Pokemon: I am Gary

Upon entering Saffron City, the first thing encountered was a circular corridor. On either side of the corridor were a library and classrooms. Almost all the members were wearing white lab coats, bustling around in their classrooms. 

"Even with so many people here, that girl named Sabrina is living all alone," Caitlin sighed, feeling a bit dejected. 

"That's the importance of friends and family," Gary nodded. 

"That's true," Caitlin agreed, nodding. Having been a psychic since childhood, if it weren't for her butler, Mr. Kokuran, always by her side, she might have developed a twisted personality.

"If only Sabrina could be a little calmer," Gary said, shrinking his neck slightly. 

Honestly, that woman was quite fierce; if she and Caitlin got into a fight, Gary wouldn't know how to handle it. He might end up as collateral damage in an unexpected AOE attack…

"Hello there, little Caitlin!" Just as Gary was caught in his dilemma, an old voice came from the corner. 

An elderly woman with a cane stepped out. 

"Grandma Agatha!!" Gary exclaimed. The Ghost-type Elite Four member Agatha had appeared out of nowhere! 

"Keep your voice down; I can hear you," Agatha smiled as she examined Gary. "Hmm, you've grown taller and more handsome, but you're starting to look more and more like your grandfather when he was young—it's rather annoying." 

"Grandma Agatha, what brings you here?" Gary asked with a wry smile. 

This grandma could be considered half of Gary's grandmother. Although she always chased Professor Oak around when she visited his lab, she was genuinely kind to Gary. Most of the toys and clothes that young Master Gary had were bought by this grandma; Professor Oak was too old-fashioned to pay attention to such details. 

"It's all because of this little rascal," Agatha said, first nodding to Caitlin before poking Gary's forehead with her finger. "You took her out for fun; why did you take her to Team Rocket's shady shop? What were you thinking? Do you know that because of this, Charles Goodshow called us for an emergency meeting in the middle of the night? Sometimes I really want Gengar to drag him down to hell~" 

Gulp. Gary swallowed hard. "President Goodshow, good luck to you…" 

"That was an accident; I had so much fun these past few days!" Caitlin explained anxiously while holding onto Gary's sleeve. 

"Oh, really?" Agatha scrutinized Caitlin's expression before turning back to give Gary a light whack on the head with her cane. 

"Ow!" Gary innocently covered his head. "Grandma, why did you do that?" 

Agatha pointed at him with disappointment. "Why do you have to learn from your grandfather? Why not learn something better instead of chasing after girls?" 

"I didn't do anything…" Gary almost cried out. He genuinely hadn't thought much about Caitlin; he just felt like she had a sisterly personality, so he took care of her a bit more. 

"If not, then you can explain it to Lorelei yourself," Agatha waved her hand dismissively. 

"Long time no see, little brother Gary~" A familiar gentle voice chimed in. 

Turning around, Gary saw Lorelei adjusting her glasses, standing on tiptoe with her hands behind her back as she gracefully approached him. 

"Lorelei! Aren't you on vacation at the Seven Islands?" Gary's mouth dropped open in surprise. 

Agatha rolled her eyes at Gary. The men in Professor Oak's family were really hopeless… she understood all too well…

"I just happened to run into Grandma Agatha in Saffron City and heard you were coming here to challenge this lady—Elite Caitlin—at the Saffron Gym. I got curious and followed along," Lorelei said with a playful wink, pulling on one of Gary's arms. Caitlin immediately grabbed his other arm. "No need for both Elites to worry. I'll just go find Sabrina with Gary." 

Lorelei tightened her grip on his arm elegantly, making Gary feel an odd sensation… 

"Yikes~" Cold sweat dripped down Gary's back; isn't this too much pressure for him? 

Caitlin and Lorelei exchanged glances that seemed to spark some tension between them… 

Agatha waved her hand helplessly. "You young people don't need to trouble this old lady. Lorelei, he's a guest; be gracious." 

"Okay~" Lorelei smiled sweetly and released Gary's arm. After all, he was a "guest"; she was one of their own…

To be honest, when Lorelei let go, Gary felt a slight sense of loss… 

"Gary, is she planning not to let you play with me anymore…" Caitlin shook Gary's arm anxiously. 

Gary patted Caitlin's head reassuringly. "Don't worry; Lorelei is really nice." 

"Yeah~ I was just teasing you earlier. Don't take it to heart," Lorelei said while bending down slightly to shake hands with Caitlin. Between her snowy white peaks lay a sparkling ice gem necklace that shone brightly. 

Wow~ That was quite the emotional blow… 

Caitlin glanced at Lorelei and then looked down at her own toes, feeling like crying… 

"Alright, let's get down to business." Agatha rubbed her forehead; such a good kid like Gary had been spoiled by Professor Oak—she definitely needed to visit Professor Oak's lab again! 

Reminded by Agatha, Lorelei's face turned slightly red as she wondered what was wrong with her—like a little girl who had just lost her candy… 

"Ahem, here's the thing," Lorelei adjusted her glasses and regained her serious demeanor. "Miss Caitlin and Sabrina are both SSR-level psychics; any conflict could lead to severe consequences. During this competition, Grandma Agatha and I will supervise throughout; Miss Caitlin cannot intervene on your behalf. If any issues arise, we will stop the match immediately." 

Gary nodded in understanding. "Rest assured; I will conduct the gym match fairly." 

He hadn't planned on letting Caitlin help him cheat anyway; bringing her along was mainly for protection against Sabrina losing control and using her powers recklessly. 

"That's good; just focus on competing well without fear! I… I will protect you along with Grandma Agatha!" Lorelei said earnestly. 

"Are you still challenging?" A sudden voice startled everyone present! 

"Wow! Amazing! You managed to approach me without making a sound," Caitlin marveled. 

"Ahem! Is that you, little Sabrina? Hello there." Agatha awkwardly coughed twice. 

"Um… excuse me; may I ask when you came out?" Gary curiously asked. This heavily socially anxious person actually stepped outside? How miraculous! 

Sabrina looked up, her eyes hinting at melancholy. "I came out to greet you all when you entered; it's just that none of you noticed me…" Everyone broke into a sweat, wondering if this child had such a low presence. 

"Excuse me, I'm here to challenge the Saffron Gym. Can we start?" Gary scratched his head. 

Sabrina glanced at Caitlin and hesitated for a moment before turning around. "Follow me." 

The group followed Sabrina to the innermost part of the Saffron Gym, where a dimly lit battle arena came into view. Candles and torches burned on either side, making the arena look like a scene from an escape room… 

Sabrina took her seat at one end of the battle arena, and her doll held a badge above its head as it approached everyone. Sabrina's curious gaze scrutinized Gary. 

Caitlin looked at Gary, then at Sabrina, and suddenly teleported in front of her. 

Boom!! A red and blue psychic force field suddenly erupted, colliding violently. 

Lorelei and Grandma Agatha were enveloped in a flash of white light as Golduck and Gengar appeared in front of them, immediately forming a green shield. 

On Gary's side, Golduck timely created a sturdy psychic barrier, keeping him safe. 

"Gol~" Golduck gave a thumbs up, raising an eyebrow. 

"That was quite smooth," Gary said, giving a thumbs up in approval. 

On the other side, the clash of psychic powers between Sabrina and Caitlin finally came to an end. Although both sides were somewhat restrained, it was clear they were on roughly the same level. 

Caitlin nodded. "You're indeed impressive." 

Sabrina's lips twitched slightly. "You're not bad either~" 

The subsequent developments proved one thing: friendship between women often only requires a single compliment. 

Sabrina￣▽￣σ "Hey, your bag is beautiful…" 

Caitlin′▽｀ノ? "Right? Gary helped me bargain it down to 80% off…" 

The two girls' eyes lit up as they clasped hands. "Good sisters!" 

"Let's not turn Gary into your toy; he's a good person~" Caitlin said again. 

Sabrina revealed a faint smile. "I know; I heard everything you said before." 

"And?" Caitlin continued to ask with some concern. 

"Can we be friends forever?" Sabrina hesitated for a long time before speaking. 

Caitlin flashed an angelic smile. "Of course~" 

"Then I promise you," Sabrina nodded. "But are you sure you don't want me to turn him into a keychain? That way, you can hang him on your bag and no one can take him away." 

"Eh~ That sounds nice. But… let's skip that; Gary is really interesting. He takes me out for good food and plays games with me. We can team up as three in the future," Caitlin counted on her fingers. 

"Alright then! I'll go with your suggestion!" Sabrina nodded in satisfaction. 

As the subject being discussed, Gary felt "moved" to tears. "Can you two please treat me like a person when discussing this…" 

"Ahem! Alright then, let's officially start the match! Caitlin and I would like some tea; you two can do as you please~" Sabrina said before pulling Caitlin's hand. The two vanished in a flash of light from the gym. 

Gary raised his hand. "Wait—my gym match…" 

"Hehe! Come play with me!" The doll left behind by Sabrina spoke human words. 

Gary then noticed that the badge was right above the little doll's head. 

"The battle rules are one-on-one; if you win, you can take the badge. If you lose, just quietly take the badge later~," said the little girl. 

The two Champions behind them coughed lightly… 

Gary was at a loss for words. "For this kind of thing, let's communicate telepathically next time…" 

"Go! Abra!" 

Looking at the Abra sleeping soundly in front of him, clearly not ready for battle and only level 20, Gary hesitated before pulling out his Poké Ball. "Then… Growlithe, use Bite!" 

Chomp! Growlithe faithfully executed Gary's command and bit down hard on Abra's head… 

The next second, Abra lay flat on its back and continued to sleep soundly… 

"You win!" Before Gary could even respond, the Marsh badge had already appeared in his hand. 

Immediately afterward, the blue psychic energy receded like a tide as the little girl doll and Abra vanished in an instant. 

Gary looked at Grandma Agatha. "Is it really this easy to get through without using psychic powers?" 

Agatha rolled her eyes. "How could it be? Sabrina's main team had been sealed away in Indigo Plateau due to concerns about her emotional fluctuations causing issues. The Abra she used now is just one she casually caught on the roadside." 

"Phew, I see. It looks like I'll have to come back for another gym match when I have the chance. This badge doesn't seem very valuable…" Gary sighed. 

"It's okay; this is what you deserve," Lorelei said, her beautiful eyes sparkling with appreciation. "Being able to resolve Sabrina's emotional issues and gain her recognition is more valuable than winning battles." 

Feeling touched by Lorelei's gentle gaze, Gary nodded appreciatively. "Since we're done here, are you all hungry? I can prepare some food for you~" 

Grandma Agatha twitched her mouth slightly. "We have things to do; leave your noodles for Caitlin." 

Lorelei shrugged regretfully. "I have things to do too; maybe next time." 

"Alright, definitely." Gary nodded. 

As Kana turned to leave, Agatha looked back at Gary meaningfully. "Child, I've watched you grow up. Whatever decisions you make in the future, I will support you. But don't let Lorelei feel sad; understand?" 

Gary stood there feeling somewhat bewildered as he sighed softly. "Let nature take its course~" 

When it comes to feelings, while first impressions are important, taking things slowly shows sincerity—after all, who can predict what will happen in the future?