Chapter 25: Yanma…

*Zoom*

Two figures appeared out of nowhere, seemingly teleporting. These figures were none other than Gray and Malamar.

"Ah… fuck. I hope they didn't see my face. I need to change clothes, switch up my equipment to make sure they don't recognize me."

Gray said between breaths. He wasn't necessarily tired, but the adrenaline of all the past even had caught up to him. Also, those officers gave him quite the chase before he decided to teleport out.

"Malamar~" Malamar sang, jumping towards Gray with his tendrils enclosing Gray's body. He looked like a child hugging their parents.

"Ugh… get off right now, you're heavy. You're not an Inkay anymore, in fact, you haven't been an Inkay since your evolution!" Gray struggled to get Malamar separated from him.

A few seconds later, Gray managed to separate himself and Malamar. He then returned Malamar to his Pokéball. After all, the police saw him and Malamar, and he didn't want to give himself away because of Malamar.

Absorbing his surroundings, he saw he was on a road that was placed on hills. The road was open, grassy, and breezy like Route 1, but it had a sense of coldness because of Mt. Moon. In the far distance, he saw a city, although he couldn't see what city it was, he hoped it was Cerulean City.

The road wasn't only open, it was surrounded by trees of different sizes.

"Hah… this is going to be a long hike," Gray whispered to himself.

He knew he needed to hurry up and get to civilization so he could change his outfit and blend in with the crowd. He was so adamant about doing so because any time a Pokémon used the move [Teleport] it would leave behind some residual energy that Psychic-type Pokémon could track.

Thinking to himself, he wondered about his plans for the future. During his imprisonment, he had been thinking nonstop.

'Do I need them back?' Gray inwardly sighed. This journey was more complicated than previous ones. It was certainly different. Before he would have recruited Pokémon to his arsenal, train them, and leave the region to explore another.

But this time Team Rocket foiled his plans from the start. In his prior journeys, he would also see Team Rocket, but it was near the latter end of his adventure; that gave him enough time to become strong enough to decimate all the members that stood in his way. However, this time he wasn't so lucky.

'But why did they act so fast this time? Didn't they lose a couple of years ago to the champion?' Gray pondered, racking his brain for an explanation for Team Rocket's actions, but he found no answer.

"That doesn't matter now, I need to prepare fast. Team Rocket moving this quickly is eerie. I'm sure they are planning something big. Something that could prove to be detrimental to me."

Gray contemplated senselessly throughout Route 4. He moved from topic to topic. From Team Rocket to Gym challenges, to training…

He made mental notes of important events that happened inside Mt. Moon and jotted them down in his diary.

Gray also wrote some important notes for the future. These notes would help to greatly improve his team quickly.

"Finally, it took quite some time but I've finally made it."

Gray let out a sigh. He glazed at a signboard next to the trail that said 'Cerulean City'. There was also a small text below that reads 'Gary was here! Ash is a loser!'

"Hmm… okay."

Gray ignored the bizarre comment and continued forward towards Cerulean City.

Cerulean was without a doubt a beautiful city, it had clear flowing waters, blooming flowers, and clean building designs that were unique, modern, and different from other cities. It was no surprise that this city had garnered attention from visitors.

A few notable places in Cerulean City were the Cerulean Gym where trainers can battle for the Cascade badge; it also held a weekly show hosted by the Gym Leaders - the Sensational Sisters. It also had a famous bike shop that brought in customers from all over Kanto.

"Enough sightseeing, I need to find the mall and get new clothes. It would also be nice to actually get good equipment."

Hurrying along, Gray managed to find the city mall and went inside. He checked the map of the mall and went towards the clothing center and immediately bought a new set of clothes and extras just in case.

'This is good enough. Now I need to try and get some headphones that can cancel out noises. My enhanced hearing is proving to be more detrimental than I thought.' Gray inwardly noted.

He still pondered how his hearing improved as drastically as it had. That "thing" from Viridian Forest was a mystery, but also his only lead. It somehow managed to show him a dream where he stood on a giant metal door that he couldn't open.

"Perhaps a Ghost-type?"

Gray thought before shaking his head, he removed those thoughts for now. He needed to act quickly as the yearly Gym challenge would come and end like the wind.

"Hello, welcome to Cerulean Technology and Electrical service, how may I help you?" A young man welcomed Gray as he stepped inside.

"Ah, can you please find me all the items on this list? That would be wonderful."

The man nodded and took the paper from Gray's hand and wandered off in the back. A few moments later, he came back with a large plastic bag that held everything Gray asked for.

"We found everything you've asked for, but unfortunately we just ran out of <Full Restores> stock, so we've given you <Hyper Potions> instead. I hope that is a good substitute." The man spoke as he handed Gray the bag.

"That's good enough. Thank you." Gray nodded as he searched through the bag to double-check it had everything he needed.

"My pleasure. Now if you could just follow me to the check-out where you can pay for all your items."

Gray followed the man to the cash register where he paid for all of his items.

"Goodbye, please come again!" The salesman waved to Gray.

Gray left the mall for the Pokémon Center. He needed a place to rest and eat. He hadn't eaten in a week, so he was starving.

-o-

{Diary Log}

[February 1st, 2002.

It's been a month and a half since I started my journey in Kanto. The egg hatched on the way, and an Elekid came out. Its potential is high, but not the highest I've seen. If I nurture it right, it will be a great Pokémon in my arsenal.]

[February 28, 2002

I have been living in the wild for a few days, and have seen a town nearby. The town was the beginning of adventures: Pallet Town. It was a lucky find, I was able to stay in the town for a few days and even got the chance to meet the famous Professor Samuel Oak. I believe I made some important connections for the future.]

[March 9th, 2002

Professor Oak was kind enough to update my old Pokédex, he added new features like maps, new information, and a feature where I can call people even without a Pokégear or Xtransceiver. With this, I bid farewell as I am heading back to the wild to continue my journey.]

[March 20, 2002

I caught a mutated Magikarp. Its size was gigantic, especially in comparison to the rest of its species. Its intelligence is above that of most Pokémon, it is more than capable of making decisions on the fly that benefit the team and by extension myself. It also surpasses Elekid's potential by a decent margin; well at least I think so. Hopefully, she doesn't turn out like him…]

[April 2, 2002

I have succeeded in acquiring my first badge in the Kanto region. I've also met quite a few interesting characters. I just pray they won't cross paths with me in the future, as they prove to be far more trouble than they are worth, and them being as annoying as they are does nothing to help them either.]

[April 19, 2002

Escaping Team Rocket, getting Malamar back, and having a full course meal was far more exhausting than I thought. I haven't been this exhausted since that time… but right now it isn't the time for rest, I need to move on and quicken my pace before Team Rocket manages to catch up.]

-o-

Opening his eyes for the first time in what felt like forever he was greeted by the morning sun. It was a nice breath of fresh air; acting in contrast to the past week which was a dark and damp atmosphere.

Gray slowly composed himself as he realized that he managed to fall asleep while writing in his diary. He frowned as he stood up, cleaned the table, and cleaned himself in the restroom.

Once done with his morning routine, he allowed himself to glance at his watch, as he did he saw that it was around 8 in the morning.

"Hmm… what should I do…" Gray pondered, thinking if he wanted to go and challenge the Gym right away, or rest up and prepare for a bit.

After a few minutes of pondering, Gray dressed himself up and carried what he needed for the day.

He left the center quickly and exited Cerulean City, his next stop Route 5.

"Alright, come on out." Gray released three of his Pokémon: Elekid, Spearow, and Kakuna.

As the trio was released from their Pokeball, they each gave a cry, screaming out their name with vigor.

Elekid jumped towards Gray crying, Spearow launched himself to Gray's head, and Kakuna glued himself to his legs.

Gray's facade broke as he smiled and consoled the trio of distressed Pokémon.

"It's alright, don't worry. The danger's gone." Gray comforted them, wanting them to stop, but in an ironic twist, his words had the exact opposite effect.

Seeing the emotions displayed by his Pokémon, Gray decided to set camp for the day. He didn't want to tire himself from consoling them for the entirety of the day.

Once he set camp, he created a small artificial pond that could fit Magikarp easily and comfortably.

Gray then released Yanma, who was confused about where he was.

(A/N: I completely forgot about this dude again. Just remembered after I ended the chapter lol)

He let his Pokémon settle in, once they had done so he made his announcement.

"As you remember, we were defeated, no, not just defeated, but… to put it lightly we were destroyed. I thought the level we are at was enough, but it seems I was horribly wrong. Due to this, I won't be pulling my punches, we've been shown just how outclassed we are, so it's time we get our pace moving; it's time for the real training to begin."

Elekid jolted in excitement, ecstatic at being given a chance to grow so he could protect his father, in fact, he was so excited that he couldn't control his electricity. It proceeded to freely flow until Gray gave him a look.

Magikarp had the same mask of indifference you would always see her wear, however, her eyes betrayed her real thoughts as you could see a hunger to learn and grow in them.

Kakuna didn't show any emotions, only cuddling up to Gray.

Spearow was the same as Elekid, though his excitement was far more controlled. He was looking forward to this opportunity to grow strong enough to complete his oath, his oath to get payback on a certain yellow rat.

Yanma, on the other hand, didn't care. Ever since he was caught, he hadn't received any attention. The only time Gray used him was when he fought randoms during the journey towards Pewter. It not only annoyed him but surprised him that these Pokémon could like such a neglectful trainer.

"This week, it will be easy in comparison to what's coming, but much harder than our previous training sessions."

"Starting off, Elekid… you are not able to use any (Energy) this training. You need to grow and rely on your strength. You need to practice against something that won't just go down in one hit so you will be able to take on opponents above your weight class." Gray instructed the outlet Pokémon who listened with rapt attention.

"Spearow, your wings will carry weights. You need to be faster and enhance your evasive capability."

"For you Yanma, you will be given the same treatment as Spearow. And you two will fight against each other."

Yanma looked away from the group and gazed up towards the sky. He was longing for the freedom the sky brought him, he wasn't fond of Gray and would gladly leave if he had enough strength.

"Kakuna, you will be fighting with Elekid. You two are perfect for training. You need to increase your defense and how you fight against quick Pokémon. While Elekid can improve by fighting a sturdy Pokémon who can use tactics."

"As for you… Magikarp, you will fight a special Pokémon. He will help you with everything you need. I won't need to instruct you on a schedule for you because he will do it himself." As Gray spoke, Magikarp listened with visible confusion about who Gray was speaking about.

"Ah, right, I forgot to introduce you to him. Malamar, show yourself."

Gray stretched his arms outwards, as his shadow grew until it covered most of the area. The shadow materialized and Malamar came out of it with a creepy smirk.

"Be nice to them, they are still young after all."

All of them looked at Malamar with shivering eyes. They all saw the monstrosity of a Pokémon he was.

"Well, let's start shall we?"

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The End of Chapter 25: Yanma…

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(A/N: my boy @Envious_ edited this for me. Thanks!)