Having assessed the situation, Minato and Eevee began observing their surroundings.
The ground beneath their feet was covered in lush green grass growing up to their calves. Within their field of vision stood several tall trees, and further in the distance, the trees appeared even denser.
"Why do I feel like there's no safe place anywhere? This area also seems..."
Minato swallowed hard. The next second...
Rustle rustle~~
Rustle rustle~~
Suddenly, Minato and Eevee heard the sound of grass rustling.
Eevee glanced at Minato.
What a jinx.
Minato's face also darkened. Fear something, and it appears—could they really be this unlucky? Only a few minutes had passed,d and they were already targeted by a Pokémon?
Now, ow how were they supposed to wait in place for rescue?
Minato and Eevee held their breath, trying not to make any sound to interfere with the opponent's judgment. However, they underestimated this Pokémon's sense of smell.
"Rattata..."
Before long, a mouse-like creature with a primarily purple body emerged. Its most distinctive feature was its two large incisors.
"You scared me. Eevee, take it down."
"Eevee!" Eevee assumed a battle stance.
"Hiss!!"
The Rattata's triangular eyes contained red pupils with bloodshot veins. Cream-colored whiskers on its cheeks moved without wind as it ground its teeth, glaring at Eevee with a vicious expression.
"Rattata... just a small fry. Eevee, don't be afraid. It's time to put your special training results into practical use. Um."
While Minato was still talking nonsense, the Rattata had already launched its attack. Its four limbs exploded with power, and in the blink of an eye, it charged over using Quick Attack.
A straight line?
Who are you looking down on!
"Use Sand Attack!" Minato commanded quickly.
Such a straight Quick Attack—even Eevee didn't use it anymore. It was too easy to read and counter. Eevee forcefully swept her front limb, and the rising sand and dust covered the Rattata's vision.
"Start moving."
Minato tried his best to remain calm and make judgments. This was his first time commanding a battle. As a beginner, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.
Fortunately, Eevee was very reliable and clearly understood Minato's intentions.
Compared to the Rattata's Quick Attack, Eevee's Quick Attack was faster and used more flexibly.
Circling the area covered by the sandstorm, Eevee transformed into a shadow moving rapidly while staring intently at the center along with Minato...
"Now!"
The moment the sand stirred and the Rattata charged out, Eevee moved with the flow and collided head-on, sending it flying back.
With a "bang," the Rattata fell to the ground, rolling a considerable distance before losing consciousness.
Victory was decided.
Eevee showed a proud expression.
But before she could celebrate for long, Minato and her expressions changed again. The commotion had been too loud—more Pokémon were coming, and not just a few.
"Run."
Rattata were formidable—not because of their strength, but because of their tenacious vitality. This vitality allowed Rattata to survive in any environment. Combined with their terrifying reproduction speed, Rattata were classified as far more dangerous than most Pokémon.
Flies, mosquitoes, rats, and cockroaches. As one of the four pests, rats remained applicable even among Pokémon.
The Trainer Association had never relaxed its control over wild Rattata populations.
"There are probably quite a few Rattata here."
Realizing this, Minato and Eevee quickly left the grassy area, running toward an open space beneath a large tree.
However... when they saw a Spearow fly up from the tree, Minato's face darkened even more. He chose to circle around in a different direction.
They couldn't afford to provoke Spearow either—the eternal villains.
You had to understand that in the anime, Ash had accidentally hit a Spearow on the head with a stone and ended up being chased by hundreds of them...
Little Eevee wasn't like Pikachu, capable of fighting a hundred opponents at once.
Minato and Eevee weren't unwilling to find a safe place to stay, but they discovered that Pokémon were everywhere here. Due to Otherworld Syndrome, these Pokémon attacked them like mad upon seeing them, making it impossible to rest.
Fortunately, these Pokémon weren't strong...
Minato rejoiced inwardly. This Special Zone's disaster level definitely wasn't high. They were safe.
After defeating a Sandshrew, they changed direction again because a Diglett had spotted Eevee.
Minato finally understood what it meant to have enemies on all sides.
Battle after battle—though the intensity wasn't high, if this continued a few more times, or if they got surrounded by larger groups, they would definitely be finished.
They had to find a place with fewer Pokémon quickly.
Now, Minato felt endlessly grateful that he had intentionally trained Eevee's Ability. Thanks to Eevee's Anticipation, they had luckily avoided several ambushes.
At the same time, he also felt grateful for himself... his daily exercise had finally paid off. At least now he wouldn't collapse from running while being chased by Pokémon.
"One hundred push-ups! One hundred sit-ups! One hundred squats! Then run ten kilometers! Eat three proper meals a day. You must keep doing these every day!"
As they ran, Minato didn't know how much time had passed before they finally discovered a tree that seemed to have no Pokémon active around it.
Howeve,. When Minato and Eevee looked up, they immediately showed surprised expressions. This seemed to be a fruit tree.
"Could it be Berries?"
Minato observed carefully and discovered there were indeed several green fruits growing on the tree.
"Looks like they're not ripe yet... what a pity."
"Wait... this shape... why does it look so familiar?"
Minato racked his brains to recall. After a moment, he cried out in delight.
Lansat Berry!
A top-tier Berry among all varieties!
Known as the mysterious fruit treasure!
In ancient legends, it was said that Lansat Berries contained the hidden power of the sky and could raise a Pokémon's speed!
These trees were extremely rare. Within Special Zones worldwide, only a few had been discovered. Those that were found were all protected as precious treasures.
Facing the several fruits swaying on the tree, Minato stared fixedly, his eyes glowing green.
"Eevee, go pick them."
"It seems we're not unlucky after all... but rather... extremely lucky."
...
Lansat Berries should taste pretty good. Though Minato didn't eat any, he saw Eevee eating with great relish.
There were four Lansat Berries total on this tree. If these were taken out for auction, their value would be immeasurable—they would definitely be snapped up in a frenzy.
But Minato had no such plans. Because even if he brought them out, the ownership of the Lansat Berries wouldn't belong to him in the end.
One shouldn't be too greedy.
It would be better to...
"Delicious?"
Watching Eevee finish all four Lansat Berries in a few bites, leaving only the pits without a scrap of flesh remaining, Minato asked with a pained heart.
No waste was good.