Bang!!
"Hari!"
Hariyama could no longer withstand the cutting wind blades. The force of Salamence's Hurricane flung the massive sumo Pokémon across the battlefield. He crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, struggling but unable to rise.
"Now, Breloom—attack Hariyama!" Gary commanded sharply.
" Hariyama, get up—now!" Shiraki shouted in desperation.
Before Hariyama could respond, the ground beneath him suddenly split open. "Breloooom!!" Breloom erupted from underground and slammed a hardened Iron Palm directly into Hariyama's chest.
Bang!!
Hariyama hit the ground again, eyes swirling as consciousness slipped away.
"Hariyama is unable to battle!" the referee declared immediately.
"What?!" Shiraki gasped, eyes wide.
"Urrraaaagh!!" Ursaring snarled in shock and fury, clearly rattled by his partner's defeat. Neither of them expected Hariyama—normally a defensive powerhouse—to fall so quickly. Even with Hurricane's type advantage, Shiraki thought his Pokémon would last longer.
But Hariyama had already suffered stat reductions from Salamence's Intimidate and Poison Powder. His defenses had dropped a full stage each—it was remarkable he had even survived three attacks.
Now Ursaring stood alone, its Guts Ability still active from the poison coursing through its body. The bear Pokémon could fight fiercely in this state, but Gary knew he had time to chip away at its strength.
"Things aren't looking good for Shiraki. With Hariyama down, Ursaring is left to face both Salamence and Breloom on its own!" the announcer explained to the crowd.
"Ursaring, take out Breloom! If it digs underground again, smash the ground with Hammer Arm!" Shiraki barked, throwing his last card on the table.
"Urrrghhh!!" Ursaring roared, charging toward Breloom with frightening speed.
But just as it closed the gap—
BOOM!
A dragon-shaped energy wave slammed into the ground in front of Ursaring, throwing dirt into its face and forcing it to halt.
"Breloom, use Worry Seed!" Gary ordered coolly.
"Brelooom!" The Mushroom Pokémon dashed forward and scattered glowing seeds across Ursaring's body. As the seeds sprouted faintly, the wild red glare in Ursaring's eyes faded—its Guts Ability was neutralized, replaced by the new Insomnia trait.
"What?!" Shiraki's jaw dropped.
"Salamence, Dragon Claw!" Gary continued, not giving his opponent time to think. "Breloom, Mach Punch!"
"RRRRAAAHHH!!" Salamence soared overhead, talons glowing with emerald light as she descended with incredible speed.
"Breloom!" Breloom lunged low to the ground, fist glowing from his lightning-fast strike.
Ursaring met Breloom head-on, managing to block the Mach Punch with one powerful paw. But Salamence was right behind—her talons carved deep into Ursaring's other side.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Ursaring had no way to defend against both opponents at once. The dual assault pushed him back step by step until he finally collapsed under the pressure.
"Ursaring is unable to battle! Both of Shiraki's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this match is Gary Oak!" the referee announced.
The audience roared in approval.
"Gary's dominating out here!" one spectator shouted.
"He completely shut Shiraki down! That Poison Powder and Hurricane combo is insane!" another added.
"Gary's style is so cool—he just crushes his opponents without breaking a sweat!"
Gary gave a slight wave to the stands as he recalled Salamence and Breloom. He wasn't looking for attention, but the crowd's energy was undeniable.
The first day of the preliminary doubles tournament was nearly complete. Only one battle remained for the day, with two more scheduled for tomorrow—one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Trainers needed at least four strong Pokémon to handle this round. Gary, however, had no intention of showing his full hand. He had only nine Pokémon caught in Hoenn and preferred to keep most of them hidden to avoid being countered later in the finals.
Still, Salamence's EX Intimidate Ability was proving invaluable in doubles battles. Gary didn't mind leaning on her power for now.
After his match, Gary didn't stay to watch the rest of the battles in person. Instead, he returned to the Trainers' Village, dropped off his Pokémon with Nurse Joy for recovery, and followed the other matches on television.
He was hoping to catch Ash's match, but it had already concluded. Brendan had also secured an easy win in his first round, which intrigued Gary. So far, Gary had only seen four of Brendan's Pokémon. He was curious to see what else Brendan was keeping hidden.
Brendan in the anime had proven to be a serious contender—later traveling to the Sinnoh Region and even battling Lucas, Sinnoh's young prodigy. Gary made a mental note to keep a closer eye on him.
The next morning…
The preliminary doubles tournament resumed right on schedule.
Gary arrived at Arena B bright and early. Since matchups were randomized, any Trainer who arrived late risked being disqualified outright.
After the first day's battles, only 32 players remained in Arena B. The morning would see 16 matches, followed by 8 more in the afternoon, to narrow the group down to just 8 qualifiers for the finals.
Vendors crowded the corridors of the venue, hawking food, drinks, and even whispered betting tips.
"Come take a look! Fresh odds, hot picks!" one vendor called.
"Any changes for the top players?" a spectator asked.
"Who are you asking about?" the vendor replied.
"Gary and Tyson."
"Gary's sitting at 1.36, Tyson's at 1.5," the vendor answered smoothly.
"I'm putting 100,000 on Gary!" The spectator handed over a card without hesitation.
"Pleasure doing business," the vendor said with a grin, handing back a betting slip. "Find me after the match."
Gary caught the whole scene as he walked past.
"Pretty bold," he muttered to himself. Illegal betting rings in Ever Grande City—right under the Hoenn League's nose. The official Pokémon Sports Lottery had fixed odds, but these outside bookies offered fluctuating rates with bigger payouts.
Apparently, the League chose to turn a blind eye.
As the clock struck 9:00, the vendors scattered to hidden corners to avoid detection while watching the matches unfold.
"The second round of the preliminary doubles tournament is about to begin! Would Trainers Gary Oak and Yoji please take the field!" the announcer's voice boomed.
Gary smiled to himself. "First match of the day—lucky me."
He stepped confidently into the arena as his new opponent followed.
The two Trainers squared off in the command zones, sizing each other up.
Yoji smirked arrogantly. "Gary Oak… I know you're a two-time Conference Champion. But today? You're just another stepping stone on my road to victory."
Gary's eyebrow twitched.
Why are all the Trainers at the Ever Grande Conference such egomaniacs? Does this guy's mom even know how full of himself he is?
Gary said nothing, simply crossing his arms and preparing his Poké Balls.