After Squirtle entered the poké ball, the mission was completed.
[Ding! The 'Return to the Right Path' mission has been completed.]
[Distributing mission rewards...]
[Speed Potion has been placed in the system inventory!]
[Basic Rare Candy *2 has been placed in the system inventory!]
[Officer Jenny Family general favorability +10, current total: 30]
A series of prompts flashed by.
The corners of Roy's mouth curled up slightly.
Speed Potion—good stuff.
Items that can directly increase a Pokémon's stats are heaven-defying existences in this world.
As for the favorability of the Officer Jenny Family... Roy looked up at Officer Jenny, who was currently comforting the four newly recruited Police Squirtles.
At this moment, Jenny's pencil skirt and black stockings were covered in tears and mud, but she didn't look disheveled at all; instead, she had a different kind of charm, like a battle-worn warrior.
Sensing Roy's gaze, Jenny turned her head.
Their eyes met.
Driven by the favorability, Jenny's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still walked over generously.
"Roy," she spoke, her voice filled with gratitude. "I really owe you one this time. Not only did you stop the forest fire, but you also helped me solve the problem with the Squirtles."
She paused, her eyes flickering slightly.
Roy nodded and smiled. "It's police-civilian cooperation; just something a Trainer does in passing."
"Mm..." Jenny chuckled softly, then resumed her professional expression. "Alright, I need to take these little guys back to the station for registration first. You guys should head down the mountain early too."
She turned and beckoned to the four Squirtles standing in a row.
"Let's go, little heroes. First, let's go take a bath, and then I'll get you custom-made little Police Squirtle uniforms~"
The Squirtles excitedly cried "Squirtle Squirtle" and followed behind her wagging their tails... As Jenny and the Police Squirtles left, only Roy and Misty remained in the clearing.
Misty quickly leaned in, looking full of gossip.
"Hey, hey, Roy" She nudged Roy's waist with her elbow. "What did Officer Jenny whisper to you just now? Her face even turned red"
Roy remained unfazed. "Nothing, just a thank you."
"Really?" Misty stared at him suspiciously, then she started thinking about the business of delivering tofu to Roy again.
Roy ignored Misty for the moment and continued browsing the panel.
The progress of the starter collection mission had also updated.
[Starter Collection Mission (2/3)]
[Currently caught: Bulbasaur, Squirtle]
Just as the prompt ended.
[Pokémon: Squirtle, Level: lv10→lv13]
Squirtle directly increased by three levels!
A Squirtle that was originally only level 10 could lead its subordinates to cause so much trouble and spray such a powerful Water Gun during the fire; its potential was definitely not bad.
With a thought, Roy began to check Squirtle's panel.
[Pokémon: Squirtle]
[Type: Water]
[Level: lv13 (Novice Level)]
[Potential: Elite Level]
[Ability: Rain Dish—In rain, it can continuously restore HP.]
[Skills: Water Gun, Tackle, Rapid Spin, Withdraw.]
[Held Item: None]
[Special Enhancement: None]
As expected.
Elite Level potential!
And the ability is the rare 'Rain Dish'!
One should know that the vast majority of Squirtles have the 'Torrent' ability, which increases the power of Water-type moves when HP is low—it's an offensive ability.
But 'Rain Dish' is completely different.
This is a pure sustain-type ability. It can continuously restore HP in a rainy state, greatly enhancing the Pokémon's staying power on the field.
For Squirtle, and its evolutions Wartortle and Blastoise, this ability is practically perfect.
Because Water-type + shell-type Pokémon are themselves positioned as semi-tanks and semi-warriors; they aren't fast, but their defense and endurance are excellent.
Their combat style is often steady and calculated, relying on a war of attrition to find the opponent's flaws.
The 'Rain Dish' ability fits this tactic perfectly.
The only current limitation is the need for a rainy environment.
But once Squirtle's level increases and it learns the 'Rain Dance' skill, it can create the weather itself and fully utilize the ability's advantages.
Roy muttered to himself and took an item out of the system inventory.
It was a water-drop-shaped blue gem, with water seemingly swirling slowly inside, emitting a soft light.
Mystic Water!
This was a reward obtained from a previous mission at the Cerulean Gym, which could increase the power of Water-type moves.
It was perfect for supplementing the combat power Squirtle lacked from not having Torrent.
Roy threw the poké ball.
Squirtle appeared in the clearing once again.
As soon as it came out, it subconsciously looked around. When it found Staryu still by Misty's feet, its face turned slightly red again, but this time it forced itself to remain calm, puffing out its chest like a turtle who was totally fine.
Roy found it amusing. He crouched down and handed the Mystic Water to it.
"This is for you."
Squirtle tilted its head in confusion.
"Good stuff!"
Squirtle Boss's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
It reached out a claw and carefully took the blue gem.
The moment it touched it, the Mystic Water turned into a stream of light and merged into Squirtle's body.
[Squirtle is now holding: Mystic Water (Water-type move power increased by 20%)]
Feeling the power surging within its body, Squirtle waved its claws excitedly.
Then, it turned and looked at the Staryu by Misty's feet.
It hesitated for a moment.
It still walked over.
However, this time, it didn't put its arm around its shoulder, but very formally raised a claw and waved it in front of Staryu.
Squirtle, Squirtle Squirtle!
(That... please look after me from now on! Let's get stronger together!)
The tone was serious, but if you listened carefully, you could still hear a trace of nervousness.
Staryu's gem core flashed once, and it gently swayed its body.
Staryu, Staryu~
(Mm, please look after me too.)
Watching this scene, Misty couldn't help but snicker again, leaning in to whisper in Roy's ear: "Your Squirtle seems to be a pure-hearted little boy~"
Roy nodded and looked toward the mountain forest.
"Alright, we should head down the mountain too. Officer Jenny should have finished checking for forest fire hazards by now."
...The three of them headed down the mountain path.
On the way, they encountered Jenny and the four Police Squirtles performing a final check.
After confirming there were no remaining sparks, everyone returned to Blue Water Town together.
The townspeople had already heard the news that the forest fire had been extinguished. Seeing Jenny leading the four Squirtles walking in a line, they all gathered around curiously.
"Officer Jenny, these Squirtles are...?"
"They are now police auxiliary Pokémon," Jenny announced loudly. "In the future, they will assist me in maintaining the town's security and also do firefighting work."
The townspeople were stunned at first, then burst into cheers.
"That's great!"
"So it was these little guys who helped put out the fire!"
"I knew it, even though the Squirtles are mischievous, they aren't bad at heart!"
"We'll have to call them Lord Police Squirtles from now on!"
Hearing the praise and teasing from around them, the four Squirtles puffed out their chests and tried their best to make dignified expressions, but their constantly wagging tails gave away their excitement.
Squirtle Boss stood beside Roy, watching the scene of its subordinates being surrounded by everyone, its eyes behind the sunglasses full of gratification.
It raised a claw and touched Roy's leg.
Squirtle, Squirtle Squirtle.
(Thank you. This... is really good.)
Roy smiled and patted its shell.
"Let's go, go say goodbye to them. We should continue our journey."
Squirtle Boss nodded and trotted over to its four subordinates.
The five Squirtles huddled together, communicating in low voices.
Squirtle, Squirtle Squirtle!
(Brothers, I'm going to a bigger stage with my Trainer! You guys have to work hard here!)
The four subordinates nodded heavily, their eyes a bit Misty.
Squirtle! Squirtle Squirtle!
(Don't worry, Boss! We will definitely become the best Police Squirtles!)
(When you become famous, Boss, you have to come back and see us!)
(We will keep cheering for you!)
Squirtle Boss took a deep breath, raised its claw, and high-fived the four subordinates one by one.
Then, it turned and returned to Roy's side without hesitation.
It didn't look back. Because it was afraid that if it did, it wouldn't be able to bear leaving... After replenishing their supplies, Roy, Delia, and Misty set off on their journey once again.
Leaving Blue Water Town, they walked on the road leading to Vermilion City.
As Roy walked, he organized his system inventory and current team.
[Pikachu: Light Ball]
[Pidgeotto: super flight berry]
[Butterfree: super flight berry, Silver Powder]
[Bulbasaur: Premium Miracle Seed, Everstone]
[Squirtle: Mystic Water]
This set of equipment, placed among novice Trainers, was simply a dimensional strike.
In this area before Vermilion City, the so-called 'Novice Training Zone', he could basically walk sideways now.
Roy calculated in his heart.
However, he was not satisfied.
Because the starter mission was still missing the last one.
Charmander.
Regarding Bulbasaur and Squirtle, Roy previously held a "try my luck" attitude.
But for Charmander, he was determined to get it.
In the original plot, that Charmander abandoned on a rainy night... Roy's gaze was deep.
He remembered it very clearly.
That Charmander showed amazing perseverance and potential in the original work, eventually even being able to defeat one of the three legendary birds of the Kanto region—Articuno.
Its potential was definitely top-tier.
This was one that had to be caught.
This was not only to complete the starter mission and get the ultimate reward.
It was also to reach the basic lineup of six for participating in the Indigo League Conference.
Just as Roy's thoughts were surging.
[Ding!]
The familiar system notification sound rang in his ears once again.