Departure (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

Early in the morning, after breakfast, Eichi prepared all his belongings. To make sure he did not forget anything, he had specifically made a list and checked everything one by one.

Eichi stood in his room, having deliberately changed into a new outfit: a short-sleeved athletic shirt with a green jacket over it.

He wore green athletic pants on his lower body and a pair of brand-new green sneakers.

Eichi was dressed entirely in green, with a white cap on his head.

Around his waist was the belt he had bought at Lianfang Department Store yesterday, with six round slots on it.

Eichi clipped two Poké Balls onto it.

This outfit was fairly similar to Red's outfit from the games, and Eichi had prepared several more sets of similar clothes.

With everything ready, Eichi headed out. Yoshino, his father, stood behind him at the door.

After taking a few steps, Eichi turned back and said to his father, "I'm leaving, Dad."

Yoshino said, "Remember to stay safe."

As Eichi turned back and walked away, he replied, "I know."

Eichi's figure gradually vanished as his father waved goodbye.

Judging by the route, Pewter City lay beyond Viridian Forest.

After walking some distance along the main road through Viridian Forest, Eichi spotted several Bug Catchers.

Some were familiar faces, while others were strangers.

They were still up to their old tricks, blocking the road to challenge passing rookie Trainers.

Since he was passing by anyway, Eichi decided to greet them. "Hey!"

They turned around, and those who recognized Eichi immediately looked delighted. "It's Brother Ying Shi!"

"Brother Ying Shi!"

Eichi walked over and asked, "You're still stopping rookie Trainers here?"

They replied a little sheepishly, "Yeah."

Then, seeing Eichi's outfit, they asked, "What's with that?"

Eichi smiled. "Me? I'm going out traveling for a while."

They said enviously, "I'm so jealous. I want to travel too."

Eichi comforted them, "You can't right now, but you definitely will someday."

They asked, "Really? Then, Brother Ying Shi, when you come back, can you tell us stories about your journey?"

Eichi promised, "No problem."

After chatting for a while, Eichi said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

The Bug Catchers said, "Goodbye, Brother Ying Shi!"

Eichi continued deeper into Viridian Forest. Although he often came here, every visit made him feel as though the forest itself were alive.

Within Viridian Forest, Eichi's Bug Force was unusually active. Its effects might have been even stronger than in the city.

Though the sun blazed brightly overhead, Viridian Forest was not nearly as well lit. It possessed a quiet, shadowy darkness.

Breathing in the fresh air filled him with a sense of peace and clarity.

Along the road, he could see many Pokémon found only in the Kanto region. They lived freely within Viridian Forest, their daily lives leisurely and carefree.

Some Bug-type Pokémon did not run when they noticed Eichi, instead calling out to him in friendly greeting.

Some of the more innocent ones even ran over to rub against his feet, showing their affection for him.

Eichi generously took out a bag of Pokémon food from his backpack and gave it to them.

The moment they saw food, they all gathered around. Seeing this, Eichi took several more bags of Pokémon food from his backpack and gave them out.

While they ate, Eichi quietly left on his own.

For some reason, seeing these adorable Pokémon made him happy. Even just giving them something to eat brought joy to his heart.

After Eichi left, two dark figures appeared where he had fed the Pokémon.

Then, the two shadows followed in Eichi's direction.

This journey was meant to let him see more scenery, make some friends, hear their stories, and battle all kinds of Pokémon.

Ever since transmigrating here, Eichi had never traveled anywhere or visited another city.

Every day, he only went back and forth between a few places. That would not do. Eichi wanted to see somewhere else.

In his previous life, he had only seen other places in the anime. He could not truly experience the differences between the anime and reality.

This time, Eichi planned to visit Pewter City and Cerulean City, and while he was at it, see Brock and Misty's three sisters.

If he had spare time, he could visit one more city.

Eichi had another idea as well. He wanted to challenge Gyms.

He still was not entirely sure just how strong Beedrill had become.

Although its Energy Level was still at the veteran level, combat strength was not something that could be judged by looking alone.

He would only know after an actual battle.

Eichi traveled quickly. He could probably leave Viridian Forest in four or five days.

After walking all morning, noon arrived in the blink of an eye, right around mealtime.

Eichi found a place with a water source and began preparing lunch. He released Beedrill and Scyther to let them get some fresh air.

After being cooped up for so long, the two Pokémon came out. Eichi said to them, "We'll eat in a bit. You two can look around nearby for now, but remember not to go too far."

Hearing Eichi's words, the pent-up Scyther happily flew off. Not long after Scyther left, Beedrill vanished in an instant as well.

Seeing this, Eichi thought that Beedrill was certainly doing its duty as the Older Brother. It must have been worried about Scyther and followed after it.

Left behind, Eichi began preparing lunch. Since it was his first time cooking in the wild, he was a little flustered at first.

It took a bit longer, but he finally got everything ready.

Just then, Scyther returned, and Beedrill came back shortly afterward.

They all enjoyed the food together. Eichi did not feed them Pokémon food and Pokéblocks for every meal.

Sometimes, he made them something delicious to try as well. Today, he had specially cooked a pot of porridge, and its aroma was enticing.

He served each of them a bowl. After taking a sip, Baby Scyther let out a "Scy!" sound.

Then it began drinking quickly. Beedrill took a sip and said, "Tasty."

Eichi smiled. "If it's tasty, then have some more."

After lunch, Eichi had Beedrill and Scyther move around a little to help digest their food.

At that moment, Scyther asked Beedrill for a spar. Though it was called a spar, they were really just playing around. Their strengths were far too different.

Afterward, Eichi took out his sleeping bag and went down for a nap.

Scyther and Beedrill also found a tree to rest beneath.

After waking up in the afternoon, they continued on their journey. The afternoon was just more dull traveling.

Several hours passed like that, and the sky gradually darkened.

Eichi looked at a signpost nearby. It said that if he went any farther, he would truly be leaving Tokiwa City behind.

Up ahead was the middle section of Viridian Forest. Just as Eichi was about to continue forward, Beedrill suddenly burst out of its Poké Ball and warily stared at a blue Pokémon in the distance.

Eichi looked over. It was that Heracross.

What was it doing here?

Heracross pointed at Scyther's Poké Ball on Eichi's belt and said, "Kaka (Battle)."