The Best Start

"Say hello to our new partner." John released Combusken and Froakie, letting them greet Ralts for the first time.

"Combusken! (￣^￣)" Combusken struck a heroic pose, welcoming his new sister.

 "←_←," Froakie gave Ralts a brief glance before shifting his focus back to Combusken.

"Ra-ralts(•д˙•)っ," Ralts timidly hid behind John, unsure of her new companions.

"Make sure you all get along well from now on," John said, patting Ralts gently on the head. Seeing her up close, he finally felt at ease—she was truly a rare find.

As Ralts became more comfortable, she started peeking around to observe her new surroundings.

Eager to see Ralts' stats, John reopened his Gameboy console. In his rush, he hadn't even checked her individual values yet.

[Ralts (Psychic, Fairy) - Shiny]

[Level: 5]

[ Ability: Synchronize (If this Pokemon becomes burned, poisoned, or paralyzed, the opponent will also suffer the same condition.)]

[IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]

[Moves: Disarming Voice, Growl, Double Team, Confusion]

[Held Item: None]

6V!!

John's eyes widened in disbelief. Not only was Ralts Shiny, but she also had perfect IVs across the board.

"This is beyond lucky… It's like winning the lottery," he muttered, trying to process the unbelievable fortune. Even for a Shiny Pokemon, 6IV was almost unheard of. This Ralts had hit the absolute ceiling.

"How many years of good fortune did I just burn through?" John joked to himself, a little anxious that such luck might come at a cost later.

To be honest, hunting a Shiny Ralts had been more of a dream than a realistic goal. With common Pokemon like Zigzagoon or Poochyena, John had encountered thousands without ever finding a Shiny. Ralts encounters were limited to about thirty per day, making his odds of finding a Shiny even slimmer. It was like playing the lottery, hoping for a miracle.

And yet, against all odds, he had found her. This was love! Love that goes both ways, John thought with a grin.

He examined the Ralts panel once more.

With both her Attack and Special Attack IVs maxed out, John decided on her training path based on her gender.

Female Ralts would be raised to become a Gardevoir, while male Ralts would evolve into Gallade.

Luckily, this Ralts was female!

Relieved, John smiled. She was indeed a "little sister" and not a "little brother"—which would have felt odd during the early stages, especially with the feminine appearance of Kirlia.

After admiring Ralts' stats, John reluctantly closed the screen.

It was a shame no one else could experience this game in real life. Otherwise, he'd have loved to share his Shiny Ralts with friends and stir up some envy.

But at least he could snap a picture of the Shiny Ralts in reality.

Leaving his house with no way to explain where he had caught her, John decided to continue progressing through the main storyline.

First, though, he'd stop by the Poke Mart to sell off the items strewn all over his room from his Zigzagoons' scavenging efforts. Over six days, he'd easily met his goal of earning 30,000 Pokedollars daily, with an extra 20,000 on top. His account was now sitting at a cool 200,000 Pokedollars.

Tomorrow, he'd visit Emerald Fields and ask his friend, Lily, to help come up with a custom ration plan for Ralts.

After finishing his beef brisket rice, John led his in-game character out of Petalburg City and onto Route 104.

As he was leaving the city, he spotted a large man wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt.

The man was scanning the area for a strong Trainer, but after one look at John, he seemed to dismiss him as too young and walked away hurriedly.

"That guy... He's part of the story. If I remember right, he's the boss of the Battle Frontier…" John murmured, excited to see a familiar character in the storyline.

Route 104 featured a sandy beach, a cozy wooden cottage belonging to an elderly man named Mr. Briney, and several fishermen casting lines along the shore. As he recalled, this area only yielded Magikarp in the water.

John engaged each fisherman in battle, though facing them became tedious. Even with multiple Pokemon, they only ever used Magikarp. If they managed to catch them, they should at least put them to good use.

The level 7 Magikarp could only Splash or Tackle. It was a massacre for John's level 13 Froakie.

Eventually, John faced off against some of the beach's younger Trainers, who had Taillow and Seedot at levels 4 and 6. Despite being slightly more challenging than the fishermen, they were no match for Froakie and his five Zigzagoon companions.

After three days of continuous battles, Froakie was close to evolving, just one level away at 15. John intended to use the remaining trainers along the route to reach level 16 and evolve Froakie into Frogadier.

Level 15 against level 4 and level 6 felt less like training and more like a "slaughter."

Each Pokemon fell in a single move against Froakie's superior level.

One Trainer, however, left a memorable impression.

A young lady, named Emily only had a single Zigzagoon, but after defeating her, John was surprised by the generous payout.

1,400 Pokedollars.

Compared to the other stingy Trainers who rewarded him with only 68 or 100 Pokedollars, this "young miss" was clearly from a well-off family.

Aside from Emily, nothing else on Route 104 surprised him.

A few items scattered on the ground, like Heart Scales, caught his eye. In the future, he could use these for move re-learning sessions with the "Move Tutor."

The grass on Route 104 featured Marill, Wingull, and Taillow, but John didn't need to catch any of them.

So, he moved on, crossing Route 104 and heading into the dark shadows of Petalburg