It's evolution. This is the light of evolution!
When the white light faded, Metang's body size had doubled, and its weight had increased from 95.2 kg to a hefty 202.5 kg.
Metang had successfully evolved into Metagross!
It must be said here—the physical constitution of humans in this world is far superior to those in any world Yamcha had previously visited. Especially those who have never trained at all.
People here can carry Pokémon weighing dozens of kilograms on their shoulders as if it's nothing. Even Pokémon that weigh hundreds of kilograms are hugged like plush toys. Even a 999-kg Pokémon can be lifted with one hand like it's child's play.
And that's still not the most outrageous part.
Even a 100,000-volt-level electric shock just causes temporary paralysis. Deadly poisons only require lying down for a while to recover. People here casually wrestle with Pokémon like Machamp that can smash mountains and crush stones. The exaggeration in their feats is countless.
Especially in that place Yamcha first arrived at—Pallet Town—it produced more of these kinds of people than anywhere else. One particularly reckless guy even tried to punch through Mewtwo's psychic barrier and physically tanked countless clashes between legendary Pokémon.
The Super Pallet Town People are truly terrifying.
If Yamcha hadn't experienced several worlds beforehand, he wouldn't have been able to hold his own in this one.
"Looks like my luck isn't bad."
Yamcha smiled again as he looked at Metagross, now adjusting to its new body.
Aside from those that require specific items to evolve, there are many reasons a Pokémon might evolve. It's not just about reaching a certain level, like in the games. Emotions like anger, sadness, or joy can also trigger evolution.
Yamcha wasn't sure which category Metagross fell into—he wasn't a Pokémon Professor, after all.
As long as Metagross completes its third and final stage of evolution, he'd be one step closer to his goal.
Now all that's left is Porygon's evolution…
Upgrade data and dubious patches.
"Still not stable enough. Better prepare a few more."
"Ahh! Why didn't the alarm go off?! I'm gonna be late for my appointment with the Professor!!!"
Wearing yellow-green pajamas and with 'Z'-shaped marks on both cheeks, a boy let out a scream and dashed out of his house at a speed of at least 100 km/h.
In this world, once you turn ten, you're eligible to receive your first Pokémon and set out on an adventure.
And just yesterday, this boy turned ten. Today was the day he was to receive his first Pokémon. Yet, on such an important day, he overslept. Unforgivable!
He rushed to the lab, but unfortunately, the three starter Pokémon had already been claimed by those who arrived on time.
All that remained was the fourth Pokémon the Professor had prepared—
A Pikachu that didn't seem particularly obedient.
Upon meeting, Pikachu gave both the boy and the Professor a good ol' "shock of love." And then, upon leaving the lab, it shocked all the neighbors who had come to see them off.
Perched on a tree branch and watching the electric rat from afar, Yamcha quietly murmured:
"A legendary journey is about to begin."
At this point, Pikachu still looked quite chubby—not at all like the one Yamcha remembered. But with time and travel, it would eventually become the familiar figure in his memory.
Yamcha had considered intercepting that Pikachu—it was no ordinary one. It could use Z-moves, Dynamax, and even unleash a "Friendship 100,000 Volt."
But then… would Pikachu still be that Pikachu without Ash by its side?
"You have a truly great partner. Cherish him."
As Yamcha passed by Ash and Pikachu, he said this while patting Ash on the shoulder.
"Huh? Really? Hehe…" Ash blushed and scratched his nose sheepishly, laughing awkwardly.
"Pika?"
Pikachu tilted its head and looked at Yamcha, as if unsure what he meant.
"Looking forward to seeing you again."
With that, Yamcha waved to the two as he disappeared into Viridian Forest.
After returning to his own world, Yamcha began sorting through his gains.
Since he hadn't spent much time in the Pokémon world, his overall combat strength hadn't improved much. But he had acquired two Pokémon, some items from the Pokémon world, a capsule of Lake Verity's water, and had started to master energy sensing.
Overall, it was a modest improvement. At the very least, gaining the ability to sense Ki gave him more confidence for the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament.
This was a test.
A test of his current strength. Only by clearly understanding his own capabilities could he plan for what came next.
And the best way to gauge one's strength was through battle—real, flesh-to-fist combat.
Scouter-measured power levels were only a reference anyway. Besides, Yamcha didn't have one on hand.
Time in training passed quickly, and before he knew it, May 6th arrived.
Yamcha flew in on a regular airplane and landed smoothly on the legendary martial arts island—Papaya Island.
The Red Ribbon Army didn't exactly have a good reputation. If they showed up flaunting their insignia, they might provoke some justice-obsessed martial artists into trying to "serve justice."
"If any of you perform well enough, you'll become my personal guards."
After disembarking, Yamcha said this to the Red Ribbon soldiers who had changed out of their uniforms.
Besides Yamcha, only twenty-eight soldiers from the Red Ribbon Army entered the tournament.
Even if a base was located in the middle of nowhere, it usually had several hundred members. Thanks to recent funding, their numbers had grown to nearly a thousand.
When Yamcha proposed using the Martial Arts Tournament to select his personal guards, everyone at the base agreed and swore they'd participate enthusiastically.
However...
It turned out that most of them were all talk. When it came time to prove themselves, few delivered.
Even the twenty-eight who did participate were mostly newbies. The old veterans who spent their days loafing around? Completely unreliable.
Then again, that was fine. At least now Yamcha had an excuse to weed them out.
(Incidentally, Lieutenant Leopard had planned to come, but Yamcha turned him down—someone had to stay behind and run the base.)
Since the Martial Arts Tournament forbids weapons, Yamcha figured these twenty-eight soldiers probably wouldn't make it past the first round.
Still, if anyone could win just one match, Yamcha would consider placing them in his guard unit.
But, of course...
The Red Ribbon Army never fails to disappoint. All twenty-eight were eliminated in the first round.
(End of Chapter)