Pokemon: I am Gary

On the battle arena of Celadon University's large playground, Gary and Erika had taken their positions.

With heavyweight guests Professor Rowan and Sinnoh Champion Cynthia arriving, the match officially began.

Looking at the audience around them, even the seasoned Erika swallowed hard.

After all, with the Unova Elite Four and the Sinnoh Champion watching, anyone would feel a bit nervous…

"Erika, don't panic. Just fight like you usually do. Remember why you became a Gym Leader," Gary reminded her.

"I understand. Let's go, Tangela!" Erika calmed herself and methodically sent out her Pokémon.

Gary turned to explain, "Erika specializes in Grass-type Pokémon. Does anyone know why Gym Leaders across regions specialize in one type?"

A student from the Theory department wearing thick glasses raised his hand.

"Alright, this student." Gary nodded at him.

"Because Gym Leaders exist to train aspiring trainers who are about to participate in Pokémon Leagues. Therefore, separating types makes it easier for everyone to learn how to counter each type of Pokémon," the bespectacled boy answered nervously.

"Very good." Gary nodded. "That's basically correct. But I need to remind everyone: don't resent losing a match or become complacent from winning one.

The existence of Gym Leaders is to test your true level. Many of them could easily defeat you after leaving the Gym stage by a million different methods.

For example, if it weren't for the Gym battle, I wouldn't be facing Tangela; it would be a Tangrowth instead!"

"Ah~ So that's how it is! I thought Gym Leaders were all weak; their average team level is only between 25 and 35. Turns out I'm the clown!" a student from the Battle department realized suddenly.

Surrounding students immediately shot him disdainful looks. Not knowing this common sense about Gym battles?

Tossing his Poké Ball in hand, Gary continued explaining, "So, what's the strongest type against Grass?"

"Of course it's Flying-type!"

"You're an idiot; it should be Fire-type!"

The students from the Battle department clearly favored more straightforward approaches to combat.

Meanwhile, students from the Theory department continued analyzing.

"It should be Ice-type."

"Poison-type is also a good choice."

Gary tossed his Poké Ball again and threw it out. "Let's go, Scyther!"

"Whoosh~!!" As soon as Scyther appeared on stage, it positioned its left scythe horizontally while dragging its right scythe behind it, ready for battle.

"Right! Bug-type too!" The students murmured among themselves.

"Everyone is correct," Gary nodded at Erika, who patiently waited. Teaching matches often required a lot of discussion.

"All of these are advantageous types against Grass. However, this is just a preliminary judgment.

In practice, you must consider whether your opponent has dual types. For instance, Bulbasaur is both Poison and Grass type. If you use a Poison-type move against it, the effect will be quite mediocre.

Similarly, with Bulbasaur's evolution line… cough cough, that knowledge point might be beyond our current scope; we'll discuss that later.

If it were a Grass-Water dual type, then Fire-type moves wouldn't be sufficient either.

Likewise, with Grass-Rock dual types as well; Fire-type effects would be poor too.

However, if it's Grass-Poison type, then Psychic weaknesses increase.

Grass-Flying and Grass-Dragon combinations would increase Ice-type threats as well.

In summary, various combinations have different response strategies—think on your feet!"

Professor Rowan watched Gary with deep interest; this little rascal was hiding some skills. It seemed he could squeeze out more research directions from this guy!

With the pre-match explanation concluded, Gary looked at Erika. "You can start."

Erika nodded, her expression instantly serious. "Tangela, use Growth!"

Tangela shook its body and suddenly grew larger while red energy surged around it.

"Look! Ms. Erika has taken the initiative to boost her Pokémon!"

"How will Professor Gary respond?"

Gary's voice rang out calmly: "Use Double Team followed by Quick Attack!"

In an instant, multiple shadowy figures filled the arena as Scyther transformed into dozens of images moving rapidly in irregular patterns across the field.

Erika frowned; she wouldn't fall for that trick—if not, then there was no other option. "Tangela! Use Vine Whip!"

In an instant, dozens of vines shot out from Tangela. The arena was filled with white smoke from the shattered clones.

Swoosh~ A chilling breath echoed, and Erika suddenly looked up. "It's above us!"

Tangela's eyes tracked the movement, but its body couldn't keep up.

Scyther came crashing down!

"Wing Attack!" Gary seized the moment.

Boom!! The silver bug wings sliced through Victreebel's body, sending it flying.

"Now's the time! Fury Cutter!" Gary pressed his advantage with a relentless flurry of attacks!

"Whoosh!" Scyther glimmered with a milky white light, transforming into a storm of blades that struck Tangela repeatedly. The latter could only flail helplessly in the air, unable to even land safely.

Bang! With a final slash, Scyther unleashed a crescent-shaped wave that sent Tangela crashing to the edge of the arena. Tangela's eyes spun in circles as it collapsed to the ground.

"Interesting~" Cynthia observed from the sidelines, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Caitlin shot a wary glance at her friend. "Don't bully Gary! If you want to battle, I'll fight you!"

Cynthia looked at Caitlin in surprise. "Are we really friends?"

Caitlin waved her hands anxiously. "Wait until Gary's main Pokémon grows stronger; then you can battle. Not now!"

"Alright, alright~ If we're not battling, we're not," Cynthia chuckled, ruffling Caitlin's hair. "My little doll has grown up~"

"Hmph! Not at all!" Caitlin pouted and turned away.

With the first match concluded, Erika let out a small sigh of relief. Gary's precise opportunity-seizing ability and his relentless follow-up attacks had indeed put some pressure on her.

Gary patiently began to review the match for the students.

"When facing a highly mobile opponent like Scyther, the most likely counter for Tangela is to use Sleep Powder.

Tangela's initial Growth was actually meant to lure Scyther in close, right?"

 nodded. "That's right, but Professor Gary didn't fall for it; I was forced to attack."

Gary continued nodding. "That brings us to the second point: Tangela has one of the highest numbers of Vine Whips among Grass-type Pokémon.

So I had Scyther create numerous targets to induce a visual distraction.

During the time that the shadow clones were moving around, Tangela would inevitably get distracted and wouldn't notice that Scyther had used its flying ability to move into the air."

Finally came the finishing blow: after landing an attack, Scyther used its incredible speed from Quick Attack to take Tangela down before it could react!

The students below were stunned; wow, did they just engage in several rounds of mental chess during those few minutes of battle?

These tactics were way too complex for them…

Some students from the Battle department stared wide-eyed with smoke practically coming out of their heads… They probably felt completely overwhelmed…

These types of students were likely more like Ash —reckless and relying solely on passion, charging in headfirst without any strategy!

However, in reality, Ash had matured significantly after his experiences across various regions; although his battle style remained fiery and often featured unexpected moves, he had developed sound judgment and analytical skills along the way.

Did they really think Ash was still that underperforming trainer? The Ash who competed in the World Championships had mastered his system better than anyone else…

Once the students processed what they had just learned, Gary took out his second Poké Ball and gestured to Erika. "You can start for round two."

"By the way, in Gym battles, Gym Leaders cannot switch Pokémon. So if the situation doesn't favor you, you can immediately swap out Pokémon. Even if you use three Pokémon in rotation to wear down your opponent's health, that's also allowed," Gary raised an eyebrow.

"If you can drag out a Gym Leader by switching frequently, I'll give you credit for your speed~"

Erika was left speechless. "Um… Professor Gary, that tactic seems a bit dirty…"

Gary shrugged. "Sorry, I couldn't help it~"

"I've learned something; I'll go back and experiment at Celadon Gym," students watching eagerly took notes.

No doubt there would soon be a bunch of unscrupulous challengers running to Celadon Gym trying all sorts of reckless tactics against Erika's defenses…

Erika felt a bit frustrated as she rubbed her chest while Principal Monet looked on dryly. "Goodness~ My youth is back with this Yamato Nadeshiko~"

Professor Rowan shot him a glare and smacked Principal Monet on top of his head. "There are so many students here; pay attention to your image!"

"Ouch~ Rowan! You sneaky old man! You can't take a joke—do you have no strength?" Principal Monet fumed as he huffed angrily.

Professor Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Who are you calling an old man?"

Principal Monet instantly became more subdued and shrank back slightly as he pulled out a drink and offered it. "Uh… senior, would you like some tea?"

Professor Rowan finally nodded in satisfaction and decided not to hold onto this old man's careless words any longer.