Pokemon: I am Gary

Walking along the seaside path illuminated by streetlights, Gary headed towards Viridian Forest. With Eevee by his side, he walked briskly, looking quite ethereal in the moonlight.

What was that saying? "A person like jade on the road, a young master unmatched in the world…"

"Eevee!" Suddenly, Eevee's ears perked up as it looked back.

"What's wrong, Eevee?" Gary turned his head in curiosity.

"Wait!!" A girl with braided hair jogged up under the moonlight.

"You're… the daughter of Director Cerise, right? Is something the matter?" Gary tilted his head and smiled in inquiry.

The girl's cheeks flushed slightly at Gary's charming smile. "Um… I just wanted to thank you for saving us today!"

"Oh~ that?" Gary waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing; you don't need to worry about it."

"Um… I want to go with you…" Chloe's words trailed off.

"Chloe, you're still in school, right?" Gary interrupted suddenly.

"Ah? Yes! I'm in the preparatory class at the Pokémon School," Chloe nodded.

"Well then, you can't just drop everything," Gary encouraged her with a smile. "Whether it's traveling or studying at school, it's all part of your training."

"So, do you like traveling alone, Gary?" Chloe asked curiously.

"It's not that…" Gary shrugged. "It's just that suitable partners are hard to come by."

"Suitable partners?" Chloe tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes! If two people have completely aligned goals and directions, traveling together can feel restrictive. But if each other's dreams complement one another, that would be perfect," Gary said, gently patting Eevee's head.

"What kind of partner do you want then?" Chloe asked straightforwardly.

Tap! Gary lightly tapped Chloe's forehead, causing her to blink in surprise before lowering her gaze, blushing.

"Don't try to be someone others want; be who you want to be," Gary smiled as he withdrew his finger. "Once you figure out what you truly want, maybe we can travel together then. But not right now."

"I… I understand~" Chloe nodded vigorously, looking like a little quail.

"It's getting late; hurry back home. Director Cerise will be worried," Gary said, hands on his hips in a serious tone.

"Yes!" Chloe nodded and obediently turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, Gary chuckled softly. He wasn't like Ash; he understood the feelings of young girls!

"Oh! Here! This is for you!" After walking a few steps away, Chloe ran back and stuffed a pendant into Gary's hand before sprinting off again without looking back.

Curious, Gary opened his hand to reveal a silver crescent moon feather.

After running for a while, Chloe suddenly turned around.

"Oh!" A clear cry echoed across the sea.

Gary abruptly turned around and looked up at the moon behind him as the sea breeze tousled his hair.

In the moonlight, a silver Pokémon soared gracefully through the sky.

From Chloe's perspective, it was perfectly timed as the silver Pokémon looked down at her while Gary gazed up—an unspoken connection formed between them under the bright moonlight and blue waves, frozen in an eternal moment…

Watching Lugia gradually fly away, Gary smiled subtly. With Ash having Ho-Oh on his side, he also had the favor of Lugia. This feeling was quite nice!

"Gary! I'll work hard to find my direction! Wait for me!" Watching the boy walk further away, Chloe clenched her fist with determination.

Running home quickly, she firmly told her father, "Dad! I want to learn more about Pokémon!"

Director Cerise smiled kindly but felt a pang in his heart; it seemed he wouldn't be able to protect his little girl much longer…

After bidding farewell to Chloe, Gary continued onward and soon entered Viridian Forest again.

This stretch of forest was a bit longer than before, so he didn't rush through it blindly at night.

Releasing all three of his Pokémon after about two hours of walking, Gary arrived at a relatively open area in the forest.

"Let's rest here for tonight."

Scyther gathered firewood while Charmander lit a campfire. Gary found some dry grass and laid out his sleeping bag—his camping setup was complete!

Although he had a tent in his backpack, sleeping under the starry sky felt refreshing with such beautiful weather.

He heated up a cup of milk for himself and prepared some porridge using milk and Pokémon food for his three Pokémon.

After finishing dinner, Gary prepared to rest. Eevee, sensing its trainer's need for warmth, snuggled into the sleeping bag beside him while Charmander lay next to it.

The night watch would be handled by Scyther, as it had its own special training regimen.

As a Technician-type Pokémon, Scyther excelled at executing small skill combos.

However, to enhance its combat ability further, Gary suggested focusing on critical strikes—specifically, improving its use of Focus Energy.

He wanted it to make Focus Energy an instinctive ability rather than just another skill.

This was the training goal he set for Scyther.

Standing behind Gary, with its scythes hanging down and eyes slightly closed, Scyther practiced Focus Energy, a layer of white light flickering on and off around its body.

Once Focus Energy became instinctual for Scyther, its combat power would experience a significant boost.

After a peaceful night's sleep, Gary awoke the next morning, and only then did Scyther cease its training and return to its Poké Ball after eating breakfast.

Gary continued on his way with Charmander and Eevee.

As he traversed the latter half of Viridian Forest, the trees grew sparser, giving way to dense grass that reached waist height.

Navigating this area required caution, as wild Pokémon or trainers could appear at any moment.

Along the way, several Rattata that attempted to sneak a bite had already met their end at Charmander's claws.

It seemed that Charmander was close to reaching its evolution stage.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a shadow leaped high from the grass. "Look out!"

"Eevee, use Thunderbolt!" Gary commanded without hesitation.

Zzzap! A bolt of electricity shot out, and the shadow fell to the ground, its legs twitching for a moment.

As Gary approached to inspect, he found a boy dressed in armor wielding a plastic sword—an overly enthusiastic wannabe warrior!

"What are you doing?" Gary asked curiously.

"Good question!" The boy rolled over and stood up, pointing his toy sword at Gary. "Are you from Pallet Town?"

"Yes, that's right. What do you want?" Gary admitted openly.

"Hahaha! Then it's settled! I've battled two trainers from Pallet Town before. How about you and I have a match?" The boy was brimming with excitement.

Gary eyed the boy's chubby face skeptically. "So you got beaten twice and now want to take it out on me?"

What a joke! He was Gary, the number one trainer from Pallet Town! Did this kid really think he could find revenge on him?

Caught in the act, the Samurai Boy's face turned red. "Shut up! If you don't want to fight, just admit defeat and I'll let you pass!"

Gary nearly laughed at the absurdity. "You're looking for trouble, aren't you? Come on then, let's see what you've got…"

"Alright! I hope you don't disappoint me!" The boy retracted his toy sword and pulled out a Poké Ball.

The two stepped back from each other as the match officially began!

"Go, Pinsir!!" The boy threw his Poké Ball, revealing a robust Pinsir before Gary.

"Roar~ I didn't expect you to have such a Pokémon," Gary raised an eyebrow.

"What? Are you scared?" The boy puffed out his chest proudly.

"Scared? You must be thinking too much…" Gary smirked; he had scanned the Pinsir earlier and saw it was only a pitiful level 14! No wonder it had been easily defeated by Shawn and Leaf.

"Enough chit-chat; let's fight!" The boy urged impatiently.

"Ha! If you're willing to lose, I'm more than happy to oblige. Charmander, go!" Gary gestured for his Pokémon to step forward.

"Char!" Charmander puffed up its chest confidently as it stepped up.

"Strike first! Pinsir, use Vice Grip!" The boy called out aggressively.

But…

Gary shook his head in disbelief. With such slow speed, why would he send an attack right at a Fire-type Pokémon? Was he asking for trouble?

"Charmander, use Flamethrower!" Gary decided not to dwell on it; he wanted to finish this quickly so he could head to Pewter City.

"Char!" As Pinsir lunged toward him, Charmander nimbly jumped back before opening its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of scorching flames.

Boom!! Pinsir was hit directly by the fiery blast!

Thud! A critical hit sent the smoke-covered Pinsir crashing to the ground, granting Charmander a nice chunk of experience points.

"How could this happen?!" The wannabe warrior was stunned. The previous two trainers had lasted at least four or five rounds against him; how could he be defeated so easily?

"Well done, Charmander." After encouraging his Pokémon, Gary shook his head and turned to leave. "If you want to train, seek out different opponents instead of hiding in the forest; otherwise, your limits will remain where they are."

Listening to Gary's advice, the Samurai Boy realized he needed to battle more trainers from Pallet Town to improve his skills.

Determined now, he decided to continue lurking, waiting for his next opportunity!