Author's Note : Charmander and Persian's gender is the same and female , it was errors from my end from some of the previous chapters and it should have been rectified which it has been , if any errors come again just message in comments will look into it.
Grey's POV
After waking up and getting ready for the day, I decided that today and tomorrow would be dedicated to training and exploring Cerulean a bit more. My gym battle was approaching, and while I was already confident in my chances of winning, there was no reason not to make use of the extra time available.
For today's training, I headed toward Route 4. The route eventually led back toward Mt. Moon, but honestly, I wasn't particularly interested in going through that area again just yet. I would have to pass through it after finishing my Cerulean Gym challenge anyway if I wanted to return to Pewter City, so there was no need to rush things.
The training session itself was mostly similar to yesterday's, with one major difference.
Charmander's opponent today was Exeggutor.
More specifically, Charmander had to set up Sunny Day and then battle under those conditions.
The goal wasn't to defeat Exeggutor. That would be nearly impossible at her current level. Instead, the objective was to get used to fighting in sunlight while Exeggutor acted as a moving target and training partner. Exeggutor's role was mainly to dodge, defend, and pressure her enough that she couldn't simply stand still and throw attacks around.
The most important part of the exercise, however, was trying to activate Charmander's hidden ability.
Solar Power.
When exposed to intense sunlight, the ability would dramatically increase the strength of her special attacks. The downside was that it continuously drained her stamina and health while active. It was powerful, but it wasn't something that could be used carelessly.
I only knew she possessed the ability because I had asked Nurse Joy to check her records during one of our visits. Normally, ability information wasn't easily available to trainers without specialized equipment.
Thankfully, Bill was already working on a solution.
Apparently, he was developing an application that would allow some Pokédex functions to be accessed directly through my phone. Out of all the Pokédex features, that was honestly the one I cared about the most. Information about Pokémon species was useful, sure, but I already knew most of the common Kanto Pokémon from years of reading.
The real value was the detailed move and ability information.
If Bill could somehow replicate that feature on an ordinary phone, it would be incredibly useful.
Charmander also had another ability listed.
Blaze (Locked).
I wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Maybe it would awaken later as she grew stronger. Maybe it was related to potential. Whatever the case, it wasn't something I could actively train right now.
As for Axew, his routine remained largely unchanged.
The little dragon was continuing his usual physical conditioning and battle drills. At this point, his training had become almost self-sustaining. Half the time I felt like I was supervising rather than teaching him.
Persian's situation was a bit different.
I had initially considered giving her more speed training, but that felt redundant. She was already naturally fast, and constantly repeating the same exercises wasn't going to provide meaningful growth.
Likewise, retraining her existing moves didn't seem particularly useful either.
Persian had already mastered most of her current techniques to a respectable level.
Which left me with only one real option.
Teach her something new.
Since I wasn't entirely sure what move to focus on, I gave Persian another assignment for the morning.
Item hunting.
The cat immediately accepted the task with suspicious enthusiasm.
Honestly, if there was one thing Persian enjoyed almost as much as winning battles, it was finding valuable items lying around.
While the rest of the team trained, Persian disappeared into the surrounding area.
A few hours later she returned looking incredibly pleased with herself.
Her findings included a Poké Ball, several Burn Heals, a Super Potion, and, surprisingly, a Star Piece.
I stared at the collection.
"Where do you even find these things?"
Persian simply smirked and refused to elaborate.
I had a feeling that living near Mt. Moon probably contributed to the number of valuable items scattered around the route. Between meteor fragments and the constant flow of trainers, unusual things occasionally turned up.
While Persian was busy showing off her treasure haul, I searched through PokéNet for possible moves she could learn.
After filtering through various suggestions, one move repeatedly appeared.
Iron Tail.
The more I read about it, the more I realised Persian hadnt fully learnt that move with Raichu as he still had difficulty using it .
It provided useful type coverage, hit incredibly hard when mastered, and played to Persian's strengths as a fast attacker and she can mimic Blue's Scyther
While with Surge's Raichu it did try practicing the move, it wasnt even glowing and its training was more towards managing to hit Raichu rather than learning Iron Tail.
Unlike TMs, learning moves naturally required understanding the energy involved, and Persian while it did get a first hand beating from Raichu with iron tail it still hadnt learnt it that well.
Fortunately, I remembered how Ash had trained Pikachu to learn Iron Tail in the anime.
It wasn't perfect, but it was a starting point.
Using a rope, I tied a moderately sized rock to Persian's tail.
The cat immediately gave me an offended look.
"Trust me."
The look somehow became even more offended.
Ignoring her complaints, I explained the theory behind the exercise.
The purpose wasn't simply strengthening the tail. It was helping her become aware of how energy flowed through it. Before she could coat her tail with Steel-type energy, she first needed to understand how to direct energy there consistently.
Reluctantly, Persian began practicing.
The results were not particularly impressive.
At least not yet.
Still, every new move started somewhere.
For now, I instructed her to continue working with the weighted tail. After the gym battle, I planned to involve Charmander in the process as well. Since Charmander already knew Metal Claw, she might be able to help Persian understand how Steel-type energy felt and how it could be channeled.
The idea wasn't perfect, but it was worth trying.
The rest of the morning passed peacefully.
Charmander repeatedly attempted to maintain Sunny Day while exchanging attacks with Exeggutor. The sunlight flickered in and out several times, but she was definitely improving. Every successful attempt lasted slightly longer than the previous one.
Axew trained until he was covered in sweat and minor bruises.
Persian alternated between dragging rocks, hunting for items, and glaring at me for ruining her morning.
Exeggutor spent most of the session acting like a strict teacher while secretly looking pleased whenever Charmander improved.
Eventually, I called for a break.
Everyone gathered around while I handed out Pokéblocks, Pokémon food, and some additional snacks. The team settled down to eat while I stretched and relaxed beneath a nearby tree.
So after returning my Pokémon for a well-earned rest, I got up from the grass, stretched my arms, and began heading back toward the city to see what else Cerulean city had to offer.
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Grey's POV
Cerulean City, while not as modern or massive as Celadon, had its own charm to it. The city had a nice balance between residential areas and commercial districts. There were proper houses, apartment complexes, shops, and a surprising number of corporate buildings spread throughout the city.
While exploring, I was even able to spot the famous Cerulean Water Pipe Factory. The place manufactured and sold large industrial water pipes that were apparently used all across Kanto. Looking at the factory brought back a random memory from the anime where Team Rocket had somehow managed to steal one of those giant pipes. Honestly, seeing the place in person made me wonder how they had even pulled that off.
I continued walking through the city and visited some of the more popular locations. There was a large fountain plaza that seemed to be one of Cerulean's main tourist attractions. Families were walking around, trainers were taking breaks near the water, and several tourists were busy taking photographs. Since I was already there, I asked a passerby to take a picture of me in front of the fountain.
There were also a number of famous ice cream shops around the area. I ended up buying one while walking around and continued exploring the city with it in hand.
At one point I came across the berry powder vendor operating from one of the tent stalls and decided to buy some berry powder for future use. It wasn't particularly expensive, and having extra supplies was never a bad thing.
As I walked through various neighborhoods, I briefly considered checking out some of the houses. Then I remembered that this wasn't a game.
In the games, trainers casually walked into random people's homes and nobody cared.
In real life, doing that would probably result in getting yelled at, chased out, or having Officer Jenny called on you.
So I wisely decided against it.
Eventually, I found myself standing in front of the bike shop.
I paused for a moment before entering.
This was one of those things I had been curious about for a long time.
Taking a breath, I stepped inside.
"How much for a bike?" I asked immediately.
The shopkeeper looked up from his desk.
"Fifty thousand Pokédollars."
I blinked.
Then I blinked again.
"It's not one million?"
The man looked at me as though I had asked if Magikarp could fly.
"Why would I charge one million Pokédollars for a bicycle?" he asked. "I'm trying to sell bikes, not go bankrupt because nobody can afford them. They're transportation, not luxury items."
I had to resist laughing.
The bike shop owner was normal.
For years I had accepted the game's absurd bike prices as a fact of life, only to find out the actual owner was perfectly reasonable.
"I'll come back later for one," I told him.
The shopkeeper nodded.
"Whenever you're ready."
I explained that I still had to travel through Mt. Moon after finishing my business in Cerulean, and bringing a bike there would just be a hassle. He seemed to understand and looked pleased to know he had secured a future customer.
After leaving the shop, I couldn't help but grin.
The bike shop owner was normal.
Somehow that fact alone had improved my mood.
I continued wandering through the city until I noticed a fairly large property with an open training field attached to it. A middle-aged man was standing in the center while a group of Diglett repeatedly burrowed into and out of the ground.
Curious, I walked closer.
"Excuse me," I called out. "What exactly are you doing with all those Diglett?"
The man looked up and smiled.
"They're helping me teach Dig."
That got my attention immediately.
He explained that he had originally owned a TM for Dig a few weeks ago. After teaching it to one of his Pokémon and studying the move extensively, he eventually figured out how the technique worked. Since then, he had spent some time refining his methods to teach the move naturally without needing a TM.
That was actually pretty impressive.
Move tutors weren't exactly common.
"Can you teach Dig to any Pokémon?" I asked.
"I haven't tested every species," he admitted. "But if a Pokémon is physically capable of learning Dig, I can usually teach it."
Now that was interesting.
I thought about my team for a moment before an idea formed.
"Would you be willing to teach one of my Pokémon?"
The man nodded.
"For the right price."
After some discussion, we eventually settled on a fee of ten thousand Pokédollars.
The man explained that under normal circumstances it would take around two days for a Pokémon to learn the basics of the move.
That fit perfectly with my schedule.
I released Persian from her Poké Ball.
The cat looked around lazily before noticing the field full of Diglett.
Then she looked at me suspiciously.
Then at the Diglett.
Then back at me.
I pointed at the field.
"You're learning Dig."
Persian's expression immediately became one of betrayal.
The tutor chuckled.
I spent the next few minutes explaining the situation to her. Dig would give her additional type coverage, another method of attack, and a way to temporarily evade dangerous moves. It was useful both offensively and defensively.
Persian remained unconvinced.
Eventually, I had to resort to bribery.
"Premium food."
The cat's ears twitched.
"Along with your normal Pokéfood."
Persian stared at me for several seconds.
Then she slowly nodded.
Money truly wasn't the strongest force in the world.
Premium food was.
With the negotiations complete, I handed Persian over to the tutor. I kept her Poké Ball with me for safety, while the tutor assured me he would begin training immediately.
"I'll come back this evening," I told him. "Then I'll drop her off again tomorrow."
The man nodded.
"No problem."
Persian gave me one last accusing look as I left.
I chose to ignore it.
Leaving the training grounds behind, I continued exploring a few more parts of Cerulean City before eventually deciding it was time to resume my own training.
After all, the gym battle was only a couple of days away.
So I made my way back toward Route 4, ready to continue preparing the rest of my team for the challenge that awaited them.
Author's Note : I have put some games and anime elements of cerulean hope you all liked it , the gym battle will be from next chapter onwards . Also Persian never fully mastered Iron tail it had minimal success in the move with it half glowing and stuff . Hence it is practising it , but again that has been put on hold for now.