Capítulo 4: Chapter 4: The Last Rival
Soon, Gary's second opponent, Shawn, completed his task of receiving a beginner Pokémon. Unfortunately, he had no choice; only Squirtle was left. It was either take it or go on the journey empty-handed. Fortunately for Shawn, the adorable Squirtle was quite nice, and he felt good about accepting it.
When Shawn came downstairs, Gary smiled slightly. "Squirtle, the water turtle!"
"Alright! As a Pokémon Trainer, I won't shy away from a challenge," Shawn declared confidently. He knew that Gary had chosen Charmander. Facing this first genius of Pallet Town, Shawn was eager to try his luck. Water-types had an advantage over Fire-types, even as a beginner, he knew that!
The two trainers returned to the empty space in the backyard.
"Go, Squirtle!" Shawn eagerly sent out his water turtle.
"Squirtle!" A lively little bald-headed Squirtle appeared, curiously looking around after patting its head.
"Well then, I won't hold back." Gary threw his Poké Ball. "Charmander, prepare for battle!"
"Char!" Unlike the curious Squirtle, who was exploring its surroundings, Charmander, having already battled once, locked onto its opponent immediately.
"Squirtle, strike first! Use Bubble!" Shawn shouted. He had some knowledge about battling, but it was clear that Squirtle wasn't inclined to cooperate with him.
"Squirtle~" The little turtle turned its head defiantly, ignoring its trainer's command.
"Eh?! How could this happen?" Shawn scratched his head in frustration.
"It shouldn't be like this…" Gary frowned. Logically, even an excellent starter Pokémon shouldn't ignore its trainer like that. This Squirtle must have exceptional potential!
Professor Oak, standing by the window, shook his head. How could it not be excellent? It was specially chosen for you—this is a top-tier specimen from the Indigo Plateau's breeding facility. In Professor Oak's view, only someone like Gary could properly command this Squirtle, as he knew his grandson well enough not to judge it by beginner standards…
Who would have thought that since Gary didn't play by the rules, this would end up benefiting Shawn?
"Forget it; overthinking won't help. Charmander, use Smokescreen!" Gary shook his head and initiated his attack.
"Char!!" With a puff of smoke, Charmander enveloped Squirtle in darkness.
"Squirtle?" The water turtle immediately withdrew into its shell and crouched down on the ground.
"Quick reaction, but it won't help," Gary said, shaking his head. "Charmander, use Growl!"
Nodding in understanding, Charmander let out a series of growls from within the smoke. Instantly, a blue glow surrounded Squirtle, indicating its attack power had decreased.
"Darn it! We can't just sit here! Squirtle, hang in there and use Water Gun!" Shawn urged anxiously.
"Squirtle!" The little turtle leaped out of the black mist but, instead of using Water Gun, it charged forward with Tackle!
"Bring it on! Charmander, use Scratch!" Gary showed no fear of facing a direct attack. With reduced attack power, what could it possibly do against me?
Smack! The two Pokémon collided head-on; little bald-headed Squirtle took a hit and was knocked over onto its back.
A turtle Pokémon flipped over… With its legs flailing in the air, the poor creature lay flat on its back and couldn't get up at all…
"The outcome is decided; return, Charmander." Since it was just a friendly match, Gary didn't go too hard on him. After glancing at the overturned Squirtle, Charmander poked it with its tail before happily returning to Gary's side.
"You did great." Gary patted Charmander's head in encouragement.
"This… I lost," Shawn said, helping Squirtle back up, feeling dejected as he admitted defeat.
"Don't be discouraged, Shawn. You just haven't gained Squirtle's trust yet. I think it will become very powerful; keep at it!" Gary winked encouragingly.
Shawn nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Gary! I'll do my best. See you at the Indigo League!" After recalling Squirtle, Shawn said goodbye and left. Watching him disappear into the distance, Gary shook his head. He hoped Shawn could really make it to the Indigo League. After all, in his previous life, the results of the four trainers from Pallet Town were not impressive at all. Gary had made it to the top 32; Ash made it to the top 16; the other two didn't even make it into the Indigo League.
With such poor results, they'd lost all face… Looking at his task progress—2/3 completed—it seemed he only needed one more person… Gary brewed a cup of coffee for Professor Oak and made himself a cup of black tea, sitting by the window as he began to wait…
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Gary couldn't help but feel drowsy. Finally, there was a hurried knock at the door.
"Sorry!!! I'm late!!" Ash's loud and somewhat blunt voice echoed from outside.
Gary jumped up with a start. "Finally, you're here!"
Fixing his hair, Gary opened the door and leaned casually against the doorframe. "Oh~ isn't this the straggler Ash? You really are early today~"
Upon seeing Gary, Ash immediately flared up. "Gary, you were just waiting here to laugh at me, weren't you?"
Pushing Ash's face away with a hand, Gary wrinkled his nose in disdain. "On such an important day, you managed to be five hours late. That's quite something! And remember to call me 'Young Master Gary'!"
Ash, obediently scratching his head, replied, "Gary, where's my Pokémon?"
"Your Pokémon?" Gary shook his head in disbelief. "You should go find my grandpa yourself."
"Oh right!" Ash finally realized and dashed into the lab.
Just then, Professor Oak emerged from the lab and collided with Ash.
"Oh~ isn't this Ash?" Professor Oak feigned surprise.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor Oak! Where's my Pokémon?" Ash asked with a pitiful expression, arms outstretched.
"Your Pokémon?" Professor Oak chuckled in disbelief. If it weren't for the special Pikachu he prepared for him, with how late Ash was, he wouldn't even get a warm meal…
"Yes! My Pokémon!" Ash continued to fantasize about the starter Pokémon. After all, he had dreamed about them all night long.
"Alright then, follow me," Professor Oak said, losing his temper at the sight of the clueless Ash.
Gary, intrigued, followed along to see how Professor Oak would tease Ash. Upon reaching the second floor, Professor Oak didn't immediately present Pikachu but opened the glass cover of the Poké Ball display. "Choose one, kid."
Rubbing his hands together excitedly, Ash exclaimed, "Great! I thought about it all night and finally decided—this one! Charmander!"
Click! The empty Poké Ball opened with a snap.
Confused, Ash looked at Professor Oak.
Professor Oak shrugged. "That one has already been taken by the first kid who arrived."
"Fine! In that case, I'll take Squirtle!" Not discouraged at all, Ash reached for the second ball.
Click! Another empty ball—surprise? Shock?
Professor Oak raised his hands in surrender. "That one was taken by the kid who came on time."
With a sigh, Ash said, "Alright then; I guess I'll take as my starter Pokémon."
Pfft! Gary couldn't help but laugh out loud. Looking at the empty ball in his hand, Ash's eyes lost their sparkle…
Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Ahem! Kid, you need to understand that picking your Pokémon or navigating life is like taking a bus—if you're slow by one step, you'll be slow by every step… that one was also taken by someone who came earlier than you…"
Feeling completely defeated, Ash collapsed in front of Gary, whining. "Why is this happening to me…"
"Hey hey… get up now. Don't play the victim," Gary teased with a grin.
"Gary, I'm going to set off empty-handed…" Ash said pitifully.
Seeing that Ash had learned his lesson, Gary turned to Professor Oak. "Grandpa, can you help him out?"
Professor Oak raised an eyebrow. "Well… I do have another one left, but… there's a bit of an issue…"
As soon as he heard he wouldn't have to go empty-handed for Pokémon after all, Ash jumped up like a fish out of water!
"I want that one!!"
…To be continued…
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