The major cities of Kanto were on a completely different level than towns like Redwood. Although Eric, had experienced this before when he went to Celadon City, he was still a bit taken aback.
Pewter City was massive. The level of infrastructure here couldn't be compared to Redwood, and Pokemon trainers were everywhere.
Even those who weren't trainers had at least one Pokemon to accompany them. This was a bit different than Redwood where many households did not have even a single Pokemon.
Thus, Pewter City gave off a very lively feeling. One of the first things Eric did when he got there was to go to the Pokemon Center and get details about the Pewter City Gym, and if there were any events happening in Pewter City that he should look out for.
After that, Eric went out to explore the city, from the markets to restaurants, especially restaurants, he spent the day relaxing and exploring.
He even bought new clothes. Good clothes were a necessity if you want to make an impression. In the end, he bought a fancy Black Jacket with a hood that went up to his thighs, and a textured grey jeans.
Turns out he liked dark, neutral colours, and that matched with his cold, slightly edgy vibes. Eric had also been training since he got in this world, and had gained some muscle and trimmed down any excess fat. So he looked a bit handsome now.
Aftwrwards, he went to a famous restaurant in the city, and ordered a helfty meal.
Whole waiting, he checked the League app on his phone while figuring out his future plans.
In order to gain fame, he needed to participate in many League events that would make him stand out. The gym challenges were one of them.
And it wasn't like he had 0 fame.
Every trainer who was registered with the League had their own page on the League app.
He checked his status under the League App.
---
Name: Eric
AP (achievement points): 50
Followers: 2000
Major accomplishments:
Semi-Finalist of the Redwood Beginner Tournament.
---
Trainers were assigned AP by the League based on their accomplishments.
They could also gain followers by standing out more in the public. Even though Redwood was a small town and not many paid attention to it, Eric still gained around 2000 followers after finishing as a Semi-Finalist in it.
Especially because a lot of famous trainers had also participated.
A high AP and a high follower count was necessary for a trainer to gain important positions in the League.
The elite 4 for example, needed more than just public strength. They also needed popularity amongst the masses, as they would be representing their region. And AP also acted as a measure to show a trainer's capability.
Eric set a goal of about 10,000 Ap and 100,000 followers as he put down his phone. His food was here, and that to him, was far more important than thinking about all this.
---
"Did you hear about the Pokemon thief?"
"I heard it's a girl."
"It's all nonsense! There is no way a rookie trainer stole a starter Pokémon from the Prof. Oak!"
Eric heard an interesting gossip as he explored the city, prompting him to check his phone for any new news.
After scrolling for a bit, he found the article. "Breaking! Someone stole a starter Pokemon from Professor Oak's Lab!"
After going through the article, he found it to be nothing more than gossip. The evidence was lacking. And after experiencing the strength of a Pseudo King Pokemon, there is no way someone like Professor Oak would get robbed.
But then, Eric remembered a story in the Pokemon Adventures Manga.
"Could it be? Green?"
In the manga, one of the 3 starters was stolen by Green, but it was later revealed that Professor Oak let her steal it.
'That is a real possibility.'
Eric was lost in thought as he bumped into a girl. No, the girl bumped into him.
"It's not nice to pickpocket someone."
Eric turned around and called out to the girl.
'He actually caught me?'
"I wonder what you're talking about, Cutie Pie."
The girl said as she winked.
Based on her appearance, brown hair, black dress, white gloves, black boots,
Eric immediately recognised her.
Funny. He was just reading the article and thought it could be Green, and here she was, standing in front of him.
The only thing on Eric was his League Id, which was in his wallet. Everything else was in his spatial watch. The ID couldn't be stored in a spatial device due to technical reasons.
The ID is protected, only the trainer can use it. It's no use in someone else's hands. Meaning, it was a pointless pickpocket.
Eric and Green both stared at each other, as they were both sizing up the other person.
Eventually, Green relented.
"You're cute, so you can have it back."
She winked and tried to make her escape, throwing the Wallet at Eric.
"Ya that's not happening."
Eric held her by the arms to stop her.
But then she screamed on top of her lungs.
"Kyaaah. Someone help!"
"…"
A bunch of people nearby started coming towards them, wondering what was going on.
Sigh.
Eric reluctantly let go. He had his ID back, and it's difficult to prove a girl was stealing from him.
Eric was actually not that mad at her. While he didn't know her exact story in this world, he had an idea based on the manga. But that didn't mean he would let her take advantage of him.
After Green gained some distance from him, he secretly ordered Haunter to follow her and merge with her shadow.
---
Green left Pewter City and entered the Viridian Forest.
She moved skillfully, pausing ever so often to look around and make sure she was alone. Then she turned off the path, pushing through a tangle of bushes into a part of the forest that didn't appear on any map.
She reached what looked like a dead end, a large boulder sitting quietly between the trees. She didn't stop her advance, as she walked straight through it.
Haunter stayed in her shadow, watching. The boulder was an illusion, and past it, was a path that led to, sat a small cabin. He waited until he was sure, then quietly drifted back to find Eric.
But, instead of turning back, she walked through it. The boulder was an illusion. Behind the boulder was a path that led to a cabin. Haunter stayed in her shadow for some time to confirm this was where Green resided in. Then he quietly left and went back to Eric to inform him.
"A hidden cabin in the woods, huh."
Eric sat with that for a moment. Part of him knew he should probably just leave it alone. But he'd been made to look like an idiot, and beyond that, if he was honest with himself, he was a little curious. He told Haunter to lead the way.
'It really is an illusion,' he thought as he walked through the boulder and made his way towards the cabin.
But once inside, he found that the cabin was completely empty. Aside from furniture, there was almost nothing there, except for a note sitting in the middle of the table, as if it had been waiting for him.
It read:
Hey there, cutie pie.
You'll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to tail me :p
P.S. This cabin belongs to a Team Rocket officer, and I just looted it. So if you value your life, you might want to get moving. Just saying :p
She'd drawn a little doodle of herself at the bottom, winking, tongue out, looking very pleased.
Eric looked at it for a second longer than he needed to.
"...Looks like we've been had."
No time to think about it. A Team Rocket officer was well above his pay grade right now, and Green had clearly known that when she wrote the note. He headed out quickly, Haunter falling in behind him, and didn't stop until he was back in Pewter City.
He had underestimated her. Having no way to find out where she was, he chose to let it go and focus on the purpose he was here to begin with. The gym challenge.
He went to the gym to register for his gym challenge.
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