Chapter 5: The Ambition of the Insect-Catching Boy

“Are you really forgetting what happened last night?”

Kasumi asked, puzzled.

Satoshi just shrugged his shoulders, looking completely innocent.

“I fell fast asleep the moment I hit the bed last night, right, Pikachu?”

“Pika.”

Pikachu nodded, indicating that what he said was correct.

“That’s not right! Yesterday there were clearly two Pikachus, and one of them used a powerful move called ‘Extreme Speed’!”

Kasumi continued to press him, refusing to let it go.

“You must have been seeing things. There’s only ever been one Pikachu, right, Pikachu?” Satoshi looked bewildered.

Did I run into a fool early in the morning?

“Pika.”

Pikachu nodded again, signaling that his logic was sound.

Kasumi: “...”

She rubbed her temples. She did feel a bit dizzy last night.

Plus, with even Pikachu saying so, could it be that she was just so furious about her bicycle turning into a dried fish that she got confused?

Or perhaps this rookie trainer was simply playing the fool to catch the prey?

Kasumi frowned, realizing things weren't that simple.

She immediately entered a mysterious state of secret observation.

Viridian Forest entrance.

To get to Pewter City, Viridian Forest is the only way through.

Countless low-level Bug-type Pokémon live here; they aren't too strong, making it the perfect first stop for many rookie trainers.

The two were just about to enter when they saw someone already standing at the entrance, seemingly about to head into the forest as well.

A straw hat, shorts, a vest, and a crude bug-catching net on his back—the standard Bug Catcher outfit.

“Hello there, my name is Goro, and I’m planning to go into Viridian Forest to train.”

The Bug Catcher Goro greeted them.

“Hello, my name is Satoshi—”

Before Satoshi could finish, Kasumi beside him began to scream frantically, hiding behind him in a panic.

“There’s a bug, bug, bug!”

It’s only natural for a girl to be afraid of bugs.

Satoshi took a closer look. Beside Goro’s leg, there was actually a green caterpillar, its large eyes filled with a vacant expression.

“Beep. Caterpie, a common Bug-type Pokémon. Not very useful. Its protein content is six times that of a Tauros.”

The Pokédex broadcasted automatically.

“It’s a Caterpie, but how come this one is so much plumper than a normal Caterpie?”

Satoshi licked his lips and asked, puzzled.

There were a bunch of Caterpie in the mountains behind Pallet Town, so Satoshi was quite familiar with them.

But usually, they were only about half the size of an arm. The one in front of him was longer than his entire bicep.

Shouldn't the protein content be 16 times higher by now?

“That goes without saying! This is a Caterpie I’ve carefully cultivated!”

Hearing this, Goro put his hands on his hips, looking smug.

Kasumi poked her head out and asked weakly

“Generally speaking, a Caterpie should evolve in a few days, but this one...”

“Three years!”

Goro rubbed his Caterpie’s head, looking proud.

“For these three years, the Caterpie and I have done everything in our power to suppress its evolution, which is why it could grow so plump!”

“So, evolution can be suppressed...?”

Satoshi looked dumbfounded.

Eat when hungry, sleep when tired, evolve when you have enough experience—isn't that just common sense? Can you actually suppress it?

Seeing Satoshi about to play the fool again, Kasumi tried to explain, while frantically observing Satoshi’s expression.

“Generally, there are three ways to suppress evolution. The first is for the Pokémon to resist it through sheer willpower, the second is using an item called an Everstone, and the third is for the trainer to press the B button on the Pokédex. You don’t know this...?”

“Don’t look down on me, of course I know!”

Satoshi touched his nose and retorted, blushing.

He silently took out his Pokédex, thinking to himself: *Aside from spouting nonsense about Pokémon data, this thing actually has this function?*

But then again, evolution makes you stronger, and you get bigger and cooler-looking—what reason is there not to evolve?

After all, for a man, being big enough is the ultimate beauty!

“Hmm... should I tell you guys?”

Seeing the two of them looking like curious children, Goro hesitated for a long time before deciding to tell them in a whisper.

“I’ll tell you, but don’t go spreading it around...”

“Legend has it that if you train a Caterpie to the max level without evolving it, you will awaken the ancient dragon bloodline hidden within the Caterpie. Once it evolves then, it will become the legendary, invincible Dragon-type Pokémon, Rayquaza!”

As he spoke, Goro even showed them a sketch of Rayquaza.

Even though it was just a drawing, they could feel the terrifying pressure of the Pokémon in the image rushing toward them.

Looking closer, they found that the colors, form, spirit, and patterns were actually somewhat similar to a Caterpie.

Satoshi, Kasumi: “!”

Red: “?”

Red, who had just woken up in Satoshi’s soul space, felt his body tremble; his soul was almost scared out of his wits.

“Hehe, this is a secret my best friend told me. According to him, in his hometown, the Hoenn region, this is how Caterpie are raised. Rayquaza are everywhere, and everyone can ride the invincible dragon to soar through the sky.”

Goro laughed triumphantly.

Satoshi, Kasumi: “!!!”

Red: “.”

*I suggest you cut ties with this "best friend" of yours.*

“Enough talk, I need to continue training my Caterpie!”

With that, Goro took his plump Caterpie and entered Viridian Forest first, leaving behind only his incredibly confident, hearty, and arrogant laughter.

“One day, I will ride Rayquaza to rule over the Kanto region and become the strongest trainer! Hahaha!!”

Viridian Forest was thrown into chaos.

“So Caterpie really has the ancient bloodline of a dragon! That’s amazing!”

Satoshi was instantly conquered. He clapped his hands, ready to head in and catch a Caterpie to raise for three to five years.

“Satoshi, I think there might be some misunderstanding...”

Kasumi was clearly not a greenhorn; she quickly realized that this Bug Catcher boy had likely been played by his "best friend."

*I suggest burying this kind of friend alive.*

“What misunderstanding? Everything he said was well-founded.”

“Beep. There is a certain possibility.”

At this moment, the Pokédex chimed in, agreeing.

Hearing this, Satoshi rushed into Viridian Forest even more excitedly. The Pokédex wouldn't lie.

Professor Oak said it himself: no matter what happens, you can rely on the Pokédex.

*Crunch, crunch.*

Unexpectedly, just as he entered the gate, he saw a Caterpie eating grass in the bushes ahead.

It looked quite dull.

“Good heavens, looking at it from afar, it really does have the spirit of a dragon!”

Satoshi didn't hesitate and threw a Poké Ball directly.

*Pop!*

The Caterpie didn't dodge; it turned into a red light with a "whoosh" and was sucked inside.

“Beep... beep... ding!”

After shaking three times, the Poké Ball stopped. Capture successful.

Satoshi held the Poké Ball high in excitement and roared

“Haha, I’ve caught Rayquaza!!”

Kasumi, Red: “.”

“Kasumi, what do I do? I feel like my body is getting so hot, I feel like I’m about to become a Pokémon Master!”

At this moment, Satoshi was filled with passion.

Holding the Poké Ball with the Caterpie inside, he felt as if he had grasped the future.

Kasumi, Red: “.”

*No, I must secretly remove that B button from the Pokédex later, otherwise a perfectly good trainer is going to lose his mind.*

The two continued to head deeper into the forest. Kasumi hid timidly behind Satoshi, the constant rustling of insects flapping their wings around them making the latter very uncomfortable.

During this time, Satoshi also caught a Pidgeotto, which was a decent harvest.

But there’s nothing much to say about that...

At night, the two lit a campfire, hoping to use the flames to keep Bug-type Pokémon away.

After all, not all Bug-type Pokémon were as docile as Caterpie.

For example, Beedrill—not only are they aggressive, but their twin stingers are also highly toxic, making them the biggest nightmare for rookie trainers.

Soon, the two fell into a deep sleep, and Red took over Satoshi’s body once again.

“It seems it’s not a one-time thing?”

Red looked at his arm, adjusted his hat, and revealed a smile.

He liked this feeling very much.

Seeing Pikachu and the Caterpie sitting on a log not far away, communicating in "dragon language," he didn't go over to disturb them, just silently watching the bright moon hanging in the sky.

“I wonder how Green and Blue are doing?”

Next to Pewter City, Mt. Moon.

On the edge of a cliff, a brown-haired boy with spiky hair lit a campfire all by himself.

Beside him was a rather sturdy Wartortle.

But what was strange was that even though he was the only one there, he was talking to himself, seemingly conversing with someone.

“You ask me who my rival is?”

Shigeru suddenly paused.

His first reaction was Satoshi, but he quickly shook his head and gave a disdainful smile.

How could someone who was late even for the start of his journey be the rival of Shigeru-sama?

He, Shigeru, is invincible; he has no rivals!