The garbage collection team was officially established. With that, John felt there was no reason to linger on Route 101 any longer. He returned to Oldale Town to heal at the Pokemon Center, restoring Torchic and the five Zigzagoon's condition. Moving left, he took control of the protagonist and ventured into Route 102.
In Pokemon games, the ultimate objective has always been to defeat the eight gyms in the region, challenge the Pokemon League, and ultimately face the Elite Four and the Champion to become the new Champion. For John, the next step was to challenge a gym.
However, the gym beyond Route 102 wasn't the first one he wanted to tackle. That gym was run by his father, who would scoff at John's current strength and only allow him to challenge him after he had collected four badges. Instead, John aimed to take on the second gym, located in Rustboro City—the Rustboro Gym, hosted by Gym Trainer Roxanne.
The challenge lay in the fact that Roxanne specialized in Rock-type Pokemon, a tough matchup for a Fire-type like Torchic. To bolster his chances, John knew he had to level up Torchic along the way and evolve it into Combusken, enhancing its Fighting skills. He also needed to keep an eye out for suitable Grass and Water Pokemon to train, as confidence was key for taking on Roxanne.
Were there any good Grass and Water Pokemon lurking on Route 102? John pondered as he stepped onto the new route.
Just a few steps in, a child in shorts and a blue hat suddenly stopped the protagonist. "Hey you, let's have a battle!" the child challenged.
[Do you accept the challenge of Youngster Jimmy?] The option to accept or reject appeared on screen. John was surprised—usually, encountering an NPC meant an inevitable battle!
Without hesitation, John accepted. How could he refuse the prospect of earning money?
He clicked to accept, and in an instant, the Gameboy in his hands vanished. The surroundings transformed. He found himself in a dark forest, rain pouring down, a cold wind rustling the grass nearby. The only source of light was the street lamp illuminating the entrance to Oldale Town.
Not far away, the boy in shorts threw a Pokeball. "Go, Zigzagoon!"
The Pokeball burst open, revealing a Zigzagoon on the ground, cheerful and ready to battle. John was dumbfounded. Why had he entered the game directly? This had never happened before.
Looking down at his attire—speed shoes, a hat, and a jacket—he realized, "Isn't this the protagonist's outfit?"
"Could it be that when the protagonist fights against a trainer, I'll control the protagonist in battle?" John guessed.
"Send out your Pokemon!" the boy urged.
Though uncertain about what was happening, John had no choice but to fight. He reached for his waist, where six Pokeballs hung quietly, and tossed out the first one.
The silver light exploded, revealing Torchic.
"Jeep! (≧▽≦)ゞ" Torchic exclaimed, even in the rain.
"Alright, I'll attack first!" the boy called out. "Zigzagoon, use Tackle!"
Zigzagoon dashed through the grass, slamming into Torchic. John took a deep breath. This was his first real Pokemon battle. He raised his hand and commanded loudly, "Torchic, dodge its attack and use Ember!"
"Gee! ヽ(#`Д')?" Torchic stared at Zigzagoon with fiery determination. Just as Zigzagoon charged in with Tackle, Torchic dodged sideways, unleashing flames as it moved.
The Ember attack erupted like a Gatling gun, bombarding Zigzagoon and knocking it down. Although it didn't score a one-hit KO—Torchic was at a similar level to Zigzagoon, and the rain weakened Fire-type moves—it didn't matter.
"Encore, Ember!"
"Get up, Zigzagoon!" the boy shouted.
Unfortunately, "standing up" wasn't a skill anyone could use in battle.
Before Zigzagoon could recover, it was overwhelmed by another Ember attack.
[Defeated Zigzagoon LV4, gained 80 experience]
As the defeat prompt appeared, John suddenly found himself back in his apartment, the handheld device back in his hands. It felt as if he had just woken from a dream.
"That felt great!" John muttered to himself, a smile creeping across his face. If he relied solely on turn-based battles on the handheld, he would only improve his Pokemon's strength without enhancing his real-world battling skills. Now, being able to control the protagonist in such a realistic battle against a trainer was a significant advantage for him.
To command a champion-level Pokemon, he needed to possess the skills of a champion-level trainer.
Glancing down, a prompt appeared on the Gameboy.
[Defeated Youngster Jimmy, earned a bonus of 80]
[Jimmy: "Woohoo, I lost, but I won't give up! Next time, I will beat you!"]
Next time? He wouldn't stand a chance in the next life. Torchic was a 5V Pokemon, and as levels increased, the gap between it and Zigzagoon would only widen!
However, this bonus was a bit low—only 80. It hardly felt worth the effort compared to the junk Zigzagoon picked up everywhere.
Opening the Pokemon panel, he checked the two Zigzagoon's carried items, revealing what they had found. Removing the items revealed a Pokeball and a Repel.
The Repel function prevented wild Pokemon encounters for a certain number of steps after use. It sold for 350 Pokedollars in the store, making it worth 175 when resold, along with a 100 Pokedollar Poké Ball.
Earning 355 Pokedollars from a battle felt comfortable. As he pressed on, John was confident there were more trainers on Route 102 waiting for him.