Pokemon: I am Gary

At the entrance of the Vermilion City amusement park, a large sign declared it was closed for the day. As the only visitors, Gary couldn't help but express his surprise. 

"I can't believe it's closed today! Good thing you have connections, Sister Lorelei," Gary said with a shrug of relief. 

"Uh, I don't really have connections; I just booked the place for today," Lorelei replied lazily with a smile. "Given my special status, if I were to show up at a crowded amusement park, it could lead to a stampede…" 

Gary raised an eyebrow; even as a wealthy heir, he thought Lorelei's ability to pull off such a stunt was impressive. After their moonlit dinner last night, Gary planned to say goodbye to Lorelei to continue his journey. Lorelei understood and nodded in agreement, but upon checking her schedule, she excitedly realized she had one more day off before returning to the Indigo Plateau for work.

So—

Wearing black sunglasses and a white shirt with a fitted skirt, Lorelei leaned on the kitchen counter and looked at Gary with pleading eyes, raising a finger. "Just one more day with me, please? I can't remember the last time I went out to have fun…" 

Gary sighed and shook his head; how could anyone resist such a charming older sister? She simply wanted to visit an amusement park—how could he say no? Thus began their trip to the amusement park today.

"Alright, everything here is ours for the day! Which ride do you want to start with?" Lorelei asked, turning around as the amusement rides lit up. 

Gary tilted his head in thought, feeling as though he had forgotten something important. "Oh well, never mind! I want to ride the roller coaster first!"

At the Vermilion Gym, Lt. Surge was surrounded by cigarette butts as he fumed while rubbing his hair. "Damn it! That brat Gary dared to stand me up! Where is he? Who's he with? I'm going to kick that kid's ass right now!" 

One of his underlings chimed in, "Uh, that kid is currently at the Vermilion amusement park. The Elite Four member Lorelei has rented out the entire place for them to enjoy. Boss, should I take some guys and cut their power?" 

Lt. Surge's expression changed. "Shut your mouth! As a gym staff member, how can you be so unreasonable? Just wait at the entrance until that young master finishes; then you can tell him about our invitation." 

The underling stood there dumbfounded. "Huh? Boss, when did we start being so reasonable…" 

Lt. Surge's lips twitched as he slapped his underling across the face and flexed his right bicep, which bore a new tattoo featuring Kanji from the Kanto region with the character "理" (meaning reason). "I've always been a man of reason! Do you understand?" 

The underling covered his face in grievance, afraid he might cry too loudly. "Got it, boss. I'll go now." Watching his underling leave, Lt. Surge finally sighed in relief. "If Lorelei goes crazy, even Lance can't stop her. I'm not going to provoke her!"

"Ah!!!" Accompanied by Lorelei's scream and Gary's cheer, the roller coaster shot into the sky. 

"Ugh…" Jinx in the back seat immediately threw up on the first loop. 

"Yay! That was exhilarating!" After getting off the roller coaster, Lorelei was as excited as a little girl. "What do you think? Want to go again?" 

Gary glanced at Jinx's pale face and shook his head helplessly. "Let's try the drop tower instead." 

Jinx froze and decisively pulled out her Poké Ball, bumping it against herself. 

"Well then, it looks like Jinx isn't interested in rides anymore; let's just enjoy ourselves," Lorelei laughed nonchalantly, pulling Gary along to continue their adventure. 

As the central amusement park of Vermilion City, this place had an impressive variety of attractions. Gary and Lorelei enjoyed the drop tower, pirate ship, and log flume ride. 

To be honest, during the log flume ride, those pesky tadpoles didn't think he noticed them intentionally spraying water on his back! They had a blast all morning, savoring caramel-filled cookies from the park for lunch along with lattes while sitting by an artificial lake fishing. 

"Ah~ This feels so nice! It's been ages since I've relaxed like this," Lorelei sighed contentedly, like a cat lounging on her small bench. 

"Is it busy being an Elite Four member?" Gary asked while intently watching his fishing bobber. 

"Well~ How should I put it? Most of the paperwork is handled by administrative staff," Lorelei replied. "However, Kanto's location is too special…" 

"…the rampant Team Rocket needs us to suppress them. The touring performances throughout the region, the annual Master Tournament, the Champion League, and the qualifying rounds leave little time for us to enjoy ourselves," Lorelei counted off her workload on her fingers. 

"You all seem busier than the champions from other regions," Gary chuckled. 

"Isn't that right?" Lorelei sighed. The Kanto Elite Four were all incredibly close to being champions themselves. Unfortunately, it was a chain reaction, and none could surpass the others. Because of this, the Kanto region had shared administration among the Elite Four, with no single champion to take charge. 

It's worth noting that in other regions, Elite Four members had it much easier. The champion of Hoenn could leisurely dig holes and search for stones, while the champion of Kalos was a well-known actress… 

"Must be tough!" Gary shook his head with a smile. 

"Not tough—just unfortunate," Lorelei waved her hand dismissively. "When will a brilliant genius appear? Someone powerful and intelligent enough to defeat all four of us at once and take up the Kanto crown? Then we, the Kanto Elite Four, could finally relax!" 

Gary raised an eyebrow and replied calmly, "Well… it will happen. Trust me." 

Seeing Gary's confident expression, Lorelei had a feeling that this young man might actually be capable of it. 

Suddenly, Gary felt a tug on his fishing line! 

"I've got one! Pull it up!" Lorelei exclaimed excitedly. 

Gary shook his head in amusement. "It's probably just a Magikarp from this artificial lake; it's not like I've caught a Kyogre or anything." 

"Oh come on, let's see what it is!" Lorelei urged, patting Gary on the shoulder. 

"Alright, alright. Just stay back a little, so you don't get splashed by the Magikarp," Gary warned as he began to reel in the line. 

He remembered when he was younger, going fishing outside town and watching Ash get slapped in the face by a Magikarp multiple times before he even reached the riverbank. That incident had provided him with endless amusement for an entire year… 

"Splash~" As the Pokémon surfaced from the water, Gary was taken aback. A yellow, plump duck with three tufts on its head waved at him and even winked flirtatiously… 

"What is this? Did that Psyduck just wink at me?" Gary asked in disbelief. 

"Uh… it seems that way," Lorelei replied curiously as she watched the Psyduck before them. 

While Gary stood there stunned, the Psyduck flailed on the hook. Its eyes turned blue, radiating a blue light as it floated over to Gary. Then, with one hand behind its back and one on its chest, it performed a noble bow. "Quack~ Is it you? My destined trainer?" 

Gary was completely dumbfounded—was that some kind of telepathy? 

Wait a minute; isn't telepathy supposed to be a skill used by Pokémon with high mental power and intelligence? Why on earth could a Psyduck use it? This species is typically known for being dazed and foolish! 

Seeing Gary's astonished expression, the Psyduck shrugged its wings, as if to say: "I think I can explain. Can you please find me a Poké Ball? I'd like to take a little nap…" 

Lorelei nodded at Gary; this Psyduck was definitely special, and capturing it would surely have its benefits. 

Gary agreed and took out an empty Poké Ball, holding it out in front of Psyduck. 

Psyduck looked at Gary and nodded in satisfaction before gently tapping the button on the Poké Ball and entering it on its own. 

This left Gary and Lorelei exchanging bewildered glances.