Meanwhile, after Ash's battle, the next matchup was Gary vs. Virgil. They were both down to their last Pokémon, Gary with his Umbreon, and Virgil with his newly evolved Sylveon, who had reached this form after all the training he'd done with the Kimono Girls.
The battle had already reached its climax as Gary shouted, "Umbreon, [Dark Pulse] now!"
Umbreon snarled, a wave of black and violet energy erupting from its body and spiraling straight toward Sylveon.
"[Moonblast]!" Virgil countered instantly.
Sylveon's feelers flared as a sphere of pale pink energy burst forth, colliding head-on with Umbreon's attack. The clash sent shockwaves across the field, dust and sparks scattering everywhere.
When the smoke cleared, Sylveon was skidding back on its paws, while Umbreon crouched low, breathing hard but steady. They'd both been at it for a while.
Gary smirked. "Not bad… but you'll need more than pretty light tricks to beat Umbreon."
Virgil gave a faint smile of his own. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing. Sylveon, keep your distance, [Fairy Wind]!"
Sylveon's ribbons twirled, whipping up a gust of sparkling wind that rushed toward Umbreon.
"Umbreon, close the distance with [Quick Attack]!" Gary snapped.
Umbreon bolted forward, weaving through the storm of glittering air. The sparks chipped at him, but he pushed through, zigzagging until he was within striking range.
"Now [Iron Tail]!" Gary barked.
Umbreon's tail gleamed metallic silver as he swung it like a blade.
"Catch it with [Protect]!" Virgil commanded.
Sylveon's feelers flared as a shimmering green barrier flashed into place. Umbreon's steel tail slammed against the shield, the clash ringing out across the stadium. Sparks scattered from the impact, and the barrier flickered under the weight of Umbreon's blow before holding steady.
"Push him back with [Draining Kiss]!" Virgil called.
Sylveon's feelers lashed forward, glowing pink, wrapping around Umbreon's neck and shoulders. Energy drained from him in shimmering motes, flowing back into Sylveon's body.
Gary narrowed his eyes. "Tch-shake it off with [Psychic Fangs], now!"
Umbreon's eyes glowed as his fangs shimmered with psychic energy. With a snarl, he bit down hard on one of Sylveon's feelers, breaking free and forcing the Fairy back a step.
Virgil frowned as Sylveon recoiled in pain, but he raised his hand again. "[Hyper Voice]!"
Sylveon let out a piercing cry. The sound hit Umbreon like a hammer, staggering him back, paws skidding against the dirt.
Gary thrust his hand forward. "Umbreon, counter with [Dark Pulse]!"
Umbreon growled low, pushing against the sound waves. His body pulsed with violet-black energy that rippled outward, swallowing the Hyper Voice in an explosion of dark force.
Virgil shielded his eyes from the blast. When the dust settled, both Pokémon were still standing, panting heavily. Sylveon's ribbons fluttered weakly, while Umbreon's body trembled from exhaustion.
Gary pointed forward, this was it, all or nothing. "Now, [Last Resort]!"
Umbreon's rings glowed, every ounce of power he had left surging into one final charge as he bolted forward, heading straight for Sylveon.
Virgil's eyes widened. "Sylveon, stop it with [Moonblast]!"
Sylveon gathered its strength, forming a massive sphere of pink light between its feelers. It hurled the orb forward just as Umbreon slammed into it head-on, causing an explosion that pushed the air around them.
As everyone watched, holding their breath, the dust cleared. Both Eeveelutions stood there, breathing heavily. Then Sylveon collapsed first, its legs buckling as it hit the ground with spirals in its eyes.
The announcer's voice boomed over the roar of the crowd. "Sylveon is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner! Therefore, the victor of this match is Gary Oak!"
As the crowd cheered, Gary raised one arm with a smirk and flicked his hair. "Did anyone expect anything less?"
Across the field, Virgil returned Sylveon with a smile. "You did great, Sylveon. I couldn't be prouder." He looked up at Gary, nodding. "Congratulations. Guess I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. Just means I need more training."
Gary smirked as he gave a nod. "Not your fault. You did great, too bad you had to face me." And to anyone who knew Gary, they could tell he was acting a little more cocky than usual, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
–
Meanwhile, over in another part of the stadium, it was Silver and Harrison's battle. They were both down to their last Pokémon, Silver's Weavile and Harrison's Blaziken.
Silver stood with a hand in his pocket, eyes narrowed, while Harrison leaned forward.
"Blaziken, [Flamethrower]!" Harrison roared, throwing his fist forward.
Blaziken inhaled sharply before unleashing a torrent of fire, but Silver didn't look worried
"Weavile, dodge with [Agility]!" Silver commanded.
Weavile shot forward in a blur, darting between the streams of fire. The flames seared the edges of the battlefield but never caught him. He zipped around Blaziken, circling fast enough to leave afterimages.
Harrison grit his teeth. "Don't let it shake you, [Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken spun, its leg engulfed in fire, striking out at the speeding blur. For a moment it connected, kicking straight through a Weavile, only for the image to vanish in smoke.
Silver smirked. "Too slow. Behind you, [Night Slash]!"
Weavile's claws gleamed purple as he appeared at Blaziken's back, slashing across its side. Sparks and shadows burst as the strike hit home, sending Blaziken staggering forward.
"W-what, Blaziken!" Harrison called out, shocked by the attack. "Try—"
"No. [Ice Shard]," Silver commanded, cutting Harrison off.
Weavile backflipped, avoiding another kick from Blaziken, then hurled spike after spike of ice directly into Blaziken's face and arms, pushing it back.
Blaziken staggered up first, breathing hard, smoke rising from its body. Harrison clenched his fists. "One more hit, we'll end this! [Overheat]!"
Blaziken's body flared bright red, heat distorting the air. It pulled in its arms, energy swelling until its entire form blazed like the sun.
Silver didn't flinch. He raised his hand and used something he'd copied from Ash. "Weavile… end it. [Counter Shield] (Ice Shard variation)."
Weavile crouched low, then spun, hurling shards of ice in every direction. A glittering cyclone formed around him. The shards deflected the first blast of flame, the icy spiral pushing forward into the inferno.
Once they conceded, the ice began melting into steam, bursting in the middle of the battlefield in a spinning, smoking cyclone that no one could see through.
As the smoke cleared, Blaziken stood hunched, panting heavily, then collapsed to its knees, spirals in its eyes.
Weavile stood tall on the opposite side, one knee bent, claw resting in the dirt. He was scraped, burned, and trembling, but still conscious. His crimson eyes gleamed with victory.
The announcer's voice boomed, "Blaziken is unable to battle, Weavile is the winner! The victor of this match is Silver!"
The stadium erupted.
Silver finally pulled his hand from his pocket, brushing his hair back with a faint smirk. "Hmph. Type advantage means nothing if you can't keep up." He glanced at Harrison and frowned, comparing him to what he and everyone had just faced. To Silver, it felt almost pathetic. Of course, he wasn't going to say that out loud. He just walked off the stage, the crowd cheering behind him.
–
Meanwhile, in the final quarter of the stadium, Ethan and Vincent's battle was reaching its breaking point. Both trainers were down to their last Pokémon.
On one side stood Aibo the Ambipom. On the other, Vincent's Meganium dug its feet into the dirt, glaring at the monkey.
Ethan smiled. "Come on, Vince, you know you can't beat me~" he teased.
But Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Never! I refuse to lose! I'll show you and Kris just how great the GREAT Vincent is!" he shouted, pointing to his chest.
"Meganium, [Solar Beam]!" Vincent roared.
Meganium's flower flared with blinding light, beams of energy gathering in its petals before it unleashed a massive blast straight across the field.
"Aibo, let's dance [Double Team]!" Ethan called.
Ambipom split into five flickering copies, all scampering in different directions. The Solar Beam tore through two illusions before exploding against the back wall. The real Ambipom leapt above the blast, laughing at Meganium and sticking his tongue out.
"Don't let it dodge everything! [Body Slam]!" Vincent snapped.
Meganium bellowed and lunged upward, slamming its full weight where Ambipom was about to land.
"[Agility], swing around!" Ethan ordered.
Ambipom twisted midair, narrowly avoiding Meganium's bulk before landing behind it. His tails glowed white.
"[Double Hit] go!"
Whipping forward, Ambipom's twin tails cracked against Meganium's back and flank in rapid succession. The Grass-type cried out, stumbling forward.
Vincent clenched his fists. "Quick, stop them with [Reflect]!"
A shimmering wall of energy wrapped around Meganium's body, giving it extra defense.
Ethan tilted his head, smirking as he tapped on his goggles. "Heh, stall all you want. Aibo, [Nasty Plot]!"
Ambipom crossed his tails and let out a mischievous snicker, a dark aura swirling around him as his power spiked.
Vincent bit his lip. "Not good, Meganium, [Razor Leaf], now! Don't let him build up!"
Blades of green energy whirled through the air, slicing toward Ambipom.
"Cut through it! [Swift]!" Ethan commanded.
Ambipom spun in place, unleashing a storm of shining stars. They met the razor leaves midair, exploding in showers of light.
Through the chaos, Ambipom launched himself forward, raising his tail-hands into fists.
"Now, [Double Hit], finish it!!"
Ambipom blurred through the smoke, pulling back his tail fists before slamming one across Meganium's jaw. The second tail came down like a sledgehammer, sending Meganium face-first into the ground. Even with [Reflect] cushioning the blows, it wasn't enough, Meganium's legs buckled, and it collapsed with spirals in its eyes.
The referee raised a flag. "Meganium is unable to battle, Ambipom wins! The victor is Ethan!"
The crowd erupted, cheers rattling the arena as Ethan casually raised a fist, smirking at Vincent.
Vincent fell to his knees. "N-no way… I was supposed to win… Kris was supposed to see…!"
Ethan called Aibo back to his Poké Ball, then walked over and dropped an arm across Vincent's shoulder. "Ha! Told ya, Vince. But hey, good fight. Now come on, we still have to celebrate."
Vincent looked at Ethan and sighed. It was hard to stay upset with this goofball around. He stood up. "Alright, man. Come on… but I need, like, a smoothie or something."
"Sure, just as long as you're paying," Ethan jabbed back, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.
–
A while later, with the day's battles over, the gang were sitting at the soda bar again, celebrating the wins. This time, they were joined by the other Gym Leaders around their age.
Ash sipped his soda while Molly happily perched on his lap, hugging a cup nearly bigger than her hands. "Wow, today was so fun! Everyone was super duper cool!" Molly chirped, swinging her legs.
"Well, I told you. Isn't your super handsome, strong, and humble big brother great?" Ash said, patting her head.
"Humblest person in the room," Misty muttered into her straw, rolling her eyes.
Ash stuck his tongue out. "So that's what you're calling out, huh~? Something you wanna say?"
Misty's eyebrow twitched as she looked away. "Shut up. Don't tempt me."
"Careful, Ash," Brock warned, sipping his root beer. "If you wanna keep your no-hit run going, you might wanna slow it down. You're on thin ice after what happened last week."
"Okay, hey, why is that still going?!" Misty snapped. "Are you guys seriously treating my temper like a game?!"
"Yeah, pretty much," Ash and Brock said in unison, smirks plastered on their faces.
Misty's cheeks puffed, her face starting to redden, but after a moment she let out a sigh and slumped against the counter. "…You guys are the worst, you know that."
"And you—" Ash jabbed back with a sly smirk, "—are getting better. Besides, you can't push me. I've got innocent Molly on my lap."
"Yeah! Don't be mean to my big brother!" Molly puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, glaring at Misty in the most adorable way possible.
Misty raised a finger but sighed. "I can't with you all. You stress me out too much."
"Come on, you know you love us," Green shot back. Misty refused to validate that with a response.
From a nearby booth, Silver sipped his soda and muttered, "Can't believe I have to share air with all this noise."
"Aw, don't act so cool, Silver," Ethan teased, leaning across the table with Ambipom perched behind him. "We all saw you smile when Weavile pulled off that win~."
Silver choked on his drink and turned away sharply. "…Shut up."
Kris, sitting beside Ethan, just laughed. "He did though."
"No I didn't," Silver looked away.
"Did too~" Lyra added.
"I was watching, and I can confirm, you did," Morty added from his own booth.
Silver looked away, "Hmph. Some of us don't need to act like clowns to get respect."
"True," Ethan piped in, tossing a peanut in his mouth. "But some of us also don't need to look like we're brooding through a music video 24/7."
That got a rare chuckle out of Falkner, while Bugsy nearly choked on his soda trying not to laugh.
"Hey…" Silver started, "...I'm getting better."
"And we're proud of you for that," Green said, patting his head and giving him another strawberry soda. "And here's your reward."
"Hmph, don't patronize me… sis…" Silver muttered, but he still took the soda.
"He's not denying it" Clair said behind a snicker. "What happened, did the training I put you through get rid of the edginess?"
Silver looked away, shivering slightly, making Ash give a slight nudge with his elbow. "Ok, be honest, how many times?"
Clair smirked and whispered something in Ash's ear, making Ash have to hold back a snort.
"Hey, why am I catching strays!" Silver protested.
"Because your reaction is too cute," Green poked Silver's cheek.
"I'm not cute, I'm gonna win," Silver huffed again, looking away.
"No way, best buddy, I'm gonna win this year~" Ethan said with a smirk.
"In your dreams, I'm winning this time," Gary shot back from his spot.
"No way, I already have my victory speech ready, so there's no way I'll lose," Ethan said smugly, like that meant something. Meanwhile, Ash and Silver were just watching them banter about how they were gonna win, not getting involved.
"Okay but seriously," Lyra said, leaning across the table toward Ethan, "you always act smug when you win. Do you practice those lines in the mirror or what?"
Ethan grinned, tipping his chair back dangerously far. "Nope. Pure natural talent. Just comes with being this good, and looking this good."
"More like pure natural annoying," Kris shot back, reaching out to smack the back of his chair so he nearly toppled.
"Hey, easy! Don't break my Ambipom throne," Ethan said as Aibo caught his chair mid-fall and righted him. The monkey puffed up proudly.
"See?" Ethan smirked, pointing at him. "That's loyalty."
"Or pity," Bugsy muttered behind his glass, making Shelly, who was silently watching and sipping her drink, snort.
Whitney, giggling, leaned forward on her elbows, as she was hugging a thrashing Heather, who didn't want to be hugged, but she didn't let go. "I dunno, I think it's kinda cute. Ethan's got his own little cheer squad."
"Hey, are you calling me cute? Did you finally come to your senses?" Ethan asked, giving Whitney a smile.
"No, I was calling your Ambipom cute. I still hate you," Whitney said with a straight face, making Ethan feel like he got punched in the chest.
Brock patted Ethan on the back. "Don't worry," Brock said with a straight face. "It builds character."
"...How much character do you think I need?!" Ethan snapped, glaring.
"Enough to cover for your lack of humility," Erika finally said, sipping her tea. Now that she could talk normally without having to pretend to be 'ladylike,' she wasn't holding back.
That made Green and Clair snicker, while Whitney raised her glass. "Cheers to that!"
"Traitors, all of you," Ethan muttered, dramatically slumping against Ambipom's side.
Gary, who had been polishing Umbreon's Poké Ball, finally glanced up. "Honestly, you bring it on yourself. You run your mouth so much, I'm surprised you don't trip over it."
Ash smirked, this was too good of a chance. "You have no room to talk, my dude. You actually practice your speeches in a mirror."
Gary nearly fell out of his chair. "That was one time, and you weren't supposed to see it."
"Wait, wait—" Lyra perked up immediately, leaning forward with a grin. "Gary practices speeches in the mirror?!"
"Don't—" Gary tried,
Green was holding back a laugh. "Oh yeah, he does, and Daisy showed us a video."
"There's a video!?!" Gary blurted out.
"Yep. I think you forget, Daisy likes us more than you, my guy," Ash said. "Especially Yellow."
Yellow, who had just been watching quietly while taking care of Chuchu and her new eggs, flinched. "W-w-wait, why am I in this now?"
"No, it's too late," Ash shook his head gravely, pointing dramatically. "The most evil mastermind of all of this must come forth. It was all her plan."
"W-w-what?!" Yellow stammered, face flushing red.
Clair leaned in with a grin. "Ohhh, makes sense. Sweet little Yellow is secretly the puppet master of this circus."
"Yeah!" Whitney chimed in, still clinging to a squirming Heather. "That's why no one ever suspects her. Classic strategy!"
"I-it's not true!" Yellow tried to defend herself, but her voice cracked halfway through.
Bugsy adjusted his glasses. "Mmm… statistically speaking, she does have the highest success rate at pranks going unnoticed."
"Yes, it would make the most sense," Erika nodded.
"See?" Morty said dryly, raising a brow. "Evidence."
Silver, of all people, smirked faintly into his straw. "…Honestly, I can respect that."
Yellow looked around desperately. "Ash, don't just sit there, say something!"
Ash tapped his chin with exaggerated thought. "Hmm… but it does all add up."
That made Yellow smack his arm, her face completely red. "Y-you're the worst!"
Molly, giggling so hard she almost spilled her drink, chirped, "I knew it! Yellow's the secret boss!"
"Pfft—'Boss Yellow,'" Ethan said, pointing dramatically at her. "All hail the true mastermind!"
"Stop it!" Yellow squeaked, burying her face in Chuchu's fur as the whole group burst out laughing.
Ash shook his head. "Alright, alright. Anyway, we can talk about how Yellow is totally evil later. How about you guys, what's up with those Pokémon you said came out while we were gone?"
Of course, Ash was talking about the Ultra Beasts. He had been told about them, just like he told the others about what happened with them. Of course, he left things out, he only said that they fought against Pryce, and that the legendaries helped. Nothing about Arceus.
Bugsy looked down, holding a Poké Ball. "Well, it's strange. I looked into it, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like a Pokémon, but also completely different. I tried to study it, but I can't get anything."
"Yeah, that's why Blaine left," Clair added. "We were supposed to have our battle, but he left to go study the one he had." She huffed. Since everything that happened, Pryce being disqualified and all that, the tournament ended with the Kanto team being the winners
"As for me," Jasmine held hers out. "I've tried bonding with it. It seems… friendly, at least? I don't know. It listens to me, but I don't know if I can bring myself to use it in a battle."
Ash nodded, as everyone else listened in. The Ultra Beasts weren't well known, nor were they well documented, but there were stories about them. That's it, stories. Because of the way it opened, he wasn't worried that any of them had become a Faller. So, for now, those were just technically really strong Pokémon.
"Well, if something happens, I'm sure you guys can deal with it. You are the Gym Leaders, aren't you?" Ash said, shaking his head. "You're the region's finest."
Before they could respond to his compliment, the television in the soda bar suddenly turned on, and the announcer began announcing the next brackets.
They all looked up at the screen. This was it, it was going to determine who fights whom. They stayed quiet as the names appeared on the screen:
Ash vs Gary
Ethan vs Silver
As the names appeared, the announcer went on with some more housekeeping details, but Ethan and Silver exchanged glances, and Ash and Gary did the same.
"Well, this is it," Silver muttered.
"Yeah, good luck, best buddy. But sorry, I'm not planning on losing," Ethan said with a grin.
"Well, neither am I," Silver said with a smirk.
Meanwhile, over with Ash and Gary, Ash scratched the back of his head. "Ahh, well, looks like we can't have a battle in the finals like last time. But hey, at least we get that rematch, huh? Let's make it count." Ash held out his hand.
Gary looked at Ash's hand and hesitated for a moment. Thoughts swirled in his mind, clouding it, but he pushed through, took a breath, and put on a smile again, taking Ash's hand. "Yeah, as long as you're ready to lose."
–
{The next day}
The celebration went on for a few more hours. After that, everyone went to get a good night's sleep, because today was the day. The Silver Conference ended today. Because of this, the battles would go one at a time: Gary vs Ash first, then Ethan vs Silver.
Speaking of which, Gary was already sitting in the locker room, holding a bottle of water and looking down at the liquid as his hands tightened around it, thoughts filling his head.
He remembered people saying things about him, that he should have won, that he should have been better, all because he's an 'Oak.' That he should have been smarter than Ash, stronger than Ash, better than Ash.
Over and over, it happened. Even before their journey, growing up, Ash was always the smarter one, the one who got better grades, even though everyone knew Ash didn't have as much potential or natural talent as everyone else.
Gary stared at the bottle of water in his hand, watching the ripples shift every time his grip tightened.
Voices from the past echoed in his head.
"Of course he'll be the next great Oak, look at his lineage."
"Samuel's grandson, Daisy's brother, he's bound for greatness."
"He'll surpass Ash easily. That kid's just a fluke."
Gary's jaw tightened. Fluke. That word stung the most. No matter how many times Ash surprised everyone, people always acted like it was just luck. But Gary knew better. He knew Ash better than those adults who talked about him.
But what made it worse was that everyone called Ash "worse," and when he would beat Gary, they would put those words on him:
"Why can't you be better?"
"You're an Oak, aren't you? Act like it."
"Looks like not all Oaks are meant to be great."
And Gary hated it. He hated it more than anything in the world, getting told he should be something just because of his stupid name, like he didn't also spend days studying until he got sick of it, like he didn't put in extra effort on top of that.
After the Indigo League, things only got worse. Since Ash won and beat Gary, no one could pretend Ash was a failure, but they still got to say those things to Gary:
"Why isn't Gary more like Ash?"
"Green and Ash are great. Gary? Meh."
"I wanna be like Ash."
Ash. Ash. Ash. That's what he kept hearing from people around him, when they thought he wasn't listening. But he was. How could he not? He heard it over and over and over again.
He tightened his grip on the bottle. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and saw Ash walking over, sitting across on the other bench.
"Hey, dude. So this is it, huh?" Ash said, putting his arms behind his head.
"Yeah… I guess it is," Gary said, looking into the water.
Ash frowned and asked, "What do you think we'll do after this one? We already went through one."
"Dunno. Probably just gonna keep training," Gary answered, not really a good answer, but it was an answer.
Ash frowned a little more. "Hey man… you good?" Ash knew full well he wasn't, but he couldn't really call it out just out of the blue.
"I'm fine, just… you know, kinda taking it all in," Gary lied.
"Hmm, I see," Ash muttered, as he looked up at the screen. The stadium was being set up, they'd be called to go there soon.
Gary looked into the water and sighed. "Hey, Ash… can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?" Ash asked.
"What do you do when you feel like no matter what you do, it's not good enough? Like no matter how much you try, you'll always be second place to the person everyone wants you to be," Gary asked. In a way, that was how Ash had grown up, but he chose his own path. Now Gary was in that same boat.
"That's a loaded question," Ash said, looking up. "I guess… you just do what you can."
He looked down. "Why should you care what others say about you? It's your life, not theirs. They can say what they want, make fun of you, call you no good, but I've learned something: no matter what, you bring something to this world that no one else does. And if people can't appreciate that… then they don't matter."
Just as Ash finished speaking, they heard the announcer call for them. It was time. Ash got up first while Gary continued looking down.
"So, you asked me one," Ash said, pausing at the door. "Let me ask you one back."
He turned to Gary. "Are you strong because you're Gary Oak? Or are you Gary Oak because you're strong?"
Gary looked up at Ash and smiled faintly. "Maybe when you can answer that, you'll have the answer to your question," he said, then walked off toward the field.
Gary stayed where he was for a moment, staring at the cup. Right now, he didn't have the answer, and thoughts kept spiraling in his head. He looked down and clenched his teeth.
Now that Ash was gone, he muttered under his breath, "Ash… even after all these years, after all the times you've become better than me, you're still getting stronger… and I'm falling behind. But I've never once hated you…"
Gary clenched his eyes shut. "Ash… for the sake of our friendship… please lose…"