Pallet Town was a rural community in western Kanto and the hometown of both Ash and Gary.
The laboratory of world-renowned scholar Professor Samuel Oak was the town's most iconic landmark, easily recognized by the wind turbine outside.
By the time Caster reached the entrance to Professor Oak's Laboratory, Gary had already been waiting for a while.
At his side stood a handsome, enormous dog: his Arcanine.
Beneath the wind turbine, Gary opened his arms and gave Caster a warm hug. "Caster, welcome to my home!"
Gary had skipped the Viridian Gym entirely and driven straight back to Pallet Town to welcome him.
He had even dismissed his cheerleading squad ahead of time and sent the girls home so they would not interrupt him while he spent time with Caster.
"Thanks for going to all this trouble, Gary!"
The thought of fishing on the grounds behind Professor Oak's Laboratory had put Caster in a wonderful mood as well.
"Long time no see, Arcanine!"
Caster stroked Arcanine's mane. Its fur was silky smooth and pleasantly warm, so satisfying to touch that he could hardly bring himself to stop.
"Awooo!"
Arcanine raised its head and howled. It looked more like a majestic lion than an oversized dog.
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu greeted Arcanine from Caster's shoulder.
The two Pokémon were old acquaintances by now.
"No need to thank me. Come on, let's talk inside!"
Gary smiled and led Caster into the building.
The laboratory stood two stories tall. Beyond the front door was a hallway lined with doors, with rows of storage drawers and a staircase leading to the second floor on the left.
They had not gone far when Caster caught sight of the laboratory's enormous grounds, a natural habitat Professor Oak had specially constructed so Pokémon could live and thrive there.
It was divided into separate habitats for Pokémon of different types. There was an area reserved for Rock-type Pokémon, a desert for Ground and Fire types, wide stretches of grassland, and several ponds.
Even from a distance, a few Pokémon immediately caught Caster's eye.
A Venusaur carrying an enormous flower, a Blastoise with two massive cannons protruding from its shell, and a Charizard with a blazing flame at the tip of its tail...
"That Blastoise!"
Caster's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
It was too far away for him to get a clear look, but he could still sense that the Blastoise was extraordinarily powerful.
As Caster's gaze settled on it, the Blastoise sunning itself on the ground seemed to sense his attention and looked back at him.
"Blast..."
After a single glance, however, it lay back down and resumed basking lazily in the sun.
"Is something wrong with that Blastoise, Caster?"
Gary paused, then quickly explained, "That is my brother's first partner Pokémon!"
Caster lived in a world where different Pokémon continuities had merged. Red and Ash both existed here, and even Ritchie was around.
Likewise, this world's Gary had an older brother: Blue, the man jokingly known as the shortest-reigning Champion in history.
Back when Red and Blue began their journeys, Blue had always remained one step ahead of Red.
His reign as Champion, however, had been so brief that he had barely settled into the position before Red arrived, challenged him, and took the title away.
Of course, calling him the shortest-reigning Champion was only a joke at Blue's expense.
When it came to strength, Blue was unquestionably of Champion caliber, and his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Champion.
After all, when Blue was dominating Kanto, the current Champion, Lance, was still Kanto's so-called Flying-type Elite Four member.
Red and Blue were both Trainers in the purest sense. Their ambition was to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world, and neither had any interest in governing the League.
Otherwise, Lance might never have become Champion.
Caster swallowed, his cheeks flushing with excitement. "So that's Blue's Blastoise. No wonder it feels so powerful."
If he could reel in this Blastoise, Caster felt he might be ready to challenge the Champion's Road before the year was out.
Winning a regional League Conference would be child's play.
"Of course! This Blastoise is incredibly powerful. My brother never could have conquered the Champion's Road without it."
Gary puffed out his chest with pride at Caster's praise. "My brother was also the reason I chose Squirtle as my own first partner. My dream is to become a Pokémon Trainer every bit as strong as he is."
Caster glanced back at Gary's proud expression and thought, "Who knew Gary had such a big brother complex?"
He cleared his throat to hide his amusement, then pointed toward the Charizard beside Blastoise. "Gary, don't tell me that Charizard is World Champion Red's ace Pokémon?"
When it came to sheer marketability, Leon was undoubtedly the most marketable Trainer in the world.
But when it came to the world's most legendary Trainer, no one could deny Red the top spot.
Caster might have specialized in rain teams, but he knew enough to recognize strength when he saw it.
That Charizard was every bit as powerful as Blastoise.
"Oh, you mean that Charizard?"
Gary peered into the distance and studied it for a moment before shaking his head. "Red is always wandering from place to place, and he does board several of his Pokémon with my grandpa. But he usually keeps Charizard, his ace, with him."
After a brief pause, Gary's pride grew even more pronounced. He grinned and said, "That Charizard was actually my grandpa's first partner Pokémon. It's every bit as powerful."
Caster's interest sharpened. "Professor Oak's Pokémon?"
Professor Oak was a leading authority on Pokémon whose primary field of study was the relationship between Pokémon and humans.
He was also the one who proposed classifying Pokémon by type.
In addition, Professor Oak served as a special adviser to the Pokémon League at Indigo Plateau.
In the Pokémon Adventures continuity, Professor Oak had been close friends with Kurt and Pryce in his youth. He had also been an exceptionally powerful Pokémon Trainer, capable of matching his friend and rival Agatha.
At the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League, Professor Oak had narrowly defeated Agatha in the finals.
That was why people had long speculated that Professor Oak possessed the strength of a Champion.
He simply found Pokémon research more compelling than battling, which was how he became the renowned researcher he was today.
"So this is another Champion-level Pokémon!"
Caster's eyes burned with excitement, and even his breathing quickened.
This was Charizard!
Rain teams might be Caster's first love, but he still had a soft spot for Nintendo's golden child.
If Alain could raise the Pokémon fans jokingly called "Water Absorb Charizard," then with the help of his cheat ability, perhaps Caster could put in enough work to raise a "Drizzle Charizard."
"Red is your idol, isn't he, Caster? See that Venusaur over there?"
Gary smiled at Caster's faraway expression and pointed toward a Pokémon with a gigantic flower growing from its back. "That Venusaur belongs to Red. He boards it here with my grandpa."
Following Gary's gesture, Caster spotted a massive Venusaur crowned by an enormous, brilliantly colored flower.
Without question, this was yet another Champion-level Pokémon.
Not merely Champion-level, either. It was a Pokémon worthy of a World Champion!
Caster's mouth went dry.
There were simply too many powerful Pokémon on Professor Oak's grounds.
Caster felt like a mouse that had fallen into a barrel of rice. Surrounded by a feast, he could hardly wait to pull out his fishing gear and start casting in every direction.
Reeling in even one of these Pokémon would earn him an incredible reward.
"Gary, I can't take it anymore! I have to fish!"
His fishing fever surging, Caster shrugged off his backpack on the spot.