Pokemon: I am Gary

Inside the private training room of the Battle Tower, Gary and Bruno's "friendly match" was about to begin.

"Then I'll make the first move!" Bruno declared confidently as he pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it.

Pop! The Poké Ball opened mid-air, revealing a powerful tiger-striped Pokémon on the field.

"Electabuzz!" The Electric-type Pokémon raised its fists, displaying its strength.

Gary's expression shifted. "You're not using a Fighting-type?"

Bruno smirked. "Ha! I figured you'd expect a Fighting-type, so I went straight for Electric. How will you respond to that? Come on, kid, show me your big bird!"

Gary's face changed. "Um… let's not go there…"

Lorelei shook her head with a chuckle—this kid is quite mischievous!

Bruno caught on to the awkward phrasing and quickly shifted the topic. "I meant Flying-type Pokémon. So, you must have chosen a Flying-type, right? Let's see it, haha…"

With no choice left, Gary threw out his Pokémon. "My choice is this one."

"Blis~" A pink, round, plump Pokémon smiled as it entered the arena.

"Blissey!?" Lorelei exclaimed. "That choice is quite a gamble—but Gary got it right!"

Gary shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't anticipate your choice at all. Blissey's excellent defenses mean that even against Fighting-types, it won't get knocked out easily."

"Sey~" Blissey displayed an angelic smile.

Bruno felt as if he could burrow a three-bedroom apartment under his feet; it was incredibly awkward. After all that anticipation, Gary had brought out a Blissey—talk about social death…

"With Blissey, you should be able to use the Minimize strategy. You're not planning to torture Bruno with that, are you?" Lorelei watched the battlefield with interest.

"Don't worry; it's not Minimize. We'll play something different," Gary waved his hand dismissively.

"Phew~ That's good to hear. Let's get started," Bruno sighed in relief and nodded.

"Alright. I'm ready," Gary replied with a nod.

The referee confirmed both sides were prepared and raised his hand. "The match begins! One-on-one!"

"Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave!" Bruno commanded.

At the same time, Gary shouted, "Rock Tomb!"

Boom! Countless boulders fell from above, completely blocking the weak electric power of Thunder Wave.

"Jump up and use Brick Break!" Gary quickly countered as soon as his first move failed!

Gary felt his nerves tighten; battling someone of this caliber left no room for relaxation. "Blissey, use Protect!"

Bruno frowned; if it had been Light Screen or Reflect, that would have broken through Blissey's defenses immediately. Unfortunately for him, Bruno had used Protect instead.

In situations without a significant gap in abilities, this move provided absolute defense!

Smack! With one failed attack, Bruno quickly retreated. "Electabuzz! Fall back!"

"Too late!" Gary retaliated swiftly. "Use Rock Slide!"

Smack! A massive rock formed in the sky and came crashing down on Electabuzz's head.

Electabuzz froze in place and entered a flinching state!

"What? Is that an added effect? What luck!" Bruno scoffed. "But with Blissey's weak offensive capabilities, this damage won't change the outcome of the match!"

However, while he waited for Electabuzz to recover, Gary launched another attack.

"Now use Psychic!"

Blissey charged forward and jumped up high for a powerful headbutt!

A blue aura of psychic energy gathered around Blissey's head like an eggshell before delivering a fierce blow to Electabuzz.

Boom! This time Electabuzz staggered backward several steps and comically flinched again…

"Is that… the added effect of Psychic?!" Lorelei exclaimed in surprise before her eyes lit up. "Could it be—"

Gary continued, "Next up is Rock Slide…"

Bang! Another boulder slammed into Electabuzz's face; it stood frozen in place taking hits—

Seizing this moment, Gary shrugged at Lorelei. "That's right; this Blissey has the ability Serene Grace."

Gary referred to this strategy as "Serene Grace Infinite Chain."

As Electabuzz was about to regain its senses, Blissey unleashed another Psychic attack.

Electabuzz remained stuck in place, unable to move.

Bruno clenched his fists—yes! Gary didn't use Minimize to annoy him; this was even worse!

At least Lorelei's tactics were both damaging and radically insulting, while Gary's approach was purely insulting.

As the battle progressed, Gary found Psychic too troublesome and risky for knocking the opponent out of bounds; instead, he kept using Rock Slide…

One boulder after another fell, causing minimal damage but continuously irritating Bruno.

"Gary, are you considering changing your move?" Bruno asked irritably.

"Nope!" Gary decisively refused. "Just wait ten more minutes; I'll definitely make Electabuzz regret it…"

Bruno's expression twitched as he threw his Poké Ball down in frustration and turned to leave…

Watching Bruno walk away, Gary raised his hand, hesitating. "You're an Elite Four member, Master Bruno; you should have some class… By the way, you won't take your anger out on me later, right?"

The referee, equally speechless, announced, "Bruno forfeits the match; therefore, Gary wins!"

Blissey continued energetically tapping Electabuzz on the forehead, not expecting the match to end so abruptly…

"Tsk tsk~ Little Gary, you really surprised me. The combination of Serene Grace with Blissey is a brilliant tactic," Lorelei applauded from the sidelines.

Gary scratched his head. "Sister Lorelei, do you think I can still ask Master Bruno for advice on Fighting-type strategies in the future?"

Lorelei rolled her eyes dramatically. "You'd better avoid him for now. He's a black belt in Taekwondo and Judo and has experience in Jeet Kune Do and other martial arts…"

Gary gulped. "Forget it; I'll consult other Fighting-type experts instead."

"Phew~ But it's finally over. Let's go eat seafood! Vermilion City is a famous port city; the seafood here is just as good as what we have on Seven Islands!" Lorelei stepped forward and gently tugged at Gary's sleeve.

A delightful fragrance wafted into Gary's nose. He immediately focused inwardly and silently warned himself: "Stay calm; don't embarrass me…"

As they exited the Battle Tower, they made their way toward a seaside restaurant.

However, upon arriving at their planned restaurant, they encountered an endless queue.

Gary turned to Lorelei. "Sister Lorelei, you made a reservation, right?"

Lorelei slowly shook her head, a mix of resignation and regret in her eyes. "I've never been one to make reservations."

Looking at the crowd, Gary sighed. "I estimate we'll be waiting twenty-four hours before getting a table…"

Just as Lorelei was about to think of a solution, her phone rang.

"Hey there, Frozen Face! I heard you beat Bruno and snagged a cute little brother?"—Lance.

Lorelei exploded with anger as she typed furiously. "Lance! You better watch it! Do you think I'd blow up your Dragon Cave? If you have the guts, come to Seven Islands; I'll take you down!"

Lance read her reply with a bewildered expression—he was just joking! Did she really need to be that angry?

"What a temperamental woman!" he muttered while tightening his cloak. Riding on his Dragonite, he shouted loudly, "You two Team Rocket losers over there! Get down and cover your heads; otherwise, I'll take you down!"

Dragonite shot Lance a disdainful glance—why didn't he dare talk back to Lorelei like that?

On Gary's side, watching the fuming Lorelei made him chuckle lightly as he offered comfort. "Um… the seafood market should still be open. How about we buy some ingredients and I'll cook?"

Lorelei immediately brightened up and grabbed Gary's hand. "Great! Let's go shopping together!"

Lorelei was in her twenties and a standout beauty in Kanto. Despite being busy with work, she still wanted to enjoy life.

Gary was taken aback by Lorelei's sudden enthusiasm but calmly followed her toward the seafood market.

As for whether they would end up photographed by the media or on an entertainment magazine cover—Gary didn't care at all.

After all, how do you think my thirteen ex-girlfriends came about?

Before making headlines in academic journals, he had already graced the covers of entertainment magazines.

He remembered when he topped the list of most desirable teenage idols in Kanto!

At that time, he was just eight years old and had countless girls saying they would wait for him to grow up…