I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

"Gardevoir, come here," Gary called, waving to Gardevoir, who had been sparring with Lairon during training.

"Voir?"

Gardevoir teleported straight to Gary's side, wearing a Power Lens on her head, looking surprisingly stylish.

"Let's upgrade your Ability," Gary said, curious to see how powerful Gardevoir's telepathy would become after enhancement.

He took Gardevoir's hand.

"Voir!"

Gardevoir blinked in surprise. This was the first time Gary had held her hand, and it made her a little nervous.

Gary glanced at her—although she was beautiful, it was a pity she was still flat-chested. Without the "magnifying effect" of her dress, you wouldn't notice at first glance.

He shook off the random thoughts and focused, using an Ability Strengthening Stone on Gardevoir.

[Ding! Ability Strengthening Stone used successfully.]

"Voir!"

Suddenly, Gardevoir felt her senses heighten dramatically. She could clearly detect the actions of her teammates nearby, as well as anticipate what moves they would use next. Her perception had sharpened considerably.

Gary noticed her surprise. Clearly, Gardevoir was aware of the boost.

He quickly checked her updated data.

[Pokémon: Gardevoir ♀ (Shiny)]

[Type: Psychic/Fairy]

[Level: 31]

[Potential: Elite]

[Ability: EX Telepathy (Anticipates opponents' attacks; increases evasion by 40%.)]

[Moves: Growl, Teleport, Disarming Voice, Confusion, Hypnosis, Psybeam, Life Dew, Wish, Dazzling Gleam]

[TMs/Tutor Moves: Thunderbolt, Rest, Sleep Talk, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Body Slam]

[Friendship: 255/255 (Max)]

"Not bad, a 40% dodge chance."

Gary was very satisfied. With EX Telepathy, unless an attack was guaranteed to hit or lightning-fast, Gardevoir could easily avoid it.

Everyone knew that evasion was a god-tier stat in battle.

And now, his Gardevoir had a 40% dodge rate... terrifying indeed.

"All right, Gardevoir, go back to your training."

With such a high dodge rate, Gary planned to focus Gardevoir's training on evasion. He'd have his other Pokémon use weak attacks and let Gardevoir practice dodging them ten times in a row.

Gardevoir: "Am I not a Pokémon too?!"

After sending his Pokémon back to train, Gary made his way to the lake for some fishing.

After two months of fishing, Gary had gone from a rookie to a seasoned angler. He found a good spot and sat quietly, casting his line with his back to the world.

With practiced ease, he hooked the bait and flicked the line. The lure flew through the air, landing in the water without making a splash.

Ten minutes passed.

Suddenly, the float sank. A powerful tug bent the rod. Gary immediately pulled back hard—whatever was on the line was big and heavy, a true monster from the depths.

Gary wasn't sure what Pokémon it was, but the tension in the line told him it was something powerful. The fishing line sliced through the water like a knife.

"I am Mega Rookie!" Gary shouted dramatically, flexing as he reeled the Pokémon in with all his might.

Splash!!

With a huge splash, the Pokémon burst from the water and was thrown onto the shore.

Bang!!

It landed four or five meters away with a tremendous thud.

Gary's eyes widened in shock. "Whiscash!"

That's right—Gary had caught a Whiscash.

[Lv. 40 Whiscash ♂ / Quasi-Elite Potential]

Whiscash was an excellent Pokémon. Its Water/Ground typing was a fantastic combination—unfortunately overshadowed by Pokémon like Quagsire and Swampert, so it was often overlooked.

"Whii-cash!!"

Whiscash was clearly furious. As the ruler of this lake, being caught by a human child was the ultimate insult.

"Oh, you want to fight me?" Gary smirked, noticing Whiscash's battle-ready stance.

Usually, wild Water-type Pokémon fled the moment they saw him. It was rare for one to challenge him directly.

It was obvious—this Whiscash was likely the Totem Pokémon of the lake. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so bold.

"Latios, let's go! Aura Sphere!" Gary tossed a Poké Ball.

Fwoosh!

"Hmm!!" Latios let out a low cry as he charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it.

Whiscash quickly spat out a series of Mud Bombs to block the attack, but the Aura Sphere blasted straight through them and struck Whiscash directly.

Boom!!

...The earth shook, and Whiscash cried out.

"Whii-cash!!!"

Unable to withstand the blow, Whiscash fainted instantly.

Gary sighed. He hadn't wanted to knock it out completely, but all his other Pokémon were busy training, and Latios was the only one available.

"Okay, come back and rest."

He returned Latios and glanced at the unconscious Whiscash, unsure what to do next.

Honestly, this Whiscash's level and potential were impressive. For most Trainers, it could be the centerpiece of their team.

Its typing was excellent, too. It would be a waste to leave it behind.

"Maybe... Zinnia could catch it?" Gary mused. Zinnia didn't have a Water-type yet.

Even though Zinnia preferred Dragon-types, having a Water-type was important for traveling—especially since the Sky Pillar was located offshore. A Water-type would be essential for the journey ahead.

"Wait!"

Just as Gary was about to call Zinnia, a voice rang out behind him.

He turned and saw an elderly man in a purple kimono with long hair approaching.

"It's him..." Gary froze, recognizing the old man—but struggling to recall his name.

He glanced back at the fainted Whiscash.

Could this be the Whiscash the old man had been chasing?

In the original story, this old fisherman had been pursuing a Whiscash named Nero for years—he even once tried to catch it with a Master Ball.

That detail stuck in Gary's mind—the Master Ball made this fisherman memorable.

"Nero... it really is Nero!" the old man gasped, running forward. When he saw the unconscious Whiscash, he confirmed it was indeed the Pokémon he'd been searching for.

"Old man, is this your Pokémon?" Gary asked knowingly.

The fisherman hesitated. He had heard the noise and come to investigate. From a distance, he'd seen the Whiscash and hurried over.

Hearing Gary's question, the old man realized Gary hadn't captured Whiscash yet.

Although part of him wanted to claim Whiscash as his own, his conscience wouldn't let him lie.

"No... I've been chasing this Whiscash for years. I didn't expect you to find it first," the old man—Sullivan—said with a sigh.