Encountering a Poacher

In the dense Petalburg Woods, a burly man with short green hair, dressed in an orange Mountaineering Suit, was leaning against a large tree and panting heavily.

From his bedraggled appearance, it was clear that he had likely just gone through a life-or-death ordeal.

After catching his breath, the green-haired man straightened up and angrily slammed his fist into the tree trunk behind him.

"Those little brats! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state, and I wouldn't have suffered such huge losses! One day, I'll make them pay!"

At the thought of those brats ruining the fruits of his hard work and nearly getting him arrested, the green-haired man flew into a rage and vented his fury on the tree before him.

Fortunately, the tree was sturdy enough. Even after being struck again and again, it had only lost some bark and suffered no real damage.

As for the green-haired man, after venting for a while, he seemed to feel much better. After taking another breath, he finally spared the tree in front of him.

Then, the green-haired man sat back down, leaning against the tree he had just punched, and began muttering to himself.

"I'll just count the previous haul as bad luck. What matters now is how to make up for those losses."

After thinking for a while, the green-haired man seemed to come up with a way to recoup his losses. He stopped dwelling on it, stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and said,

"This is the only way to make up for my losses now. I hope you won't blame me. It's all those guys' fault. I don't want to do this either."

After saying that, the green-haired man revealed a vicious expression, took out his Poké Ball, and headed deeper into Petalburg Woods.

The scene returned to Gary and Rosa.

Ever since Rosa had lucked into catching the purple Shiny Wurmple in Petalburg Woods, she had been in an exceptionally good mood. Even while traveling, she felt light as a feather, with extra spring in every step.

Although that hateful Gary had "blackmailed" her into agreeing to a few things, catching the Shiny Wurmple had still been quite a worthwhile gain.

Following beside Rosa, Gary watched her remain so happy the entire way, constantly repeating things like "my Wurmple." He could not help feeling helpless. After shaking his head, he continued after her.

After Gary and Rosa had traveled for a while, it was already mid-afternoon. Gary checked the time and found that it was half past two.

Although Gary had been walking for quite some time without feeling physically tired, he was beginning to feel a trace of mental fatigue.

Wanting to rest for a while, Gary turned his gaze toward the tireless Rosa ahead of him.

"Rosa, we should find somewhere to rest."

"No problem!"

At Gary's call, Rosa finally snapped out of her excited state. She agreed readily, then skipped over to his side.

Looking at Rosa sitting beside him, Gary took a sip of water and asked, "Rosa, aren't you tired?"

"Not at all." Rosa answered Gary's question with a cheerful grin.

"Sigh." After hearing her answer, Gary said helplessly, "You really do like that Shiny Wurmple a lot!"

After all, Rosa had never acted like this while traveling before.

Compared to now, Gary could not help but marvel: That Shiny Wurmple really had a huge influence on her!

"Enough. We've been walking for so long. Have some water and wet your throat."

Seeing Rosa still giggling, Gary took out another unopened bottle of purified water and handed it to her. After shooting her a look, he said this.

"Okay." After accepting the water Gary handed her, Rosa replied with a bright smile, "I knew you were the best, Gary."

"You really are something." Gary wore a helpless yet indulgent expression at Rosa's ingratiating smile.

While Gary and Rosa were resting, a rustling sound suddenly came from a patch of grass not far away.

Although the sound was especially faint amid Petalburg Woods, Gary, whose senses had been strengthened by Viridian Power and his Super Pallet Towner physique, still detected it sharply.

"What was that?" Though Gary heard the sound, he made no noise. He merely stared solemnly and quietly toward where it had come from.

"Gary, what's wrong?"

Seeing Gary's serious expression, Rosa realized something was happening. She lowered her voice and whispered near his ear.

"Shh. Someone should be coming."

After hearing Rosa's question, Gary answered in a lowered voice.

After receiving Gary's answer, Rosa nodded. She became alert as well and looked in the direction of his gaze.

After all, in a forest, one could never guess what they might encounter. When traveling outside, especially in a dense forest, one had to remain vigilant.

The tall grass that Gary and Rosa were watching began to sway unsteadily after a short while.

"Here he comes."

Just as Gary finished speaking, a burly green-haired man in his thirties emerged from the thick grass.

Judging from his face alone, he clearly did not look like a good person.

The moment Gary saw the man, he immediately recognized him. He was Aron, the poacher Ash and the others had encountered in Petalburg Woods in the original story.

"Gary."

After noticing the fierce-looking man, Rosa moved closer to Gary, perhaps because she had her boyfriend to rely on. She tugged at his sleeve and said nervously.

Sensing Rosa's nervousness, Gary gently stroked her small hand to reassure her.

Of course, Gary and Rosa were not the only ones who had noticed Aron. Aron had also spotted the resting Gary and Rosa.

Especially after noticing that Gary and Rosa were both young, his eyes immediately lit up, and he strode toward them.

"You two..."