Pinsir charged directly toward Squirtle, lowering its body to strike with a full-body tackle.
Even though the Samurai boy's Pinsir wasn't particularly strong, its sheer size made it look intimidating.
Gary snapped his fingers.
"Water Gun."
Squirtle puffed its cheeks and released a concentrated stream of water. Recognizing that Pinsir was too large to be stopped by a scattered barrage, Squirtle opted for a single, focused jet instead.
The Water Gun struck Pinsir squarely in the chest. The Bug-type staggered under the pressure—but it didn't fall back. Gritting its mandibles, Pinsir planted its feet and forced its way forward through the torrent.
Gary nodded slightly, impressed despite himself.
Even at a low level, a Pokémon with base stats of 500 was no joke. Pinsir wasn't going down easily.
In the original timeline, Ash hadn't actually defeated the Samurai boy's Pinsir either. Their match had essentially been a draw between two inexperienced Trainers fumbling through commands.
"Pinsir, go!" Samurai shouted, pumping his fist.
Emboldened by the encouragement, Pinsir roared and surged forward, actually pushing back against the Water Gun's pressure.
Gary's expression didn't change.
"Stop. Use Rapid Spin to reposition. Keep distance from Pinsir. Fire Water Gun every time it closes in."
Squirtle cut off the Water Gun mid-stream, withdrew into its shell, and began spinning rapidly. Using centrifugal force, it lifted off the ground slightly and zipped sideways across the clearing in a blur of motion.
"Pinsir—!"
Pinsir blinked, visibly confused. It hadn't expected a turtle to move that fast. Its own speed wasn't bad, but every time it got close, another Water Gun forced it to veer off course or take damage.
"This—!" The Samurai boy looked genuinely troubled. As a rookie, he'd never encountered professional kiting tactics before. He had no idea how to counter them.
After only a few more exchanges, Pinsir collapsed, exhausted.
Squirtle popped its head and limbs out from its shell, completely unbothered. Despite spinning for so long, it wasn't dizzy in the slightest.
Squirtle was naturally built for rotation. If it were larger, Gary thought absently, it could have been an excellent ballet dancer.
"Pinsir, return."
The Samurai boy recalled his fallen Pokémon, then drew another Poké Ball.
"Go—Metapod!"
A green, crescent-shaped chrysalis materialized on the ground.
[Metapod ♂ — Level 8 — Normal-tier]
Gary's interest evaporated instantly.
"This battle's over. There's no point continuing."
"What? Metapod hasn't lost yet!" Samurai protested.
"Idiot!" Gary's voice turned sharp, cutting through the boy's objections like a blade. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Metapod can't eat. It relies entirely on the energy stored before evolution to sustain itself during metamorphosis. Every time you make it battle, you're draining that energy reserve. If you deplete it completely, the evolution will fail—and Metapod will die."
Samurai froze.
"Is… is that true?"
His earlier defiance crumbled immediately. The realization hit him visibly—his face went pale.
Now that Gary mentioned it, Samurai could recall several Trainers he'd met whose Metapod had failed to evolve. Most of them had used their Metapod in battles repeatedly.
Gary had just saved the Samurai boy's Metapod without even intending to.
"I'm sorry," Samurai said quietly, bowing deeply. "I was reckless."
"As a Trainer, you need to learn the basics about your own Pokémon," Gary said more gently now. "Acting without knowledge can cause irreversible damage."
"I understand. I'll study Pokémon properly from now on," Samurai promised earnestly.
Seeing that the boy had genuinely taken the lesson to heart, Gary let it go.
"According to our agreement before the battle, you owe me a guide."
"I know," Samurai said. "But… do you want to rest first and go tomorrow? That Scyther is really strong."
Even though Samurai wore the costume of a warrior, he was ultimately a Bug Catcher at heart. He knew exactly how rare and powerful Bug-types like Scyther were in this forest.
He'd wanted to catch it himself once. He'd been completely outmatched.
"I have other Pokémon," Gary said simply. "Let's go now."
"Alright… but what about your bike? The terrain over there isn't easy."
"That's not a problem."
Gary pulled a compact screwdriver from his backpack, removed a few screws from the mountain bike's frame, folded it neatly, and slipped the entire thing into his bag.
The bike had been specially manufactured by the Fengma Group—built with carbon fiber, incredibly lightweight yet durable.
Samurai stared, visibly impressed. It was the first time he'd ever seen such a sleek piece of equipment.
Gary followed the Samurai boy deeper into the forest, breaking through dense undergrowth and twisting paths until they entered a noticeably quieter area.
There were almost no wild Pokémon here.
"Be careful," Samurai whispered. "We're inside Scyther's territory now. It has a terrible temper. The moment it spots anyone—human or Pokémon—it attacks."
Gary wasn't particularly concerned. Viridian Forest was close to civilization. The wild Pokémon here rarely exceeded moderate strength. If he wanted truly dangerous encounters, he'd need to venture somewhere like Mt. Silver.
"Scyther!"
Before either of them could search further, a sharp cry echoed through the trees.
A green blur shot through the canopy and landed directly in front of them, twin scythes gleaming in the dappled sunlight.
"That's it—!" Samurai immediately stepped back. He had no intention of fighting this thing again.
[Scyther ♂ — Level 15 — Gym-tier]
Gary's eyes lit up.
Not bad. Worth catching.
Gym-tier potential was solid. In the three days since he'd started his journey, Gary hadn't encountered a single wild Pokémon with Quasi-Elite potential or higher. Gym-tier was more than acceptable.
"Exeggutor. You're up."
Gary threw the Poké Ball.
"Exeggutor!"
The towering Grass/Psychic-type materialized, its three heads swiveling independently to stare down Scyther. Each head wore a different expression—one calm, one serious, one faintly amused. The effect was unsettling.
"Use Reflect."
The moment Gary finished speaking, Scyther became a white blur, rocketing forward at blistering speed.
Bang!
Scyther appeared directly in front of Exeggutor—only to slam into a translucent rainbow barrier that shimmered into existence just in time.
Under the bright midday sun, Exeggutor's Chlorophyll ability had activated. Not only was its movement speed increased—its reaction time had sharpened as well.
"Now—Leech Seed!"
Exeggutor's three heads spat out three emerald seeds in rapid succession.
Scyther's reflexes were razor-sharp. It swung both scythes in a flash, cleaving two of the seeds cleanly in half mid-flight.
But the third seed struck home, embedding itself into Scyther's lower abdomen.
Vines erupted immediately, coiling around Scyther's midsection and draining its energy. Scyther slashed furiously at the vines with its blades, but no matter how many it severed, more grew back almost instantly.
And worse—
Gary and Exeggutor had no intention of giving it time to recover.
"Confusion."