On the outskirts of Viridian Forest, Gary encountered a Scyther with exceptional potential.
"Whoosh!" Scyther truly was a born warrior. The moment the battle began, his entire presence became razor-sharp!
Though hunger left him trembling all over, he still swung his scythes with tremendous force.
Shing! A transparent, crescent-shaped shock wave flew toward Charmander. It was Scyther's Sonic Boom.
"Charmander, Smokescreen!" Gary had no intention of fighting Scyther up close. Charmander's physical strength was still slightly inferior.
"Char!" Charmander opened his mouth, blanketing Scyther in black smoke.
Scyther remained completely calm. He crossed his scythes in front of his chest, preparing to use Swords Dance.
The move could both disperse the smoke and raise his attack power. It was an excellent choice.
But Gary wasn't about to give him that chance. Had anyone ever noticed that Koffing's Smokescreen exploded when exposed to fire?
Gary had already tested it. The black smoke contained large amounts of flammable gas. All it needed was a little flame~
"Charmander, Smoke Burn!" Gary snapped his fingers.
Click! Charmander closed his mouth, then struck his teeth together, sending a tiny spark flying.
Boom! The entire cloud of smoke ignited.
"Whoosh!" Scyther was instantly swallowed by the flames. Frantically swinging his scythes, he rushed out of the ring of fire.
But he had already been dizzy with hunger. After being roasted by the flames as well, Scyther was on his last legs.
"Whoosh!" Scyther suddenly beat his wings hard, thrusting his sharp scythes toward Charmander.
That Quick Attack used up the last of his strength.
"Charmander, Dragon Claw!" Gary would not disrespect a warrior's resolve. He met Scyther's final blow head-on.
Bang! Charmander spread both claws. Green energy formed enormous dragon claws, which he swung fiercely in a cross.
Boom! A cloud of dust erupted between them.
Crack! Suddenly, thunder split the sky, and rain began falling over the forest.
Gary looked up at the lightning not far away. It seemed Ash was finished. He had better pick up the pace, too.
As the dust cleared, Gary looked toward Charmander.
Charmander and Scyther lay sprawled together, both knocked out.
"Even with such a huge disadvantage in stamina, he still managed a double knockout." Gary nodded. This Scyther certainly had guts.
Without further hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball straight at Scyther.
With a pop, Scyther turned into a streak of red light and was drawn into the Poké Ball.
"All right, let's get going, too."
After putting away the Poké Ball, Gary recalled both Eevee and Charmander into their balls. Then he headed toward the main road.
After walking for two hours, until the afternoon sky began to take on a faint reddish tint, Gary finally saw the entrance to Viridian City.
"That's it?" Gary couldn't understand how anyone could get lost on such a straight road.
"Hey, hey, hey! You there, stop!" Suddenly, a Growlithe darted out, followed by a policewoman who stepped in front of Gary.
"Hello, Officer Jenny." Gary took out his Pokédex without being asked.
"You know me?" Officer Jenny paused in surprise.
"Who doesn't? The Officer Jenny Family is a Police Family. We're counting on you to keep the world peaceful." Gary spread his hands.
The League's two most famous female families, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, controlled its law enforcement and medical services respectively. They could be called its most influential families.
The way those two families produced children as though copying and pasting was also a popular topic of conversation.
No matter what the father looked like, any daughter born to them would have the same face, as if cast from a mold. All he could say was that Officer Jenny's and Nurse Joy's chromosomes were seriously impressive...
"Let me check this Pokédex~" Officer Jenny took it and fiddled with it for a while before the identification information appeared.
"This Pokédex was issued to Gary of Pallet Town. Please note that if it is lost or damaged, a replacement cannot be issued at present." Professor Oak's voice came from the Pokédex.
Gary curled his lip. Liar. There are clearly several spares in the drawer at home~
"Good, your identity is confirmed. You may enter the city." Officer Jenny returned the Pokédex to Gary with a friendly expression.
"Has anything strange happened lately? Why set up a checkpoint at the entrance?" Gary asked out of curiosity.
"A Pokémon Thief Gang has recently arrived in the city, so don't wander around after dark," Officer Jenny warned him.
"Got it. Thanks for the warning. I'll be going now." After thanking Officer Jenny, Gary walked into Viridian City without looking back.
A regular Team Rocket squad generally consisted of one squad leader and three to five members.
The members' Pokémon averaged around level 18, while the squad leader's were around level 25. If Gary ran into them now, even he would find them troublesome.
The Team Rocket Trio, however, was an exception. After all, it was quite a feat for a single training camp to produce two such "brilliant minds" as Jessie and James.
With a Koffing and an Ekans raised by Team Rocket to around level 18, they had somehow still been beaten by a Caterpie.
Nobody would believe it if you told them!
So Gary was more than happy to welcome those three walking bundles of experience.
Since it was still early, Gary made a special detour to take a look at the Viridian Gym.
Between its lavish ancient Greek decor and the Spartan warriors guarding the entrance, it was clear that their boss Giovanni had quite a wild streak deep down.
But if anyone expected Gary to challenge this Gym right now, Young Master Mao would have to decline. He wasn't remotely up to that challenge...
Even setting aside the possibility of a Mewtwo suddenly appearing, Giovanni's Pokémon, easily level 40 or 50 and above, were beyond anything Gary could challenge right now...
Unless his grandfather was willing to lend him the three powerhouses in his backyard for the battle, Gary had absolutely no desire to seek a beating from Giovanni...
Before the sunlight turned red, Gary arrived at the Pokémon Center just in time.
He signed his Pokémon up for Express Recovery, then used the break to call Professor Oak and let him know he was safe.
Buzz~ Buzz~ The video call connected~
A beaker full of instant noodles came into view...
"Grandpa!" Gary called in exasperation.
"Oh dear, I had the camera facing the wrong way!" Wearing an embarrassed smile, Professor Oak hurriedly switched the view.
"How's it going, my dear grandson? Where have you gotten to?" Professor Oak tried to cover up the fact that he had been cooking instant noodles in a beaker.
"Oh, give it a rest. I saw everything." Gary glanced sideways toward the corner of the screen.
Professor Oak scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, you know I don't like running around when I'm doing research. Besides, I washed the beaker..."
"Honestly, Grandpa, leaving aside whether cooking instant noodles in a beaker is proper lab practice, that stuff isn't healthy either. Didn't I buy you plenty of frozen food?" Gary patiently tried to reason with him.
"Hahahaha! All right, I know. I'll cook some dumplings in a minute." Professor Oak hurriedly cut Gary off. Otherwise, who knew how long the lecture would last...
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