"All right, line up. One at a time. Nidorina, you're up next."
On the training grounds at the Pokémon Center, Gary lounged in a reclining chair, wearing sunglasses and holding a fistful of cash.
Trainers with direct ties to the Pokémon League really did have money to burn~
Here was what had happened: with Rhydon hospitalized, Gary had been forced to stay at the Pokémon Center in Cerulean City.
With nothing else to do, Gary trained on the grounds outside the Pokémon Center.
Naturally, Pokémon Trainers confident in their own abilities came over to challenge him.
Gary certainly wasn't going to turn down experience points delivered right to his door.
At first, only a handful of people challenged him. Once Gary racked up ten straight wins, though, challenging him seemed to become a main quest.
The Trainers at the Pokémon Center came at him one after another. Besides wanting to test their own abilities, plenty of curious Pokémon Trainers wanted to see just how long Gary's winning streak could last.
Thanks to these Trainers lining up to get trounced, all of Gary's Pokémon picked up a nice haul of experience. The most obvious result was that Nidoran♀ had evolved into Nidorina.
"Weepinbell, use Vine Whip!" A little boy in shorts shouted his command with all his might.
"Catch it and swing it around." Gary shook his head. Between Weepinbell and Nidorina, Nidorina clearly had the weight advantage, yet the boy had actually offered up Weepinbell's vines himself. Kid, you've got no one to blame for this loss!
Whoosh! Nidorina braced all four legs and jerked her head, sending the opposing Weepinbell flying straight toward her.
"Fury Swipes!" Gary watched calmly as Nidorina scratched Weepinbell's face to ribbons.
Off to the side, Nidorino shuddered, as though he had remembered something terrifying...
Nidorina: I'm gonna count to three...
Nidorino: Please, no...
"The match is over! Gary wins!" announced the Youngster serving as referee.
"Oh my god, this guy's incredible..."
"No kidding. How many wins in a row is that?"
"Thirty-seven..."
"Good grief..."
As the crowd buzzed with conversation, Gary stretched and checked the sky. "That's enough for today. I'm challenging the Cerulean Gym tomorrow, so let's call it a day."
"Aww~ I haven't had my turn yet!"
"Yeah, yeah! It's still early!" shouted two guys in the crowd who clearly didn't look like Pokémon Trainers.
Gary curled his lip. "I bet on myself earlier. You two had better pay up before you leave, or I'll pound your heads in."
The two punks who had secretly been taking bets looked embarrassed. After glancing at the Scyther behind Gary, they swallowed, obediently left a stack of bills, and turned tail.
Gary picked up the money, stuffed it into his pocket, and sighed.
Raising Pokémon really was a money pit, especially with a patient to care for.
Of Rhydon's six supplements, even the cheapest cost 3,000 a bottle. The most expensive, the zinc and iron supplements, both cost 9,800 a bottle.
Each bottle held about a month's supply, which meant Rhydon needed nearly 40,000 worth of supplements every month.
Only a rich kid like Gary could manage that. If it were Ash, he probably would have pawned his underwear by now.
"To hell with those price-gouging bastards~" Gary scratched his head irritably. "I've gotta find some part-time work~"
After complaining about the prices at the Pokémon League's Poké Mart, Gary still generously took out every supplement and dumped them into Rhydon's food bowl.
Then he prepared food for the other little ones before carrying the bowl to the intensive care ward.
"Rhy~" Seeing Gary enter, Rhydon obediently sat up straight, his thick tail swishing gently from side to side.
Although Rhydon hadn't quite trusted Gary at first, after a few meals, all he wanted to say was that having a Trainer was fantastic...
"Eat up, eat up. We're getting you discharged tomorrow. You'll have to work hard on your rehabilitation after that. Try to do me proud at the Indigo Plateau Conference." Watching Rhydon shovel down his food, Gary smiled and patted his big head.
Rhydon nodded and focused on eating. His world had no room for complicated values. If he ate the boss's food, then he just had to beat up whoever the boss told him to.
So what if I eat a lot? Eat the most, fight the hardest. Rhydon nodded in satisfaction. He really was an upright, intelligent Pokémon.
After a peaceful night's rest at the Pokémon Center, Gary left the next morning with his refreshed Pokémon.
Rhydon was officially discharged, and Gary had some proper business to attend to.
Two streets away from the Pokémon Center stood a building resembling a giant aquarium: Cerulean City's landmark, the Cerulean Gym.
The Cerulean Gym was positively bustling that day. The ticket booth by the entrance, in particular, had an enormous line.
A huge banner above the entrance read, "Cerulean's Three Beautiful Sisters: Live Water Ballet Performance."
"Those three are at it again..." Gary raised an eyebrow and rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"Swimsuits... I absolutely can't miss this!" Before Gary could complain, a slightly sleazy voice rang out behind him.
Gary turned and saw Ash and his long-suffering companion, Brock.
"Gary!! Are you here to... watch the swimsuit show too?" Ash exclaimed.
"Who would've thought? You've got good taste, Gary~" Brock sidled up with a grin and nudged Gary's chest with his elbow, looking as though he had found a kindred spirit.
"You're both getting the wrong idea..." Gary rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone who has trouble getting a girlfriend? I'm only here to challenge the Cerulean Gym."
"Huh? This really is the Cerulean Gym?" Even Brock was astonished. There's a Gym Leader poorer than me? So broke she has to sell sex appeal?
"A Gym! Awesome! I want to challenge it too!" Ash immediately grew excited.
"Get in line. Besides, do you even have money for a ticket...?" Gary planted a hand against Ash's excited face, stepped forward, bought his ticket, and entered the hall first.
Ash could only turn to Brock with a pleading look. After all, anyone who knew Ash knew that his pockets were famously empty...
Brock looked at the poster and swallowed. "All right. Worst case, we'll forage for more wild greens later. I'll borrow just a tiny bit from the food budget!"
The young woman at the ticket booth smiled sweetly. "We guarantee it'll be worth every penny, dear..."
Meanwhile, Gary, who had entered the hall ahead of them, had already slipped backstage.
Three beautiful women in swimsuits, with towels draped over them, were laughing and fooling around when a handsome young man appeared backstage.
"Excuse me. I'm here to challenge the Cerulean Gym." Gary got straight to the point to avoid being mistaken for a creep.
The three sisters, who had been admiring the handsome boy, pulled miserable faces at his words.
Another challenger? Misty's not here! How many beatings have the three of us taken lately...?
Finally, the eldest sister, Sakura, brushed back her long blond hair and stepped forward. "Um~ handsome, as you can see, we're about to perform. Could the match wait until after the show?"
Gary gave her a friendly smile. "No... Besides, it'll be over quickly. It won't delay your performance."
Sakura's expression stiffened before she nodded resignedly. "Then let's head over to the pool."
Gary followed Sakura to the poolside. Sakura clapped her hands, and a Seel poked out of the water with a Cascade Badge on his tongue and spat it out.
Sakura casually caught the badge and tucked it into the bottomless storage space at her chest...
Gary felt his nose grow hot at the sight and hurriedly recited to himself, Form is emptiness, emptiness is form...
Sakura's two younger sisters whispered off to the side.
Daisy: "Our big sister's so calculating. She actually put the badge there."
Violet: "Exactly! She's getting on in years, and she still wants to hit on a younger guy."
"Right. If anyone's going to hit on him, it should be me..." Daisy nodded.
Violet pouted. "I'm the youngest, so it should be me."
Gary broke out in a cold sweat. You two aren't exactly loud, but I'm not deaf!
Sakura also shot her two boy-crazy sisters a displeased glare. Then she turned to Gary and announced, "This will be a one-on-one match. Win, and you'll receive the Cascade Badge."
Gary nodded. "Understood. We can begin."
Sakura sighed. "Then my Pokémon is..."
Pop! The Poké Ball opened, and a very beautiful... Goldeen appeared before Gary.
"Gol~deen~ Gol~deen!" Watching Goldeen wriggle energetically in the water, Gary's mouth twitched hard twice.
"Go, Eevee. Use Thunderbolt..." Gary tossed his Poké Ball.
"Vee!" Eevee approached the water with a serious expression, then unleashed a powerful blast of crackling electricity straight into the pool.
Bzzzt... After a burst of bubbling underwater, Goldeen floated to the surface belly-up, eyes spiraling.
Eevee looked at Gary in confusion. Did we come here to blast fish today...?
Gary nodded helplessly. "Good job. Come back, Eevee."
"Then, as promised, this badge is yours." Sakura walked up to Gary, took out the warm badge, and placed it in his hand.
"Thank you for the match." Gary offered a few formal pleasantries.
"All right, business is over. Now, would you like to enjoy the water ballet show put on by Cerulean's Three Beautiful Sisters?" Sakura invited him with a smile.
Gary shrugged. "Of course. I bought a ticket..."
The three sisters gave Gary flirtatious looks, then left backstage, giggling as they prepared to perform.
Gary looked at the badge in his hand. "I'll just... watch a little before heading out."
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