Red was quite the chatterbox, a personality trait that caught Noah by surprise. With Red filling the air with talk, the atmosphere during their dragon ride was anything but stale. Charizard’s wings flapped rhythmically in the sky, serving as a lively backdrop to their conversations.

 

However, it wasn’t long before a sprawling, concrete jungle came into view on the horizon. “There it is, Viridian City,” Red declared, pointing forward. “Is it cool if I drop you off there?”

 

“Yeah, totally. That works for me,” Noah responded, his demeanor now noticeably more at ease since he started talking to Red.

“Awesome. So, I gotta ask,” Red turned his eyes towards the plastic bags that had been riding alongside them. “What’s the deal with those? Haven’t seen anything quite like ‘em.”

 

“You mean these? They’re just cup ramen and soda,” Noah explained, still amazed Red hadn’t seen them before. “Have you never heard of them before?”

“I know what soda is, but cup ramen? What are those?” Red was genuinely puzzled, his eyes fixated on the plastic-wrapped instant noodles.

 

“Super simple,” Noah elaborated, taking out one to show him. “You add water, some seasoning, and boom—you’ve got yourself a meal. Though, heating it definitely makes it more flavorful.”

“Interesting. Where could I get some?” Red was keen, his eyes nearly glittering at the idea of convenient, instant food.

 

“Oh, I think they discontinued the sales of this thing,” Noah replied, “I haven’t seen them in markets for ages,” I think I’m getting better at bullshitting, Noah thought.

“Wow, what a bummer,” Red lamented, seemingly disappointed by the news.

 

“You know what, I can spare you some,” Noah offered.

“Really?” Red’s eyes widened, “Are you sure? Don’t these have some sort of rarity to them?”

 

“You did help escape out of this hellhole, consider it a thank-you gift,” Noah insisted.

“Well, that is true… at least let me pay you for it,” Red conceded,

 

“How does 5 thousand Pokedollars for 1 sound?” Red offered.

“Deal!” Noah instantly agreed, he wasn’t sure about the value of Pokedollars in this word, but 5 thousand surely wasn’t a low number, right?

 

Red dug into his rustic brown wallet and then looked up. “So how many cup ramens do you have?”

 

“Five,” Noah counted quickly.

 

“All I’ve got are 50k bills. You cool with that?” Red replied with an nonchalant look.

“What?” Noah’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

 

“50k for the ramen, is that fine?”

“Uh, yeah, absolutely.”

 

Transaction completed, Noah pocketed a 50000 Pokedollar bill. How much that amounted to in this world, he still had no idea.

 

As Charizard started its descent, Red warned, “We’re approaching Viridian City, brace yourself.” Below them lay a large tower near the city outskirts. Resembling a helipad, but on steroids, the landing area was buzzing with people—some dressed as trainers, others in business attire.

 

Charizard dived down, before gracefully flapping its wings at the last second, landing on the ground with a perfect score.

 

Upon landing, a woman in a tailored suit greeted them. She had her sights set on Red. “Good afternoon, Mr. Red, and welcome to Viridian City.”

 

Ignoring the opportunistic woman, Red turned to Noah, “Someone will guide you from here. Take care,” and without further ado, he mounted Charizard, bags of cup ramen in tow, and lifted off, leaving the staff gaping in awe.

 

“Let’s get you settled, sir,” the woman offered, her smile unwavering.

 

It didn’t they long before they finally reached the bottom of the tower,.

 

As Noah was about to step out, she gently tapped his shoulder, handing him a business card. “If you ever need assistance, give me a call.” The card read: Silph Co. Anne Morita, followed by a string of numbers.

 

“Sure,” Noah nodded, breaking the awkward silence and taking his first steps into the vibrant city.

 

The feeling of being back in civilization washed over him. “Ahhh, yes, finally back in society!” A smile formed on his lips. Riolu marveled at sight before him, his round eyes shining in wonder at the towers that seemed to touch the sky.

 

“Ruff, ruff, ruff ,ruff!” Riolu pointed at the tallest skyscraper, his head turned towards Noah, eyes sparkling in wonder.

“That’s a skyscraper, buddy,” Noah chuckled at the Pokemon’s fascination, amused.

 

They navigated through the busy streets, with Riolu halting occasionally to inquire about new sights. Upon spotting a bakery, his excitement reached a fever pitch.

 

“Ruff!”Riolu barked, pointing at the shop selling delicious pastries. “That’s a bakery, Riolu” Noah explained, as Riolu grabbed his hand and rushed towards it.

 

Riolu paused in front of a mouthwatering white slice of cake, a smell so divine it was practically begging him to take a bite.

 

“Wait!” Noah grabbed Riolu just in time, causing a moment of tension as their eyes met. “Hold on, let me check the price.” He sighed at the 1,200 Pokedollar tag, just as a brown-haired woman approached.

 

“Any issue here?” she asked.

 

“Can we get this cake?” Noah inquired.

 

“Absolutely,” the woman said, wrapping up the cake with practiced ease, and leading them to the counter.

 

“That’ll be 1200 Pokedollars, please,” She said, with a smile befitting a business owner.

“Here,” Noah handed over the red 50k bill that Red had given him.

 

The woman put the bill into the cashier register without batting an eye, quickly picking out an assortment of bills from the open register and handing it to him.

 

“That’ll be 48800 Pokedollars as change,” She handed Noah 4 white bills, 8 green bills and 4 yellow bills. The bills were worth 10k, 1k, and 200 Pokedollars each.

 

“Hope you’ll visit again,” she chirped as they exited the bakery.

 

Riolu eagerly snatched the cake but awaited Noah’s approval, but still awaited his approval. “Knock yourself out,” Noah said with a smile.

 

With a grin, Riolu dug into the cake. A blissful expression formed on his face as he relished the sweet taste of the cake. Breaking off a half, Riolu handed it to Noah.

 

With a warm smile, Noah picked up the cake with his bare hands and stuffed it into his mouth, enjoying the moment together with Riolu.

 

Unbeknownst to them, a small group of individuals were lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.