The coast—
After leaving Stone Town, Reiji and Keith made their way forward along the shoreline, walking when they had to and cutting through the water when it was faster. By noon, they'd reached the sea.
The plan was simple: follow the coast all the way to Celadon City and pick up a Magikarp for Keith along the way.
They would pass Vermilion City on the route. It sat right on the coast and housed Lt. Surge's Gym, but Reiji had already ruled it out. There was no reason to go.
They set up camp by the shore for lunch. Reiji handled the cooking while Keith was sent off to catch Flying-type Pokémon nearby.
After they ate, Reiji checked Keith's captures. None of them were worth keeping. They packed up and kept moving.
Keith was still trailing behind on foot. By midday, his legs were shot. He could barely feel them anymore.
He had never walked this far in his life. Twenty, maybe thirty kilometers in one morning—his body simply wasn't used to it.
"Let's head into town and take a look," Reiji said, recalling Tauros and glancing back at Keith struggling behind him. He couldn't help but smirk. "If walking's that bad, why didn't you just catch something to ride? Or buy a bike?"
He paused, then added, "Though honestly, in your condition, you probably couldn't even pedal."
"Yeah… you're right, boss," Keith said with a bitter laugh. He hadn't expected the route to be this brutal. He thought it'd be a simple road. Instead, it had been dense forest, hills, and rough terrain the entire way.
Reiji rode comfortably on Tauros. When the terrain got too rough, Pelipper handled transport. Keith had nothing. Just his legs—and occasionally dangling under Pelipper's claws, getting blasted by wind.
He needed a Flying-type mount. As soon as possible.
The town ahead was a small coastal settlement, not one that appeared in the anime. Still, Reiji noticed most Trainers here favored Electric-, Ground-, and Rock-type Pokémon.
Probably because of the nearby Vermilion Gym. Ground-types, in particular, were common counters.
They walked around for a bit. Nothing interesting. Reiji lost interest quickly.
After resting enough to move again, Keith said he wanted to head into the nearby forest and try his luck catching a ride Pokémon. Walking wasn't an option anymore.
Reiji didn't object. They left town and entered the forest outside the settlement.
Forests near cities were usually safe—mostly docile, herbivorous Pokémon. Anything dangerous had long since been driven out for public safety. Rangers patrolled the area regularly to prevent wild Pokémon from wandering into town.
They moved through the forest, still heading toward Celadon. Bug- and Flying-type Pokémon were everywhere, but nothing suitable for riding.
"Let me see your Pidgey," Reiji said, sitting down to rest.
"Here," Keith said, handing over the Poké Ball without question.
Reiji checked it. "Level seventeen. It's close."
He nodded to himself. Once it evolved into Pidgeotto, it could at least carry Keith short distances. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
"Use Pidgey in battle," Reiji said, tossing the ball back. "It's about to evolve. Once it becomes Pidgeotto, it can help you move when you're too tired to walk."
He took a long drink of water. The heat was brutal, even under the trees. The air barely moved.
"Got it," Keith said, releasing Pidgey and getting ready to train nearby.
"Here," Reiji added, tossing him a Flying Gem. "When it starts evolving, feed this to it. Let it absorb the energy while it changes."
"Thank you, Boss!."
Keith nodded and got to work, sending Pidgey after the Caterpie and Weedle scattered through the forest.
To those bugs, Pidgey was a natural predator—completely overwhelming. But they weren't stupid. The moment they spotted it, they scattered, diving into tree canopies or hiding in trunks.
It left Keith standing there with nothing to fight.
"Let's move. Find something else," Reiji said, rubbing his forehead. "This isn't going anywhere."
They slowed their pace, continuing deeper into the forest. Whenever they found a suitable wild Pokémon, they stopped so Keith could battle.
Between fights, Pidgey rested in its Poké Ball.
Keith also caught a few of the Pokémon they defeated, only for Reiji to check their potential and release most of them immediately.
They kept moving like that until sunset.
They hadn't left the forest, but the coastline was just beyond the trees. They could head out anytime.
Right now, Keith's Pidgey was in the middle of a critical battle—facing a wild Spearow.
Reiji stayed silent, watching.
When Pidgey finally won, its body erupted in white light.
"Now!" Keith reacted instantly, feeding it the Flying Gem and urging it to absorb the energy mid-evolution.
The glow flared brighter, then settled.
When it faded, a Pidgeotto stood in front of him—taller, stronger, no longer the small bird it had been.
"Ha! You did it, Pidgeotto!"
Keith rushed forward and hugged it, unable to hide his excitement. He'd only caught it yesterday, and it had already evolved.
Lucky. The Pidgey had been high-level when he caught it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened this fast.
"Let's go. Time to get some air by the sea," Reiji said.
He had hoped to find something rare in the forest, but nothing turned up. Just the same common Pokémon over and over.
They had seen one Scyther. Keith wanted it badly—but he had no chance of winning.
If he wanted one, he'd have to come back later—when he was strong enough.
Reiji wasn't going to help him with that.
They left the forest and set up camp by the sea.
After dinner, Keith went back out to keep working—this time trying to catch a Wingull.
Reiji stayed behind, reading for a bit before turning in early.
They'd sort through whatever Keith caught in the morning.
Right now, sleep mattered more than anything else.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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