"Don't be so polite—it sounds stiff. Just call me Brother Gary. Ash and I are best buddies. If you ever need anything, just say it directly."
Even though Shirō's strength put pressure on Gary, the pride within him—one of his defining traits—refused to believe he would ever be surpassed. That self-confidence was part of his maturity.
"Right, are you here to challenge the Johto League?"
After introducing Emiya Shirō, Ash turned to Gary. If Gary were joining the Johto League this year, things would get messy.
After all, Ash and the Johto League were in a state of near-irreconcilable conflict. And with the involvement of Silver Rowan, the current Johto Champion, tensions were even higher. Gary could easily be targeted or manipulated by those within the conference if he showed up unprepared.
"Of course not. I know you're entering the Johto League. Why would I go and make things awkward? Besides, I spent a ton of time on Fantasy Island helping Eevee evolve into Umbreon. Things are already tight."
"And Grandpa told me about your situation with the Johto League. I don't want to bring trouble to you, so I won't be participating. I plan to tour the Orange Islands instead."
Gary brushed Umbreon affectionately as he spoke.
He was certain this year's Johto League would turn into a direct confrontation—Ash against the entire conference. His confidence in Ash's strength made him unshaken.
Moreover, he had personally seen the Pokémon Ash kept on Fantasy Island. Their strength was absurd—especially Venusaur. Perhaps it still couldn't match Legendary Pokémon who wielded true rule-level abilities, but it was far from weak.
His own Blastoise felt envious.
In Kanto, Charmander's final evolutions and Bulbasaur's final evolutions had already made their marks on the world. But Squirtle's evolutionary line remained the most overlooked among the three traditional starters.
Even now, few trainers chose Squirtle. That imbalance had become a headache for the Kanto League.
Though Kanto produced many new trainers each year, not all of them could sustain such uneven demand—especially since Yusan (the Three Starters) were also available to intermediate trainers, not just beginners.
"Speaking of that… why don't you catch a Blastoise? Among Kanto's starter families, my original Squirtle has practically been shattered psychologically. I've been trying to comfort my Blastoise for ages, and it's still depressed."
Thinking about how badly his Blastoise felt after being crushed in power by Charizard and Venusaur, Gary scratched his head miserably.
"I didn't expect it to get this bad… I originally planned to collect all the Kanto starters myself, but I accidentally caught Suicune on the way. You know I follow an elite-route strategy—since I already have a top-tier water-type, why would I need a Squirtle?"
Ash shrugged helplessly.
He hadn't realized his Venusaur and Charizard would cause such a severe shift in starter choices across Kanto.
"Forget it—you're always like this. Lazy, but insanely strong. You say you train hard, but your Pokémon count is tiny."
Gary sighed, half helpless and half envious. Most rookie trainers in Kanto now treated Ash as the ideal model.
"Here—let me train Squirtle now? No way. Since you already have a powerful Blastoise, it's better for you to restore Squirtle's reputation in the Kanto Yusan lineup."
Thinking of the current state of the starter imbalance, Ash pulled out a single-use scroll from his storage ring and tossed it to Gary.
If Blastoise gained a new powerful move and regained prominence, people would naturally shift attention back to Squirtle.
After some time passed, the chaos around the Kanto starters would settle, and the League would probably restrict their distribution more strictly.
"This… isn't a storage scroll. Why are you giving me this? I already have a few."
Gary caught the scroll with confusion.
"This isn't a storage scroll—it's a skill scroll. One-time use only. After activation, it disappears. It can only be used by Squirtle, Wartortle, or Blastoise."
Ash rolled his eyes.
Gary's attention span hadn't changed at all.
Still, he trusted Gary implicitly. Their bond wasn't superficial—it was a lifetime friendship.
This one-time skill scroll could only be used once. After teaching the move to Blastoise, it would immediately become useless. The scroll worked by imprinting the technique directly into Blastoise's mind; even if Blastoise wanted to teach the same move to another Pokémon, it wouldn't work.
Ash had already decided to officially classify his self-created moves as part of the unique techniques of Fantasy Island. With the current no-leakage restriction placed on the island's secret arts, he no longer worried about trainers from other regions learning them.
Besides—did anyone really think someone who learned Ash's original techniques could defeat the originator himself?
To earn Ash's self-made techniques, a trainer needed merit. Their League ranking determined the level of the move they'd receive, and each person could only claim one.
Since each region held only one League Conference per year, and competition was brutal, the odds of someone winning champion multiple times in a row—and gaining more than one technique—were nearly impossible.
If a Pokémon learned one of Ash's self-made moves and later produced offspring, the technique would be inherited—but severely weakened. This gave Ash peace of mind; even through generations, his full-strength techniques would not leak into the world uncontrollably.
"Really? Thanks! My Blastoise will be thrilled. Looks like the great Gary Oak is going to make headlines again."
Hearing Ash's explanation, Gary's eyes lit up. He could already picture the spotlight on him during the next conference, and the thought alone made him practically drool.
"You're the best, buddy."
Gary clapped Ash on the shoulder with a grin. Today was turning into an incredible stroke of luck.
Not only had his Umbreon proven its exceptional strength, he had also received something every trainer in the world dreamed of—an exclusive, self-made technique from Ash himself.
(End of Chapter)
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