Pokemon: I am Gary

After obtaining the Old Amber in Pewter, Gary felt elated. Taking advantage of the early evening light, he left Pewter City.

Next, he only needed to cross Mt. Moon to reach Cerulean City.

As the lowest-ranked Gym Leader in Kanto, the Gym Trainer performed water ballet in a revealing swimsuit every day.

To be honest, Gary was not looking forward to it at all.

Entering the mountain path, Gary released all his Pokémon.

The terrain of Mt. Moon hosts a wider variety of Pokémon species.

"Listen up! Our motto is to leave no survivors within ten miles." Green placed his hands on his hips and lectured his Scyther and Charmeleon. "Don't think that just because it's a Caterpie or a Geodude, they won't get a beating if they run into a Gyarados. Got it?"

"Okay!" the three Pokémon responded enthusiastically.

Thus, wild Pokémon along the way suffered greatly.

When they encountered larger rocks, Scyther sliced them open with ease.

The rocks parted to reveal a sleepy Geodude, who groggily came into view.

Smack! Charmeleon swung its claw and delivered a powerful blow...

Before the Geodude could react, Eevee shot a water gun at it...

With its eyes rolling back, the Geodude collapsed by the roadside, unable to hold back its tears—this was too much bullying!

Of course, this was still considered mild since the Geodude didn't fight back.

In the grass by the roadside lived a group of Beedrill, notorious bullies of the forest who wouldn't submit to anyone.

Until they encountered Gary!

On the forest path, a swarm of Beedrill fled in panic, chased by Gary and his excited trio.

Scyther's scythes were smoking as it continuously unleashed sonic booms.

Meanwhile, Charmeleon and Eevee used Flamethrower and Spark, respectively.

"Don't come over here!!"

"Don't run away!!!"

"Phew~ Phew~ Still trying to escape." After defeating the last Beedrill, Gary, along with Eevee, Charmeleon, and Scyther, reached the entrance of a cave at the foot of Mt. Moon.

Passing through here would lead them to the other side of the mountain, speeding up their journey to Cerulean City!

The sound of flowing water nearby caught Gary's attention.

"The spring on Mt. Moon seems to be famous water; I definitely can't miss this." Looking at the cave before him, he decided to take a break for lunch before continuing his journey.

"Scyther, can you find the spring for us? We need some water." Sending out Scyther as a scout, Gary began preparing lunch.

When traveling outdoors, it's usually just soup with bread—essentially a hodgepodge meal.

This style of cooking is most convenient and maximizes nutrition.

He added large chunks of potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, along with beef and salmon, seasoned lightly with salt and butter as a base.

Soon enough, the aroma of food wafted through the air.

Little Eevee and Charmeleon, each with their own bowl, squatted in front of the pot, their tails swaying harmoniously.

Scyther's efficiency was impressive; it quickly returned, carrying a filled water jug on its back.

Satisfied with the spring water from Mt. Moon, Gary tapped on the pot. "Time to eat!"

Although human food doesn't provide any special benefits for Pokémon and eating too much salt can cause Pokémon to lose fur, Gary still preferred to add a bit of his own cooking for his partners on top of their usual food. Eating from one pot together felt great!

He divided the food into three portions—one bowl each for Eevee and Charmeleon, and a basin for Scyther.

As he lifted his own bowl of food, all three Pokémon looked at him eagerly.

"Alright, let's eat." With a nod from him, the three immediately began devouring their meals hungrily.

He blew on his soup before taking small sips to taste it.

"Mmm~ Delicious~ It's definitely worth spending time learning how to cook." He nodded in satisfaction.

Speaking of which, he originally intended to bring along a chef. With his looks, there would surely be beautiful girls from Pallet Town willing to travel with him...

However, after reevaluating his goals, he decided to fend for himself instead.

After all, having a stunning girl with an attractive figure following you around every day is distracting...

"You three can take your time; there's still more in the pot." Watching his companions eat ravenously made him feel slightly embarrassed.

"I'm not skimping on your food; why do you always bury your heads in your bowls at every meal?"

"Whoa!"

"Nini!"

Just as he was correcting his Pokémon's table manners, two unexpected guests arrived at his camp.

A male Nidoran swaggered in, leading a female Nidoran, who started making threatening gestures toward Eevee.

"Hey~ what does this little guy mean?" Curious, Gary looked over.

Nidoran♂ pointed at Eevee's bowl with exaggerated gestures, and Gary understood immediately.

"Fight me, and if you lose, you have to give me your food!"

Wow, this little guy has some guts! Gary stood up, noticing the Nidoran♀ blinking her big eyes, closely following behind.

"Princess and knight? This is interesting." Gary smiled slightly. "Charmeleon, let's have a few rounds with him!"

"Roar~" After a stretch, Charmeleon stood up.

Seeing the much larger Charmeleon, Nidoran♂ instinctively shielded Nidoran♀ behind him.

"Hey, don't be scared! If you win, I'll treat you to a meal. If you lose—none of you are getting away!" Gary raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Whoa!" Hearing this, Nidoran♂ panicked; he just wanted to find food for the princess and didn't intend to lose her to someone else!

In a quick turn, Nidoran♂ tried to lead Nidoran♀ away.

Whoosh! A flash of white light cut through the air, and a chasm opened on the ground. Scyther calmly stood behind the two Pokémon.

"Think you can come and go as you please? You think my camp is that easy to enter?" Gary crossed his arms and stared at Nidoran♂.

Earlier, he had assessed these two little guys and found they both had Elite-level potential. With proper training, they could become formidable fighters.

Of course, the main reason was that since they were a couple, he needed to keep them together.

Looking around, Nidoran♂ realized there was no escape. He could only muster his courage and step forward to face Charmeleon.

Nidoran♀ timidly looked at Gary, worried for her partner.

Gary took out some Pokémon food and held it in his hand. The little guy cautiously approached him and began eating directly from his hand.

"Alright, you can start now." Gary waved his hand at Charmeleon. "Hurry up; we still need to cross Mt. Moon."

Charmeleon nodded and beckoned to Nidoran♂ with a finger.

"Whoa!" Nidoran♂ raised its horn and charged directly at Charmeleon.

Using its horn to tackle was one of Nidoran♂'s common attack methods.

However, there would be no chance for close combat against Charmeleon.

Boom! Charmeleon opened its mouth and unleashed a jet of flames.

The intense heat easily knocked Nidoran♂ off its feet. It tumbled several times before getting back up.

"Nini!" Seeing her partner hurt made Nidoran♀ anxious; she stopped eating and rushed to his side, calling out in worry.

"Whoa~" Nidoran♂ pushed her aside and turned back to face Charmeleon.

Seeing the determined look in Nidoran♂'s eyes, Charmeleon nodded in respect and opened its arms, signaling for him to continue.

With powerful hind legs, Nidoran♂ leapt into the air and kicked toward Charmeleon.

A double kick!

Smack! Charmeleon crossed its arms in defense but took a step back. Then, its right claw surged with Dragon-type energy as it swung its green energy claw forward.

Boom!! Once again, Nidoran♂ was sent flying back, crashing into a tree.

Watching as his partner lay there barely conscious, Nidoran♀ rushed forward to stand in front of Charmeleon, calling out insistently as if pleading for him to stop fighting...

Feeling helpless, Charmeleon looked at Gary, unsure of what to do; if it continued fighting, it would become the villain.

With a knowing smile, Gary said to Nidoran♂, "Can you keep going? If not, I'll take away your girlfriend!"

"Whoa!!" Struggling to stand up again, Nidoran♂ let out a roar that echoed through the area as bright light exploded around him.

He evolved!!

The smile on Gary's face grew wider; indeed, he was a Pokémon with potential.

As the evolution light faded, a stronger and more robust Nidorino appeared before them.

"Very good! Let's go again!" said Gary, nodding approvingly.

With its front feet digging into the ground, Nidorino charged at Charmeleon once more!

This time, Gary commanded confidently: "Dragon Rage!"

"Roar!" Flames erupted from Charmeleon's tail before it unleashed a torrent of blue dragon fire.

Boom!! The Dragon Rage exploded!

Without question, Nidorino was knocked out in one hit. Without hesitation, Gary threw a Poké Ball at him.

The ball fell with a thud as Nidorino was sucked inside. The warning lights flashed twice before clicking shut securely.

Gary had officially captured Nidorino!

Nidoran, confused by the Poké Ball before her, anxiously pawed at it. "Nini?"

Taking out another Poké Ball, Gary squatted down in front of Nidoran♀. "From now on, Nidorino will be my partner. How about it? Come with us; you won't have to sleep outside anymore. I'll give you both a home."

Nidoran tilted her head in thought; it didn't seem like she had anything to lose. So she happily bumped her head against the button on the Poké Ball's switch and willingly entered it herself.

Having captured both Nidorino and Nidoran♀, Gary decided not to linger any longer. He returned Eevee and Scyther into their Poké Balls while taking Charmeleon along, preparing to cross through the cave of Mt. Moon.

As he gazed into the dark cave ahead, he frowned slightly, hoping there wouldn't be any bats inside...

Suddenly... whoosh! A swarm of Zubat flew out at him!

Opening his assessment skill for a quick scan revealed that they were all low-level Pokémon—mostly Gym-level quality at best.

Deciding against capturing these little cuties right now, he grabbed onto Charmeleon's tail. "Let's go, Dragon Bro."

With an annoyed twitch of its mouth, Charmeleon pulled its tail away from his grip and lifted it instead, walking ahead.

Rolling his eyes slightly at its attitude—"So stingy... You're just holding it yourself anyway..."

With the glow of their flames illuminating the path ahead, Gary and Charmeleon ventured deeper into Mt. Moon.

Originally, Gary's plan was to quickly cross through Mt. Moon and then rest in Cerulean City.

However, plans changed when he captured both Nidorino and Nidoran♀. Now, he intended to alter his route completely.

There was an excellent Moon Stone located inside a cave at the peak of Mt. Moon—an enormous one!

To help both Nidorino and Nidoran♀ evolve further down the line, he needed to snag some premium pieces of that Moon Stone!

Thus began their exploration toward the summit of Mt. Moon—one human and one dragon—eagerly searching for adventure ahead...

To be continued...