After dealing with the Beedrill and Ekans, and confirming that neither of these defeated foes was in any life-threatening danger, Ai Xia and his Caterpie continued on their journey.
Thanks to an afternoon of wild training, Caterpie's battle experience skyrocketed, and Ai Xia gradually got the hang of commanding his Pokémon in battle.
Who knows? Maybe he's even more talented in wild battles than in formal matches...
"Electroweb, wide-area coverage!"
"String Shot, Electroweb!"
"Tackle into Bug Bite, aim for its weak spot!"
Along the way, Ai Xia and Caterpie ran into plenty of wild Pokémon.
Most of them were common Grass or Bug types—no match for Caterpie at all. In fact, they were perfect for practicing the moves it had learned.
As for the trickier Flying-types, like Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Spearow? None of them lasted long against the type-advantaged Electroweb, ending up as nothing more than floofed-up featherballs.
These Pokémon weren't particularly strong. Even a rookie Trainer could handle them with a bit of caution, so Ai Xia and Caterpie's path forward was smooth sailing.
Caterpie, though? It was getting addicted to fighting.
Thanks to the Poké Blocks replenishing its stamina, it could keep using moves nonstop without tiring out.
Ai Xia himself had ridiculous stamina—long treks didn't faze him at all.
Especially since all his gear was stored in the System's inventory, leaving him unburdened and nimble. No wonder he moved so fast.
Since he hadn't run into any Pokémon that caught his eye, Ai Xia decided not to rush into catching one. The System's quest wasn't time-sensitive, anyway.
Instead, he focused on explaining wilderness survival, wild training, and how to handle wild Pokémon—packing his stream with real knowledge.
His viewers ate it up.
Thanks to constant shares, the stream's popularity soared, rocketing straight to the top of the platform's rankings. The rewards from just one afternoon of wild training were insane.
Right now, there weren't many good streams to watch.
Ai Xia's nonstop monster-slaying, exploration of untouched forests, and actual educational content made his broadcast stand out like a landslide in a sea of mediocrity.
Thrilling action plus Trainer techniques to learn?
Way better than anything else out there!
Occasionally, Ai Xia answered chat questions.
[What Pokémon are you planning to catch, streamer?]
Most viewers were curious about his future team.
After all, if he could turn a Caterpie into a monster, they were dying to see what he'd pick next.
"Catching Pokémon...? No solid plans. I'll just go with the flow."
"Honestly, there are plenty of Pokémon I like. Even common ones can be strong in the right hands—though some, like Kricketune, are just hopeless."
"Kricketot's base stats are lower than Caterpie's, and Kricketune's even worse than Butterfree. What can Kricketune even do?"
"Kricketune can do nothing!"
Ai Xia got more and more worked up, almost bringing up Kricketune's abysmal merch sales.
Chat loved it.
[Daily Kricketune slander, lmao.]
[Kricketune can play the suona at your funeral.]
[Kricketune prayed to the gods, but only Ai Xia's roast answered.]
[Kricketune stans have logged on. Who's Ai Xia?]
The banter made the journey far less boring, and time flew by.
By sunset, the duo finally reached their planned campsite—a small lakeside clearing, perfect for setting up camp.
Ai Xia pitched the tent with practiced ease and lit a campfire.
"Mii!"
Caterpie spun silk around nearby trees, weaving a silken barrier for extra safety.
"Alright, that's about it for today's stream."
After showing the viewers the serene lakeside scenery, Ai Xia decided to call it a night.
The fatigue hit him hard now that he'd stopped moving.
"Remember, don't overdo wild training. You gotta leave time to set up camp before dark."
"Hmm... My team's not exactly stacked, so Caterpie's gotta take night watch. We're done for today. Besides, mountains get way more dangerous at night—low visibility, stronger Pokémon, the works."
"See you all next time!"
Today's stream had been packed with content.
A whole afternoon of wild battles, exploration, and actual Trainer tips left the audience hyped, watching in satisfaction as Ai Xia ended the stream at lightning speed.
A few stragglers spammed the chat, complaining about the abrupt sign-off.
Ai Xia couldn't care less.
The donations were already flooding in anyway...
"Caterpie, chow time."
He called his hardworking partner over, serving up a heaping bowl of Pokémon food, Poké Blocks, and supplements.
"Mii!"
Caterpie dove face-first into the meal, devouring it with gusto.
Watching it eat, Ai Xia realized his earlier mistake—getting a second Pokémon was important.
"Originally, I planned to head back to Hoenn with just Caterpie. But after today? Even wild training feels tight with only one. If we go to the Sky Pillar, the risks would be way worse..."
He sighed in relief. Good thing he figured it out now.
If he'd rushed to Hoenn unprepared, things would've been ugly.
"Still a long road ahead..."
Inside the tent, Ai Xia prepped to review the day's gains—
Bzzt.
His phone buzzed. A notification.
['Green' has sent you a friend request.]
Ai Xia: "…Huh?"
What the hell?
Clicking the profile, he was blinded by a wall of official verification badges.
This was Green—the Viridian City Gym Leader and former Champion of Kanto.
Why would a legend like him add me?
"...Did Red put him up to this?"
Frowning, Ai Xia realized their only possible connection.
Did I accidentally grab onto the ultimate golden thigh?
--+--