"The ultimate move! Thunder? But Pikachu hasn't reached the level for Thunder yet!"
"To unleash a move beyond its current level, it usually needs either guidance from a powerful Pokémon like the old Gastly, or special training like last time at the Gringey City Power Plant."
"But Pikachu hasn't had either of those right now!"
"No, wait!"
Kazuki looked up at the sky, thick with storm clouds, flashes of lightning tearing through the darkness. It suddenly struck him—this weather was exactly like the day he caught the boss at the Gringey Power Plant!
"Alright! Whatever the reason, if the timing's right…"
"Then—"
"Pikachu! Use Thunder!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu responded to Kazuki's command, leaping into the air with a sharp cry. A bolt of lightning, several times stronger than before, crashed down from the sky, striking the center of the Gyarados horde.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed as the lightning blasted through the swarm. One by one, the Gyarados toppled into the water, unable to withstand the strike.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level 42 → Level 43]
Defeating a whole group of Gyarados had netted Pikachu an entire level of experience.
As the Gyarados fell, the raging storm gradually calmed, the clouds parted, and sunlight poured over the sea again.
Misty and Suzie stood frozen in shock, staring at the tiny Pikachu who had just taken down an entire school of massive Gyarados. They couldn't even find words.
It wasn't until Blastoise carried Pikachu back onto the bridge that Misty finally reacted. She jumped up, her face full of excitement.
Kazuki let out a breath of relief and patted Blastoise, who was clearly at its limit. "Good job, Blastoise. Come back and rest."
After recalling Blastoise, Kazuki scooped up the exhausted Pikachu into his arms. "Pikachu, you were incredible today! You've earned a big bottle of ketchup as a reward."
"Pika~ Pi!"
Pikachu perked up a little at the mention of ketchup.
"Oh, right—Pikachu, how did you suddenly learn Thunder?"
Pikachu looked up at the sky, indicating that the feeling had come from above.
Kazuki also glanced at the sky. He thought he vaguely heard a bird cry—but when he looked around, all he saw was clear blue sky. There wasn't a Pokémon in sight.
Could it have been Zapdos?
Kazuki frowned, his mind spinning with possibilities.
But he didn't dwell on it. He turned back to Suzie and Misty and said, "Come on, let's keep moving. Nurse Joy in Sunnytown is still waiting for us."
The three of them hopped back on their bikes and sped off toward Sunnytown.
In the end, thanks to Kazuki's Aura powers and Misty's competitive streak on the pedals, the medicine was delivered to Nurse Joy just in time. Suzie, lagging behind the whole way, struggled to keep up.
Nurse Joy took the medicine, her eyes suddenly softening as she looked at Kazuki.
"Thank you so much, Kazuki! You're such a reliable guy! Amazing! I've never felt this way about a boy before! My cousin sure has good taste—she picked the perfect person to escort the medicine!"
"Oh! Right! Do you have any Pokémon that need healing? As a thank-you, I'll prioritize you guys."
Just like always, Sunnytown's Nurse Joy expressed her gratitude warmly.
Kazuki handed over the Pokémon he and Misty had battled with on the bridge.
As Nurse Joy took the Poké Balls into the back room, Misty tilted her head and teased, "Why do I feel like I just saw the same look in Nurse Joy's eyes as Officer Jenny had the first time she met you?"
"When did you start flirting with the local Nurse Joys again?"
"Heh…"
Kazuki chuckled softly. Just as Nurse Joy took the medicine, he heard the system chime in his ear:
[Mission complete. Three Love Mission accomplished.]
Naturally, that meant +6 Heartfelt Reputation and some stat boosts.
"What can I say? Personal charm."
"Charm, huh?" Misty smirked mischievously at him. "If Nurse Joy knew you sneaked a peek at her lacy panties the moment you walked in, I wonder…"
"Hm? Misty, I just praised you for battling those Gyarados, and now you're getting cheeky again, huh?"
Kazuki raised his hand, but Misty giggled and darted away. "Ah! You're bullying me again! I'll go catch up with Suzie—why don't you stay here and keep charming Nurse Joy?"
"Be careful you don't get caught by Officer Jenny!"
Kazuki shook his head as he watched Misty run off, then took the opportunity to check his system rewards.
[Before reaching Cinnabar Gym, completed three acts of kindness related to love: Perfect Love Mission complete.]
[3 Advanced Rare Candies — Instantly level up one Pokémon under level 70. Placed in your backpack.]
[Legendary Gene Restoration Card — Restores one Pokémon to its previous genetic state!]
[Heartfelt Reputation +6]
Kazuki skimmed through the rewards and confirmed his guess—it really was Heartfelt Reputation.
Advanced Rare Candies. I'm not even level 50 yet, so these will probably just sit in the bag for a while.
As for the Legendary Gene Restoration Card…
Kazuki was still thinking about how to use it when Suzie called out to him, so he temporarily stored it in the system inventory.
After spending the night at the Pokémon Center, the three of them continued on their way to Cinnabar Gym.
Before long, they entered a vast desert, wandering through it for several days.
The setting sun painted the sky red, but the temperature showed no sign of dropping.
Sandstorms whirled around them, and the air carried a sharp, dry sting.
As the daughter of a Water-type Gym Leader, Misty was especially uncomfortable in a place like this with no water.
"Ugh! This place is the worst!" she grumbled, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"Worse than trekking through the forest! I'm soaked in sweat every day, and there's not even a puddle to be found! And there aren't even many Pokémon around—it's so boring!"
Her lips were dry and cracked, but that didn't stop her from complaining.
Normally, Suzie would've chimed in by now, but she stayed silent too.
Kazuki walked calmly in front of them, a faint smile on his lips.
He knew that although this desert seemed barren, near the outskirts of Neon Town there was an extremely rare Pokémon—Jigglypuff.
And this wasn't just any ordinary Jigglypuff. This one had a broken ability: its singing could put people into deep, dreamless sleep.
Basically, it was a conceptual-level skill.
"Alright, Misty, stop talking so much. You'll get dehydrated faster."
Kazuki turned around to comfort her. "The desert might be dry, but it has its own special charm."
"Who knows, we might even run into some rare Pokémon."
Misty pouted, her eyes lifeless. "Rare Pokémon? All I see is sand. You can keep your rare Pokémon…"
Suzie chimed in softly to soothe her. "Misty, don't worry. There might be an oasis up ahead. We can rest there and take a bath."
At the mention of "bath," Misty's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! I'm about to go crazy from all this sand! I can't take places without water!"
"Ahhhh…"
Kazuki smiled at Misty's non-stop complaints but didn't say much else. He just kept walking forward.
Before long, the three of them saw dazzling lights blooming in the distance.
Soon, Neon Town's skyline appeared before their eyes.
At the same time, Kazuki's system alert chimed in his ear.
[Ding! Mission triggered!]
[Mission: Capture Jigglypuff, put the people of Neon Town to sleep!]
[Reward: Heartfelt Reputation +1, Pink Ribbon—Increases the power of Normal-type moves by 10% when held.]
Kazuki's heart lifted. He'd already planned to capture Jigglypuff, and now the system was sweetening the deal.
Without hesitation, Kazuki accepted the mission and turned to Suzie and Misty. "Look, there's Neon Town up ahead!"
"You've been dreaming of water, and now it's here. We can finally sleep in real beds too!"
Misty and Suzie looked in the direction Kazuki pointed, and sure enough, they saw the city lights.
Misty, who'd been dragging her feet, suddenly perked up and jumped with excitement. "Yes! I can finally take a bath! I'm going insane from all this sand!"
Suzie also smiled with relief. "Yeah, let's go. I can't wait to soak in a hot bath."
With the city right in front of them, the thought of water reinvigorated all three. Their steps quickened as they pressed forward toward Neon Town…