Ash turned toward the voice.
The speaker was a girl from Pallet Town as well.
Everyone called her "Leaf."
Among all the girls present, she was the only one who didn't suck up to Gary.
"Huh? Is there even a point in battling him?"
Gary dismissed the suggestion with a wave of his hand.
"His Pikachu could never be a match for my Squirtle..."
Ash's Pikachu had been sitting around Professor Oak's lab for a long time.
Its personality was terrible, and its potential wasn't considered great. No Trainer had ever picked it.
In the end, Ash had managed to win it over with sincerity.
Sure, in the anime, Ash and Pikachu got stronger thanks to protagonist plot armor, eventually beating a ton of crazy strong opponents—
But right now?
This Pikachu couldn't compare at all to Gary's hand-picked Squirtle.
Professor Oak had personally selected it from thousands of candidates.
"But still... if you don't battle Ash, how can you prove you really are the strongest Trainer in the school?"
Leaf had always been the mischievous type.
Her starter was also a Squirtle, but she could never beat Gary due to the massive gap in potential.
During their time at school, students had little chance to acquire new Pokémon.
With his grandfather's support and some actual battle talent,
Gary had naturally become the strongest Trainer in school—at least for now.
Only when everyone left on their own journeys tomorrow
would they have a chance to close the gap.
As things stood, among everyone present—
Ash was the only one Gary hadn't fought yet.
And Leaf really wanted to see that match happen.
"Hmph. Ash, do you really think you can beat me?"
Gary's smug expression faltered slightly after Leaf's comment,
replaced by a hint of disdain.
He always called himself the strongest at school.
Being challenged like this in public rubbed him the wrong way.
"One battle will settle it."
Ash's voice was calm, emotionless.
His expression was unusually steady for someone his age.
But everyone was focused on the battle,
and only Leaf noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor.
"You know what, Ash? You should just give up now."
As tension rose between the two boys,
a busty girl at Gary's side suddenly chimed in.
A classic Gary fangirl, of course she didn't believe Ash stood a chance.
This was her chance to stand out.
"Yeah, Ash."
"If you surrender now, at least Pikachu won't get hurt."
"There's no way you're beating Gary's Squirtle. He's without a doubt the strongest in our class!"
The others quickly joined in.
They were all adults now, and no one was stupid enough to pick the wrong side right before graduation.
Having ties with someone like Gary—
who came from a prestigious family—could pay off later.
So naturally, everyone lined up to kiss up to him.
Gary basked in it, enjoying the attention with obvious pride.
But before he could get too full of himself—
Ash said nothing.
He simply stepped forward out of the grass
and walked calmly toward the fenced-in battle field.
"Pika~ pi~!"
Pikachu followed him, bouncing along excitedly.
That quiet action alone
already made his choice crystal clear.
A true Trainer never backs down from a battle.
"…You've gotta be kidding."
Everyone present fell silent.
"Heh… Ash, you brought this on yourself."
Gary grit his teeth slightly,
but quickly relaxed.
What was he even worried about?
None of the strongest students had been able to beat him.
Ash didn't stand a chance.
He and his Pikachu probably had zero battle experience.
His Squirtle would crush them.
"Let's go, Squirtle!"
Gary tossed his Poké Ball with a dramatic flair,
as if performing for a crowd.
The red and white sphere arced through the air, spinning.
Gasps broke out among the onlookers.
With a flash of light, Squirtle appeared on the field.
It stretched out its stubby arms, staring down Pikachu with a competitive glint in its eye.
"Squirtle!"
It was fired up.
Pikachu, meanwhile, ran to its position opposite Squirtle.
"Pika!"
It wasn't backing down either, sparks crackling faintly across its red cheeks.
Watching the two Pokémon face off,
nearly everyone watching sided with Gary's Squirtle.
This Squirtle was a veteran of countless battles,
having swept through all the other talented rookies at school.
At this point, it was probably close to evolving into Wartortle.
"Oh right, Ash, I forgot to tell you something."
"Don't think you'll win just because of a type advantage."
"Sure, Pikachu's Electric-type moves are strong against my Water-type Squirtle."
"But I had mine learn Dig from our battle skills class…"
As the battle began,
Gary raised a finger with a smirk, showing off his Squirtle's new trick.
Dig—a Ground-type move.
His secret weapon against Electric-types.
Once Squirtle burrowed underground,
electric moves would be useless.
Then, it could strike from below and finish the fight in one shot.
In his mind, there was no way he could lose.
"Pikachu."
But before Gary could even give a command—
The air seemed to freeze.
Not far away,
Ash casually snapped his fingers.
"Use Thunderbolt."
In a flash—
Pikachu's little yellow body went taut, like a fully drawn bowstring.
Its rosy cheeks suddenly flared with blinding intensity.
A bolt of lightning burst from its body—
Blasting across the battlefield in the blink of an eye,
hitting Squirtle dead-on before it could even react.
"Squ-squirtle—!"
Sparks flew everywhere.
Squirtle's shell was scorched black.
Its eyes glazed over,
and it collapsed instantly.
[Ding! Target defeated: Gary!]
[Victory in Pokémon battle. Randomly selecting trait to plunder…]
[Ding! Plunder complete!]
[Congratulations, host has obtained character 'Gary's' trait: Family Resources (Gold)!]
[Original owner's trait has been devoured!]
[End of Chapter]