Pokemon: I am Gary

"Alright, line up, one at a time. Next up, Nidorina, you're on." In the training area of the Pokémon Center, Gary lounged in a chair, sporting sunglasses and a stack of cash. Being a top-tier trainer in the League certainly has its perks! Due to Rhydon's hospitalization, Gary was stuck at the Cerulean City Pokémon Center. With free time to spare, he began training in the area outside. Confident trainers soon flocked to challenge him. With experience knocking at his door, Gary wasn't about to turn it down.

At first, only a few trainers approached him. But after he scored ten consecutive victories, challenging him felt like a main quest. Trainers from the Pokémon Center lined up one after another, eager to test their skills and see how many wins Gary could rack up. As these trainers fell one by one, Gary's Pokémon gained significant experience; most notably, Nidoran had already evolved into Nidorina.

"Weepinbell, use Vine Whip!" A boy in shorts energetically directed his Pokémon on the field. "Catch it and spin it around!" Gary shook his head; clearly, Nidorina had a much greater weight class than Weepinbell. Yet, Weepinbell was willingly using its Vine Whip. Sorry, kid, you're going down! With a powerful push from its legs, Nidorina swung its head and sent Weepinbell flying toward it. "Crazy Scratching!" Gary remained calm as he watched Nidorina scratch Weepinbell's face until it was covered in flowers. Nearby, Nidorino shivered, recalling a terrifying thought... "Nidorina is going to demolish me..."

"Nidorino, no!" 

"The match is over; the winner is Gary!" shouted the boy in shorts, who was acting as the referee.

"Wow, this guy is incredible..."

"Isn't he? How many wins has he had?"

"Thirty-seven consecutive victories..."

"Wow..."

The crowd buzzed with excitement while Gary stretched lazily and glanced at the sky. "That's enough for today; tomorrow I need to challenge the Cerulean Gym. You all can disperse now."

"Hey~ I haven't challenged yet."

"Yeah, it's still early," shouted two individuals who clearly weren't Pokémon trainers.

Gary rolled his eyes. "I just bought my victory; remember to give me my money before you leave, or I'll smash your heads." The two petty crooks looked embarrassed as they glanced at Gary's Scyther behind him and swallowed hard. They quickly left a stack of cash and turned to flee.

Gary stuffed the cash into his pocket and sighed. Training Pokémon really burns through money, especially with a sick one at home. Rhydon's six types of supplements cost 3,000 yuan for the cheapest bottle, while the most expensive zinc and iron supplements are 9,800 each. One bottle lasts about a month, meaning Rhydon needs nearly 40,000 yuan worth of supplements every month. Only someone like Gary could afford this; if it were Ash, he'd probably be selling his underwear by now.

"Damn those greedy merchants!" Gary grumbled as he scratched his head. "I need to find a part-time job..."

After venting about the prices at the League-friendly shop, Gary generously took out all the supplements and poured them into Rhydon's bowl. Then he prepared food for his other Pokémon before heading to the intensive care unit.

"Oh~" Upon seeing Gary enter, Rhydon sat up straight and wagged its thick tail slightly. Initially skeptical about Gary's presence, after a few meals together, all it could think was: having a trainer is so nice... "Eat up; we'll be discharged tomorrow. You need to do your rehabilitation training well. Let's aim for some pride at the Indigo Conference," Gary said as he watched Rhydon dig into its food and affectionately patted its head.

Rhydon nodded eagerly, focused on eating. In its world, there weren't many complex values. It just needed to eat what its boss provided and fight whoever its boss told it to fight. So what if it eats more? The one who eats the most fights the hardest. Rhydon nodded in satisfaction; it truly was an honest and clever Pokémon.

After a restful night at the Pokémon Center, the next day arrived. Gary left with his revitalized Pokémon. Rhydon was officially discharged, and it was time for Gary to get serious again. Two streets away from the Pokémon Center stood a building resembling a giant aquarium—Cerulean City's landmark: Cerulean Gym.

Today, Cerulean Gym was bustling with activity, especially at the ticket booth, where a long line stretched out. A huge banner above read: "Cerulean Beauties' Three Sisters Water Ballet Show Day."

"Those three sisters are at it again..." Gary raised an eyebrow and rubbed his forehead in mild annoyance. "Swimsuits... I definitely can't miss this!"

Before Gary could complain further, a somewhat sleazy voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw Ash and his unfortunate companion Brock. "Gary!! Are you here to... watch the swimsuit show too?" Ash exclaimed. "I didn't expect it, Gary, you really know your stuff~" Brock chuckled, nudging Gary's chest with his elbow, looking like a fellow enthusiast. "You two are thinking too much..." Gary rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone who needs a girlfriend? I'm just here to challenge the Cerulean Gym." 

"Eh? This really is the Cerulean Gym?" Brock was surprised. Could there really be a Gym Leader poorer than him? So poor that they resorted to selling their looks? "A Gym! Awesome, I want to challenge too!" Ash immediately got excited. "Go line up behind me; besides, do you even have money for a ticket?" Gary pressed down on Ash's overly eager face and walked ahead to buy his ticket, entering the hall first. 

Ash could only look at Brock with a pleading expression. After all, anyone who knows Ash knows he is notoriously broke. Brock glanced at the poster and swallowed hard. "Alright, worst case, I'll just dig up some wild vegetables later and use a little bit of my food budget!" The ticket lady flashed a sweet smile. "I promise it's worth every penny, dear..." Meanwhile, Gary had quietly slipped backstage. 

Three beautiful girls in swimsuits, wrapped in towels, were playfully teasing each other when they noticed a handsome young man appear backstage. "Sorry, I'm here to challenge the Cerulean Gym." To avoid being seen as a creep, Gary got straight to the point. The three sisters, who were initially sizing him up, looked disappointed upon hearing this. Another challenger? Misty isn't here; how many beatings have we taken lately? Finally, the eldest sister, Daisy, flicked her long golden hair and stepped forward. "Um~ handsome guy, as you can see, we're about to perform. Can we wait until after the show for your match?"

Gary smiled kindly. "No can do... Besides, it will be over soon; it won't delay your performance." Daisy's expression stiffened before she resignedly nodded. "Then let's head over to the pool."

Gary followed Daisy to the poolside. She clapped her hands, and a small Seel popped out of the water, spitting out a blue badge from its mouth. Daisy casually caught the badge and stuffed it into her dimensional storage pocket. Gary felt his nose heat up and quickly recited in his mind: form is emptiness; emptiness is form... Daisy's two younger sisters whispered nearby. 

Violet said, "Sister is so scheming; she actually put the badge there." 

Lily added, "Exactly! At her age, she still wants to flirt with younger guys."

"Right? If anyone's going to flirt, it should be me..." Violet nodded. 

Lily pouted. "I'm the youngest; it should be me!" Gary was sweating profusely; although their voices weren't loud, he wasn't deaf!

Daisy shot an annoyed glance at her lovesick sisters before turning back to Gary. "The match rules are one-on-one; if you win, you get the blue badge."

Gary nodded. "Got it. Let's begin."

Daisy sighed. "Then my Pokémon is..." Snap! The Poké Ball opened, revealing a very beautiful... Goldeen before Gary's eyes. 

"Goldeen~ Goldeen~ Goldeen!" Watching Goldeen swim energetically in the water made Gary's lips twitch twice.

"Go! Eevee, use Thunderbolt!" Gary threw out his Poké Ball. 

"Eevee!" Eevee approached the water's edge seriously and unleashed a powerful electric shock that struck directly into the water. 

Zzap... Bubbles surged underwater as Goldeen's spiral eyes rolled back, and it flipped onto its back, floating up. Eevee looked questioningly at Gary: Are we here to fish today...? 

Gary helplessly nodded. "Well done, come back, Eevee." 

"Then according to our agreement, this badge is yours." Daisy walked up to Gary and handed him the Cascade Badge.

"Thank you for the battle," Gary said politely.

"Alright! Business is done! Next up, would you like to enjoy our Cerulean Beauties' Water Ballet show?" Daisy invited with a smile. 

Gary shrugged. "Of course; I bought a ticket..." 

The three sisters threw flirtatious glances at Gary before giggling as they left backstage to prepare for their performance. Gary looked at the badge in his hand. "Well... just a quick look before heading off."