Route 1—this is the only path from Pallet Town to Viridian City. If Pallet Town is praised by rookie Trainers setting out on their journeys as the "Land Where Dreams Begin," then Route 1 is the "Road Where Dreams Continue."
Route 1 is home to small Pokémon such as Rattata, Pidgey, and Spearow. Among them, Rattata especially loves stealing food from careless rookie Trainers.
Before arriving at Route 1, Red had stacked the Sturdy Ability onto the giant Onix. In Red's view, the giant Onix had no need for speed, nor did it need a conflicting Ability like Weak Armor.
(Sturdy: One-hit KO moves are ineffective against Pokémon with this Ability. Moreover, when a Pokémon with this Ability is at full HP and receives a fatal blow, it will always endure with 1 HP remaining.)
It was only while stacking Abilities onto the giant Onix that Red discovered a Pokémon could only have two Abilities stacked at once, though they could be swapped. He had no idea whether, as his strength grew in the future, he would be able to grant a third Ability.
But Red did not feel overly disappointed. In his view, the Ability-Stacking System was ultimately just a tool to assist him—it could not become the master of his journey.
To Red, true strength was built step by step through steady growth and breakthroughs. Only that kind of progress was a treasure worth remembering.
As Red walked along the road, a Rattata quietly hid in the grass, clearly eyeing the food in Red's backpack. What it did not realize was that the rookie Trainer it had targeted this time was not someone to be trifled with. Fortunately for it, after witnessing Red's terrifying presence, it wisely fled in advance.
"Come out, Charmander."
Red tossed a Poké Ball, and the excited Charmander appeared before him. Red silently raised his hand and pointed toward a Spearow foraging not far away.
"Defeat it. This is the first task I'm giving you."
Hearing this, Charmander patted its chest confidently and strode toward Spearow without the slightest hint of nervousness.
Red quietly took out his crimson Pokédex. This was a version he had co-developed with Professor Oak. It contained data on Pokémon from numerous regions. Not only could it remotely transmit Poké Balls, it could also thoroughly analyze Pokémon data. It even had camera and phone functions.
As for why it had so many upgraded features, in Red's words: good was never as good as better. This version would continue to be improved in the future.
Through the Pokédex's scan, Red could see the moves Charmander currently had mastered: Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Breath, Flamethrower, and Outrage.
(As expected of a battle-loving Charmander—every move it knows is offensive, with only Smokescreen serving as disruption.)
Red grew more satisfied with Charmander. A Pokémon's strength partly depended on its innate talent. His Charmander had already surpassed its peers at birth; its future achievements were obvious.
Charmander swaggered forward and stopped before Spearow. Spearow ceased foraging and locked its hostile gaze onto Charmander. Most wild Pokémon harbored hostility toward those raised by humans, and Spearow was especially so. The moment Charmander stepped into its attack range, Spearow flapped its wings and shot forward, intending to stab fiercely with its sharp beak.
Charmander sneered. It vividly reenacted the scene of being defeated by Beedrill, provoking Spearow's fury. Enraged, Spearow charged head-on without hesitation.
Charmander slowly opened its mouth, blazing fire gathering at its lips. A single Flamethrower struck Spearow directly, utterly defeating it. The charred Spearow even emitted a fragrant smell, nearly awakening Charmander's primal instinct to taste it.
(It seems ordinary feeding methods won't suffice.)
Red did not stop Charmander. In his view, such wild instincts could better stimulate a Pokémon's potential. At worst, he could purchase imitation meat to mix into its feed.
After defeating Spearow in a single move, Charmander excitedly ran back to Red and lifted its little head expectantly, waiting for praise. Red smiled faintly and stroked the delighted Charmander. Occasional encouragement also promoted growth—especially for a childlike Pokémon such as Charmander.
As for Pokémon like Spearow, Red had no desire to capture them. Although he could stack the Sniper Ability to enhance attack power, they ultimately could not compare to a Pidgeot capable of Mega Evolution. Thus, Red looked forward more to capturing a uniquely talented Pidgey.
Red ignored the unconscious Spearow. Wild Pokémon typically possessed self-healing capabilities. Aside from fatal injuries, most wounds would gradually recover. Pokémon captured by humans, however, might gradually lose that ability after long-term treatment.
Along the way, many wild Pokémon became training targets for Charmander. Because they feared the pressure emanating from Red himself, none dared to band together in resistance and instead quietly retreated.
Seeing that no more wild Pokémon remained for training, Charmander sighed regretfully. Clearly, it greatly enjoyed the thrill of instantly defeating opponents.
That was hardly surprising. In the League's official breeding facility, Charmander had always towered above the other starters. Only its battle with Beedrill had left a shadow, forcing it to rein in its arrogance—though that indirectly spurred its growth.
Just as Red was about to recall Charmander and search elsewhere to capture a Pidgey, a Spearow clutching a piece of bread flew past in terror, as though something dreadful were chasing it.
With a sharp "whoosh," a golden figure streaked through the air. Red, with his remarkable eyesight, immediately locked onto it and discovered it was a golden Shiny Pidgey.
"It seems to be about one meter tall?"
Red roughly estimated its height. If not for the fact that it lacked the three long crest feathers of its evolved form, he might have mistaken it for a golden Pidgeotto. After all, its height already rivaled its evolution, making it hard to see it as merely a Pidgey.
Ordinary Pidgey were generally gentle by nature. The golden one before him was clearly a fierce raptor.
Its expression was filled with brutality, terrifying even its natural enemy, Spearow, to the point of nearly collapsing.
"Is it toying with Spearow?" Red guessed. The golden Pidgey's speed far surpassed Spearow's—it would not lag behind unless it was deliberately playing with it.
"Looks like it's had enough fun."
After three minutes of "cat-and-mouse," the golden Pidgey seemed bored. Its speed suddenly doubled, instantly overtaking Spearow. Then it spun around and struck with Aerial Ace, knocking Spearow to the ground.
"It's mastered Aerial Ace? Not bad. Looks like I've got a new companion."
Clearly, Red had already regarded the golden Pidgey as his own Pokémon.
The golden Pidgey seized the bread, kicked the fallen Spearow aside in disdain, and prepared to leave, completely ignoring Red and the battle-hungry Charmander.
How could Charmander let such a powerful opponent go? A Flamethrower shot forth, blocking the golden Pidgey's path. Only then did it notice Red and Charmander. It had been too absorbed in tormenting Spearow to pay attention earlier.
"Pidgey, battle my Charmander. If you lose, you'll become my Pokémon," Red said.
The golden Pidgey nodded instinctively. Too many rookie Trainers had said the same words before, only to be soundly beaten. This time, it also viewed Red as a novice and did not take Charmander seriously.
The weather was bright and sunny. Flames gradually enveloped Charmander's body—its Solar Power Ability had been triggered.
"Flamethrower," Red commanded.
A blazing pillar of fire shot toward the golden Pidgey. Startled, it hastily dodged, but its earlier carelessness cost it dearly—its right wing was scorched black.
Enduring the pain, the golden Pidgey stared down at Charmander in disbelief. This was no ordinary flame.
It was certain that Charmander was the strongest opponent it had ever faced. Regret for its earlier arrogance surged within it, but the situation was already beyond its control.
"Continuous sweeping Flamethrower," Red ordered. Solar Power had a drawback—it drained Charmander's stamina each turn, meaning it could not afford a prolonged battle.
Another scorching column of fire swept across the field. The golden Pidgey evaded using high-speed movement, then used Tackle—not against Charmander, but against nearby branches. It knew that rashly engaging in close combat with Charmander would be foolish.
"Not bad. Its battle instincts are solid," Red acknowledged.
The golden Pidgey whipped up a gust with Gust, sending countless branches flying toward Charmander. To avoid injury, Charmander had to shift its target to the branches, creating an opening.
Seizing the moment, the golden Pidgey spun and struck with Aerial Ace. The hit enraged Charmander, triggering Outrage. Its eyes turned blood-red as multiple flames crazily locked onto the golden Pidgey above. The golden Pidgey was horrified, unable to understand why a single Aerial Ace had driven Charmander into such a frenzy.
"Calm down. Pidgey is nearly losing its will to fight. Finish it with Dragon Breath."
Red used his Aura abilities to stabilize Charmander's berserk state. Regaining clarity, Charmander swiftly unleashed Dragon Breath, completely defeating the golden Pidgey.
"Go, Poké Ball."
Red threw the prepared Poké Ball. It struck the golden Pidgey, turning it into a red beam of light and drawing it inside. Perhaps Charmander's berserk display had instilled fear—there wasn't even a shake. It was a perfect capture.