Chapter 74: Setting the Mountain Ablaze

"Cotton!"

Maki was walking along a rural path, quite a distance from Saffron City. He held his phone in one hand, glancing at the map and comparing it to his surroundings.

Floating beside him, a Cottonee flitted impatiently, urging him to pick up the pace.

"I'm sure this is the right way. If we keep moving forward, we'll reach our destination soon," Maki declared with confidence as he put his phone away.

"Cotton!"

"You said the same thing an hour ago!"

"Ahem… Just trust me one more time. This time, I definitely won't be wrong."

He coughed awkwardly but maintained his firm conviction.

"Cotton~"

"Fine, I'll trust you one last time."

Cottonee let out a theatrical sigh before slowly landing on Maki's shoulder. Since it was incredibly light, Maki barely felt its weight.

Trailing alongside them, a Charmander stared at Maki and Cottonee with an envious gaze.

"Don't even think about it. If you try climbing up, you'll crush me under your weight," Maki said, twitching at the corner of his mouth and shutting down the idea without hesitation.

Unlike the still juvenile Cottonee, Charmander was well into its growth phase. In fact, thanks to a good diet, Maki's Charmander was noticeably larger than the average one.

A bigger body meant more weight. And Maki was no Ash Ketchum—he wasn't about to sprint around carrying a Larvitar like it was nothing.

"Still, we've been walking for a while now, and I haven't seen any good Pokémon to catch."

Perhaps it was because they were still too close to Saffron City. This wasn't a dense forest but a maintained path intentionally cleared by the Pokémon League, so the chances of encountering wild Pokémon were significantly lower.

As for the Pokémon he was looking for—he was here to capture them as part of a League mission.

Winning battles in the Battle Arena and leveling up as a trainer did earn him a monthly allowance of BP (Battle Points), but those rewards were limited. They weren't nearly enough to satisfy the needs of most trainers.

To earn more BP, trainers had to complete assignments issued by the Pokémon League.

Most of these tasks involved catching specific Pokémon in the wild and handing them over to the League in exchange for BP.

However, to prevent trainers from excessively capturing Pokémon and disrupting the ecosystem, there was a strict limit on how many assignments could be taken at once. The League also regulated the number of missions released at any given time.

Since Maki was passing through anyway, he had picked up a few of these tasks. If he failed to complete them, there would be no real consequences. At the very least, engaging in battles along the way would serve as good training for Charmander.

Plus, the more missions he completed, the more credibility he would gain with the League, making it easier to take on higher-tier assignments in the future.

As for potential dangers…

Maki's hand instinctively brushed against a hidden Poké Ball on his belt. He could only hope that any particularly strong wild Pokémon had enough self-preservation instincts to stay away.

That's right—Giovanni had entrusted him with Dragonite once again, ensuring his safety.

The only downside? Maki had to take care of the behemoth's meals. And that thing ate more than the three of them combined!

"Pi!"

A sudden cry from nearby caught Maki's attention, and his eyes lit up. His business was about to begin!

One of the missions he had accepted required him to capture three Pidgey, with each one rewarding between 2 to 6 BP, depending on its abilities, characteristics, and moves.

For example, if a Pidgey inherited a rare move like Air Slash, the League would certainly offer more than just 2 or 3 BP.

Turning toward the source of the sound, Maki spotted a Pidgey perched in a patch of grass. The sharp-eyed Pokémon had already noticed their presence.

"Charmander, ready?"

Maki whispered, cautious not to startle the Pidgey into fleeing.

"Char!" Charmander responded eagerly.

"You should pay attention too," Maki said, addressing the Cottonee on his shoulder. "You'll be battling soon enough."

Once Cottonee matured beyond its juvenile phase, it would need to start battle training as well.

That training… Maki had a feeling it was going to be interesting.

"Cotton!"

"I'll do my best!"

Cottonee snuggled closer against Maki's neck, watching intently as Charmander prepared to battle.

"Charmander, use Dragon Breath!"

Maki smiled approvingly at Cottonee's enthusiasm, then turned his focus back to the battle.

After days of training, Charmander had significantly improved its mastery of Dragon Breath. Though it still wasn't as refined as its Fire-type moves, it was now reliable enough for battle.

And more importantly, they were in the wilderness. Using Fire-type moves too often carried the very real risk of setting the forest ablaze… and then ending up in prison for arson.

Charmander exhaled a pale blue mist, sending the attack sweeping toward Pidgey. Dragon Breath might not have the same visual impact as fiery explosions, but its power was nothing to underestimate.

Pidgey flapped its wings frantically, but it wasn't fast enough to dodge and was struck head-on by the attack. It barely managed to steady itself mid-air before its expression twisted in pain—its wings trembled involuntarily.

Dragon Breath had a chance to paralyze the opponent, and Maki's luck had just kicked in.

"Keep using Dragon Breath!"

Without hesitation, Maki ordered a follow-up attack. Under the relentless barrage, Pidgey quickly lost the ability to fight back.

Thud!

Maki threw a Poké Ball, striking Pidgey square on the head and capturing it in an instant.

The Poké Ball shook a few times, but the weakened Pidgey hardly resisted before the device locked shut.

"First one down!"

Maki walked over, picked up the Poké Ball, and pressed the button in the center, causing it to shrink for easier storage. After giving it a satisfied nod, he slipped it into his pocket.

Judging by its performance, this Pidgey's potential was fairly average. But that didn't matter—he wasn't keeping it for himself. As long as it met the League's standards, it was good enough for submission.

As an added bonus, the League even reimbursed trainers with a replacement Poké Ball upon successful submission.

Just one, though. If a Pokémon struggled too much during capture and extra Poké Balls were needed, the League wouldn't compensate for those losses.

After all, Poké Balls weren't exactly cheap for an ordinary person.

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