Luo Yuan didn't need to concern himself too much with the situation between Will and Karen—that was something for Giovanni and Koga to worry about.
His main focus for this year's Indigo League tournament was the battles of Ash and Gary.
At this moment, as Will stepped off the battlefield, the next person to take the stage was none other than Gary.
Certified by Luo Yuan himself, Gary had successfully advanced to the Top 16 with ease!
And his opponent...
Luo Yuan glanced at the battlefield and froze for a moment, a strange expression appearing on his face.
Standing opposite Gary was, surprisingly, another contestant from Team Rocket—Karen.
Recently, Luo Yuan had been too busy dealing with various issues on Mt. Silver, so he had only instructed Koga to keep Will and Karen apart, ensuring they wouldn't face each other before the finals. He hadn't paid attention to the bracket assignments beyond that.
But as it turned out, while Will and Karen weren't in the same group…
Gary had ended up running into Karen instead!
Lance, standing beside Luo Yuan, noticed the odd look on his face and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just ran into someone I know," Luo Yuan replied.
Following Luo Yuan's gaze, Lance quickly recognized Gary.
"Oak's grandson… No wonder." Lance was well aware of Luo Yuan's good relationship with Professor Oak, so naturally, it made sense that he wouldn't be too distant from the professor's grandson.
"You've got high hopes for Gary?" Lance asked.
He still remembered Gary's performance in the previous Indigo League—he had shown impressive strength back then. It wasn't surprising to think that he would make it to the Top 16 with ease this time.
No, I'm betting on the other side, Luo Yuan thought to himself.
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. After all, how would he explain knowing Karen's true strength?
So, he let the question slide with a vague response and instead silently mourned for Gary.
Nothing could be done—who would've thought Gary's luck would be this bad?
Just then, the battle on the field had already begun.
Gary sent out his Arcanine first, while Karen countered with her Houndoom.
Both were canine Pokémon. Both were Fire-types.
As soon as they appeared, they locked eyes in a fierce standoff.
Gary made the first move.
"Arcanine, [Extreme Speed]!"
Learning from his battle against Luo Yuan, Gary opted to use [Extreme Speed] right away.
Arcanine sprinted forward on all fours, its body becoming a blur as it charged at Houndoom, aiming to seize the initiative!
For an average Trainer, this might have been an overwhelming move.
But against Karen—who possessed Elite Four-level strength—it wasn't nearly enough.
"Houndoom! [Dark Pulse]!"
Karen countered with [Dark Pulse].
Centered around Houndoom, waves of dark energy rippled outward.
Arcanine, moving at full speed, had no room to dodge.
A chilling sensation spread through its body, as if it had fallen into an abyss. Its limbs stiffened.
But Arcanine quickly regained control of its body.
That brief delay, however, was all Karen needed. She flicked her hand and commanded:
"[Smog]!"
Houndoom opened its mouth and released a thick, acrid cloud of black and purple smoke.
Arcanine had just recovered from [Dark Pulse] and barely had time to react before it was engulfed in the toxic fog.
The next second, it started coughing violently.
Its [Extreme Speed]—interrupted once already—was now completely halted. Maintaining its previous momentum was impossible.
Gary reacted swiftly, giving his next order without hesitation.
"Arcanine, use [Flame Wheel]! Charge through the fog!"
But upon hearing his command, Karen's lips curled into a peculiar smile.
"[Flame Wheel]? Just as I expected."
Her voice carried an eerie confidence.
Engulfed in flames, Arcanine rammed into Houndoom, knocking it back several meters and leaving deep skid marks in the battlefield.
But the moment the attack landed, Karen revealed her true intent.
"Houndoom, [Payback]!"
Dark energy surged from Houndoom's body as it lunged at Arcanine with full force!
By taking half damage from [Flame Wheel], [Payback]'s power doubled.
To Karen, this trade was more than worth it.
For Gary, however, it was nothing short of disastrous.
"Arcanine, dodge it!" he shouted.
But after enduring [Dark Pulse] and [Smog], Arcanine's stamina was already approaching its limit.
Even as it tried to move, the distance between them was simply too small.
Only a few meters apart—at Houndoom's charging speed, it took less than a second.
Houndoom's white, bony horns slammed into Arcanine, eliciting a pained cry.
Though Arcanine was physically larger than Houndoom, the sheer force of the attack sent it flying. It crashed onto the ground and tumbled several times before coming to a stop.
It struggled to rise but failed repeatedly.
The referee quickly made the call:
"Arcanine is unable to battle!"
"You did great, Arcanine."
Gary comforted his Pokémon before recalling it to its Poké Ball.
His gaze toward Karen darkened.
"Damn it… How did I end up facing someone like this right in the Top 16?"
He had just boasted to Luo Yuan about winning the Indigo League Championship…
And now, he had encountered his first real obstacle.
"But I'm not giving up yet."
Fixing his eyes on Houndoom, Gary reached for his next Poké Ball.
"Go! Blastoise!"
Boom!
With a heavy thud and a tremor in the battlefield, a Blastoise resembling a heavily armored tank appeared.
A Water-type Pokémon was the perfect counter to Fire-type Houndoom.
Karen frowned slightly but didn't recall Houndoom.
Because, at that moment, she received a mental directive from Luo Yuan.
"That's my little brother—go easy on him."
It was a simple sentence with no further explanation.
But Karen was perceptive enough to grasp the hidden meaning.
In short—throw the match.
Don't let Gary lose too miserably.
Understanding Luo Yuan's intentions, Karen gave Gary a strange look, as if to say, You're really lucky.
Gary, of course, had no clue what was going on.
She won the first round—why was she looking at him like that?
But this was the Indigo League.
Gary didn't have time to overthink it.
He locked onto Houndoom and commanded:
"Blastoise, use [Hydro Pump]!"
Two powerful blasts of water shot from Blastoise's cannons, heading straight for Houndoom.
It was as if Gary was afraid Houndoom might try to escape.
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T/N: lucky garery