"Look, that's a Taillow!"
Wally quickly spotted a target: a Taillow.
[Pokémon: Taillow ♂ — Level 18 — Elite Potential]
"Taillow is a solid choice for a rookie Trainer," Gary said. "Do you want to try catching it?"
"No." Wally shook his head. "I'd like to look for something else first. If I don't find anything better, I'll come back for Taillow."
"Suit yourself."
Gary approved of the answer. If Wally caught Taillow now, he might never run into a Ralts later.
Wally continued searching the grass and soon encountered a Roselia.
[Pokémon: Roselia ♀ — Level 15 — Gym Potential]
"I want to catch that Roselia!" Wally declared.
Roselia glanced at Wally and the Eevee beside him, then calmly went back to tending the flowers in her hands.
"Are you sure?" Gary asked, surprised. Although Roselia eventually appeared on Wally's team in the game canon, catching one now might ruin the chance of meeting a Ralts. Still, for a brand-new Trainer, a Pokémon with Gym-level potential was already excellent.
"Yes—I really like Roselia," Wally said firmly.
"All right. Go for it."
"Eevee, use Tackle!"
"Vee!"
Eevee barked a warning to Roselia, then charged. Roselia flicked her roses and scattered red and blue petals—Magical Leaf.
"Watch out! That's Magical Leaf—dodge it!" Wally cried.
Instead, Eevee dashed straight through the petals, a swirling vortex of energy around his body, and slammed into Roselia.
Thud!
Roselia flew backwards, hit the ground, and fainted.
Wally's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected Eevee to shrug off Magical Leaf and one-shot Roselia.
"Quick, throw the Poké Ball," Gary reminded him.
"Oh—right!"
Wally tossed the red-and-white sphere. It struck Roselia, pulled her inside, and fell to the grass. The ball rocked once… twice… click! The light on the button went dark.
"Yes! I caught Roselia—my first Pokémon!" Wally cheered, scooping up the ball. "Brother Gary, look!"
"Congratulations," Gary said with a smile, though he quietly wondered whether they would still meet a Ralts.
Ralts sensed emotions and were drawn to pure hearts and for someone who daydreamed about a Gardevoir for less-than-innocent reasons (like Gary) would never attract one.
"Let's get Roselia to the Pokémon Center," he suggested.
"Okay!"
Satisfied, Wally followed Gary back to Verdanturf Town's Pokémon Center.
Inside the Center
"Brother Gary, I'm counting on you later," Wally said anxiously. His family had always forbidden him from raising Pokémon convincing them to let him keep Roselia would be the real challenge. Luckily, Roselia was a Grass-type—she could survive on sunlight and water if food became an issue.
"Relax. I'm sure your parents will understand," Gary assured him. Anyone who genuinely loved Pokémon deserved to become a Trainer.
After Roselia's treatment was complete, they returned to Wally's house. Lunch was still an hour away, and neither Wally's parents nor his cousin Wanda were home—Wanda and her parents had gone to the hospital to visit Riley.
"Will your parents be back by noon?" Gary asked.
"They should be they said they'd bring lunch home," Wally replied. "Want to see my room? I've got a game console with tons of Pokémon games."
"Sure."
With nothing else to do, Gary followed Wally upstairs—only to freeze the moment the bedroom door opened.
"Ra…"
"Ra…!"
Two small Pokémon were inside. One peeked timidly from behind the other, while the one in front tried to look brave but was clearly nervous.
"Ralts, it's okay," Wally soothed them. "This is Gary—we saw him during the League Conference broadcasts."
Gary was stunned. Wally wasn't supposed to have any Pokémon—so why were there two Ralts here, and why did they already trust him?
More importantly, one of them was a Shiny Ralts: pale blue hair and a skirt tinged pink. When that Shiny Ralts evolved into Gardevoir—and later Mega Evolved—its gown would turn black, becoming a true queen among Pokémon.
[Pokémon: Ralts ♀ — Level 10 — Quasi-Elite Potential]
[Pokémon: Ralts ♂ — Level 12 — Quasi-Elite Potential]
Both possessed Quasi-Elite potential—below Gary's usual standards, yet he would have tried to catch that Shiny Ralts even if it had only Gym-level potential.