Chapter 11 : Heading out of the city!

The next day, Orion was walking casually on the streets of Saffron City. Several people noticed him but no one paid much attention. After all, he was just like any other 7-year-old boy. However, unknown to all of them, this 7-year-old boy was about to do something crazy for his age!

As he walked, Orion thought, 'Just like Emma, I too was concerned about the matter of money. While the Gym might help, I don't want to depend on them more than I have to. Thankfully, I came across a rather easy way to make money.

Just outside the city, the land is covered in plants and trees. Among these plants are some important herbs that can be used to make items like Energy Powder, Heal Powder and some other stuff. The Poke Mart buys such herbs from anyone who fetches them.

I wondered initially as to why they just let anyone gather herbs instead of harvesting them directly, but on looking into it deeper, the answer was very easy. These herbs are extremely cheap and are difficult to spot. There is no incentive for anyone to organize a large force to harvest these herbs.

So, they just leave it there for civilians and trainers who have quit adventuring due to the risk of collecting. This gives them a chance to earn some money in case they are in a tough spot. In addition, it also gives them a sense of contributing towards the city as these items will help the trainers in a war.

Of course, the main reason why they do so is that the danger is very low and almost non-existent as the city's forces routinely eliminate wild pokemons coming closer to the city...'

As he was thinking, Orion reached the border of the city. While the Saffron city borders were very well protected, they couldn't keep an eye out on every place all the time. Orion had already been observing for some time and noticed the spots that were rarely monitored.

He stared outside the city as he felt a chill. Orion took a deep breath and muttered, "Though it is mostly safe, there is still a possibility of danger. If my luck is bad and I encounter a wild Pokemon, then I'll be in a pinch. In the worst case, I could die as well…"

Orion's feet stopped moving. Even though he had already lived a life before transmigrating to this world, the life he lived was completely risk-free. He had never purposefully put himself in danger and had always taken the safest options. And now, suddenly, he was about to step into a place where he could end up dead and no one would even know that he died.

For a few minutes, Orion struggled to make a decision. Should he take the risk and move forward? Or should he play it safe and wait to get his first Pokemon? Orion knew that taking a risk would be very helpful in progressing rapidly. However, what use would rapid progress be if he wasn't even alive?

After ten minutes, Orion stopped struggling and let out a sigh. He decided, 'This might be the dumbest decision I have taken in both my lives. I'm going!'

Having made his decision, Orion stepped outside the city! While he was struggling, Orion had almost decided to go back and take the less risky way. That was until he realized something. As he walked away from the city, he thought, 'Even if I stay in the city, am I truly safe? Didn't Orion and several other kids die despite being inside the city? Even though I never took any dumb risks in my previous life, didn't I still die in a dumb plane crash?

Instead of staying in the city hoping that someone keeps me safe and no incident occurs, I might as well keep my fate in my own hands. Even if I die, I won't have any regrets. However, if I die while hiding in the city, then I'll be filled with regret!'

Orion began scanning through the surroundings to look for any of the listed herbs or berries. As he observed, Orion realized, 'I never noticed this, but my eyesight is extremely good. It is several times better than what I had in my previous life. And, since I unlocked my Psychic powers, it has only improved further. It looks like there is some hope of finding the herbs after all.'

Orion didn't find anything near him. He didn't dare move farther away from the city. That would have been no different than suicide. Hence, he walked parallel to the city border while looking carefully. He was extremely alert and planned on throwing needles and running away as long as a healthy wild Pokemon appeared. The border wasn't too far away from where he was, so he only needed a few seconds to enter the city and scream for help.

Fortunately, Orion didn't encounter any wild Pokemon. Unfortunately, his luck in finding anything was extremely bad. Only after looking for 3 whole hours did Orion manage to smell a fragrance that carried a hint of freshness, reminiscent of a cool breeze after a rain shower. He thought, 'This smells like the Breeze Blossom. Fortunately, a few of these are planted next to the Dojo, or I would have been clueless.'

Orion quickly moved towards the source of the fragrance. After he moved the grass aside, he finally found one of the items he was looking for. They were delicate, small white flowers with petals resembling feather-light paper. On a slender stem, there were 5 such flowers.

Orion sighed and thought, 'Just 5 Breeze Blossoms after looking for 3 hours! No wonder no one cares whether these are picked or not. Each Breeze Blossom is bought for only 10 Pokecoins. So, I'll earn just 50 Pokecoins for 3 hours of risky work…'

Orion sighed once again. The risk-to-reward ratio was very unattractive. If it was a stock, Orion would never put his money into it. If not for the fact that money wasn't the only thing he was looking for, he would have stopped going outside the city in an instant. Travelling outside the city by himself was a great way for Orion to train his senses and alertness. He had never been as alert as in the last 3 hours in either of his lives.

Orion gently grabbed the slender stem and uprooted the entire plant. He thought, 'It's a shame that Breeze Blossom wilts very quickly if I remove them one by one. They wouldn't last until I reached the Poke Mart. Otherwise, I would have just plucked the flowers and visited back to this stem later.

Oh well, something is better than nothing. I can start with this. A normal Pokeball costs just 200 Pokecoins. So, while this money won't do much for a normal family, my current expenses are zero! I'll be able to buy a Pokeball very soon.'

Having had some gains, Orion quickly returned back to the city and rushed towards the Poke Mart.