Early the next morning, Mark prepared to leave. He said goodbye to Ash and Misty before setting off. Ash couldn't join him—Pikachu still needed time to recover, and Misty had every intention of making Ash repay her for the stolen bicycle.
"Goodbye, Ash! Do your best—I'm really looking forward to battling you at the Pokémon League someday. I asked Aunt Delia to tell you, right?" Mark said with a smile.
Ash nodded eagerly. "Yeah, Mom told me already. Don't worry—I'll definitely beat you and Gary one day! But… could you tell me what this Pokémon League thing is?"
Mark stared blankly at him. You don't know anything but are so fired up? he thought.
"The Pokémon League is the biggest battle tournament in every region each year," Mark explained, shaking his head. "It gathers the strongest Trainers from the area. The winner can challenge the League Champions, other tournament winners, or even the Elite Four. It's the first step toward becoming a Pokémon Master—and you don't even know about it?"
Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Then how do I join the tournament?"
"To participate, you need at least eight Gym Badges from the region where the tournament is held," Mark continued. "But each Gym Leader is incredibly strong. With your current skill level, I bet you'd get beaten in no time."
Misty, standing nearby, chimed in with a smirk, "That's right! I'm from the Cerulean Gym, so I know. Some Gyms are super tough—you'd probably lose right away."
"I won't lose!" Ash retorted confidently. "I'll definitely collect those badges! Mark, where's the nearest Gym?"
Mark considered for a moment. "Viridian City has a Gym, but I don't recommend going there now. Some Gym Leaders are brutal, and Viridian's Leader is far beyond what you can handle at the moment. You're better off waiting until you've collected at least seven badges. For now, I suggest you head to Pewter City's Gym and give it a shot—just like I'm doing."
"Pewter City Gym, huh? Alright, I got it! Don't worry—I'll catch up with you in no time!" Ash grinned with determination.
"Good! Do your best—I'll be cheering you on!" Mark replied warmly.
With that, Mark set off after bidding farewell once more.
Mark arrived at Viridian Forest, a paradise for Bug-type Pokémon. He planned to train Treecko and Feebas thoroughly while searching for a strong Bug-type ally—ideally a Pinsir or Scyther.
Two days later.
"Treecko, use Quick Attack on Weedle!"
In an instant, the tiny Weedle collapsed, knocked out before it could even react. After several days of training—and earlier battles at the Pokémon Center—Treecko had successfully learned a new move: Quick Attack. His strength had now fully surpassed the beginner level, reaching into the higher ranks of Regular Trainers.
"Alright, Treecko, let's take a break. Today we'll head toward Pewter City. Too bad, after two or three days of training, we haven't encountered a single good Bug-type Pokémon—what rotten luck!" Mark sighed.
Just then, a young boy dressed like a samurai burst out of the bushes wielding a wooden sword and slashed toward Mark. With lightning reflexes, Mark dodged easily.
"That's dangerous! Don't you know that?" Mark scolded.
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Impressive—you dodged that so easily! Are you a Trainer from Pallet Town?"
"I am! So what if I am, Samurai?" Mark replied coolly.
"Accept my challenge! I've already battled three Trainers from Pallet Town—all defeated miserably. You're the fourth! Today, I will win!"
"I'm not interested. I'm not in the mood to battle. Goodbye!" Mark frowned at the rude Samurai and tried to walk away.
"Wait! I overheard you saying you're searching for a strong Bug-type Pokémon, right? I know where to find one. If you beat me, I'll tell you where!"
"Really? Then I accept your challenge. Let's battle in a two-on-two match!" Mark's eyes lit up—strong Bug-types were exactly what he wanted.
"Fine!" the Samurai agreed without hesitation.
"Go, Kakuna!" the Samurai shouted, sending out Kakuna first.
Mark sent out Feebas. Though it was difficult for the Water-type to move in this dry terrain, Kakuna wasn't much better off—and Feebas had the advantage of using long-range moves like Dragon Breath. It was practically a sitting target.
"Feebas, use Dragon Breath!" Mark commanded.
"Kakuna, Harden!" the Samurai countered confidently.
As expected, Kakuna only knew Harden—just like in the anime. But Harden merely increased physical defense, useless against special attacks like Dragon Breath. The next three Dragon Breaths struck true, and Kakuna collapsed helplessly.
The Samurai recalled Kakuna and sighed. "You're no wonder from Pallet Town—you're truly strong!"
You're just too weak, Mark scoffed inwardly. What kind of samurai sends out a sitting target? Nonetheless, the boy's strategy had inadvertently helped him.
Next, the Samurai sent out a higher-level Pinsir, in the middle ranks of Regular Trainers. This one was decent. Mark recalled Feebas and sent out Treecko. Though at a type disadvantage, Treecko's instincts and Mark's strategy gave him confidence.
"Pinsir, use Focus Energy!" the Samurai ordered.
"Oh, concentrating to land a critical hit, huh? Then we won't hold back! Treecko, Quick Attack!" Mark grinned.
Treecko's lightning-fast strike hit Pinsir immediately.
"Darn it! Pinsir, use X-Scissor!" the Samurai barked.
"Don't get trapped—dive into the grass and dodge!" Mark whispered quickly.
Pinsir's Focus Energy made its next attack dangerously accurate. But here in the lush green forest, the grass blended with Treecko's coloring, giving it a perfect camouflage. Its small size and agility let it dodge at high speed. Pinsir couldn't hit it at all—if Mark didn't use the terrain advantage, he'd be a fool.
A rustling sound came from behind Pinsir. The Samurai barked, "Pinsir! Use X-Scissor from behind him—don't let him escape again!"
"Use Leer, then Quick Attack!" Treecko suddenly leapt from the grass, using Leer to block Pinsir's move, then striking with Quick Attack right in the abdomen—a critical hit! The earlier rustling had been a deliberate distraction to bait Pinsir into exposing a weakness.
"Darn it! Pinsir, use Bind and restrict it!" the Samurai shouted, panicked.
"Dodge and use Absorb!" Treecko calmly evaded the attack, a green glow enveloping its body as it hit Pinsir, draining its energy. Mark's eyes widened. Wait, this isn't ordinary Absorb—this is Mega Drain! He grinned from ear to ear. All the training had paid off, and he silently thanked the Samurai—without this battle, Treecko wouldn't have improved so much.
Pinsir, already staggering, took the full force of Mega Drain. All that remained of its energy was drained in one swoop, and it collapsed to the ground, powerless.
The Samurai recalled Pinsir, groaning. "Another defeat… total disaster! You're so strong, much stronger than the first three Trainers from Pallet Town. I admit it—I accept defeat! I won't forget my promise. Head east into the forest for about an hour—you'll see a hundred-year-old tree. There's a mighty Scyther living there. I've challenged it several times and failed to catch it. You can give it a try."
With that, the Samurai walked away without looking back—nonchalant despite the loss.
Scyther… that was a fantastic Pokémon. But after two battles, Treecko and Feebas were exhausted. We should rest before chasing after it, Mark decided.
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