After being slammed into the ground five or six times...
The inside of the shell finally went completely silent.
Seeing this, Itsuki waved his hand.
Bulbasaur immediately released its vines.
The shell tumbled through the air before rolling across the sandy ground.
Rumble... Rumble...
Then, it came to a stop.
There was no movement from inside.
Not even the slightest sound.
Seeing that Squirtle had completely stopped responding, Itsuki took out a Poké Ball and threw it!
The Poké Ball traced a perfect arc through the air!
It flew directly above Squirtle!
The next instant, the Poké Ball opened!
A beam of red light shot out, enveloping Squirtle's body and drawing it inside!
Click!
The Poké Ball landed on the sand.
Perhaps because Squirtle had been knocked completely unconscious, it had no strength left to resist.
Even after being drawn inside the Poké Ball...
The ball didn't shake even once!
Ding!
With a soft click, the button on the Poké Ball locked into place.
The capture was successful!
'Excellent!'
'My fourth Pokémon is officially mine!'
However, before Itsuki could properly celebrate...
"ROOOOOAR!"
A tremendous roar suddenly echoed from the distance!
Immediately afterward, the ground began trembling!
Rumble! Rumble!
Judging from the sound, an extremely powerful Pokémon seemed to be heading straight toward them!
Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
'Looks like our little battle finally attracted the attention of that Blastoise living on the island.'
Considering that a human had entered its territory, the powerful Pokémon probably wasn't very happy.
But that was fine.
After all... The source of this chapter is g.com.
'I've already accomplished what I came here to do!'
There was just one small problem.
Itsuki glanced at the time.
Only about half an hour had passed since he arrived on the island.
Which meant...
There was still quite a while before the fishing boat returned to pick him up!
If he wanted to avoid fighting that Blastoise, he would have to find somewhere to hide for the time being.
'Well, whatever.'
'I guess it'll be a decent way to kill some time.'
With that thought, Itsuki picked up Squirtle's Poké Ball.
Then, he turned toward his three Pokémon with a grin.
"Bulbasaur, come back!"
"Time to make ourselves scarce!"
"Looks like we're going to be playing hide-and-seek with that big guy for a while!"
...
Time passed, and day eventually gave way to night.
By the time Itsuki left the ocean behind and set foot on land once again, he was already standing on the streets of Cerulean City.
After spending the night resting and recovering at the Pokémon Center, Itsuki set out once more with his four Pokémon.
This time, his destination was Pewter City!
During his free time, he also sent all the photographs he had taken on Blastoise Island to Professor Cerise.
As a Special Research Investigator affiliated with the Cerise Laboratory, visiting Blastoise Island and documenting its natural environment could be considered a perfect fulfillment of his responsibilities.
Of course, he didn't actually have to do any of that.
But since he was already traveling around and enjoying the scenery, taking a few photographs would also help preserve some memories.
It was simply something convenient to do along the way.
Following the wide main street, Itsuki gradually made his way toward the outskirts of the city.
However...
Just as he was about to leave Cerulean City, someone suddenly stepped into his path!
It was a young man with green hair and a backpack.
Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be around Itsuki's age.
The young man abruptly blocked his way and called out.
"Hey, you over there! Wait a second!"
"Would you be willing to accept my challenge?!"
Hearing the voice, Itsuki turned around to look at the young man.
"Your challenge?"
"That's right!" The source of this chapter is g.com.
The young man straightened his clothes and flashed a confident smile.
"My name is A.J.! I'm the powerful Trainer everyone calls the Wild Pokémon Tamer!"
"Ever since I started training, I've never lost a single battle!"
"So, what do you say? Got the guts to battle me?"
'The Wild Pokémon Tamer, A.J.?'
Itsuki glanced at the Sandshrew standing beside the young man's feet.
A look of recognition immediately appeared on his face.
'Oh, so it's this guy...'
"I don't mind."
As he spoke, Itsuki looked around before asking another question.
"But where are we supposed to battle? This entire area is surrounded by streets. There doesn't seem to be a battlefield nearby."
Thanks to the Pokémon League's efforts to promote and popularize Pokémon battles, battling had become an everyday activity throughout the world.
Just like the outdoor basketball courts scattered across cities in his previous life, simple Pokémon battlefields could frequently be found in parks, schools, along riverbanks, and even inside shopping centers.
Unfortunately, Itsuki happened to be in an area quite far from any of those public battlefields.
"Of course we're not battling here!"
A.J. pointed in the direction of Vermilion City.
"I built my own private Gym out in the wilderness not far from here. There's a proper battlefield there!"
"Come on, follow me!"
With that, he immediately started walking, not even giving Itsuki a chance to object.
Itsuki shook his head helplessly at the Pokémon beside him.
Then, he followed.
The two walked out of Cerulean City, one behind the other.
After another ten minutes or so, a simple campsite finally appeared in the distance.
The camp consisted of several tents surrounded by a wooden fence.
Outside stood an enormous signboard.
Written across it in large letters were the words:
'UNOFFICIAL POKÉMON LEAGUE GYM'
'CURRENT WINNING STREAK: 92 VICTORIES!'
Judging from both the sign and the confident expression on A.J.'s face, it was obvious that he was an extremely self-assured Trainer.
And apparently, someone who really enjoyed attracting attention, too.
However...
Between his face, somewhat stocky build, and thick, upward-slanting eyebrows, the longer Itsuki looked at him, the more he seemed a little goofy.