On the wild path leading to Celadon City, Ryuuske walked alone through the dense forest. He wasn't in a hurry to reach the next city immediately—instead, he took advantage of the wilderness to continue his training with wild Pokémon.
Though this stretch of woodland couldn't compare to the vastness of Viridian Forest, it had everything: mountains, rivers, trees, and flowers, with a comfortably mild climate. It was easily the most pleasant environment Ryuuske had encountered since beginning his journey.
Celadon City and Saffron City truly lived up to their reputations as Kanto's largest international metropolises. The surrounding areas were breathtakingly beautiful, with climates so ideal that no other regions could compare—nature had blessed them with both timing and geographical advantage.
As he passed by a water source, Ryuuske suddenly spotted a Mr. Mime cheerfully darting through the nearby grass. It chased after butterflies while gracefully spinning in place, almost as if performing a theatrical act. His eyes lit up—not because he particularly liked Mr. Mime, but because this species was incredibly rare. To this day, no one had discovered their natural habitat, as if they never lived in groups. Mr. Mime had no gender distinctions and possessed a humanoid appearance. Without even checking the Pokédex, Ryuuske knew he had never caught one before—aside from Sabrina's, this was the first wild one he'd ever seen.
Ryuuske wasn't a professional Pokémon catcher, nor did he have any interest in collecting every species like trading cards. But if he encountered one he hadn't captured before—especially a rare one—he absolutely wouldn't let it slip away.
"Perfect, don't let it escape! Gabite, go!"
Without hesitation, Ryuuske ordered the Gabite beside him to charge at the target.
Gabite, who had been crouching low and peering through the leaves at Mr. Mime just like Ryuuske, immediately bared its terrifying fangs. Its three-meter-tall body lunged forward in an instant, accelerating straight toward the unsuspecting Mr. Mime.
Gabite's speed was overwhelming. As it dashed, the sheer force of its movement bent the surrounding trees like a gale, and in the blink of an eye, it closed the distance.
The Mr. Mime, still engrossed in its performance, was startled by the sudden attack. Instinctively, it unleashed a Psychic attack, but its feeble psychic energy only managed to halt Gabite's momentum for a split second before the dragon-type brute-force shattered the mental bindings.
This was the absolute disparity in power—when the strength gap was too vast, even an opponent's moves would barely leave a scratch.
Realizing its Psychic had failed, Mr. Mime panicked and turned to flee, shrieking in terror as it ran.
Its fear wasn't due to Gabite's massive size—a Pokémon's strength had little to do with its physique—but rather the sheer brutality in Gabite's eyes and the rippling energy waves distorting the air around it. Mr. Mime knew, without a doubt, that it was prey.
"Trying to run? Earthquake!"
Crack—!
As Ryuuske sprinted forward to keep up, the ground beneath them trembled violently, accompanied by the sound of splitting earth. The fleeing Mr. Mime lost its footing and collapsed, screaming as the seismic energy erupted beneath it. Gabite seized the opportunity, leaping high into the air before slashing down with its razor-sharp claws!
"Careful! Don't decapitate it—you can't eat it without a head!"
Seeing Gabite about to deliver the finishing blow, Ryuuske hastily called out.
Obediently, Gabite softened its attack, merely driving its Dragon Claw into Mr. Mime's body.
A Poké Ball was thrown, and with no resistance left, the capture was inevitable.
Ryuuske wasn't a professional hunter—he didn't know the precise weak points for capturing Pokémon, nor could he reliably catch them while they were still at full strength. But he solved every problem the same way: with overwhelming force. As long as the opponent was beaten half to death, catching them was still easy.
"Whew, it's getting late. Let's set up camp here."
Glancing at the sky, Ryuuske noted the last remnants of sunlight fading as night approached.
Gabite growled in agreement beside him.
Pitching the tent, gathering firewood—Gabite exhaled a burst of flame to ignite the campfire. These survival tasks had become second nature ever since its days as a Gible. It had even learned to assist Ryuuske based on experience.
The only downside was that Gabite's increased size meant it could no longer share the tent. Instead, it rested outside, keeping watch through the night.
"Dragonair, you come out too. Time for dinner."
Tossing another Poké Ball, Ryuuske released Dragonair, who immediately nuzzled against him with a soft "Meeew~" Patting its head, he pulled out some Poffins, and both Gabite and Dragonair began devouring their meal.
Fortunately, Pokémon had unique physiologies—even large ones didn't require as much food as one might expect. Pokémon primarily ate to sustain their basic needs. The energy they expended in battle wasn't tied to their physical stamina; recovery came naturally through rest. To Ryuuske, it almost seemed like "cultivation" from those old legends.
As he set up a small pot to cook his own meal (now that he had money, even his survival rations were high-end), Ryuuske examined Mr. Mime's Poké Ball, lost in thought.
Trainers generally fell into two categories.
The first, like Ryuuske and Gym Leaders, specialized in a single type. The advantage was obvious, but the drawback was equally significant—facing a type disadvantage could be troublesome. Fortunately, Ryuuske's "Dragon's Power" negated that concern.
The second category, like Ash, utilized a balanced team of various types, covering weaknesses but lacking any overwhelming strengths—mediocre in every sense.
Even among specialists, few stuck purely to one type. Most supplemented their teams with secondary specialties.
For example, Lt. Surge excelled in Electric and Fighting, while Sabrina mastered Psychic and Poison.
As for Ryuuske? He didn't even need to think about it. With Mewtwo by his side, aside from Dragon-types, his strongest affinity was Psychic.
"Dragon-types will always be my core, no question. But maybe I should also catch some Psychic-types as a second-tier team. They might come in handy later—like when I need to hide my identity…"
Ryuuske stroked his chin, contemplating the future. He was far-sighted enough to realize that as his fame grew, his Dragon-type team would become too recognizable. If he ever needed to operate incognito, he'd be at a severe disadvantage—using his main team would instantly expose him.
On the other hand, Psychic-type specialists were common. No one would suspect Ryuuske.
"First, I'll solidify my main team. Then, in my spare time, I'll train a secondary group. Ideally, I'd find a Pokémon with both Dragon and Psychic typing—that'd perfectly bridge the two."
Just as he was refining his plans, his Pokédex suddenly vibrated.
"Huh? It's Professor Oak."
Surprised by the caller ID, Ryuuske accepted the video call without hesitation.
To be continued…
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