Cerulean City Pokémon Center
"Mr. Gary, your Pokémon have all fully recovered."
Nurse Joy smiled warmly as she handed a tray across the counter. The tray held six circular grooves. Five of them were occupied by Poké Balls; only one remained empty.
Gary picked up the five Poké Balls, securing them to his belt.
That last slot will be filled soon.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
Gary turned and left the Pokémon Center, making his way directly toward the Cerulean City Police Station.
Cerulean City Police Station — Front Lobby
The station was bustling with activity. Officers moved briskly between desks, and the air was filled with the low hum of ringing phones and radio chatter.
"Excuse me, can I help you with something?"
An officer stationed near the entrance noticed the teenager walking in and took the initiative to ask.
"Hello. My name is Gary," Gary said calmly. "I'm here to adopt a Growlithe."
The officer blinked, then his expression shifted to one of recognition. He had been briefed that someone named Gary was coming to pick up a Growlithe today, but he hadn't expected the applicant to be so young.
"Do you have anything to verify your identity?" the officer asked politely.
"This should be enough."
Gary reached into his pocket, pulled out his red Pokédex, and handed it over.
The officer recognized the device immediately. He took it, flipped it open, and pressed the central identification button.
Professor Oak's recorded voice played clearly from the device's speaker:
"This Pokédex is registered to Trainer Gary of Pallet Town."
Simultaneously, a high-resolution photo of Gary appeared on the screen alongside his League registration number.
"Everything is in order. Please follow me."
Having verified Gary's identity, the officer had no further questions. He led Gary past the front desks, down a secure hallway, and out the back doors into the station's specialized breeding facility.
Every major city's police department maintained a breeding house dedicated to raising canine Pokémon. In the Kanto Region, this naturally meant Growlithe and Arcanine. Recently, one of the station's veteran female Arcanine had given birth to a litter, which was why Gary had been directed here.
"Colby!" the officer called out as they entered the outdoor enclosure. "The Trainer who was approved to adopt a Growlithe is here. Bring the litter out."
Colby was the officer primarily responsible for breeding and caring for the station's Pokémon. Unlike the field officers, he rarely went out on active patrol. He was a caretaker first and foremost.
Colby turned and evaluated Gary. His expression was flat, almost stern.
He spent his days raising these Pokémon from birth. He cared for them deeply. He also knew that the only people who came here to "adopt" wild-born Growlithe were usually privileged individuals using their powerful family connections to bypass standard League regulations. He despised the idea of handing one of his carefully raised pups over to some spoiled rich kid who wouldn't know how to train it properly.
"You're Gary, right?" Colby asked, his tone clipped.
"Yes."
Gary could immediately sense the subtle hostility radiating from the man. It wasn't hard to guess why. Caretakers were notoriously protective of their charges.
"You may have the paperwork to adopt a Growlithe," Colby said, crossing his arms. "But as the person who raised them, I need to see what kind of Trainer you actually are."
Gary paused.
He wants a battle.
"Colby, what are you doing?" The escorting officer stepped forward immediately, looking panicked.
He had seen the Pokédex. He knew Gary was directly connected to Professor Oak. If Colby offended the grandson of the most influential researcher in the Pokémon world, the fallout could cost him his job.
"Gary, please don't take offense," the officer said quickly, turning to Gary with an apologetic smile. "Colby just cares a lot about the Growlithe. He wants to make sure whoever takes one has the skills to raise it properly. He isn't targeting you personally."
"I understand," Gary said. His voice was entirely indifferent. He looked back at Colby. "Since Mr. Colby wants to test my strength, I accept the challenge. Let's battle."
Colby's eyes narrowed, but a glint of respect flashed in them.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. If you win, I'll let you choose whichever Growlithe you want from the litter."
Gary caught the implication immediately.
If I win, I get to choose.
Which meant that if he didn't battle, or if he lost, Colby would have simply handed him the weakest, lowest-potential Growlithe in the litter just to fulfill the paperwork and get rid of him.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
In the original timeline, Gary's Arcanine had been embarrassingly weak—one-shot by Ash's Snorlax without putting up a fight. The original Gary had likely used Professor Oak's connections to get a Growlithe, walked into a police station just like this one, and arrogantly taken whatever puppy they handed him without proving himself. As a result, he had been given a Growlithe with terrible potential.
That wasn't going to happen today.
"Where do we battle?" Gary asked.
"There's a training field right behind this enclosure," Colby said, gesturing with his thumb.
The escorting officer wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He had tried to stop it, but now he had no choice but to act as the referee. He just prayed Gary wouldn't throw a tantrum if he lost.
Police Station Training Field
Gary and Colby took their positions on opposite ends of the dirt field. The escorting officer stood at the midpoint, raising his hand nervously.
"You look young," Colby called out. "You haven't been a Trainer for long, have you?"
"Not long," Gary confirmed.
"Then we'll keep it simple. A one-on-one battle. Is that acceptable?"
"Perfectly."
Gary noted that despite his prejudice against privileged Trainers, Colby was a fair man. He hadn't suggested a multi-Pokémon battle against a rookie.
"Then let's begin. Go!" Colby threw his Poké Ball.
Flash!
A canine Pokémon with thick, shaggy fur covering its face materialized on the field.
"Herdier!"
Gary raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Herdier was native to the Unova Region. It was the standard-issue police Pokémon over there, much like Growlithe was in Kanto.
Gary activated the Eye of Insight.
text
[Pokémon: Herdier ♂]
[Type: Normal]
[Level: 26]
[Potential: Normal-tier]
As Gary had suspected, Colby's Pokémon was entirely average.
Normal-tier potential meant this Herdier would cap out around Level 30. It wouldn't even be able to reach its final evolution, Stoutland, which required Level 32. That explained why Colby was relegated to breeding duties rather than field operations—his strength as a Trainer simply wasn't high enough.
"Golbat. You're up."
Gary casually tossed his Poké Ball.
Flash!
"Golbat!"
The large, four-fanged bat materialized in the air, its wings beating silently. It had seen plenty of combat against other Trainers during the journey across Mt. Moon, and the moment it saw Herdier, it locked onto its target, fully alert.
Colby grimaced the moment Golbat appeared.
He was immediately at a massive disadvantage. Herdier was a close-quarters physical attacker. It had virtually no ranged options to deal with a Flying-type that could simply hover out of reach.
He had to force the engagement.
"Herdier, use Work Up!" Colby commanded, opting to boost his Pokémon's attack power while waiting for an opening.
"Woof!"
Herdier barked aggressively. A faint red aura flared around its body as its Attack and Special Attack stats rose by one stage.
He knows basic stat-boosting strategy, Gary thought. But it won't help if he can't hit the target.
Gary snapped his fingers.
"Golbat. Supersonic."
"Golbat!"
Golbat opened its massive jaws and unleashed a piercing, high-frequency sound wave that rippled directly into Herdier.