Chapter 87

Celadon City. 

"Blaze, finish it with Flame Wheel!"

Erika's final Pokémon, Venusaur, let out a wilted cry before collapsing, scorched and defeated.

The battlefield fell silent for a beat, then came the polite applause from Erika's gym trainers, followed by her quiet nod of defeat. Graceful even in defeat. 

Another badge down.

Blaze strutted back to my side, tail wagging, looking like he just got a standing ovation. I gave him a quick pat. "Nice work, buddy."

Now that the battle was over, it was time to hit the slots. There's a Pokémon there I've had my eye on for a while.

After Saffron City, I figured Celadon would be another overgrown metropolis. Instead, I walked into something that felt like it was pretending to be a small town while hiding all its sins in plain sight.

They've got a giant department store that sells everything from Poké Balls to vending machine soda, and a shady casino that's hiding something behind the prize counter. 

To be honest, I'm still confused how Team Rocket is still around. I mean, if we're going by the timeline, Red is already a Champion, right? Supposedly, he ended them.

But thinking about it… this might just be a more realistic take on things.

How does a single kid, no matter how strong, actually disband a whole criminal organization just by beating their boss and giving a heroic speech? That doesn't erase the hundreds of grunts still out there with nothing better to do and too many Rattata to feed.

The ones I ran into back at Mt. Moon definitely looked like leftovers. 

So yeah, maybe Team Rocket's officially over on paper, but in reality? It feels more like they just scattered, regrouped, and kept doing what they always did. Like cockroaches in black uniforms.

Or maybe… Red never dealt with them at all.

What if, in this version of the world, he had just had a smooth journey? No ambushes, no hideouts, no shady casinos filled with guys in black yelling about Zubats. He got to train, battle, and rise to the top without ever seeing the mess behind the curtain.

I mean, it was possible, right?

For a while, I really thought this world was just the game version.

Guess I was wrong.

Anyways, let's not overthink it. Trying to make sense of it all is about as useful as teaching a Magikarp other moves.

On the way here, Sun—my Mankey—finally evolved into a Primeape. Yay, progress! Except now he's angrier, faster, and punches like a Hitmonchan. Still cuddly though. Sort of. If you squint and don't mind the occasional uppercut to the ribs when he's excited.

The Game Corner looked exactly how I remembered it from the old games.

Dim lights. Flashy slot machines. And the crowd? A mix of tourists, locals, and guys in matching black uniforms who were definitely not subtle about being criminals.

Yup. Real undercover work, Team Rocket.

Anyway, I had zero intention of messing with them. Not because I was scared—please—but because it sounded like way too much effort. Let the actual protagonist handle that mess.

I'm just passing through.

I made my way to the counter to exchange some coins and headed to the slots. Sure, I could just generate a mountain of coins from my Inventory and buy out the entire prize list, but that'd be a one-way ticket to drawing way too much attention.

And I really wasn't in the mood for a Rocket welcome party.

So, I played it slow. Casual. Just another trainer throwing his money at a spinning machine.

I sat down at a corner machine, dumped my newly exchanged coins in, and started spinning. Three Poké Balls, two Pikachus, one sad little Cherry Bomb or whatever that was. No win. Try again.

The thing about slot machines? They're mindless. Spin, flash, ding—repeat. Honestly? Kinda relaxing.

Especially when you don't need to think about the money you spend.

A few minutes in, I started to zone out. The lights, the sounds, the repetitive click-click-clunk.

Every so often, I'd win a small payout. The kind of win that makes you think, "Maybe just one more spin." Spoiler: it's always one more spin.

Then—ding ding ding—three sevens. Jackpot.

Coins spilled out like a waterfall, drawing a few looks. I gave the nearest Rocket grunt a lazy glance, then casually started scooping up the winnings.

After hauling my jackpot to the counter, I scanned the prize list again.

There it was

Scyther.

One of my all-time favorites. 

His final evolution, Scizor, was a must in my party.

No question, I was getting him.

Then my eyes drifted down the list... and stopped.

Larvitar.

Wait—Larvitar? That caught me off guard. I didn't expect to see him here. Not in Kanto.

But then it clicked. Pokémon Crystal, Larvitar was one of the prizes.

No complaints here.

I leaned on the counter with a grin. "I'll take Scyther and Larvitar."

The attendant didn't even blink—just started processing the exchange, clearly used to this.

Two Poké Balls slid across the counter toward me, and just like that, I had two new members on my team.

After that, I made my way toward Fuchsia City. But not before swinging by the Celadon Department Store—for the experience.

I didn't buy anything, of course. I already own most of the stuff in there, thanks to the Inventory. TMs, evolution stones, that overpriced set of binoculars some tourist dropped five grand on. Still, it was nice to walk through the aisles and feel like I was back on Earth again.

Once I had my fill, I hit the road again.

Once on Route 16. I found a shady spot under a tree, and unclipped the two new Poké Balls from my belt.

"Alright,"

With twin flashes of light, Scyther and Larvitar appeared in front of me.

Scyther landed gracefully, blades out, eyes sharp, wings twitching with tension.

Larvitar, on the other hand, plopped down like a grumpy toddler who missed nap time. Small, heavy, and already chewing on a rock. It didn't even look up at me.

I pulled out my Ulti-dex to scan both of them.

Scyther

Male

Level 29

Ability: Technician.

Moves: Wing Attack

Night Slash

Double Team

….(more.)

Not bad at all. Technician's a great ability. Pretty standard stuff for him. 

I scrolled over to Larvitar next.

Larvitar

Female

Level 38

Ability: Sand Veil.

Moves: Stomping Tantrum

Dragon Dance

Rock Slide

….(more.)

And hey, another female. Not a bad addition at all.

I clapped my hands together to get both of their attention.

"My name's Aiden, and I'm your new trainer. Nice to meet you both."

Larvitar blinked slowly, her expression totally unbothered, just a chill little soil-eater.

Scyther, though… not so chill.

Before I could finish my sentence, his wings blurred into motion, and he lunged at me with a swift slash of his scythe.

Well, this was nostalgic.

I barely had to move. With a single flick of my finger, I stopped the blade mid-swing, pressing against the edge of his scythe.

Scyther's eyes widened in shock as he froze in place. His scythe buzzed with the tension of battle-ready speed, but my finger held it still, like he wasn't even trying to move it. His eyes flicked up at me—wide, surprised, maybe even a little scared.

"Easy there, buddy," I said, keeping my finger pressed lightly against the scythe. "Not the way to make a first impression."

Scyther didn't back down, but he didn't push further either. I could see the gears turning in his head, probably trying to figure out how the hell I stopped him that easily.

"Look," I added, lowering my finger from his blade. "If you want to fight, we'll do it later. But you will respect me."

Scyther stayed still for a moment longer, then backed off just a hair. Still a little on edge, but he wasn't attacking again.

"Good boy," I muttered, nodding. "I like a little fight in my team. But don't get too cocky."

"Alright, names," I said, dusting my hands off. "Gotta make this official."

I turned to Scyther first. "You? You're Kaisel now. "

He tilted his head slightly. Didn't exactly smile but there was something like acknowledgment in his posture.

Then to Larvitar. "And you? You're Rayna."

She looked up from her rock snack with a blink, then gave a slow little nod like, 

"Cool," I said. "Now let's get you two introduced to the family."

I popped open the rest of the Poké Balls and released the rest of my team.

Zephyr flapped into the air. 

Blaze padded over with his usual enthusiasm, tongue lolling out. 

Sun crossed his arms and gave a grunt that was probably approval or indigestion. Hard to tell with him. 

Levi, my shiny Magikarp, flopped energetically in his portable water pod.

And then came Astra.

The air shifted slightly as she appeared, and Kaisel froze.

You know that instinctive predator-recognizes-apex-predator reaction? Yeah, that. His wings stopped mid-flutter, and his eyes locked on Astra. Not in aggression—this was pure survival mode. He took one step back, then another, as if unsure if running would be worse.

"Yeah," I said, stepping next to him. "That's Astra. Don't worry, she's on our side."

Astra looked at him for a moment, her gaze unreadable as always, then nodded slightly.

Kaisel let out a breath, wings slowly folding back. He wasn't relaxed, but he wasn't panicking either.

Rayna, meanwhile, had zero issues. She walked over to Blaze, dropped her rock snack at his feet like a gift, and sat down beside him like they'd known each other for years. Blaze barked happily and immediately started chewing the rock, because of course he did.

"Team, this is Kaisel and Rayna."

Zephyr chirped in greeting. Sun shrugged. Levi just kept flopping.

"Alright, let's get moving."

—

The journey on the Pokémon Road was troublesome as it could be.

See, I thought I'd get some peaceful time to stretch my legs, maybe let the team walk a bit, enjoy the breeze. You know, standard road trip stuff.

What I didn't expect was a gauntlet of bikers. Like, actual leather-jacket-wearing, chain-wielding, battle-hungry lunatics on two wheels who apparently treat this stretch of road like it's the Kanto Grand Prix.

The first one rolled up on me, revving his engine like it was a mating call. "Yo, fancy-boy! You lookin' to battle?"

I was polite. "Sure, one quick match."

He sent out a Muk. I sent out Blaze. Easy win.

Then it got annoying.

"Hey, you beat Dagger? No way."

"Oi, he doesn't even have a bike!"

"Battle me, stranger!"

"Hey, you look strong! Fight me!"

"Want to see my six Koffing explode at once?"

But after the seventh battle in under twenty minutes, I hit my breaking point.

"Fuck this shit."

I summoned Fenrir.

The moment my sleek, black motorcycle slammed down onto the pavement with a thud, everything went still. Heads turned. Conversations died. Even a nearby Growlithe whimpered.

"What the—?"

"Is that a motorcycle?!"

"Can I battle your bike?"

Nope. Nope. Nope

I hopped on, twisted the throttle, and Fenrir roared to life. 

Then we blasted off.

Dust flew. Hair whipped. A couple of bikers fumbled their Poké Balls mid-taunt. One guy shouted after me, "I just wanted to ask for grooming tips!"

Too late, bud.

We were already gone, Fenrir tearing down the road, trainers choking on the exhaust.

And there, up ahead, Fuchsia City.

—

Fuchsia City.

Small town. Chill vibe. Kinda smelled like grass and maybe... Tauros poop? Hard to tell.

Compared to big cities like Saffron and Celadon, Fuchsia was peaceful.

The Safari Zone definitely gave the town its identity. Everyone here was either going in, coming out, or talking about what they almost caught. And the kids? Running around with bug nets as if it were still the 90s. Kind of nostalgic, not going to lie.

I wandered through the streets, a couple of trainers were having a loud debate about how to catch a Chansey. One guy was swearing up and down he actually saw a Kangaskhan, but honestly, I think he just saw a guy in a backpack.

Off in the distance, I spotted the gym. 

For a second, I considered heading straight there, but nah. I figured I'd explore a bit first and check out the Safari Zone.

Not sure if I'll catch anything, but let's be real, can you even say you visited Fuchsia if you didn't get chased by a Tauros at least once?

Within thirty seconds of stepping inside, a wild Rhyhorn charged me.

"NOPE!" Out of reflex, I threw a Safari Ball at it. It missed. It bounced off a rock and hit a tree.

Rhyhorn snorts, gives me side-eye, and stomps away like I wasted its time.

Great start.

This whole place was like a nature documentary gone off-script. Doduo sprinting past me like caffeinated roadrunners. A Psyduck was stuck in a pond, just spinning in circles. A Kangaskhan and a Tauros were fighting over a pile of bait like it was Black Friday.

By the time the sun set, I had somehow managed to explore the entire place. And yes—mission accomplished. I got chased by Tauros.

Not one.

Not two.

A herd.

Why, you ask?

…Yeah, I'm keeping that part to myself.

To be honest… I kinda love this.

Just exploring, catching Pokémon, taking on gym challenges, working my way up to the League. No criminal organizations trying to take over the world, no world-ending drama.

It's simple. Peaceful. Almost like I'm just an ordinary trainer. 

Still, I'll have to go back to Fairy Tail eventually. That's where I belong. My home.

Speaking of which, maybe I'll bring a few souvenirs.

Yes. I'm talking about Pokémon Eggs.

Let's see… Pikachu for Laxus. Obviously. 

A Riolu for Erza—loyal, strong, total powerhouse when it evolves. She'll love it.

Eevee for Jellal. 

And for Simon? Gastly maybe? 

Of course, I still need to figure out what Pokémon to give the rest of them.

—

Author's Note:

So, what Pokémon do you think suits each of them? I've got a few in mind, but I'd love to hear your opinions!

By the way, if you noticed, I've changed my release schedule to every other day. This adjustment will give me more time to revise and review each chapter before posting. I hope there was an improvement!

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