Pokemon: I am Gary

In Lorelei's seaside villa, Gary was energetically preparing a king crab, hammering away at it. The best parts of the crab were undoubtedly its legs; whether the shell contained crab roe or meat didn't matter much to him. After removing the legs, he planned to make a Japanese-style soy sauce hot pot.

Next, he cracked open the crab shell, mixed the roe, and added a raw Chansey egg to create a smooth steamed crab roe dish. He then added ingredients like chrysanthemum greens, sweet onions, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, konjac noodles, and A5 Wagyu beef into the seasoned hot pot. As soon as he placed the king crab legs on top and heated it, an enticing aroma filled the air.

Lorelei had changed into casual clothes: a white shirt and a light blue fitted skirt. She sat at the kitchen bar, quietly watching Gary work. If a man who could cook shines, then Gary was definitely glowing right now.

After finishing with the crab, he placed a dozen oysters into the steamer. These were perfect—like a gas station for men and a beauty salon for women. He had two large lobsters to choose from and ultimately decided on one spicy and one garlic-flavored. With some leftover lobster meat and crab meat combined with shrimp, green onions, and button mushrooms, he cooked up a pot of seafood porridge. Everything was ready!

"Phew~ Just a few more minutes until we can eat," Gary chuckled as he noticed Kona drooling in anticipation.

"Little Gary, why don't you stay a few more days? If I keep eating your cooking, I might become picky!" Lorelei exclaimed, tilting her head.

"Or how about you just have me cook for you? I can support you!" Lorelei suggested, her eyes bright.

"Ha~ I'm just messing around; it's not that great," Gary scratched his head. "Besides, I still have various competitions to participate in. So… let's talk about that later." He joked about how he could never become a chef—too tiring and hot for not much pay. With his looks, he could make a fortune in other ways… cough cough… wait, that thought took a wrong turn…

"Alright then~ I'm hungry. Can we eat now?" Lorelei said, a hint of disappointment in her voice but still pleased with her brother's ambition.

After tasting the hot pot broth and nodding in satisfaction, Gary declared, "Let's eat!"

Setting the seafood feast on the dining table, he wiped his long fingers clean. "Sister Lorelei, you go ahead; I'll feed the Pokémon first."

In the spacious living room, Gary prepared the food bowls for his Pokémon, including the feeding buckets for Rhydon and Scyther. He proportioned their food with berries and necessary supplements. Then he took out some Poké Balls and released several Pokémon.

"Buoy!" As soon as Eevee emerged from its Poké Ball, it jumped into Shigeru's arms for some affection.

Eevee ≧▽≦ "I missed you so much after two hours!"

While petting Eevee affectionately, Gary smiled and reassured it. "Alright, alright! Time to eat! You really know how to charm me!"

Scyther looked at its feeding bucket with drool forming at the corner of its mouth. "Shh~ (Why isn't it time to eat yet…)"

Rhydon and Growlithe sat in line, calling for Eevee to hurry back—didn't it notice the formation had already fallen apart? Charmeleon was the calmest of them all; it pulled out its whiskey from earlier and took another sip.

"Hey! How did you sneak whiskey into your Poké Ball? You can't use that as an item! Give it to me," Gary said, exasperated.

Charmeleon burped reluctantly but handed over the bottle to Shigeru. "You can drink, but know your limits! If you turn into an alcoholic, I won't let you off easy," Gary said, hugging Charmeleon's neck and shaking its tail playfully.

Charmeleon pushed Gary's face away with an amused expression. "Cut it out; there are too many people watching…"

Seeing Gary joke around with his Pokémon brought a warm smile to Lorelei's face. The bond between trainers and their Pokémon can significantly influence their growth journey.

Though some trainers treat their Pokémon merely as tools for short-term success, elite trainers understand that genuine bonds are essential for continued growth and surpassing a Pokémon's inherent limits. To determine whether a trainer has potential, the most important factor is their ability to become partners, friends, and family with their Pokémon.

Lorelei remembered her first interview after becoming an Elite Four member when a passerby asked how she managed to use simple Ice-type Pokémon to reach the Elite Four. Her answer was love; when you genuinely care for your Pokémon, they will respond in kind. When bonds and emotions serve as a Pokémon's support, even ordinary Pokémon like Cloyster or Dewgong can unleash power beyond imagination.

Lorelei brushed her wine-red hair back and smiled gently; her little brother Gary was indeed on the right path. "Gary, help me bring over Jinx and Slowbro too," Lorelei said, eager to include her Pokémon in the fun.

Gary shrugged helplessly. "Slowbro is fine, but are you sure Jinx won't try to kiss me?" Watching Jinx open her arms and pucker her lips towards him made Gary feel a wave of resistance.

Most cute Pokémon have a move called Sweet Kiss, but Jinx is notorious for her signature move—Demon Kiss! After kissing her opponent, it feels as though they've been attacked by a demon, leading to nightmares for several nights!

"Ha ha, don't worry! Jinx really likes you, Gary," Lorelei chuckled lightly.

Gary thought for a moment—true enough. It was better than dealing with Dewgong and Cloyster. These two would eye him suspiciously as if saying they'd crush him if he tried to flirt with Lorelei.

Facing the risk of being kissed against his will, Gary prepared two servings of his special Pokémon food for Jinx and Slowbro. Wiping the cold sweat off his brow, he finally returned to the dining table.

"Alright, let's dig in! I can't wait any longer," Lorelei said excitedly as she rubbed her hands together.

"Okay! Let's eat!" Gary cheered in response.

Click! Suddenly, there was a flash, and all the buildings along the coast lost power.

"Strange? Why did the power go out all of a sudden? Vermilion City has one of the most stable power systems," Lorelei frowned. "I'll go get a backup lamp."

"No need!" Gary called out to Kona as he walked to the window and opened it. A gentle sea breeze and bright moonlight flowed into the room, illuminating Lorelei's beautiful profile and momentarily mesmerizing Gary.

Lorelei soon caught on and playfully smiled. "Am I pretty?"

Gary's face turned red as he inexplicably recalled a romantic song about moonlight—under the moonlight, she looked especially lovely…

With this enchanting atmosphere, they continued their meal. Meanwhile, at the Vermilion Gym, Lt. Surge wore sunglasses and chewed on a big cigar. "Keep charging! That kid won't be easy tomorrow; he managed to defeat Bruno in a rental battle. I'm looking forward to it!"

"Boss, we can't keep charging at full capacity; it's already caused a blackout in the entire northern beach villa area," one of his henchmen in a leather jacket replied helplessly.

Lt. Surge's apprentices and staff had previously been local delinquents but had turned over a new leaf after being reformed by him. This was Lt. Surge's way of contributing to maintaining harmony in the city.

Looking at three Pokémon crackling with electric energy before him, Lt. Surge nodded. "Let's call it a day then. I hope that kid can surprise me again tomorrow!"