"Hold on—first, tell me what happened in Alto Mare. And what happened with Latios?" Professor Oak asked urgently.
"Sure..."
Gary explained everything he had experienced in Alto Mare and why Latios had chosen to follow him.
"I didn't expect the legend of Alto Mare to be true. And you're incredibly lucky to have earned Latios's trust," Professor Oak said with a sigh.
There had always been legends of Latios and Latias in Alto Mare, but no one had ever truly seen them. Yet Gary and Ash not only encountered them, Gary even gained Latios's approval. Such luck was truly enviable.
"It's fine. Ash probably earned Latias's trust too. I think she'll be returning with Ash and the others," Gary said.
"Well done, Gary. You've had a long day and must be hungry. Go rest. I'll take care of Latios," Professor Oak offered kindly.
Gary, of course, understood that Professor Oak was eager to study Latios.
"Latios, this is my grandfather. He's a good person, but he's obsessed with Pokémon research. If he oversteps a bit, please bear with him," Gary warned.
"Woo."
Latios nodded, understanding Gary's intent.
Gary then went to the backyard and released his other Pokémon.
Back at Professor Oak's Laboratory, the Pokémon immediately picked up the scent of home and returned to their familiar nests.
Zapdos returned to its miniature power station. Articuno and Moltres also flew back to their designated enclosures built by Professor Oak.
Articuno lived in a massive icehouse, which also housed other Ice-type Pokémon.
Moltres didn't have a custom facility, so it flew off to the dormant volcano just outside Pallet Town—a naturally ideal habitat for Fire-type Pokémon.
Professor Oak had instead installed surveillance equipment around the volcano to monitor Moltres's safety.
Meanwhile, Gary prepared food for all his Pokémon. After ensuring they were fed, he made himself a meal too.
Professor Oak spent some time bonding with Latios, and Gary didn't interfere.
The next morning...
Gary gathered all his Pokémon in the backyard. As promised, today was the day to assess their progress. "The best performers will have their potential improved by the system," he declared.
First, Gary taught all the moves he had collected throughout the Johto Region. Any compatible Pokémon learned them on the spot. Afterward, he began enhancing their potential.
Arcanine, which already had quasi-Elite potential, was upgraded to Elite-level using 1 Bronze Crown.Aerodactyl and Exeggutor were both upgraded to Champion-level using 2 Silver Crowns.Alakazam, Tyranitar, and Moltres were boosted to quasi-Legendary potential using 4 Gold Bottle Caps.Articuno received a potential boost to Legendary-level.
Gary still had 7 Gold Bottle Caps in storage but kept 3 in reserve for future use.
These Pokémon had grown rapidly recently, so it made sense to prioritize them. The others would have to wait their turn.
After this strengthening session, Professor Oak also reviewed Latios's basic data.
Gary took Latios to the backyard and introduced it to all his other Pokémon.
Latios, by nature, was sincere and somewhat stubborn. His actions in Alto Mare revealed that he was the kind of Pokémon who valued repaying kindness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chased after Gary just to follow him.
After all the introductions, Gary gently touched Latios's sleek dragon scales and taught it all compatible moves at once.
"Woo!!"
Latios was stunned—ten new moves awakened instantly. It was unbelievable.
"Don't be too shocked. This is my special ability—any move I've recorded, if you have the talent for it, I can teach it to you instantly. But this is our secret, okay?" Gary whispered.
"Woo!!"
Latios nodded excitedly. He hadn't expected Gary to possess such a gift but was grateful he had chosen to follow a remarkable Trainer.
Over the following days, Gary stayed at home and rested. He helped take care of the Pokémon at the Lab with Tracey (originally "Xiaojian") and occasionally strolled around Pallet Town.
When the townspeople saw Gary, they all congratulated him for winning the Silver Conference.
Having won two regional championships in a row, Gary had made Pallet Town famous. During his travels, many tourists had visited the town in hopes of seeing him—but he'd been away.
A week later…
Gary packed his bags, ready to head to the Hoenn Region.
Hoenn was an ancient land. According to geological studies, it was the first continent formed on Earth and housed many ancient ruins.
Gary was sure of this—he had found many Mega Fossils in ruins, and Steven Stone's Mega Stone and Key Stone had also been discovered through ruin explorations.
To make the journey easier, Gary brought three Pokémon:
Rhyperior, for excavation. Eevee, for scouting and early warnings.Latios, as his primary combat power.
With two Elite-level Pokémon and one quasi-Elite, Gary felt confident they could handle any danger. He didn't need to bring a Water-type, since Latios could function both in the air and over water.
"Gary, are you leaving already? Aren't you going to wait for Ash?" Professor Oak asked.
"No, we'll meet again in the Hoenn Region," Gary replied.
Gary didn't want to interfere with Ash's journey. It was better if Ash followed the original path—he'd be needed to resolve many crisis events.
"Then take care of yourself," Professor Oak said.
"You too, Grandpa. Don't stay up too late," Gary reminded him, then left the Oak Laboratory on his mountain bike.
Gary rode directly to the Pallet Town port, took a speedboat to Vermilion City, and then boarded a cruise ship bound for the Hoenn Region.
The trip was long—it took nearly half a month by sea.
The main reason was that the official travel route between Kanto and Hoenn hadn't opened yet, so sea travel was the only option.