The dusk deepened.

  The Gyarados cast a massive shadow over the water, its presence so intimidating it seemed to dim the moonlight.

  "Th-that thing looks pissed... we should probably run..."

  Beside him, Misty was deathly pale, clutching Hakuya's sleeve so hard her knuckles were white. Her legs felt like jelly.

  Thanks to a childhood trauma where she was nearly swallowed by a Gyarados while pying, she was terrified of them despite her dream of becoming a Water Master.

  This one looked particurly nasty—red eyes, fangs like daggers—and its roar had sent every other fish in the area darting away in terror.

  A wild Gyarados with this kind of pressure felt like it could solo her three useless sisters' entire gym!

  "Don't worry. It's just a big, fshy pushover," Hakuya said, patting Misty's hand to comfort her. He immediately sent Sprigatito forward.

  "Sprigatito, get ready to scrap."

  Sprigatito gnced back at Misty's hand gripping her trainer's clothes and grumbled. She wanted to turn around and hiss at the girl to let go, but she put her professional face on and entered her battle stance.

  "ROAR—!!!"

  Seeing a tiny cat that wasn't even as big as its eyeball dare to hiss back, the Gyarados—the self-procimed king of the river—was livid.

  It let out a deafening roar that sent ripples across the water, its tail fin smming down and unching a massive wave into the air.

  But before it could finish its show of dominance, a storm of razor-sharp leaves smmed into its face.

  "Use Leafage. Try to go easy on him."

  "NYA—HA!!!"

  With a low growl from Sprigatito, what should have been a "gentle" flurry of leaves turned into a horizontal hurricane.

  The damp earth on the bank was plowed open by the force, and the wind itself whistled as it was shredded by the attack.

  ???

  Wait... you call that 'Leafage'? That looks like Leaf Storm on steroids!

  Misty blinked, her brain failing to process the scale of the attack.

  The single strike didn't just split the water; it hit the Gyarados so hard its eyes literally cleared of rage.

  She could actually see the "King of the River" whimpering as tears welled up in its eyes.

  [Leafage]... truly a terrifying move.

  "What? You want to come with me now?" Hakuya watched as the Gyarados began blubbering and nudging toward him. He shook his head, crushing its dreams of joining the team before turning back to his grill. "You're too weak. Come find me when you've actually grown some balls."

  Hakuya had high standards for his team.

  A crybaby Pokémon that went down in one hit wasn't going to survive in his randomized world.

  Arceus with [Prankster] didn't care about your feelings; [Judgment] hits the same whether you're crying or not.

  Misty, staring at Hakuya's fwless profile, finally couldn't hold back her question.

  "Hakuya... are you sure you're a rookie? You're not some pro hiding your strength to mess with people?"

  "Hm?" Hakuya turned around, looking genuinely confused at first. Then, looking at the cratered battlefield, it clicked.

  Compared to the randomized Emerald world where gods roamed the grass and he had to fight for his life, the real world was pying on "Easy Mode." Even though Sprigatito was only Level 15, her combat power was insane. She didn't even need her Hero Form to trash a wild Gyarados.

  He shrugged and looked Misty in the eye with total sincerity.

  "I'm not lying. We really did just start our journey. Right, Sprigatito?"

  "Nya~" Sprigatito purred, snuggling onto his shoulder with a look of pure bliss.

  Thinking about Sapphire's terrifying silhouette on Route 103, Hakuya added a little extra context.

  "The reason I came to Kanto is because back home, I couldn't even make it past the first route. Where I'm from, a Gyarados like that is basically a common Caterpie."

  Holy shit... what kind of hellhole is Hoenn?!

  Misty swallowed hard, starting to sweat.

  After the Gyarados incident, they finished their grilled fish and prepared to sleep.

  But just as Hakuya closed his eyes in his sleeping bag, that familiar gravitational tug hit him again.

  When he opened his eyes, he was back on Route 103, looking at Sapphire's intimidating back.

  "Nya~"

  "Wait... is this the fishing rod?"

  Checking his inventory, Hakuya was stunned.

  The bag that had been empty now contained a fishing rod—the exact one Misty had given him in the real world.

  "Does this mean I can bring items from the real world into the game?"

  Hakuya rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

  He knew his Pokémon were synced, but he didn't expect physical items to cross over.

  That meant he didn't need to beat Sapphire to get Poké Balls. He could buy them in the real world and bring them here to catch all the high-potential monsters in the grass.

  His mood instantly brightened.

  Just you wait, Space Lma. In a few days, I'm coming for your head—

  ...

  The next morning, after a quick wash, Hakuya told Misty he was going for a walk and took Sprigatito to explore.

  For any Pokémon fan, besides living with them, the greatest thrill was battling.

  But Hakuya wasn't just looking for a fight; he was looking for cash.

  Wager matches were the most common way to make money in the Pokémon world.

  And as expected, the moment he stepped away from the riverbank, a Bug Catcher blocked his path.

  "I've caught so many Pokémon! Go, my Bug Team!"

  The kid confidently sent out a Caterpie he'd just caught.

  Hakuya and Sprigatito looked at each other, barely able to keep a straight face.

  After being bullied by gods in the randomized world, it was finally time to py "Dynasty Warriors" in reality.

  Battle?

  BATTLE!!!

  "Seriously... is everyone in Kanto this broke?"

  A few hours ter, after leaving a trail of defeated trainers in his wake, Hakuya sighed at the small pile of Poké-Dolrs in his hand.

  They really were treating him like some beggar from the sticks.

  After shaking down every Short-Pants Kid, Bug Catcher, and Fishing Guru in the area, he had only made 600 Poké-Dolrs. That was barely enough for three Poké Balls at the shop.

  "Well, better than nothing."

  Hakuya headed into Viridian City, swapped his cash for three red-and-white balls, and headed back feeling accomplished.

  Only three, but that was enough.

  As long as his heart was pure and his luck held, a critical catch was all he needed.