Rookie Trainer

Dawn gradually broke, and the lingering light of the sun slowly spread across Viridian Forest.

A ray of sunlight shone into Eichi's eyes.

Eichi sensed the discomfort in his eyes and heard birdsong mixed with other sounds beside his ears.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the adorable faces of two Pikachu.

When he got up, the surrounding Pokémon were still there, with a pile of fruit on the ground.

Pikachu pointed at the fruit on the ground, then at Eichi. "Pika pi, Pikachu."

Eichi pointed at himself and asked, "Are these all for me?"

Everyone nodded. Eichi stroked Pikachu's head. "Thank you, everyone. There's so much that I can't finish it all by myself. Let's eat together!"

Beedrill and Scyther were called over to eat as well.

After they finished eating, it was time to continue on their journey—and time to say goodbye. Squatting down, Eichi stroked the two Pikachu's heads and said, "This is where we part ways. Goodbye. I hope we can meet again someday."

Then he stood up and left, waving goodbye as he walked.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

Pikachu waved. "Pikachu, pika!"

Gradually, Eichi's figure disappeared from the Pokémon's sight.

After walking for a while, Eichi took out his map and checked it. If he was lucky, he could reach the Pokémon Center by evening.

He put away the map and continued on his way, leaving his two Pokémon out of their Poké Balls as they traveled.

The morning air was just as fresh, and the green surroundings made him feel even more at ease.

Thus began the second day of his journey, with Eichi continuing toward his destination.

In the blink of an eye, evening arrived. After walking all day, Eichi was beginning to feel tired.

Beedrill and Scyther had returned to their Poké Balls as well.

As darkness gradually fell, a building appeared at the edge of his vision.

"That is..."

"A Pokémon Center."

"I finally made it."

Eichi's weary spirits immediately lifted. He desperately wanted to take a bath; his whole body felt sticky and uncomfortable.

He quickly picked up his pace, and the Pokémon Center gradually came into clearer view.

As he approached the Pokémon Center, he saw many people hurrying there as well. It was Eichi's first time seeing so many Pokémon Trainers.

He entered the Pokémon Center with an excited heart.

The Pokémon Center built within Viridian Forest was entirely made of wood, and the material was exceptionally sturdy.

Once inside, he found that most of the furnishings, such as the tables and chairs, were made of wood as well.

At the front desk, Nurse Joy was attending to the Trainers. There were not only Nurse Joy, but many other staff members as well.

In the anime, every Pokémon Center only had one Nurse Joy and one Chansey.

How could that be possible? In reality, every Pokémon Center had plenty of staff. Otherwise, who would prepare the food and lodging? Surely they could not make Nurse Joy do everything.

As Eichi waited in line, he looked at the Chansey beside Nurse Joy and activated Bug King Eye.

He discovered that this Chansey had excellent potential and an Energy Level of Elite.

The Joy Family was truly terrifying. Even the Chansey at some random Pokémon Center had excellent potential.

Its Energy Level had even reached Elite. If Chansey were not so poor at battling—

There probably were not many people who could defeat the Chansey in this Pokémon Center.

After a while, it was Eichi's turn. He handed Beedrill and Scyther's Poké Balls to Nurse Joy. "I'll leave them to you. Also, please get me a single room."

Nurse Joy replied gently, "Certainly. The total is 500 yuan."

Eichi took out his League Card and handed it to Nurse Joy.

After settling the bill, Nurse Joy said to Eichi, "Trainer, I hope you have a pleasant evening."

"Thank you," Eichi said.

Then Eichi took the key upstairs and found his room. It was small, but it had most of what he needed.

Eichi set down his backpack and threw himself onto the large white bed.

The bed was still the most comfortable. After lying quietly on it for a while, Eichi went to take a bath.

After bathing, Eichi went downstairs for dinner.

The restaurant was extremely lively at this hour, with countless Trainers coming and going.

Some chatted as they ate. Others had released their Pokémon to enjoy the food beside them.

Some even approached strangers to challenge them to Pokémon battles.

Eichi liked this atmosphere very much. This was what a Trainer's place should be like.

Eichi went to the ordering counter and ordered himself a decent dinner.

He found a seat in a corner by himself and enjoyed his meal. The food was quite well made.

As he ate, a boy who looked to be around ten years old, with yellow hair—

A blue-haired boy carrying his dinner sat across from Eichi. After taking a few bites, he said, "Hello, my name is A Xiang. I'm from Saffron City.

"I'm currently on a Pokémon journey, and I've been traveling for three months.

"My goal is to collect eight badges and participate in the Indigo League. Let's have a Pokémon battle later."

After hearing him out, Eichi raised his head and carefully looked at the battle-hungry A Xiang. Suddenly, he thought that Scyther might need this battle to build its confidence.

So he nodded and said, "Sure. Seven o'clock sharp, in the Pokémon Center's backyard."

A Xiang's face lit up with excitement. "No problem. I'll be waiting for you."

Eichi checked the time. It was 5:40, so there was still over an hour left.

There was no rush. After leisurely finishing his meal, Eichi went to the front desk. Beside it was a basket filled with Pokémon that had already been checked over.

After finding Beedrill and Scyther by their tags, he returned to his room.

Once back in his room, he released Beedrill and Scyther.

The moment Scyther came out, it cried that it was hungry. Eichi reassured it, "All right, all right. I'll prepare dinner for you right away."

He then took out Pokémon food and Pokéblocks. Starving, the two Pokémon immediately began wolfing them down.

While Scyther ate, Eichi said to it, "There'll be a battle later. You'll be going out."

Scyther raised one of its scythes while eating, indicating that there would be no problem.

After they finished eating, Eichi let the two of them rest for a while.

When he saw that it was about time, he went downstairs. The Pokémon Center had a backyard specially prepared for Pokémon battles.

When Eichi arrived in the backyard, A Xiang was already there.

A Xiang said, "Since you're here, let's begin."

"Come out, Sandshrew."

A bright yellow Pokémon resembling an armadillo appeared on the ground.

Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon

Type: Ground

Ability: Sand Veil

Hidden Ability: Sand Attack

Its dry skin is extremely hard. When it curls into a ball, it can bounce back attacks of any kind. At night, it burrows into the desert sand to sleep.