After entrusting the skill shop operations to Rotom, Ash borrowed Gary's straight-frame bicycle and set out for Viridian City, the nearest major hub to Pallet Town.
After all, he still needed to sort out essentials like a smartphone and a large supply of specialized Pokémon food. No matter how booming his business became, Ash couldn't keep relying on Professor Oak's generosity to feed his customers' Pokémon.
It was one thing to grab emergency rations once or twice. But doing it long-term? That was just taking advantage—even if Professor Oak said nothing, Ash would feel guilty himself.
Ding-a-ling!
Placing his newly evolved and now much larger Frogadier on the backseat, and gently setting the petite Pichu into the bicycle's front basket, Ash gave the handlebar bell a ring.
Then, with practiced ease, he pushed off from the front gate and began pedaling down the compact dirt road that wound through Pallet Town. He crossed a babbling brook via a stone bridge, and then followed the rugged trail between two distant hills, heading straight into the vast wilderness beyond.
Gary, hearing that Ash was too busy with his online store to study this afternoon, gladly lent him the bike—then promptly retreated indoors to hit the books hard.
He was determined to secretly out-study Ash while he was distracted by business. When the time came, Gary would shock everyone with his growth!
Ding-ling! Ding-ling!
"Pichuuu Pichuuu!"
"Froaaag~"
It was both Pichu and Frogadier's first long-distance trip and their first time riding a bicycle. They were absolutely thrilled.
Frogadier in particular, who had come from the Kalos region, was curious about everything in Kanto—from its landscapes to its culture and people.
Though the summer camp had exposed him to some of the local forests, the wild Pokémon near the campsite were weak for safety reasons—mostly Caterpie, Rattata, and Oddish.
But now, out in the real wilderness, the variety of wild Pokémon had drastically increased.
Some were just as weak, but others were… powerful. Their mere presence sent chills down Ash's spine, and even Pichu and Frogadier became unusually alert.
This was Viridian Forest—one of the largest, most protected forests in the entire Pokémon world. Neither Hoenn's Petalburg Woods nor Sinnoh's Eterna Forest came close. Only Unova's Pinwheel Forest and Kalos's Santalune Forest could barely compare.
Viridian Forest stretched across both Kanto and Johto, acting as a natural barrier between the League Headquarters on Indigo Plateau and the Silver Mountain in Johto.
The forest between Pallet Town and Viridian City was technically just the southeastern edge of the whole Viridian Forest—yet even this section was under strict environmental protection laws. No deforestation allowed, period.
Why was there a road cutting through it then?
Simple. Because Professor Oak lived in Pallet Town. The League had made a special exception to build a paved road through the forest, just for him.
As Ash pedaled along this forest road, he saw all kinds of wild Pokémon in the woods nearby:
Caterpie, Metapod, Butterfree, Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill — classic Bug-types
Pidgey, Spearow, Pidgeotto — common Flying-types
Bellsprout, Gloom, Vileplume, Oddish, Weepinbell, Victreebel
Diglett, Dugtrio
Mankey, Primeape…
Thanks to regular pest control and road maintenance crews, there were no ambushes or attacks. Curious wild Pokémon glanced their way but didn't get too close.
After a peaceful 30-minute ride, Ash finally reached Viridian City.
Viridian stood proudly among Kanto's seven top-tier mega cities, alongside Pewter, Cerulean, Vermilion, Celadon, Fuchsia, and Saffron. But what made Viridian special was its proximity to Viridian Forest, a natural treasure trove.
Because of this, Viridian had become the largest medicinal herb and pharmaceutical trading center in Kanto—and possibly in the entire Pokémon world.
Ash hadn't even fully exited the forest when he caught his first glimpse of the city:
Towering skyscrapers, their outer walls made entirely of organic glass, shimmered in the sunlight and pierced the sky like needles.
But despite its ultra-modern skyline, Viridian was still a forest city.
Its architecture and layout didn't harm the environment in the slightest.
Buildings were covered in greenery. Streets were lined with lush parks. Cars were either electric or bicycles. It was a green metropolis fused with nature, teeming with technology yet harmonizing perfectly with the forest around it.
Ash was stunned speechless at the sight.
The Viridian City shown in the original anime? Ha! It didn't even compare.
But the real Viridian City, now seen with his own eyes after transmigrating, was absolutely majestic—as impressive as any modern metropolis back on Earth.
Sure, its population and area might not rival Earth's megacities, but its architecture and planning were on another level.
"Wow…" Ash took a deep breath.
No time to gawk—he had business to take care of. With that, he pedaled toward the dazzling smart city nestled within the forest.
Even from the outskirts, it took ten more minutes of riding to enter the actual city zone. When Ash finally rolled into Viridian proper, he was once again blown away by its size and majesty.
"No wonder all those campers from big cities like Viridian, Saffron, and Vermilion had that smug, superior attitude," he chuckled wryly. "I kept wondering why Professor Oak chose to live in backwater Pallet Town… but now I get it."
"Pichuuu~"
"Froaaa~"
"Alright, you two, enough admiring the scenery—we've got things to do," Ash grinned. "Once we finish, I'll show you around properly."
Finding a quiet, camera-free alley, Ash stowed the bicycle into his system's backpack and hailed a taxi toward Poké Mart Street.
Compared to Pallet Town's population of barely over a hundred, Viridian City was home to over a million.
Ash's cab exited the expressway and turned onto Pokémon Supply Street. The main road was packed with cars, while the sidewalks bustled with Trainers and civilians walking alongside their Pokémon.
He saw:
Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Vulpix, Meowth, Eevee, Bellossom…
All casually strolling along with their owners.
The entire shopping district was alive, filled with Pokémon that weren't just rare—they were absolutely gorgeous.
This wasn't the wild, rugged forest anymore.
This was the true heart of Kanto civilization.
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