffron Gyms.
“Next are Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym.
Those two aren’t very strong.
Especially Cerulean Gym—the online success rate is apparently 100%!”
“Uh…” Aaron frowned.
That actually sounded about right.
Below the Elite Four level, Trainers were generally divided into rookie, normal, and elite tiers.
Most Gym Leaders were elite-tier, adjusting their Pokémon strength depending on challengers.
In most regions, Gyms followed this system properly.
But Kanto… was a mess.
The strong ones—Sabrina, Giovanni, and Blaine—were Elite Four level.
The weak ones—Cerulean, Pewter, and Celadon—were only around normal Trainer level.
Only Lt.
Surge of Vermilion Gym and Koga of Fuchsia Gym were relatively balanced.
And even that was only on paper.
Sabrina and Giovanni didn’t need explanation.
Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, was basically semi-retired and barely ran his Gym.
Koga was preparing for the next Johto Elite Four challenge, treating most challengers like practice.
As long as they passed, he handed out badges.
Lt.
Thinking about all this, Aaron’s desire to challenge Gyms weakened considerably.
With his current strength, only Blaine could actually pressure him.
If Koga got serious, maybe him too.
The rest?
He could probably sweep them with one Pokémon.
“Cerulean Gym… Kanto’s famous water ballet performance?
That one works.
I want to watch pretty performances, meow!” James said, his ears perking up.
“Oh right, the Cerulean Sisters—the Water Flowers of Kanto!
I like it, meow!” Meowth agreed.
“So James getting excited is one thing… he’s lonely, I get it.
But Meowth, you’re a cat.
Can you at least have normal preferences?” Aaron said flatly.
“What’s wrong with that?
Meowth can be human too.
The heavens never said I can’t be human!
If you’ve got the guts, strike me down!” Meowth shouted.
BOOM—!
As soon as the words left his mouth, a deafening thunderclap echoed through the sky.
A bolt of golden lightning as thick as a water barrel struck down from the heavens with terrifying force.
“Meowww—!!
I was wrong!
I’m just a cat, not human!
Don’t strike me, meow!”
Meowth immediately dropped to the ground, covering his head, trembling all over, tail shaking uncontrollably.
Aaron stared at the terrifying lightning in the sky, his expression turning serious.
That level of power… was already on par with a Legendary Pokémon.
Given the timing… there was no need to guess.
The “Thunder God” of the world—Pikachu—had arrived.
Seeing Meowth still trembling on the ground, Aaron kicked him lightly.
“Alright, get up.
Grab the camera.
What’s coming next is very valuable footage.
If used properly, it could sell for a high price.”
“Video recording?” Meowth blinked blankly, still weak in the legs.