"Go, Medicham!"
"Glaceon, you're up."
Two Poké Light burst outward.
A humanoid figure landed on Zoe's side, composed and balanced, its stance already shifting into a martial posture.
"MEDI!"
[Lv. 49 Medicham (♂) / Gym-tier]
Its body was tense, refined through long-term training. Every movement was optimized for precision rather than brute force—the unmistakable mark of a Pokémon Zoe had personally raised over many years.
On the opposite side—
Cold air erupted instantly.
A white fox-like Pokémon stepped forward, its presence alone dropping the temperature across the battlefield.
[Lv. 60 Glaceon / Champion-tier]
The difference in aura was immediate.
One was disciplined effort.
The other was overwhelming natural pressure.
Gary's gaze remained steady.
Fighting-type versus Ice… not ideal for her.
Zoe did not hesitate. Even knowing she was outmatched, she had to seize the initiative.
"Medicham, use Jump Kick!"
Medicham surged forward instantly. Its body compressed like a spring before launching upward, leg extending mid-air as it gathered momentum. The Jump Kick carried both speed and rotational force, aimed directly at Glaceon's center mass.
The air whistled as it descended.
Zoe's expression was tight.
I have to take initiative… even if it's risky.
Gary's voice cut through instantly.
"Cold Water."
The command came without emotion.
Glaceon responded immediately. It exhaled, and a freezing jet of water erupted forward—not ordinary water, but supercooled, dense with chilling energy. It surged upward like a compressed wave, intercepting Medicham mid-approach.
The collision happened instantly.
DSSHHH!!
Water and momentum clashed.
Medicham's body struck the freezing stream directly, interrupting its trajectory. The force of impact disrupted its balance mid-air, and the cold seeped instantly into its muscles.
Zoe's eyes widened slightly.
That temperature drop…!
The attack wasn't just water.
It was control.
The freezing liquid penetrated Medicham's body, slowing its movement, dulling its physical strength by a noticeable degree.
Gary followed immediately.
"End it. Ice Beam."
Glaceon opened its mouth slightly. Energy condensed.
A pale blue beam of absolute cold erupted forward, straight and precise, carrying enough freezing force to distort the air around it.
"Dodge it! Close the distance and use Dynamic Punch!"
Zoe's command came fast.
Medicham forced itself to move, activating its predictive psychic calculation mid-air. Its eyes flickered briefly as it used a Future Sight-like perception to trace the trajectory of the Ice Beam.
Then—
It twisted. Barely avoiding the center of the attack.
The Ice Beam grazed past, freezing the edge of its arm as it passed.
But Medicham pushed through. It closed the distance rapidly, fist tightening with glowing red energy.
"MEDI!"
The punch came down.
Dynamic Punch.
Zoe's strategy was clear—if she couldn't outpower Glaceon at range, she would force close combat where the fighting-type advantage mattered.
But Gary's response was immediate.
"Dry-Freeze."
Glaceon's body pulsed with cold. The surrounding moisture in the air instantly crystallized. Invisible frost spread outward like a sudden winter snap.
Medicham's forward momentum slowed dramatically. Its joints stiffened mid-motion. Its breath turned visible in an instant.
Zoe's eyes sharpened.
It's freezing the air itself?!
Medicham still swung. The punch connected.
BANG!!
The hit landed on Glaceon's side, forcing its body slightly backward.
But the damage was minimal.
Glaceon backflipped through the air, landed cleanly, and stabilized—barely scratched.
At the same time—
Medicham froze in place. Its arm remained extended. Its body locked. Ice crept across its surface rapidly, spreading from limb to torso. Its eyes lost focus, and consciousness slipped away.
Zoe's breath caught.
"No…"
The referee raised his flag.
"Medicham has lost its ability to battle! Glaceon wins!" He swept the flag toward Gary's side. "All of challenger Zoe's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this match is Gary!"
The stadium reacted immediately.
"It's over already?"
"She couldn't even last a full exchange with the last one!"
"That Glaceon is insane…"
"What a pity. Zoe was tenacious, but she was never on Gary's level."
"True. If this had been one of the old Conferences, she wouldn't have lost this badly."
"Hmph. You got Gary to swap Pokémon as often as he did—be content with that."
The crowd's reactions were mixed, but the underlying tone was familiar:
acceptance of inevitability.
In truth, the audience had never doubted the outcome. The only question that had hung over the match belonged to the betting markets outside the arena—not whether Gary would win, but how many of his Pokémon he would even need to put down Zoe.
Gary himself, of course, knew nothing of these wagers. The League went to great lengths to keep its competitors clean. Every contestant in the athletes' village was kept under constant surveillance, and any participant caught involving themselves in the betting pools or their fringes would be disqualified on the spot and barred from competition for life.
Gary recalled Glaceon without ceremony.
At the conclusion of the match, Gary didn't linger on the field. He left at once for the Pokémon Center to have his team treated.
The next bout was Tobias against Ava—and that result needed no spectating. The winner was Tobias, plain and simple.
The final match of the afternoon was Ash versus Paul.
Both Trainers shared the same proud streak. Neither would lean on the Pokémon they had raised before. Instead, each would fight with the team they had trained in the Sinnoh Region itself. Ash had used his Pokémon from Professor Oak's Laboratory only in the qualifiers, just to guarantee he reached the finals—where he would face the likes of Gary and Paul.
Though Gary did not watch from the stands, he followed the match on a television screen at the Center. The result fell well within his expectations.
After a fierce, drawn-out battle, Ash's Infernape erupted with the raw, overflowing power of its Blaze and tore through Paul's final Pokémon. With only that single Pokémon left standing, Ash narrowly edged out Paul and advanced to the next round.
With both semifinal-bracket matches concluded, the schedule for the following round was released.
Gary vs. Kang Hong!
Tobias vs. Ash!
So my appearance hasn't changed the direction of Ash's defeat after all, Gary thought. And here I am, already planning to enter other regions' Conferences next.
After confirming the next day's schedule, Gary stepped out into the main hall of the Pokémon Center.
There, he spotted Ash and his three companions. Gary walked over without prompting, and his approach quickly drew their attention.
Seeing him, Ash rose to his feet at once.
"Gary—I made it through. As long as I beat Tobias next, I'll finally get to face you."
"What are you planning to use tomorrow?" Gary asked. "Which Pokémon, against Tobias?"
That was the entire reason he had come to the Center—to warn Ash not to throw low-level Pokémon at Tobias. To stand any chance, Ash would need his absolute best.
"I'm just going to fight with my own Pokémon," Ash answered. "Mostly the ones I've trained before."
Ash wasn't foolish either. He'd watched Tobias's matches and understood the man was monstrously strong—far beyond anything the freshly raised Sinnoh roster could handle.
"Snorlax and Pikachu will do," Gary said. "And I'd suggest you have the rest of your team teleported over too. Otherwise you'll lose badly."
"My main team?" Ash frowned. "Is Tobias really that strong?"
For all of Tobias's power, in Ash's mind it was simply Gary-level power—and Ash believed the Pokémon he could pull from Professor Oak's Laboratory would be enough to deal with it.
"If you don't believe me," Gary said evenly, "then this time tomorrow, your run at the Lily of the Valley Conference ends."
Ash's frown deepened, and he sank into thought.
"Gary," Dawn cut in, "is Tobias really as strong as you say?"
Gary answered calmly.
"I don't know his exact limit. But besides Darkrai… he also has a Latios."
"What?!"
"A Latios?!"
Dawn and Brock both started in shock. They had never imagined that, alongside Darkrai, the man held a second Legendary Pokémon.
"Really?!"
Ash was stunned as well. He'd assumed Darkrai was Tobias's only trump card—he'd never once considered there might be another.
"His Latios is no weaker than his Darkrai—I'll tell you that much," Gary said. "If you still want to fight him the way you've planned, then go ahead. I'll respect your decision."
"How do you even know Tobias has a Latios?" Ash asked.
"I have my own information channels. You'll find out the truth soon enough either way." Gary raised a hand and turned away. "I'll head off first. I wish you a victory tomorrow."
With that, he left.
He had said everything he intended to say. Whether or not Ash listened was Ash's choice alone—and even if Ash did bring out his full team, Gary still didn't believe he could win.
I've given him every warning I can, Gary thought as he walked.
The most I can hope for now is that Ash forces Tobias to spend a few more Pokémon than he'd like.