"Master, who do you think will win this match?"
Shinji walked over to Red and asked curiously.
The moment he spoke, several nearby spectators widened their eyes in shock.
"Wait... you're Trainer Shinji?"
"You called him Master?!"
"Then doesn't that mean he's...?"
None of them had expected that the slightly drenched man who had arrived late would actually be the Gym Leader of Mossweed Gym.
Looking at Shinji, Red replied:
"I honestly can't tell."
"The difference in strength between those two is just too small."
Gary had gradually pushed Ash to the edge through meticulous tactics and superior team composition.
But the more Ash was cornered, the sharper his battle instincts became.
In the end, relying on that inexplicable battle-protagonist boost, he managed to claw his way back into the match using a heavily injured Charizard and a poisoned Pikachu.
After that, the battle went back and forth repeatedly.
Even Red hadn't expected it.
The fight continued all the way down to each trainer's final Pokémon.
And the remaining Pokémon were—
Pikachu.
And Blastoise.
Their respective starters.
Their respective aces.
By this point, both Ash and Gary had completely burned themselves out.
"It all comes down to this final attack!"
"Pikachu! Thunder!"
"Blastoise! Hydro Pump!"
Under the pouring rain, both Pokémon unleashed their strongest moves simultaneously.
Just as Ash's fighting spirit reached its peak—
A cloud of poisonous gas suddenly emerged from Pikachu's body.
The Toxic that Clodsire had inflicted earlier finally activated at the worst possible moment.
The remaining sliver of Pikachu's health vanished instantly.
"Pikachu is unable to battle!"
"The winner is Gary Oak from Pallet Town and Mossweed Gym!"
"Let's congratulate him on becoming the first trainer to advance into the semifinals!"
"The battle between these fellow disciples has finally come to an end—with Gary emerging victorious!"
Gary stood there, breathing heavily.
Looking at the fallen Pikachu.
Listening to the commentator's excited voice.
His face showed no joy.
Only disbelief.
Even he hadn't expected the match to end this way.
Under the pouring rain, Gary slowly tilted his head back and allowed the water to fall onto his face.
After a brief moment of blankness, his heart surged with emotion.
The first person he looked toward was Red.
Raising both arms high, Gary shouted:
"Master!"
"I won!"
"You were wrong back then!"
"I didn't lose to Ash!"
"I'm Gary Oak!"
"The strongest disciple in Pallet Town—"
"No!"
"The strongest disciple of Mossweed Gym!"
"Master!"
"Your prediction was wrong!"
Watching Gary celebrate triumphantly in the storm, Red rubbed his nose helplessly.
"I distinctly remember saying that if you hadn't become my disciple, then you would've lost to Ash..."
Still, he didn't spoil Gary's moment.
Instead, he simply applauded.
"Congratulations, Gary."
While the entire stadium cheered for him, Gary suddenly noticed something.
Ash was carrying Pikachu in his arms and quietly leaving the battlefield.
Gary hurried over.
He wanted to say something.
Yet before he could speak, Ash punched him lightly in the shoulder and grinned.
"Gary."
"You won this one."
"Nice job."
After saying that, Ash turned around and walked away without looking back.
He declined Nurse Joy's offer of assistance and headed alone toward the Pokémon Center.
Leaving Gary behind to stand amidst the flowers and applause.
Back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak leapt up from his couch excitedly.
"He won!"
"Gary won!"
Unfortunately, in his excitement, he knocked over the instant noodles he'd just prepared.
"MY NOODLES!"
While lamenting the tragic loss, Oak suddenly remembered someone.
Turning toward Delia Ketchum, who had come over to watch the match, he asked:
"Delia, since my noodles are gone... can I come over for dinner tonight?"
Normally kind and accommodating, Delia rejected him immediately.
Afterward, she left Oak Laboratory.
Watching Ash walk away alone on television, her eyes filled with concern.
Truthfully, Delia had never placed especially high expectations on Ash's trainer journey.
For a mother like her, as long as Ash was healthy and happy, that was enough.
But now she had made up her mind.
She was going to Indigo Plateau personally.
She wanted to comfort her son.
"Oh, right."
"Ash mentioned he found a master."
"I think his name was Red?"
"Since I'm going there anyway, I should visit him too."
She sighed softly.
"I just hope this master treats Ash well."
Meanwhile, Professor Oak sat alone in his laboratory, hesitating.
Not about dinner.
About something else entirely.
Gary's semifinal match is coming up.
If I don't attend in person, that probably wouldn't look very good.
But Agatha is at Indigo Plateau...
In the end, grandfatherly love won.
"What's the worst that can happen?"
"She'll yell at me a few times."
"It's not like Agatha is actually going to eat me."
At the same time, while Gary basked in victory on Kanto's grandest stage—
Ash sat alone in the Pokémon Center.
Rainwater dripped from his clothes onto the floor.
Because of Blastoise's Rain Dance, he was soaked from head to toe.
Like a drowned rat.
"Ash?"
"Are you okay?"
Brock and Misty finally arrived at the Pokémon Center.
The moment they entered, they spotted Ash sitting there alone.
Brock immediately dug through his backpack and handed over a towel and some ginger tea.
"Dry yourself off."
"You'll catch a cold."
Holding Togepi, Misty looked at him worriedly.
"Ash..."
"It's only one match."
As they tried to comfort him, Ash accepted the towel and forced a cheerful smile.
"Don't worry."
"I'm not that fragile."
"You two should go handle your own things."
"Isn't the Eight Gym Leader selection still going on?"
"You're both pretty busy too."
Just as Misty was about to insist on staying—
Red arrived.
He patted Ash's shoulder and said only one sentence.
"Today's match was incredible."
"You battled brilliantly."
Then he led the worried Brock and Misty out of the Pokémon Center.
This battle had been different from the previous one.
There had been no accident.
No outside interference.
Ash knew perfectly well that his League journey was over.
His rivalry with Gary had reached its conclusion.
The smile disappeared from his face.
Regret.
Frustration.
Unwillingness.
Countless negative emotions flooded his heart.
Ash lifted the towel Brock had given him and covered his face.
His unwilling tears soaked into the fabric.
...
[Ding! Ash Exclusive Quest: Pokémon Master Progress +3%]
[Current Progress: 10%]
[Congratulations! Reward Obtained: Exact Coordinates of the Mysterious Venusaur Forest]
[Next Stage Reward (20%): 30 System Points]
Looking at the still-worried Brock and Misty, Red smiled.
"Relax."
"My disciple isn't that fragile."
"After something like this, he just needs some time to process his emotions."
"Give him some space."
Watching Ash's forced smile earlier, Red felt somewhat emotional himself.
I honestly didn't expect Ash to lose.
Still, his Pokémon Master quest progress increased significantly.
For him, this defeat probably isn't a bad thing.
"Master~"
"We're not going to lose, right?"
At that moment, Ninetales suddenly appeared and dove into Red's arms, rubbing its fluffy head against his chest.
Feeling the soft fur, Red flicked Ninetales on the forehead.
"You dare question your master?"
"Your punishment is giving me a shoulder massage tonight."
At the same time, his fingers brushed against the Poké Ball at his waist.
The Poké Ball containing Swampert.
And the Swampert Mega Stone beside it.
"Swampert."
"The final piece of the puzzle is finally in place."
"Next..."
"It's our turn to fight."
Pokémon: Swampert
...
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