Meanwhile, Ash and his two companions arrived at the nearest Pokémon Center.
"Hi, Ash!"
"Professor Oak, did you need something from me?"
Standing in front of the videophone booth, Ash looked at the image of Professor Oak on the screen with confusion, not understanding why he had suddenly called him.
"I figured you should be able to swap Pokémon by now. Gary just exchanged his Pokémon with me earlier to prepare for his first match."
Professor Oak explained, while the figure of Kingler suddenly appeared beside him.
"Kingler! Right, I almost forgot about you. Professor, send Kingler over right now."
Ash said excitedly, suddenly remembering that he still had a Water-type Kingler, perfect for the upcoming Water Field battle.
"This is how it should've been from the start. Great, now you'll finally get a chance to battle."
Professor Oak laughed, while Kingler beside him also revealed an eager smile, ready to fight hard for Ash.
A short while later, Ash received Kingler's Poké Ball from Professor Oak, preparing for the upcoming first-round Water Field match.
Meanwhile, Gary was currently participating in the first-round Ice Field battle.
"Rhydon, use Stomping Tantrum!" Gary ordered.
"Poliwrath, Ice Punch!" the opponent commanded.
After hearing its trainer's order, Poliwrath showed no fear whatsoever. It rushed toward Rhydon with all its strength, intending to strike Rhydon's body with its freezing right fist.
Seeing the approaching Poliwrath, Rhydon naturally revealed a disdainful smile. In Rhydon's eyes, Poliwrath was simply far too small.
Rhydon violently stomped the icy battlefield with its massive legs. The tremendous impact instantly caused countless bottomless cracks to spread across the entire ice field, creating an overwhelmingly intimidating sight.
"Gulp!"
Witnessing this scene, the opponent swallowed nervously, already regretting provoking Gary earlier, only to end up being completely massacred by Gary's Rhydon.
The violent tremors caused by Stomping Tantrum made the charging Poliwrath lose its balance. Immediately afterward, Rhydon's Stone Edge struck its body, countless sharp stone blades mercilessly firing straight at Poliwrath.
Once the Stone Edge assault ended, Poliwrath collapsed onto the ice completely covered in injuries, no longer possessing the strength to stand back up.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle!"
Seeing this, the referee quickly announced the result, casting a surprised glance at Gary, not expecting his strength to be this exceptional.
"As expected of Professor Oak's grandson! Contestant Gary defeated his opponent's two Pokémon using only a single Rhydon, and it barely took any time at all. This is practically a one-sided slaughter!" the announcer excitedly explained, conveniently informing some confused audience members about Gary's prestigious background.
Sure enough, upon learning that Gary was the grandson of the renowned authority in Pokémon research, Professor Oak, the crowd revealed shocked expressions, staring at Gary on the command platform in disbelief. Not only was Gary incredibly talented, but even his background was enviable.
"Tch, meaningless fame."
Gary said disdainfully. What he wanted more was recognition earned through his own strength, rather than relying on the title of Professor Oak's grandson.
Gary preferred using his own power to ruthlessly shatter the stereotypes others held about him.
He was himself. Gary was Gary—not simply Professor Oak's grandson.
"You're my last hope now, Cloyster!"
With no other choice, the opponent finally sent out the only Pokémon he had left capable of battling. However, Cloyster's appearance clearly failed to satisfy Gary.
"So this is all you've got..." Gary said calmly, signaling Rhydon with his eyes to end the battle quickly.
Although Cloyster possessed outstanding defensive capabilities, before Rhydon's overwhelming brute force, it was nothing more than a slightly sturdier wall.
"Cloyster, use Ice Shard!"
Upon hearing its trainer's command, Cloyster instantly condensed a chunk of ice and rapidly launched it straight into Rhydon's face.
"ROAR—"
Rhydon suffered virtually no visible damage from Ice Shard. Instead, the humiliatingly weak attack completely enraged it.
Rhydon's furious roar also intimidated Cloyster. It never expected to anger Rhydon this badly.
"Rhydon, charge straight in and use Hammer Arm!"
Gary ordered mercilessly, intending to use Rhydon to achieve a spectacular one-versus-three sweep, intimidating his future opponents.
"Cloyster, hurry and withdraw into your shell!" the opponent shouted anxiously.
After receiving the command, Cloyster immediately shut its shell tightly, planning to use its dual-shell defense to withstand Rhydon's incoming assault.
"BOOM—"
Rhydon's glowing white right fist slammed viciously into Cloyster's body. The impact instantly caused cracks to spread across Cloyster's shell. Immediately afterward, Rhydon spun sideways and followed up with Iron Tail, easily launching Cloyster into the corner wall and knocking it to the ground.
"Looks like Gary really prepared himself over the past two months."
Red nodded approvingly from the audience stands.
With the existence of a powerful rival like Red, the once-arrogant Gary had clearly restrained his temper considerably. He trained his Pokémon even more diligently in preparation for facing Red's terrifying lineup.
And because of that, Red was certain of one thing—
The current Gary absolutely would not stop at the fourth round this time.
At this moment, Ash and his companions arrived at a restaurant, preparing to discuss which Pokémon should participate in the upcoming Water Field match.
"Ash, are you really sure about this? You've never used Kingler before. Suddenly using it in such a major tournament feels way too risky."
Misty said worriedly.
"You're so annoying!"
Ash stubbornly replied. Because of his pride, he couldn't bring himself to accept Misty's advice and abandon his own ideas.
"What?! I'm worried about you, you know!"
Misty complained unhappily.
"Misty's right, Ash. You can only use three Pokémon in a match. Deciding which Pokémon to send out is already part of the challenge itself."
Brock advised, telling Ash to think carefully.
Just as Ash was still considering his lineup strategy, loud cheers suddenly erupted from the nearby television.
Ash turned his head and discovered that the victorious Gary was currently being interviewed by a TV reporter.
"We're here at the Ice Field. Contestant Gary from Pallet Town has delivered a deeply memorable victory today. May I ask how you're feeling right now?" the reporter asked.
"The first match is very important, so I'm happy to win. Of course, this battle unfolded entirely within my expectations, so now I can relax a little for the time being."
Gary calmly replied. There was neither arrogance nor false humility in his tone—he accepted the interview as though this outcome was completely natural.