The dream of becoming a Pokémon master

"Shigeru, is Ash still at the gym?" Kyosuke asked after putting the Poké Ball back.

"Ash was stopped by the new Team Rocket duo. I was worried about you, so I secretly ran over," Gary explained.

"A duo? Is one of them a talking cat?" Kyosuke had always assumed that the cats were human too.

"Yeah, they said they were assigned to be the substitute Gym Leader, which kept Ash occupied. It seems like Ash is just missing this badge."

As expected, Gary was very concerned about everything about Ash, and knew all the information very well.

With his hands on Shigeru's shoulders, Kyosuke said earnestly, "I'll leave Ash in your care. I'm going to the Pokémon Center to help my Pokémon recover."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Shigeru gave a thumbs up, then turned and ran back to the Viridian Gym.

After Ash successfully defeated Team Rocket and destroyed the Viridian Gym with Gary's help to obtain the Green Badge, the group went to the Viridian Pokémon Center to find Kyosuke, only to find out that Kyosuke had never been there and had left immediately.

"Is he alright?" Xia asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Kyosuke will be fine!" Ash said confidently.

And surprisingly, Gary didn't argue with Ash, nodding in affirmation of Ash's words.

"Next up is the tournament, Ash/Gary!"

"Next up is Articuno."

Kyosuke forced himself to temporarily forget about Mewtwo and refocused his attention on Articuno.

Instead of going to the Pokémon Center, they went outside Viridian City to treat the assassin's injuries before heading towards other towns.

Both Phoenix and Charizard were physically exhausted and could gradually recover by staying in their Poké Balls for a while. Only Assassin had participated in a high-level battle and was seriously injured.

Kyosuke finally understood why Tokiwa Dojo was hailed as one of the strongest dojos in the Kanto region.

But the thought of what Sakaki had said filled Kyosuke with dread.

Sakaki certainly never seemed to hide his identity, whether it was positive or negative, he always spoke about it openly.

The Rocket Group's massive invasion of Viridian City is not merely an economic invasion.

Viridian City had long since fallen into the hands of the Rockets.

Do the Pokémon League in Kanto know all about this?

Are we just going to let an evil organization grow stronger?

This is also why Kyosuke didn't go to the Tokiwa Pokémon Center for treatment or report the incident to the police.

He didn't know if there were traitors in Joey and Officer Jenny's families as well.

While walking, Kyosuke tried to post something on his phone, but his posts kept getting blocked.

As long as the words "Rocket" and "Sakaki" appear, no matter how the positions of the words are changed, the post cannot be published, even if it is "Rocket Group President Sakaki".

The forum was set up by the Pokémon League.

Kyosuke finally learned the official stance.

And there's no need to call the police.

"We must destroy Team Rocket! We must make the Kanto Pokémon League better!" Kyosuke vowed in his heart.

Kyosuke then thought of the brave and powerful Kanto "signature" – Champion Wataru. Besides positive news about his strength and domineering presence, rumors always circulated about his volatile temper and how he would suddenly get angry within the league.

Kyosuke once believed that no one is perfect and everyone has their own shortcomings. For example, he himself did not have much feeling for the lives of many humans.

Now, considering Watari's upright character, Kyosuke can understand why Watari always seems angry.

Kyosuke left enough food for the firebird to last him six days, and only one day has passed, so Kyosuke is not in a hurry and wants the assassin to recover better.

But Poison Sting noticed that Kyosuke's condition was somewhat similar to his former self, and when he approached Kyosuke and rubbed against him, Kyosuke would always smile and say that there was no problem.

This made Poison Sting even more worried.

Aside from his regular evening rest, morning training, and three meals a day, Kyosuke packed up all his Pokémon and traveled alone. Three days later, he arrived at the outskirts of Poor Earth Town once again.

But whether it was just his imagination or not, Kyosuke felt that the snow on the mountain was thicker, though he thought it might be because winter was approaching.

Upon entering the town, the residents also looked bitter and resentful, and even the arrival of Kyosuke, the trainer, did not bring them back to normal.

So what happened when I was only gone for a few days?

Walking down the street, the town felt completely lifeless.

Kyosuke can be said to have witnessed its rise and fall.

But now I have a feeling that it's about to collapse.

Kyosuke quickened his pace and headed towards the Pokémon Center.

He could assure her that Miss Joey of Poor Hill knew what had happened.

As they approached the Pokémon Center, Kyosuke saw Nurse Joy.

Surprisingly, she wasn't as lazy as before, and instead seemed preoccupied.

When Kyosuke saw her, she also saw Kyosuke.

She was certain that Kyosuke had come here, but he didn't seem happy, nor did she go to greet him.

When Kyosuke came to Joey's side, she finally spoke: "Kyosuke, it's good that you left these past few days."

"What...do you mean?" Kyosuke felt a headache coming on.

"Just the day before yesterday, another blizzard hit Poor Earth Mountain. And it was even worse than last time." Joey patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "If you were still on the mountain, I don't know what would have happened this time..."

Kyosuke didn't hear what was said after that; he was stunned by the news.

Do I have some kind of special condition? Why do things happen as soon as I leave?

So Articuno came back during the time I was away?

Since there have never been such blizzards before, it means that Moltres only uses the environment when there are enemies. So, has Moltres already fought Articuno?

An even more severe blizzard than the last one...

That means Articuno didn't even use its full power last time.

A single Flame Pokémon poses a greater threat to Articuno than hundreds of people could.

I underestimated not only Articuno, but also Blaze.

I am still too weak.

It's still a long way from being at the level of a divine beast.

"Hey, hey, Kyosuke, Kyosuke!"

The call snapped Kyosuke out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Joey standing right in front of him. Kyosuke quickly took a step back.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming just now."

Seeing Kyosuke's reaction, Nurse Joy just smiled and said, "Kyosuke, have you been under too much pressure these past few days? Why don't you take a break at the Pokémon Center for a few days?"

Kyosuke finally remembered what he should do: "No. I need to go and get some food, then I have to head up the mountain immediately."

After saying that, he walked into the Pokémon Center.

When Kyosuke came out after buying the goods, Joey was still at the gate.

"Can we not go? The snow-capped mountains are very dangerous lately." Seeing that Kyosuke was about to leave again, Joey couldn't help but ask.

"I have a reason to go." Kyosuke was back on the street, pulling out Charizard's Poké Ball. "Charizard, fly to the top of the mountain."

"Then you must be very careful."

Kyosuke had already sat on Charizard's back, flying in the sky. He gave Nurse Joy a thumbs-up and flew away.