The rain had finally begun to fade.
What remained was the lingering scent of wet earth, the distant rumble of thunder retreating beyond the horizon, and a battlefield that had just witnessed a clash worthy of legend.
Palmer stood silently for a moment, his gaze fixed on Dragonite's fallen form.
"…So I lost."
The words were calm, but the weight behind them was unmistakable.
For a brief instant, regret flickered across his face—but it didn't linger. A seasoned Trainer like Palmer knew better than to dwell on defeat.
Instead, he exhaled slowly and gave a faint smile.
"Dragonite," he said quietly, recalling his partner with a gentle beam of red light, "this opponent was strong… stronger than we expected. Looks like we still have room to grow."
The Poké Ball clicked shut.
Then Palmer turned toward Gary.
There was no bitterness in his eyes—only respect.
"Congratulations," he said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "You've successfully conquered the Sinnoh Battle Frontier."
Gary met his gaze, accepting the handshake with a composed expression.
"It's nothing special," he replied casually. "I've already conquered the Battle Frontier in Kanto."
Palmer blinked.
"…You what?"
For a second, he looked genuinely surprised.
Then—
A slow, amused smile spread across his face.
"I see… so Brandon lost to you as well."
There was a strange sense of satisfaction in his tone.
Gary noticed it immediately.
…So even Frontier Brains have rivalries, huh?
He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"Well," Palmer continued, reaching into his coat, "in that case—this is yours."
He took out a small, ornate emblem—the Tower Print—and handed it to Gary.
It gleamed faintly under the soft light, symbolizing the final victory.
Gary accepted it.
At the same moment—
[Ding! Task complete. Rewards have been distributed to the system storage.]
A faint notification echoed in his mind.
That makes it… all of them.
Kanto.
Sinnoh.
Two entire Battle Frontiers.
Conquered.
Gary's eyes flickered slightly as he closed the Badge case, his thoughts already moving forward.
Next… the lake guardians.
Uxie.
Mesprit.
Azelf.
The so-called "Three Spirits."
Powerful, elusive, and deeply connected to the fabric of Sinnoh itself.
If he wanted to take his strength to the next level—
They were essential.
After the Battle
The crowd slowly began to disperse.
Some still excited.
Some still stunned.
Some still grieving their lost bets.
Gary turned toward Ash.
"Ash, let's head back to the Pokémon Center," he said.
But Ash shook his head.
"Gary, you go ahead," he replied. "We've got something to take care of first."
Gary raised an eyebrow.
"…Something?"
It was already late afternoon. The Twinleaf Festival was nearing its end—most stalls would close by evening.
What could possibly be so important?
Brock stepped in quickly.
"We're helping out at the festival a bit longer," he said with a casual smile. "You go on ahead."
Ash nodded.
"Yeah, we'll catch up later."
Gary studied them for a moment.
Something felt… off.
But—
He didn't press.
Probably just being their usual overly enthusiastic selves, he thought.
"Alright," he said. "Don't take too long."
With that, he turned and left.
Behind him—
Ash and Brock exchanged a glance.
Then both of them grinned.
The kind of grin that only came after a successful gamble.
Pokémon Center
By the time Gary arrived at the Pokémon Center, the sky had cleared completely.
The rain had stopped.
The air was fresh.
He handed over Zapdos and Blastoise to Nurse Joy for recovery.
Despite their overwhelming performance, both had taken damage—especially in such an intense battle.
After a short wait, Nurse Joy returned with a warm smile.
"Your Pokémon are in perfect condition now."
"Thank you," Gary replied.
Just as he finished—
The doors slid open.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock walked in.
All three of them—
Were smiling.
Not just normal smiles.
Wide.
Satisfied.
Almost suspiciously happy smiles.
Gary narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…What happened?"
Dawn practically bounced forward.
"Nothing~" she said, clearly hiding something.
Barry, however, wasn't nearly as composed.
He slumped dramatically, his entire body radiating despair.
"I'm broke…" he groaned.
Gary blinked.
"…What?"
Dawn giggled.
"I won all his money."
Barry shot her a look of pure betrayal.
"Don't say it like that!" he snapped. "That was six months' worth of savings!"
Gary sighed.
"…It was only one hundred thousand, right?"
"ONLY?!" Barry exploded. "That's HALF A YEAR of pocket money!"
He clutched his head dramatically.
"I was saving that to buy Technical Machines…"
"And now it's gone…"
Gary shook his head.
"…You deserved it."
At that moment, Dawn turned.
"Barry! You're still here?" she asked. "Aren't you going back with your dad?"
Barry crossed his arms.
"Dad's busy," he replied. "I'm continuing my journey. I still need one more Gym Badge."
Ash perked up.
"Same here!" he said. "I still need another Badge too."
Barry grinned.
"Then go to Sunyshore City," he said. "That Gym is the strongest in Sinnoh!"
Ash's eyes lit up instantly.
"The strongest?! Then that's perfect!"
Gary, standing nearby, felt a subtle sense of irony.
If only you knew what's going on there right now…
But he said nothing.
Barry had clearly avoided mentioning the current situation at the Sunyshore Gym.
And Gary had no intention of interfering.
The Next Day
Morning came quietly.
Gary left Twinleaf Town early.
His destination—
Mt. Coronet.
The massive mountain stood at the center of Sinnoh, dividing the region in half. Its towering peaks were shrouded in mist, its depths filled with ancient ruins and unknown secrets.
And somewhere within—
Lay the key to his next objective.
The Three Lake Guardians.
Gary walked steadily, his thoughts focused.
Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf…
Unlike ordinary Pokémon, they didn't reside fully in the physical world.
They existed partially within a separate dimension—a subspace connected to the lakes.
To reach them—
He had only two options.
Either gain their recognition—
Or forcibly break into that space.
Gary didn't have any artifacts tied to space-time.
Which meant—
He needed another method.
And that method…
Was already in motion.
Team Galactic.
They possessed technology capable of manipulating space and time.
Devices powerful enough to draw out the lake guardians.
Originally, Gary had planned to wait.
Let Team Galactic capture them—
Then intervene at the moment of exchange.
But—
He reconsidered.
Leaving them alone is too dangerous.
Even if their main operation failed—
Their remnants would persist.
People like Cyrus didn't simply give up.
They regrouped.
They adapted.
They tried again.
Gary's eyes hardened slightly.
Better to eliminate the threat completely.
His plan had changed.
He would wait until all three lake guardians were gathered.
Wait until Team Galactic made their move at Mt. Coronet's ruins—
Then crush them in one decisive strike.
Rescue the guardians.
Earn their recognition.
And perhaps—
Gain their allegiance.
Pokémon Center – Mt. Coronet
At the foot of the mountain, a small village rested quietly.
It wasn't large—but it had everything a traveling Trainer needed.
Including a Pokémon Center.
Gary checked in, placed his belongings in his room, and then headed down to the communication area.
There was something he needed to confirm.
He activated the video call.
The screen flickered—
Then—
A familiar face appeared.
"Gary!"
Tracey leaned forward, looking surprised.
"You called at the perfect time!"
Gary frowned slightly.
"…What?"
Before he could ask—
Tracey turned his head.
"Professor Oak! Gary's calling!"
Gary blinked.
…Perfect timing?
Something felt off.
A moment later—
Professor Oak appeared on the screen.
His expression was unusually bright.
"Gary!" he said with a wide smile. "Excellent timing! I have some good news for you!"
Gary froze for a second.
Good news?
From Professor Oak?
…That's rare.
"…Grandpa?" he said cautiously. "What is it?"
Professor Oak adjusted his glasses.
Then—
With clear excitement—
"Your Eevee's evolution problem…"
"…has been solved."
Gary's eyes widened.
"…What?"