"Gary, if you're serious about this, then I accept your challenge!"
Caster didn't hesitate for a second.
Gary was a solid opponent, a really good one, actually.
Sure, his tournament record wasn't exactly stellar, but there was no denying the guy knew how to train his Pokémon.
Take the Indigo Conference, for example. When he went up against Ash in that full team battle, his overall strength was just crushing. Every single one of his Pokémon hit like a freight train.
The only reason he lost? Charizard. That thing was absolutely broken. It swept through several of Gary's Pokémon back-to-back and somehow managed to beat his ace Blastoise despite the type disadvantage.That miracle run was the only reason Ash scraped into the Silver Conference's top eight.
Bottom line: at this stage in the game, Gary had every right to be the rival who'd consistently stayed ahead of Ash. The guy was legitimately strong.
"Ha! That's what I like to hear, no hesitation!"
Gary looked pleased with Caster's response. He stepped forward and couldn't resist teasing Pikachu a little. "So this Pikachu, is it the same one that evolved from that Pichu back then?"
"Pika~"
Pikachu called out, looking a bit sheepish.
After all, it had wrecked Gary's luxury car.
Lucky for Pikachu, Gary was loaded. Otherwise, even selling the little guy wouldn't have covered the damages.
After Caster confirmed it was the same Pokémon, Gary studied Pikachu more closely and let out a low whistle. "I can tell you've trained this Pikachu well, Caster. Clearly elite-level work. Unlike certain people—"
Gary might've been well-educated, but when it came to trash talk, Ash was his favorite target. He never missed a chance to take a shot, even when Ash wasn't around.
Before long, the two headed over to the battle area.
But since everyone could participate in Elite Four Lorelei's challenge exhibition tomorrow, the place was packed with trainers doing warm-up drills. There wasn't a single open field.
Even if they got in line, they'd be waiting forever.
"Let's just head to that open space over there!"
Gary pointed to an empty area outside the Pokémon Center where hardly anyone was around.
Caster had no problem with that.
Once they'd both taken their positions, Gary called out, "Hey Caster, how many Pokémon do you have right now?"
"Currently... three!"
Caster considered Gary a friend, so he wasn't going to lie.
But some details were better left unsaid, so he added, "Though my most recent catch isn't battle-ready yet."
"Only three?"
Gary frowned slightly and couldn't help but offer some advice. "Then you need to pick up the pace!"
Maybe Caster was going for a quality-over-quantity approach, but in Gary's mind, the number and variety of Pokémon were, to some extent, a reflection of a trainer's depth and overall strength.
You needed a diverse roster to pull off flexible tactics and adapt to different battle scenarios.
Caster just smiled.
According to the anime timeline, by the time Ash passed Bill's lighthouse and caught that Krabby, Gary had already caught forty-five Pokémon.
All you could say was: Gary really was the kind of guy who could juggle multiple girlfriends at once. The time management master of the Pokémon world. Training dozens of Pokémon simultaneously? No sweat.
"Since you've only got two battle-ready Pokémon, let's make it a two-on-two!"
Gary suggested, and Caster was fine with that.
But before they started, an idea struck Caster, and he smiled. "Gary, you might not know this yet, but besides being a trainer, I also do some streaming on the side. Would you mind if I livestreamed our battle so people can watch?"
Gary was a strong trainer, and a battle with him was bound to be exciting.
Caster definitely wasn't going to miss such a prime opportunity to make some cash.
"A proper battle conducted fairly? I've got no problem with that."
Gary waved dismissively, looking completely unbothered.
"Rotom, start the stream!"
At Caster's command, his Phone Rotom floated out, automatically opened the Pokémon streaming site, and went live.
"Wait, is there a Pokémon inside Caster's phone?!"
Gary raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Even in the Paldea region, Phone Rotoms were still pretty new, and Gary had obviously never seen one before.
"Old Fish is streaming out of nowhere? What a pleasant surprise!"
"It's chow time! Let's see what kind of show he puts on today."
"Hold up, looks like there's about to be a Pokémon battle?"
"Who's this guy? Damn, he's good-looking! I'm here for it!"
"Wait wait wait, those girls in the background are fire! drool drool~"
Caster now had over 300,000 followers, and even if only a small percentage had livestream notifications turned on, that was still tens of thousands of viewers.
So the moment the stream went live, chat exploded with comments flying by nonstop.
"What you're about to witness, dear viewers, is a two-on-two Pokémon battle between Caster and Gary."
Phone Rotom panned the camera across Caster, Gary, and the entire battlefield, then took on the dual role of commentator and referee in its mechanical voice. "Trainers, please take your positions."
"Let's go, sweetheart!"
Gary was the first to throw his Poké Ball.
Pop!
The ball opened, and red light burst forth, materializing into a Pokémon that looked like a large, majestic canine.
It had fluffy cream-colored fur, warm brown eyes, and a body marked with bold black and orange tiger-like stripes. Its paws were wreathed in fur, and it had a long, elegant tail. The whole package radiated power and grace.
"Gary, Gary, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"
"Gary, Gary, you're the best! Gary, Gary, beat the rest!"
As soon as Gary sent out his Pokémon, his squad of cheerleader girlfriends immediately launched into their routine.
"Arcanine?"
Caster raised an eyebrow. "So that Growlithe from before has already evolved?"
"That's right!"
Gary tossed his hair back with a smug grin. "You're not the only one making progress. We've been training our asses off too."
"If the opponent's Arcanine, then on my side,"
Caster gave Pikachu a pat. "I choose you, Pikachu!"
"Pika~!"
Sparks crackling from its cheeks, Pikachu eagerly leaped off Caster's shoulder and bounded to the center of the field in a few quick hops.
"Pikachu?"
Gary looked genuinely surprised.
His whole plan in sending out Arcanine had been to bait out Caster's ace, Gyarados, which would have had the type advantage on paper.
If that had worked, Caster would have walked right into Gary's trap.
Because Arcanine had a specific strategy tailored to counter Gyarados.
But Caster didn't take the bait.
"Was that trainer's intuition?"
Gary stroked his chin, studying Caster with renewed interest. "Or just dumb luck?"