Eric wasted no time as he sprinted towards Cerulean City. His previous escapade with Team Rocket and the berserk Pokémon was enough training, he decided.
Thus, he exited Mount Moon and reached Cerulean without trouble.
"It's big alright." Eric murmured as he took in the view of the cIty.
Cerulean more than lived up to its reputation as a city defined by water. Home to a Water-type Gym and teeming with aquatic Pokémon, the entire metropolis was built around a vast central lake, its various districts connected by graceful bridges that arched over the shimmering water.
Fountains were scattered all across the city, and swimming pools were a common sight. The city also boasted the largest Aquarium in all of Kanto. Even its food was sea-based.
Eric first went to the Pokémon Centre to get his Pokémon checked up. They didn't take much damage due to Kai acting as the vanguard, but they were still tired and needed a proper check-up.
Then, he went to a famous restaurant and ordered a hefty meal.
Whilst eating, his peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
"Let's hurry back, Mom! Today is my turn as a gym trainer!"
"There's no rush, Misty. Let's enjoy our food first."
'Misty?'
Cerulean City was massive, so Eric wasn't expecting to encounter someone like her so soon after reaching Cerulean.
'And her mother?'
Eric did not recall her mother being mentioned in either the games or the anime.
Based on their conversation, Eric deduced that she was the gym leader. He only paid attention for a bit before once again getting back to his food. He was going to challenge the Cerulean Gym soon - he'll meet them then.
Post lunch, Eric went to rent out a place, and then he would explore the city.
He had to say, the vibes of this city were pretty refreshing.
"Growll!"
"Even you like this place, Growlithe?"
He said as he ruffled his hair. Growlithe was a little bigger than when it hatched.
Eric could tell that in about a week, he would be ready to start his training - if he wanted to. Eric was not going to force him if he didn't like to fight. Call it parental instinct.
But judging from his expressions when he saw Haunter and the others fight, Eric wasn't worried. This one had quite the taste for battle.
The rest of the day was spent with Eric doing leisurely activities. He even went to a cool swimming pool that had water coming out from a Gyarados statue.
Afterwards, he registered for a gym challenge scheduled for tomorrow and called it a day.
---
The next day.
Eric stood in front of a massive dome-shaped building.
On it, the words Cerulean Gym were written.
He walked in casually, and was greeted by a beautiful receptionist. He had met her yesterday when he came to register for his gym challenge.
"Welcome, trainer! You currently have one badge, correct?"
Eric nodded as he showed her the Pewter Gym badge.
The receptionist nodded and guided him to a waiting area. There was still time for his challenge.
He didn't mind as he observed the battles of other challengers. He noticed Misty battling with her Staryu.
Since he was an intermediate-level trainer, he won't get to face beginner-level trainers in the gym challenge. He was still interested in her battle, though.
'Not bad.'
With the way Misty commanded Staryu, nobody could say she doesn't have a talent for battling. She had a complete understanding of her Staryu as she guided it in battle perfectly.
As he was observing, someone came next to him and called out his name. It was a familiar voice.
Eric turned around to find a middle-aged man standing there.
"Ethan!"
"Hey there, kid. Fancy seeing you here."
"Are you doing the gym challenge as well?"
"Haha, yes. I broke through to the intermediate-level, you see. So, I'm here to get my second gym badge." Ethan said a little proudly. "Though it doesn't compare to you, the third fastest person in Kanto to reach that level."
"It's not a race."
"I know. But still, I am quite curious about your current level. Say, why don't we have another battle once this is over?"
"Sure."
The two of them spent some time catching up. The tier-2 crystal Ethan got from the Redwood tournament helped his Scyther break through the intermediate-level. Things seemed to have turned up for him since then.
As an intermediate-level trainer, hunting for resources in the wild became a lot easier and safer than before.
That, coupled with the recent aid the league had been providing to regular trainers via the Mission Hall system, helped him bridge the gap with others immensely. Once he gets his hands on a Pokedex, his chances of reaching the Advanced-level would be a lot higher.
After some time, Ethan's turn came, so he went off to face the first gym trainer. Eric wished him good luck as he left.
Ethan won the fight without much trouble - his experience showing.
It was then that Eric's turn finally came.
His opponent was a young boy, around his age.
He greeted Eric professionally and sent out a Poliwhirl after the referee signalled the start of the match.
'Poliwhirl, huh.'
Eric felt pity for the young man. He had a complete understanding of a Poliwhirl's strengths and weaknesses after training one himself.
Not wanting a boring, Poliwhirl vs Poliwhirl battle, he sent out Fearow to fight.
The battle was short. Being around the same level, Poliwhirl just wasn't Fearow's match.
Poliwhirl fired a stream of water at Fearow, but it dodged nimbly - circling it to hit him with an Aerial Ace!
Her long beak connected against Poliwhirl's round belly, as some of the spectators grimaced. The attack looked vicious - as if it would pierce through Poliwhirl's flesh at any moment.
That didn't happen as Poliwhirl was knocked back instead.
Fearow didn't miss this chance to follow up and attack with peck, but Poliwhirl surrounded himself with a green barrier to block it.
Poliwhirl used this chance to counterattack with Bubble Beam at close range, but Fearow dodged even that as she counterattacked its counterattack with a Steel Wing!
A long time had passed since Fearow made her name in the Pewter City gym. Since then, Eric had not stopped training her in maneuvers. Her current mobility and control over her body couldn't be matched by a normally trained Pokémon at her level.
A similar scene to what happened in Pewter Gym occurred. After defeating Poliwhirl, she went on to solo the other two of his Pokémon as well.
Some of the spectators watching recognised Fearow after seeing this. They had seen videos online of how a Fearow had almost singlehandedly decimated the Pewter Gym, despite the type disadvantage.
After checking Eric's information, they quickly found out about his achievements, spreading a wave of excitement amongst them. Others who didn't know about Eric or Fearow also paid attention to him, wondering why so many people were interested in him.