The sun had just begun to rise over the eastern hills, casting golden light on Route 1. Kael and Serena walked side by side along the dirt path, the silence between them filled with birdsong and rustling leaves. Despite the peaceful morning, tension simmered around Kael like heat off metal.
Every step he took was calculated. Balanced. His senses were heightened to the point he could feel vibrations from Digletts burrowing meters beneath the ground. The Origin Engine quietly processed data in the background.
[Energy Sync: 4.1%]
Kael clenched his fists absently, feeling a strange hunger. Not for food, but for battle. For testing. For evolution. And this path, this region, was full of what he needed.
"Kael," Serena said, breaking the silence, "are you sure you don't want a Pokémon partner?"
"I don't need one," he replied.
"It's not just about strength. It's about trust, connection. What if one day you face a Pokémon you can't defeat with just your body?"
Kael stopped walking and turned to her, eyes serious. "Then I evolve."
She wanted to say more, but the look in his eyes made her hesitate. It wasn't arrogance—it was certainty. Like nature itself had acknowledged him.
A rustle from the tall grass.
Kael's head turned slightly. "Something's coming."
A blur of brown and tan exploded from the foliage. A Fearow, wings wide, beak aimed like a lance, shrieked as it dove at them.
Serena flinched. "Kael—!"
But Kael was already moving.
He leapt into the air, higher than humanly possible. His knee collided with the Fearow's chest mid-dive, sending it spinning through the air. It crashed into the dirt with a screech, dazed but still conscious.
[Threat Level: Medium. Engaging Adaptive Combat Mode.]
The Fearow recovered quickly, launching a barrage of wing attacks. Kael dodged the first few, then stopped. Deliberately.
The bird's wing slammed into his side.
It didn't even scratch him.
He responded with a single strike to its wing joint—not lethal, but precise. The Fearow crashed to the ground, unable to fly. It thrashed, then stilled.
Serena ran up behind him, wide-eyed. "You let it hit you?"
"I needed to feel its strength." Kael looked at his arm, a faint bruise forming. "Good. It'll make me stronger."
She couldn't believe it. He was treating Pokémon battles as personal training sessions—with his own body.
By noon, they reached Viridian City. The guards at the gate looked startled when they saw Kael.
One whispered to the other. "That's the one. The Mt. Silver boy."
They let him through without question.
Inside the city, people parted like a wave around him. Eyes followed him. Some in awe. Others in fear.
Serena tugged at his sleeve. "This… attention. Does it bother you?"
Kael stared at the people. "They should be wary."
She looked down. "What about me? Should I be?"
Kael turned to her, gaze softening. "No. You're walking beside me. That means something."
She blushed.
They checked into a rest center. Serena prepared for her first gym challenge in Pewter. Kael? He had other plans.
The forest beyond Viridian awaited.
Filled with wild Pokémon.
And new ways to grow stronger.