Heading to Pewter City

He followed the streetlit shoreline toward Viridian Forest.

Gary walked with Eevee, his steps light, looking almost otherworldly beneath the moon's soft glow.

How did that saying go? A man as fair as jade, a young master without equal...

"Vee!" Suddenly, Eevee's ears pricked up, and Eevee looked back.

"What is it, Eevee?" Gary turned curiously.

"Wait!" A girl with braided hair jogged up behind him in the moonlight.

"You're... Professor Cerise's daughter, right? Can I help you?" Gary tilted his head and asked with a smile.

The damned guy's smile was probably too handsome. Chloe blushed slightly. "Um... well... thank you so much for saving our home today!"

"Oh, that." Gary waved a hand. "It was only right. Don't worry about it."

"Um... I wanted... to come with you..." Chloe's words grew slower and slower.

"You're still in school, aren't you, Chloe?" Gary suddenly interrupted.

"Huh? Yes! I'm in the Pokémon School Preparatory Class." Chloe nodded.

"Then you shouldn't quit halfway." Gary gave her another encouraging smile. "Whether you travel or study at school, both are ways to better yourself."

"Then, Gary, do you like traveling alone?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Not really." Gary shrugged. "It's just not that easy to find the right companion."

"The right companion?" Chloe tilted her head.

"Yep. If two people have exactly the same goals and direction, I think traveling together would actually hold them back. But if their dreams complement each other, that would be perfect." Gary stroked Eevee's head thoughtfully.

"Then what kind of companion do you want, Gary?" Chloe asked frankly.

Tap! Gary lightly tapped Chloe's forehead with a finger. She froze, then lowered her head with a blush.

"Don't become who someone else wants you to be. Become who you want to be." Gary withdrew his finger with a smile. "Once you figure out what you want, maybe we can travel together too. But not right now."

"I... I understand." Chloe kept her head down and nodded like a little quail.

"It's getting late. Hurry home. Professor Cerise will be worried." Gary put his hands on his hips and gave the order seriously.

"Yes!" Chloe nodded and obediently turned to leave.

Watching her walk away, Gary shook his head with a quiet chuckle. He wasn't a blockhead like Ash. A young girl's feelings were always poetry.

"Oh, right! This is for you!" After taking a few steps, Chloe ran back, pressed a pendant into Gary's hand, then ran off again without looking back.

Gary opened his hand curiously. A silver, crescent-shaped feather lay in his palm.

After running for quite a while, Chloe suddenly looked back.

"Aooo!" A clear cry rang out over the sea.

Gary abruptly turned and looked up at the moon behind him, the sea breeze stirring his hair.

Beneath the moonlight, a silver Pokémon spread its wings and soared.

From Chloe's perspective, she caught the exact moment the silver Pokémon lowered its head and Gary looked up.

It was as though they had exchanged a knowing glance, a moment frozen forever amid the bright moonlight and deep blue waves.

Watching Lugia fade into the distance, Gary smiled faintly. Ash had Ho-Oh backing him, and he had Lugia's favor. That felt pretty good too!

"Gary! I'll work hard to find my own direction. Wait for me!" Watching the boy walk farther away, Chloe lightly clenched her fists.

She jogged all the way home and told her father firmly, "Dad! I want to learn more about Pokémon!"

Beneath Professor Cerise's kindly smile, his heart was bleeding. It seemed he wouldn't be able to keep his precious little girl to himself...

After saying goodbye to Chloe, Gary continued onward and soon entered Viridian Forest.

This stretch of forest was a little longer, so Gary didn't simply press on through the night.

He let all three Pokémon out and walked for around two hours.

Gary reached a fairly spacious clearing.

"We'll rest here tonight."

Scyther chopped firewood, Charmander lit a campfire, and Gary found some dry grass to lay his sleeping bag over. With that, camp was ready.

Although he had a tent in his backpack, sleeping beneath the stars had its own charm on a fine night like this, with the moon bright and the stars scattered.

He warmed a cup of milk for himself and cooked some hot porridge for his three Pokémon using milk and Pokémon Food.

After dinner, Gary got ready for bed. Eevee slipped into the sleeping bag without prompting to warm it for him, while Charmander lay beside it.

Scyther took the night watch, since he had his own special training to do.

As a Pokémon with Technician, Scyther was naturally skilled at chaining together weaker moves.

But to bring out his combat strength more fully, Gary's recommendation was to focus on critical hits.

In other words, he needed to improve his use of Focus Energy.

He shouldn't treat Focus Energy as a move, but train until it became instinct.

That was the training goal Gary had set for Scyther.

On the far side of the campfire, Scyther stood naturally behind Gary, his two scythes hanging loosely and his eyes gently closed.

In time with his steady breathing, a layer of white light pulsed over Scyther's body.

Once Focus Energy became a subconscious instinct, his combat strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

They slept peacefully through the night. Only after Gary woke did Scyther stop training, eat breakfast, and return to his Poké Ball to rest.

Gary continued on with Charmander and Eevee.

In the latter half of Viridian Forest, the trees grew sparser, giving way to thick, waist-high grass.

Passing through here, you had to watch out for wild Pokémon-or wild Trainers-springing out at any moment.

Along the way, several Rattata trying to steal food had already met their match against Charmander's Dragon Claw.

It looked as though Charmander would soon be ready to evolve.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a dark figure leaped high out of the grass. "Taste my blade!"

"Eevee, Thunder Shock." Gary didn't hesitate.

Crackle! A bolt of electricity shot out, and the dark figure hit the ground, his legs twitching a few times.

Gary stepped closer for a look. It turned out to be a melodramatic samurai boy wearing armor and holding a plastic sword.

"What are you doing?" Gary asked curiously.

"Glad you asked!" The samurai boy rolled over and sprang to his feet, pointing his toy sword at Gary. "Are you from Pallet Town?"

"Yep. That's right. What can I do for you?" Gary admitted it readily.

"Hahaha! Then I've got the right guy. I battled two other Trainers from Pallet Town who passed through here. How about it? Want to battle me?" the samurai boy challenged him eagerly.

Gary stared curiously at the boy's chubby face. "So you got crushed twice, and now you're hoping to get your pride back by beating me?"

Are you kidding? I'm Young Master Mao, Pallet Town's number-one Trainer. You want to regain your pride against me?

Exposed, the samurai boy flushed. "Shut up! If you're going to fight, fight! If not, just admit defeat, and I'll let you pass!"

Gary almost laughed in exasperation. You're asking for a beating, aren't you? Come on, then. I'll give you an extra buff...

"I don't usually turn down a battle that comes to me. Let's go." Gary beckoned with a finger.

"Good! I hope you won't disappoint me!" The samurai boy put away his toy sword and took out a Poké Ball.

The two put some distance between them, and the battle officially began!

"Go, Pinsir!" His Poké Ball opened, and a very sturdy Pinsir appeared before Gary.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to have a Pokémon like that." Gary raised an eyebrow.

"Well? If you're scared, surrender!" the samurai boy said smugly.

"Scared? You're getting ahead of yourself..." Gary pursed his lips. He had just used Appraisal on Pinsir, only to find that the poor thing was a measly level 14! No wonder Xiao Chen and the other Trainer had beaten him so easily.

"Enough talking! Let's go!" the samurai boy shouted impatiently.

"Heh. If you're willing to die, I'm willing to bury you. Charmander, go." Gary tilted his head in a gesture.

"Char!" Charmander puffed out his chest and stepped forward.

"The first strike wins! Pinsir, use Tackle!" The samurai boy launched the first attack.

Except...

Gary shook his head speechlessly. You're that slow, and you're charging straight at a Fire-type Pokémon? You're practically handing me the win.

"Charmander, Flamethrower!" Gary couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. He still had to get to Pewter City, so the sooner this ended, the better.

"Char!" Faced with the charging Pinsir, Charmander nimbly hopped backward, then opened his mouth wide and unleashed a scorching torrent of flame.

Boom! Pinsir took the blast head-on!

Thud! One hit was all it took. Trailing black smoke, Pinsir collapsed and stayed down, giving Charmander a nice helping of experience in the process.

"How?!" The samurai boy was dumbfounded. He had at least lasted four or five rounds against the previous two Trainers. This time, he had been knocked out instantly?!

"Nice work, Charmander." After praising Charmander, Gary shook his head and turned to leave. "If you want to improve, go face more kinds of opponents. If you hide in the forest and train in isolation, this is as far as you'll get."

Listening to Gary's advice, the samurai boy saw the light. As expected, he needed to battle more Trainers from Pallet Town.

That settled it. He would stay here and ambush the next one!