Early the next morning, Hayato rode on Suicune's back, continuing northward toward the Mt. Silver Range.
The borderlands west of Viridian City weren't all barren mountains and wilderness. Scattered across the vast plains were towns and villages that had never appeared in the games or anime.
These places often served as rest stops for traveling Trainers.
By noon, Hayato arrived at a small town called Pingye Town(could be Silver town, but doesn't match).
He had assumed such a place wouldn't be very crowded. But after recalling Suicune into its Poké Ball and stepping into the town, he was startled to find the streets bustling with people.
"How can there be so many people?" Hayato muttered under his breath.
"That's because Pingye Town is right next to the Mt. Silver Range!"
A voice suddenly rose behind him. Hayato turned sharply and nearly jumped—the speaker was a white-bearded old man in a flashy Hawaiian shirt who had appeared like a ghost right at his back.
Hayato nearly had a heart attack.
The gaudily dressed old man grinned at him. "Hah! Young man, this must be your first time here in Pingye Town, eh?"
Hayato nodded. "Yes."
The old man continued, "This place is crowded because if you head north from here, you'll reach the Mt. Silver Range—home to countless rare Pokémon. Trainers come from all over because of that."
He paused, his expression suddenly mysterious. "Of course, that's only one reason. There's another, far more important reason."
Then he stood there with an exaggerated look of Well? Aren't you going to ask me? written all over his face.
Hayato: "…"
Hayato deliberately ignored him.
At first he didn't think much of it, but when he later recalled the information on Mt. Silver Range that Slowking had organized for him, the truth clicked immediately.
Yes—now it all made sense.
He nodded thoughtfully to himself.
The old man, seeing Hayato keep silent, couldn't hold back anymore. "Don't you want to know what the reason is?"
Hayato glanced at him and shook his head. "Not really."
"You! You! You!" The old man sputtered. This was the first time he'd met such an infuriating youth.
After a deep sigh, he pulled a small booklet from behind his back. "Forget it then. Here—this book records the locations where rare Pokémon in Mt. Silver Range often appear, and the legend passed down in these lands. If you want it, one price—three hundred Pokédollars!"
Hayato glanced at the cover. Printed on it were the bold words:
"Mt. Silver Range Expedition Notes."
Ah, so that's why he'd struck up conversation—just trying to sell a book.
But Hayato wasn't particularly interested in chasing rare Pokémon. He hadn't come to Kanto to catch them—he was here in search of Entei and Suicune.
So he refused the man's sales pitch and wandered off through town, planning to find a restaurant. After eating, he would continue on his journey.
But instead of a restaurant, he stumbled across a Pokémon Center.
Perfect. Now the Pokédex he'd received from the Fossil Maniac could finally come in handy.
Excited, Hayato happily enjoyed the same perk Ash always bragged about—eating and resting for free at a Pokémon Center.
As for the "legend" that the old man had mentioned, Hayato didn't take it too seriously.
It had to be about Ho-Oh. After all, Bell Tower lay hidden somewhere within the Mt. Silver Range.
And as it turned out, his guess was exactly right.
Because while eating, he overheard a group of Trainers at the next table discussing it.
"Did you hear? Deep in Mt. Silver Range lives a mysterious Pokémon. When it flies, it leaves a rainbow trailing in its wake. They say anyone who sees that rainbow will find happiness!"
But one of the boy's companions crossed his arms and scoffed."See a rainbow and you'll be happy? Hah! Last time you also said wishing on a shooting star would make your wish come true. Yet here we are, and your Pidgeotto still hasn't evolved. It's just a local scam made up to swindle gullible idiots like you."
Hayato: "…"
Not bad—the kid actually knew his stuff.
"Hey! What are you staring at? Think I'm wrong or something?"
Hayato looked up to find the spiky-haired boy glaring straight at him.
Hayato: "…"
Surely he hadn't made any sort of smug adult's disdainful smirk just now, right?But judging by the boy's expression, he'd clearly felt provoked.
The boy looked around thirteen or fourteen—prime rebellious age, overly sensitive and quick to bristle.
Hayato understood.
Well then… better settle this the Trainer's way.
After a brief thought, Hayato calmly proposed, "No, I think you're right. In fact, I'd like to have a thrilling Pokémon battle with you."
The boy agreed at once.
Three minutes later, the two stood on the Pokémon Center battlefield.
"It's you I choose! My starter Pokémon—go, Raticate!" The boy tossed his Poké Ball with a flourish.
In a flash of white light, a large yellow rat appeared, gnashing its sharp front teeth.
"Raticate!"
Very well—then Hayato would use his own first partner.
He threw out Roserade's Poké Ball.
With both Pokémon ready, the match began. Each stared down the other with fighting spirit.
"Raticate, use Quick Attack!" the boy shouted.
Raticate's bulky body shot forward in a streak of white light, slamming into Roserade before it could react.
Though Raticate wasn't blessed with great natural stats, the speed of Quick Attack ensured the hit. Roserade staggered back from the blow.
"This Raticate's speed and strength… it's been trained specifically in those areas," Hayato noted, glancing at its legs.
But the methods seemed amateur—its full potential hadn't been realized.
"Roserade, Vine Whip," Hayato instructed calmly.
At once, two thick green vines lashed out from Roserade's rose blooms, snaking from different angles to ensnare Raticate.
"Dodge it!" the boy cried.
Raticate bolted in the opposite direction—only to slam headlong into the other vine. It was instantly bound tight, struggling helplessly.
"Raticate!" it squealed in pain.
"Bite through the vines!" the boy ordered.
Hayato let it try, while giving Roserade a double command:"Toxic, and Leech Seed."
"Rosere!" Roserade cried, releasing two bursts of glowing energy down the vines, poisoning and seeding Raticate before it could gnaw free.
A second later, the vines snapped, and Raticate tumbled to the ground.
The boy clenched his teeth. Watching his opponent's calm, precise control, he realized he was facing a formidable foe.
"No… I'll have to finish this quickly!" he thought.
With both poison and Leech Seed sapping its strength, the longer it dragged on, the worse his chances became.
"Raticate, Focus Energy!" he shouted.
Raticate steadied itself, sharpening its focus.
Hayato and Roserade: watching calmly.jpg
"Now—Hyper Fang, with everything you've got!"
Hayato, unruffled, countered: "Substitute."
Raticate lunged, its sharpened fangs gleaming as it closed the distance.
Five meters… four… three… two… one!It leapt, sinking its teeth deep into Roserade's side—
—only for Roserade to burst into smoke, replaced by a substitute doll.
Raticate: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Hayato smirked inwardly.
The invincible Toxic–Leech Seed–Substitute–Protect combo.Disrespectful brat, now you've had a taste of his true strength.
The boy refused to give up, but the combined drain of poison and seeds was relentless. At last, Raticate collapsed unconscious.
"I lost…" the boy whispered, despair heavy in his voice.
He had no idea how to counter such a strategy.
Toxic and Leech Seed, Substitute and Protect, then recovery with Synthesis—Raticate's every move had been nullified.
Watching Hayato's retreating back, the boy's face twisted with fear.
His companions came over, sighing. "You really need to fix that temper. The guy didn't even mean you any harm. See what happened now?"
The boy opened his mouth, then closed it again. "…I get it."
Having finished teaching the brat a lesson, Hayato dusted himself off, recalled Suicune, and left Pingye Town—the last outpost before the mountains.
By three in the afternoon, they officially entered the Mt. Silver Range.
The deeper they went, the more wild Pokémon appeared.
Many were species rarely seen in Hoenn—fluffy Venonat in the underbrush, pig-nosed Mankey swinging from vines, Pineco dangling like pinecones from tree branches.
Though Hayato had seen Mankey before, Venonat, Pineco, and Heracross were firsts for him.
For a moment, Hayato transformed into a paparazzo, crouching in the grass like Professor Birch himself, camera aimed at the wild Pokémon.
He snapped photos of them eating berries, basking in the sun, and training.
Marshadow was unfazed—it had seen this before in the Ecological Park, when Hayato used that device to click click at it through the shadows.
Suicune, however, was still puzzled. It knew the device was a camera, but not why humans used it.
Crouched beside Hayato in the grass, half its face peeking out, Suicune asked, "Do you really enjoy taking pictures of them?"
That day's haul of ecological photos filled Hayato with joy. He chuckled and nodded."I think these are worth remembering. They prove I was here—that I met the Pokémon in those lenses."
"When I'm old and can no longer travel like this, I'll look back at them. To me, these memories will be priceless."
Suicune listened quietly.
As a Legendary Beast, its lifespan stretched far beyond that of humans.
Humans grew up, grew old, and eventually returned to dust.
Suicune knew this well.
Normally, it never gave such matters much thought.
But right now… it didn't want this particular human to vanish like the wind.
It turned, locking eyes with Marshadow.
The life of the Three Legendary Beasts had been gifted by Ho-Oh.
Could the same be true for humans?
Suicune didn't know. Marshadow didn't either.
There had never been such a precedent.
The two Legendaries silently held each other's gaze, but said nothing.
Then Hayato tucked away his camera with a bright smile. "Alright, let's keep moving!"
Suicune rose to its feet.
Marshadow slipped back into his shadow.
The chosen one and his guides pressed onward toward Bell Tower.
Night fell. Rain pattered down, thunder rolling faintly in the distance.
Hayato couldn't help but wonder—was Raikou nearby?
He asked Marshadow, who could sense the positions of the Legendary Beasts. But the shadowy Pokémon only replied, "You will meet it."
Hayato: "…" Vague.
Well, it wasn't like he'd expected a straight answer anyway.
With the rain, thunder, and darkness, they could no longer travel safely. They searched for a cave to spend the night.
Led by Suicune, Hayato found one.
Spring rains chilled the air, and though winter had just passed, the night was still cold.
He flicked on his flashlight and released Gengar, planning to light a fire.
But before he struck the first spark, Hayato swept the beam across the cave—just to check for danger.
What he found instead was a surprise.
Bathed in the flashlight's glow, Entei lay deep within the cave like a great lion, surrounded by wild Pokémon huddled close for warmth—Sandshrew, Oddish, Paras, Farfetch'd, Doduo, and more.
Hayato's eyes widened in delight.
It had been a long time, but Entei's noble, commanding presence was unchanged.
The Legendary Beast lifted its head and gazed toward him.
Hayato turned to glance at Suicune and Marshadow, but both only stood silently behind him.
Ah. So this had been their plan all along.Even Legendary Pokémon could prepare surprises, it seemed.They must have sensed Entei here and brought him straight to this cave.
Then Entei stirred.
The wild Pokémon scattered slightly as the great beast rose to its feet. Towering in the lamplight, its massive frame radiated a sense of absolute safety.
Step by steady step, Entei walked up to Hayato and lowered its head.
Hayato reached out, gently patting its mane, and smiled softly."Long time no see, Entei."
(End of Chapter)