The Pokémon Champion Green had chosen were all exceptionally powerful. Except for Pidgeot, every member of the team had base stats exceeding 500—making each one a worthwhile investment for serious training.
With this team, winning the Indigo Plateau Conference would be more than achievable.
"Squirtle, let's head back."
Gary pulled out his bicycle, settled Squirtle on the front basket, and pedaled toward Viridian City.
Halfway to the city gates, the sky suddenly darkened. An ominous layer of black clouds rolled in from nowhere.
Boom!
A thunderclap shattered the air.
Gary braked hard and turned to look back toward Pallet Town.
Ash should be fine.
He grimaced at the violent display. Even knowing Ash was the so-called chosen one—a rookie who somehow survived every catastrophe—Gary couldn't shake the unease that crept up his spine at the sight of such raw nature.
But this was part of Pikachu's growth. The reason Ash's Pikachu would become so powerful was directly tied to this very night—the thunderstorm that pushed them both to their limits.
Gary kicked off again, pushing the thought aside.
It wasn't his problem. Not yet, anyway.
Viridian City Pokémon Center:
"Guests, any Pokémon brought here will receive the very best treatment. You can rest assured to leave your Pokémon with us."
Nurse Joy greeted warmly from behind the counter.
Viridian City was far from ordinary. It was one of the most developed cities in the Kanto Region, its prosperity bleeding into neighboring Pallet Town. The city hummed with energy, its streets teeming with Trainers and merchants alike.
This development, Gary knew, had everything to do with Team Rocket.
To operate unnoticed beneath the city's surface, Team Rocket had pumped resources into Viridian City's growth. The powerful Viridian Gym—which Giovanni himself led—was their crowning achievement in the region.
I wonder if Mewtwo has awakened yet?
Gary's thoughts drifted as he stepped inside.
Mewtwo had already been created by Team Rocket, but it remained in induced slumber. According to the original timeline, the clone would wake within three months before the Indigo Plateau Conference.
That gave Mewtwo less than a year before its awakening.
In the original storyline, Gary had personally experienced Mewtwo's power—and been utterly crushed by it.
He had no intention of tangling with Team Rocket. Even as Professor Oak's grandson, he didn't have the standing to challenge an organization their size.
Team Rocket had existed since before Professor Oak was born. Decades of operations had given them deep roots stretching across Kanto and Johto, with subsidiaries in nearly every other region.
Unless the Kanto League itself decided to purge the region from top to bottom, completely eradicating them was fantasy.
I should just focus on becoming a strong Trainer and living comfortably.
It wasn't worth the headache.
Pokémon themselves were magical enough. Gary knew exactly how powerful Arceus truly was—far beyond anything humanity could match. If every human on the planet fought together, they might kill one of Arceus' clones at best.
He pushed through the doors of the Pokémon Center and left Squirtle with Nurse Joy for treatment.
The next morning — 8:30 AM
Gary had slept in. A rare treat.
After collecting Squirtle, he made his way to the largest Pokémon Department Store in Viridian City. The shop sold every manner of item related to Pokémon—balls, medicine, training equipment, and most importantly, Evolution Stones.
Now that he had two Pokémon, supplies were necessary. He needed a Leaf Stone for Exeggutor, and a Fire Stone for Arcanine—another piece of the Champion's team.
Arcanine was exceptionally rare in the Kanto Region. Wild Growlithe and Arcanine were nearly impossible to find, their populations tightly controlled by the authorities.
The black market existed, of course—but with Gary's reputation as Professor Oak's grandson, purchasing from illegal sources would be career suicide.
According to the world's laws, rare Pokémon couldn't be bought or captured freely. Only League-recognized Trainers were permitted to catch them. The League justified this by arguing that rare species would be better cared for in Trainers' hands than left in the wild.
Gary didn't worry, though. His grandfather's connections went deep.
Through official channels, he could obtain a Growlithe from the police department. Female Growlithe were reserved for breeding programs and never released—but males were sometimes available for adoption.
Even then, it required considerable pull to obtain one.
He wheeled his bicycle to a stop in front of the department store and dismounted.
Before he could head inside, two wanted posters stapled to the notice board caught his attention. Both showed the same blurry silhouette—a man and a woman, neither face visible. Only the woman's distinctly pink hair provided any detail.
Team Rocket.
Gary recognized their operatives instantly. The organization really had infiltration teams everywhere.
He shook his head. Officer Jenny in Viridian City was completely incompetent. Even on a wanted poster, why not post an actual face photo? Who could identify someone from a silhouette?
[Ding! Task Released: Prevent the Viridian Pokémon Center from being destroyed by Ash's Pikachu.]
[Reward: Low-level Rare Candy ×10]
Gary froze mid-step.
What?
His plan had been to avoid Ash entirely—but the system had just planted a mission directly in his path.
Ten rare candies wasn't a small reward. That was more than he'd received for some of his previous tasks combined.
His jaw tightened.
According to the timeline, Ash had already arrived at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Pikachu was receiving treatment there after sustaining severe injuries from the storm.
Because Pikachu was so critically wounded, it remained in the treatment center until evening.
Team Rocket only appeared at night.
"Then I'll go at night," Gary decided.
It didn't matter if he failed. At worst, he simply wouldn't receive the reward.
He left the Bicycle and walked inside.
According to the attendant's directions, the third floor specialized in Evolution Stones. Gary made his way up, noting the wide variety of items on display.
A sales clerk spotted him immediately—his handsome face tended to draw attention—and hurried over with a bright smile.
"Well, aren't you a handsome young man. What kind of Evolution Stone are you looking for? We have a complete selection here."
Gary glanced at her, face blank.