The sun sank in the west.
Staining the dirt road leading to Vermilion City a dusky yellow.
Ash and his party forged ahead amidst the elongated tree shadows, with Pikachu draped lazily on his shoulder.
"Partner... have you put on weight recently?" Ash adjusted his backpack, complaining with a hint of naggy fussiness.
Uh... were it not for Ash having obtained two Badges and, under the System's effects, received a certain degree of physical reinforcement, he truly couldn't endure Pikachu constantly perching on his shoulder.
After all, Ash was still carrying a backpack himself, which already counted as bearing a load.
Add a Pikachu to that, and it becomes a long-distance cross-country trek with weights.
...One can only say that the physical constitution of people in this world is indeed quite good.
"Pika? (・・?)" Pikachu froze.
"Pika? ⊙▽⊙!" Then it poked its own cheek and belly with its hand.
"Pika... (´;︵;`)" Pikachu fell into a state of depression.
Pikachu, I...
Am already a fat mouse...
"Pika Pi." Pikachu looked toward Brock.
Ever since Brock joined, the quality of their meals had skyrocketed.
And then Pikachu got fat.
...Thinking about it carefully... before Brock joined, living with Ash, what kind of life was that?
Brock was originally a bit absent-minded, currently taking out a notebook and revealing a thoughtful smile at the scribbled sketch of a water ballet formation on it.
"...Do you need to lose weight?" Noticing Pikachu and Ash looking at him, he spoke up.
Brock's professionalism was still quite good.
Part of his attention was actually always monitoring the surrounding situation.
After all, among these three, he was the oldest.
And as the big brother, naturally he had to take care of his companions.
"Pika Pika~_~" Pikachu appeared very conflicted.
After all, eating and drinking to one's heart's content is truly delightful.
Misty was currently looking down, checking the map.
"At this pace, we should be able to reach Bill's Lighthouse within a week."
Misty put away the map and looked up at the sky, "But we have to find a place to set up camp tonight... Hmm? What's that ahead..."
Ahead on the road.
A clearing in the forest had been cleverly carved out, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding wild, nature-filled environment.
Neat boundaries marked by wooden stakes, ground tamped solid with sand and soil, as well as equipment in the corner bearing obvious signs of training, all demonstrated that this was not a natural resting spot.
The most eye-catching feature was a tall wooden pole standing at the edge of the clearing, suspending a flag at its top. On it, a huge "100" was written in bold, flamboyant strokes, and next to it was drawn a picture of a Sandshrew with a sharp gaze.
Beneath the flag.
A youth of similar age to Ash was currently having his back to them, meticulously wiping a pair of fingerless gloves that looked like they had weathered many battles.
He wore crisp, short activewear, displaying a capable and vigorous temperament. Hearing footsteps.
The youth's movements paused, and he turned around crisply.
His gaze swept over Ash's trio like a tangible substance, lingering for a moment on Pikachu and the bulging Poké Ball belt at Ash's waist.
Immediately, the youth raised his head, the corners of his mouth instantly curling up into a small arc mixing confidence and scrutiny.
"Travelers?"
The youth's voice was clear and bright, carrying an undisguised edge, "I am undergoing training here."
His line of sight fell upon Ash. That look, like one sizing up an opponent, made the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder involuntarily prick up its ears.
Eyes met.
It was the signal for battle!
Pikachu felt that he indeed needed to exercise his body.
—Let's fight him!
—Partner!
Pikachu poked Ash's shoulder with a small claw.
Pikachu, requesting deployment!
"I am the Beast Tamer: A.J.," A.J. added, pride revealing itself in his tone.
"Looking at your appearance, you're Trainers too?"
"Just in time. I provide lodging here—of course, not for free."
A.J.'s fighting spirit ignited.
Misty sized up the orderly environment all around, then looked at A.J.'s posture of "I am the master of this place".
"Providing lodging? Is this your home?" Misty's orange ponytail swished lightly.
Although the surrounding training props were very ordinary, one could see this person was very serious.
Whether he had potential was hard to say, but he certainly had great enthusiasm.
"You could say that." A.J. patted the sturdy wooden stake fence beside him, producing a dull thud.
"I built a temporary camp here, which also serves as an arena to accept challenges from Trainers from all quarters."
"Just yesterday afternoon, I just achieved my one-hundredth consecutive victory."
His words were flat.
But that high-spiritedness after completing a goal was almost overflowing.
As his name grew bigger, the Trainers coming to challenge became fewer and fewer, causing the intervals between challenges to grow longer the further he went.
A.J. pointed to that fluttering "100" flag, as if that were the best proof of his strength.
Brock finally recovered completely from his memories of the Cerulean Gym.
He carefully observed the layout of the venue and this confident youth before his eyes: "One hundred consecutive wins?"
"A very amazing achievement."
"It seems you have undergone quite rigorous training." Compared to Ash's abnormal level, this A.J. before him was what Brock considered a normal rookie Trainer.
"Training is the only path to becoming strong." A.J. crossed his arms, his gaze casting toward Ash again, the implication of challenge becoming even more obvious. "Looking at your route, are you planning to go to Vermilion City to challenge the Gym Leader Lt. Surge?"
"Heh, that place isn't a stage for playing house."
"However, before that..."
He changed the subject, a look of high interest appearing on his face: "Seeing you look travel-worn, it's fine if you want to borrow lodging here."
"The rules are simple—"
He extended a thumb, pointing to the sandy ground beneath his feet that he called a "ring".
"Have a Pokémon battle with me."
"Win, and the food, hot water, and safe campsite here are yours to use as you please; lose, well..." he shrugged, "then I'll have to ask you to find another place."
"How about it, dare to accept?"
"Since you're preparing to challenge the Vermilion Gym."
"Then let me, Vermilion City's Rookie Trainer, Beast Tamer A.J., first weigh your worth~"
In the twilight.
A.J.'s eyes were sparkling. That was the excitement of finding a new challenge target, as well as absolute confidence in his hundred-win streak strength.
There are many rookie Trainers in this world just like this; meeting eyes means a Pokémon battle is about to start.
Or rather, low-intensity Pokémon battles are themselves a sport that is extremely popular and sought-after in this world.
Aside from professional Trainers aiming for the seat of the strongest Trainer—the Champion—there also exist amateur Trainers who focus mainly on entertainment confrontation.
There are even Pokémon Coordinator Trainers who focus on beauty for Contests.
The air seemed to crackle with invisible electric sparks.
Hearing this, Ash similarly raised the corners of his mouth.
He raised a hand to press down his hat brim, the eyes beneath the brim meeting A.J.'s gaze without avoidance.
"Interesting." Ash's voice carried a fighting intent eager to give it a try. "Just what I wanted."
"Before I challenge the Vermilion City Gym."
"Before I taste the real main course."
"Let's have a small dessert first~"
Ash naturally wouldn't be afraid of A.J., who called himself the Beast Tamer.
Who do you think I am?
You are the challenger!
"Pikachu, this battle is left to you."
____
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