Pokemon: I am Gary

"Lorelei, I've arrived in Vermilion City. Should I come find you now?" Gary typed a text message on his phone.

"Yes, that's fine. I'm at this address. Do you need me to pick you up?" Lorelei replied.

"No need, I can find my way there. Just send me the address."

At the seaside villa in Vermilion City, Gary looked at the address on his phone.

"Is this the place?" He glanced at the two-story villa in front of him, feeling a bit uncertain.

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded, confident that its trainer would never get lost—this was a nice trait.

After receiving the invitation from Lorelei, Gary had hurried along and finally arrived at the port city of Vermilion two days before the Master Challenge.

This city served as Kanto's largest maritime hub and was one of the fastest-growing cities economically.

Gary had initially expected that the official tournament organizers would arrange a luxurious hotel for Lorelei, but he was surprised to find it was this seaside cottage instead.

Knock knock knock! Gary shook his head and walked up to knock on the gated door of the villa.

"Yah~" The door swung open to reveal a cute Slowbro standing before Gary and Eevee.

"Eevee~!" Eevee curiously examined the Slowbro.

"Yah~" Slowbro tilted its head and made an unintelligible sound.

Gary broke into a cold sweat; he always found it challenging to deal with such simple-minded Pokémon.

"Yah~" Slowbro looked up at the sky with a dazed expression. Meanwhile, Eevee was intrigued and began circling around Slowbro's tail.

"Hey, little Eevee, I know Slowbro's tail smells delicious, but please don't bite it; it's not your takeout…" Gary awkwardly scooped up Eevee as it gazed longingly at the tail.

"Slowbro, do we have guests?" Lorelei's unique alluring voice called out from inside.

Gary looked up. "Lorelei! Wow~ what a bright sun…"

Kona appeared wearing a fitted swimsuit and threw on a cover-up as she stepped outside.

"Mmm-hmm~" Lorelei smiled at Gary's reaction. "Little Gary, you're here!"

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Gary looked up at the sky. "Uh, are you swimming?"

"Something like that; come join me." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Gary's hand and led him towards the backyard by the sea.

...

Now dressed only in beach shorts, Gary stood on the sand, unable to help but hug himself tightly.

It wasn't that it was too cold by the sea; rather, the chilly stares from the Dewgong and Cloyster lounging in the water made him feel a bit chilly.

Lorelei sat atop a Lapras, her fair legs splashing in the waves.

"So these are your Pokémon?" Gary asked as he received a drink from Wigglytuff.

"Exactly! These are my partners," Kona said while patting Dewgong and Cloyster. "Before competitions, I like to relax with them."

Gary surveyed the area: Lapras, , Dewgong, Cloyster, Slowbro, and Wigglytuff made up Lorelei's current main lineup.

In addition to these, she also had Starmie and Tentacruel among her Water-type Pokémon.

While he was curious about how Wigglytuff had managed to fit into such an elite lineup of Champions, he didn't ask further questions.

Watching Lorelei smile and play with her Pokémon, Gary asked curiously, "The Master Challenge is in two days; you don't seem very nervous."

"Really? I feel like I'm doing my best to stay calm," Lorelei replied as she brushed her wine-red hair. "I aim to be soft like water in daily life but turn icy in battle—that's my style."

Gary nodded; she truly embodied that persona. Despite her current gentle demeanor, once in battle mode, she could become chillingly ruthless.

"Is the location for the Master Challenge fixed? I remember seeing last week that Old Drake from Hoenn held his battles at Rustboro City's arena," Gary recalled from previous broadcasts.

"Yes! The location for each Master Challenge is different. Unlike the World Championships, most Master Challenges are more about performance unless it's a position battle for a Champion title."

"And the League arranged it this way not only to showcase high-level battles but also to flex their muscles against the dark forces in various regions," Lorelei shrugged.

"Has the battle location been confirmed?" Gary took a couple of sips from his drink, gesturing for Jinx to chill his beverage.

Jinx took the cup and blew gently, instantly frosting the sides.

"It's confirmed; it will be at the top of the Battle Tower in Vermilion City," Lorelei nodded, sighing a bit wearily. "And I have to face Bruno, that muscle-brained iron man."

Gary chuckled and shook his head; Lorelei's Ice-type Pokémon were indeed somewhat at a disadvantage against Bruno's Fighting-type Pokémon.

However, at their level, type advantages weren't the sole determining factor; it mainly depended on the strength of the Pokémon and the trainer's strategy.

"Bruno's Fighting-type Pokémon are indeed very fast, but your Ice domain isn't to be underestimated either," Gary reassured her.

Lorelei raised her hands in resignation. "Bruno will improve as well. In fact, I haven't had a formal match with him in over six months. If my strategies haven't changed, winning against him might be quite difficult…"

"New strategies~" Gary raised an eyebrow and activated his Pokédex to scan Lorelei's Pokémon.

"Wow—what luxurious data panels!" After looking around, Gary admitted he felt a bit envious.

With an average level of 80 across her lineup, each Pokémon had an extensive list of moves in their skill set.

This was the power of a Champion-level trainer!

"Wait—this Starmie…" Gary's gaze lingered on Lorelei's Starmie.

"What is it, Gary?" Lorelei asked curiously.

"Does this Starmie know how to use Minimize?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly! This little one has learned quite a few complex moves but hasn't leveled up enough yet, so it hasn't participated in any major competitions," Lorelei nodded.

"If… I mean if I have a strategy involving that move… would you like to try it out? I think it could have a good chance against Bruno's Fighting-types," Gary suddenly suggested.

"Oh~ I'm all ears," Lorelei adjusted her glasses, revealing a sharp glint in her eyes.

"Let's discuss this back in the room; I'm feeling a bit cold." Seeing Cloyster preparing to launch an Ice Spike at him made Gary's mouth twitch involuntarily.

Come on! Although older women are often seen as treasures, four blocks of gold are just too heavy! Gary hadn't even considered that option…

Lorelei nodded and led Gary back into the villa. After changing into her usual black form-fitting dress and blouse, she returned with two cups of coffee and sat down on the sofa.

Gary took a sip of his black coffee and slowly began, "I don't know if you've heard about… Minimize combined with Toxic…"