Although a Pokémon's potential ultimately determines how strong it can become, Trainers like Gary must pay attention to this potential when raising their teams. The Pokémon he bred in his early years had excellent traits—and if evaluated today, their level and performance would surely be top-tier.
If Gary really intended to use the Pokémon he bred before, Brendan didn't think he'd stand a chance.
Noticing Brendan fall silent, Gary chuckled and said, "Relax, I'll only be using the Pokémon I caught in the Hoenn Region for this tournament."
"Give me three years," Brendan replied earnestly, "and I swear I'll be able to compete on the same level as your main team."
"Alright then. I'll see you at the World Championships. I'll be waiting. For now, I need to prepare for tomorrow's battle. Catch you later," Gary said with a small wave before turning away.
Brendan made his way to the front desk of the Pokémon Center to check the arena assignment for his preliminary round match.
Meanwhile, Gary left the Pokémon Center and headed to a nearby restaurant within the Trainers' Village.
He ordered a set of the standard fast food provided for participants and made his way to a seat by the window. But just as he was about to sit down, he noticed a familiar group of people at the table opposite his.
It was none other than Ash and his companions.
At that moment, Ash was scarfing down food like a bottomless pit, locked in an eating contest with Morrison to see who could consume the most.
"Still the same as ever…" Gary muttered with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.
Nearly three years had passed since they both became Trainers, but Ash hadn't changed at all. Whenever he got into any kind of contest, he just had to win—whether it was battling or binge eating.
"Mmff mmfff... Ga—Gary!" Ash managed to say through a mouth stuffed with rice and noodles, although it was barely understandable.
"Huh? What are you saying?" Gary asked, not catching a word.
Morrison, noticing Ash looking behind him, turned around and spotted Gary. While he didn't personally recognize him, it was obvious from Ash's reaction that they knew each other.
"Gary!"
"Hey! It really is Gary!" May added, her face lighting up.
Max peeked up from his plate. "Whoa, cool!"
"Hey, long time no see," Gary said, raising a hand in greeting.
Brock, May, and Max all responded politely, nodding and smiling.
Ash then stood up abruptly. "Gary, I'm telling you now—I'm gonna beat you at the Ever Grande Conference!" he declared with his usual fierce determination.
Gary rolled his eyes. "That's the third time you've said that already. Aren't you tired of hearing yourself repeat it?"
Since the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash had made this declaration every time he met Gary at a tournament village—and yet, he'd never followed through.
"…Just you wait," Ash muttered, realizing that mere words wouldn't impress anyone anymore. He silently resolved to say nothing further until he'd actually won a battle against Gary.
"Hey, you two know each other?" Morrison interrupted, clearly surprised.
Morrison had met Ash during his journey through Hoenn, but he didn't know the details of Ash's history with Gary.
"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Gary and I have been rivals since Pallet Town."
"Ohh! Rivals!" Morrison said, his voice booming with excitement.
Morrison, ever the straightforward and loyal type, immediately turned toward Gary with intense enthusiasm.
Gary was momentarily confused by the sudden shift in mood but didn't react hastily. Morrison might have a loud voice, but he wasn't a bad guy—just a bit overzealous and softhearted.
At the Ever Grande Conference, Morrison would eventually face Ash in the second round. Due to their budding friendship, Morrison had held back during their match, subconsciously giving Ash the upper hand. While Morrison might not have won even if he gave it his all, his decision to hold back had sealed his fate as an unknown in the competition.
"I'm Morrison!" he introduced himself proudly. "Since you're Ash's rival, that makes you my rival too! I'll beat you in the tournament!"
Gary smirked. "Alright then, give it your best shot. But I wouldn't be surprised if both you and Ash end up losing to me."
"That won't happen!" Morrison shouted confidently. "I'll beat both of you!"
"What are you talking about, Morrison? I'm the one who's going to beat you and Gary!" Ash argued.
Gary shook his head and sighed. With both of them going at it, he decided to grab his tray and move to a quieter table farther away—anywhere out of earshot of their competitive yelling.
The next day...
The preliminary rounds of the Ever Grande Conference officially began. The first match was scheduled for 9:00 a.m.
Gary arrived at Arena 7 a little before 9, not wanting to risk being late.
Because the preliminary rounds didn't disclose opponents ahead of time—leaving everything to a random draw—Trainers had to show up early and wait until their names were called. If anyone failed to appear within five minutes of being called, they would be automatically disqualified.
When Gary arrived at Arena 7, he found the other competing Trainers already gathered in the designated waiting area. The stands had also started to fill up with eager spectators awaiting the start of the matches.
Seated in the Trainer's zone, Gary scanned the arena for familiar faces, but saw no one he recognized.
At exactly 9:00 a.m., the announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"Thank you all for joining us here at Arena 7 for the preliminary round of the Ever Grande Conference! Without further ado, let's kick things off. Will Trainers Drake and Yamamoto please step forward for the first match!"
The named Trainers entered the battlefield.
Drake sent out Golduck, while Yamamoto released Golbat.
"Golduck, let's go!"
"Golbat, show them your fangs!"
The battle was fast-paced, with both sides trading blows. In the end, Golduck came out on top, securing a place in the next round.
Since the matches were one-on-one and the arena needed minor repairs between rounds, each bout lasted about six to seven minutes. Some were even wrapped up in five.
"Pretty average," Gary muttered to himself as he observed the match.
Judging by the Pokémon used so far, Gary realized he had overestimated the competition. Most of the Pokémon were between levels 40 to 45—decent, but clearly at gym-tier level. Not a single opponent so far had fielded a Pokémon stronger than that.
Still, with Hoenn being the most passionate region when it came to Pokémon battles, it made sense that there were a lot of participants—and not all of them were strong.
"Next up, Trainers Gary Oak and Amamiya, please report to the battlefield!"
"Finally," Gary said as he stood up. "About time."
He was relieved. The heat was brutal, and if he had to sit in the open-air arena much longer, he'd be baked. A tropical region like Hoenn didn't go easy on Trainers. Without sunscreen or shade, even a short wait could lead to sunburn.
He and Amamiya made their way down the aisle toward the battlefield and stood on opposite sides as directed by the referee.
"Now commencing a 1-on-1 match between Gary Oak and Amamiya. Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
"Go! Exploud!" Amamiya shouted, releasing a large, deep-voiced Pokémon.
"Loudrooo!!" Exploud roared, letting out an echoing growl.
"Slaking, let's get started!" Gary called as he released his choice.
"Graaaahh!" Slaking yawned lazily, scratching his chest as he stepped onto the field.
◇ [Lv. 45 Exploud – Quasi-Elite Potential]
◇ [Lv. 50 Slaking – Champion-level Potential]
Gary raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Finally, someone brought a Level 45 Pokémon to the field. You might actually be competent."