"So far, I've captured three Pokémon," Gary said.
"Only three?" Professor Oak's voice carried obvious surprise. "That seems rather low."
He frowned slightly. This year, four rookie Trainers had departed from Pallet Town. Orange and Yellow had already caught over six Pokémon each. So why was his own grandson, who should be the most accomplished of the group, lagging behind?
"I'm pursuing the elite route, Grandpa," Gary explained calmly. "I don't want weak Pokémon."
"I see. Then which three did you capture?"
Professor Oak's curiosity was piqued.
"I caught Metapod, Exeggutor, and Scyther."
"Exeggutor… and Scyther?!"
Professor Oak's eyebrows shot up. The Metapod was unremarkable—a standard Bug-type—but Exeggutor and Scyther were both exceptional Pokémon. For a rookie Trainer to possess both was genuinely impressive.
"Gary, are you certain you captured those two yourself?" he asked, unable to hide his skepticism.
Logically, it didn't add up. Gary's starter was Squirtle, which had a typing disadvantage against Exeggutor. And Scyther was a Speed-type demon. Squirtle, still in its early stages, would have struggled to land a clean hit.
"Yes. I caught Exeggcute first and immediately evolved it with a Leaf Stone," Gary explained. "Later, when I encountered Scyther in Viridian Forest, I used Exeggutor to defeat and capture it."
Professor Oak wiped his brow. He hadn't expected such a smooth journey from his grandson. To catch a perfectly good Exeggcute and then immediately encounter a Scyther? The luck was staggering.
"But then, why did you capture Metapod?" Oak asked. "You already have Scyther as a Bug-type. It seems redundant."
"Because I encountered a Shiny Caterpie," Gary said simply.
Professor Oak's eyes went wide.
"A Shiny Caterpie?! Show me!"
Even for someone of Professor Oak's stature, Shiny Pokémon sightings were exceptionally rare. The fact that his own grandson had encountered one filled him with genuine excitement.
"My Pokémon are still with Nurse Joy being checked over. I'll show you later, Grandpa."
"That's a shame. Well, focus on your Gym battle for now," Professor Oak said, disappointment clear in his voice. "Do your best."
"Will do. Goodbye, Grandpa."
The call ended.
Gary made his way to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria for a late lunch. After eating, he decided to spend the afternoon exploring Route 3, which bordered the mountains near Pewter City.
His plan was threefold: first, to look for a high-quality Pidgey; second, to scout for Ground-type Pokémon; and third, to see if he could encounter any Mankey.
The mountains near Pewter City were home to Rock and Ground-types. He needed to capture a Rhyhorn eventually—the system mission required a Rhydon on his Champion Team.
Beyond those two, Mankey was part of his long-term strategy. Mankey could evolve into Primeape, and eventually into Annihilape. Annihilape was a Fighting/Ghost-type hybrid—perfect for dealing with Sabrina's Psychic-type Gym later on.
Ghost-types like Gengar were the obvious choice for countering Psychic Pokémon, but they were incredibly hard to find and even harder to capture with current strength. Annihilape, while having lower Special Attack, made up for it with superior bulk and raw physical power.
Besides, Annihilape was actually the superior choice.
In Kanto, only two Fighting-type Pokémon had base stats of 500 or higher: Machamp (505 base stats, pure Fighting) and Annihilape (535 base stats, Fighting/Ghost).
Annihilape outclassed Machamp on paper.
The only problem was that Annihilape's evolution method hadn't been scientifically documented yet. Even experienced Fighting specialists hadn't figured out the exact trigger.
In the games, the evolution required using Rage Fist twenty times consecutively in battle while defeating opponents and leveling up. It was a cumbersome requirement, and real-world evolution would be even more unpredictable and difficult to achieve.
Gary planned to capture a Mankey, train it into a Primeape, and then slowly experiment with evolution methods once Primeape had mastered Rage Fist. It would require patience, but eventually, he'd unlock Annihilape's potential.
Afternoon
Gary took his team to Route 3, actively searching for his target Pokémon while simultaneously leveling Squirtle through wild encounters.
The Eye of Insight made his search incredibly efficient.
But as the afternoon wore on, frustration set in. Every Pokémon he encountered was either common or Elite-tier at best. Nothing matched his standards.
He did face some aggressive wild Pokémon—but nothing he couldn't handle. Squirtle dispatched them all with relative ease, gaining precious experience.
Eventually, Gary made a strategic decision.
"The Pokémon around heavily populated areas are weaker," he muttered. "Low potential, sparse distribution. I should give up on capturing in this early stage."
He had come to understand that human civilization repelled powerful Pokémon. The truly high-potential creatures stayed in remote areas where people rarely ventured. And going into those places now would be reckless—his team wasn't strong enough yet.
Better to grind levels first, then hunt high-potential Pokémon later.
"Alright, Metapod. You've done great work," Gary said, gently cradling the chrysalis Pokémon he'd been using as bait all afternoon. "Let me put you back."
He'd held Metapod outside the entire time, hoping to attract Pidgeotto. Instead, he'd only encountered multiple aggressive Spearow. No Pidgeotto. No Pidgey.
"Buzz—!"
But just as Gary reached for a Poké Ball, Metapod's body suddenly convulsed.
Gary froze. He immediately recognized what was happening. He gently set Metapod down on the grass and waited, watching in silence.
"Squirtle!"
"Scyther!"
Both Pokémon sensed the shift and moved closer to observe.
The evolution light erupted without warning—a brilliant, incandescent glow that enveloped Metapod's entire form. For a moment, the shape didn't seem to change. But then, a pair of delicate wings unfurled from what had been a hardened shell. As the wings spread wide, a body emerged from the chrysalis husk.
The light faded.
A Shiny Butterfree stood where Metapod had been.
The Shiny form was striking. Its hands and feet glowed a soft, light pink. The butterfly wings—normally black and white—had pale pink tinting the white sections. Its eyes were a striking turquoise.
Honestly, Gary thought the coloration was less aesthetically pleasing than the standard Butterfree palette. He'd never quite understood why some Shiny variants looked worse than their normal counterparts.
The pink Butterfree from the original anime had been a mystery to Gary—how such a color variation even came to be was beyond his understanding.
"Meow~!"
The newly evolved Butterfree immediately fluttered over to Gary's side, hovering at chest height. Its movements were graceful, almost elegant.