Pokemon: I am Gary

"The match begins!!"

With the referee's whistle, the official competition kicked off.

Although Bruno had been at the bottom of the Kanto Elite Four for several years, Gary had to admit that Bruno's current strength was beyond his imagination.

Let's put it this way: if Bruno and Gary fought right now, one punch from Bruno would have Gary kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy…

In last year's Kanto Elite Four ranking matches, Bruno had proven himself as a formidable opponent, even managing to fight against Lance for four rounds.

As for Lorelei, she was known as the genius girl from Seven Islands. Since her debut, she had firmly held the second position among the Kanto Elite Four.

If it weren't for the points system determining rankings, her win rate against the other two would likely be even higher.

Most importantly, among the Kanto Elite Four, she was the youngest.

The seemingly dashing Lance was nearly thirty years old.

And Grandma Agatha, well, she was from the same era as Professor Oak.

Thus, the showdown between Lorelei and Bruno not only attracted fans from Kanto but even drew fans from Kalos who flew across oceans to witness it live.

As Gary listened to the roaring cheers of the audience, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

This was it! The pinnacle of battles—the highest level of competition!

In front of the glass window, Eevee, Growlithe, and Rhydon stood in their usual formation, intently watching the two combatants in the arena.

Charmeleon peeked with one eye while Scyther nervously eyed the fruits on the table...

"Pay close attention; these two are world-class trainers," Gary advised in a calm voice.

The Pokémon instinctively nodded and continued to focus on the arena.

"Both contestants, please send out your Pokémon!" The referee waved his hands dramatically as the main event began.

Lt. Surge, with a cigar in his mouth, watched Gary with interest.

So this kid is part of Lorelei's entourage? I haven't heard of him before. Could he be Lorelei's boyfriend?

After pondering for a moment, Lt. Surge shook his head and redirected his attention to the match. He was there to see Bruno successfully challenge Lorelei.

After all, with Fighting-types having an inherent advantage, if Bruno put in some effort, he might really be able to topple Lorelei and claim the second seat among the Elite Four.

As all lights turned on and focused on the arena amidst the audience's fervent gazes, Lorelei and Bruno simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.

Snap! The Poké Balls opened with a flash of white light as two Pokémon emerged onto the field.

With hands resembling boxing gloves and sharp eyes, Bruno sent out his ace—Hitmonchan.

Compared to an ordinary Hitmonchan, Bruno's Hitmonchan had significantly larger muscle dimensions; its entire physique exuded strength and agility.

On Lorelei's side, a blue Pokémon gracefully entered the central water pool. With a haunting melody echoing around them, Lapras emerged from beneath the surface.

A white mist slowly wafted through the air; it was Lapras's cold aura that froze nearby water vapor into ice crystals.

Gary sat up straight. "Here we go—starting off with an ace showdown!"

Eevee swallowed hard; both Pokémon radiated an intense aura that was quite overwhelming.

Rhydon opened its sturdy arms to protect Eevee and Growlithe while Scyther kept its sharp gaze fixed below.

Charmeleon cracked its knuckles and sat up straight. It waved at its companions as if to say not to worry; it would take charge if anything went wrong!

Seeing his Pokémon ready for battle made Gary nod in satisfaction. Facing top-tier Pokémon was naturally intimidating, but none of them had lost their fighting spirit or forgotten to look out for each other.

What could be more satisfying than this?

Gary lightly tapped his temple and directed his Pokédex at Hitmonlee.

Hitmonchan

Rank: Champion-level

Ability: Iron Fist

Level: 82

Height: 1.6 meters

Weight: 65 kg

Moves: Mach Punch, High Jump Kick, Bullet Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Feint Attack, Mega Punch...

Gary rolled his eyes as he scanned Hitmonchan's extensive skill set—there seemed to be no end in sight!

However, Lorelei's Lapras was in a similar situation, boasting an impressive level of 85, even higher than Hitmonchan's 82.

The complexity of their skill sets indicated that both Pokémon were formidable contenders!

"Starting off with a speedy Pokémon means they're looking to seize the advantage right away," Gary mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly! I think Bruno is planning to push his team forward. His Hitmonchan has been specially trained for this match," Lt. Surge chimed in, puffing on his cigar.

"A push? He might be a bit overconfident. To achieve that kind of offensive power, Hitmonchan would need to boost its stats at least three times."

But would he have the time to do that? Once Lapras unleashes its Absolute Zero, even Fighting-types would go down in one hit," Gary replied, crossing his legs. "Let's see if he dares to gamble."

Lt. Surge shot a sideways glance at Gary. "We'll see how it plays out."

Gary shrugged and fell silent, waiting for the match to commence.

The key difference between the two Pokémon was that Lapras had more long-range skills, while Bruno had only one option to break through Lorelei's advantage.

That was…

"Attack first!" Gary murmured under his breath.

In the arena, Bruno's expression changed as he shouted, "Mach Punch!"

Lt. Surge suddenly turned to Gary. "Avoid the attack; don't clash head-on…"

At almost the same moment, Lorelei reacted. "Go underwater!"

Lapras dove into the pool with a splash.

Meanwhile, Hitmonchan leaped into the air and launched its right fist toward the water.

Boom!! The terrifying force of the punch split the water surface in two.

Crack! However, a thick sheet of ice ultimately blocked the attack as Lapras emerged from the water unscathed.

"Lapras, use Hail!" Lorelei elegantly commanded.

With a cry, Lapras summoned dark clouds overhead. Soon after, icy hail began to fall around them.

By initiating weather control first, Lorelei gained an advantageous battlefield position.

"Tsk tsk, that's not wise. Although she gained weather advantage, this gives Bruno a chance to close in," Lt. Surge said smugly as he glanced at Gary.

Gary's mouth twitched. What? Is the friend group going to have a showdown too? If you're so capable, why not just leave?

In the arena, Bruno commanded Hitmonchan to use Agility to close in on Lapras's position.

At the same time, Bruno's training results came into full play. Hitmonchan positioned its fists like a boxer—one forward and one back.

The Thunder Punch was in front for offense while Fire Punch was behind for defense—multi-tasking at its finest!

Given that Lapras also had Water-type moves, being struck by Thunder Punch would deal significant damage.

At the same time, Fire Punch could greatly suppress Lorelei's ice-based attacks.

"Didn't expect Bruno's muscle-bound brain could actually strategize," Gary couldn't help but admire.

"Avoid the Thunder Punch and use Sing!" Lorelei's counterattack made Gary clap in approval.

By dodging an attack that could be countered by Ice-type moves and instead sending out a sweet lullaby.

Though Lapras moved slowly on land, it had frozen the water beneath it; with just a flicker of movement, it dodged Hitmonchan's Thunder Punch effortlessly.

Hitmonchan skidded to a halt and struggled to regain balance as gentle singing filled its ears.

Gradually losing consciousness, Hitmonchan collapsed toward the water pool.

"Oh! The Sing move hit! Hitmonchan is unconscious! If it doesn't wake up soon, Bruno will face the embarrassment of losing his ace!" The commentator excitedly relayed the match progress.

"Lapras, use Psychic!" Lorelei tossed her hair back and issued her command.

A blue psychic energy swirled around Lapras as it lifted Hitmonchan with an unseen force and hurled him into the air.

"Don't give up! Wake up, Hitmonchan!!" Bruno shouted without panic.

"If that works… I can't believe it actually does!" Watching as Hitmonchan broke free from psychic control and opened its eyes mid-air made Gary feel uneasy.

Even Ash's revival shout worked for Bruno?

"Years of training for this punch—this punch embodies our ten years of effort! Lorelei, can your Lapras withstand this?!" Bruno steadied himself and swung his fist forward. "Concentrated Strike!"

Hitmonchan's right fist glowed with white energy as it gathered power before crashing down with centrifugal force!

"Lapras! Use Ice Beam!" In this moment of crisis, Lorelei instinctively called upon her most proficient attack to counterattack.

"This is bad~" Gary covered his eyes with both hands.

Boom!! A tremendous impact shook the entire arena twice.

Water splashed everywhere as Hitmonchan proudly raised its right fist like a champion boxer who had just knocked out an opponent.

Meanwhile, Lapras lay defeated in the pool, having lost its fighting ability…

Lorelei's ace had fallen…