"Are we finally almost there? The Hoenn Region!"
Standing on the ship's deck, Gary gazed into the distance at the faint outline of the continent appearing ahead, feeling a mix of profound emotions in his heart.
Ever since bidding farewell to his grandfather, Professor Oak, in Pallet Town, Gary had boarded a ship alone to head toward his destination for this trip: the Hoenn Region.
After experiencing a few days of sailing on the ocean, he was now just a step away from the Hoenn Region. Therefore, looking at the nearby Hoenn Region, Gary felt a myriad of thoughts churning within him.
Similarly, this new continent and new Pokémon League represented a new challenge and a new opportunity for the new Gary.
Thinking of this, coupled with the surprise Larvitar had given him a few days ago, Gary's mood was as bright as the warm sun in the sky, making him feel happy and delighted.
After obtaining the Larvitar gifted by his grandfather, Professor Oak, aside from acquiring a pseudo-legendary Pokémon with high aptitude, Gary had also received a super-high reward from the system.
It was precisely because of this reward that, from the moment he boarded the ship all the way until now, the sense of joy in Gary's heart had never faded.
I imagine everyone must be very curious about just what kind of thing allowed Gary's good mood to persist until now.
I think that if everyone knew the reward he obtained, you would undoubtedly feel just like Gary eating an ice lolly under the scorching sun-utterly refreshed and gratified from head to toe.
That's right. After Gary caught the pseudo-legendary-aptitude Larvitar, the system gave him two prizes.
One of them was the Aptitude Enhancement Card obtained from catching Elekid, which could raise the aptitude of any Pokémon below champion aptitude by one rank.
So after obtaining this Aptitude Enhancement Card, Gary decisively used it on Arcanine. Consequently, among the Pokémon currently in Gary's active roster, even the one with the lowest aptitude had reached the champion level.
The Pokémon that Gary had brought with him to the Hoenn Region now were: Blastoise, Arcanine, Umbreon, and Shiny Metagross, which were the mainstays to be intensively cultivated later on, as well as Elekid and Larvitar, which still required time to train.
Although the Aptitude Enhancement Card was quite extraordinary, it wasn't enough to keep Gary surprised until now. The reward that truly made him feel extremely joyful was another one-a reward that Gary had been longing for all along.
The second reward Gary obtained was the Super Pallet Towner physique.
Yes, it was the special physique possessed by the protagonist Ash, rumored in his past life, which made his constitution different from ordinary people and eventually allowed him to even lift a Cosmoem weighing a whopping 999.9 kg. Now, it had been awarded to Gary by the system.
Originally, Gary thought this was just a joke by netizens in his past life, but he hadn't expected it to actually exist in this world.
Therefore, ever since he acquired this physique, Gary had been happy right up until now.
With this Super Pallet Towner physique, he could gradually improve his physical fitness in the future and then be able to rival Ash.
Just as Gary was still deeply immersed in the joy of obtaining the Super Pallet Towner physique, the ship he was riding on unknowingly arrived at the forward station of his trip, which was Gary's destination: Hoenn Station.
Awakened by the broadcast prompt on the ship, Gary packed his luggage and, following the flow of disembarking passengers, came to the pier where the ship was docked.
"I've finally arrived in the Hoenn Region."
Looking at the expanse of lush forests before him, a smile also appeared on Gary's face.
The Hoenn Region was a large region southwest of the Johto Region, featuring a wide variety of natural environments ranging from tropical rainforests to deserts, but its most striking characteristic was its vast expanse of water. This body of water was almost equal in area to the mainland, forming a huge contrast with other regions. Islands of various sizes were scattered around the mainland, and they could only be reached by waterways. Some areas even allowed for diving. The types of vegetation and climate in the Hoenn Region showed that it was far warmer than other continents.
Therefore, the Hoenn Region was even more suitable for human habitation than the Kanto Region and the Johto Region where Gary had traveled previously. Consequently, quite a few people had moved from other regions to live in the Hoenn Region because they liked its environment and climate.
"However, before challenging the Pokémon League of the Hoenn Region, I should head to Professor Birch's Laboratory first."
Since the pier where Gary currently was stood very close to Littleroot Town where Professor Birch resided, Gary needed to pay a visit to Professor Birch first.
As for why Gary was visiting Professor Birch, first, it was at the request of his own grandfather to visit on his behalf.
Second, Professor Oak had said that the new type of Pokédex Gary needed could be collected right there at Professor Birch's place by taking this opportunity, and that he had already made advance arrangements.
The third reason was Gary's own idea. Professor Birch was, after all, a very famous Pokémon professor, so visiting and getting to know him would be quite beneficial for Gary's subsequent development.
Therefore, after confirming the direction of Littleroot Town, Gary didn't linger any longer at the pier, instead heading toward the direction of Professor Birch's Laboratory in Littleroot Town.
Because the pier was very close to Littleroot Town, Gary spent very little time arriving at Professor Birch's Laboratory.
Upon reaching the entrance of the laboratory, Gary first glanced around at the surrounding environment before walking up to the door and ringing the doorbell.
"Ding-dong!"
Following the sound of the doorbell for a moment, the front door was quickly opened by someone. However, the person who came out wasn't Professor Birch, but a young man also wearing a lab coat.
Without an introduction, Gary knew he must be a researcher and part-time assistant under Professor Birch.
After opening the door, the assistant discovered that he didn't recognize Gary, so he asked curiously, "Excuse me, who are you?"
"Hello, I am Gary Oak from Pallet Town. I'm here to visit Professor Birch today." Seeing the assistant's inquiry, Gary immediately stated the purpose of his visit.
"Gary Oak..." Upon hearing Gary's self-introduction, the assistant fell into deep thought, but he quickly remembered and wore a look of sudden realization. "You must be Gary, the one Professor Birch mentioned would be coming to visit."
"That's right." Seeing the assistant recognize him, Gary nodded.
"You've finally arrived. Professor Birch has been waiting for you for a long time."
With that, the assistant stepped aside to let Gary inside.
"Pardon the intrusion." After saying this, Gary followed the assistant into the laboratory.
Under the guidance of the assistant, Gary soon arrived at the spot where Professor Birch was conversing with a young girl.
The moment Gary saw this young girl, an expression of surprise immediately appeared on his face.
"She is..."
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