Onwards!

Leaving Mr. Pokémon's house, I made my way down the main road leading away from Cherrygrove City. The rest of this route was filled with tall grass unfortunately, and I could hear the chittering of wild Pokémon. I would need to very vigilant as I traveled, watching for anything that might ambush me.

As I exited a small amount of grass, I turned to my left and was immediately eye-to-eye with a younger man, around my age. A baseball cap twisted to the back and two Pokeballs in his hand, the man let out a battle cry and immediately challenged me.

"We locked eyes and that means you HAVE to battle me!" he said, immediately tossing out one of his Pokémon. I backed up a few feet and sent out Chikorita, knowing that she would have the strength necessary to win here. I would need to start training my other two, but Chikorita promised a quick end to this opponent.

Speaking of my opponent, the trainer now facing me had sent out what my Pokedex called a "Zubat". These things were a total nuisance, and colonies of them have been found in peoples attics and basements. The idea of someone training with one almost made me giggle.

The moment Chikorita left her Pokeball, the battle was on. The Zubat tried to stay out of range with its tiny flapping wings, but Chikorita was much too fast for it as it swooped down. Eventually, a critical strike from Chikorita sent the Zubat flying, and the creature landed hard into the dirt.

"The Academy trained me, and I will not lose to some girl!" the bro screamed, throwing out his second Pokémon. An explosion of red was eventually cleared to reveal an owl-looking Pokémon, my Pokedex immediately reading off the name as Hoothoot. "Get her Hoot!"

Chikorita seemed like she was still in fighting shape, but a single critical hit could take her down entirely.