Pokemon: I am Gary

Humming a tune and strolling leisurely, Gary followed closely behind Scyther, feeling quite relaxed. With Scyther acting like his lawnmower, walking through the wild was incredibly easy. He could already hear the waves crashing on the sandy beach, indicating he was close to his destination—the lighthouse.

"Woof woof!" Suddenly, a barking sound caught Gary's attention. 

"Eevee, are you learning a foreign language?" he asked, glancing curiously at the Eevee perched on his shoulder.

"Eevee…" it blinked innocently with its big eyes, as if to say it wasn't me.

"Woof woof~" Gary realized this time the sound came from the bushes. Curious, he pushed aside the foliage and nearly blinded himself!

"Wow! A golden legend!!" The identification light flashed wildly as Gary exclaimed.

Before him lay a weak Growlithe sprawled in the grass. Judging by its wounds, it seemed to have been bitten by a Rattata's sharp fangs. It looked like this young Growlithe had inadvertently provoked a group of Rattatas and managed to escape despite its injuries, indicating that its fighting ability should not be underestimated.

Seeing Gary, Growlithe cautiously closed its mouth. Perhaps due to its nature of being close to humans, it showed no signs of aggression and quietly licked its wounds instead.

"This little guy is quite reserved," Gary crouched down and rubbed Growlithe's head.

"Woof… woof~ (No! Don't… stop…)" Growlithe's expressions changed rapidly but ultimately gave in to instinct.

Eevee puffed out its cheeks. Given Growlithe's injuries, it decided to let it slide today. How dare it compete for affection with me!

After a while, Gary noticed that Growlithe had relaxed, so he took out some healing spray to treat its wounds. "This might hurt a bit; bear with me."

"Woof~" Growlithe nodded, wagging its tail excitedly.

Smack... Standing behind Growlithe, Eevee almost got knocked over by the wagging tail. It shook its small paw in dissatisfaction and swiped at the air to vent its frustration.

Eevee￣へ￣ This dog looks cute but is actually a total softie!

After applying medicine to Growlithe's wounds and wrapping the exposed ones with bandages, Gary tied a bow with the bandage on Growlithe's head and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Perfect~" He nodded at his handiwork.

"Pfft~ Eevee~" Eevee covered its mouth and chuckled softly.

Growlithe didn't seem to mind; it weakly stuck out its tongue and licked Gary's hand.

Gary felt his heart melt; who could resist a warm, brave dog that also knew how to be affectionate?

"You're not in any condition to be out here in the wild. How about considering becoming my Pokémon?" Gary asked while stroking Growlithe's head.

"Woof~!" Growlithe looked up at him with sparkling eyes and nodded vigorously.

"Got it!" Gary took out a Poké Ball and gently tapped it on Growlithe's head. The little guy obediently entered the Poké Ball without triggering any warning lights.

"I caught Growlithe!" Gary happily winked at Eevee. Eevee jumped back onto Gary's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek to assert its dominance.

Eevee￣▽￣ I'm still here—you're all just concubines!

"Alright, let's keep moving; we need to reach Bill's research lab before dark."

Speaking of which, Gary had some history with Bill. When he went to Indigo Plateau for his scholar certification, Bill was there for his doctoral certification as well. Upon seeing Gary's paper, Bill was utterly amazed and insisted on giving his doctoral degree to Gary instead. After some persuasion, they became friends, and Bill calmed down.

As he walked through the final stretch of wooded path, an expansive view opened before him—pristine white sands and azure waves were breathtaking. Not far away stood a lighthouse that had already lit up, shining brightly over the distant sea.

"Wow—Bill really knows how to enjoy life! Facing the sea with blooming spring flowers; this location is absolutely perfect!" Taking a deep breath, Gary marveled at the scenery.

"Could you help me out first before you start admiring my research lab…" A familiar voice came from beneath Gary's feet.

"Holy cow, Bill…??" Gary exclaimed as he spotted a large Kingler on the beach blowing bubbles.

"Pfft pfft~" After clearing its mouth of foam, Bill the Kingler shook its claws and awkwardly continued, "I accidentally swapped bodies with a Kingler during an experiment... that machine has to be operated from the outside, so hurry up and help me switch back!"

"Okay, okay~" Gary struggled to suppress his laughter and nodded. "No problem, should I carry you back to the lighthouse?"

Bill the Kingler got angry. "No need! I can walk sideways really fast!"

With a sudden drift, Bill scuttled away at high speed, disappearing from sight.

"Wow!" Gary was surprised and nodded. This speed was definitely faster than Bill himself...

Upon reaching the lighthouse, Gary expertly input the access code and pushed the door open.

Bill, scuttling alongside Gary, commented, "You're as familiar with my lab as if it were your own home."

Gary shrugged. "What can I say? A good brother sticks together; what's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine…"

Bill raised an eyebrow. "You think I won't spray you with foam?"

Gary shrugged nonchalantly. "Do whatever you want, as long as you're not afraid of me chasing you down with a Poké Ball."

Bill broke into a cold sweat—if he ended up trapped in a Kingler's body and got caught by Gary, it would be a laughingstock in the academic community for a year...

Entering Bill's lab, Gary noticed two massive sealed chambers. These were the first-generation Pokémon ball transporters currently used in Kanto and Johto regions. Bill had earned his doctoral degree and a substantial sum from the League thanks to this device.

"Alright, hurry up and get in," Gary said, opening one of the empty sealed chambers. He gestured for Bill to enter. In the other chamber, Bill in human form peeked curiously through the glass.

Kingler thought to itself: This feeling... is so strange!

"The conversion button is yellow; don't press red, and whatever you do, don't activate the transport system…" Bill nervously rambled.

"Why don't you do it?" Gary rolled his eyes.

"Cough cough... Fine, I'll go in. Just don't mess things up!" Bill sighed dramatically and crawled into the chamber using his crab legs.

Gary activated the system and placed his right hand on the yellow button. "Here we go! It's decided—Bill!"

Hiss!! The sealed chamber filled with steam as blue light flickered between the two chambers. 

This was Life Energy Leap—a groundbreaking invention by Bill!

Click!! The chamber opened again as Bill emerged in human form, coughing slightly. "Uh, let's keep this under wraps."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "That depends on your performance."

Bill looked like he could cry. "Just tell me what you want!"