Pokemon: I am Gary

At the Indigo Stadium, the quarter-finals of the championship are in full swing.

Although there had just been a fierce battle between two underdogs, the audience's enthusiasm has not waned.

Cheers rise and fall like waves—

"Now, please welcome the second match contestants, Raven from Goldenrod City and Gary from Pallet Town!"

The large screen at the venue shows the contestant entrance, where a lazy, handsome young man in a white hood appears with his hands in his pockets, smiling.

The female fans in the audience erupt into screams!

"He's here! He just annihilated the Joy family last match, and now he's here to punish the Jenny family!"

"Does that mean Gary has offended two major families in the league?"

"Ask those two families if they want to offend Professor Oak's family!"

"He smiled! He smiled! He smiled like this when he swept through three opponents!"

"Go, Gary! Show them what you've got!"

"Raven, you can do it! Raven is awesome!"

As expected of the quarter-finals, Raven actually has fans who can go head-to-head with Gary's fan club!

Both competitors step onto the stage and lock eyes from across the arena.

Raven rubs his wrist and says in a deep voice, "Gary, I'm going all out."

Gary nods with a smile. "That suits me just fine."

On either side of the arena hang enormous banners; students from Rainbow University are organized and cheering loudly, easily drowning out their opponents' supporters.

"Hahaha, my student is so popular!" Principal Monnet chuckles while stroking his beard.

Professor Oak rolls his eyes; isn't that still my grandson?

In the VIP box, it's much livelier today. In addition to the Elite Four and Chairman Goodshow, Janine and Clair have also been invited to watch.

"Raven challenged the Blackthorn Gym before; he's quite skilled," Clair observes from in front of the floor-to-ceiling window as she assesses both competitors.

"Gary from Professor Oak's family is very good at tactical maneuvers; Raven may not necessarily have an advantage," Lance comments with a frown.

"Oh?" Clair raises an eyebrow, intrigued by what kind of competitor could make such an impression on someone like Lance.

"Well, judging by support rates, Gary is definitely winning," Janine says while munching on a banana.

Kana remains unfazed, elegantly lifting her cup of red tea. "Not necessarily; support rates might simply be because Gary is handsome."

Bruno lifts his head with resentment, opens his mouth but ultimately shuts it again as he continues scrolling on his phone.

What kind of boy is attractive?

The answer: strong boys are attractive.

"Strong..." Bruno muses as he feels his own muscles. Maybe I don't need to change anything...

The referee steps between both competitors and raises his hands. "Are both sides ready?"

Raven grips his Poké Ball tightly; his greatest idol is Lance! Winning this championship is his first step in following him!

"Go, Granbull!"

A massive Granbull bursts onto the scene!

Gary can't help but glance sideways. What a big dog!

Before Fairy-types were recognized, this Pokémon was generally considered Normal-type.

However, its excellent resistances often left scholars astonished.

In fact, as a pure Fairy-type Pokémon, Granbull only fears Poison and Steel types—there aren't many other types it particularly dislikes.

But—Gary smiles. "Lucky for you that you ran into me; I'm a genius scholar. Scizor, let's go!"

"Let's go!" The red armor glimmers under the sunlight as Scizor stands calmly in place, surrounded by a faint white glow.

"Wow!!" Granbull roars at Scizor with its massive jaws and flailing tongue, looking quite ferocious.

"The match begins!" The referee waves to signal the start.

"Granbull, use Scary Face!" Raven makes the first move to lower his opponent's speed!

Granbull glares with wide eyes at Scizor in an aggressive manner.

"No need to glare; you already look scary enough," Gary waves his hand dismissively. "Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"

Whoosh! A flash of white light strikes first! Granbull gets hit squarely in the face!

With heavy breathing sounds echoing around them, two plumes of smoke rise from Granbull's mouth as Scizor's hard claws smash into its face before stepping back to charge up for another punch!

Granbull falls backward onto its back and slides out of bounds!

"How is that possible?" Raven gasps in disbelief. His Granbull is known for its strength—how could it be knocked away with just one punch?

Scizor holds one claw forward while resting another behind its back.

In that moment of focus and power buildup, that punch could break even a wooden dummy—let alone your nose!

With its nose covered as it gets back up, Granbull has a prominent red mark on its face.

"Hmph! Even so, your speed has dropped. Granbull, finish it off with Flamethrower!" Raven thinks for a moment; Scizor likely doesn't have effective long-range attacks—keeping distance seems safer!

"Wang!" Granbull opens its mouth wide and begins charging up a ball of intense fire!

"Scizor! Use Metal Claw!" Gary commands with a swift motion of his right hand.

Scizor remains still as its metallic claws shine brightly while taking on a stance reminiscent of drawing a sword.

White energy begins to swirl around it as Scizor's eyes suddenly flash!

"What? It hasn't opened its eyes this whole time!" Raven suddenly feels uneasy. "Fire blast!"

Boom! A thick column of fire erupts forward, overwhelming heat rushing towards them!

Whoosh! Just when everyone thought Scizor would be overwhelmed onstage, a shining slash shoots out!

A sword-like light cuts through nineteen states!

Swish! The slash cleaves through the flames effortlessly! The fire column splits apart as it passes by Scizor on either side.

At that moment, without losing momentum, the slash slices through Granbull's body leaving behind a crescent-shaped mark on the wall behind it!

Scizor retracts its slashing pose and turns back around; its right hand flicks away blue energy blades back into its claws.

Thud~ Simultaneously, Granbull shivers before collapsing to the ground!

"Scizor wins!" The referee immediately raises his hand to signal victory.

The audience gasps collectively.

"What an impressive Scizor; it can even cut through steel!"

"What is this? Sword God? Sword Immortal?"

"As long as it's cool!"

Gary nods in satisfaction. "Well done!"

His little powerhouse has finally found its own path—using concentrated breathing techniques to build up energy combined with sharp slashes.

Today Scizor stands atop Indigo Plateau officially stepping into the ranks of swordmasters!

"I didn't expect you to excel at fast attacks; I was careless. But next won't be so simple—Ursaring, go!" Raven isn't discouraged and immediately sends out his second Pokémon.

"Return Scizor! It's time for Squirtle!" Gary switches Pokémon simultaneously.

Though Scizor seemed effortless earlier, its slightly trembling right hand revealed signs of fatigue—Gary won't foolishly give Raven any chances now.

"Squirtle!" Facing an opponent much larger than itself, Squirtle pats its little head and looks serious.

"Ow!" Ursaring roars loudly as it unleashes its power!

The tug-of-war begins!