Route 3,
Max finally took the first step away from Pewter City and started his journey towards Cerulean City.
To reach Cereluan City from Pewter, one has to cross Route 3, Mt. Moon, and Route 4 altogether. Only then, will Cerulean come in view.
It was a long journey, yes, but fruitful as in between these areas will appear some few useful pokemon that Max was excited to catch.
As for now, upon some pondering, he had finally formed his team. A team of four, Kaen, Lux, Raiken, And Shu.
These four will give him diversity and were all relatively strong. And with two spaces open, will also allow him to catch and train two other pokemons.
He decided to leave Pewter City, first thing in the morning, of course not before visiting the Pewter Museum, which wasn't much different then one in the game, but one thing in additional was, along with Moon stone, it also had sone Mega stones, only few though; only from those pokemons existing in Kanto and Jhoto.
Route 3, was even vaster then Route 1 and 2 together, filled with different and greater species of fauna, it also had great view. Rumors says, in proper conditions, one can even catch a glimpse of Mt. Silver from here.
But even after that, it was relatively empty. Seems, the pokemon here didn't entice trainers much, or those who were interested in these pokemon couldn't cross the hurdle called Brock.
And the people he did met, was uninterested in battle, at least with him or at this moment.
Unlike games, the NPC wouldn't sit here forever waiting for the protagonist to come along so they could challenge. It was different.
Spearrow!
A spearrow fluttered it's wings, gliding just above from Max's head, causing him to duck slightly.
"Spearrow huh..." He muttered. There was no reason to catch a Spearrow, he already have one, and it was perfect in his opinion.
Char...!
As always, Kaen was walking along with Max, she preferred staying out much more then in ball, and her starry eyes as she gazes at the world around her was proof.
Max had finally got used to seeing Charmeleon, although he missed Charmander, he was happy to have Charmeleon regardless.
Char! Charmeleon!
Kaen suddenly races towards Max, clinging to his fingers and pointing towards a certain direction.
"What?" Max let him be dragged by Kaen, and upon reaching the destination, Kaen suddenly ducked, hiding between the bushes, urging Max to do the same.
Max tore his gaze away from Kaen, and towards the direction where Kaen was looking.
His eyes lit up as he realized what Kaen was hinting, a wild Nidoran(♂️).
"Great job, Kaen!" He said, gently patting her head.
Kaen responded with puffing out her chest.
Reaching towards the pokeball at his bag, he nudges Kaen slightly to gain her attention, "Use Ember at my signal, ok?"
He wasn't worried about fainting the pokemon, as even after that, the pokemon would still be in the ground, so he doesn't really need to worry. Maybe the pokemon will despise him, but that's not something he can't deal with.
Slowly getting up, and taking a roundabout way, angling himself just so that the back of Nidoran would face him. He finally gives the signal.
"""Go!!"""
Max eyes widens, he turns around where the other voice came from. Was he not alone?
After getting the signal, Kaen jumps from her spot and takes a deep breath then unleashed her Ember.
And just simultaneously, a jet of water rushes out from the bush in front of Kaen, striking and canceling each other, while causing a steam vapor to form in the process that screens their vision.
Nidoran, startled, and seeing the chance, started dashing away.
"Shu, follow him!"
He says, reaching out to the pokeball on his waist and hurling it above.
Pi.. Pidgey!
Shu appears, fluttering it's wings gracefully, locking it's eyes on the running nidoran in the thick mist with help of it's keen eyes. It glides down like a jet following after nidoran.
Just after Shu, another shadow pases just from the corner of Max's eyes, and immediately disappears into the bushes with it's lightning speed. It was not literally but quite close to Kaen in speed.
A... A doduo?
"You... Why are you getting in my way!"
A voice echoes from his behind, turning around he spots a girl, looking at him with her furrowed brow.
Besides her stood a prinplup.
"A prinplup? Are you from Sinnoh?" Max couldn't help but ask, his curiosity got better of him.
Following Max's gaze, she looks at her own prinplup, then back to Max, answering, "No... I am from Kanto."
"Then how do you have a prinplup?" Max asked almost automatically.
"It's because my mother is from Sinnoh, now quit dodging question and answer me!" She almost snapped.
Max sighed and looked at her, she had a her eyes narrowed in anger, her hands on her hip, and her cheeks puffed out in a cute pout.
Kaen and her prinplup too, looks each other in anger, a fire between there eyes ready to fight in a single command.
"Uhh, let it be!" She sighed, flicking her hair then looking back to Max. "You want that nidoran too right! Then race me! Whoever wins gets it!"
"You got yourself a deal!" Max smirked as both joined hand in friendly gesture, but their eyes full of competition causing there pokemons to shiver im excitement.
And that's how began the race to nidoran.
The girl had immediately dashed, and in no plan of being left behind, so did Max.
"Come out, everyone!"
Lux and Raiken appeared out too, and after Max filled them in with information , both disperse into different direction, the plan was to meet in the original position after 20 minutes, as he didn't want to lose his pokemon for too long.
Kaen stayed close to him, as he will needing at least one pokemon with him.
Shu.. Shu... Shu, where are you...
His eyes searched everywhere, looking at the traces left behind by Shu, and without taking so long, he found some.
Shu was a smart pokemon, he knew Max would follow him, so he intentionally left behind some traces of broken branches and fallen leaves in different patterns to guide the way.
But the direction wasn't what bothered Max, it was Doduo. That line is statically faster then Pidgey line not accounting the applied EVs or Genetic IVs.
And just at left, he could see her, that girl, she was just at the distance of ten meters, at his left.
She is a good runner..or maybe... I am just bad.
He thought, gritting his teeth and trying to run faster. The disadvantage of lack of physical exercise in his previous life came crashing into him.
This clears the doubt, his physical capabilities were proof that he didn't inhabited Max's body of this world but actually was replaced with his own.
Suddenly, looking at left... That girl wasn't there, he lost her? Looking at the branches still showing the way, he was clear that he didn't got sidetracked. So he must have lost her then cause he was sure he didn't saw her going ahead, well that's a goo sign for him.
Pika!
Pikachu came jumping towards him, clutching and barely gripping his head, pulling his hairs trying to get stable while Max kept running.
"Ouch! Did you found it?"
Pika!
Pikachu puffed it's chest and pointed straight with it's tail, still holding onto his head.
"Good job, lux,"
Max complimented her, and few steps after, he indeed, as pikachu's suggestion, stumbled into the Nidoran (♀️).
"Lux, thunder wave, Kaen, Ember, now!"
Without thinking a second, he commanded his both pokemon into offense.
Char.. Meleon!
Pikaaa.... Chuu!
Kaen immediately burst out the surge of flame, immediately taking nidoran by surprise, followed by Lux who throws a small surge of lightning to nidoran, immediately Immobilizing it as electricity flows through it's body with every movement it tries to make.
"And now, you are mine!"
The poor nidoran didn't even got time to process, after being burned and electrified, the next thing it saw was a ball encapsulating it.
The Pokeball wiggles once... Twice... And... Baam! Star lights up and the center turn green, marking his victory and the capture of his fifth pokemon on his team.
He picks up the pokeball, a smile drawing in as he starts thinking for all the possible nicknames.
Just as, the bushes started rustling and out of which... The lady from before appears, panting, but with a smirk, with her doduo at her side.
She raises her pokeball at Max and throws a grin. "I... I won! " She breathed out, and from the pokeball, a small nidoran (♂️) appears.
Wait... If she has that then... Disturbing his thoughts the pokedex beeps.
[Nidoran(♀️) had been registered to your pokedex.]
Max slaps his forehead at the blunder he made between male and female.
And the girl laughs and jumps in joy. "I won!!"
Well, a nidoran is a nidoran I guess, I was looking for a tank anyway... He breathed out, accepting his loss.
Just then, the bushes rustled, catching thwre attention, a mankey and pidgy appears.
"Railen! Shu!" He cries out, but notices Raiken gripping something...
Wait... So her nidoran isn't the one we were competing for?
Without wasting any second, he throws his pokeball, which immediately shines in green, without any wobble.
[Nidoran (♂️) has been registered to your pokedex.]
Holding the pokedex, he flases it towards the girl with a mischievous grin.
"Guess I am the one who won."
The girl, shocked looks at her doduo with a sharp gaze, resting her hands back on her hips. "You lost your way again didn't you!" She scolded her doduo who just shranked in shame.
Seems the doduo got lost mid track while following the nidoran and Shi and stumbled upon a completely different nidoran.
Well, Max was satisfied, amongst all the chaos, he got both variations of nidorans.
[Ding! A massage from league had arrived!]
Both of their phone buzzed with a notification, as they both picks it up and began reading the contents.
An official league rank battle? He muttered, raising his eyes to the girl in front of him who got the same massage, and was looking back at him with a serious gaze.
Official League Rank Battle!
Max vs Lilia...