Pokemon: The Master Of Monsters

Blastoise and the others had consciously placed their Macho Brace on the ground, ready to practice their skills.

"Pidgeot...!" Pidegeotto was stunned. It was the first time he had seen how a trainer properly trains their Pokémon.

Though Pidegeotto usually trained by himself with a focus on his flying abilities, the sheer amount of dedication shown by Blastoise and the others overwhelmed him. He had always believed that his strength was among the best in Gary's team, but seeing the hard work of these Pokémon made him realize the gap between them.

Thinking back to the battle with Golbat, Pidegeotto felt his pride take a blow. Speed was one of his most valued advantages, and yet Golbat had outpaced him. He couldn't accept being surpassed in his element.

"Pidgeot!" With a burst of determination, Pidegeotto pointed at Golbat, who was currently flapping its wings in the air, training hard. He decided he was going to wear the Macho Brace, just like Golbat.

"You've just joined the team," Gary said. "I think it's better for you to observe first."

However, Pidegeotto was not one to back down. "Pidgeot!" he stubbornly replied, shaking his head. As the "king of birds," he could not admit defeat so easily.

Gary, seeing Pidegeotto's unyielding spirit, sighed and retrieved the Macho Brace. He adjusted it to fit Pidegeotto's size. "Alright then," Gary said. "But remember, once this is on, you'll be bound and it will be difficult for you to move."

The Macho Brace was a special tool used to train Pokémon by enhancing their strength while making them carry extra weight, which could be uncomfortable at first.

"Pidgeot!" Pidegeotto urged Gary to start quickly. He was ready.

Gary pressed the button on the Macho Brace, and instantly, Pidegeotto's wings were forced to fold tightly against his body, his entire form shrinking. He struggled against the sudden tightness, realizing just how strong the force was.

"Bet!" Pidegeotto grunted, exerting all his strength to break free from the grip of the brace. He flapped his wings with all his might, managing to stretch his body a little. The pressure was intense, but he could still handle it—for now.

"Bet!" Pidegeotto flapped his wings again and slowly took to the air. Determined to prove himself, he flew over to Golbat's side, hoping to show that he could endure the same training.

Golbat, who had been training steadily, gave a helpless sigh. "Da..." He never imagined that a new rival would appear so soon. The situation was quite troublesome for him, especially since he was not one for rivalry.

Gary paid little attention to the interaction, his mind focused on something else. He had been thinking about Rhydon, a rare and powerful Pokémon. The conditions for evolving Rhydon were high; the armored rhino needed to reach level 42 to evolve, and only those with gym potential could surpass level 40.

Gary knew Rhydon was a difficult Pokémon to find, especially ones with gym potential. There were armored rhinos in Kanto's hunting area, but they were rare. He recalled the one Rhydon near Asagi City that could surf—clearly a rare, strong Pokémon. But he didn't know where it was, and traveling to Johto just to search for it seemed unnecessary.

His plan was to visit the Safari Zone in hopes of finding a Rhydon with strong potential. If that didn't work, he might have to rely on his financial abilities to acquire one.

That day marked the last day Gary and Sabrina would spend in Celadon City. Tomorrow, they would leave and head toward Fuchsia City. The journey would be long, taking about ten days on mountain bikes, with many stops along the way. Of course, Gary would continue training his Pokémon during the trip. If any unexpected events arose, the journey could stretch to half a month.

Ten days later.

Gary and Sabrina stopped for a lunch break in an open area.

Gary supervised the training of his Pokémon, and though no special training had been conducted, there had been progress.

Blastoise had reached Level 40, a solid increase that made him strong enough to contend in the top 32 or even top 16 of the Indigo Plateau Conference.

Golbat had risen to Level 33,

Growlithe reached Level 20, I

nfernape hit Level 33,

Eevee moved to Level 24, and

Pidegeotto had leveled up to 32.

Blastoise's steady growth was impressive, but Infernape and Pidegeotto were particularly excited about their training. Infernape loved the thrill of battle, and his energy during practice was contagious. Pidegeotto, motivated by the thought of surpassing Golbat, found himself pushing harder after seeing Infernape's dedication. In fact, Infernape became another rival for him to compete against.

Gary didn't mind this internal rivalry among his Pokémon. Though he didn't encourage it, if the Pokémon chose to compete amongst themselves, he would not stop them. In fact, he believed it could help them grow stronger.

"Sabrina, we're very close to a hot spring town," Gary said, looking at the map. "Would you like to visit and relax for a bit?" After ten days on the road, both of them could use a break.

Sabrina agreed. "Sure, I've never been to a hot spring before."

Although Saffron City had places to bathe, they didn't have hot springs, so this would be a new experience for her.

Gary and Sabrina mounted their bikes and followed the route marked on the map.

After about an hour, they were startled by a loud roar behind them. The two turned to see a bus coming down the road towards them.

"Huh? Why are there buses here?" Gary asked, confused. They were in the wild, and there usually weren't many vehicles, certainly not a bus in this remote area.

"They're probably here for the hot springs too," Sabrina said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Gary replied, but he had reservations. If there were too many people at the hot springs, it could ruin the experience.

They ignored the bus and continued towards their destination. But after another half-hour of biking, their way forward was blocked. A large pit lay ahead, with several cement pipes scattered across it, as if a traffic accident had occurred.

Nearby, there were four people standing. Gary immediately recognized three of them.

It was Ash and his group.

Gary hadn't seen Ash since they parted ways in Tokiwa City. He hadn't expected to run into them here, but fate had a funny way of bringing people together.

The fourth person was a middle-aged man dressed in construction clothes, likely from the local area. Gary guessed this was related to Diglett, and he realized that despite his efforts to alter the course of events, some things remained unchanged. It seemed that Ash and his group were part of the original plan after all.

As Gary approached, he realized that the plot was still unfolding as it had in the original storyline, with unexpected encounters leading to new adventures. It made him wonder what else might be waiting for him on this journey.

---