After obtaining the Mysterious Amber in Pewter City, Gary was in a great mood. With daylight still to spare, he left the dark gray city behind.
Next, he only needed to cross Mt. Moon to reach the next city, Cerulean City.
Its Gym currently ranked dead last in Kanto, and its Gym Leaders spent their days performing water ballet in sexy swimsuits.
Honestly... Gary wasn't looking forward to it at all...
Once he entered the mountain trail, Gary let all his Pokémon out.
Mt. Moon's varied terrain supported a greater variety of Pokémon.
"Listen up! Our motto is: leave no survivors within ten miles." Gary stood with his hands on his hips, lecturing Scyther and Charmeleon. "Never mind Caterpie and Geodude-even a Gyarados has to take two slaps before it gets to leave. Got it?"
"Yeah!" All three Pokémon answered eagerly.
And so, the wild Pokémon along the trail had a truly miserable time.
Whenever they encountered a large rock, Scyther went straight up and used Slash.
The rock split in two, exposing the sleepy, bewildered Geodude inside.
Smack! Charmeleon swung a claw and delivered a huge slap...
Before Geodude could react, Eevee followed up with a Water Gun...
Geodude's eyes rolled back as he collapsed beside the trail, unable to hold back his bitter tears. This was outright bullying!
Of course, he got off relatively lightly. After all, Geodude hadn't fought back~
A swarm of Beedrill lived in the grass beside the trail. As the forest's resident thugs, they terrorized everyone and bowed to no one.
Until they met Gary!
Along the forest path, a swarm of Beedrill fled for their lives, with Gary and his three little maniacs hot on their heels.
Scyther swung his scythes so fast they practically smoked, firing Sonic Boom nonstop.
Charmeleon and Eevee used Flamethrower and Ember, respectively.
The Beedrill: (ﾟﾟﾉ)ﾉ Stay away from us!!
Gary's gang: o(皿メ;)o Stop running!!!
"Whew... whew... thought you could escape, huh?" After dealing with the last Beedrill, Gary, Eevee, Charmeleon, and Scyther reached the cave entrance at the foot of Mt. Moon.
Passing through here would take them to the other side of Mt. Moon. It was the fastest route to Cerulean City!
The sound of rushing water nearby caught Gary's attention.
"Mt. Moon's spring water is supposed to be famous. Can't miss out on that." Looking at the cave ahead, Gary decided to take a break and have lunch before continuing.
"Scyther, sorry for the trouble, but go find the spring so we can collect some water." After sending Scyther to scout for a water source, Gary began preparing lunch.
When traveling, his meals generally consisted of thick soup and bread-in short, a one-pot hodgepodge.
It was the most convenient way to cook while packing in as much nutrition as possible.
Large chunks of potato, corn, carrots, and green peas went in with beef and salmon, lightly seasoned with salt and cooked with a butter base.
Soon, the aroma of food wafted far into the distance.
Eevee and Charmeleon crouched in front of the pot with a food bowl each, their tails swaying to either side in perfect harmony.
Scyther was very efficient, flying back shortly afterward with a full water flask on his back.
Gary happily tucked the Mt. Moon spring water into his backpack and tapped the pot. "Time to eat!"
Human food didn't provide Pokémon with any special benefits.
In fact, too much salt could even make them lose their fur...
Still, Gary was used to giving each of his companions a little of his own cooking alongside their Pokémon Food. Sharing food from the same pot felt wonderful~
He divided the food into three portions: a bowl each for Eevee and Charmeleon, and a basin for Scyther.
Gary picked up his own bowl, and the three little ones gazed at him expectantly.
"All right, dig in." Gary nodded, and all three immediately began wolfing down their food.
Gary brought the thick soup to his lips and blew on it, savoring it in small sips.
"Mmm~ Rich and delicious~ Learning to cook was definitely worth the time." Gary nodded in satisfaction.
Actually, Gary had originally planned to bring a cook along. With his good looks, the beautiful women in Pallet Town who could cook and were willing to travel with him could have formed a line from Professor Oak's Laboratory all the way to Mt. Miapacha...
But after thinking about his goals, Gary decided he should fend for himself.
After all, with a gorgeous, charming girl with a sizzling figure following him around every day, it would be hard not to let things get out of hand...
"You three, slow down. There's more in the pot." Watching Charmeleon and Scyther eat left Gary a little embarrassed.
It's not like I've been skimping on your food. Why do you bury your heads in your bowls every single meal?
"Whoa, whoa!"
"Ni, ni!"
While Gary was correcting his Pokémon's table manners, two uninvited guests arrived at his camp.
A Nidoran♂ swaggered out with a Nidoran♀ behind him and began baring his teeth and waving his claws at Eevee.
"Oh? What's this little guy trying to say?" Gary watched with interest.
Nidoran♂ pointed at Eevee's food bowl and gestured wildly. Gary understood immediately.
Fight me! If you lose, you give me your food!
Well, well, this little guy has some guts~ Gary stood and looked behind Nidoran♂. A Nidoran♀ followed close behind him, blinking her large eyes.
Unlike the scar-covered Nidoran♂, this Nidoran♀ had glossy, beautiful fur. Clearly, she was well loved.
"A princess and her knight? Interesting." Gary smiled faintly. "Charmeleon, spar with him!"
"Raaah~" Charmeleon burped and stood up.
Looking at Charmeleon, who was several times his size, Nidoran♂ instinctively shielded Nidoran♀ behind him.
"Hehe, don't be scared. If you win, I'll treat you both to lunch. If you lose~ neither of you gets to leave!" Gary raised his eyebrows with a grin.
"Whoa, whoa!" Nidoran♂ panicked at those words. He only wanted to find his princess something to eat, not lose Nidoran♀ to someone else!
Nidoran♂ spun around, intending to escape with Nidoran♀.
Swish! A streak of white light flashed past, carving a trench into the ground. Scyther stood calmly behind the two little Pokémon.
"You think you can come and go as you please? Is my camp really that easy to walk into?" Gary folded his arms and looked at Nidoran♂.
Gary had taken a moment to use Appraisal on them earlier. Both little Pokémon had Elite Four-level potential. With proper training, they could become decent fighters.
Of course, more importantly, since these two were a couple, the whole family ought to stay together...
Nidoran♂ glanced around and realized he couldn't escape. He could only muster his courage and step in front of Charmeleon.
Nidoran♀ also looked timidly at Gary.
Gary held out a handful of Pokémon Food. The little Pokémon cautiously approached him, then began eating straight from his hand.
"All right, get started." Gary waved to Charmeleon. "Make it quick. We still need to cross Mt. Moon."
Charmeleon nodded, then crooked a finger at Nidoran♂.
"Whoa, whoa!" Nidoran♂ raised the horn on his head and suddenly charged at Charmeleon.
Charging with the horn on his head was Nidoran♂'s most frequently used attack.
But Charmeleon wasn't about to let him get close.
Boom! Charmeleon opened his mouth and fired Flamethrower.
The searing flames easily knocked Nidoran♂ to the ground. He tumbled several times before managing to scramble back up.
"Ni, ni!" Seeing Nidoran♂ hurt, Nidoran♀ grew frantic. She abandoned her food and ran to his side, crying out anxiously.
"Whoa, whoa~" Nidoran♂ pushed Nidoran♀ aside and turned back to face Charmeleon.
Seeing the determination in Nidoran♂'s eyes, Charmeleon nodded in admiration, then spread his arms, inviting him to continue.
Nidoran♂ pushed off with his hind legs and leaped into the air, kicking his powerful rear legs toward Charmeleon.
Double Kick!
Smack! Charmeleon crossed his arms to block and stepped back slightly. Then Dragon-type energy surged around his right claw, and he swept a green energy claw through the air.
Bam!! Nidoran♂ was sent flying again, this time crashing straight into a tree.
Seeing Nidoran♂ barely clinging to consciousness, Nidoran♀ rushed forward again with tears in her eyes, blocking Charmeleon's path and crying out nonstop.
She seemed to be saying, Please, stop hitting him...
Charmeleon looked helplessly at Gary. What now? If I keep going, I'll be the bad guy.
Gary gave Nidoran♂ a meaningful look. "Can you still fight? If you can't, I'm taking Nidoran♀ away!"
"Whoa!!" Nidoran♂ struggled to his feet, then threw his head back and roared. Brilliant white light erupted around him.
He was evolving!!
Gary's smile widened. This little fellow really did have potential.
When the light of evolution faded, a Nidorino appeared with thicker limbs and a much sturdier body.
"Very good. Let's go again!" Gary nodded.
Nidorino pawed the ground with his front feet, then charged at Charmeleon again!
This time, Gary gave a command. "Dragon Rage!"
"Raaah!" The flame on Charmeleon's tail suddenly flared, and a mouthful of blue Dragon Flame surged out.
Boom!! Dragon Rage erupted!
Unsurprisingly, Nidorino went down in a single hit. Gary didn't hesitate. "Go, Poké Ball!"
The Poké Ball fell, drawing Nidorino inside. Its indicator blinked twice before it locked with a click.
Gary had officially caught Nidorino.
Nidoran♀ stared blankly at the Poké Ball in front of her, pawing at it anxiously. "Ni, ni? (Where's my husband?)"
Gary took out another Poké Ball and crouched in front of Nidoran♀. "Nidorino is my partner now. How about coming along too? You won't have to sleep outside or scrape by anymore. I'll give you both a home."
Nidoran♀ tilted her head and considered it. It didn't seem like she had anything to lose, so she readily bumped the Poké Ball's button with her head and willingly entered Gary's Poké Ball.
After catching Nidorino and Nidoran♀, Gary didn't linger. He recalled Eevee and Scyther into their Poké Balls and prepared to cross Mt. Moon's caves with Charmeleon.
Looking into the pitch-black cave, Gary frowned. There aren't bats in there, are there...?
Flutter, flutter... Just as the thought crossed his mind, a swarm of Zubat flew out.
Gary activated Appraisal and scanned them. Well, well, nothing but blue skies and white clouds. Even the best among them only had Gym-level potential.
Deciding to pass on these little cuties, Gary grabbed Charmeleon's tail. "Let's go, dragon buddy."
Charmeleon's mouth twitched. He tugged his tail free, lifted it himself, and walked ahead.
Gary pouted. "Stingy... You're holding it up yourself anyway..."
By the light of the flame, Gary and Charmeleon headed deeper into Mt. Moon.
Originally, Gary had planned to cross Mt. Moon quickly and then rest in Cerulean City.
But plans couldn't keep up with changing circumstances. After catching Nidorino and Nidoran♀, Gary changed his route.
In a cave at Mt. Moon's summit, there was an enormous, top-quality Moon Stone!
To prepare for Nidorino and Nidoran♀'s future evolutions, Gary had to snag two top-quality fragments from that Moon Stone.
And so, a boy and a dragon explored their surroundings as they made their way toward Mt. Moon's summit.
To be continued...
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