Half a month later, Ethan left Pyros City.
"Come out, Gengar."
Upon reaching the outskirts of Pyros City, Ethan took Gengar's Poké Ball and released him.
For safety reasons and to protect his little secrets, Ethan always kept Gengar in his Poké Ball while training or when in a safe environment.
That was why, when he entered Pyros City, he had also withdrawn him.
On one hand, Pyros City was a safe place, but Ethan couldn't help feeling that something was watching him strangely.
On the other hand, Gengar wasn't one of his Pokémon; he couldn't simply release him in the middle of the city. If any Pokémon hunter in charge of protecting the area saw him, there would be trouble. And since he wasn't a registered Pokémon, he couldn't get approval to enter the Volcanic Secret Kingdom.
Now that he thought about it, it had been an extremely wise decision. Otherwise, the whole matter of Mega Evolution could have been compromised. Although, obviously, if Gengar had been present, he wouldn't have spoken so openly with Charizard about Mega Evolution.
Now, being in a more dangerous area, Ethan released Gengar again, so he could protect him to the fullest.
"Kekeke!"
As soon as he came out, Gengar nodded at Ethan, and then his figure disappeared into the air, hiding to protect him from the shadows.
"All right, now you... come out, Charizard."
After releasing his "bodyguard," Ethan released Charizard.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard roared at the sky and beat his wings forcefully.
"Are you ready?"
Ethan patted Charizard's wings.
Charizard nodded and crouched down slightly.
Ethan didn't hesitate and climbed onto him.
The flight training was one of the special practices Charizard had learned at the Charizard Club.
Moreover, during that time, Ethan had officially obtained his Charizard pilot license.
Fuuuuuu~
Charizard's flight was quite stable, but the wind hitting Ethan's face was so strong it felt a bit uncomfortable.
Very soon, Charizard flew over the mountains surrounding Pyros City and descended onto a vast plain.
"Good job, Charizard."
"Now continue practicing your flight skills in the air."
Charizard nodded and took to the sky again, beginning his daily training.
"All of you, come out as well."
Ethan released the other four Pokémon.
He had already decided long ago that he would start his gym journey traveling on foot, and the journey had finally begun.
The southwestern territory of the League had huge expanses of forests and mountains; many areas remained uninhabited and showed no signs of human presence.
Every year, countless Secret Kingdoms spontaneously opened in those wild areas, eventually becoming natural habitats for Pokémon.
Likewise, those places were a paradise for adventurers: thousands of trainers entered seeking wild Pokémon, entrances to new Secret Kingdoms, and unknown treasures.
When studying the map of the region, Ethan discovered that many cities were connected through these unexplored lands, and could be crossed directly by walking.
"Let's see... our next city is... Greenfield City?"
Ethan checked the gym list and decided on the direction.
He then began to outline his route: avoiding cities and roads whenever possible, choosing only wild paths.
Now he had five Pokémon and a quasi-Elite level Gengar, so he practically had nothing to fear.
"Meltan, I'm counting on you."
Ethan patted the little Meltan floating beside him and advanced with his whole team along the planned route.
"There's no path anymore?"
"Charizard, check from above if there's any trail."
"Meltan, guide us with the direction."
"Looks like we really can't get through here... Vibrava, help me cross this section."
"I'm exhausted... let's rest. Shuckle, give me some energy crystals."
"Riolu, you weigh a ton, you should walk on your own from time to time."
"Gengar... does this fruit have poison? Is it edible?"
Ethan continued advancing, going deeper and deeper into an ancient, dense forest.
Shhh... shhh...
Suddenly, he heard noises in the bushes.
"What was that?"
Ethan grew alert.
Shhh... shhh...
The sound grew louder, until a hare suddenly jumped out, running at full speed.
"It was just a rabbit..."
Ethan had just relaxed when a brownish-yellow figure appeared in a flash, reached the hare, and bit its neck in a single movement. Blood splattered everywhere!
"Raticate!"
Upon seeing the figure clearly, Ethan was surprised.
Even though they were still on the outskirts of the forest, a wild Pokémon had already appeared.
Squeak— squeak—
The Raticate dropped the dead hare on the ground and stared at Ethan, its eyes full of ferocity.
"Looks like you've been doing whatever you want for too long and already think you own the place..."
"Riolu, this battle is yours."
With a smile, Ethan sent out Riolu.
"Riou!"
Riolu jumped excitedly from Ethan's arms and got ready.
The Raticate, clearly experienced in battle, attacked without hesitation, its body glowing white: Quick Attack.
"Riolu, Return!"
Ethan smiled without worry.
Riolu nodded and closed his eyes.
Through his ability to sense emotions using aura, he clearly felt a mysterious energy connecting him to Ethan: it was affinity energy.
He immediately opened his eyes, activated all his mental strength, and converted that energy into power for the move Return, gathering it in his chest.
In an instant, a white sphere of energy formed between his hands, and Riolu hurled it forward with force.
(End of chapter)