"Pay Day?!"
"Damn, I didn't expect that move!"
"Nami's gonna love this!"
Seeing the strange move description in front of him, Red's expression turned peculiar.
That move, while not powerful, had a rather unique and interesting effect.
However...
"A measly 40 power, and it's a special move at that. No need to waste Zoro's time on it."
Red closed the game screen. He didn't feel disappointed, but the excitement did dip a little.
After all, whether in the game or reality, neither he nor his team had reached the point where money was holding them back.
So, for Red at the moment, this move was rather useless.
Perhaps it's only real purpose was to attract Nami's attention and get her to recognize his role as a Trainer sooner...
But all that had to wait until they took down the Arlong Pirates.
Until her inner conflict was resolved, Nami wouldn't easily open her heart to them.
Not wasting more time on "Pay Day," Red led Zoro up the slope and into the Mt. Moon cave.
As soon as they entered the cave, two flashy figures appeared before them.
A man and a woman, one with long pink hair, the other with short, messy blue hair.
And on their white uniforms, a big "R" was clearly emblazoned on their chests!
"Team Rocket?"
Seeing these two familiar faces, Red licked his lips slightly.
Because he knew… not long from now, these two experience bags would contribute a hefty chunk of EXP to Zoro!
"What a pleasant surprise!"
Inside the cave, Jessie and James from Team Rocket were arguing about something.
Apparently, the scene hadn't progressed to the battle stage yet, and the moment they saw Red and Zoro, they panicked and fled deeper into the cave.
"They ran?" Red looked at their retreating backs and, without hesitation, said to Zoro:
"Let's go! We're following them!"
This game world wasn't a typical game; NPCs didn't disappear just because they went off-screen.
But at the same time...
If you lost track of them, finding them again to continue the questline could be a real hassle.
Anyway, Pokémon were everywhere in Mt. Moon.
Might as well follow Team Rocket and find the cave's exit in the process!
"Got it!"
Already getting used to taking orders from Red, Zoro immediately responded and followed him in hot pursuit.
To keep from losing track of Team Rocket, Red even had Zoro handle all the random trainers along the way by himself, sacrificing quite a bit of potential command EXP.
Still, after just 30 minutes, Zoro's experience had broken past the 2000 mark!
That was even faster than the grind on Route 3!
After all, the number of trainers inside the cave far exceeded that of the wilderness.
Finally, just as the remaining battery life dropped to 15 minutes, they caught up to Team Rocket and also found the correct path through Mt. Moon.
"Whew~ Good thing we didn't lose them. Otherwise, with Zoro's terrible sense of direction, we'd be in trouble!"
Red muttered quietly and quickly stepped forward.
A black-clad Team Rocket grunt intercepted them, just like all the previous trainers.
"This place isn't for kids!"
"Take care of him, Zoro!"
No time for nonsense, Red was racing against battery life and wanted to at least finish the Mt. Moon arc.
"Understood!"
Zoro grinned and instantly took down the Level 10 Drowzee with a single "One-Sword Style: Lion Song."
Then came the second grunt… the third… the fourth…
Four Team Rocket members in total, giving Zoro over 300 EXP, but costing Red nearly 5 minutes.
Finally, he reached a researcher observing two rare fossils.
Red stepped forward to trigger the conversation.
A simple battle followed, earning Zoro nearly 200 more EXP.
Now Zoro's EXP stood at: 3025/4447.
Just 1422 more to level up.
Unfortunately...
It seemed that wouldn't happen today.
"Sigh~ what a shame!"
After defeating the researcher, Red tearfully pocketed both fossils.
Thankfully, unlike in the actual game where the victor still has to pick one, the system here allowed him to take both, much more realistic.
But just as he stored the fossils in his bag, hurried footsteps echoed from behind.
"Who's there?!"
Zoro drew his sword, alert.
The Team Rocket trio they had been chasing appeared from the shadows behind them.
"Since you're sincerely asking, I'll graciously answer you!"
Jessie and James struck dramatic poses like they were performing in a play.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all truths within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
With Meowth's classic interruption, the full Team Rocket trio made their official appearance.
"Uh…"
Even Zoro, who was just starting to get used to the bizarre behavior in this world, was momentarily stunned.
Red, on the other hand, smirked.
"You're lucky, Zoro!"
"This kind of performance isn't something you get to see every day!"
"Heh…" Zoro twitched his mouth, speechless. "I kind of wish I never had to see such a cringeworthy intro. I'm getting secondhand embarrassment here."
"So…"
*Clang!*
A cold flash of steel suddenly glinted.
The blade was drawn in an instant!
"They're enemies, right?" Zoro tilted his head and asked Red.
"That's right!" Red checked the batter, just enough to let Zoro finish off Team Rocket, then nodded firmly.
"In that case, cut them down without mercy!"
"Gladly!"
*Zing!*
Zoro drew his pristine white Wado Ichimonji and clenched it between his teeth.
Then he unsheathed two more blades with each hand.
Three-Sword Style Zoro, ready to fight!
At that moment, Jessie and James also finished their dramatic speech and simultaneously threw their Poké Balls at Zoro.
In a flash!
Two obviously evil-looking Pokémon appeared: Level 15 Koffing and Level 15 Ekans!
"These two, huh?"
"They do look a bit stronger than the other Pokémon so far…"
Zoro smiled faintly.
"But still too weak~"
The next second, his figure vanished from sight, rushing straight at the enemy!
At the same time, three icy flashes cut through the dim cave air—instantly piercing both Koffing and Ekans.
"Three-Sword Style: Crow's Hunt!!!"
Slash!!!
Multiple gashes suddenly appeared on both Pokémon.
If this weren't a bloodless game world, Red was certain this single strike could've sliced them in half.
Their HP bars dropped to zero instantly.
As expected, Team Rocket, Mt. Moon's final boss, was effortlessly one-shot by Zoro.
"What a bothersome feeling~"
"Team Rockets blasting off again."
With their classic line, Team Rocket flew to the sky once again.
Zoro gained over 200 more EXP.
But the battery was nearly depleted, marking the end of today's adventure.
After explaining the situation to Zoro, a flash of white light brought them both back to their bedrooms.
Under the moonlit night, everything was calm and peaceful.
Zoro's eyes suddenly opened wide as he lay on the bed, scanning his surroundings.
After confirming that he was in his cabin room, he sat up in excitement.
"So…"
"All that just now wasn't a dream?!"
He stared intently at his hands.
He clearly remembered collapsing from training exhaustion and falling asleep.
That's why when he first entered the game world, Red took him to Pewter City's Pokémon Center, and had him lie on a strange, miraculous machine for a few seconds…
And his energy was instantly restored.
Feeling his current physical condition, almost identical to how he felt when he left the game world, Zoro became even more convinced…
Everything that just happened wasn't just a dream!
"A 'Pokémon Trainer', huh?!"
Looking out the window at the night sky, Zoro couldn't help but murmur:
"Never thought I'd meet such a strange guy like Red… and even become his partner?!"
"Kuina… I think…"
"I just got one step closer to my goal!!!"