Pokemon: My Strange Pokemons

After a casual lunch at a nearby Pokémon café, Ethan and Rosa wandered around the area with their Pokémon to aid digestion.

August noons in Riverhaven were the hottest time of the year. Instinctively, they made their way to the cooler Riverhaven City Old District Civic Park.

Unlike Ethan's past life, where parks were filled with elderly men playing cards and chess, this world revolved around Pokémon battles.

The civic park was no exception—under nearly every patch of shade, there were Trainers commanding their Pokémon in battle.

Of course, most of these battles were at the level of Youngsters or Bug Catchers—commonly referred to as "amateur scrambles."

"Go for it!" "Dodge now!" "Get up!"

A cacophony of enthusiastic shouts echoed through the park, stirring the blood of everyone present—humans and Pokémon alike.

And, perhaps, lowering the collective IQ by just a bit.

Ethan watched these battles with great interest, despite their lack of tactics or strategy.

After all, he wasn't the Legendary Trainer of his previous life, armed with a Primal Kyogre in one hand and a Mega Rayquaza in the other.

While he had plenty of experience in games, in this world, Ethan had yet to participate in a single battle. He was a textbook example of theory without practice.

In truth, his and Eevee's combined strength could only scrape the bottom here.

(Eevee: Don't drag me into this, thanks.)

Thus, every battle he witnessed held valuable lessons for him.

Civic parks like this attracted a mixed crowd—ranging from veteran Trainers to cute little rookies. Anything below the professional level could be found here.

Unlike the games, this world had no levels, but Trainers and Pokémon were clearly divided into tiers of strength.

As a high schooler who had just received his first Pokémon, Ethan was naturally at the lowest rung—a rookie Trainer.

Essentially, anyone could catch a Caterpie on the roadside and reach this level by registering with the Trainer Association.

The next step up was the "Entry-Level Trainer."

This wasn't much harder—raising a Charmander to a Charmeleon was sufficient. Given enough time, anyone could achieve this, so it didn't carry much prestige.

Above that was the "Amateur Trainer," around the level of raising a Charizard.

Reaching this tier required not just time, but also some financial investment and effort.

Most people interested in Pokémon battles fell into this category.

Beyond that lay the ranks of Advanced, Elite, Gym Leader, Elite Four, and even Champion or Legend!

These individuals were the true professional Trainers—the dazzling trailblazers of a Pokémon-centric world.

Back in the civic park, it was rare to see professional Trainers here. Aside from a few troublemakers, most pros avoided battling weaker opponents for fun.

This meant the battles were generally evenly matched—or, to put it bluntly, "amateur scrambles."

On rare occasions, a strong Pokémon like a Blastoise would appear, drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd.

Ethan couldn't help but notice familiar faces in the park.

Aside from neighbors, there were many students from Riverhaven High, where he studied.

As a rising senior, most of Ethan's peers had received their starter Pokémon months ago and were now beginning practical training.

When Rosa saw people at her level, she couldn't resist joining in.

After exchanging a quick word with Ethan, she eagerly led her Snivy into the action, leaving him to wander the park with Eevee.

Though Ethan wasn't particularly competitive, he couldn't deny a budding itch to battle.

Half a year in this world, and he still hadn't fought a proper Pokémon battle.

Surrounded by the fervent atmosphere, his desire only grew.

But with Eevee newly captured and still untrained, she lacked any polished moves and seemed far too delicate to battle.

With a sigh, Ethan tamped down his excitement and found a cool spot to spectate.

Unbeknownst to him, the "delicate" Eevee on his shoulder was far more eager for a fight than he was.

Having been forbidden from fighting in the breeding center and then playing the "obedient girl" at Ethan's side, she was practically itching to battle.

As a Pokémon known in her past life as the "Dragon Slayer," Eevee's urge for combat was overwhelming.

But how could she engage in an exhilarating battle while maintaining her carefully constructed "innocent" persona?

Eevee's large eyes scanned the park, eventually landing on a familiar figure buried in her memory.

Her lips curled into a barely perceptible mischievous smile.

"Vee!"

Ethan, engrossed in a battle between a Cyndaquil and a Wooper, suddenly heard Eevee cry out.

The sound carried an unmistakable hint of mischief.

Curious, Ethan asked, "What's up, Eevee? Do you want to head back?"

Before Eevee could respond, another, more annoyed voice rang out.

"Axew!"

Ethan turned to see a small, grayish-blue Pokémon charging toward him. Barely half a meter tall, it ran with determination, growling indignantly.

Though its voice lacked menace, its clumsy demeanor was undeniably endearing.

Ethan blinked in surprise.

"An Axew? What's it doing here? Is it... coming at us?"

"Vee…"

Eevee feigned fright, leaping from Ethan's shoulder into his arms.

"Sorry about that! My Axew suddenly got out of control—sorry if it scared you!"

A polite, red-haired boy followed close behind, his handsome face full of apology.

Just as he was about to retrieve Axew, the little Pokémon resisted with all its might, shaking its head and refusing to back down.

Axew seemed particularly fired up, its determined gaze fixed on the Eevee in Ethan's arms.

"Apologies again… It looks like Axew wants to spar with your Eevee. You're here for battles too, right? What do you say?"

The red-haired boy smiled awkwardly, extending a polite challenge.

Ethan looked at him, pondering for a moment.

"Well… Let me discuss it with Eevee first."

The boy nodded graciously. "Of course."

Ethan turned away and whispered, "Did you say something to Axew just now?"

Eevee shook her head, then nodded—further confusing Ethan.

"Vee… Vee…"

Through a flurry of gestures and motions, Eevee eventually made herself understood.

Ethan finally pieced it together, though he remained suspicious.

(To be continued…)