— Liam POV —
It's been three days since I was transmigrated into the Pokémon World and became a trainer. During that time, I started bonding with Rattata. And did some training with both of them since yesterday.
After training with him a bit more, I came to the conclusion that he really is the same Rattata from the Festival of Champions doujinshi. Which makes things even worse, since I know what happens to him in the story. But at least now I have a chance to change his fate.
After all, this was the Rattata that gave Red's Pikachu a hard time whenever Red and Green (Blue) crossed paths before the incident.
After walking a couple more feet, I spotted Viridian City on the horizon. Before I started running, I took out Rattata's Poké Ball and held it up in the air.
'Rattata, I'm making this promise before that eventful day comes. You, me, Courage, and whoever else joins our team in the future will... no, we're going to get strong so you won't die.
Because you deserve to show everyone at the Indigo League what you can do. Just like you were supposed to with Green (Blue) originally.'
After putting Rattata's Poké Ball back on my waist, I started heading down the hill toward the city while shouting.
"Courage! Rattata! This is just the first stop! After taking a short break here, we're going to pick up the pace and catch up to the others, take on all the Gym Leaders in Kanto, and finally head to the Indigo League together!"
I didn't need to hear them cheering to know they were both pumped.
I swear, the anime and games really didn't do the city justice when it came to the infrastructure. It felt pretty modern, with some old buildings and rural areas around the outskirts.
After walking for a bit, I finally found the Pokémon Center. It looked like they had already cleared away the rubble from the incident Ash and Team Rocket caused, and they were already rebuilding.
"Excuse me, young man. Please be careful. They're doing construction work over there, and it's a safety hazard. If you're here to check into the Pokémon Center, please come over here."
I turned to my left and saw Nurse Joy and Chansey standing beside what looked like a large tent serving as a temporary Pokémon Center.
I immediately hurried over, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Sorry about that, Nurse Joy... um, do you know what happened here?"
'Of course, I already knew.'
Nurse Joy let out a small sigh. Honestly, I probably would too if something like that happened to me.
"Well, an incident happened four days ago."
She then explained what had happened, which was exactly how it went in the anime.
"Wow, that must've been horrible, Nurse Joy."
"It sure was, but I'm glad Team Rocket's plans were stopped and the Pokémon were safe. So, how can I help you, young man?"
I quickly took out Courage's and Rattata's Poké Balls and handed them to her.
"Could you check my Pokémon's health, Nurse Joy? I want to make sure they're in top shape before I head out again."
"Sure thing, Liam."
"Oh, and do you have a communication device here? I need to make a call."
"Unfortunately, our TV Phones were destroyed in the incident, but we do have a phone booth over there if you need to make a call. Officer Jenny was the one who set it up for me."
I thanked her and headed over to the phone booth, where I called Professor Oak.
Ring. Ring.
Click.
[P. Oak: Hello?]
"Professor Oak, it's Liam. I'm in Viridian City right now."
[P. Oak: Liam!? How are you doing, my boy? For a second, I was starting to worry. I thought you would've reached Viridian City within a day, like the others did.]
Well, I could have, but not everyone can be like those four.
"Yeah, I got sidetracked on Route 1. I wanted to do some research on Pokémon myself and get some training in with Courage and my newly caught Pokémon, Rattata. Oh, I forgot to mention that I named Wimpod Courage."
[P. Oak: A Rattata? That's a pretty common first Pokémon for trainers traveling through Route 1.]
He wasn't wrong. Rattata was a pretty common Pokémon found all over the world, so it made sense that most people would catch one.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm at the temporary Pokémon Center. I'll be leaving in a few hours, once both of them are healed and I pick up a few things. Then I'm heading toward Pewter City to win my first Gym Badge."
[P. Oak: So you're trying to catch up to them quickly. I see. Well, I'll tell you this, Liam: my grandson Gary and Leaf have already won their first Gym Badge. From what I can tell, they're already close to getting their second, while Red is ahead of both of them and is close to earning his third Gym Badge. As for Ash, I haven't heard anything from him since he stopped at the Viridian City Pokémon Center.
Now that I think about it, you mentioned a temporary Pokémon Center. Do you know what happened?]
I explained what Nurse Joy had told me about the incident four days ago. He sounded both concerned and relieved.
[P. Oak: As long as everyone is alright, that's all that matters. So, Liam, when should I expect another call from you?]
After talking with Professor Oak for a bit, I told him he could expect another call from me within a few days to a week or two, once I reached Pewter City. Before I could hang up, Professor Oak stopped me.
[P. Oak: I almost forgot to tell you, Liam. My old student called and asked if you'd be willing to help him with his research project.]
A research project for Professor Cerise? It couldn't hurt. It might even be fun.
"Sure, I don't mind. What's the research about?"
[P. Oak: I don't want to ruin the surprise, but it's about the Legendary Birds. That's all I can say for now. I'll let him know you're willing to help. Also, don't forget about your Pokédex.]
"Don't worry, Professor Oak. I plan on catching a couple more Pokémon to build my team, but I promise I'll have most of the Pokédex filled out before I reach the Indigo League."
He sounded happy when I said that. We talked for a little longer before I hung up and started making my preparations.
"Well, I've got some time before my Pokémon are ready. I should go shopping for the trip to Pewter City."
But first, I needed to get some money. Luckily, I'd found a few items I could sell while traveling through Route 1, which should get me a couple thousand Poké Dollars.
Then, before I knew it, I spotted a sign advertising a one-day amateur shogi tournament with a grand prize of 50,000 Poké Dollars.
"Well, looks like I might not have to worry about travel money for Pewter City and Cerulean City after all."
Before coming to the Pokémon World, people had considered me unusual ever since I was little. Even back in the orphanage.
Whenever I played a game against someone, I could always tell what they were planning before they made their move. It wasn't mind reading or precognition. It was more like, "I've known you your whole life, so your moves are predictable," except it felt like something more than that.
It was like I could see infinite possibilities of all the good and bad moves and decisions they could make. And if I concentrated harder, it always felt like something guided me to victory whenever I was in a competition.
Because of it, people always thought I was cheating or called me a freak. That caused me to be alone for a long time, so I eventually decided never to use this ability again.
And it was due to this ability that I was falsely accused of cheating in the Pokémon Championships and banned from ever taking part again.
"But right now, I need money to feed my Pokémon and build up my funds. I plan on catching Pokémon and filling out the Pokédex in every region, at least to some extent."
After making up my mind, I walked over to the sign-up stand, where an old man was running things.
"Excuse me, is this the sign-up booth for the Amateur Shogi Tournament?"
"Oh, young man, you want to participate? I should warn you, there are some big names in the shogi world taking part in this tournament too."
I just smiled. I saw it as a challenge.
"No need to worry, sir. I'm not afraid of a challenge."
"Well, if you say so, young man. I hope you enjoy the tournament. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that first place also gets a TM for their Pokémon. Isn't that nice?"
A TM? That was unexpected. From what I'd seen while wandering around Viridian City, TMs were pretty expensive. Then again, I expected that since they were expensive in the games too.
After signing up, the kind old man pointed me toward the tournament entrance.
"Well, I'd better head in and find my spot."
I walked inside the building.
— Few Hours Later —
"Well, that was easy. It wasn't even my first time taking on 7-dan, 8-dan, and 9-dan shogi players back-to-back."
Of course, everyone in the building was stunned by what happened. I think there was even a small broadcasting crew there. The good news was that I now had enough money to last me for a while, along with the TM Wild Charge.
From what I understood about this Pokémon World, the TMs are shaped like cubes with a number in the center of them, like in Electric Tales. You basically have to pull one apart over a Pokémon, and light particles will appear over the Pokémon's head.
The Pokémon will immediately learn the TM move.
"Well, at least I have a move I can use for the Cerulean Gym. I should head back to the Pokémon Center and see how Courage and Rattata are doing... though I almost forgot to go shopping first."
Before going back to pick up my Pokémon, I did some shopping for the long journey ahead.
"Finally done, and it's still a little past noon. I've got plenty of time to make it to Viridian Forest."
When I reached the entrance of the Pokémon Center, I stepped inside and saw Nurse Joy at the desk. She looked surprised the moment she saw me.
"Oh! Liam! Congratulations on the shogi tournament! I saw it on TV here!"
"Thanks for the congratulations, Nurse Joy. I just did my best. Also, are my Pokémon ready?"
If Nurse Joy had seen it and was this excited, it might be best to leave quickly before some journalist or reporter came looking for me.
"Why, yes, Liam. Your Pokémon are fully healed."
Nurse Joy placed a tray on the front desk with both of my Poké Balls on it. I grabbed them and put them away.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll be heading out now."
"Take care of yourself and your Pokémon during your journey, and don't forget to stop by a Pokémon Center while traveling."
"I will. Thanks again."
I quickly left the Pokémon Center and headed toward Viridian Forest.
"The first thing I need to do is get some training in at Viridian Forest before heading to Pewter City. Hopefully, I can catch another Pokémon and add it to my team."
Before giving Rattata the TM, I should probably check what moves they all know. I hadn't used the Pokédex at all over the past few days, which made me feel like an idiot for not using it the moment I got it.
So far, I knew Courage could use Rollout, Struggle Bug, and Sand Attack. The only move I'd seen Rattata use was Quick Attack.
"Well, as soon as I reach the forest entrance, I should take care of that first."