As Treecko's speed surged once again, Squirtle remained withdrawn inside its shell.
"Treecko," Aiden Flint said calmly, "use Tackle—hit it from the side and flip it over. Once it loses its balance, that shell won't help it anymore!"
The next instant, Treecko shot forward.
With the momentum granted by its speed, the force generated by its charge slammed hard into Squirtle's side.
Following Aiden's command without hesitation, Treecko executed it perfectly.
Someone once joked that speed itself is power—have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?
Treecko obviously wasn't that fast, but with Quick Attack's speed boost, it carried more than enough force to knock Squirtle over.
With a solid impact, Squirtle was sent flying and landed flat on its back, limbs flailing uselessly in the air.
Seeing Squirtle unable to get back up, Aiden's eyes lit up.
"Now's our chance! Treecko—Bullet Seed, point-blank!"
Hearing the command, Treecko's spirits soared.
It was becoming clearer by the second—this Trainer's orders actually worked.
This Squirtle, helpless on its back, had no way to resist.
That meant one thing.
This time, Treecko had finally found a reliable Trainer.
Treecko had always longed to grow stronger. Naturally, it loved battle rather than feared it.
And for Aiden—who aimed to become a powerful Trainer—there was one absolute requirement for his Pokémon:
They must not shy away from battle.
Better yet, they should crave it.
Only then would they have the drive and potential to truly grow.
"Tree—!"
With a sharp cry, Treecko unleashed an even fiercer volley of Bullet Seed, firing at close range straight into Squirtle's abdomen.
The explosive impact blasted Squirtle backward.
Without its shell protecting its front—and suffering from a type disadvantage—Squirtle could no longer hold on.
It lost the ability to battle completely.
"Ding! Simulated battle concluded."
"Treecko is victorious."
"Treecko has gained 75 experience points."
As the system's cheerful prompt sounded, Squirtle's figure vanished from the field.
"Would the host like to continue simulated battles?"
Aiden chose No.
Treecko needed a bit of rest after that fight.
"Treecko," Aiden said, smiling, "this is where you'll live from now on. This is my personal space—only Pokémon who become my partners can stay here."
"You can train here, battle here, even spar under Rayquaza's pressure."
"Trust me. Follow me, and you'll grow strong—fast."
Treecko looked into Aiden's eyes.
Seeing the sincerity there, the little Pokémon finally grinned, plucked a leaf into its mouth, and reached out its hand.
Seeing Treecko's slightly tsundere attitude, Aiden laughed and reached out as well.
Trainer and Pokémon clasped hands.
At this moment, a bond was formed—one destined to give rise to future legends in the Hoenn League.
"Ding! Treecko's friendship increased by 10."
"Current friendship: 110."
After leaving the System Space once more, Aiden packed some clothes into it, bought food and essential supplies from Littleroot Town's shop, and prepared to leave this starting town behind.
To travel the region and compete in the League, he would need to challenge Hoenn's eight Gyms, earn eight badges, and finally take on the Ever Grande Conference.
One thing did make him curious, though.
Was Ash Ketchum currently in Kanto, or had he already arrived in Hoenn?
If Ash was in Hoenn, maybe they'd meet at the Ever Grande Conference.
After finishing his preparations, Aiden set out toward Petalburg City.
His first destination was clear—
Petalburg Gym.
From Littleroot Town, Petalburg City was the only direct route forward. Any attempt to challenge other Gyms required passing through it first.
So Aiden's first goal was set: Petalburg Gym.
The Gym Leader there was Norman, father of May and Max in the original story, and widely regarded as the strongest Trainer in Hoenn outside of the Champion and Elite Four.
Norman specialized in Normal-type Pokémon, most notably Slakoth, Vigoroth, and Slaking.
If Aiden could confirm whether May and Max were still at Petalburg Gym, he'd have a good idea of where the timeline currently stood.
However, the path from Littleroot Town to Petalburg City led straight through Petalburg Woods.
Petalburg Woods was massive—much like Viridian Forest in Kanto—almost completely surrounding the city. No matter where you traveled from Petalburg City, you'd have to pass through it.
In the Pokémon world, the wilderness belonged to Pokémon.
Forests, lakes, mountains—everywhere teemed with wild Pokémon.
And regions rich in resources naturally housed more—and rarer—Pokémon.
With anticipation for the unknown and hopes of encountering new partners, Aiden stepped onto his very own journey.
Travel was always like this.
At the beginning, it was exciting—filled with novelty and expectation.
But once fatigue set in, it quickly became a burden, tempting people to stop and rest.
Those with weak resolve might even abandon their League challenge altogether.
After walking and resting for most of the day, Aiden finally leaned against a large tree to take a break. He released Treecko to scout the surroundings, and only after confirming it was safe did the two relax.
Along the way, Aiden encountered plenty of wild Pokémon.
Most Grass-type Pokémon weren't hostile toward humans. Even when spotted, they usually fled immediately—like Oddish or Hoppip.
Bug-types were another story.
Pokémon like Beedrill or Dustox could easily turn into serious trouble.
Thankfully, the ones Aiden encountered so far were only their base forms, so nothing too dangerous happened.
Treecko, however, had gone through several battles and was clearly tired.
Aiden took out some Berries from the System Space, letting Treecko eat his fill and recover stamina.
As for himself, Aiden made do with Berries, bread, and rice balls to restore his own strength.
After the short rest, he continued toward Petalburg City.
Then—
Without realizing it, he wandered straight into a Pidgey flock.
"Why are there suddenly so many Pidgey?"
Looking at the trees ahead—crowded with Pidgey and several Pidgeotto—Aiden felt a bit surprised.
Scanning them quickly, he found that most of the Pidgey had White-tier potential, with a few at Green. The Pidgeotto were all Green-tier.
When the flock noticed Aiden, none of the Pidgey reacted.
Instead, all eyes were fixed on the leading Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeot—!"
With a sharp cry from the leader, the entire flock responded.
In the next instant, the Pidgey surged into the sky, whipping up fierce winds.
And from the distance, more Flying-type Pokémon began rushing toward the area.
This didn't look friendly at all.
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