"Akira, remember what I told you about money?" Eichi said seriously.
Akira nodded. "I remember."
"I heard you say before, Eichi, that to raise a powerful Pokémon, we have to prepare the food that suits it best."
"Right. But you should also know, that kind of Pokémon food that can truly improve their quality isn't cheap."
"The food I showed you last time costs several hundred per bag, and one bag only lasts a day or two."
"That means you'll need a lot of money. Otherwise, you'll never be able to unlock your Pokémon's full potential."
"If you want to become the strongest Trainer, you can't let Sandshrew eat second-rate Pokémon food. Do you understand?"
Akira fell silent. He knew his family wasn't well-off.
It wouldn't be a problem in the short term, but in the long run, there was no way they could afford the best food for Sandshrew.
He grew anxious. He had no way to earn money right now. His mind kept racing: What should I do? What should I do…?
After a long while without an answer, he finally asked for help.
"Eichi, you know my family's situation. What should I do? I don't want to give up on my dream."
Seeing Akira's pleading eyes, Sandshrew also looked up at Eichi with a worried face, feeling its Trainer's distress.
Eichi smiled. "Don't worry, I've already thought of a way."
"Really? Eichi, you're amazing! What should I do?"
"Remember when I asked you before whether your area has restrictions on capturing large numbers of Pokémon?"
Akira frowned. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with earning money?"
Eichi replied, "Of course it does. You didn't know? In some cities, the League encourages Trainers to capture Pokémon in large numbers and sell them to Day Cares to make money."
"So, Akira, train your Sandshrew well for a while. Then, go out and catch Pokémon, and sell them to the Day Care in nearby cities."
Akira's eyes brightened. "So that's how! I'll do it. I'll train hard, then go catch Pokémon and sell them to the Day Care for money, and buy the best Pokémon food for Sandshrew!"
"Sandshrew, we'll work together for our dream!"
Sandshrew raised its tiny arms and cried, "Sha! Sha!" in agreement.
Seeing their fighting spirit, Eichi couldn't help but smile. But he didn't tell them one thing.
Capturing Pokémon and selling them to Day Cares might not be such a bad thing for those Pokémon.
If they were sold to an ordinary family, they'd live comfortably for life, never worrying about food or danger in the wild.
Maybe they wouldn't even mind being captured and sold to humans.
***
The sun shone brightly, the sky was clear, and the air was fresh.
It was finally the day Eichi would return home.
At Akira's house, Grandpa Ishi, Grandma Ishi, and Akira stood together to see him off.
"Goodbye, everyone," said Eichi.
Akira shouted, "Eichi! We'll meet again! I'll be cheering for you at the Indigo League!"
Eichi smiled, then got onto a nearby delivery truck. The engine started, kicking up a cloud of dust as it drove away.
Akira rubbed his eyes, holding back tears. "Eichi, I'll work hard, I promise."
***
Meanwhile, in the Viridian City area—
Outside the Verdant Breeding House, Amelie was also seeing someone off. Naturally, it was Archie.
Archie released his Skarmory, jumped onto its back, and turned to wave. "Sis, I'm off! Don't miss me too much!"
Amelie replied flatly, "Get lost."
"Got it!"
Skarmory spread its metallic wings and shot into the sky. Archie's voice echoed faintly through the air. "Sis, I'll miss you!"
***
On the truck, Eichi sat quietly.
Grandpa Ishi had asked a neighbor who was delivering goods to Vermilion City to take Eichi along for the ride.
It was evening by the time they arrived, but all the ferries had already departed.
There was no choice but to wait until tomorrow. Eichi bought a ticket for the next day's ferry to Viridian City, then rested for the night at the Pokémon Center.
The next morning, he boarded the ferry. It was his first time traveling by ship, and he wasn't used to it, so he went up to the deck to get some air.
Just as he was about to climb the stairs to the deck, a boy around his age came down.
He had black hair and eyes, a cold, handsome face, and a distant, aloof aura that pushed people away.
Eichi remembered him clearly because as they passed each other, he felt something strange behind the boy.
He activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor and saw it: a Haunter hiding in the boy's shadow, and not just any Haunter, one with an Outstanding talent.
"This guy's something else," Eichi thought.
The boy seemed to sense someone watching him and turned sharply, but Eichi was already gone.
By then, Eichi was on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze. It felt great.
Two days passed on the ferry, and Eichi never saw that cold-looking boy again.
Before long, Viridian City came into view on the horizon.
Eichi murmured, "Finally back. It's only been a month since I left, but I already missed home."
By noon, the ferry docked.
He stepped off, took a deep breath, and smiled. "Yeah, this is the smell of Viridian City."
He passed by the Verdant Breeding House without stopping. Right now, all he wanted was to go home.
After walking for half an hour, he finally saw the familiar building.
He stood at the door, took out his key, and unlocked it. His room was spotless, clearly cleaned by someone.
He dropped his bag, lay down on the bed, and finally felt at peace.
Traveling meant always staying alert; he hadn't felt this relaxed in a while.
After resting for a bit, he felt hungry, so he went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
He released Scyther and Beedrill from their Poké Balls, and they all ate together.
After the meal, he took a nap and didn't wake up until past four in the afternoon.
Seeing the time, he went to wash his face, then began preparing dinner.
The sun slowly began to set.
Click.
The sound of a key turning the door lock. Eichi knew his father was home.
The door opened, and Mr. Yoshino stepped inside. He saw the dinner table full of dishes, and Eichi sitting there.
"You're back from your journey?" he asked, surprised.
"Yeah, Dad. I'm back! Come on, you must be hungry. I made some food, let's eat together."
"Sure."
Mr. Yoshino put down his things, washed his hands, and sat down.
They began to eat and talk.
"So," his father said, "how was your journey?"
Eichi smiled. "Pretty good. I saw a lot of new things. How about you, Dad?"
"Same as always, nothing special."
Eichi chuckled. "…"
They continued chatting for a long time.
It had been a while since father and son had such a calm evening together.