Now, Kiyomi Tsugumi was walking back the way he had come, with Charmander trailing behind him, full of renewed fighting spirit.
"Honestly, I must be the unluckiest time-traveler ever... I actually lost to a Weedle in my second battle," Kiyomi thought helplessly.
Before long, Kiyomi was standing once more beneath the tall tree where he'd originally lost. As he looked up, sure enough, the same Weedle was lounging lazily on a branch, basking in the sunlight.
"Hey, Weedle! Will you battle me again? Please!" Kiyomi shouted from beneath the tree.
"Uu-oh?" Weedle looked down, and upon spotting Charmander, a flicker of disdain passed through its beady black eyes.
Charmander, who was watching closely, immediately caught the look. His eyes blazed with fury—but he quickly turned the emotion into determination. His muscles tightened beneath the weighted training vest, ready for a rematch.
Eventually, Weedle agreed to the rematch. It used its silk to swing down from the branch and landed opposite Charmander, ready to fight.
"Okay, Charmander—same plan as before. Charge in and use Growl to weaken its attack!"
Charmander dug his heels into the ground and kicked up dust as he sprinted forward with everything he had, like a stone shot from a slingshot.
Just as before, Weedle used its silk to swing upward and dodge. But this time, as it passed over Charmander, it failed to notice the smirk forming on Charmander's lips.
"Now, Charmander—use your strongest Ember!"
Charmander opened his mouth wide and unleashed a blast of fire, the size of a clenched fist. The sparks flew upward and hit Weedle head-on.
A puff of smoke filled the air as Weedle was struck mid-swing. It tumbled from the sky and crashed to the ground.
Not only was the Fire-type move super effective, but the impact from the fall made it worse. Weedle had taken too much damage—it lay still, completely knocked out.
(Honestly, I feel like I've written more dramatic buildup for this Weedle than for my protagonist...)
"We did it, Charmander! You did it!" Kiyomi cheered, scooping up the dazed fire lizard and spinning around with him two or three times before setting him down.
The injured Weedle lay quietly on the ground. Kiyomi walked over and gently touched its tiny body.
"Ooh… ooh…" the Weedle let out a soft, pained sound—it looked fragile, even pitiful.
Kiyomi pulled a Potion from his backpack and gave the little bug a dose. Then he offered it a piece of bread, feeding it bit by bit. After eating, the Weedle slowly recovered and began climbing back up the tree.
Feeling good about the win and the kindness he'd shown, Kiyomi and Charmander continued walking.
They fought two more battles along the way, and during one of them, Charmander learned a new move: Smokescreen.
At some point, as they were walking, a rustling sound caught Kiyomi's attention. He turned—and froze.
A long blade was held just centimeters from his neck.
But the tension eased when he saw who it was.
"You know," Kiyomi said with a wry smile, "if you were trying to scare someone to death, you'd definitely succeed."
"Ah—my apologies. That was rude," the boy said, sheathing his sword. He was dressed in samurai-style armor. "Are you a trainer from Pallet Town?"
"Yeah," Kiyomi replied. "I am."
"Then please, have a Pokémon battle with me! The other two trainers from Pallet Town—one with a Squirtle, the other with a Bulbasaur—had amazing battles with me. I'd love to battle you too."
"Well, then I guess I have no choice!" A confident smirk had appeared on Kiyomi Tsugumi's lips without him even realizing.
Is this guy's personality changing? Has he become addicted to battling? the samurai thought, now taking things more seriously.
"Alright then—go, Pinsir!" the armored boy shouted as he tossed his Poké Ball.
Pinsir (known in older translations as Dajia) was a Bug-type Pokémon, shaped like a massive beetle. Two enormous, serrated horns protruded from its head, and its teeth were aligned in neat rows, like bristles on a toothbrush.
"Then it's your turn, Charmander!" Kiyomi called.
Charmander stepped forward and let out a fierce roar. The training vest had already been removed earlier—Kiyomi and Charmander had been preparing for lunch when the samurai interrupted. But that was fine. Charmander could now battle at full strength.
"Pinsir, use Vice Grip!"
The beetle Pokémon lunged like a battering ram, horns wide open, aiming to grab and crush its opponent.
"Don't panic—Smokescreen!" Kiyomi said calmly but firmly.
With a loud whoosh, Charmander exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke, completely obscuring himself.
Pinsir charged into the smoke and snapped its horns—but caught nothing but air.
The samurai outside the battlefield could no longer see clearly either.
"Pinsir, get out of there—quick!"
The beetle Pokémon stumbled back toward the edge of the smoke, its horns barely visible through the haze.
"Now! Use your strongest Ember!"
A fist-sized burst of flame shot out of the smoke and hit Pinsir directly.
Boom! The explosion sent Pinsir flying several meters before crashing to the ground.
"Pinsir, get up!" the samurai called anxiously.
But the bug only twitched a few times… then lay still.
The boy sighed and returned Pinsir to its Poké Ball. Then he pulled out another one.
"Come out! My newly trained Metapod!"
With dramatic flair, he tossed it. A flash of light revealed a green, armored cocoon in front of Kiyomi.
Kiyomi just raised an eyebrow.
"Ember," he ordered.
Charmander launched another small fireball. Metapod used Harden, but it wasn't enough. After being hit, it collapsed and couldn't continue battling.
"That was a fantastic duel," the samurai said, bowing politely. "But I lost. As I thought… I still have a long way to go. Farewell for now!"
He turned and disappeared into the woods.
Kiyomi, meanwhile, looked unimpressed.
"What was that? That didn't feel like a real challenge at all."
He sighed. "Well, whatever. Let's just try to reach Pewter City as soon as possible."
A few days later...
It was just past noon. The sun blazed high in the sky. After walking a while, Kiyomi finally saw it—
A narrow, winding trail, leading out of the forest.
At the end of that trail was the city of Nibi—Pewter City, at last.