The young man looked at Axew. The small dragon was brave, but the confrontation with Primeape made it clear that, in this world, brute force could overwhelm you in a second.
"Axew, if we want to survive and go far, we need to expand the family," the boy said seriously. "The System says this world is dangerous, so we'll look for someone who can give us balance."
He activated his new system feature: "Real-Time Danger Map". In front of his eyes, a holographic representation of the surroundings showed areas marked in yellow and red.
[SYSTEM: AREA SCAN]
Northeast Zone: High concentration of Spearow (Aggressive).
Northwest Zone (Near a hidden waterfall): Unusual life signal detected. Probability of rare encounter: 15%.
"That waterfall sounds good," he murmured.
He ventured into the forest, using his Green Forest Power to make the plants clear a path and prevent smaller Pokémon from attacking.
The Encounter at the Waterfall
After walking for about twenty minutes, the sound of falling water became present. Behind some bushes, he saw a small crystal-clear lagoon. There, practicing quick movements against a rock, was a Pokémon he didn't expect to see in Kanto. It was a Froakie. But something was different: its movements were much more precise, and its skin had a darker blue, almost metallic tone.
[SYSTEM SCAN]
Pokémon: Froakie (Male). Level: 12. Ability: Protean (Hidden Ability: Changes its type to the move it uses). Personality: Solitary and disciplined. Status: Training.
This Froakie was abandoned by a trainer who considered it "too difficult to control".
System Note: Its potential is S-Class (Epic Rank).
The Froakie stopped abruptly. It had sensed the young man's presence. Without warning, it launched a Water Pulse towards the bushes where the protagonist was hiding.
"Axew, block it with Scratch!" the boy ordered, jumping into the clearing.
Axew broke the water sphere, but got soaked. The Froakie assumed a defensive stance, its eyes fixed on the young man's.
Through the Green Forest Power, the protagonist felt something: loneliness and an immense hunger to become strong.
"I don't want to fight you for no reason," the young man said, extending his hand and letting the green energy shine softly to show his intentions. "I've seen your training. You're incredible, but you're alone. If you come with me, I promise we'll reach the top of this world."
The Froakie hesitated. It looked at the human's hand and then at Axew, who gave a friendly challenging roar.
[SYSTEM EVENT: BOND TEST]
Objective: Defeat Froakie in a 1 vs 1 duel to earn its respect.
Restriction: You can't use the Green Forest Power to calm it; it must be a tactical victory.
The boy smiled. This was exactly what he needed to learn.
"I accept the challenge! Axew, get ready!"