Get stronger fast

Ayan stepped outside Professor Elm's lab, the door clicking softly shut behind him. The early morning sun had climbed higher, casting golden slants across New Bark Town's quiet lanes. He let Cyndaquil walk beside him for a bit, the little Fire-type sniffing the dirt path with sleepy interest, tail flames flickering with a soft hum.

"Alright, buddy," Ayan said, crouching down to meet him eye level. "Time to test something." He then took Cyndaquil back to his Pokeball.

Ayan stood and took a deep breath. Let's see if I can still go back. With a focused thought—something he now understood wasn't just willpower but some kind of deeper neural instinct—he visualized Route 1. The tall grass. The dusty dirt road. The familiar arching trees.

The world around him shimmered. A soft hum began in his chest, low and warm like the purr of a well-tuned machine. And then—snap.

Gone was the Johto air. Now, he stood again beneath the familiar trees of Route 1. Pidgey's call echoed somewhere above. The same warm breeze swept through the leaves, and in the distance, the rooftops of Pallet Town peeked through the branches.

Ayan's heart soared.

"It worked…" he whispered. He clenched his fists, barely able to contain the thrill that ran through him. "So it's not just one-way travel. I can come and go at will."

He had just confirmed one of the most important things about his strange reincarnation-gifted ability. And that meant something far greater than just exploration. It meant freedom.

Freedom to catch Pokémon across multiple regions. Though he wasn't sure how he was triggering and unlocking new regions, with time he would surely uncover it. 

"Let's go to Viridian, finish some business there," Ayan thought, "then Route 29 can wait."

He called out all of his Pokemon as he by now knew that training, walking and encouraging Pokémon would help in the friendship. 

Ayan stood under the rustling leaves of Route 1, a satisfied grin still lingering on his face from the success of his inter-regional travel. With a small flick of his wrist, he released all his Pokémon one by one. In flashes of red light, Charmander, Shinx, Pidgey, and finally Cyndaquil emerged onto the grassy trail.

The sunlight glinted off Charmander's tail flame as he stretched with a confident smirk. Pidgey fluttered up to his usual perch on Ayan's shoulder with practiced ease. Shinx blinked calmly, her usual poker-faced expression unchanged as she scoped the surroundings.

Cyndaquil, on the other hand, stood a little behind the others—sniffing the air, uncertain. Ayan knelt beside the small Fire-type.

"Hey everyone," he began, voice firm but warm. "This is Cyndaquil. He's going to be traveling with us from now on."

Charmander cocked his head and stepped forward, eyeing the new Fire-type curiously.

"Char?" (You serious?)

Cyndaquil raised his snout slightly, his flame flickering on reflex over it's back. Unlike Ash's Cyndaquil in the beginning, he didn't find it hard to ignite the fire on his back.

"Cynda." (Let's see if you're worth walking next to.)

The two exchanged a long, silent glance. Then, almost simultaneously, their flames brightened—Charmander's tail flaring just a little higher, and Cyndaquil's back flames puffing into life like twin pilot lights.

"Okay. So… friendly rivals, huh?"

Pidgey didn't seem surprised, letting out a dry coo as if to say boys will be boys. Shinx didn't move closer. Instead, she sat at a safe distance, tail tip twitching, keeping her golden eyes scanning the path ahead. She didn't care for dominance contests—not when she could be a sentinel instead.

"Alright team," Ayan said, standing upright. "Let's hit the road to Viridian. We'll train on the way."

And with that, they began their walk.

Charmander and Cyndaquil walked side by side, never quite looking directly at each other, but never breaking stride. When Charmander sped up, Cyndaquil would subtly increase his pace too. A single ember dropped from Charmander's tail and Cyndaquil blew a matching puff of flame into the grass.

"Char…" (You trying to copy me?)

"Cynda." (If the shoe fits.)

Ayan watched with amused silence, hands in his hoodie pockets. The tension wasn't hostile—just a pair of proud fire-types sizing each other up like new roommates competing for the best side of the room. Pidgey pecked at the air lazily from Ayan's shoulder.

"Pi." (Dorks.)

Shinx remained quietly focused, occasionally growling low when tall grass rustled suspiciously. Ayan gave her a small smile.

"Thanks for the lookout."

-----

Encounter 1: Bug Catchers Return

Just past a slight bend in the road, a pair of bug catchers emerged from behind a berry tree, arguing loudly.

"My Wurmple is going to be a Beautifly!"

"Nah, mine's going to be a Beedrill and wreck yours."

Their argument paused the moment they spotted Ayan.

"Hey! You look strong!"

"Double battle?"

Ayan considered it. "Alright. Two on two?"

"You got it!"

Bug Catcher George: Wurmple (Lv 4)

Bug Catcher Tony: Weedle (Lv 4). 

"Want to show off together?"

Both Pokémon stepped forward in sync, their flames glowing with mutual challenge.

Battle Start

Charmander led with Ember, singeing Wurmple before it could even move. Cyndaquil followed up with his own Ember, burning Weedle. 

Smoke rose from the battlefield as both bug-types fainted in a flash of sparks and yelps. The two trainers stared, speechless.

"Whoa…"

"Okay, they're both cool."

₽425 total and 4 Poké Balls richer, Ayan waved them off with a friendly nod.

Wild Encounters and Team Experience

The walk to Viridian wasn't without more challenges. Tall grass rustled now and then, bringing out wild Pokémon that tested the team in bursts. Pidgey fought another wild Pidgey midair in a spinning aerial dance—her Tackle finishing the job. Shinx handled a wild Rattata with poise, shocking it with a clean Thunder Shock after a swift dodge.

Due to this experience share and fights both Pidgey and Shinx progressed in a fight, Pidgey at level 5 while Shinx at level 4, and all of the friendship levels also progressed. All of this was done in 1 hour and he was sure that today he would progress more as he was determined to rest for the evening and again come at night for more experience.