Pokemon: I am Gary

At Lorelei's house, Gary sat at the dining table, facing a lively-eyed Psyduck.

"So, you not only solved your headache problem but also gained psychic powers far beyond your peers?" Gary asked, puzzled.

"That's exactly right, my trainer!" Psyduck replied, gulping down a blue-orange fruit from the table.

"And you, little guy, were born in the Seven Islands?" Lorelei remarked while packing her bags.

"Indeed, madam. I have a wise friend, a Slowking from the Orange Archipelago near the Seven Islands. Slowking has a bit of foresight, and I asked him for guidance about my future path," Psyduck said, its eyes glowing blue as it skillfully used telepathy.

"I think I know which one you mean," Lorelei nodded knowingly.

"Why me?" Gary still found it strange.

Psyduck sighed helplessly and looked seriously at Gary. "My esteemed trainer, you are extraordinary; you are destined to keep climbing higher, and I am worthy of that position. You understand—of the six at the peak, I will be one of them."

"That sounds good," Gary smiled. "So, let me see your abilities later."

Psyduck brushed its three tufts of hair confidently. "No problem; you will see! Ouch! Naughty girl, don't bite my tail!"

Behind Psyduck, Eevee playfully stuck its tongue out.

"What a cute little girl! I think I should catch an Eevee too. I'll be staying at my old home on the Seven Islands for a few days; maybe I can get a beautiful Glaceon," Lorelei said eagerly, knowing her home on Ice Island could support Eevee's evolution.

"Are you leaving?" Seeing Lorelei finish packing, Gary stood up too.

"No worries; you can rest here for a bit," Lorelei said as she glanced at the sky, now in the afternoon.

"Still, no thanks," Gary shook his head. "You know Surge, that lieutenant? I'd rather not be chased down two streets with him wielding a rocket launcher or something."

"Pfft~ Alright then. Here you go, little Gary." Lorelei smiled and handed him a small USB drive.

"What's this…?" Gary took it automatically.

"It's my training insights on Ice-type Pokémon; it includes some commonly used skill tutorials like Ice Beam," Lorelei explained casually.

Gary was stunned for two seconds before putting it away. "Safe travels, Sister Lorelei."

Seeing the slightly moved expression on the young boy's face, Lorelei stepped forward and gently ruffled Gary's messy hair. "Don't be so sentimental; we'll have chances to meet again in the future."

"It's hard to repay a beauty's kindness…" This wasn't just any item; it was the training insights from an Elite Four member like Lorelei, who specialized in one type.

If this knowledge were sold outside, it could easily fetch seven figures! Yet, Lorelei effortlessly gifted it to Gary.

Feeling somewhat emotional, Gary quietly spent 100 achievement points at the system store to exchange for an Ice Gem.

Although this item was consumable and not produced in Kanto, it was still quite rare.

Pretending to pull this gem from his pocket, Gary smiled and handed it to Lorelei. "Here, a gift exchange. Don't worry; it's not something useless."

Receiving the cool Ice Gem, Lorelei smiled warmly and secretly tucked it into her dimensional storage bag. "Thank you so much, little Gary! I really like this memento~"

After a polite hug goodbye, they left Lorelei's villa.

Lorelei was heading to the port while Gary was off to the Vermilion Gym.

They parted ways—Gary to the left and Lorelei to the right. Standing at the intersection, he listened as the sound of her high heels gradually faded away.

"Not bad… no wonder she's my trainer." The Poké Ball at Gary's waist opened automatically as Psyduck appeared behind him like an experienced flirt.

Gary rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "How did you get out?"

Psyduck proudly glanced at Gary. "Was that hard? It's my own door; how could I not open it?"

"If you run off on your own again next time, I'll let Eevee bite your butt," Gary warned with a twitching mouth.

"Alright… stay calm. Young man, women can only affect how quickly you draw your sword. Especially someone like her—you need a better status, like being a champion~ Understand? Now let's go find a gym and give that gym leader a good kicking!" Psyduck shrugged its wings and unleashed a psychic wave before transforming into a red light and returning to its Poké Ball.

Gary sighed and rubbed his temples; this duck felt like a mischievous spirit—it was so out of place…

Taking advantage of the setting sun still hanging high in the sky, Gary first stopped by the Pokémon Center before heading straight to the Electric Gym in Vermilion City.

The heavy metal decor featured a huge lightning bolt sign that made one feel electrified just by looking at it.

Two delinquent boys guarding the entrance approached and scrutinized Gary openly. "Hey kid, this isn't a place for weaklings like you. Get lost!"

Gary couldn't help but laugh at their audacity. "I thought Lt. Surge would have more order here; turns out it's this kind of style—what a disappointment."

"What did you say?" The two boys with colorful mohawks were immediately angered and approached with baseball bats and clubs in hand.

"Hey! Are you serious?" Gary sneered without fear as he flipped his wrist and held two Poké Balls between his fingers.

If these two idiots dared take another step forward, he guaranteed Rhydon and another horned Pokémon would make sure they learned their lesson!

"Hey, you two, stop it!" Fortunately, before Gary could take action, the gym door swung open. Lt. Surge's assistant, whom Gary had seen at the park entrance earlier, stepped out. This tall man had "忠义" (Loyalty and Righteousness) tattooed on his right arm, known as Akou. It was said that this former thug from the Unova region had once been a good-for-nothing until he met Machishi, which turned his life around.

Smack! Smack! He slapped the two young delinquents at the door on the back of their heads. With a big grin showing eight white teeth, he said, "Mr. Gary! Master Surge has been waiting for you all day. Please come in; these two little rascals just joined the gym and don't know the rules yet. Don't hold it against them."

Gary shrugged; as the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face. He wasn't going to make things difficult for these two trying to improve themselves. "I'll give you a break this time, Mr. Akou. Now, let's hurry to the battle arena; I hope Master Surge doesn't have a habit of going to bed early."

"Right this way." After opening the door and giving the two delinquents a fierce glare, Akou led Gary through the corridor to the battle arena of the Vermilion Gym.

On the brightly lit stage, Lt. Surge looked up and took a big swig from his drink. Upon seeing Gary, he immediately stood up excitedly. "Hey boy! I've been waiting for you!"

Gary glanced at the bottle in Lt. Surge's hand. "I hope you haven't drunk too much."

Lt. Surge shrugged and tossed away the bottle. "I was drinking soda, young Gary! Alcohol affects one's judgment."

Gary nodded with some admiration; this big guy had a face like a drunkard but was actually drinking soda—what a strange world.

"I'm really sorry; I had some matters to attend to earlier. So is it still okay to challenge you now?" Gary asked earnestly.

"Of course, boy! I'm ready for you!" Lt. Surge replied enthusiastically.

Gary frowned slightly. "I am not a boy; I am a man!"

"Oh? You speak Unovan dialect!" Lt. Surge's eyes lit up.

"It's part of my required courses at Celadon University, including Unovan language. If you want to hear it, I can also speak Kanji from Kanto and dialects from Kalos, Alola and Galar. Bonjour~ П~ hallo~" Gary replied, rattling off several different languages.

Lt. Surge looked confused. "Alright then; I hate overachievers! Let's settle this with real combat! If you win, I'll acknowledge you as a true man—a tough guy!"

Gary cracked his knuckles. "No problem; you have the badge ready, right?"

"Hahaha, of course! Akou, go call Visquez over to observe!" Lt. Surge commanded.

Akou nodded and turned to leave.

Soon after, a girl with tanned skin and prominent muscles entered while carrying a Pikachu. That's right—she was literally carrying it! The girl awkwardly held Pikachu by its tail as she ran in. Pikachu didn't resist at all and was even trying to do pull-ups with its tail…

"This is my apprentice Visquez. She's also from Unova like me; can we have her as the referee?" Lt. Surge asked.

"I have no objections," Gary shrugged.

"Alright, Visquez! Save your practice for later and go take your place as referee," Lt. Surge shouted.

"Yes! Sir!" The girl saluted sharply before placing Pikachu aside and running over to her position as referee.

Wow! This girl was definitely the most soldier-like apprentice in this gym!

Curiously glancing at Gary, Visquez frowned slightly—was this man really worth her master giving three Pokémon charging sessions yesterday? She wondered if he truly had what it took.

With the referee in place, Gary took out his Poké Balls and stood ready alongside Lt. Surge.

Visquez announced in a deep voice that carried authority, "Next up is the challenge at Vermilion Gym! The rules are as follows: each side may use up to three Pokémon. If either side has all three Pokémon unable to battle, the other side wins. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon during the match! Let's begin!"

Gary nodded in satisfaction towards Visquez. Finally, they had a professional referee! This alone made Vermilion Gym better than Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym!

Lt. Surge eagerly gripped his Poké Ball tightly and threw it out with force. "Come on, young Gary! Show me what you've got! First up is this guy!"

"Electabuzz!" A fierce-looking Electabuzz appeared on the field, crackling with electricity.

Gary shook his Poké Ball vigorously before throwing it out suddenly. "You've eaten your Moon Stone; let's see what you learned from Grandpa! Go forth, Nidoking!"

"Roar!" A cloud of dust erupted from the ground as a robust Nidoking emerged onto the field with bulging muscles and sharp horns atop its head. This was Nidoking, back from studying abroad—a former ace attacker for Gary!

The match officially began!