Pokemon: I am Gary

As night gradually spread over the land, the lights of the seaside houses in Seafoom Beach began to illuminate.

Although few people swim at night, many tourists still go out to dine and have drinks.

Despite usually being unproductive, Team Rocket was quite efficient in setting up their stall.

A mobile fried noodle stand had already been established.

James had a red bandana tied around his head, wielding two spatulas with a flourish.

Under the urging of the sauce, the fried noodles turned golden brown and emitted a mouthwatering aroma.

Meowth organized various ingredients before frantically chopping them into strips.

Jessie, wearing an apron, clapped her hands and shouted loudly, "Fried noodles~ Special Team Rocket Iron Plate Fried Noodles, along with Takoyaki and beer~!"

On the bench at the stall, Gary was waiting with a toothpick stuck in his Takoyaki while anticipating his fried noodles.

You wouldn't believe it, but these three's cooking skills were surprisingly decent...

"Meow~ Executive, your fried noodles are ready." After plating the noodles, Meowth even added two sterilized egg yolks on top before carefully handing them to Gary.

"Hmm~ Three grams of oil~" Gary nodded. "I really didn't misjudge you three. You all have talent~"

"Eh~? Executive~" The Team Rocket trio was once again moved.

Having been called useless, weirdos, and idiots by other members of the base, they didn't cry.

But hearing praise from an executive made them want to cry!

"Hey, boss! Are you still doing business? My fried noodles aren't ready yet?" A customer at another table urged.

Meowth wiped its eyes and shouted back, "Coming right up, meow~ Thank you for your patronage, meow!"

After slurping down a few bites of noodles, Gary fed a piece of Takoyaki to Eevee beside him.

"Eevee~~" Eevee opened its little mouth shyly for a bite and then brightened up, happily calling out a few times.

"Delicious, right? The balance of sweet and salty in this sauce is really well done." Gary nodded.

Unfortunately, Uncle Giovanni was too socially anxious; he refused to eat at roadside stalls no matter what.

Giovanni! The destined villain! The mysterious tough guy! Would I eat at roadside stalls?!

"After you finish eating, hurry up and get back to training. Don't bother me every day; I'm trying to heal my emotional wounds~" That's what Uncle Giovanni said when he kicked Gary out of the villa...

Gurgle...

Suddenly, a loud rumbling from Gary's stomach nearly made him fall off his chair...

Turning around, he saw a simple-looking young man with purple hair awkwardly staring at him... and the plate of fried noodles on the table.

"Um, sorry. Are you not going to eat your fried noodles?" The purple-haired youth's face turned slightly red as his clear eyes appeared somewhat dazed...

"Oh? This? I've eaten already." Gary waved his hand. "Come sit; I'll order you another serving."

The purple-haired youth shook his head. "No need; if you're done eating, just give me that one."

"Hey, everyone has their difficulties; come on over." After inviting the youth to sit down, Gary waved his hand. "Another serving of fried noodles here; add extra noodles!"

"Alright! Coming right up!" James responded enthusiastically.

The purple-haired youth sat down somewhat shyly and explained, "Um, I lost my wallet. Once my brother sends me money, I'll pay you back."

"It's no big deal; it's just one meal," Gary waved his hand. "If you want to repay me for this favor, just treat someone else who's hungry next time."

The youth's eyes filled with admiration as he nodded vigorously. "I will!"

"By the way, I haven't asked yet. What's your name?" Gary nodded in greeting. "I'm Oak Gary."

"Thank you again; I'm Reggie from Veilstone City in Sinnoh," the youth replied earnestly.

Gary raised an eyebrow—so he's Paul's older brother!

"How did you end up in Kanto?" Gary asked uncertainly.

"Oh, it's like this. I've traveled through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and participated in several Pokémon League competitions.

But I haven't won any championships yet," Reggie said with a self-deprecating smile.

"This time, I received an invitation from Mr. Akihida to challenge the Battle Frontier," Reggie said confidently. "I believe that after all these experiences with my Pokémon, we can dominate the Battle Frontier.

Then I'll challenge for the champion title again!"

Looking at Reggie's confidence made Gary feel somewhat helpless. He couldn't just tell him that Cynthia was ridiculously strong; he wouldn't stand a chance against her...

Having participated in four regional tournaments without even finishing as runner-up means Reggie's talent might be even worse than Paul's.

As they say: when Cynthia smiles, fate is unpredictable. If Reggie challenges Cynthia like this, he might end up defeated for good...

"Here comes your noodles!" Just then, Meowth arrived with a plate of fried noodles.

Gary quickly changed the subject. "Here; eat some noodles first."

Reggie nodded gratefully and dove into his meal hungrily.

A giant plate of iron plate fried noodles disappeared before Reggie's eyes without him even blinking—clearly he was really hungry!

"So what are your plans next?" Gary asked curiously.

"I plan to walk to the nearest Battle Factory first and wait for my brother to send me money there before starting my challenge at the Battle Frontier," Reggie replied after wiping his mouth without hesitation.

"How about this," Gary proposed. "Let's travel together; I also want to go to the Battle Factory to train my skills. I'll cover our meals along the way.

In return, I hope you'll accept my challenge for a full 6v6 battle!"

Reggie's eyes lit up—what a great deal! He could get meals by playing a match; why not?

Moreover, Reggie didn't think he would lose against Gary now!

Akihida's commercial hype had already lifted him up; falling against an opponent like that would hurt so much!

"Okay! No problem; I accept! Let's set off tomorrow!" Reggie happily agreed.

Little did he know this was just the beginning of his nightmare...

Gary planned to beat him first before Cynthia took her turn; that way he'd be immune!

This tactic is just using poison against poison—nothing wrong with that...

As night fell, Reggie didn't look like someone who could afford a hotel room either.

At Gary's inquiry, this guy set up a tent and directly camped on the beach.

Gary wasn't picky either; he took out his sleeping bag and squeezed in next to Reggie. Would Paul call me dad after this...?

Cough cough… The hierarchy is getting a bit messy...

Since there was an unfamiliar person today, Eevee could only sleep in its Poké Ball.

Lying in its Poké Ball, Eevee glared at Reggie: if you disturb my beauty sleep—you're done! I'll remember this!

The next morning after casually washing up a bit, both Gary and Reggie set off on their journey.

Their destination: The Battle Factory deep in the mountains opposite Cerulean City!