Pokémon: I’m Really Not a Team Rocket Spy

"Alright, that's enough for today."

After roughly half an hour of training, Maki decided to call it a day. Since they'd been focusing solely on skill drills, the energy consumption was much higher than with ordinary exercises.

That was even with the energy boost from the Pokéblock that Maki had fed his Charmander earlier.

During this session, Maki didn't just have Charmander focus on Ember—he made sure the Pokémon got a feel for its other moves as well. Of course, the surrounding trees had been deliberately planted for training purposes, but Maki wasn't about to let his Charmander start chomping on them to test the strength of Crunch. Even Scratch was practiced on the ground instead.

It was fortunate that Charmander's moves weren't particularly powerful at this stage. Otherwise, if they ended up digging a huge hole, Maki would have to fill it back in himself.

Maki decided it might be a good idea to rent a proper training room at the Pokémon Center for future sessions. Most cities' Gyms usually offered similar facilities for trainers to rent as part of their funding, but the Viridian City Gym was clearly an exception to this "general rule." That left the Pokémon Center or privately operated training spaces as the only viable options.

Of course, given Maki's former status as the heir of Team Rocket, he could easily access the Gym's facilities if he wanted to. But under the current circumstances, that wasn't exactly appropriate.

"Chaaar!"

Charmander nodded in agreement. Although the Pokéblock helped restore some energy, the little Pokémon was clearly feeling fatigued.

Just as Maki turned around to take Charmander back to rest, he noticed a boy—probably around ten years old—standing enthusiastically behind him, clutching a Poké Ball.

Judging by the boy's attire, he came from a wealthy family. Likely, just like Maki, he had only recently received his starter Pokémon and had come here for training.

"When trainers' eyes meet, they must have an epic battle!" the boy declared.

"…"

Where did this NPC come from?

Maki had no intention of engaging with him. Without a word, he walked past the boy. Behind him, Charmander gave the boy a look as if he were an idiot before following Maki.

"Wait! Judging by your looks, you're a rookie trainer too, right? Aren't you interested in a heated battle?"

Seeing that Maki was about to leave, the boy quickly ran in front of him, blocking his path.

"Sorry, not interested. Besides, there are plenty of trainers around here. Why focus on me?"

Maki gestured toward the area. As he had observed earlier, there were quite a few trainers around. If anything, the number had only grown over the past half hour.

"Tch, those trainers all have common Pokémon. There's no way they can compare to mine. Come on out, Cyndaquil!"

The boy tossed his Poké Ball into the air, releasing a Pokémon roughly the same size as Charmander. Its back and the top of its head were a dark blue, while its chest, belly, and legs were a creamy yellow. Small red spots on its back emitted tiny sparks as it emerged.

The boy's face lit up with a haughty expression, clearly looking down on the Caterpies and Pidgeys nearby.

Maki, however, felt an urge to regale the boy with tales of a Coalossal grilling a Kyogre or a Caterpie's Electroweb taking down a Rayquaza. That might teach him not to underestimate "common" Pokémon.

Still, he had to admit the boy's confidence wasn't entirely baseless—Cyndaquil was one of the starter Pokémon from the Johto region, after all.

Though in Maki's opinion, the Johto starters were the weakest of all.

Their types were pure Water, Fire, and Grass, and their stat distributions were mediocre at best. The only passable ability among them was Feraligatr's Sheer Force. They were even snubbed when Mega Evolutions were handed out, unlike the Hoenn starters, who became new Rain Dance team staples.

But, regardless of personal opinion, starter Pokémon were bred specifically by the League and held clear advantages over most wild Pokémon. Their two-stage evolution lines gave them higher potential stats, making them formidable compared to anything you might find on a typical route.

The appearance of a Johto starter here wasn't particularly surprising. Kanto and Johto hadn't split yet, so even in Viridian City, trainers could receive starters from other regions.

"Cynda!"

Cyndaquil squeaked timidly.

"Even so-called 'common' Pokémon can grow incredibly strong if raised properly. Never underestimate any Pokémon."

Maki spoke earnestly to the boy, fully aware of the truth of his words.

After all, Maki's father, Giovanni, had a signature Pokémon—a Beedrill. Its pre-evolution, Weedle, was just as common as Caterpie in Viridian Forest, where you could run into dozens of them.

The boy froze for a moment, instinctively nodding before snapping back to reality. This wasn't a classroom lecture!

"You sound just like one of my schoolteachers! My name's Nathan, and I'm going to be the Champion of the Kanto Region someday. So, how about a battle?"

Nathan, as he introduced himself, seemed utterly unaffected by Maki's advice. Instead, he eagerly pushed for a battle.

Maki sighed, realizing that this boy was likely as stubborn as Ash Ketchum, the epitome of a headstrong rookie.

He adjusted his headband and glanced at Charmander.

"Well, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"

"Char!"

Charmander thought for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.

"Alright then, Nathan. Your challenge is accepted."

Hearing Charmander's response, Maki smiled and turned to Nathan.

While Maki didn't mind the idea of a battle, he was careful not to underestimate the importance of real combat in strengthening Pokémon. This was one of the reasons why the League heavily promoted Pokémon battles.

After all, back in the day, graduates from Pokémon schools who'd never experienced a serious fight outside the League's safety net were easy pickings for Team Rocket.

As Nathan cheered, he proudly offered to cover the cost of renting a battle room at the Pokémon Center.

Maki, meanwhile, contemplated whether he should go easy on the rookie. After all, hitting too hard might discourage him before his journey even began.

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