"Baiyin, let me give you a fishing rod." Yellow handed a fishing rod to Baiyin.
If Yellow guessed correctly, those two were partners in crime: one sold fishing rods, and the other sold so-called "blessings of the river and sea." They sang in harmony, and no matter which one passing trainers bought, the pair made a profit.
Yellow put on an act, casting the fishing rod into the river, and spoke after thirty seconds. "Really! I can't even catch the trashiest Magikarp! Magikarp are totally useless even after they evolve! They're ugly and useless! I'm done fishing!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, a Gyarados emerged from the river, stirring up roaring waves with a fierce look in its eyes. The lower half of its body remained hidden in the river, but even the small portion that was exposed reached nearly three meters in height.
"Roar!" The Gyarados bared its vicious fangs, the gills on both sides hissing, and pitch-black depths were visible within its cavernous maw.
Yellow made eye contact with it and jumped in fright, hurriedly retreating two steps. Baiyin let out a terrified scream, and the trainers on the bridge scattered in all directions, none daring to approach.
Seeing this, the old man merely spoke in a loud voice, "O God of the River and Sea! Please soothe the mind of this raging Pokémon and withdraw."
The enraged Gyarados paid him no mind at all; as Yellow backed away, it actually exposed even more of its body.
"Gyarados! Be a good boy and go down!" the old man raised his voice, and only then did the Gyarados reluctantly shrink back into the river.
"How about it? With the blessing of the river and sea, Water-type Pokémon will naturally grow close to you. Is there anything you'd like?"
Several trainers crowded forward, while Yellow and Baiyin quietly slipped away.
There was no need to smash their operation; after all, their own Pokémon were still too weak. If they caught the old man's attention, the two of them lacked the ability to fight back. He had simply wanted to test the waters.
After all, if humans could cultivate spiritual power, he would have to busy himself with that, but fortunately it was just a scam using parlor tricks.
"Baiyin, let's go."
The two started walking away, only to be blocked by two boys holding fishing rods who shouted loudly, "Hey! If you want to cross Nugget Bridge to get to Cerulean City, you have to defeat five consecutive pairs of trainers! If you aren't prepared, don't come over here!"
"Nugget Bridge?" Yellow had heard of it in the early works, and then recalled the consecutive trainers on the long bridge in the games.
"They should all have Water-type Pokémon. Baiyin, I have an Oddish and a Bellsprout here. Shall I lend you one?"
Baiyin shook her head, full of energy. "No need, Yellow. I trust my Beedrill and Squirtle. Even though they just evolved, we'll coordinate very well together."
Yellow chuckled softly and faced the opposing trainers. "Let's battle!"
The opposing trainers laughed heartily. "You're the first pair of trainers brave enough to challenge us today, so I choose you, Magikarp!"
"I choose you, Psyduck!"
Trainers kept running over to the bridge until there were ten of them, and they stood off to the side to watch the show.
The Magikarp flopped about on the wooden bridge, opening its large mouth and constantly gasping, while the Psyduck stood blankly in place, shaking its head with an intelligence level resembling livestock.
"I choose you! Bellsprout!"
"Come out! Butterfree!"
"Bellsprout, use Growth, then use Vine Whip!" Yellow prepared to give Bellsprout a free attack buff first to gauge the opponent's Pokémon level before making further plans.
"Butterfree, use Confusion on Psyduck!"
The opposing trainers also started making their moves. "Magikarp, use Splash!"
The Magikarp hopped in place, and nothing happened at all, leaving both Yellow and Baiyin utterly bewildered.
They had thought that the stupid NPCs from the games were the only ones who would use such a move, but how did they actually run into one?
"Psyduck, use Water Gun!" Psyduck sprayed a stream of water from its mouth; although the speed was extremely fast, Butterfree dodged it, and the attack missed.
On the other hand, the attacks from Butterfree and Bellsprout were extremely effective, whipping the Magikarp onto its back with its belly facing the sky.
"Hey! Why are you using a Magikarp to battle?" Yellow asked, desperately wanting to know what this guy was thinking.
"Heh heh, my Magikarp needs to make an appearance and fight a bit; it's about to evolve, and *this* is my true combat Pokémon! Come out! Squirtle!"
A red beam of light released a Squirtle.
Truly Water-type Pokémon by the big waterfronts—they were all frauds.
The four of them fought fiercely. Yellow commanded his Pokémon while directing Baiyin, and in just five or six minutes, they secured victory.
"Our turn." Two more trainers stepped up to take their places.
"A gauntlet match?" Yellow's heart sank. Fortunately, he had two Grass-type Pokémon, or else they really would have met their end here.
"Psyduck, charge!"
"Staryu, use Rapid Spin!"
"Poliwag, stop sleepwalking! Get in there!"
...
After an hour of grueling battle, Baiyin's Butterfree and Beedrill had both fallen into a fainted, near-death state, leaving only a single Squirtle lying on its shell with its head pointed toward the sky and its eyes devoid of luster.
"We finally won." Baiyin dropped to her knees. Having just commanded three Pokémon in succession, her battle-coordinating skills had improved immensely, and her palms were still sweating nervously.
Squirtle: *I'm so tired. I suddenly smile with resignation.*
Yellow's Bellsprout had also fallen into a near-death state, and Oddish sat paralyzed on the ground. The other Pokémon hadn't been sent out to fight at all.
"Congratulations, congratulations, what a wonderful match," someone cheered, and then everyone present burst into applause.
Yellow and Baiyin bowed in thanks and walked off Nugget Bridge.
At the far end of Nugget Bridge, a strange man wearing a white headscarf and a white robe suddenly darted out. He wore black sunglasses, and seven of his ten fingers were adorned with jewelry.
"Wow, this guy looks super rich," Baiyin exclaimed.
"Good eye, I feel like this is also a big financial backer."
The strange man spoke with an amusing accent reminiscent of a mutton skewer vendor: "Mmh～ Congratulations to the two of you for passing Nugget Bridge. To reward you, I will give you both some nuggets, which will make the value of your Poké Balls skyrocket. Please hand them over to me."
"Uh." Yellow was not a genuinely naive ten-year-old child; this man was neither a Gym Leader nor an employee of the League or local facilities, so he was hardly trustworthy.
Baiyin didn't make a move either, simply looking at Yellow and asking, "I don't think there's any need for that, right, Yellow?"
"Aiyah, why wouldn't there be a need, little girl? Let me tell you, the nuggets I have here are one-of-a-kind treasures. It just so happens I'm passing by today, don't be scared～"
Yellow fished three red-and-white Poké Balls out of his backpack. "These are my three Pokémon. Take them."
The man took the Poké Balls, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably, and then asked Baiyin, "What about yours, little girl?"
"She doesn't like decorations. She likes plain, original Poké Balls."
The man nodded, his gaze pointedly scanning the legs of the two youths, and smiled wickedly, "Alright, wait a moment while I go get your nuggets."
"You don't carry them with you?" Yellow asked unhurriedly, probing him.
"Carry your sister, you brat with dementia bubbles in your brain!" The man turned tail and sprinted toward the tall mountain.
"Yellow, let's chase him!" Baiyin took off running first, glancing back over her shoulder so Yellow could finally keep up.
Because of their short legs, the distance between them grew wider and wider, but Yellow saw with his own eyes that the man had run into a cave.
The two ran up to the road sign: [Mt. Moon, the mountain where shooting stars fall. Fossils can be found there.]
"Mt. Moon, let's go inside and take a look."
Baiyin grabbed Yellow's sleeve and asked, "But you lost three Pokémon! What should we do if we can't find that guy?"
Yellow smiled. "I gave him empty Poké Balls. How could anyone casually hand their Pokémon over to someone else? A trainer has to be responsible for their Pokémon."
"Besides, even if a trainer has no Pokémon left in their hands, when things reach a dead end, there is still one possibility: the [Fenceline of Fate], encountering a new Pokémon—though the probability is very low."
"The... Fenceline of Fate?" Baiyin followed Yellow into Mt. Moon. The cave was already dim, and at this moment, more than a dozen people dressed in black had gathered inside...