After getting to know his system, Gary pulled his attention back to Professor Oak.
"Grandpa, there's starter gear too, right?" Gary asked eagerly.
"Of course. Here, five empty Poké Balls and a Pokédex." Professor Oak handed Gary the two items.
A Pokédex wasn't something you could find just anywhere. It could collect information and also serve as identification.
It would only become standard equipment for all Trainers five years later, and then quickly be replaced by the multifunctional Rotom Phone.
At the time Gary was starting his journey, owning a Pokédex marked a Trainer as a bona fide League insider. The resources available to them were on an entirely different level.
"All right, fully equipped! Thanks, Grandpa." Gary clipped the Poké Balls to his belt, tucked the Pokédex into his pocket, and gave the pocket a satisfied pat.
"And this. Don't forget it." Professor Oak took out a purple crystal pendant and hung it around Gary's neck.
"What's this?" Gary asked curiously.
"Nothing much. Just think of it as a good-luck charm." Professor Oak gave him a meaningful little smile.
"Okay. Thanks, Grandpa." Gary didn't dwell on it and tucked the crystal beneath his collar.
Little did he know that this tiny object would play a crucial role in the future Mew Project!
"All right, when are you planning to set off?" Professor Oak asked, looking at Gary curiously.
"Hmm... I'll wait a little longer." Gary smiled faintly. What was the point of making it big if you couldn't show off back home? Now that he'd finally become a Pokémon Trainer, he simply had to give Ash some special attention.
Ding: Beginner mission issued: Beginner Showdown. Challenge the Trainers setting off on the same day and achieve three consecutive victories! Reward: 300 achievement points, mastery of Pokémon feed formulation for all types...
Seeing how considerate the system was, Gary couldn't help grinning again like he'd eaten some magic mushrooms.
As a top student, Gary naturally had a solid grasp of Pokémon breeding knowledge too. However, Pokémon feed proportions varied subtly depending on species and type.
As a result, even professional Breeders could only master feed formulation for a few types or species of Pokémon.
This all-type feed mastery would solve Gary's basic Pokémon care problems in one fell swoop. It couldn't have come at a better time.
After all, a Pokémon's growth was a long and complicated process.
Even for Bug-type Pokémon, which evolved the fastest, the energy they consumed while growing could determine how high their level would eventually reach.
In the world of Pokémon battles, an awesome Breeder was indispensable if you wanted to go far.
Didn't Ash have a companion with exceptional Pokémon care skills beside him in every region...?
Ding-dong! Just as he was thinking about that, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Professor Oak was in the laboratory, so Gary went to answer the door himself.
"Good morning, Gary!" A girl in a blue dress greeted him happily.
"Morning, Xiao Ye. Come on in." Gary nodded. She was Pallet Town's prospective Trainer number 003, the only girl starting her journey alongside him that day.
As he ushered the girl into the lab, Gary called out, "Grandpa, a new Trainer is here."
"Huh? Okay, I'll be right there." Professor Oak quietly hid the Instant Noodles he was holding, then turned and came out.
"Good morning, Professor Oak." The girl bowed politely in greeting.
"Oh, Xiao Ye. No need to be so formal. Come with me." Professor Oak nodded and took her upstairs to collect her Pokémon.
Whistling, Gary slipped into the laboratory and casually tossed all of Professor Oak's Instant Noodles into the kitchen.
His grandfather's bad habit of cooking Instant Noodles in beakers was already common knowledge. He really needed to break it...
Before long, Xiao Ye had collected her Pokémon and starter gear and came skipping downstairs.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Gary quickly spoke up. "Xiao Ye, you got your Pokémon, right?"
"Yep!" The girl happily held up her Poké Ball. "Now I'm a Pokémon Trainer too!"
Gary smiled faintly. "Then there's a rule every Trainer needs to know. When your eyes meet, that's the signal for a battle."
"Huh? Really?" Xiao Ye froze.
Gary explained with a smile, "Not necessarily, but Trainers along the road really will challenge you when you're out traveling. If you don't want to battle, you can refuse.
"So, we're both beginners. How about a practice match?"
Xiao Ye thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Let's make this my debut battle. Gary, I look forward to learning from you!"
Gary pointed toward the backyard. "Let's go out into the yard. We might demolish the house if we battle in here."
"Okay!" Xiao Ye agreed with a nod, and the two youngsters headed to the backyard together.
Professor Oak glanced over with interest, then let them go. "Heh heh, I'll use this chance to cook some Instant Noodles..."
"Huh? Where are my Instant Noodles?!"
The two reached the backyard, and Gary looked at his opponent with interest. "Xiao Ye, I won't go easy on you."
Xiao Ye flushed slightly. "I don't need you to! I'll show you how strong my Bulbasaur is!"
Gary almost laughed aloud. Charmander against Bulbasaur? I've got the advantage here!
The two took their positions a suitable distance apart, following the setup for a street battle.
Xiao Ye excitedly raised her Poké Ball. This was her first battle, a moment to remember. "Bulbasaur, come on out!"
Pop! The thrown Poké Ball opened in midair, releasing Bulbasaur in a flash of white light.
Then the Poké Ball retraced its memorized trajectory, bouncing back into Xiao Ye's hand.
"Bulba, bulba!" Her Bulbasaur had a very gentle temperament and appeared with a sweet, clueless smile.
"Ahem... Come on out, Charmander." Gary promptly released his own Charmander too.
"Char?" Upon landing, Charmander first tilted his head in confusion, then noticed Gary behind him.
"Hey, little guy. Let's get along. I'll be your Trainer from now on." Gary looked at Charmander confidently and held out his right fist.
As the Fire-type Pokémon with the most impressive offensive power among the three starters, Charmander was also the hardest to raise.
Fire-type Pokémon had fiery tempers and were often reluctant to obey new Trainers.
Yet, looking into Gary's confident eyes, Charmander found himself without any urge to resist.
Seeing Gary's outstretched fist, Charmander trotted forward a couple of steps and gave a little hop, bumping his small fist against Gary's.
"Wow, Gary's amazing... He can get along so well with a Charmander he just met. Bulbasaur, let's fist-bump too." Xiao Ye looked eagerly at her Bulbasaur.
"Bulba?" Bulbasaur yawned, flopped straight down on the ground, and started dozing.
Clearly, even though Grass-type Pokémon were gentle, that didn't mean a beginner could make them do whatever they wanted.
Meanwhile, Gary noticed Xiao Ye's situation too and shook his head with a smile. When a kid won't listen, it's usually because they're spoiled...
A good beating will sort them out.
"All right, this is just a practice match between beginners, so we don't need a referee. Let's begin." Gary's smile faded as he grew serious.
"Okay!" Xiao Ye nodded and cheered Bulbasaur on. "Bulbasaur, you can do it!"
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur flipped upright and cautiously watched the Charmander opposite him, going on guard.
"Oh, interesting. Looks like he does have some battle instincts." Gary wasted no time calling out, "Charmander, attack with your claws!"
"Charrr!" Charmander spread his arms, tiny glints of cold light flashing across both claws, and lunged straight at Bulbasaur!
"Um... well..." Clearly nervous in her first battle, the girl struggled to give a command.
Smack! Bulbasaur stood rooted to the spot, and Charmander's claws raked straight across his face...
"Xiao Ye, calm down. Think about Bulbasaur's moves. If you can't remember, don't you have a Pokédex?" Gary reminded her.
"Right! The Pokédex!" As though she'd found a lifeline, Xiao Ye hurriedly took out her Pokédex, flipped it open, and scanned her Bulbasaur.
Watching her frantic fumbling, Gary began to understand why Ash had checked his Pokédex before every battle early on.
He simply hadn't known enough...
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