What had to come, finally came.
Hearing Elias's voice, Gary's expression instantly turned bitter.
From the moment Elias had stepped onto the battlefield to when he finally defeated Lance, Gary had felt as if he were trapped in some bizarre dream, unable to wake up.
Wasn't Elias supposed to be a rookie trainer like me, who'd only just started traveling a few months ago?
Until now, Elias's most notable achievement had been his exceptional talent as a Pokémon breeder.
Oh, and of course his notoriously strange physique, famously rejected by Pokémon everywhere.
Yet, within just three months, not only had Elias somehow added the Sinnoh Champion herself to his traveling party, but he'd also captured numerous rare Pokémon. And now, he'd even defeated someone of Lance's caliber.
After trying every way imaginable to "wake himself up," Gary finally had no choice but to acknowledge that this bizarre reality was indeed real.
Naturally, his challenge issued yesterday still stood.
"Ah…Elias…" Gary forced an awkward smile. "You just had an intense battle. Maybe you should rest first? Your Lucario must be exhausted too, right?"
Gary figured his argument sounded quite convincing.
"You mean Lucario?" Elias nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, he does need rest."
Hearing that, Gary let out a sigh of relief.
It seems I've dodged a bullet.
However…
"But I still have Gardevoir and the others here," Elias continued calmly. "You can battle them."
He gestured casually to Gardevoir, who was gently holding his hand.
Gary froze momentarily before swiftly realizing Elias's meaning.
"You…you're not sending out Lucario?" Gary's eyes widened incredulously.
When Elias nodded, Gary's hopeless heart stirred once again.
After all, every trainer's energy and time were limited. Devoting so much attention to training one powerful Pokémon inevitably meant neglecting others. Even champion-level trainers couldn't escape this basic rule.
Elias had only been traveling for three months—no matter how gifted he was, surely he couldn't have raised a second Pokémon to Lucario's insane level in such a short time?
Gary swallowed nervously, confidence rekindled. Still, to be cautious, when Elias allowed him to choose his opponent, Gary carefully reconsidered his options.
First were Gardevoir and Zoroark.
Initially, Gary had underestimated these two. But after witnessing Lucario's terrifying strength, he now felt unsure. Besides, there was still another Pokémon Elias carried, one who looked ridiculously easy to handle.
That's right—Eevee.
A Pokémon like that couldn't possibly become strong, no matter how hard it was trained…right?
"Elias, can I battle your Eevee?" Gary asked, face turning faintly red from embarrassment.
Though humiliating, he reasoned this choice was essential to preserving his morale for the upcoming Indigo Conference battles.
Nearby, Misty shot Gary a scornful glance. Having watched this entire spectacle, she felt nothing but disdain for his obvious attempt to bully Elias's weakest Pokémon.
However, unexpectedly, as soon as Gary made his choice, Elias and Cynthia both revealed faint smiles.
"Eevee?" Elias repeated slowly, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Gary confidently flicked his hair aside.
If my six Pokémon can't even handle an Eevee, I might as well retire.
"Well… I'll referee the match then," Professor Oak sighed reluctantly, glancing at his grandson. As a former Champion himself, he felt his cheeks flush hot at the idea of his grandson resorting to bullying a harmless Eevee just to regain some pride.
Since Gary insisted, Elias naturally had no objections.
"Alright, Eevee, I'll leave this to you," Elias smiled softly, gently stroking the Eevee-shaped Mew in his arms.
"Mew~!" The "Eevee" tilted her head upwards happily, big watery eyes narrowing mischievously.
Recently, she'd been looked down on by Gardevoir and bullied by Mewtwo. As the ancestor of all Pokémon, Mew's pride had suffered enough blows already.
But she certainly hadn't expected that even a mere rookie trainer would dare challenge her!
Jumping lightly from Elias's embrace, "Eevee" wagged her fluffy tail cheerfully as she trotted toward the battlefield, releasing a faintly sinister giggle as she went.
Professor Oak scratched his head in confusion.
Since when did Eevee laugh like that?
"My first Pokémon is—Rhydon!"
Stepping onto the battlefield, Gary called out his Pokémon confidently. Despite facing only an Eevee, Gary maintained his composure, deploying one of his main Pokémon without hesitation.
"Rhydon versus Eevee…"
"Isn't this like Rayquaza battling Caterpie?"
"…"
Because the match took place in a rest area and given Elias's newly earned fame, a large crowd of trainers quickly gathered around.
But upon seeing the Pokémon involved, they were immediately dumbfounded. Even an Elite Four-level trainer wouldn't have a chance of winning using an Eevee against Rhydon.
Gary's face burned with embarrassment, overhearing their whispers. But he quickly steeled himself:
As long as I win, who cares?
He comforted himself silently, then commanded decisively, "Rhydon, use [Megahorn]!"
I'll show Elias just how much I've grown over these past few months!
...
Several minutes later—
"Blastoise is unable to battle!"
Professor Oak raised his flag, staring in utter disbelief as he announced the results. "Since Gary has no Pokémon remaining, the winners are Elias and Eevee!"
All six of Gary's Pokémon—including his ace Blastoise—had actually been defeated by that tiny Eevee. And even now, Eevee looked completely unbothered, as if the battle had been nothing but a leisurely warm-up.
The shock Professor Oak felt was far greater than seeing Lucario's previous victory. After all, raising a Lucario to Champion-level was one thing; raising an Eevee to the same heights was an entirely different challenge.
If he remembered correctly, the only person to accomplish something remotely similar was perhaps the Gym Leader of Viridian City.
"So this is the power of a genius Pokémon breeder…" Professor Oak murmured, deeply moved.
Meanwhile, across the field, Gary had descended into deep, existential doubt.