After the match ended, Gary left the arena without lingering. He headed straight back to the players' village, where he handed his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for treatment before returning to his room. Settling into his chair, he turned on the screen to watch the rest of the day's matches.
Although Gary believed that the only real rival worth paying attention to in this Ever Grande Conference was Ash, he still wasn't the type to take chances. He wanted to study the Pokémon used by the other competitors who had advanced to the final tournament, just in case.
Because the afternoon sessions only used eight battlefields in each arena, many of the matches had already concluded by the time Gary returned. In fact, more than half of the day's battles were already over, so he didn't get to watch many — including Ash's third-round match or Brendan's.
By 5 p.m., all the advancing players had gathered at the Pokémon Center in the players' village. They were waiting for the official announcement of the final tournament matchups, which would be held two days later.
The Ever Grande Conference organizers had an unusual method for announcing the brackets. Instead of releasing the full schedule in advance, the matchups were determined randomly and revealed only on the night before the battles. This way, no Trainer could prepare specific counter-strategies too far ahead of time, and no one could purposely hide certain Pokémon just to surprise a known opponent later.
Because no one knew who they would be facing until the night before, the system forced competitors to focus entirely on whoever stood in front of them. It was a test not only of battle skill but also adaptability under pressure.
"Gary!"
Ash's voice called from across the room. He and his friends entered the Pokémon Center together, accompanied by Morrison and Tyson.
Gary remembered meeting Tyson and Morrison earlier in the tournament — both had already faced Ash in the preliminary rounds. Ash had been open about which Pokémon he planned to use, which could have been risky against less sportsmanlike Trainers. Fortunately, both Tyson and Morrison were decent people who hadn't taken advantage of the information. Against someone like Paul, though, Ash might have been in trouble.
Ash walked up with his usual enthusiasm. "Hey!"
Gary gave a short nod. "Yeah."
Tyson stepped forward politely. "Hello, my name is Tyson. This is our first meeting — please treat me well."
"Gary," he replied, shaking his hand briefly. His gaze then shifted to the unusual Meowth standing beside Tyson. This wasn't just any Meowth — it wore boots and carried itself with the poise of a seasoned fighter.
In Gary's mind, it reminded him of a special Meowth from an old game he'd once played — the final boss's signature partner.
[Lv. 62 Meowth ♂ — Elite]
"An Elite-class potential!" Gary's eyes narrowed in surprise. He had assumed Tyson's Meowth might have Champion-level potential, especially since it had beaten Ash's Pikachu. But upon closer inspection, it seemed this Meowth's strength came from years of experience and gradual level growth, not raw potential.
"Gary, we all made it to the finals! How about you?" Morrison asked cheerfully.
Gary blinked. If I hadn't advanced, why would I even be here? Still, Morrison's good-natured cluelessness made it hard to get annoyed.
"Morrison, if Gary didn't advance, he wouldn't be here waiting for the announcement," Max pointed out seriously.
"Oh, right. Guess I didn't think that through," Morrison admitted with an embarrassed laugh.
"Gary!"
A new voice came from the doorway. Brendan jogged over, his expression bright. "I made it to the finals too!"
"Brendan? You're here?" May's eyes widened in surprise.
"You two know each other?" Ash asked. It was the first time he had met Brendan.
May nodded. "Yeah. Brendan's Professor Birch's son. He used to live in Petalburg City for a while, and he's been friends with Arnold since then."
"Is that so? I'm Ash."
"I'm Brock," Brock added.
"Long time no see, Brendan," Max said. "Didn't expect you to enter the Ever Grande Conference."
Since Brendan was a childhood friend of May's, Ash and the others quickly warmed up to him.
"Wait, May," Brendan asked curiously, "did you also make it to the finals? I remember you wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator when we were kids."
May laughed. "No, I'm just traveling with Ash and the others. Ash is the one competing."
"I see." Brendan's gaze shifted to Gary. "So how do you know Gary?"
"Gary and Ash are both from the Kanto region," Max explained. "They've been friends — and rivals — since they were little."
Brendan's eyebrows lifted slightly. He knew Gary's strength well, so anyone who could rival him was worth paying close attention to.
Suddenly, a voice from the crowd broke the chatter. "The list is out!"
All eyes turned toward the massive electronic screen. The headshots of the 32 advancing Trainers appeared, each paired with their first opponent's photo, with a bold "VS" between them.
Gary scanned the list until his eyes stopped on his own image — and the name beside it made his brow twitch. He looked up sharply at Brendan.
At the same time, Brendan had spotted Gary's face next to his own. The two locked eyes immediately.
Ash and the others were still busy finding their own matchups, but when they glanced back, they noticed Gary and Brendan silently staring at each other.
"What's up with you two?" May asked, a bit slow on the uptake.
Max pointed at the screen. "Look! Gary and Brendan are first-round opponents!"
May's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding! They actually matched up?!"
Gary smirked faintly. "Looks like your wish came true. We'll see how much you've improved tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.
Morrison frowned. "What's with him? Hot one second, cold the next. I thought Gary was supposed to be the quiet, aloof type — but sometimes he's oddly warm, then suddenly pretends to be cool again."
Ash gave a small chuckle. "That's just Gary. He can be blunt, but he usually means well."
Feeling a spark of rivalry, Morrison clapped Brendan on the shoulder. "Well, Brendan, you'd better give it your all and beat him!"
Brendan smiled faintly. "I'll do my best. Anyway, I should get going." With that, he left just as abruptly as Gary had.
Morrison tilted his head. "That was weird. He was loud and cheerful when he walked in, but now he's all quiet."
"Yeah," Max agreed. "Brendan's usually really upbeat."
Ash thought for a moment. "Probably because he's facing Gary. The pressure's high."
"Pressure? No way," May said with a shake of her head. She knew Brendan as a positive, determined person — she doubted any opponent could dampen his spirits that easily.