Shadows of trees wavered across the dirt path, birdsong and insect chirps drifting in from deeper in the woods.
The three of them picked a spot by the riverbank and started setting up a campfire.
With Brock in the party now, food was no longer a problem.
As a Pokémon Breeder, he could handle complicated specialty feeds for all sorts of Pokémon. Human food was practically trivial by comparison.
Even Gyarados had been released.
As for why…
"Hey, Sea Thug! Go hunt freely in the river for now!" Ash called out to the massive shape that slid into the current.
There was no way he could keep Gyarados secret forever. Something that big simply couldn't be hidden.
So the fact that a golden Gyarados existed would leak out sooner or later.
"Graa…" Gyarados drooped its head a little, looking depressed.
It wanted to eat the special Pokémon food too.
Especially now, when it was in a growth phase.
It was technically still a "baby." Its food needs were huge right now. Once it fully matured and its power stabilized, its feeding frequency would gradually drop.
During those days in Pewter Gym, Gyarados had basically been eating like there was no tomorrow.
Pewter Gym had money. A bit more food wasn't going to bankrupt them.
But once they left Pewter, it was a different story.
Right now, all Ash could do was let Gyarados hunt for itself.
As for handmaking Pokémon food for something like Gyarados… that simply wasn't a one-Breeder job.
We were talking about a seven-meter-long, three-ton monster.
Making its food by hand?
That was how you killed Brock with overwork.
And the amount of time it would take was absurd.
In a more realistic world, everything got more troublesome.
There was a reason most Trainers on the road didn't carry more than six Pokémon.
They literally couldn't afford it.
Living, biological Pokémon had way higher food requirements than inorganic ones.
Rock-types could just gnaw on stones.
Grass-types could root themselves, soak up sunlight, and drink water. Done.
Could normal, biological Pokémon live like that?
Of course not.
They'd die.
So, in theory… the lowest-maintenance Pokémon were actually Muk-type ones.
They could eat trash, leaves, any organic waste, and water was everywhere.
"Even if you're unhappy about it, there's nothing I can do," Ash said, rubbing his head in frustration.
"How about this, Gyarados!" Misty suddenly walked over.
By now she'd realized Ash's Gyarados was much more mischievous—and a lot gentler—than normal ones.
…Rampage episodes not included.
"When we get to Cerulean City, I'll treat you to a feast. As much as you want, I promise you'll leave stuffed. So for now… just bear with it a bit, okay?"
As a Cerulean Gym Trainer, of course she could pull strings and allocate Pokémon food from the city's supplies.
"Graa~~" Gyarados narrowed its eyes in satisfaction, then slipped under the surface.
Brock came over carrying lunch trays.
"Pokémon in a growth phase really do need a lot more food," he said.
"Especially biological species."
"Meanwhile, my Rock-types can literally go a month without eating anything."
"And if they enter a dormant state, a year or even several years is theoretically fine," he added, mentioning his own Pokémon's traits.
"Yeah. For rookie Trainers, inorganic Pokémon or Grass-types really are easier to manage," Ash nodded.
Traveling in the wild was nothing like the cute pamphlet version.
To travel alone through harsh terrain and still battle all eight Gyms…
That was what people called an "elite Trainer."
Honestly, you could treat that as the baseline for qualifying as a Gym Trainer.
"Gym Trainer" wasn't a rank so much as an occupation.
And two people with the same title could have wildly different strength.
The three of them sat down to eat.
Ash launched into another discussion with Brock about breeding theory.
"…So, the core of Pokéblocks is how you harmonize the Berries' natural properties…"
"Pika…" Pikachu abandoned Ash and Brock without a second thought, plopped down next to Misty, and let its ears droop.
Its whole posture screamed emotionally done.
Did not want to listen. At all.
"…You think it's annoying too, huh, Pikachu?" Misty patted its head.
She wasn't a big fan of these "academic discussions" either.
But…
She looked at Ash and Brock under the sunlight. Golden light spilled over Ash's shoulders—
Healthy, bright, full of energy.
"He's pretty impressive, isn't he?" she murmured despite herself.
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned. "Pika! Pika!"
When it came to its Trainer, Pikachu was very satisfied.
Meanwhile, just a dozen meters away from their camp, a thick patch of bushes shivered violently.
Three pairs of eyes peered through the leaves, glued to the golden Gyarados gliding in the river.
Burning hot. Greedy.
"See that, nya?" Meowth's voice was low and trembling with excitement. "All shiny and gold! That's gotta be the legendary Golden Gyarados, nya!"
Jessie's crimson lips curled into a hungry smile, fists clenching.
"Exactly! It's identical to the one in the intel photo! A rare treasure like that… obviously belongs to Team Rocket!"
A faint doubt flickered through James's eyes.
"But… those kids with it are the Cerulean City and Pewter City Gym Trainers… are we really going to be able to pull this off?"
Compared to Jessie and Meowth's "wild" background, James was a rich boy raised under elite education.
His skill was higher—and he tended to think more.
Even after learning a Golden Gyarados was out here, he had a bad feeling about picking this fight.
"Idiot!" Jessie smacked the back of his head and hissed under her breath, "It's valuable because it's dangerous!"
"Boss Giovanni personally said he wants rare stuff like this! If we catch it, we'll be promoted for sure—big raises, luxury for life!"
Ambition blazed in her eyes.
A Golden Gyarados.
She'd only ever heard rumors in her whole life.
This was her first time actually seeing one.
That gleaming golden body was pure charisma.
"Meowth says it's real, nya!" Meowth licked his paw, green eyes glinting slyly. "The intel came straight from the Viridian City Pokémon Center's computers, nya! It's definitely solid, nya!"
He recalled the blurry screenshot from their busted communicator, received via "special channels"—a security feed from the special care ward in Pewter's Pokémon Center.
Giovanni controlled everything in Viridian City, including the databases of the seemingly neutral Pokémon Center.
The Joy family themselves really were neutral.
But the Centers were built on Viridian soil, and Viridian was Giovanni's turf. Of course he'd have contingencies.
Viridian was too close to League HQ, and Team Rocket's policy was "don't foul your own nest."
So Giovanni's public moves wouldn't be too blatant—but in the shadows, he had a tight grip on things.
That included the city's entire network.
The result?
A portion of shared data from Pokémon Centers all over the region would be quietly siphoned off by Team Rocket.
In a way, Team Rocket was like the shadow half of the Kanto League.
"Heh heh…" James rubbed his hands together. Whatever doubt he'd had was blown away by the thought of "promotion and pay raise."
"What are we waiting for, then? According to the plan…"
"Right!" Jessie's eyes went sharp. "For the glory of Boss Giovanni—go!"
"Arbok."
"Weezing."
Two beams of red light flashed from the Poké Balls Jessie and James threw.
The moment Arbok emerged, it burrowed underground.
Weezing began building up gas.
They'd been working together for a long time.
All they had to do now was wait for Arbok to get in position—then Weezing would flood the area with Smog to draw attention and block vision.
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