At eight in the morning, we met up for breakfast as agreed. Bran was, of course, a born explorer who left nothing to chance. As soon as we started eating, he enthusiastically began rambling about everything he had uncovered regarding today's route.
"Route 24 starts in the northwest of the city, but just so you know, it's no wilderness," he paused, continuing with his mouth full. "Yesterday I was asking around among the other trainers, and Route 24 is basically just one huge wooden bridge that leads almost all the way to Route 25. That bridge is a local attraction... Apparently, it sways like crazy under your feet. On top of that, it has electric barriers installed underneath and along the sides to prevent damage from Pokémon. A lot of trainers who love to battle hang out there, so get ready, Patrik, someone's bound to challenge you. The same rule applies there as in the city—each trainer can only have one Pokémon out until we cross to the other side. And then, on the left, right before the start of Route 25, there's a forest."
He stuffed another large bite of omelet into his mouth, chewing thoroughly while clearly enjoying our curiosity, and before I could urge him to hurry up, he continued.
"According to one guy, Adam, there's nothing exceptionally rare living in that forest. Just the usual bugs, Oddish, Jigglypuff, and mostly a ton of Pidgey. There are barely any Spearow; they've mostly been wiped out," at that moment, he looked around conspiratorially to see if anyone at the neighboring tables was listening, dropping his voice to a whisper. "But Adam swore he saw an Abra there with his own eyes. So we could stop there for a bit... I think any of us would benefit incredibly from having an Abra on our team."
Aron was safely tucked away in my Poké Ball, and Abra was asleep in our room. Psychic babies don't need much food anyway, so neither Bran nor Lilly had any idea that I already had one. Still, I naturally planned to take her along on our journey.
"You can't just catch an Abra like that. The second it senses danger, it teleports away. Plus, none of us has a Pokémon that can block its Teleport," I shook my head in disagreement. "It would be a complete waste of time."
"Yeah, let's just go straight to the sea," Lilly agreed immediately.
Even though she didn't say it outright, both Bran and I knew she simply wanted to avoid any kind of dense forest at all costs.
"Alright, fine," Bran muttered, hanging his head in defeat. "I don't really want to battle on that bridge anyway. What about you, Lilly?"
"Me neither," she shook her head resolutely.
"Saur! Bulbasaur!" her Pokémon's reproachful voice suddenly piped up from under the table.
"Later, Bulbasaur, once we get a bit stronger," she said to him in an instantly soothing tone.
I couldn't help but smirk. I didn't understand his language, of course, but his tone was so emphatic that the general meaning of his protest was easy to decipher.
"That's fine. I need the experience for my team anyway," I spoke up to lighten the mood.
"And as for Route 25..." Bran started rambling enthusiastically again. This time, however, a wild gesture sent a piece of omelet flying out of his mouth, landing right on the table. Luckily, it landed exactly halfway between us, and I cut him off with a look of mild disgust.
"Just eat, Bran. You can tell us all about it on the way, or we'll just see it for ourselves later..."
He nodded disappointedly. Although I could tell how much it was killing him not to share the rest of his knowledge right then and there, we ate the remainder of our breakfast in silence.
Once we finished, we cleared the table and headed up to our rooms to grab our gear. Naturally, I didn't forget to pack Abra's Poké Ball.
Outside the Pokémon Center, we were greeted by bright morning sun and crisp air—perfect weather for today's trek. Just as Bran had said, we could see a section of the massive beige wooden bridge in the northwest distance.
Bran walked alongside his Poliwhirl, I had Haunter hidden in my shadow as usual, and Lilly was accompanied by her Bulbasaur, holding one of his vines tightly in her only hand.
A Ranger stood at the entrance of the bridge, but he only gave us an indifferent glance, so we stepped onto it. In the distance, I could see ordinary people out for a stroll, alongside trainers and their Pokémon. There was no sign of any battles yet, though.
Just two minutes into our walk across the bridge, Bran let out a loud burp.
"Ugh, I'm gonna barf."
"Well, you'll just have to power through," I smirked at him mockingly.
The bridge really was shifting up and down, undulating, and since the three of us were walking side by side, our combined weight and stride set it swaying so much that it felt like navigating some kind of water slide. I could feel my core automatically engaging to stabilize me with every step. It made for a decent workout while still being a casual stroll. Sounds of wild Water-type Pokémon echoed from the water below, and I managed to catch glimpses of a few of them through the railing.
Neither Lilly nor I had any stomach issues, but Bran grew visibly paler with every step.
After about twenty minutes of walking—during which, to my great disappointment, Bran failed to throw up—we came across the first trainer battle. It was a girl with a Nidorino against a boy with a Mankey. It looked evenly matched, though I expected the Nidorino to win eventually. On paper, it should have been a landslide, but this Mankey seemed well-trained, and the Nidorino was already limping slightly. Just before we walked past them completely, I saw the Mankey slam Nidorino against the wooden railing. At the exact moment of impact, the edge of the bridge flashed with a yellow gleam. The electric barrier was fully active.
We didn't stop to watch the whole match. We simply walked past, and by the time I glanced back over my shoulder, the conclusion of the battle was out of sight.
After another hour of walking, both Bran and Lilly were challenged to battles by other trainers. However, when I offered myself up for a fight, they immediately declined. They seemed sharp enough, likely noticing the strange writhing in my shadows. I honestly couldn't wait for the day Haunter reached a level where he had absolute control over them.
It was only when we finally spotted the forest through the railing on our left that a guy stopped me with a challenging smirk. Tanned and sporting a cool, backward-facing beige cap, he looked like your average trainer. He wore a blue T-shirt featuring the Cerulean City logo. To be honest, he didn't look particularly bright—more like slightly cocky—but he had a laid-back vibe. I accepted his challenge on the spot: a three-on-three match with fifty Pokémon Dollars in cash on the line.
Lilly and Bran stepped aside. The opposing trainer reached for a Poké Ball, but before he could call out his Pokémon, I spoke first.
"Go, Haunter."
The guy froze instantly as a massive Haunter materialized from my shadow, wearing his signature toothy, wicked grin. After shaking off the initial shock, my opponent returned his chosen Poké Ball to his belt and pulled out a different one.
In a flash of red light, an Exeggcute materialized on the wooden planks of the bridge.
I actually had to chuckle. There was simply no way I could lose this. I had the type advantage, the upper hand in terms of aura, and a clear size superiority. My opponent stood absolutely no chance.
I was still highly amused, but when the trainer barked an order and the six eggs on the ground gleamed with a blue psychic light in their eyes, I quickly composed myself.
My Haunter wasn't just levitating there aimlessly, though. Wasting no time, he was already gathering a massive, dark, spinning Shadow Ball between his claws.
I had to stop him immediately. The eggs' psychic attack hadn't affected Haunter in the slightest, yet he was still wildly pumping ghostly energy into the Shadow Ball until it grew larger than his opponent's entire Pokémon.
"Dispel that Shadow Ball!" I commanded quickly. "Quarter power, and charge it for no more than a second!"
Haunter shot me a deeply disappointed look, but complied without a fuss. I'd rather have him sulk now than straight up obliterate Exeggcute in a friendly training match. The kid probably naively assumed he'd have an advantage because of Haunter's Poison subtyping, but the exact opposite was true—my Ghost-type's spiritual power was an absolute nightmare for his Grass/Psychic opponent.
Within a second, Haunter shrunk his attack to a tiny Shadow Ball and casually lobbed it at the cluster of eggs on the deck. As the move connected, there was only a faint crackling sound. The dark energy instantly surged through every part of Exeggcute. It was a clean, instantaneous knockout.
"Next," I said, gesturing calmly to the trainer.
His next choice was a Sandshrew, who suffered an equally swift knockout. Though the desert Pokémon managed to nimbly dodge the first weakened Shadow Ball, it stood no chance against such rapid fire. The second hit wore it down, and the third finished it off.
For his final Pokémon, he sent out an Ekans. This time, I allowed Haunter half-power. Since Ekans wasn't nearly as fast as the Sandshrew, the battle was short-lived. One direct hit, and it was all over.
In the end, my opponent, who introduced himself as Timmy, shook my hand. He was clearly disappointed, but he remained a good sport and handed over the fifty Pokémon Dollars. We parted ways, and we continued on.
After another half hour, we finally stepped off the bridge. Bran looked so incredibly ecstatic that I was genuinely worried he might pull a classic sailor move and kiss the dirty ground beneath his feet. Judging by his amused smirk, the Ranger standing nearby was thinking the exact same thing.
"So, we're really not going to look for that Abra?" Bran asked as we reached a fork in the road.
To the left lay the forest; to the right, Route 25 stretched ahead.
"No," Lilly declared flatly, so we turned right without another word.
Bran let out a soft sigh and followed. In the meantime, we decided to release our Pokémon—this time, my entire team.
Bran offered an amused smile at the sight of the small, slow Aron. But when I called out Abra from her Poké Ball next, he froze, staring at me with his jaw practically dropping to the floor.
"When, by Arceus, did you manage to catch an Abra?!" he finally blurted out, snapping out of his shock.
"Last night," I said, shrugging indifferently. I picked up the little psychic baby and draped her around my neck. Her tiny paws immediately clung to my neck, and she buried herself comfortably in my hair, continuing her nap undisturbed.
"Whoa, hold on, Patrik! Did you sneak off into the forest last night or what?" Bran demanded immediately, while Lilly just offered a quiet smile.
"No, she was brought straight to my room... I just needed a Psychic-type for my team," I replied calmly.
"She must have cost a fortune," Bran remarked with an appreciative nod.
I just shrugged vaguely. I didn't feel like launching into a long explanation about how she was a gift from my "pseudo-grandfather," Professor Oak. I didn't want to come across as some privileged rich kid, even though I actually had enough money in my account to buy one myself.
We kept walking down the well-trodden path. There wasn't another soul in sight, but the forest ahead of us buzzed with Pokémon life. As usual, I had that familiar sensation of being watched from the thicket, though that was entirely normal this close to the wild.
Within a few minutes, we were nearing the end of the route. The forest grew a bit thicker ahead, but the path bent sharply to the right. It was a straight, clear trail leading right to the open sea. A pleasant sea breeze, thick with the scent of salt, drifted toward us from the coast.
"We can jog a bit if you guys want," I suggested. "The path is clear, and some light cardio would do us good."
"Sure," Lilly agreed readily.
Bran gave a nod of agreement, and we fell into an easy jog. We set the pace for little Aron, who was easily the slowest among us, though he clearly enjoyed the run, squeaking happily as he scampered along.
Just a few minutes in, however, Machoke's warning voice halted us.
"Machoke! Macho!"
He was bringing up the rear right behind Aron, making sure our little iron-eater didn't wander off or get snatched by a wild Pokémon. I looked back, and I nearly choked on my spit. Baby Aron was lying completely limp, face-down on the dirt. When I rushed over, the soft, rhythmic puffs of air told me everything—he had literally fallen asleep mid-stride. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed a living creature could shut down so fast during physical activity.
"Pick him up, Machoke. Think of it as a bit of extra strength training," I instructed him.
With a grin, Machoke effortlessly complied, scooping up the little sleeper. We picked up the pace, heading straight for the ocean. We passed a few tourists along the way, but no one bothered us; we only received a few friendly smiles.
Houndoom was enjoying the run more than anyone. Fortunately, he skipped his favorite pastime of pestering Wartortle—refraining from whipping his tail across the turtle's forehead—which kept everyone's spirits high.
After another half hour of alternating between walking and jogging, the narrow trail finally began to widen. The thick forest on our left gave way, revealing a clear view through the trees of a massive observation tower looming majestically over the coastline.
We also had a beautiful view of the azure sea, the sandy beach, and a surprising crowd of people. You might have expected beach chairs and piña coladas, but there was nothing of the sort. People lay on blankets, and someone was grilling a short distance away. Some groups were entirely without Pokémon, while others, naturally, had theirs out.
It wasn't until we actually stepped onto the beach that we realized just how wide it was. It felt almost artificial—far too pristine and perfect, considering how close the forest was. I was willing to bet that a few Ground- or Water-type Pokémon from Cerulean had put in serious work to turn this spot into a tourist destination.
I also noticed a Ranger patrolling nearby, keeping a watchful eye on the beach activities.
"Want to go check out the tower?" Bran suggested after scanning the area.
"No, thanks," I declined immediately. "I'd rather head further down and set up camp where it's less crowded."
The average tourists and weaker trainers clustered near the entrance of the beach, where the Ranger patrolled for safety. Stronger or more confident trainers set up further down, which naturally left a lot more open space. Plus, having the forest right next to us meant dry firewood was easily within reach—making it the perfect spot to set up camp.
Lilly agreed with me, of course, which didn't surprise me in the slightest. Out in the wild, I was her source of security. So, we continued down the beach. The Ranger gave us nothing more than a passing glance. It was hardly surprising; our ten Pokémon combined looked like a small army. We clearly weren't the kind of amateurs he needed to worry about.
We eventually set up camp near the very edge of the beach, a short distance from the guy I had spotted earlier in the Pokémon Center with the massive Charizard. I didn't pitch our camp there because he made me feel safer, but purely because of the Sunny Day his Pokémon was clearly using. The sunlight near his campsite was noticeably stronger and warmer, making it the perfect spot for sunbathing, swimming, and setting up our own gear.
"Haunter, Machoke, head into the woods and grab some dry firewood," I instructed. Both complied without a fuss, and the rest of us began unpacking our gear.
I figured Haunter might stumble across some interesting Pokémon in the forest, and Wartortle could scan the sea—either to forage for food, look for potential catches for Lilly, or find something worth selling later. I was quite content, and judging by Lilly's genuine smile, so was she. Only Bran kept casting longing, curious glances back toward the tall tower in the distance.
***
Author's note:
Haunter really wanted to obliterate those little eggs, didn't he? Honestly, Patrik had to step in before Timmy's Exeggcute literally became scrambled eggs.
Am I a bad person for being slightly disappointed that Bran didn't actually throw up on that swaying bridge? :D
But hey, we still got baby Aron literally shutting down and falling asleep mid-jog. You've got to love the contrast between a terrifying ghost casually preparing devastating attacks and a tiny metal baby who just can't be bothered.
Want to read ahead? The next chapter is already out for free on my official website! Grab the direct link on our Discord community: tgdTNZYVKt
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
47. Not on the Menu
48. Blood in the Water
49. Beneath the Surface
50. Gearing Up
51. Borelli's Forge
52. Two Badges and a Persian
53. Steel, Silence, and Whispers
54. Steel and Blood
55. The Spoils of War
56. The Price of Survival
57. A Heavy Debt
58. Into the Dark
59. Where Dragons Feed
60. Heart of a Dragon
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