"Help? Help with what?" Nozomi asked, puzzled.
Based on his understanding of Gary Oak's personality, he wasn't the type to ask for help so easily. And yet, here he was, suddenly asking for assistance—it piqued Nozomi's curiosity.
"Train my Growlithe."
When Gary mentioned Growlithe, his expression was one of pure embarrassment.
He could never have imagined that his Growlithe was actually afraid of Ghost-type Pokémon.
Yet, he also felt a hint of relief. Thanks to this friendly battle with Nozomi, he had discovered Growlithe's weakness early. If he had found out during a real battle later, it would have been far too late to correct it.
"Train Growlithe?" Nozomi echoed, slightly surprised. "You mean… you want me to use Gastly to help Growlithe overcome its fear?"
That was exactly what Nozomi suspected.
"Yes. Please, Nozomi," Gary said earnestly.
"Leave it to me."
Gastly, cooped up in its Poké Ball and clearly bored, would welcome the chance to get out and… well, scare someone—or rather, scare Growlithe.
Nozomi released Gastly without hesitation.
Gary had no idea what mischievous intentions Nozomi harbored. He only thought Nozomi was being really generous. After all, they hadn't met in a long time, and Nozomi didn't seem as stingy as before.
"Growlithe, get familiar with Gastly first."
With gentle words of encouragement, Gary ushered a terrified Growlithe and a cackling Gastly into a room together.
From behind the door, Nozomi could hear the whimpers of Growlithe and the eerie laughter of Gastly. His lips twitched—this training method was both simple and brutally effective.
But Gary, as Professor Oak's grandson, surely had his reasons for this method.
Nozomi remained silent, waiting for Gary to explain. Finally, Gary couldn't contain himself and decided to speak.
"Aren't you curious why I just put Growlithe in the room with Gastly?" he asked, casually.
"Nope."
Seeing Nozomi's half-smile, Gary sighed inwardly. He realized if he didn't explain, Nozomi wouldn't ask at all.
So he lowered his pride and spoke: "You're aware that the League has been researching Pokémon personalities, right?"
"Personalities? Yeah, I know."
In the games, a Pokémon's nature affects its stats and determines whether it leans more toward offense or defense. In the real world, similar studies exist—while the influence isn't as obvious, personality can have an even greater impact.
"So you mean your method has something to do with Growlithe's personality?" Nozomi asked.
"Exactly. Based on my research, Growlithe has a reserved personality. If I were to have it gradually interact with Gastly to overcome its fear of Ghost-types, it would take at least one to two years. But the Indigo League Conference is only a year away—I don't have that kind of time."
"Alright," Nozomi said, acknowledging Gary's reasoning. Though it might be tough on Growlithe, nothing worthwhile comes without effort. To overcome its weaknesses, Growlithe would have to endure a bit of hardship.
"But you actually defeated a Team Rocket executive? Your Pokémon don't even look that strong," Gary added, skeptical.
Although Nozomi had defeated him, Gary still couldn't imagine that just Gastly and Leafeon could handle a Team Rocket executive.
"Don't believe me?"
Nozomi smiled faintly and released Onix.
Instantly, a massive shadow fell across the entire training field.
Gary looked up and met the gaze of Onix's enormous eyes.
The atmosphere froze.
"Onix!?" Gary exclaimed, his voice rising several octaves. "How did you catch it?"
He had never expected Nozomi's main Pokémon to be an Onix. Known for its power, rarity, and difficulty to catch, Onix was a formidable Pokémon.
"The bounty in Pewter City," Nozomi replied, turning to the stunned Gary. "The one posted by the Mining Association."
He patted Onix's body, and it immediately obediently curled up on the training field like a huge, coiled puppy.
Seeing Onix behave so submissively, Gary was utterly floored.
"You mean… this is the same Onix that was holed up in the mines!?"
Processing the information, Gary's emotions only became more turbulent. When he first arrived in Pewter City, he had thought about capturing strong Pokémon and had researched this very Onix—but its fearsome record had discouraged him from challenging it.
And yet, Nozomi had captured it.
It was… incredible.
Gary's feelings were a tangled mix of awe, disbelief, and a twinge of jealousy.
In short:
I was clearly first. First to set out, first to reach Pewter City, first to research Onix… so why did things turn out like this? How could Nozomi be so much stronger?
He let out a deep sigh.
At this point, Gary had to admit he didn't lose unfairly. There was no way he could defeat Onix, even with ten of his Pokémon. This must be why Nozomi had been able to capture the Team Rocket executive…
It all made sense now.
Of course, Gary didn't notice a key detail: Nozomi had caught the Team Rocket executive thanks to Onix—but what had Nozomi used to catch Onix?
He had overlooked that question entirely.