I Tamed a Pokémon and Traveled to This World

Far off the coast of Cerulean City, a fishing boat slowly navigated the sea. The sea breeze brushed against their faces as Ethan and his three Pokémon leaned against the deck, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. The warm sunlight bathed them, making them feel cozy and disinclined to move.

Of course… if it weren't for the pungent fishy smell constantly emanating from the boat, perhaps this trip would have been even more relaxed and pleasant. But there was no helping it; life rarely goes perfectly!

After more than an hour of sailing, the fishing boat finally stopped at the edge of a small island. The weather-beaten captain emerged from the cabin and shouted to Ethan on deck from a distance.

"Young man, the place you're looking for is here. You can disembark now. We're continuing south to the deep sea. We'll come back to pick you up tonight. For now… good luck!"

"Thank you very much."

After expressing his gratitude, Ethan and his Pokémon jumped off the fishing boat. After watching the boat sail away, he turned to examine the island. From its appearance, the island was surrounded by lush green trees, and in its center stood a solitary large mountain. Many shrubs grew vertically and horizontally on the mountain, making it look like a giant tortoise shell from afar.

As for why he was here… This was Blastoise Island. It was rumored that this island didn't exist on any map; only the Pokémon living there and the most experienced fishermen knew its exact location. And true to its name, this island was home to a Blastoise, along with a large group of its pre-evolved forms—Wartortle and Squirtle.

That's right, he had come specifically to catch a Pokémon here! And to reach this place, Ethan had searched for a long time at the docks, asking many people, until someone finally agreed to take him out to sea to find this island.

However, his target was not the Blastoise.

Passing through the sandy beach and entering the forest, Ethan soon saw a group of playful Squirtle and Wartortle. This group of Pokémon was gathered there, looking carefree and utterly at ease. It truly was Blastoise Island; their presence was everywhere…

Taking out his phone, he first snapped a few photos of the surroundings, intending to send them to Professor Sakuragi, but realized there was no signal here, so he had to temporarily give up. Never mind, I'll do it later.

Walking closer to the group of Pokémon, Ethan observed them for a moment before slowly approaching and finally standing before them. These Squirtle and Wartortle were startled by the sudden appearance of a human, but they didn't flee. Instead, they stood still, looking at him with curiosity. It was clear that despite being far from the mainland, these Pokémon weren't afraid of humans. They even looked him over curiously!

"Hello," Ethan greeted them with a friendly smile. "As you can see, I am a Trainer. I'm currently looking for companions and plan to grow stronger along the way to challenge the League. Is there anyone among you who wishes to leave this place and travel with me?"

In this wondrous world, almost all Pokémon could more or less understand some human language, allowing Ethan's words to be accurately conveyed to the group of Pokémon. Conversely, as a human, he couldn't understand their language.

On the other side, after hearing Ethan's words, the Squirtle and Wartortle looked at each other but showed no reaction. It wasn't until a few seconds later that one Squirtle, perhaps out of mischief or curiosity, took a few steps toward him.

"Squirtle, Squirtle!"

"Quite bold, aren't you?" Ethan smiled, looking at this Squirtle. "Since you have an idea, let's battle. If I win, you'll be my companion!"

Perhaps sensing that a battle was about to occur, or sensing the atmosphere, its companions consciously cleared an area. Yet no one stepped forward to stop them. It was as if they no longer found this scene strange.

Ethan also led his Pokémon to stand directly opposite this Squirtle. However, before making a move, to understand them better, he first took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the standing blue Pokémon. The Pokédex immediately provided feedback.

"Beep. Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Water-type. Specializes in Water-type attacks. Possesses a tough shell for self-protection. When facing enemies, it can unleash powerful Water Gun attacks."

Good, just as he remembered. The reason he did this was both to understand these Pokémon and to verify that everything was as he knew it. It seemed that nothing had changed.

Ethan looked down at his feet, then waved to Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, this battle is up to you!"

"Bulba, Bulba!"

Hearing his command, Bulbasaur took a few steps forward, standing in front of Squirtle. The two Pokémon gazed at each other from a distance. No words were needed; their fighting spirit slowly emerged in their eyes.

Seeing both Pokémon ready, Ethan decisively gave the command.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

Hearing his instruction, two vines shot from Bulbasaur's bulb, striking toward Squirtle. However, facing such an attack, Squirtle remained unperturbed. Just as the Vine Whips flew close, it suddenly retracted its head and all four limbs into its shell.

Whap, whap—two soft thuds.

Despite being a Grass-type move, with its sturdy shell, Squirtle withstood the attack. The only side effect was a few tremors in its shell. It had to be said, withdrawing into its shell had always been the greatest reliance of Turtle Pokémon!

And after emerging from its shell, a Water Gun shot from Squirtle's mouth, spraying directly at Bulbasaur.

However, just like the Vine Whip against Squirtle, Squirtle's Water Gun was too predictable!

"Bulbasaur, dodge!"

Ethan gave the command promptly, but unfortunately, as Bulbasaur dodged, Squirtle suddenly changed direction. The stream of water followed its mouth, chasing Bulbasaur. Although Bulbasaur dodged at full speed, it was still drenched over half its body by the moving Water Gun.

There was nothing to be done; Bulbasaur simply wasn't fast enough! But on the other hand, it also showed that this Squirtle knew how to battle better!

"Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!"

From its bulb, a small seed shot out fiercely. However, as it flew in front of Squirtle, Squirtle spat out a large quantity of bubbles from its mouth, which actually negated the seed!

Seeing this, Ethan couldn't help but compliment it, "For a wild Pokémon, you really have some good tricks!"

"Squirtle, Squirtle!"

Facing the human's praise, Squirtle even proudly puffed out its chest! But paired with its rather comical round head, it looked quite amusing.

Shaking his head, Ethan pointed his finger, becoming a little more serious.

"Bulbasaur, continue using Vine Whip!"

Two vines again struck toward Squirtle. And just like before, Squirtle once again used Withdraw, retracting its entire body into its shell.

However, Ethan's attack wasn't over. Under his command, the vines didn't retract this time. Instead, they wound around and around, tightly entangling Squirtle's body.

"Squirtle!?"

Squirtle was greatly surprised. It tried to stick its head out, but the exits from its shell were completely sealed. It struggled for a long time but still couldn't move.

"This is what you call being caught in your own trap," Ethan smiled faintly, then instructed Bulbasaur, "Now, lift it up. Let it have a taste of the Hammer Throw!"

As Ethan spoke, Bulbasaur used its vines to lift Squirtle high and then slammed it heavily onto the ground. Then came a second time, a third… Even though Squirtle was protected by its shell, under such impacts…

After about five or six times, when there was no reaction from within the shell, Ethan waved his hand, and Bulbasaur finally loosened its vines. Just then, the shell rolled onto the sand. Seeing the shell quietly motionless, Ethan took out a Poké Ball and threw it.

The Poké Ball arced perfectly through the air, landing above Squirtle. As the Poké Ball opened, a red light shot out, enveloping Squirtle and drawing it inside.

Click.

The Poké Ball landed on the sand. Perhaps because it was dazed from the impacts, Squirtle had completely lost its ability to resist. Even though it was pulled into the ball, the Poké Ball didn't even wobble!

Thud.

As the button on top softly clicked shut, it meant that Squirtle had been successfully caught. Excellent, the fourth Pokémon was now his!

However, Ethan barely had time to celebrate when he suddenly heard a huge roar from a distance, followed by the ground beginning to shake. From the sound, it seemed a powerful Pokémon was heading their way.

Ethan raised his eyebrows. It appeared the battle just now had thoroughly alerted the Blastoise on the island. He imagined it wouldn't be pleased with humans arriving in its territory.

But it didn't matter; his goal had been achieved!

Still… Ethan checked the time. Only about half an hour had passed since he landed on the island. It seemed that if he didn't want to confront that Blastoise before the fishing boat arrived to pick him up, he would have to find a place to hide for a while.

Well, that's fine; it'll pass the time. Thinking this, he picked up the Poké Ball and smiled at his three Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur, come back. The wind is picking up; we need to split. It's time for us to play hide-and-seek with that big guy!"

Days passed.

When Ethan left the sea and once again set foot on land, he found himself on the streets of Cerulean City. After a night of rest and recuperation at the Pokémon Center, Ethan, accompanied by his four Pokémon, resumed his journey to Pewter City.

In his leisure time, he also sent all the photos he took on Blastoise Island to Professor Sakuragi. As a Special Research Fellow for the Sakuragi Institute, visiting Blastoise Island and photographing its ecosystem was a perfect fulfillment of his duties. Of course, he didn't have to do it, but traveling and taking photos also served to create memories for himself, so it was a worthwhile endeavor.

He walked toward the city's outskirts along the wide main street. However, just as Ethan was about to leave Cerulean City, a man with green hair and a backpack, seemingly around Ethan's age, suddenly blocked his path.

"Hey there, up ahead! Will you accept my challenge?!"

It looks like Ethan's journey continues with a new companion, Squirtle! His strategic thinking in battle is proving very effective. Now, he's faced with an unexpected challenge right outside Cerulean City. I wonder who this new challenger is and what kind of battle awaits Ethan and his growing team!