Boom!
Kiyomi Tsugumi, who had been peacefully lying in bed, was suddenly awakened by a loud noise. Beside him, Charmander had already opened his eyes and was now sitting quietly, staring at him in confusion.
Groggily, Kiyomi reached up to touch his forehead, a reflex born of habit.Team Rocket again? he thought. Probably making trouble at the entrance.
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and dismissed the thought.
"It's fine, Charmander. Let's just go back to sleep."
With that, he lay down again and quickly drifted off.
Beep! Bam! Bam!
The alarm clock went off loudly in the morning, dragging Kiyomi from his dreams. He moved through his morning routine quickly—washing his face, brushing his teeth, and showering all in one go.
He folded his clothes and packed the alarm clock neatly into his backpack, double-checking everything.
Clothes ✔Food ✔Potions ✔Exercise equipment ✔
Shouldering his bag, he walked through the long corridor leading from his room. At the end was the main hall. As he exited, he politely ignored the awkward scene playing out between a couple of trainers and returned the room key to Nurse Joy, who received it with a smile.
Kiyomi had gotten up quite early. The beauty of the morning scenery left him mesmerized—the sunlight was warm and gentle, and everything felt clean, fresh, and full of life. In this peaceful, joyful atmosphere, the townspeople had already begun their busy routines.
He felt like the whole world had become clearer, as if sunlight had seeped into every corner of his soul.
(Yes, I found this poetic description on Baidu—don't think my writing's suddenly become amazing!) 😅
"Let's go, Charmander. Our next destination is Viridian Forest."
And with that, Kiyomi Tsugumi and Charmander set off briskly.
By now, they had already entered Viridian Forest.
Located just north of Viridian City along Route 2 in the Kanto region, Viridian Forest was a thick, maze-like woodland. Its dense trees created a natural labyrinth, making it a haven for Bug-type Pokémon. Many beginner trainers came here—some hoping to catch wild Pokémon, others looking to train their own.
As far as Kiyomi was concerned, Pewter City could wait. His priority was to strengthen Charmander right here in the forest.
First, he pulled out the training vest from his backpack and inserted several steel bars into it, just enough to apply some pressure without making movement impossible. Once Charmander adapted to the current weight, Kiyomi would add more little by little—eventually maxing it out.
After putting it on, Charmander clearly struggled a little. His movements became slower, his balance slightly off, and his agility dropped. But it wasn't a big deal. They just needed to test it in real combat.
Just then, Kiyomi spotted movement—a Weedle was slowly crawling up the trunk of a tree in front of them. Its goal was obvious: to reach the fresh leaves above.
The Pokémon's overall body was light brown, and a prominent horn sat on its head. It had seven pairs of tiny legs, with a spiky tail to match. Its black eyes were small, but alert. That horn, Kiyomi remembered, was highly poisonous—its primary form of self-defense.
Perfect, Kiyomi thought. A real opponent.
"Hey, excuse me! Weedle, would you mind having a battle with us?"
"Uh?" The Weedle stopped and turned around in confusion.
Seeing the puzzled expression on its face, Kiyomi quickly explained again. He even offered to knock down some leaves from the tree as a thank-you after the battle.
Weedle tilted its head and thought for a moment. Then it nodded, slowly climbed back down the tree, and took a position opposite Charmander.
Charmander walked five or six meters away and stood ready.
"Okay, let's begin! **Charmander, charge at Weedle and use Growl as you run!"
Even with the weighted vest, Charmander moved quickly. As he ran, he opened his mouth and let out a sharp, piercing cry.
Weedle winced slightly at the sound but stayed calm. It fired a thin white thread from its mouth, hooking itself to a tree branch, and gracefully swung away, dodging the charge. As it soared, its horn began to glow with a bright purple light.
Once it landed, the light detached from its horn and solidified into a poisonous needle, shaped like an embroidery pin, which shot straight at Charmander.
Charmander tried to dodge, but the vest slowed him just enough. The needle struck him squarely.
He stumbled back a few steps, clearly in pain. But that wasn't the worst of it—a faint purple glow now surrounded his body.
"He's poisoned..." Kiyomi muttered, frowning.His Charmander's stamina was now draining steadily, and his body would also grow weaker and more sluggish.
Worse still, Charmander had no long-range moves, and his mobility was restricted by the vest.
Every time he tried to get close, Weedle used its thread to swing away, dodging attacks with ease. It was like a game of cat and mouse, but with the mouse constantly staying one step ahead.
Eventually, Charmander's strength ran out. He collapsed on the forest floor, exhausted and frustrated.
Kiyomi sighed and knelt down beside him, helping him sit up. He pulled out both a Potion and an Antidote, giving Charmander a small dose of each.
Then, keeping his promise, he picked up a long stick and knocked down a pile of fresh leaves for the Weedle.
The little bug's eyes lit up like crescent moons. It squealed with delight and buried its face in the leaves, happily munching away.
Charmander, meanwhile, sat beside Kiyomi, clearly disappointed.
"It's okay," Kiyomi said gently, stroking Charmander's head. "It was a tough battle—we had no long-range attacks and were wearing weights. You didn't lose because you were weak, but because we weren't prepared."
He smiled and added,"But you know what? This is just the beginning. We'll get stronger. Sure, we might not always win… but we should never give up. One day, victory will come to us."
After Weedle devoured the leaves, it let out a satisfied chirp, turned around, and climbed back up the tree.
Kiyomi and Charmander both nodded in farewell, then continued deeper into the forest.
Along the way, they encountered another Weedle and a Caterpie, challenging them both.
They won one and lost the other.
Weedle, once again, used the same strategy—dodging with its thread and attacking from a distance with poisonous needles. Caterpie, though, was a different story. While it also had String Shot, its only offensive move was Tackle. As soon as it launched in for an attack, Charmander grabbed it mid-air and knocked it out with two swift slashes.
From then on, Kiyomi focused on battling only Caterpies.
By the fifth encounter, something changed. In the middle of the battle, Charmander suddenly unleashed a new move—Ember.
Current Status:
Charmander (Fire-type)Condition: Slightly tired, hungryAbility: BlazeMoves:
Growl lv1 (10/100)
Scratch lv1 (75/100)
Ember lv1 (10/100)
"Finally, a mid-range move!" Kiyomi exclaimed with joy. "It's not long-range yet, but it's enough for now."
With Ember, they had a chance against evasive enemies like Weedle. Scratch was also close to leveling up.
He decided to wait until Scratch leveled up before comparing its performance to see how much it improved.
But most importantly… he had unfinished business.
They needed to find that first Weedle again—and this time, get back up from the place where they had fallen.