Future Pokémon Master

Ethan, who had just left Professor Oak's Research Institute, immediately called up the operation interface. The interface appeared in front of him, simple yet functional, with only a few sub-items: Pokédex, backpack, save, and settings. However, after confirming the save function, Ethan felt relieved and immediately saved his progress.

After completing the save, Ethan didn't rush to log off but instead checked the Pokédex and backpack. After confirming the items and the number of Pokémon he had so far, Ethan set out from Pallet Town. Although he didn't have a clear goal in the Pokémon world, he decided to explore and experience the world and its scenery alongside his Pokémon. In the past, he could only imagine this world through games and animations, but now he could travel around in person. How could he miss such an opportunity?

Embarking on a journey that could be paused at any time, with Riolu by his side, Ethan felt there was nothing better than this moment. When they first set foot on Route 1, they encountered many wild Pokémon, including Rattata, Pidgey, Weedle, and Bellsprout. Ethan wasn't in a hurry to capture these Pokémon. Perhaps because of Riolu, he could also sense the mood of Pokémon. For these wild Pokémon, a free life might be the life they most desired, so Ethan didn't want to force them to follow him by capturing them.

If other players knew what Ethan was thinking, they would probably laugh at him! After all, this is just a game. No matter how real it seems, these Pokémon are still just a bunch of data. Why worry about what Pokémon think? But since he could use Riolu's Aura to communicate with Pokémon, Ethan could no longer treat them as mere data.

Without capturing any Pokémon, Ethan quickly crossed Route 1. Just as he was about to reach Viridian City, he was stopped by a voice.

"Hey there! Let's have a Pokémon battle!"

Ethan looked back and saw a little boy of about eight or nine years old, wearing a blue hat, white shirt, and shorts. Ethan wanted to refuse, but Riolu beside him expressed through Aura that he wanted to battle. So Ethan agreed to the battle with the little boy.

The little boy sent out a Rattata, which looked very fierce. Ethan didn't expect to meet a Rattata here, and it appeared to be of a high level. However, Ethan wasn't intimidated. The Fighting-type Riolu had a type advantage over the Normal-type Rattata, so it didn't matter how high Rattata's level was.

After both Pokémon appeared, the little boy took the initiative and commanded Rattata to use Quick Attack. With the blessing of Quick Attack, Rattata's speed increased dramatically, reaching Riolu almost instantly. Riolu took the attack steadily, but Ethan immediately communicated a Counter command to Riolu through Aura. Using Rattata's attack, Riolu doubled the attack back, catching the little boy off guard.

Counter hit Rattata hard, with excellent results. Rattata took substantial damage from this move, but Ethan knew it wasn't enough, so he commanded Riolu to use Vacuum Wave, sending a gust of energy to hit Rattata just as it landed. After being hit by two super-effective moves in succession, Rattata completely lost its fighting ability.

Although the battle was one-sided, Ethan knew this result was due to the type advantage and the instant communication between him and Riolu through Aura. Without this instant communication, there would be a delay from Ethan's command to Riolu's skill activation, and this time could sometimes be crucial to victory or defeat. At this moment, Ethan was very grateful for the Aura training he had done in Lucario's kingdom earlier.

The little boy returned Rattata to its Poké Ball after it lost its fighting power. Although he was disappointed, he still said to Ethan with conviction, "Your Riolu is really strong! It defeated my Rattata without your command!"

"Your Rattata is powerful too. That Quick Attack was so fast, Riolu was hit before he could react. We won because of a type advantage!"

Ethan didn't explain about his command. After all, not everyone has the power of Aura. It's enough for him to know what's going on. Afterward, Ethan said goodbye to the little boy and continued on to Viridian City.

Seeing the Pokémon Center of Viridian City just ahead, Ethan was ready to let Riolu have a good rest. But just as he was about to step into the Pokémon Center, a man in a black suit appeared in front of him.

Black suit, black leather shoes, short black hair, looking somewhat fierce, accompanied by a Persian—wasn't this Giovanni? The boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni! How could he appear here? Ethan was very puzzled.

"Hey, kid, I watched your battle just now, it was interesting! So, do you want to battle my Persian?"

This was a challenge from the Rocket boss, and Ethan became excited all of a sudden, accepting the challenge without hesitation. Giovanni's Persian walked out leisurely, seemingly not taking its opponent too seriously.

However, Ethan informed Riolu to be cautious through Aura when it appeared. After all, this was the boss of Team Rocket, and this Persian was no ordinary opponent. The battle was about to start once both Pokémon appeared. This time, Ethan asked Riolu to use Vacuum Wave at the start, hoping to gain an advantage with a preemptive attack. However, the Vacuum Wave was dodged by Persian with its elegant movements, and then Giovanni commanded Persian to use Screech, instantly lowering Riolu's defense.

The preemptive strike failed, and Riolu's defense was weakened. Is this the strength of Team Rocket's boss? So formidable! After one round, Ethan realized the gap between him and Giovanni. However, Ethan didn't intend to give up. He used Aura to command Riolu to use Metal Claw to attack. This instant command did give Riolu an advantage, and its Metal Claw was about to hit Persian.

But at that moment, Giovanni reacted and asked Persian to counter with Slash. As a result, the battle scene became a stalemate. The clash of claws sparked fiercely. Riolu used Aura to predict Persian's attack routes, while Persian suppressed Riolu with its superior speed, and neither side was at a disadvantage.