"What an amazing Pikachu!"
"I've never seen a wild Pokémon beat a trainer's ace in a single move before!"
The spectators buzzed with excitement, several even tempted to challenge Ray Chu themselves—though, after considering their Pokémon weren't even as strong as that Ivysaur, most quickly shelved the idea.
"Not bad for a Pikachu. Looks like this calls for me to step in personally," came an obnoxiously arrogant voice from the crowd. On cue, the spectators parted to reveal a smug-looking boy with spiky hair.
Ray Chu stared at the newcomer and almost sighed out loud. Sure, he'd removed his gold chains and custom ruby-studded outfit before entering human territory—but even without those, this punk hairstyle was easily his least favorite fashion disaster.
He shook his head helplessly. Young people these days and their awful fashion choices…
"Nice glare! I, Gary Oak of Pallet Town, will personally defeat you! Go, Squirtle!"
A similarly cocky-looking Squirtle appeared on the battlefield. "Squirtle, Squirt!" it called challengingly toward Ray Chu.
The crowd sighed in disappointment. If the evolved Ivysaur couldn't match this Pikachu, what hope did a first-stage Squirtle have?
"My Squirtle's not like other Pokémon!" Gary announced proudly. "Show them your secret technique—[WITHDRAW] and [RAPID SPIN] combo!"
Taking the initiative, Gary issued quick orders. Squirtle immediately withdrew into its shell, spinning rapidly through the air like a bullet toward Ray Chu.
A direct hit!
But a split-second later, the struck Pikachu faded like smoke—merely an afterimage—as a dozen identical Pikachu illusions surrounded the startled Squirtle.
"It's Double Team! Squirtle, keep striking!" Gary shouted confidently, clenching his fist.
Squirtle's shell blurred in midair, swiftly shattering every illusion until only the real Pikachu remained.
Just as Gary prepared to order another attack, the spinning shell dropped heavily to the ground, revealing a thoroughly dizzy Squirtle.
That move would've easily crushed an ordinary trainer's Pokémon, but Ray Chu was anything but ordinary. His speed and sheer number of illusions had forced Squirtle to spin itself silly.
Ray Chu thought briefly, then lazily charged his cheek pouches and tossed out the weakest possible Thunder Shock.
"No! Squirtle, [PROTECT]!"
Shaking off its dizziness, Squirtle hurriedly summoned a white protective shield, sliding backward as it barely fended off the incoming electricity.
"Good job! Squirtle, now use [WATER GUN]!"
Ray Chu's face changed drastically as he dodged frantically. He'd suddenly recalled a critical weakness—one that technically shouldn't even count as a weakness…
"Great! Even against an Electric type, my carefully trained Squirtle can—"
Before Gary could finish savoring his fantasy of becoming an anti-type genius, Ray Chu vanished in a flash, appeared behind Squirtle mid-attack, and casually knocked it out with a swift Brick Break.
"Squirtle!" Gary's miserable wail echoed across the road. He couldn't believe that just seconds ago they'd been evenly matched—only to be instantly flattened moments later.
[TWO EFFORTLESS VICTORIES ACHIEVED | MINIMAL EXP GAINED]
Meanwhile, Ray Chu pondered a serious issue: many Pokémon specialized in Water or Ice moves. How could he reliably avoid turning back into a human whenever splashed with cold water?
Three solutions came to mind:
First: Dodge. If he moved fast enough, water couldn't reach him. Or if his reflexes were quick enough, he could heat incoming water instantly upon contact, preventing transformation altogether.
Second: Psychic barriers. Psychic energy could generally repel incoming water attacks, though a strong enough torrent might still break through—at which point, refer to option one.
Third: Become a Pokémon Trainer himself. A true master trainer would command Pokémon of all types, perfectly handling any matchup. When facing Water-types—or situations inconvenient for him—he could simply send his own Pokémon into battle.
Decision made: I'll become a master Pokémon Trainer of all types!
Satisfied with this brilliant plan, Ray Chu ignored Gary, who was now doubled over in defeat, and the murmuring crowd around him, strolling leisurely onward.
Meanwhile, hidden in a nearby tree, three shady figures had observed the entire battle through binoculars.
"What a powerful Pikachu…"
"Even stronger than that one we saw earlier."
"And it looks way tougher, too, meow…"
Exchanging meaningful glances, the two humans and their feline companion nodded in unison.
"This is the one!"
"Once we capture it, Boss Giovanni will definitely give us a big promotion, meow!"
Decision made, the trio slid hastily from their tree perch, mounted their bikes, and pedaled furiously after Ray Chu, finally catching up just as he was about to enter the city.
"Should we say our motto, meow?"
"Idiot! It's just a wild Pokémon. It won't understand us."
Ray Chu calmly raised a signboard: [Who are you guys?]
He'd been minding his own business when these three bizarre characters suddenly burst out of the bushes, nearly causing him to shout "Demacia!" and reflexively blast them with Current Drive.
One had long, wine-red hair, another had ocean-blue hair styled like seaweed—both wore uniforms emblazoned with a large "R". And accompanying them was a strange Meowth walking upright and speaking perfect human language.
The trio gave Ray Chu an intense sense of deja vu. It was probably why he hadn't attacked first and asked questions later.
"A Pikachu that can write!?" Jessie and James cried in unison, eyes widening in shock as they turned to stare at Meowth.
Meowth shrugged carelessly. "I learned to speak human language, meow. It's only natural some Pokémon learn to write."
Jessie and James nodded vigorously. Made sense. Then their eyes filled with gold-tinged dreams.
"Cute and powerful…"
"And it understands human language…"
"We've hit the jackpot!" they cheered, envisioning a bright, lucrative future.
Jessie cleared her throat importantly and attempted persuasion. "Since you can understand us, Pikachu, let's be straightforward. Would you like to become our Pokémon?"
James chimed in eagerly, "Exactly! We're elite members of the mighty Team Rocket! Join us, and you'll surely grow even stronger."
"They're absolutely right! Hurry and join us, meow!" Meowth finished confidently, sealing the deal.
---
T/N: WAIT HES GONNA GET POKEMON?! GARDEVOIR GARDEVOIR GARDEVBOIRT AGARCVEDOIV FARDEVOIG GARDCEIOVR OGFACEBVOTI