Entering Pewter City once again, Ray Chu found himself pondering a very serious question.
He glanced at the Farfetch'd beside him and suddenly asked, "Farfetch'd, if I enter a Gym battle… you'll fight for me, right?"
"Fetch'd…"
Can Pokémon even participate in Gym challenges?
Farfetch'd silently added this to the growing list of baffling behaviors displayed by the Pikachu beside it.
In an empty alley, Farfetch'd watched in rare astonishment as the Pikachu dumped a bucket of water over its own head—and in the blink of an eye, turned into a human.
Ray Chu stretched his limbs, then changed into the clothes he had prepared.
"Feels like it's been ages since I moved around in human form."
He reached out and rubbed the thoroughly confused Farfetch'd on the head. "What's wrong? Can't recognize me just because I look different?"
A leek flashed toward him like lightning.
Ray Chu calmly caught it between two fingers.
The familiar exchange made Farfetch'd cry out in recognition.
"Good. Glad you can still tell it's me." Ray Chu lifted Farfetch'd and set it on his shoulder. "This form isn't great for grinding levels or learning moves, but since I'm in this world anyway, winning a championship would be pretty nice. Call it settling a lingering regret from another time."
He continued casually, saying things Farfetch'd couldn't understand.
"Later on, I could always catch a Ditto to battle in my place. But for now… let's start by winning the first badge."
With that, Ray Chu arrived at the Pewter Gym.
The moment he stepped inside, a voice rang out nearby.
"Wow! What a beautiful Pokémon!"
At the same time, the boy's Pokédex automatically began its announcement:
["Shiny Farfetch'd. A rare Shiny Pokémon. A Flying- and Normal-type Pokémon. Farfetch'd meat is considered very delicious. When cooked together with the leek it carries, it becomes an exceptionally tasty dish, which is why the species is so scarce."]
"That's so rude! Turn that thing off!" The girl beside the boy hurriedly apologized while tugging his arm.
But when she looked up and saw Ray Chu, her face instantly flushed red.
"S‑Sorry! We didn't mean anything by it…"
Ray Chu looked at the pair in front of him—Ash Ketchum and Misty—then glanced at the electric mouse perched on Ash's shoulder, one whose aura felt strangely familiar.
Fate really is a curious thing, he thought.
"You two here to challenge the Gym too?"
Ash nodded enthusiastically. "I'm Ash, and this is my friend Misty. I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!"
"I'm Ray Chu. You can just call me Ray." Ray Chu smiled. "I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader too. Let's go in together."
Just as he finished speaking, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder suddenly leapt down.
After a few quick hops, it landed beside Ray Chu and stared up at him curiously.
For some reason, the boy gave it a warm, comforting feeling—like meeting a member of its own family. The familiarity was strangely addictive.
At least… Ash couldn't give it that feeling yet.
"Hey there, little guy."
Ray Chu crouched and scratched Pikachu under the chin.
Pikachu immediately let out a pleased purring sound.
Since his true form was also a Pikachu, Ray Chu knew exactly where the sensitive spots were.
"Ahhh! That's so adorable!" Misty's eyes sparkled, practically melting at the sight.
"Pikachu…" Ash, meanwhile, felt a bit sour.
Not because of Misty's fangirling—but because Pikachu had never been this affectionate with him.
Of course, Ray Chu had no intention of stealing Ash's partner.
That Pikachu might have extraordinary potential, but the current Ray Chu could defeat an entire legion of PikaGods like it.
As for the future…
Even he couldn't say.
While chatting, the group entered the inner hall of the Gym.
Pushing open a heavy stone door, they were immediately greeted by a wave of noise.
Two battle arenas were operating simultaneously in the center of the hall, surrounded by dense rings of spectators.
At the head of the room stood a muscular, dark‑skinned young man with his arms crossed.
Behind him loomed several Pokémon—Geodude, Graveler, and an enormous Onix—an intimidating lineup.
Looking down at the newly arrived Trainers, he spoke:
"You're here to challenge the Pewter Gym. I'm the Gym Leader, Brock. But not just anyone gets to challenge me. If you want to face me, you first have to defeat the Gym's Trainers."
"Is that how it works?" Ash asked.
"Maybe…?" Misty murmured uncertainly.
Our Gym definitely didn't have a rule like that…
Still, she had to admit—it made the place feel much more impressive.
Hmm. Maybe I should copy that system when I go home.
"Well then—"
"Alright!" Ash suddenly pumped his fist like he'd just been injected with pure adrenaline. "Watch me, Ash from Pallet Town, win my first badge! Go, Pikachu! I choose—"
"…Huh? Where's Pikachu?"
Ash looked around frantically.
His Pikachu was nowhere near him.
Instead, it was crouched beside one of the battle arenas, eyes shining as it stared upward.
On the arena platform, Ray Chu was preparing to battle a Gym Trainer.
"Ahem… watching a battle first isn't a bad idea either."
Ash hurried over.
On the field, Ray Chu had already sent out a green Pokémon.
"Oh! It's Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed as he checked the Pokédex entry.
"That Bulbasaur looks familiar…"
"Yeah… I think it's the one that's beaten a bunch of rookie Trainers."
"So that kid's its Trainer…"
The spectators nearby began whispering among themselves.
Ash listened closely.
So Ray's actually that strong?
He nodded to himself.
Yep. Definitely a worthy rival!
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Ray Chu seized the opening after his opponent's Golem finished using Rock Throw.
"Bulbasaur, use [LEECH SEED]."
A seed shot from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, landing neatly in a crack between Golem's rocky plates.
In the next instant, countless vines burst forth, wrapping Golem tightly.
"Good! Now, [TAKE DOWN]!"
Without giving the opponent any chance to react, Ray Chu immediately issued the command.
Bulbasaur's body flared with energy as it slammed straight into Golem, sending the heavy Pokémon flying clean off the arena.
According to the rules, leaving the arena meant defeat.
"The winner is Bulbasaur!"
Anyone invited by the Gym to serve as a Gym Trainer was no rookie Trainer—they were at least seasoned veterans.
Yet this unevolved garlic turtle had taken down one in just a few moves.
Even accounting for the type advantage, it drew plenty of attention from the audience.
At that moment, a brilliant white light of evolution began to shine around Bulbasaur.
Within the glow, its body grew larger. The seed on its back swelled into a pink flower bud, and its limbs thickened with newfound strength.
"This is… evolution!"
The audience had seen plenty of evolutions before.
But this newly evolved Ivysaur was noticeably larger than most, its energy vibrant and full.
Clearly, it had been trained extremely well.
After battling numerous rookie Trainers—and even the Gym's professional trainers—this Bulbasaur had finally accumulated enough experience to evolve.
Meanwhile, Ray Chu was pondering a much more serious issue.
His original body was already shorter than his little underling.
Now that the guy had evolved, the height difference had grown even worse.
Isn't that a little… awkward?
But in the next moment, he convinced himself otherwise.
Looking at Ivysaur's broad back, Ray Chu nodded in satisfaction.
Perfect.
He happened to be in need of a mount.
Until he found a better option, this might be a perfectly good substitute.
It would help with training and save him the trouble of walking.
On the arena, Ivysaur—still basking in the joy of evolution suddenly shivered for no apparent reason…
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T/N: REMEMBER HOW RAY LOOKS LIEK!!!! BUT TALLER AND DIFF CLOTHES AND NO TAIL AND EAR PIECES