Chapter 1

Gary began living his new life as Gary Oak in Pallet Town, and it has been a few days since then.

Gary was living with Professor Oak at his Pokémon laboratory so that the professor could take care of him while conducting his research at the same time.

It was fun for Gary to live with the professor because he found joy in annoying the old Professor Oak, and he could also interact with Pokémon there.

However, he hadn't actually interacted with any Pokémon yet, as he had just been discharged from the hospital.

Though Gary wants to change that very soon and see real-life Pokémon.

Currently, Gary was sleeping in his room and he woke up soon enough after having enough rest. He rubbed his eyes and heard flying-type Pokémon chirping.

Gary looked out of the window and saw a bunch of Pidgey and a few Pidgeotto on the tree. Looking at them, Gary couldn't help but be amazed.

"Aw...those are real Pokémon," Gary said while looking at the Pokémon with wide eyes, happiness clear on his face. He turned to the group of Pidgey and said, "Hey, Pidgey, good morning."

Gary smiled at the group of Pidgey, and seeing Gary smile at them, the Pidgey also gave him a sweet gesture.

Pokémon aren't afraid of Gary or any human in Professor Oak's ranch due to their daily interaction with the professor. Also, the fact that Gary is just a toddler, and Pokémon love kids.

"Give me a minute, guys, I'll come to the ranch, and then we'll play," Gary said to the flock of Pidgey, and they showed enthusiasm.

Gary smiled as he ran all the way to Professor Oak, who was feeding Pokémon in the ranch.

Professor Oak saw Gary running towards him and smiled as Gary stopped near him. The professor said, "You woke up, Gary? How are you feeling now?"

"I'm feeling great, Gramps. Can I play with Pokémon today?" Gary asked with glowing eyes, and Oak couldn't help but agree, but he warned, "Alright, you can play with Pokémon, but don't take games too far, okay?"

"I understand, Gramps."

"Also, call me if something happens."

"Understood, boss."

"Boss?"

"Yes, boss."

"Better than Gramps, at least."

"For real," Gary said, and both grandfather and grandson laughed. Soon, Gary saw some baby Pokémon and walked up to them.

"Hey," Gary smiled, but he noticed that the baby Pokémon were a little afraid since they had never seen Gary before.

However, he smiled and said, "You don't have to be afraid of me. My name is Gary. Let's be friends."

Gary said this sweetly while extending his hand towards the baby Machop and the other baby Pokémon.

The baby Pokémon felt only good vibes from Gary. However, Machop didn't accept the handshake, while the baby Growlithe came up to Gary and rubbed his head against him.

"Aw, Growlithe, you're so sweet," Gary said as he patted Growlithe softly. But as soon as he touched Growlithe, he felt a little jolt in his body. The Pokémon saw Gary's eyes glow a little blue.

"What's this?" Gary said as a window-type screen formed in front of his eyes, showing him the stats of the Growlithe he had just touched.

Pokemon: Growlithe

Level: 7

Gender: Male

Potential: Silver

Moves: Ember, Leer, Howl.

Moves (Innate talent): Flame Wheel

Gary was able to see the exact stats of the Pokémon in front of him. He was overwhelmed and surprised but also confused due to the terms "Innate talent" and "Potential," even though he knew their meanings individually.

"This is so cool. I have the [Observation] skill; it's going to be very useful," Gary said to himself with a mental smile. But then he wondered, "What does 'Silver potential' mean? Should I ask Gramps about it?"

"Yes, I should definitely ask him. But before that, I'm going to try this skill on every Pokémon in the ranch," Gary said to himself as he grinned. However, he snapped out of his thoughts when Machop struck him with a light fist to the gut.

"You, dick," Gary muttered as he held Machop's arm and used a throw he had learned from practicing Judo in his previous life, throwing Machop to the ground with just his reflexes, even though he didn't want to.

"Holy crap, did I hit him too hard?" Gary bit his tongue as he went on his knees to check on Machop, expecting him to cry or be angry since Machop was also a baby. However, Machop gave an unexpected expression of fascination toward Gary.

"What happened to Machop?" Gary wondered as Machop got up and gave a happy face, bugging Gary to show him that move once again.

Gary was quite surprised by Machop's reaction but decided not to use Judo again to avoid accidentally hurting Machop.

Gary looked at Machop and used his observation skill to see Machop's stats.

Pokemon: Machop

Level: 11

Gender: Male

Potential: Gold

Moves: Leer, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Low Sweep

Moves (Innate talent): Close Combat

Gary saw Machop's stats and was clearly amazed at how much stronger Machop was compared to Growlithe, even though they were the same age.

"Maybe the growth rate has something to do with the potential," Gary concluded and couldn't complete his observation further because Machop kept bugging him to show him the move once again.

"Alright, Machop, I'll show you the move, but we'll make a deal with each other," Gary said, and Machop agreed without even hearing the terms.

Gary smiled at how innocent Machop was; he just wanted to learn something new without any second thoughts.

Gary didn't let him down and showed him the infamous single-handed shoulder throw.

Machop watched the move perfectly and became very happy. He became friends with Gary, and they played for the rest of the day before Professor Oak called Gary back to the lab for lunch.

"Did you have fun with the Pokémon today, Gary?" Professor Oak asked, and Gary nodded vigorously. He said, "It was a lot of fun. Me, Growlithe, and Machop became the best of friends."

"That's great."

"Yes, Gramps, it's a lot of fun. You should leave your lab sometimes and play with us."

"I'll definitely give it some thought," Professor Oak said as the two of them continued eating their lunch. Afterward, Professor Oak returned to his research.

Meanwhile, Gary returned to the ranch, where Machop was waiting to show him something.

"Machop-Ma."

Machop tried to speak but then resorted to using hand gestures, indicating that he wanted to show something to Gary.

"Did you practice the shoulder throw I showed you?" Gary asked, and Machop nodded vigorously with a big smile. Gary looked at his stats once again.

Pokemon: Machop

Level: 11

Gender: Male

Potential: Gold

Moves: Leer, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Low Sweep, Vital Throw

Moves (Innate talent): Close Combat

Gary looked at his stats and saw that Machop had learned a new move, Vital Throw. He was amazed and concluded, "This definitely has something to do with the gold potential. I need to learn more about this."