After resting for the night, Natsui and Erika had breakfast and left Oldale Town.
Besides the Oldale Ruins, there really wasn't much else worth seeing. There was no need to waste any more time there.
For their next route, the two put their heads together and studied the map for a while. Natsui finally chose to head to Petalburg City first, then take a large loop through Rustboro City, Fallarbor Town, Fortree City, Lilycove City, Mossdeep City, Sootopolis City, and Pacifidlog Town, before finally returning to the mainland to challenge Slateport City and Mauville City.
Of course, this route wasn't set in stone. It was just a preliminary plan. If things changed or something else came up, they could always adjust it.
But before challenging the gyms, Natsui decided to catch a few more Pokémon to expand his lineup.
After all, he couldn't just keep using his league-experienced Pokémon for gym battles. While that would make winning badges easy, it would defeat the purpose of training his Pokémon.
As for where to find Pokémon he liked...
Natsui set his sights on the large mountains in the distance.
Compared to the small forests and grasslands by the road, which had been picked clean by generations of Trainers, the deep mountains likely still hid some rare Pokémon.
With their supplies packed, the two left the main road and headed for the mountains.
As they moved away from the city, the path under their feet became more difficult. They frequently had to change direction, wading through grass that covered their ankles, forcing them to stay alert. They also had to cross streams and push through dense forests.
Fortunately, both were long accustomed to this kind of travel. They even had the leisure to chat, paying no mind to such difficulties.
The surrounding scenery became even greener.
Here, far from civilization, they didn't have to worry about being seen. Natsui simply let Celebi and Eevee out.
As one of the Pokémon he planned to focus on in this region, Natsui had high hopes for Eevee. But the little one was too energetic. It sniffed this way and that, playing and roughhousing with Celebi, unable to stay still for a moment.
But having such Pokémon by their side meant Natsui and Erika never felt the boredom of travel.
After walking for a long time, they reached the base of the mountain. Just before they started to climb, they thought they saw something flash in the grass and run off.
When they looked up, they saw a wild Ralts disappearing into the distant bushes!
Ralts...
Seeing that familiar shape, Natsui felt a wave of nostalgia.
Right, wild Ralts could be found in the Hoenn region. They were still rare here, but a few Trainers did have them.
As the base form of Gardevoir, and his very first Pokémon, Ralts had been with Natsui through his most difficult times.
Unfortunately, things were different now. He and Gardevoir had both grown so much; they could never go back to how they were.
Sigh...
It was a nostalgic, yet bittersweet feeling.
After the brief moment of reflection, Natsui and Erika began their ascent.
Once in the mountains, the wild Pokémon clearly became more numerous. But at the lower levels, it was still the same common types. They climbed halfway up, encountering dozens of different Pokémon, but felt no interest in catching any of them.
This was no surprise. If rare Pokémon were that easy to find, they would be everywhere.
Several of Natsui's own Pokémon were only caught because of his knowledge of the anime, which allowed him to be in the right place at the right time. Right now, he was just relying on pure luck.
Furthermore, habitats and territories were clearly divided. Unless a Pokémon was wandering or migrating, a specific mountain or lake would only host a few specific types, no matter how thoroughly you searched.
The mountain path was steep and difficult, and the two lost their mood for idle chat, focusing instead on the climb.
By the time they reached the summit, even with the stamina built up from so much travel, Natsui was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Although they hadn't found any rare Pokémon, the view was incredible. Standing at the peak, they could see all of Oldale Town and the Oldale Ruins, a refreshing sight.
After enjoying the mountain breeze for a bit, Natsui felt hungry. He and Erika set up a temporary camp.
They planned to eat lunch, rest, and then head down. But just as they had finished cooking, and the aroma of food was spreading, they heard a rustling in the nearby bushes.
Something was clearly hiding there.
Celebi was the first to notice the approach. It immediately clutched its food to its chest, terrified someone would try to steal it.
Eevee, however, ran up to the bush and started barking at it.
Perhaps startled by Eevee, the bush shook a few times, and then a small, chicken-like Pokémon hopped out in a panic.
Huh? Isn't that...
Although it was the first time he had truly seen one, Natsui recognized it instantly. It was the base form of Blaziken—Torchic!
Torchic had a small, chick-like body, mostly orange. It was covered in fluffy feathers and had two tiny wings, but it clearly couldn't fly.
Natsui took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Torchic.
"Beep. Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. A Fire-type. Torchic has a sac of fire inside its body that burns as long as it is alive. Hugging it feels warm, like a hot-water bottle. When attacked, it spits fireballs formed in its belly. These 1,000-degree fireballs can char an opponent. It is most afraid of pitch-black darkness. It pecks at the ground to eat small pebbles, which help its digestion and increase the temperature of its flames. This serves two purposes."
Back at the Sakuragi Institute, Natsui had asked Professor Sakuragi to download all the regional data packs onto his Pokédex. Because of this, he didn't need to upgrade it after arriving in Hoenn; it worked perfectly.
He liked Torchic, its evolutions Combusken, and Blaziken. In fact, before even coming to Hoenn, he had put Blaziken on his must-catch list.
To run into one here... it was perfect timing. His hard work climbing to this remote place had paid off.
But...
What was a Torchic doing here?
Most Fire-types preferred dry areas. It was rare for one to be alone on a mountaintop.
Seeing Torchic about to run, Natsui quickly called Eevee back. "Were you drawn by the smell?" he asked. "What, do you want some?"
Torchic didn't react, but Celebi immediately shielded its own plate, afraid Natsui would give its food away.
After hearing Natsui, Torchic clearly paused. Wary of humans, it didn't want to get close. But the smell of the food was just too good; it couldn't help but be drawn in.
Seeing it hesitate, Natsui smiled. "Alright, let's do this. Have a battle with me!"
He pointed to his Eevee. "If you beat this one, you can eat anything here. But if you lose, you have to come with me and become my Pokémon. How about it?"
Torchic looked up at Natsui, then at the eager Eevee, its small brow furrowed as it weighed the options.
Natsui didn't want to give it time to think and decided to taunt it. "Eh? What's to think about?" he asked. "Are you scared? Or do you just have no confidence?"
Hearing this human say it was scared, Torchic was instantly furious.
It already had a bold personality; otherwise, it wouldn't have hidden in the bushes just from smelling food. Now, hearing this human dare to look down on it, it couldn't stand it.
It called out loudly at Natsui. Even without Gengar translating, Natsui knew the Torchic must be saying: "I'm not scared, just bring it on!"
Natsui and Erika exchanged a look, both smiling.
Natsui was smiling because his taunt had worked. Erika just shook her head, exasperated.
He's a grown man, still using cheap tricks like that. He's so childish. He should have just had Eevee attack and caught it.
There was a clearing right next to them. Torchic, head held high, walked into it first. Eevee leaped out to face it.
Natsui didn't bother giving commands for this capture battle. He just sat back comfortably to watch the show, as if he were just a bystander.
It wasn't that he wasn't taking it seriously. It was just that while both Pokémon were in their base forms, Eevee had been traveling with him for a while and had some battle experience. He was sure Eevee would be fine, and he didn't need to interfere.
In the clearing, the two Pokémon faced each other, separated by about ten meters. Their eyes were firm, neither backing down. As if by a shared signal, they suddenly charged at each other!
Natsui sat up a little straighter, carefully observing Torchic's every move.
It ran up to Eevee and raised a claw, swiping at Eevee's face. But Eevee was just a little bit faster, dodging safely with a simple twist of its body.
After dodging the attack, Eevee slammed its head into Torchic. The impact made Torchic lose its footing, and it nearly fell. It stumbled back a few steps before steadying itself.
It didn't retreat, however. Its belly swelled, its mouth opened, and it spat out an Ember, burning Eevee.
Because the distance was so close, Eevee was hit squarely. But it clearly had experience from its previous travels. It rolled on the ground a few times, using the dirt to extinguish the flames.
A minor injury was nothing to Eevee. It got back up and continued to grapple with Torchic.
After watching for a bit, Natsui could already tell that this Torchic only knew a few moves and didn't have any special skills. At this level, it was impossible for it to beat Eevee.
Sure enough, after fighting a little longer, Torchic's stamina was clearly failing. It was finally knocked out by Eevee's Swift.
Seeing Torchic down, Natsui took out a Poké Ball he had ready and tossed it.
Thwack.
The red light enveloped Torchic, pulling it into the ball. The Poké Ball shook a few times, and with a soft click, it fell silent.
Great. Torchic, capture successful!
Natsui picked up the Poké Ball and released Torchic again.
After Erika helped treat both Pokémon's injuries, and Torchic got a taste of Erika's cooking, the little chick, which they had only just met, was already completely comfortable with them.
Watching Torchic play and roughhouse with Eevee and Celebi, all its earlier shyness gone, Natsui shook his head with an amused smile.
He had to admit, Pokémon with this kind of personality were very easy to get along with. As long as you were good to them, they would naturally return the affection.
Thanks to this personality, Natsui hadn't wasted his time. This trip had yielded an unexpected harvest: a new Pokémon.
Counting the Torchic he just caught, he had obtained 19 Pokémon since starting his journey. If he included Latias and Latios from Alto Mare, he had caught 21 Pokémon in total!
It wasn't a large number, but the quality of each one was guaranteed.
After resting at the summit for a while, once they had both recovered their strength, Natsui packed up their things, and they headed back down the mountain.
He had come with expectations and was returning satisfied.
This put him in a great mood. He was practically humming songs the entire way down.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, however, he recalled Celebi and Eevee to avoid attracting attention. He kept only Torchic by his side to continue bonding with it.
By the time they returned to the main road and reached Petalburg City in the evening, Torchic was already completely familiar with Natsui, looking just like any other well-cared-for Pokémon.
Petalburg City, located in the southwest of the Hoenn mainland, was not large in scale or population, but it was a well-known city.
The reason was none other than the Petalburg Gym Leader, Norman, whose strength was so great that many new Trainers were intimidated, which in turn built his reputation.
It was said that Norman's family originally lived in Johto, and he had moved to Hoenn with his family only to fulfill his duties as a Gym Leader.
This was a man who had pursued strength all his life. People often used the phrase "he was born for Pokémon" to describe him.
But it was already late. Natsui couldn't possibly show up for a challenge at this hour. He would have to wait until the next morning to formally visit
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