Almost there!

Once I passed into Route 31, I could see the tall towers of Violet City. My memories turned to the very few times I had gone there with my mother, though I was sure the city must be vastly different now. Curving to the west, Route 31 was also known for a massive cave system that had an entrance here. No doubt, this cave system was the place where most of the students and 'bros' were capturing their Zubats.

I wouldn't be going into the cave system as I had no real reason to. Perhaps I could double-back and check it out at another point, but for the time being, I was going to Violet City and then hopefully beyond. Violet City was also important since it held the first Gym leader. His badge would be super important for my journey, and I was determined to get it as soon as possible.

As I came over a small hill, my eyes locked with a man standing nearby, decked out with shorts and a vest of some sort. A butterfly net hung loosely from his grip, and the moment he saw me, he let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

Ugh, another Pokémon battle.

The rather large man immediately walked over, unclipping a few Pokeballs from his belt.

"It's time to battle, girl. I've been waiting for someone to come through here!" The vested man tossed out his first Pokémon, and I immediately recognized it the moment it appeared. Caterpie were well-known in the area, and were total pests for those with a green thumb. This man seemed like some sort of bug-catcher or researcher, though I couldn't care much to ask.

Immediately tossing out Chikorita, I was ready to beat this so-called bug catcher and move on to Violet City!