On the road to Pewter City, Kazuki followed the leveling spots mentioned by the samurai boy, and while passing by, he had Pidgeotto and Pikachu grind some experience.
Equipped with a Light Ball, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto with a Sharp Beak, made quick work of swarms of Bug-type Pokémon with ease.
In just three days, both Pikachu and Pidgeotto had leveled up quite a bit.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv9 → lv15]
[Pokémon: Pidgeotto, Level: lv21 → lv24]
Kazuki checked their levels and then looked into his system inventory.
[System Inventory: Adult Poké Ball ×2, Basic Rare Candy ×6, One-Star Potential Enhancement Mark!]
Kazuki planned to wait until Pidgeotto reached level 27, then use three Basic Rare Candies to boost it to level 30—placing it in the Elite tier!
The remaining three candies would be saved for Pikachu!
After finalizing the item allocations, Kazuki finally caught sight of Pewter City on the horizon.
Having exited Viridian Forest, Misty no longer had to face Bug-type Pokémon and began humming cheerfully.
Alongside Misty's singing, a familiar system prompt rang in Kazuki's ears—not just one, but two chimes.
[Ding! Perfect Mission—Master of Type Disadvantage: In at least three Gym Badge battles, win using Pokémon that are at a type disadvantage!]
[Mission Reward: Pidgeotite – Enables Pidgeot to Mega Evolve!
Two-Star Potential Enhancement Mark – Increases a Pokémon's potential by one tier when used, up to Champion tier!]
This...!
The mission for the "Master of Type Disadvantage" truly caught Kazuki by surprise. Even Misty beside him noticed his sudden change in expression and leaned in to check on him.
Kazuki casually brushed her off with a vague response and carefully studied the mission rewards.
It really was a Pidgeotite—and a Two-Star Potential Enhancement Mark!
The system was clearly nudging him to focus on raising Pidgeotto.
Pidgeotto already had Elite Four-level potential, and with the Two-Star Potential Enhancement Mark, it could reach the same Champion-level potential as Pikachu!
Unbelievable! No wonder this was one of the great regrets of the original storyline!
In the original plot, Pidgeot waited in vain for over a decade with no resolution. Now, with the Perfect Script system making up for that gap, it was finally time for a meteoric rise!
Alright then, I'm taking this mission. Mega Pidgeot, I'll make sure you soar onto the Champion stage.
After accepting the "Master of Type Disadvantage" mission, Kazuki felt so calm that even the next mission barely stirred a ripple in his heart.
[Ding! Perfect Challenge Mission: Defeat Pewter Gym and earn the Boulder Badge!]
[Mission Reward: Metal Coat – Boosts Steel-type move power by 20%; also a special evolution item for certain Pokémon outside of battle!]
Presumably due to the difference in strength, the reward for challenging Pewter Gym was a bit inferior to that of the Viridian Gym.
Still, the Metal Coat wasn't a bad reward.
Though he didn't yet have an Onix or Scyther, it could still be useful later to power up Steel-type moves for other mechanical Pokémon.
"Hey, Kazuki, are you stressing over how to get the Boulder Badge from Pewter Gym?" Misty noticed his odd expression again and leaned in, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
"If you're not confident about beating Pewter Gym, you can always ask me for help! I can beat it easily!"
She said this while tilting her head up with a smug look.
"Of course I'm confident! And I'll win with a type disadvantage!"
"Braggart! There you go again!" Misty scrunched her nose in disbelief. "You think Gym battles are as easy as wild battles?"
"Gym Leaders' Pokémon are elite among elites!"
"If you're that cocky, you're bound to suffer a crushing defeat!"
"Oh? Sounds like you're itching for another wager?" Kazuki gave her a mischievous grin.
"I swear—" Misty, who had recently been teased by Kazuki over milk, instantly grew alert and crossed her arms over her chest with a flustered pout. "Pervert, what are you planning now?!"
"I'm giving you a kind warning, and here you are, accusing me of lewd intentions!"
"No stakes, I'm just gonna watch how you lose to Pewter Gym!"
"I wasn't talking about anything like that! I meant betting on training methods for other Pokémon types! You're the one with the dirty mind! And you call me a pervert—who's the real one here?!"
"You! Agh! Kazuki, you're impossible!" Misty stomped her feet in frustration.
"Hahaha, alright, alright! Let's go! Didn't you want to see how I take down Pewter Gym?"
Kazuki laughed as he walked up a mountain trail.
"Hey, where are you going? This road leads to Pewter City faster!" Misty stood at the fork, calling after him.
"I'm going for some special training! Come on, or the bugs will bite your butt!"
They were still near the edge of the forest, and there were still plenty of Bug-type Pokémon around. Kazuki's words immediately made Misty shriek in fear.
"Ahhh! Kazuki, wait for me!"
...
Initially, Kazuki had considered catching a Water- or Grass-type Pokémon to counter Pewter Gym.
But now that the "Master of Type Disadvantage" mission had been triggered, he decided to aim for a type-disadvantage victory using Pidgeotto and Pikachu first.
After all, Pewter Gym was considered one of the weaker Gyms in the Kanto Region—making it a great opportunity to achieve that win.
So now, Kazuki was heading to find the older version of Brock from the original script—Flint—to borrow his cabin and help Pikachu learn Thunderbolt!
----
Next chapter at 50 Powerstones :)