Pokemon: I am Gary

At the Vermilion Gym, Gary had reached the final round of his match.

Seeing Lt. Surge's intense gaze, Gary felt anxious. "Uh, Psyduck, you better handle your opponent well. Otherwise, if you end up as a roasted duck, I'll make sure to give you a grand funeral…"

Psyduck rolled its eyes at Gary and shrugged. "Relax, my esteemed trainer. Although I'm a Water-type, I have other ways to fight. Just watch."

Lt. Surge was already impatient; Visquez waved her right hand to signal the start of the match.

"Electrode, use Thunderbolt and turn him into a roasted duck!!" Lt. Surge shouted, completely losing his cool.

"Jiji—!" Electrode grinned widely, its body crackling with electricity.

Boom!! A thick bolt of lightning shot straight towards Psyduck's head.

Gary's mouth twitched with worry as he gripped Rhydon's Poké Ball, ready to save this overconfident duck if necessary.

After all, while boasting is fun, a roasted duck would require green onions and pancakes with sweet sauce… and Gary hadn't brought any of that!

"It's just a small matter; don't worry," Psyduck said, waving its hand lightly. A blue energy shield enveloped it like an eggshell, instantly dispersing the Thunderbolt while Psyduck remained unfazed.

"Impossible!" Lt. Surge exclaimed in shock. His Electrode had just been charged yesterday; this Thunderbolt's power would have made Nidoking scream in pain if it had taken a hit!

Gary was equally astonished; if he wasn't mistaken, that was a psychic force field!

Technically, it wasn't even classified as a skill but rather an advanced application of psychic abilities.

The key point was that such techniques were not something even Alakazam could easily master; how could a silly duck do it?

Gary recalled Psyduck's earlier explanation.

The Psyduck species inherently possesses immense psychic power; this powerful mental energy runs rampant in their heads, often causing them headaches.

Moreover, they require substantial computational ability to sort through the mental energy in their minds, which is why they appear so dazed…

Most Psyducks eventually give up some of their psychic power before evolving to gain clarity and successfully evolve.

However, unlike other Psyducks, Gary's Psyduck naturally possessed intelligence on par with Slowking, allowing it to sort through its mental energy even at the Psyduck stage.

"Let me show you what potential lies within the Psyduck species," Psyduck said, arms crossed and eyes glowing brighter with blue light.

"I still don't believe it! Electrode, use Screech to disrupt your opponent!" Lt. Surge suddenly remembered that today he intended to practice tactics with Gary.

However, the situation was now out of Gary's control—Psyduck was in charge!

"Jiji—jiji—jiji!" Electrode opened its mouth wide, releasing an ear-piercing sound wave aimed at Gary.

Psyduck pointed a finger impatiently. "Shut up; that sounds terrible!"

Buzzing with blue psychic energy surrounding it, Electrode clamped its mouth shut in frustration.

"What are you doing? Electrode, keep going!" Lt. Surge urged anxiously.

"I think that was probably a form of paralysis," Gary explained with a wry smile.

"Ugh! If that's the case, Electrode, use Rollout!" Lt. Surge resorted to desperate measures.

Electrode obediently transformed into a rapidly rolling red-and-white sphere, charging towards Psyduck.

Psyduck remained still, its eyes glowing brighter as psychic energy surged forth.

Buzz~ Just before Electrode could get close, it was halted mid-charge by an invisible force!

Psyduck even had time to wave at Gary playfully.

Lt. Surge was furious and confused. "Damn duck! This is too much! Electrode, use Explosion!"

Gary suddenly felt alarmed; Lt. Surge was going all out…

"Jiji—!" Electrode began charging up, its body glowing with white light—a prelude to an explosion.

Psyduck shook its head, wondering why it was necessary to go that far.

Then, Gary watched as Psyduck clapped its hands together, causing Electrode to abruptly stop its self-destruct and faint on the spot.

Visquez walked over to check, shaking her head. "It's asleep~"

"Hypnosis? You can use it like that?" Gary asked curiously.

Psyduck confidently returned to Gary's side, swaying its hips. "With a clap of my hands, what I think comes true. Is Hypnosis really that difficult?"

Gary thought to himself, Are you sure you won't develop some strange Grass-type skills one day?

"Of course, I'm not too fond of Grass-types," Psyduck replied with a pout.

Visquez returned to the referee's stand and raised her right hand to announce, "Due to Electrode losing its will to battle, the winner of this match is Gary from Pallet Town!"

Gary recalled Psyduck, which had been eager to show off, and nodded apologetically at Machishi.

Lt. Surge sighed and then walked over to Gary, taking the Thunder Badge from Visquez.

"Uh… although the process was a bit chaotic, I suppose I passed the gym challenge?" Gary asked tentatively.

Lt. Surge remained silent, staring intently at Gary.

Just as Gary was about to make a run for it and demand his badge again, Lt. Surge burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! The hero is a young man! It's been a long time since I've been so thoroughly beaten. Gary! You're a real man; battling with you was exhilarating!" Lt. Surge said, patting Gary on the shoulder.

Gary replied, "I thought… you would be disappointed since I didn't prepare any special tactics."

Lt. Surge waved his hand dismissively. "Save those tactics for others; I prefer straightforward confrontations! But next time we battle, I won't be using such a mediocre team!"

Gary smiled. "Of course; I'll bring an even stronger lineup next time!"

"Here you go; this is the Thunder Badge. It's yours now. Win against the Indigo League soon and give Bruno a hard time! I believe in you." Lt. Surge handed the Thunder Badge to Gary with enthusiasm.

"I will!" Gary nodded earnestly as he accepted the badge.

Visquez admired him from the side. "This is my first time seeing such a fierce challenger! I think I'll aim to battle you and train my Pikachu harder."

Gary considered future encounters and nodded seriously. "You're Visquez, right? I hope we can have an official match at Vermilion Gym in the future. But before that, get as strong as you can!"

Visquez nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Before I defeat you and redeem my master's honor, I'll crush all my other opponents!"

Lt. Surge shook his head with a wry smile. "Hey! Visquez, Private! I'm not old yet; I don't need you to redeem my honor!"

With Lt. Surge's respect earned, Gary happily left the Vermilion Gym.

It was already quite late. Gary decided to stay one more night at the Pokémon Center before leaving Vermilion City the next day.