Pokemon: I am Gary

The weather was perfect: a beautiful March day.

Leaving Professor Oak's lab, Gary hummed a tune as he walked along the path toward the outskirts of Viridian Forest. 

With the sun shining and the air fresh, his mood lifted with excitement. 

Once inside the forest, he released both of his Pokémon at once. 

"Char!" 

"Eevee!" 

Charmander and Eevee stood by Gary's feet, and he patted each of their heads. "From today onward, we'll start your training!" 

Both Pokémon nodded appreciatively, determined to work hard. 

"Great!" Gary looked ahead at the forest. This section of Viridian Forest, located between Pallet Town and Viridian City, was easy to navigate. 

As long as he followed the main path, he could exit in about forty minutes. 

Of course, if one got lost… well, that was another story. 

But the main point was that this forest was rich in resources for Bug-type Pokémon. 

Caterpie and Weedle were abundant—there were as many as he could want. 

This was all experience waiting to be gained… 

As one of the most important leveling spots before reaching level 20, Gary wouldn't miss this opportunity! 

Pokémon skills develop through battle experience, and in Gary's view, practicing against a target a hundred times is not as effective as landing a hit in real combat. 

Thus, practical training yielded the best results! 

Ding! Newbie task: Strengthening Your Team. 

Before challenging the first gym, raise your team's average level to 18 and have at least three Pokémon. 

Reward: 1 Potential Upgrade Card, 1 Ordinary Pokémon Encounter Card, and 100 Achievement Points. 

"What's this Ordinary Pokémon Encounter Card…?" Gary wondered aloud. 

Ding! The Potential Upgrade Card can increase the potential of any Pokémon below Champion level by one tier. 

The Ordinary Pokémon Encounter Card allows you to specify any non-legendary Pokémon upon use. The encountered Pokémon will have potential between Elite and Quasi-Legendary! 

Gary gasped in surprise. This was intriguing! In other words, using this card would guarantee an encounter with a specified Pokémon that would be at least Elite-level! 

This was practically a gift! 

The Upgrade Card was similar; while it stated that it could be used on any Pokémon below Champion level, it was clear that it should be used on a Pokémon with Elite-level potential to maximize his strength. 

Without further ado, Gary decided to use his previous task rewards first. 

He took out two Starter Skill Upgrade Cards. 

He immediately applied them to Charmander's Ember and Scratch moves. 

Ding! Ember skill upgraded to Flamethrower! 

Ding! Scratch skill upgraded to Dragon Claw! 

Suddenly enlightened, Charmander scratched its head in wonder at the new sensations coursing through it. 

"Alright, preparations are complete. Charmander, you'll be our main force today. Eevee, if we encounter any Flying-type Pokémon, use Thunderbolt to drive them away," Gary instructed as they hid in the bushes. 

Both Pokémon nodded in agreement. 

With Charmander's Flamethrower ready, even if they faced a swarm of Beedrill, Gary wasn't too worried. 

However, he wanted to avoid provoking the bullies of Viridian Forest, namely the Spearow flock, just yet. After all, those ruffians tended to swarm together in fights… 

After advising his two Pokémon to lie in wait, Gary took out his secret weapon—a jar of golden honey! 

Sweet honey was an excellent lure for wild Pokémon. 

Without hesitation, he found a tree and smeared a thick layer on it before slipping into a nearby bush to hide. 

…

"Charmander, use Flamethrower!" 

In the forest, a wave of scorching flames surged through, leaving behind the silhouettes of four or five Bug-type Pokémon. 

"Phew… phew…" Charmander panted as it squatted down to rest. 

"Alright, Eevee, use Water Gun to wash off the honey from the tree," Gary commanded as he took out some Pokémon food to give Charmander a snack. 

After scanning with his Pokédex, he noted that Charmander's level had risen from 10 to 14. 

Looking around at the fallen Caterpie and Weedle scattered on the ground, Gary sighed. 

He was almost becoming a Bug-type overlord himself. While there were plenty of Bug Pokémon in Viridian Forest, the experience from defeating a single Caterpie was just too low. 

Moreover, using Flamethrower consumed more energy than Ember; Charmander would need to rest after about twenty uses. 

"It would be perfect if a larger Bug-type Pokémon, like a Scyther, showed up right now," Gary mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. 

Whoosh!!! Suddenly, a sharp-eyed, vibrant green Pokémon appeared before him. 

"Ah yes! Just like that Scyther!" Gary nodded excitedly before turning abruptly. "Scyther!!" 

"Scyther!" The Pokémon pointed its scythe-like arms at the tree trunk, clearly displeased with Gary's presence. 

As a lone wolf separated from its pack, Scyther adhered to a code of honor and didn't steal food from other Pokémon in the forest. 

However, maintaining its dignity came at a cost—three days without food had left it feeling weak and hungry. Today, it caught a whiff of something exceptionally sweet and traversed half the forest to get here. 

But upon arriving and seeing the honey, it was dismayed to find it washed away by Eevee's Water Gun. 

With red eyes filled with frustration, Scyther lamented, "My honey! How can I survive without it?!" 

Gary, unfazed by the trembling hunger of the Scyther, calmly scanned it with his Pokédex. 

Scyther 

Potential: Elite—Champion 

Ability: Technician 

Level: 20 

Height: 1.5 m 

Weight: 49 kg 

Moves: Cut, Sonic Boom, Night Slash, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Pursuit, Fury Cutter, Agility. 

Wow! This was an unexpected surprise. Who would have thought he'd stumble upon such treasure in the newbie village? 

With a mysterious smile forming on his lips, Gary addressed the hungry Pokémon. "Hey there! Are you hungry? Feeling thirsty? Looks like you've had a rough time all alone!" 

"Scyther?" It paused in surprise; this human seemed oddly friendly… 

With a thud, a can of high-quality Pokémon food landed on the ground before it. "You have two options: follow me and get what you want, or I can defeat you and feed you afterward." 

Although drooling at the sight of the food, Scyther took a battle stance. "Scyther! A noble warrior wouldn't submit for just a meal!" 

"Good! I admire your spirit." Gary clapped his hands. "Charmander, you're up!" 

Having just eaten its fill, Charmander patted its belly and strutted forward confidently, spreading its arms wide as it prepared for battle. 

"Be careful; this guy is tough," Gary cautioned. 

"Char!" With determination, Charmander unleashed a burst of flames!