Aside from the 10 major cities and the indigo plateau, the Kanto Region had a lot of smaller cities, towns and villages as well. The number of Pokemon Gyms are also not limited to just 8, although they were the main ones.
Eric was currently in the outskirts of the Redwood forest, which was connected to the Redwood Town. The league paid relatively lower attention to this town as it paled in comparison to other, more important cities. That is to say, there were a lot of underground gangs in this town. The Arbok Gang was one of the 5 major gangs here.
Of course, the League has to maintain a reputation, so the public and residential areas were still very safe and protected. Its just that there were a lot more lawless zones and black markets.
Eric reached the city by nightfall. Luckily the policemen were already done with their raid and he didn't find much trouble.
He was faced with a new problem, however. He was completely broke!
He did take some money lying around in that thug's room but it wasn't much.
Just about 1000 pokedollars.
He'll be able to rent out a place for 2-3 days with this money, but not in his current state.
Torn clothes, dirt, blood stains. People will think he stole the money. Well, they won't be wrong. Nobody would rent out to him like this.
Eric sighed and looked for a flea market. Even there he drew looks. Curious, Suspicious, wary. But he ignored all of them. He'd dealt with such looks all his life.
He bought a basic black t-shirt and blue jeans, which cost him 200 pokedollars.
After washing up his face at a public tap, he checked his reflection again. He still looked malnourished with messy hair, but this was manageable.
An hour later, he found a room.
"250, One night. You pay upfront."
The owner was very direct with his words, leaving no room for negotiation.
Eric handed over the money without saying a word. He knew he didn't have any negotiation power right now.
The room was small and empty. It had a bed and a table. Nothing else.
The first thing Eric did was taken a shower. He washed away the dirt, the blood, everything. After that he collapsed on the bed. Things felt quiet and calm for a moment. In the last four years, he could count moments like these on his fingers.
Unfortunately it didn't last. It never does. As soon as he relaxed, all the memories came back uninvited. His past life, his present life, the raid, the rattata.
Eric's body tensed. He was too weak. And as long as he remains weak, he will never find a moment of peace. This belief was instilled into Eric ever since he was young.
"Gas!"
"It's fine, Gastly! Nights are usually tough for me. Don't worry about it."
Gastly didn't fully understand, but he stayed near Eric. And that made Eric not feel lonely for the first time in his life.
He shut his eyes briefly, then he sat up with determination. Thinking won't change anything. But actions would.
Gastly has a high potential, he won't forgive himself if he wasted it due to his inaptitude.
First things they need is money. Eric checked to see how much he has left.
After paying for food and water, he had about 400 bucks left.
Eric clicked his tongue.
"Tomorrow we are going to the Pokemon Center and register as trainers!" Eric said firmly.
"Gastly!"
(Note: By the way, animals exist in this world. And a bunch of pokemon parts are edible that regrow after cutting them. Like slowpoke's Tail. You can eat Pokemon of course, but Eric as a fan of Pokémon won't kill them just for food. It's also looked down upon. It's like people who eat dog or cat meat. People do eat certain species like Magikarp though)
---
Being a Pokemon trainer is not impossible for poor people, they are just not very likely to succeed. The league encourages it to keep the dream alive. Let people think it's possible, and they wouldn't question the system much.
Most trainers from common backgrounds never make it far, unless they had some fated encounters. Most stopped at the intermediate level, with very few becoming Advanced trainers.
The main obstacle they face alongside limited resources and no guidance, is not having a good starter Pokemon.
They use their limited resources on a Pokemon with poor potential, wasting crucial time. They try to use their starter pokemon and catch a pokemon with higher potential, but these Pokemon are rare. And the wilderness is dangerous. Many beginner trainers die because they venture too deep without having sufficient strength.
Eric did not have this problem. His Gastly had a great potential. That alone put him far ahead of other commoners.
---
Eric didn't waste time. Even inside the cramped room, he made Gastly practice moves like hypnosis or confuse ray.
Every second mattered. He can't afford to dilly dally.
They stopped training by midnight. Eric couldn't go to sleep, so he asked Gastly to use hypnosis on him. That worked wonders as Eric was able to rest properly.
By morning, he was fully recovered. The recovery speed of his body was truly amazing. Now he just needs to get proper nutrition and start exercising.
---
The first thing Eric did after going out was to find a berry shop. He then sold 150 Oran berries after some negotiation at 6P (pokedollars) per piece.
Fyi, Gastly can store items in his shadow, so they had taken as many berries as he can store, which was about 200 berries.
Eric now had 1125P to start the day.
He then went to the Pokemon Center to register for his trainer ID. As it turns out, that costs money too. 500P!
Sigh. At least he's now an official trainer.
The next thing on his agenda was information. This is not the game. He needs proper information from this world on Pokemon training. He found a bookstore for Pokémon trainers.
Basic Pokémon training guide: 2500P
'...'
"We're going back to the Redwood Forest, Gastly." Eric said with a deadpanned face.
It's like everything was reminding him he was poor. Leave me alone!
So what if the Forest is dangerous.
He has no money. All he can do is bet with his life.
With that, An angry 16 year old and a ghost stormed into the Redwood forest.