In the games, Veilstone City's Meteorite Pit serves a useful purpose. After catching Deoxys and bringing it there, Deoxys can change its form using the energy contained within the meteorites.
But that is only how it works in the games. A real Deoxys can change forms at will and does not need to rely on the power of meteorites.
In the anime, the meteorites in the Meteorite Pit react with the Galactic Key, which is why Team Galactic tries to steal them. They are stopped by Ash and Maylene, but the story never revisits the meteorites afterward. What exactly is the truth behind them?
Still, one thing is certain: these meteorites contain some kind of energy. They should have originated from outer space and may even have some connection to Arceus.
Gary is not interested in Arceus, but he is very interested in Deoxys. Deoxys is extremely strong. Although its base stat total is only 600, it can change forms at will.
Gary looks at the meteorites in the pit, hoping to discover something using the insight granted by the system.
Pokémon like Deoxys have an infinite lifespan. As long as their core is not destroyed, they will not die. With unlimited energy, they could even go toe-to-toe with Rayquaza.
Unfortunately, Gary walks over and inspects each meteorite carefully, but finds nothing.
"I really wish I could cut these meteorites open and take a look."
Gary has a strong intuition that there must be something hidden inside the meteorites. However, these meteorites are all property of Veilstone City. Each pit is roped off, and visitors can only look, not touch.
Considering his current identity, Gary knows that if he cut into these meteorites, the police would definitely arrest him.
Still, he thinks of a workaround. Team Galactic will make a move on these meteorites soon. When that happens, he can use the pretext of driving them off and have his Pokémon slice the meteorites open. It's not impossible. At worst, he can apologize afterward.
As for the compensation, the damage would technically be caused by Team Galactic. If someone has to pay for it, they can pay.
Once he has made up his mind, Gary releases Garchomp and heads off toward Pastoria City. Before Ash arrives in Veilstone City on his own journey, Gary wants to quickly collect all the Gym Badges in the northeastern region.
"Garchomp!"
Garchomp flies southward at a steady pace. When they pass over Lake Valor, Gary pauses in mid-air to observe it for a while.
There is another lake beside Lake Valor. It looks to be only a few dozen acres in size, and there is no small island in its center. Gary can confirm that Azelf is not in the lake itself but is hiding within a subspace.
Gary knows he is not the chosen one, so Azelf will not appear before him. After observing for a while, he leaves.
Passing over the Great Marsh, he arrives in Pastoria City.
At first, the settlement had only existed to protect the vast Great Marsh in the area. Over time, the naturally formed town gradually grew into a city.
The Great Marsh also functions as Sinnoh's Safari Zone. For just 500 PokéDollars, a Trainer can receive thirty Safari Balls and enter to capture Pokémon.
However, there is nothing particularly valuable inside the Great Marsh. The Pokémon there are mostly Grass-, Bug-, and Water-types. There are no truly rare Pokémon, aside from Drapion and Kangaskhan.
The rest of the Pokémon are unremarkable.
After lunch at the Pokémon Center in Pastoria City, Gary heads over to the Pastoria Gym a little while later.
The Pastoria Gym is essentially a swimming pool. It does not hold Gym battles on Saturdays and Sundays. Instead, the pool is opened to the residents of the city for public swimming.
"Lucky for me, today isn't the weekend."
Gary looks at the sign posted outside. It is Friday, one of the Gym's regular battle days. If he had arrived just one day later, he would have had to wait until next Monday to challenge the Gym.
Gary walks up to the Gym entrance. The door is open, so he steps right inside. At the counter sits a young woman in an eye-catching outfit—a striking swimsuit that naturally draws people's attention.
"Hello, miss. I'm here to challenge the Gym," Gary states his purpose.
"Oh, you're here to challenge the Gym Leader. Come with me," the young woman says.
She stands up and leads Gary to the battlefield.
Gary follows behind her. Not knowing where to safely look, he can only pretend not to notice anything, and only when they finally reach the arena does he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The receptionist then goes off to call the Gym Leader.
Watching her figure disappear down the corridor, Gary finds himself unconsciously thinking of Sabrina. By now, Sabrina should already be sixteen or seventeen years old. According to the laws of this world, once she turns sixteen, she is considered an adult... Heh heh.
Gary decides that after the Lily of the Valley Conference is over, he will head to the Unova region to look for Sabrina. If the opportunity arises, it would be fine to win her over. After all, every successful Trainer needs a woman by his side.
"Who wants to challenge me?"
At that moment, a bare-chested middle-aged man walks out.
The man is Crasher Wake, the Gym Leader of Pastoria City.
Aside from being a Trainer, Crasher Wake is also a professional wrestler. In the wrestling world, he goes by the name of the Torrential Masked Master.
Crasher Wake has even participated in the World Championships. He is actually a very strong Trainer. Serving as the Gym Leader of Pastoria City is, in a way, a waste of his talent. His true strength is more than enough to place him among the top hundred Trainers in the World Championships.
"Hello. My name is Gary, from the Kanto region. I'm here to challenge your Gym," Gary says.
"Oh! From Kanto, huh? Then it seems you've been a Trainer for quite some time," Crasher Wake says.
"Yes. It's been over a year since I became a Trainer," Gary replies.
"I see. Then let's begin the Gym battle." Crasher Wake can hardly wait to fight.
Soon, the Gym referee arrives and takes his place in the command area.
"The Gym battle at the Pastoria Gym will now begin!"
"On the blue side is the challenger, Gary from the Kanto region."
"On the red side is Crasher Wake, the Gym Leader of Pastoria City."
"Each side will use three Pokémon. When all of one side's Pokémon lose their ability to battle, the match will end. In addition, the challenger has the right to switch Pokémon during the match."
[Ding! Missions issued: 1. Obtain the Fen Badge. Reward: Intermediate Rare Candy ×6, permanent Water Pledge move learner ×1, top-quality Mystic Water ×1.]
[2. Use Sinnoh-region Pokémon to obtain the Fen Badge. Reward: Intermediate Rare Candy ×6, Water-type move learner of choice ×1, random Pokémon item ×1.]
Looking at the missions issued by the system, Gary judges from the amount of Intermediate Rare Candies offered as rewards that the three Pokémon Crasher Wake plans to send out should not exceed the Gym's level limit.
It seems Crasher Wake has no intention of going all out, and is instead battling strictly according to the standard Gym rules.