He's here, he's here—the long-awaited Young Master Gary has finally arrived!
Firefighter Gary to the rescue—pulling Grey out of the blaze!
Seeing who it was, Grey tossed the stream a quick, "I'm going to greet the challenger," then stepped away and headed for the door,
leaving a chat full of viewers thirst-posting about Sabrina.
At the entrance, a spiky-haired boy—a whole entourage of cheerleaders in tow—looked the Fighting Dojo up and down.
"This gym's kinda shabby."
Gary eyed the building's modest footprint and couldn't help shaking his head.
In another city it might look decent.
But this was Saffron City, where every square meter cost a fortune.
Skyscrapers on every side; the dojo capped out at three floors.
If you can afford a gym, why cheap out on the interior?
Spent it all on the land, maybe.
"But Blue said not to judge by appearances. Hopefully this gym's strength will open this great me's eyes."
He didn't write them off—only snarked about the looks.
He kept reasonable expectations for the leader himself—no contempt.
Tak, tak, tak…
"You're Master Grey, right?"
As Grey approached, Gary asked—and sized up the young leader as he spoke.
Fair-skinned, long-legged, black hair—only a little less handsome than himself, of course.
He looked delicate, not the image of a Fighting-type trainer.
Maybe that's the so-called contrast the net talks about:
Because he's frail, he fights with Fighting types.
Gary mentally tagged him with the grit of someone who pushes through weakness.
And his gaze grew more respectful.
"That's me. And you're 'Pallet Town's Glory—Gary,' right?"
Grey smiled and read out the username.
"A-hem… this great me is Pallet Town's Glory; no need to dwell on it."
Color rose in Gary's cheeks.
Hearing his handle blurted out like that was mortifying.
"Ahh—Gary-sama is so humble~"
"I adore Gary-sama~"
"Win it easy today too~"
Behind Gary, a squad of girls shrieked their support.
Before the battle even began they launched into a celebratory "three-strike dance," as if the victory were already his.
Sadly, none of that youthful spectacle made it to the stream—no eye candy for chat today.
Two challengers in a row with built-in cheer squads had Grey seriously considering hiring one for the dojo.
If nothing else, the vibes were immaculate.
"Come with me—I'll take you to the arena."
Grey led the way.
As Gary and his fan club stepped into the room, they popped up on stream.
[666—the streamer really did bring in the cuties!]
[Whoa, those milk-white snow— cough— those snow-white legs. A sea of alabaster!]
[That kid's Gary, right? So young and already playing flashy!]
"Yo, what's up, everyone in chat—this great me is Gary. Time to show you Pallet Town's power."
The moment he appeared, that "spoiled rich kid" energy hit like a wall.
Especially the untamable spark in his eyes—textbook.
Chat exploded; any Sabrina posts got instantly drowned by Gary's arrival.
[Aaaah, Gary! How are you this fast?!]
[Master Grey, please tell that kid to stop calling himself 'this great me' all day. Or he's in for it when he gets back. (subbed)]
"Thanks to Blue for the sub! Legend! May your Poké-luck soar!"
A new golden message pinned to the top. Grey glanced at it, then at Gary. "Challenger Gary, Blue says quit peacocking, or he'll 'show you something nice' when you get back."
"This great me… wait—who?!"
Gary jolted. When Grey showed him the phone, he froze, suddenly careful with his words.
No way.
A newbie streamer's room pulled both Blue and Red?!
"Challenger, please take the far side. We'll begin shortly. Before we do—how many badges have you got?"
Neatly changing the subject, Grey also weighed which Pokémon to field.
"Th—this young master has three badges. How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"
Talking badges put spring back in Gary's step.
Among the four from Pallet Town, he was farthest along.
"Three badges—then Tyrogue should be plenty."
Grey's calculus went another way.
Against a three-badge trainer, Tyrogue already did the job.
Gary: ???
"Tyrogue?"
Gary frowned, feeling a bit underestimated.
He'd watched the stream. That Jeanette's mons were fine, but not on his level.
He'd cleared three Gyms without breaking a sweat—a Tyrogue wouldn't slow him down.
"All right then—pick your opponent yourself."
Grey scratched his head and sent out all three Tyrogue.
"…"
Gary went silent.
"Don't tell me… the Fighting Dojo only has three Tyrogue?"
"Not at all. We've also got Primeape—but I don't recommend choosing it."
Grey shrugged, sincerely trying to help.
"Then I choose that one."
He pointed at Primeape, battle spirit flaring.
"Really don't want to reconsider?"
Grey's tone stayed earnest.
To Gary's ear, it sounded like a smug dig at his strength.
"Master Grey—that one. I'm set on it today!"
He sounded like someone picking the top courtesan at a brothel—denied everywhere else, so he'd choose the hardest one out of spite.
[Curious—why won't the streamer let Gary pick Primeape?]
[...]
[Why the ellipses again, bro?]
[He says: That Primeape's been raised well. Most challengers won't last more than a few moves.]
[No way. For real?]
[It's real, ru.]
Three Champion-class trainers spoke up for Grey. Seeing those three gold messages, chat reeled.
On Grey's side, Primeape strode into position.
It tapped its fists together, a feral force radiating off its frame.
"Challenger, send out your Pokémon."
Standing with Primeape, Grey's entire aura shifted.
Before, he'd been the polite scholar.
Now, he was a veteran general—born for war.
Gary felt it, too. He skipped the usual kiss to the Poké Ball and hurled it outright. "I'm counting on you—Kadabra!"
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