Pokemon: I am Gary

As Gary walked into the best Champion Suite in the city center, he felt a bit awkward surveying the opulent chandelier and the enormous round bed in the bedroom.

When he spotted a separate business lounge designated for "secretaries," he finally sighed in relief—thank goodness, the suite had a second bed!

Caitlin, who was traveling for the first time, happily explored the room and sat on the large bed.

"Do you usually stay in places like this when you travel?" Caitlin asked curiously.

"No, of course not," Gary shrugged. What a joke! He was a rich kid, but he wasn't extravagant enough to stay in five-star hotels every day. The cost of this place was already in the five-digit range per night!

"Usually, we stay at Pokémon Centers where there are free dorms and meals available for Pokémon trainers," Gary explained.

"That's amazing~" Caitlin exclaimed, her mouth slightly agape. "So you could just live there indefinitely?!"

Gary's mouth twitched. "Of course not! If a trainer doesn't participate in any official Pokémon competitions within three years, their trainer status gets frozen."

"Oh~ I see." Caitlin nodded. She had initially thought about returning to Unova and finding a Pokémon Center to enjoy free food and lodging while playing games—essentially living a retirement life.

Of course, she might not have realized that as a prominent figure from Unova, she could still enjoy a comfortable life without doing anything at all…

"Well then, since we've traveled a long way, should you change into some slippers?" Gary asked, noticing Caitlin's white shoes.

"Um, it's fine; my Gothitelle will help me change," Caitlin replied as she looked at Gothitelle. The latter waved her hand gently, and with psychic power, Caitlin floated onto the bed while her shoes automatically unlaced and soft slippers slipped on her feet.

"Psychic powers are really convenient," Gary remarked with a click of his tongue.

"Do you need help, Gary?" Caitlin tilted her head and asked.

"Ahem! No thanks; I can manage myself," Gary awkwardly waved his hand.

Bang! Psyduck popped out of its Poké Ball again. "No problem! I can handle this little task; no need to bother Gothitelle!"

Psyduck waved its hand boastfully, blue psychic energy swirling in its eyes as Gary was lifted off the ground and slippers were placed on his feet.

Caitlin watched Psyduck's actions with surprise. "This Psyduck seems to have excellent psychic abilities. However, I sense some issues. May I take a look at it through meditation?"

Gary glanced at Psyduck with questioning eyes; it nodded reassuringly. Psyduck then approached Caitlin. "Feel free, beautiful lady~"

Caitlin nodded as blue light flickered in her eyes. Psyduck closed its eyes and slowly floated up into the air.

High-intensity psychic energy could expand Psyduck's brain capacity without harming it, so Gary simply stood by watching over Caitlin and Psyduck.

Meanwhile, Gothitelle organized their luggage and retrieved a bottle of cola from the fridge for Gary.

"Oh, thank you." Gary politely nodded at Gothitelle while marveling at how friendly Caitlin's Pokémon were.

Thinking back to Lorelei's Cloyster, that guy always seemed ready to snap Gary's head off whenever they met!

Having one of SSR-level psychic trainers probe through Psyduck's brain was clearly no easy task.

Before long, beads of sweat began to form on Psyduck's forehead; however, through Gary's appraisal ability, he noticed that its energy levels were rapidly expanding!

Clap! Caitlin clapped her hands lightly, breaking the connection between them as Psyduck fell from mid-air.

Gary reacted quickly and caught Psyduck in his arms.

"Phew~ Got it," Caitlin said proudly as she explained to Gary. "This child has extremely high brain activity; it's the highest I've ever seen! Not even psychic-type Pokémon have such high levels!

While its powerful psychic abilities grant it immense strength, they also create an insurmountable bottleneck. This power both empowers it and hinders it from evolving!"

"So you're saying that Psyduck doesn't dislike becoming Golduck because it's not handsome enough but because it can't evolve?" Gary asked as he looked down at Psyduck in his arms.

He figured that with Psyduck's boastful personality, it wouldn't be uninterested in Golduck's cool form.

The day after they met, Gary had scanned Psyduck's data.

This guy was indeed quite impressive!

Level 52! At that level on Orange Islands, it was practically at the top of the food chain!

He had been curious about why this guy wasn't evolving; it turned out that it simply couldn't break through its bottleneck.

Psyduck wiped its forehead and communicated telepathically. "Yeah! I thought that even without evolving, I could still be one of your strongest Pokémon, Gary."

But I never expected someone could have such powerful psychic abilities!

Now I'm done pretending; I'm coming clean—

The strongest Psyduck is about to become history; I am—Golduck!!"

Boom! A surge of psychic energy erupted around Psyduck as Gary was enveloped by Caitlin's psychic force and gently pushed back a few steps.

Psyduck's energy gradually formed into an upward-spouting blue flame as its body radiated white light…

Crackle!! Blinding white light erupted as Psyduck gradually transformed into a taller blue duck with a red gem embedded on its head and elongated limbs appeared before Shigeru.

"Golduck~" Golduck gave Gary a thumbs up. "Cool right, Gary?"

Gary nodded helplessly. "Not bad; just slightly less cool than me~"

Without learning its lesson at all, Golduck rushed over to Gothitelle again and gave her a thumbs up. "Beautiful lady! Can we discuss the continuation of life together?"

Gothitelle elegantly curtsied while directly turning away to elegantly ignore Golduck.

"Goldu…" Golduck knelt down in disbelief as it drew circles on the ground.

"Alright you; stop embarrassing yourself." Gary shook his head speechlessly. Could this duck be possessed by Brock?

He pulled Golduck back into its Poké Ball by its neck while feeling exhausted.

Looking at the time, Gary suggested, "How about we get something to eat?"

Caitlin swung her little feet while sitting on the edge of the bed. "Mm-hmm! Anything is fine~"

Gary nodded. "Okay! My specialty is ordering whatever!"

Picking up the phone on the side table quickly, he ordered two servings of sizzling fried noodles along with some puddings, donuts, oden, and fried chicken.

These were all street-level B-grade foods—perfect for someone like Caitlin who came from an affluent background!

"Before dinner arrives, let me feed our Pokémon first," Gary proposed.

"Sure! Then please take care of mine too," Caitlin said as she took out five Poké Balls from her small bag.

"Oh—cough cough… okay." Gary nodded slightly nervously as cold sweat trickled down his back.

As he opened the Poké Balls, all six of his Pokémon along with six of Gardevoir's Pokémon appeared in unison.

Currently in his lineup were Eevee, Growlithe, Charmeleon, Golduck, Rhydon, and Nidoking.

Fortunately, there was enough space in the Champion Suite; otherwise, just Nidoking and Rhydon would fill up an ordinary room completely!

On Caitlin's side were all her main Pokémon too.

Reuniclus, Sigilyph and Musharna…

Gary couldn't help but praise them: "Kawaii~ They're all such delightful little ones…"

Click! Before he could finish speaking, a pink psychic blade was suddenly pointed at his neck.

"Ow!!" Nidoking and Rhydon roared furiously as they surrounded Gary's Pokémon from both sides.

"Relax, everyone. It means no harm," Gary quickly reassured his Pokémon.

"Gallade, stand down!" Caitlin floated up, her golden hair swaying without wind. Blue psychic energy swirled in her eyes, and her presence became imposing!

At Caitlin's command, Gallade obediently retracted the blades that had emerged from its elbows and knelt on one knee.

Only then did Gary notice that there was also an Alakazam behind Caitlin, meditating.

Both Pokémon capable of teleportation watched Gary with vigilant eyes, their almost tangible killing intent making it clear that they were peak battle machines of the Elite Four.

Wow—these are all Pokémon from the same team; why do these two have such a fierce aura?

Eevee was so frightened that its ears stood up, anxiously glancing at Gary.

These two Pokémon looked intimidating; what if they really wanted to harm their trainer? Even if they couldn't win, it would have to bite them to give its master a chance to escape!

With bared teeth, little Eevee resolved firmly in its mind.

Charmeleon didn't move but showed flames licking higher from its tail and a fierce gaze that revealed no fear.

Growlithe, though its tail was tucked in nervously, stood resolutely beside Eevee. If Eevee bit Alakazam, it would charge at Gallade without hesitation.

If I can't bite you to death, I'll at least make sure you're soaked!

Loyalty was ingrained in Growlithe's very bones.

As the strongest Pokémon in the team at the moment, Golduck felt its red gem on its forehead beginning to glow. Even against six opponents, it wasn't without confidence that it could help Shigeru and the others escape.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Caitlin's lips quivered as tears began to well up in her eyes. "What are you doing?! Gary and his friends are allies! Do you want to scare them away?!"

Alakazam and Gallade suddenly jolted. Oh no! The little lady is going to cry!!

The two quickly retracted their killing intent and clumsily took Gary's hand to show friendliness…

Except for Gothitelle, the other Pokémon created a ruckus—making faces and singing songs!

Musharna was the funniest; in a panic, it rolled its eyes back and fainted!

"Alright, alright! No more crying! I believe everyone means well; let's all get along," Gary said as he gently patted Caitlin's head while stepping over the other Pokémon.

Wow… this feels nice. What shampoo does this girl use?

With Gary's gesture, Caitlin gradually stopped sobbing and looked up with a pitiful expression. "Really?"

"Of course! Sit tight and watch my performance!" Gary said confidently as she nodded in belief.

Honestly, despite being as strong as an Elite Four member like Caitlin, this girl lacked social experience. Being around Gary made her seem more like a child…

Gallade exchanged glances with Alakazam.

"I'll chop off his paw!" Gallade thought.

"No way! The Lady will cry!" Alakazam replied.

"What should we do then?!"

"Just eat and drink; we'll find a chance later to chop him!"

The two ruthless killers nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Gary began pulling out Pokémon food from his backpack while muttering softly, "You think I've been studying Pokémon breeding for nothing? Come on! Let me show you the power of food. Show respect for all ingredients and unleash your appetite!"

Before long, vibrant Pokémon food sprinkled with berry fragments and Gary's secret sugar powder appeared before all the Pokémon.

Gary clapped his hands as usual. "Time to eat!"

His Pokémon couldn't hold back any longer and immediately dove into their meals.

At first, Caitlin's Pokémon nibbled delicately but soon brightened up after tasting it.

Maintaining their elegant demeanor, their eating speed increased several times!

"Wow~ They're enjoying their food so much!" Caitlin exclaimed. "This is the first time I've seen them eat so happily besides Grandpa Hayato's cooking."

Gary proudly placed his hands on his hips. "Of course! I'm a professional."

Even Gallade and Alakazam softened their gazes toward Gary.

"If he makes me five meals—no wait—ten meals, I'll forgive him and keep his hands," Gallade thought.

"Touch my chef and see what happens!" Alakazam threatened silently.

"How about we take him back to Unova?" The two Elite-level Pokémon nodded; it seemed promising!

Hearing his Pokémon's thoughts made Caitlin curiously lean closer to the food. "Did you make all of this?"

Gary nodded. "Of course! To raise Pokémon well, homemade food is the best."

Caitlin nodded; she could tell from Gallade' reaction that this food was indeed delicious.

Gurgle~ The little girl covered her stomach and looked at Gary. "Now I'm hungry too…"

Gary felt cold sweat on his forehead; she wouldn't want to eat Pokémon food too… would she?

Fortunately, at that moment, a voice rang out from the door. "Hello! Delivery here—open up or else it'll get cold!"

Gary shrugged and went to the door to receive several bags of takeout.

Returning to the living room, he handed a portion of fried noodles to Caitlin.

She awkwardly looked at the chopsticks in her hand; Gary chuckled and switched them for a fork instead.

Caitlin twirled a clump of fried noodles onto her fork and took a bite. The aroma of the sizzling dish mixed beautifully with the sauce made her eyes light up as she entered full-on eating mode!

After finishing their main meal came QQ pudding, delicious donuts, savory oden, and mood-lifting fried chicken—all paired with delightful soda!

Caitlin's little belly swelled with satisfaction.

"This is so good! I'm so full!" She patted her tummy happily while sipping on soda.

Gary tidied up the trash patiently and asked, "So Caitlin, do you need anything before bed?"

Caitlin's eyes lit up; after sleeping through travel and just finishing dinner, she pulled out her game console. "Do you know how to play Box Pusher?"

"Huh?" Gary replied in surprise.

Thus began an all-night gaming session where Gary reached level 99 in Box Pusher under Caitlin's admiring gaze.

As dawn broke on the horizon, Gary rubbed his neck in disbelief that he had spent an entire night playing games with Caitlin—what a unique experience!

Thinking about Caitlin's itinerary for her visit, Gary washed up while reminding her: "Caitlin, do you have any plans? What do you intend to do next?"

Cailtin sat up energetically on her bed while swaying side to side. "Nope~ I just slipped away during my visit to see more of the world! Besides battling Lance, I don't have any special arrangements. What about you, Gary?"

Gary splashed cold water on his face and dried his hair while replying. "I'm still on my journey collecting badges; I also need to attend an academic conference in Celadon City. By the way, Celadon City is famous for its perfumes—you can pick some you like when we get there."

"That sounds way more fun than staying in a hotel playing games! I want to travel with you! After all, it's just one month—I want to enjoy life fully!" Caitlin exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands in decision.

Gary scratched his head in disbelief but smiled as he accepted her proposal.

What do you call this? Traveling with an Elite Trainer~?