After watching the "Shiny Fearow" fly off into the distance, it was finally time to pack up their gear and head to town for some rest.

  "Hmph, you did that Ash kid a huge favor today..."

  "When we see him at the Pokémon Center, he'd better show some serious gratitude to you, Hakuya... oh, and his Pikachu looked like it was in rough shape. I hope it pulled through without any sting damage."

  Walking along the muddy path toward Viridian City, Misty kept her arms crossed and chatted away, her damp orange side-tail bouncing with every step, radiating a vibrant, youthful energy.

  Hearing her prattle, Hakuya, who was busy stopping Sprigatito from pouncing into every rain puddle, just shook his head with a faint smile.

  This girl always wore her heart on her sleeve—honest, loud, and unexpectedly caring.

  Half an hour ter, they arrived at the Viridian City Pokémon Center just in time to see Ash receiving his newly healed Pikachu.

  Just like the original timeline, thanks to Nurse Joy's timely intervention, the yellow electric rat was out of danger, looking a bit weak but otherwise perfectly fine.

  "Hakuya! Did you really take out that entire flock of Fearow by yourself? That was freaking legendary!"

  The moment Ash spotted Hakuya, he practically teleported in front of him, vibrating with pure excitement.

  "Uh... yeah."

  Staring at Ash's starstruck expression, Hakuya rubbed his cheek awkwardly.

  He hadn't expected to gain a hardcore fanboy so early in his journey.

  "Even from a distance, the power of that move was insane!" Ash continued, clearly repying the scene in his head. "You must have spent years training that Sprigatito..."

  "Wrong. Hakuya is actually a rookie trainer who just started his journey recently," Misty interrupted, wagging a finger like a smug teacher.

  "WHAT???"

  Ash's jaw hit the floor, his eyes wide enough to pop out of his skull.

  But seeing Hakuya nod in reluctant confirmation, the boy finally had to swallow the bitter, unbelievable truth.

  Alright then—

  He had assumed Hakuya was some veteran who had been traveling for years or an elite trainer with a jacket full of badges, but he never dreamed Hakuya was a rookie who had only left home two weeks before him.

  Was this the massive gap between a normal person and a true genius?!

  "Oh, right..." Remembering something important, Ash stood up and rummaged through his backpack for a moment before bowing deeply in gratitude. "It's not much, but please accept this as a token of my thanks for saving us back there."

  He held out a thick stack of Poke-Dolrs.

  Though Ash was a hotheaded brat at the start of his journey, he was never ungrateful.

  "Sure, I won't say no to that."

  Without any fake modesty, Hakuya took the cash and tucked it into his pocket.

  He was legitimately broke, and taking a reward for a job well done was only fair.

  Seeing Hakuya accept the money so readily, Ash let out a sigh of relief and offered a sincere, boyish grin.

  Even though his mother, Delia, had only given him 15,000 Poke-Dolrs for his journey and he had just handed over a huge chunk of it—meaning he'd be eating dry crackers for a while—he felt the reward was still too small for what Hakuya had done.

  "Ash, stay here and wait for Pikachu to recover. Misty and I are going to check into our rooms."

  Satisfied with the weight of the cash in his pocket, Hakuya chatted for a few more minutes before leading Misty away.

  "See ya, Hakuya!"

  Watching the two of them walk away, Ash waved goodbye, his expression suddenly turning dead serious.

  Alright, it's decided!

  Before I become the world's greatest Pokémon Master, my first goal is to catch up to Hakuya.

  Pikachu and I won't lose to them next time!

  Unlike the simplified version in the anime, the Pokémon Center was a massive complex with distinct zones: the lobby and nurse station at the front, the trainer dorms in the back, a cafeteria on the left, and a battle arena on the right.

  Once they settled their check-in, Hakuya pnned to head out and explore Viridian City as originally intended.

  A few minutes ter, upon hearing that Hakuya was going out again, Misty—who was sprawled across the soft, king-sized bed—propped herself up and gasped.

  "Seriously, Hakuya, are you sure you aren't a Steel-type Pokémon in a human suit?"

  They had both been roughing it in the wild as fishermen for days; she was sore, exhausted, and ready to melt into the mattress, yet Hakuya looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

  "I'm fine. I guess I built up my stamina back home..." Looking at the girl who was practically crying with envy, Hakuya shrugged. "In the Hoenn region, if you don't have a strong physique, you won't even make it past the first route outside the b."

  He had wanted to lie down too, but the thought of that Rayquaza still bullying everyone on Route 102 killed his desire to sck off; he wanted to get strong enough to bitch-sp that legendary dragon as soon as possible.

  Hearing the words "back home," Misty swallowed hard.

  She vividly remembered Hakuya saying he came to Kanto because he got bullied by rookie trainers in Hoenn.

  If a "bullied" trainer could make a Gyarados cry, break a Gym Leader's spirit, and massacre a flock of Fearow...

  Suddenly, the teenage girl developed a terrifying, skewed mental image of the Hoenn region as a hellscape of monsters.

  Misty wiped the sweat from her brow and suddenly reached for her backpack, unzipping it with a quick motion.

  "Here. Take this money for now."

  "Why are you giving me this?"

  Hakuya tilted his head, staring at the thick stack of bills she thrust toward him.

  He needed cash, sure, but he felt like he was becoming a kept man for a rich gym leader.

  "I-it's just because you looked so desperate for money when Ash was paying you..."

  Misty huffed and turned her head away, her cheeks flushing a light pink as her voice dropped to a whisper.

  She had seen it clearly: when Ash offered the cash, Hakuya's eyes had lit up like a starving miser's.

  Thinking about it, he had traveled all the way from Hoenn only to fall into a river and lose everything; he really was a pathetic case...

  Though Hakuya hadn't said where he was going, she could tell he was going shopping.

  If he was going to buy gear, what if he ran out of money?

  "D-don't get the wrong idea! It's not a gift..."

  Realizing how suggestive her behavior was, Misty put on a stern face and added:

  "I heard the sandwiches in Viridian City are legendary, and I've been craving one... Since you're going out anyway, buy one for me. The rest of the money is just your delivery fee."

  "...Fine."

  Knowing it was useless to argue with a stubborn tsundere, Hakuya nodded, closed the door, and walked out into the city.

  His original pn was to find a cafe and look for a Sweet to evolve Milcery.

  Unfortunately, after wandering around Viridian for a while and interrogating several pedestrians, he couldn't find a single Battle Cafe.

  So, he decided to settle for second best: finding a shop that sold battle items like Focus Sashes.

  Just then, three voices caught his attention.

  "Hey, you there, kid!"

  "The handsome hunk over there!"

  "Don't walk away, don't miss out! Top-tier battle items for sale! Don't pass us by, meow~!"