Aiden woke up to the sound of something heavy moving.
For a moment, his brain struggled to catch up with reality.
His eyes opened slowly, and the unfamiliar ceiling of the Pokémon Center room drifted into focus above him. Soft morning light filtered through the curtains, casting pale streaks of sunlight across the floor.
Then he heard the sound again.
A slow shifting noise.
Like stone scraping against wood.
Aiden sat upright in bed.
Immediately remembering.
"…Right," he muttered.
Mahoraga.
The towering figure stood near the window, facing the glass as the early morning sunlight spilled across its pale frame. The great wheel behind its shoulders rotated slowly, its soft clicking sound filling the otherwise quiet room.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Aiden rubbed his eyes.
"You know," he said hoarsely, "most people wake up to things like alarm clocks."
Mahoraga did not turn.
"I wake up to a mysterious ancient combat entity standing next to the window like it's contemplating the meaning of existence."
The wheel rotated again.
Click.
Aiden stared at it for a moment longer before falling back onto the pillow.
"I feel like this is the point where I should be used to it."
He wasn't.
Not even slightly.
After another minute, he sat up again and swung his legs off the bed.
"Alright," he said, stretching his arms. "New day."
Mahoraga slowly turned its head.
Its gaze settled on him.
Aiden pointed toward the door.
"First rule of city travel."
He held up the Poké Ball.
"You stay inside the ball while we're around people."
Mahoraga remained still for a moment.
Then its body dissolved into silver light and returned to the containment ball with a soft click.
Aiden clipped the ball to his belt.
"Thank you," he said.
He paused.
"…I think."
Viridian City was already busy when Aiden stepped outside the Pokémon Center.
Morning sunlight filled the streets, reflecting off shop windows and the glass fronts of nearby buildings. Trainers walked along the sidewalks with their Pokémon at their sides, heading toward the training grounds outside the city or returning from early route battles.
The air smelled faintly like coffee and freshly baked bread from a nearby café.
Aiden stretched his arms again as he stepped onto the sidewalk.
"Okay," he said quietly to himself.
"First official day as a trainer."
He looked down at the Poké Ball on his belt.
"Still weird."
The street ahead was alive with activity.
A trainer walked past with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
Another pair argued loudly about battle strategy.
"You can't just spam Quick Attack every turn," one complained.
"It works!" the other insisted.
Aiden smiled faintly.
It was strange how normal everything felt here.
Just people traveling.
Battling.
Living their lives.
Meanwhile, he was walking around with a Pokémon that could probably level half the city if it decided to stretch its legs.
"Let's try not to do that," Aiden muttered.
He started walking down the main street.
Viridian City was larger than it had looked from the hills.
Shops lined the central district: supply stores, small restaurants, equipment vendors, and a large Poké Mart where several trainers were already gathered near the entrance comparing items.
Aiden stepped inside.
The store smelled like plastic packaging and fresh merchandise.
Rows of shelves displayed Poké Balls, potions, status healers, and various trainer supplies.
A clerk behind the counter greeted him.
"Welcome! Let me know if you need help finding anything."
"Thanks," Aiden replied.
He wandered through the aisles slowly.
Potions.
Repels.
Antidotes.
Everything a normal trainer would carry.
He stopped in front of the Poké Ball section.
Rows of standard red-and-white balls sat neatly arranged on the shelves.
Aiden stared at them for a moment.
"You know," he murmured quietly, touching one of the packages, "most trainers start by catching their Pokémon."
His hand drifted down to the single ball on his belt.
"I sort of skipped that step."
A trainer nearby glanced at him.
"You talking to yourself?" the boy asked.
Aiden looked up quickly.
"…Occasionally."
The boy nodded seriously.
"That's normal."
He gestured toward his Machop, which stood beside him holding a shopping basket.
"I talk to him all the time too."
Aiden blinked.
"Does he answer?"
The boy shrugged.
"Not really. But he listens."
Machop nodded solemnly.
Aiden smiled.
"Fair point."
He grabbed a few basic supplies and headed for the counter.
After paying, he stepped back outside into the sunlight.
For a while he wandered the streets, exploring the city and familiarizing himself with the layout.
Viridian had a quiet charm.
Unlike the bigger cities deeper in the region, it felt more like a crossroads than a destination. Trainers passed through constantly on their way toward the first gyms or the deeper routes beyond the forest.
Eventually Aiden found himself standing near the edge of the city where the road split toward two directions.
One led deeper into town.
The other led toward a large open training field where several trainers were already practicing battles.
Aiden watched for a moment.
Two Pokémon clashed in the dirt arena while their trainers shouted commands from opposite sides.
A Sandshrew rolled forward in a spinning attack while its opponent tried to counter.
The crowd around the field cheered.
Aiden crossed his arms.
"So that's the normal way to start."
He looked down at the Poké Ball again.
"Maybe we work up to that."
Inside the ball, Mahoraga remained silent.
Still.
Waiting.
Across the street, a figure watched from the shade of a building.
The observer had followed Aiden since early morning.
Not too close.
Not obvious.
Just far enough to study his movements without drawing attention.
The scanner device rested in the figure's gloved hand.
Every time Aiden moved the Poké Ball on his belt, the screen flickered faintly.
Residual energy readings.
The figure narrowed their eyes slightly.
"Interesting," they murmured quietly.
The data spikes from yesterday's forest route were still fresh in the memory logs.
Whatever Pokémon the boy carried…
It wasn't normal.
And soon enough, they intended to find out exactly what it was.
Aiden eventually sat down on a bench near the training field.
He leaned back and watched the battles for a while.
After several minutes he sighed.
"You know," he said quietly, "everyone else seems to know what they're doing."
He tapped the Poké Ball lightly.
"I feel like we're improvising."
The ball remained still.
Aiden chuckled.
"Yeah, I figured."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Still," he added, "we'll figure it out."
In the distance, another battle started.
The crowd cheered again.
Aiden watched the trainers carefully.
Studying.
Learning.
Because sooner or later…
he was going to have to step into the arena himself.
And when that happened—
Mahoraga would finally be seen.