"Pay Day!?"
"Whoa, I didn't expect that move!"
"Isn't that Nami's favorite!?"
Red's expression turned strange as he stared at the move description on the screen.
This move—neither particularly strong nor weak—had an oddly charming effect.
However…
"With a measly power of 40, and being a special move on top of that, it's not worth wasting Zoro's time."
Red exited the game interface. He wasn't exactly disappointed, but the surprise had definitely dulled a bit.
After all, whether in the game or in reality, neither he nor his Pokémon were at the stage where money limited their progress.
So for now, this move was nothing more than a novelty.
Perhaps its only real use was to catch Nami's attention—to make her acknowledge him as a proper Trainer sooner or later.
But all of that would have to wait until they dealt with the Arlong Pirates first.
Until she freed her heart, Nami wouldn't open up to anyone.
Without wasting more time on Pay Day, Red led Zoro up the slope and entered the cave of Mt. Moon.
No sooner had they stepped in than two unmistakable figures appeared before them.
A man and a woman—one with long pink hair, the other with light blue shoulder-length hair.
And on their white uniforms gleamed a bold, red "R".
"Team Rocket, huh?"
Seeing the pair he'd met briefly before, Red licked his lips.
Because he knew—these two experience point piñatas were about to gift Zoro a hefty haul!
"What a pleasant surprise!"
Inside the cave, Jessie and James of Team Rocket were bickering over something.
But before the encounter could reach its scripted battle phase, the two spotted Red and Zoro—and bolted deeper into the cave.
"They ran?" Red didn't hesitate. "Come on, Zoro! We're going after them!"
This game world wasn't a simple game—it wouldn't just erase NPCs once they left the screen.
However…
If they lost track of them now, finding them again to trigger the quest would be a real pain.
Anyway, wild Pokémon filled Mt. Moon.
They might as well follow Team Rocket and find the exit along the way.
"Got it!"
Zoro, now accustomed to following Red's lead, nodded sharply and gave chase.
To avoid losing sight of their targets, Red even had Zoro handle all the random Trainers along the way solo.
He sacrificed quite a bit of command experience in doing so.
Even so, within just half an hour, Zoro's experience points had surged past 2000—twice the rate they'd achieved on Route 3.
After all, there were far more Trainers in caves than out in the open wild.
Finally, with only fifteen minutes of battery life left on the console, they caught up to Team Rocket—and found the correct path through Mt. Moon.
"Whew~ Good thing we didn't lose them. With your sense of direction, Zoro, we'd never make it out of this cave alive."
Red muttered under his breath, then strode forward.
A black-clad Team Rocket grunt stepped up, blocking their way just like all the other Trainers before.
"This isn't a place for kids!"
"Finish him, Zoro!"
Red didn't waste words. The battery was low—he wanted to at least finish the Mt. Moon scenario before calling it a day.
"Understood!"
Zoro grinned and unleashed a One Sword Style: Iai Slash—Lion's Song, cutting down the opposing level-10 Drowzee in a single strike.
Then came a second grunt… a third… a fourth…
Four Rocket grunts in total, granting Zoro over 300 experience points but costing Red nearly five minutes.
At last, he found a researcher examining two rare fossils.
Red stepped forward to trigger the dialogue.
Another brief battle later, Zoro earned another 200 experience points.
Now his total stood at 3025 / 4447.
Just 1422 more points to level up.
Unfortunately…
It wouldn't happen today.
"What a pity…"
After defeating the researcher, Red wiped away a tear and pocketed both fossils.
The system was surprisingly realistic—none of that game logic where the victor still had to "pick one."
But just as he stashed the fossils into his bag, rapid footsteps echoed behind them.
"Who's there!?"
Zoro drew his blade instinctively.
Team Rocket's trio—the same ones they'd been chasing—emerged from the shadows.
"Since you asked so sincerely—"
"We'll answer with compassion!"
Jessie and James struck their signature poses, voices echoing dramatically through the cave.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right"
"Uh… this…"
Even Zoro—who was already nearly used to the bizarre behavior of people in this world—was left momentarily stunned by the sight before him.
Red, however, grinned, once again witnessing a legendary scene with his own eyes.
"You're lucky, Zoro!" he chuckled. "A performance like this doesn't come around every day!"
"Heh…" Zoro twitched at the corner of his mouth and muttered dryly, "I'd rather never have seen such a cringe-inducing opening. Even I feel second-hand embarrassment for them."
"So then…"
Clang!
A flash of cold steel cut through the air.
The blade left its sheath in an instant.
"They're enemies, right?" Zoro tilted his head toward Red.
"Exactly!" Red checked the battery indicator on his Pokédex, making sure it had enough power for Zoro to finish off the Team Rocket trio. Satisfied, he nodded firmly.
"In short, cut them down without hesitation!"
"Just what I wanted to hear."
Shing!
The snow-white Wado Ichimonji slid into Zoro's mouth, while his other hands drew two ordinary longswords.
The Three-Sword-Style swordsman was ready for battle!
By this point, Team Rocket had finished their over-dramatic introduction.
Jessie and James threw their Poké Balls in unison.
In a flash of light—two Pokémon that practically screamed "villain" appeared before Zoro.
A Level 15 Koffing and a Level 15 Ekans!
"So it's those two, huh?" Zoro smirked faintly. "They do look a bit stronger than the others… but still too weak."
The next second, his figure vanished from sight—blurring forward like lightning!
Three streaks of silvery light cut across the dim cavern, slicing straight through Koffing and Ekans in an instant.
"Three-Sword Style: Crow—Demon Hunt!!!"
Slash!
Several deep sword marks appeared on both Pokémon.
If not for this being a game world without gore, Red was sure that single attack would've cleaved the creatures apart entirely.
Their HP bars dropped to zero in the blink of an eye.
No surprise there—the so-called "final boss" of Mt. Moon, Team Rocket, was once again instantly annihilated by Zoro.
"What a disgusting feeling~"
With that classic line, the Team Rocket trio fled into the distance, leaving only the echoes of their defeat.
Zoro's experience points rose by another two hundred.
But the console's power was running low—signaling that today's adventure was over.
After Red gave a quick explanation to Zoro, a bright white flash enveloped them both, and they returned to their respective bedrooms.
…
…
Under the moonlit night, everything was calm and peaceful.
Zoro suddenly opened his eyes, sitting up in bed aboard his small ship. He glanced around quickly.
Once he confirmed he was back in his cabin, excitement lit up his face.
"So… it wasn't a dream after all!?"
He stared at his hands.
He clearly remembered collapsing from exhaustion during training.
That was why, upon first entering the game world, Red had taken him to Pewter City's Pokémon Center, where he lay on a strange machine for just a few seconds—
—and somehow, his stamina had completely recovered.
Feeling his body now, nearly identical to how it was before he left the game, Zoro grew more certain—
Everything that just happened… wasn't a dream at all!
"A Trainer, huh?"
Gazing at the night sky through the window, Zoro couldn't help but murmur softly,
"Never thought I'd meet someone as extraordinary as Red… and even become his partner!"
"Kuina… it seems…"
"I've taken another step closer to my goal!!!"
(End of Chapter)