On the 7th day, Eric was training his Pokémon like usual, when he heard a loud noise of someone screaming a little further into the forest.
Eric went and hit behind a tree, peaking to check what that was about.
There, he saw a young trainer, about 15 years in age, surrounded by 3 people.
These people were wearing Gang uniforms. 2 were dressed in the uniform of the Weezing gang, the last one… Arbok Gang!
Eric's eyes narrowed. He still hadn't forgotten that it was this gang who kidnapped the previous owner of his body.
"Hey brat, just give up on your Pokemon and we might let you live. What's so hard to understand about that?"
"Never! I won't leave Liz with the likes of you!"
The boy was surprisingly brave.
Eric didn't wait to see how this played out. He had made the decision the moment he saw the Arbok Gang memeber.
Haunter disappeared from besides Eric and knocked out the Ekans and the 2 koffing as he materialized between the boy and the 3 thugs.
"W-what the–"
"Hey kid. Sit on my Fearow's back and head to town. I'll handle things from here."
Eric said as he came out of hiding and went to the boy.
"U-um, you are?"
"Just a trainer that was passing by. Now hurry it along!"
"R-right."
The boy recalled his Pokemon, a charmander, and hesitantly climbed on top of Fearow's back, flying away into the distance.
Eric didn't need to send the boy away for his safety. He did that because he didn't want the boy to see what he's going to do to these 3 thugs next.
Eric then smiled as he walked up to them. It was very unusual for him to do so, but he found himself in a good mood.
"W-who the hell are you? The Arbok and Weezing gan–"
"Shut it. I didn't give you permission to talk."
Eric went up to them and stared them in the eyes menacingly. For scums like them, he had no mercy.
"I would tell you to warn the Arbok Gang that there daysnare numbered. But sadly, you wouldn't be alive for that."
All the anger and frustration inside Eric turned into something cold and menacing. He looked calm, like he was having a good time. But behind each of his actions was a cold fury.
"Haunter, do it."
Even in anger, Eric wasn't one to play with his prey. He didn't drag it and asked Haunter to finish them off.
Haunter, who was also angry, reached out with his arms. They passed through the 2 members of the Weezing Gang, not doing anything for a moment.
Then, Haunter released his Ghost type energy from them, which drained all the colour from their eyes, killing them instantly.
"W-what the hell!"
The Arbok Gang member stumbled as he tried to flee. But Haunter, being much faster, appeared in front of him.
" Kekeke"
" Get away from me!"
He fired a small blast of ghost type energy, killing the man.
"Good. Now dispose of their bodies. Don't leave any evidence behind aanwe wait for Fearow."
Killing people wasn't legal, even if they were gang members. So he didn't want to leave evidence.
---
After Fearow returned, they head back to Redwood. Eric didn't have any business left here, so he once again decided to leave town.
But before that, he went to Eddie's Salon, both to say hi to him and get his hair trimmed.
"Oh Brother! You look a bit different from before! That unapproachable aura of yours has reduced quite a bit!"
"Well a lot has changed since back then."
"That's good, that's good, Brother."
Eddie was the same as usual, bursting with energy as he cut Eric's hair.
"There. All done. I see you're taking care of your body and hair too. You look a lot healthier, brother."
"Thanks."
After they were done, Eric bade goodbye to Eddie, then went to visit the berry shop and the Pokémon Center to say hi to Amanda and Nurse Joy.
Post that, he quickly boarded a train and left Redwood.
Eric now had a new goal. After getting rejected from the Celadon Black Market, and meeting all sorts of famous people, Eric decided.
'I want to be famous too.'
Fame and recognition went a long way. Many paths that were closed off before open up when you gain recognition from people.
It helped in building valuable connections and gaining the favour of the League. An unknown trainer wouldn't have the same opportunities as a famous trainer, even if they were equally strong.
And to do this, the first thing that Eric planned to do was to go through the Gym Challenge!
Kanto had a lot more than just 8 gyms. But to participate in the main League Tournament, you needed the badges from the main 8.
Eric decided to challenge all of them! Not just the main 8, but every gym in Kanto! This would allow him to travel across Kanto, get stronger, and gain fame at the same time.
Three birds with one stone.
And his first destination, was Pewter City! You could challenge any gym you want first, but Eric wanted Pewter Gym to be his first, like in the games.
'I wonder who the Gym leader is? Will it be Brock, or his father? This world has Red and Blue, so it might not have Ash... Well, we'll see when we get there.'
The Pokemon fan inside Eric was excited. He would finally see the places, and meet the people he once saw only in the games.
Eric's mentality had changed a lot from before. Before this, he didn't want to stand out much, until he gained enough strength.
But since then, he had matured. This wasn't the life he wanted, ruled be anxiety and trauma.
So what if there were trainers who could crush him like a bug? He would not give them power over him.
In this manner, the teenager was slowly starting to grow up. He wasn't the same Eric that arrived here from Earth.
Eric closed his eyes as the train left Redwood behind, his thoughts drifting away…
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