Al midday, it was lunchtime at school.
In an ice cream parlor by the sea in Vermilion City, Natsui, Koharu, and their two Pokémon sat on opposite sides of a table. In front of each of them was a Super Sundae of a different flavor and color.
As the shop's star drink, this Super Sundae was not only delicious but also incredibly cold. With just one sip—as it barely passed over the taste buds—you could feel a blast of cold straight at the nape of your neck!
Although the chill made her bring a hand to her forehead, Koharu couldn't help exclaiming, "No matter how many times I try it, the taste of the Super Sundae never fails to amaze!"
Originally, Natsui had eaten lunch in the lab, and in his free time, while strolling through town, he passed by this school just when Koharu was on her break, so he invited her to rest here for a while.
After two days of knowing each other, their relationship was already quite close, and sitting together, there were no awkward silences.
Especially after Natsui shared some amusing anecdotes from his travels, the gap between them closed even more.
After a few bites, Koharu asked, "What are your plans now?"
"Plans…" Natsui stretched and looked out the window. "Although I've become a special field researcher, Professor Sakuragi hasn't assigned me any concrete tasks. Besides gathering the three starters, I want to challenge the gyms first to earn badges and prepare to take on the Indigo League in the future."
"Challenge gyms?" Koharu didn't know much about Pokémon battles, so she couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to challenge the Vermilion City Gym?"
"No." Natsui shook his head. "The Vermilion City Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, is an Electric-type specialist. Although Electric isn't strong against Grass, I'd rather go to Cerulean City and Pewter City first to challenge their gyms. But before that, I need to catch another Pokémon."
Koharu asked, puzzled, "Why go to such distant places first?"
"It's like going through levels in a video game." Natsui smiled. "The challenge process, of course, has to go from easy to hard. Beating levels one by one—that's the fun part."
Along the street, school-uniformed students passed by from time to time. At that moment, a boy about Koharu's age with slightly tanned skin happened to see her through the open window and approached curiously.
"Koharu, who is this person?"
As he spoke, his gaze flicked between Koharu's and Natsui's faces, as if trying to figure something out.
"Goh? What are you doing here?" Looking at Natsui, Koharu wasted no time and introduced them. "This is Natsui; he's now a special field researcher at my father's lab. Natsui, this is Goh; he's my classmate."
So this was Goh, the one-Poké Ball man?
Natsui studied him closely; his appearance wasn't different from the anime.
"My name's Natsui; nice to meet you." Although, from the anime, Natsui didn't have a good impression of Goh, he politely extended his right hand.
"Hi, I'm Goh." Seeing Natsui's attractive appearance, Goh shook his hand somewhat reluctantly, and just as he was pulling his arm back, he suddenly spotted Ralts by his side.
"Wow! What Pokémon is this!?"
"It's my Ralts, a Psychic/Fairy-type Pokémon. However, she's quite shy and female, so she doesn't like strangers very much. You'd better keep your distance from her."
But Goh didn't seem to listen to Natsui's words at all. He stared at Ralts's gentle appearance, and the more he looked, the more he liked her.
"How cute! Someday, I'm going to catch a Ralts too!"
Upon hearing this, an idea occurred to Natsui and he couldn't help asking, "Goh, what is your dream?"
Although he didn't understand why Natsui had suddenly brought up the topic of dreams, he answered sincerely, "My dream, of course, is to collect every Pokémon in this world, including Mew!"
Just as I expected!
Sighing inwardly, Natsui asked, puzzled, "But if that's so, as the number of Pokémon grows, won't you run out of energy and time to train them? Wouldn't you end up neglecting the Pokémon you catch?"
"Well…" Goh hesitated for a moment, as if he'd never thought about that problem. But after reflecting, he said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. My goal is to collect them all. As for the rest, I'll deal with it later."
"Then we're very different." Natsui smiled noncommittally. "My dream, besides becoming a champion, is to travel unrestrained with my Pokémon, to explore every corner of the world and admire its unique landscapes. That's why I believe you don't need too many Pokémon—just catch the ones you like."
At Natsui's words, Koharu stared at her sundae, lost in thought.
Traveling with Pokémon?
It was something she'd never imagined, but that dream seemed pretty nice too.
…
After leaving Vermilion City, Natsui followed the path, heading always north.
At his side, his two Pokémon, Ralts and Bulbasaur, walked alongside him, one on each side.
The reason he didn't put them away in their Poké Balls was due to Ash's inspiration. One must know that traveling on foot with Pokémon not only trains their skills but also strengthens their bond. Besides, with their company, the journey wouldn't feel lonely.
Between Vermilion City and Cerulean City lies the largest and most prosperous metropolis in the Kanto region: Saffron City.
Saffron City is filled with skyscrapers and is famous even in other regions. Moreover, two gyms coexist in the city: Sabrina's Saffron Gym and the Karate Dojo. However, Natsui knew that with his current strength, he wasn't strong enough to challenge either, so he didn't rush into Saffron City but went around it to head straight to Cerulean City.
The journey passed without incident, and just as he was crossing a plain, a fox-like Pokémon caught his attention.
The fur of this Pokémon was mostly brown, with a large fluffy tail, short slender legs, brown eyes, a small black nose, and long rabbit-like ears, making it look very adorable.
It was a wild Eevee!
Pokédex: "Bip, Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. A Normal type, it has the potential to evolve into multiple forms!"
Since I've encountered it, I can't just let it go!
"Bulbasaur, now it's your turn!"
At Natsui's command, Bulbasaur let out a cry and, moving its four legs, ran up to Eevee.
"Saur! Saur!"
Seeing Bulbasaur, Eevee didn't choose to flee but let out a cry of excitement—and attacked first!
"Oh? Interesting." Natsui smiled. "No fear, willing to strike on its own initiative, and its tail raised in excitement. It seems you have a very bold character!"