Gary was basking in the envious stares of the crowd when he suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath him.
Then, he noticed that everyone's gazes had shifted away from him, now fixated on something in front of him.
Just as he started to feel puzzled, a massive shadow loomed over him.
Turning his head, he found himself staring at a wall—no, not a wall, but a massive, gray-green obstruction.
He tilted his head back, his eyes traveling upward.
And then he saw it.
A towering, menacing Tyranitar.
This Tyranitar was far larger than any he had ever seen before, exuding an overwhelming aura of power. Just its presence alone weighed on Gary like a mountain.
Even his Scizor, who had been striking a cool pose by his side, now had a wary and slightly fearful gleam in its eyes.
Gulp.
Gary swallowed hard.
What was it like to suddenly have a Tyranitar block your path?
He recalled a forum thread he had read once.
Some people had joked about sliding between its legs, others suggested chucking a Master Ball to capture it instantly, and a few even claimed they'd beat it down to teach it a lesson.
But now, staring at the beast before him, Gary realized he couldn't even bring himself to reach for his Poké Ball.
Just as he was trying to recall if he had somehow offended this Tyranitar before, the Pokémon suddenly pulled out a sign.
It read: "Follow me."
And at the bottom, it was signed—Luo Yuan.
Luo Yuan?!
Gary's mind went blank.
In an instant, he understood—this was Luo Yuan messing with him.
"You've got to be kidding me, Luo Yuan…" Gary muttered under his breath, exasperated.
He was about to follow the Tyranitar to settle the score with Luo Yuan when—
The massive Pokémon put the sign away but didn't start leading the way.
Instead, it reached out, grabbed both Gary and his Scizor, and tucked them under its arms.
Then, before Gary could even struggle, it took off in a full sprint.
The trainers left behind on the street stood frozen, utterly bewildered.
They had no idea what had just happened.
---
Johto League Branch, Silver Town
Luo Yuan sat on a couch, sipping tea.
Across from him sat Gary, looking pale and still recovering from shock.
"So, how was the 'Tyranitar Express'?" Luo Yuan asked with a smirk.
"....."
Gary felt nauseous just thinking about it.
It was fast, sure, but the experience itself? Absolutely horrifying.
The only ones who could probably relate were Jessie and James, who had been dragged around by Bewear in an alternate timeline.
It took Gary a while to shake off the lingering dizziness.
Taking the cup of tea Luo Yuan handed him, he sipped it, his complexion finally starting to return to normal.
"What are you doing in Silver Town?" Gary asked.
His grandfather had mentioned that Luo Yuan had returned to Kanto and was even involved in the Kanto Champion selection.
So why was he here now?
"The selection in Kanto ended a while ago. I'm here to oversee security for the Silver Conference," Luo Yuan replied.
"…Ended?" Gary looked confused.
The news had reported that Lorelei and Giovanni were still competing for the Champion title.
The internet was buzzing with heated debates over who would take the crown.
But according to Luo Yuan, it was already decided?
"Oh, that's just the official narrative. Internally, the Kanto League has already decided—Giovanni will be the next Champion," Luo Yuan explained.
What the hell?!
Gary's worldview was crumbling.
Luo Yuan chuckled at his expression. "It's not some shady backroom deal. Lorelei made a critical misjudgment during an operation and voluntarily withdrew from the competition. So naturally, the position went to Giovanni. All of us in the Elite Four agreed on it."
"Besides, before officially taking the title, Giovanni still has to accept challengers."
Hearing this, Gary finally felt like things made more sense.
"…This is still classified information, so don't spread it around."
Though Gary wasn't as reckless as Ash, Luo Yuan still gave him a warning.
"Got it." Gary nodded.
Not that it would matter even if he did say something.
Coming from Luo Yuan, a Johto Elite Four member, it was insider knowledge.
But coming from Gary? No one would believe him anyway.
"Oh yeah, how's Ash doing these days?" Luo Yuan asked.
"Him? He's probably still challenging Gyms."
Ash had always progressed more slowly than Gary, so he probably wouldn't reach Silver Town for a while.
Luo Yuan, too, recalled Ash's habitual last-minute arrivals and shook his head.
At that moment, Gary, who had mostly recovered, suddenly seemed eager.
"Luo Yuan! Let's have a battle!"
Gary looked fired up and ready to go.
Clearly, his travels had rekindled his confidence.
Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Gary's habit of constantly challenging him despite getting beaten every time was honestly admirable.
From another perspective, it could be seen as perseverance—no matter how many times he lost, he never gave up.
"Of course!" Gary declared without hesitation.
He knew he wasn't at Luo Yuan's level yet.
But after all his training, he was confident he wouldn't lose as badly as before.
At the very least, he wanted to leave an impression on Luo Yuan.
…But then he hesitated, as if remembering something.
"Oh, right—we're not using Tyranitar!"
Even now, the mere thought of that Pokémon made him shudder.
Luo Yuan chuckled. "Relax, I won't use Tyranitar."
With that, he stood up and led Gary toward the League's battle arena.
As they arrived, the League staff overseeing the area gave Gary a strange, almost sympathetic look.
After all, they had seen firsthand just how terrifyingly strong Luo Yuan was during his training sessions.
And yet, here was someone voluntarily challenging him.
…Of course, as a League employee under Luo Yuan, the staff member wasn't about to warn Gary.
Taking his place at the referee stand, he raised a flag and looked between the two trainers.
"Battle format will be a standard 3v3 match. Challenger Gary is free to switch Pokémon at will, but Elite Four Luo Yuan cannot swap Pokémon mid-battle."
"Battle… start!"
The moment the words left the referee's mouth—
Both Luo Yuan and Gary threw out their Poké Balls simultaneously.
---
T/N: welp looks like gary needs another leswson