After Pidgeotto and Pikachu successfully rescued the Squirtle Squad, they landed and immediately joined in on firefighting efforts.
With the entire squad working together, the fire was finally contained before it could spread to the town.
"Well done, Squirtle!"
"Squirtle!"
Proud of the praise, the Squad Leader stood tall with its tiny fists on its hips, a cocky grin on its face.
"You little punks finally did something worth praising!" Officer Jenny stepped forward, stopping beside Kazuki.
The other four Squirtles flinched at the sight of Officer Jenny's uniform, instinctively preparing to bolt before remembering they'd done something good today.
Only then did they relax and leap down from the higher ground.
The Squad Leader walked up to Kazuki and offered its thanks with a solemn look.
"Feels good to be praised for doing something right, doesn't it? Better than being chased around for pulling pranks?"
"Squirtle!"
The other four rubbed their smooth heads sheepishly.
"Wow, Kazuki… You actually managed to tame these wild Squirtles? You're seriously the most impressive Trainer I've ever seen."
Jenny looked at him with wide eyes—eyes that now held something… different.
"Squirtle…"
But the Squad Leader's expression darkened at the word "Trainer."
After all, it had been abandoned before. That sting hadn't healed yet.
It glanced longingly at Pikachu, who was laughing beside Kazuki.
Jenny noticed. "Kazuki, look—Squirtle…" she said quietly, nudging him.
Kazuki turned—and just as he did, Squirtle huffed and looked away, its sunglasses making it hard to read, but the emotion was there.
He crouched down.
"Squirtle, you've got real potential. You pulling pranks? That's a waste of your talent."
"Wouldn't you rather do something bigger?"
"Squirtle!"
This time, its eyes lit up.
"Alright. You guys handled the firefighting like pros today." He turned to Jenny. "Officer Jenny, don't you think they'd make great members of a local firefighting group?"
Jenny nodded without hesitation. "Definitely! They'd be perfect for it."
Thanks to Kazuki's high Justice Reputation, anything he suggested—so long as it wasn't criminal—was basically guaranteed approval.
And with the Jenny family's extensive connections, getting a few Squirtles on the official registry was a walk in the park.
"Squirtle…"
The Squad Leader's face showed a flicker of satisfaction… but just barely.
"Kazuki! Kazuki!" Misty was getting antsy behind them, stomping her foot. "Why haven't you caught that Squirtle yet?!"
Kazuki waved a hand, signaling her to wait. He was messing with the Squad Leader on purpose—just a little payback for all those pranks.
But jokes aside, it was time.
"And… there's another path." Kazuki's tone shifted.
"A much tougher one. The road of a Pokémon Trainer. Are you interested in coming with me?"
"Squirtle!"
With a sparkle in its eye, the Squad Leader whipped off its shades and gave him a wink.
And just like that, Squirtle was caught.
Kazuki stood up and nudged Misty.
"Hey, Misty. There are four Squirtles left. We only need three for the fire squad."
"You want to catch one?"
"Me? A Squirtle?" Misty tilted her head. Now that she knew they weren't actually criminals, she didn't dislike them… but she didn't really want one either.
"Nah, let them stay. I'll find something I really like when we get to Vermilion City by the sea." She waved at the four remaining Squirtles with a smile.
Raising a Pokémon well meant being emotionally connected to it. Even if it had high potential, if she didn't feel that spark, it just wouldn't work.
Kazuki respected her choice.
"Congrats on catching Squirtle, Kazuki—and thank you! You turned a troublemaking gang into a community fire team!"
[Ding!]
Just as Jenny spoke, the system pinged with a mission completion chime.
Kazuki smiled. "I couldn't have done it without your help, Officer Jenny."
"Hehe… I'm really happy to hear that from you!" Jenny laughed… and then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.
"Kazuki, thank you for everything. I'll be cheering you on in the Pokémon League!"
Caught off guard, Kazuki stood frozen.
Misty, meanwhile, stared—completely stunned.
Wait, what? Officer Jenny just hugged him?!
Is Kazuki really that popular?
Melanie… Officer Jenny… even Daisy looked at him funny!
I mean, yeah, he did drink my milk that one time and it felt… kinda weird.
But other than that, I always thought he was just… more than a friend.
Still… why do I feel so strange seeing Officer Jenny hugging him?
What is this weird feeling?
Am I… like what Violet said—some kind of tomboy who doesn't know how girls are supposed to feel?
Misty stared, deep in her thoughts, watching as Jenny and Kazuki separated. She still didn't understand the turmoil in her heart.
But Kazuki had it figured out.
Beating Team Rocket and completing the Squirtle mission had racked up enough Justice Reputation to push Officer Jenny's affection higher.
Not quite enough for a full romantic breakthrough—but they'd reached the hugging stage.
And with that progress confirmed, he now had a clear sense of how far he could go next time.
After saying goodbye to Officer Jenny, Kazuki and a distracted Misty continued toward the coast.
Misty stayed quiet, lost in her thoughts.
Kazuki, meanwhile, opened Squirtle's stat sheet and reviewed the mission results.
[Pokémon: Squirtle]
[Base Stats: 314]
[Level: Lv.13 (Normal)]
[Potential: Elite Four]
[Ability: Rain Dish – Gradually recovers HP in rain or watery terrain]
[Moves: Water Gun, Rapid Spin]
Elite Four-tier potential with a hidden ability—perfect for sustained battles on water-heavy maps. His tactical options just expanded again.
[Basic Rare Candy ×5 has been added to your system inventory]
[Top-grade Swordcap ×3 has been added to your system inventory]
[Justice Reputation +2]
Looks like Team Rocket's interference netted him an extra point of Justice Reputation.
That means… Officer Jenny is nearly within reach.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have completed the Perfect Starter Trio mission!]
[Three-Star Potential Enhancement Mark has been added to your system inventory!]
[Exclusive Starter XP Pack granted – Charmander and Squirtle have reached evolution threshold. Please select appropriate timing to trigger evolution.]
Kazuki glanced around. No wild Pokémon in sight.
No cover, either.
He chose not to evolve them for now—Misty wouldn't notice level-ups, but evolved forms were a dead giveaway.
If his Pokémon just suddenly evolved in their Poké Balls? Yeah, that'd raise questions.
His cheats were his secret to keep.
[Ding!]
No sooner had he claimed his rewards than a new mission popped up—marked with a special star.
A follow-up quest to the Perfect Starter Trio?
If the first one rewarded a Pseudo-Legendary mark…
Then this one might…
Kazuki's heart raced.
He opened the new task prompt without hesitation.
---
Next Goal:- 700 PS
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