After the interview ended, the female reporter in high heels and an office skirt hurried off, full of excitement.
In Caster, she smelled a big news story.
The key was that Caster's record was dazzling too. He really might win the whole thing.
Coming out through the players' tunnel, Caster found Gary, Ash, and the others had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Ash and Gary in the same place at once, Caster shivered. He was getting PTSD.
Luckily, this time the two did not start bickering on the spot.
"Caster, congratulations on your win. You made the top sixteen."
Ash came up grinning to congratulate him, slinging an arm around Caster's shoulders.
He loved showing off how close he was with Caster in front of Gary, just to watch Gary want to snap but have no way to do it.
Caster looked relaxed. "Just the top sixteen. With our level, that is no problem."
If he remembered right, Ash's next opponent should be Jeanette Fisher from Crimson City.
Among Jeanette's Pokemon, only that Bellsprout was worth a look. Her other Pokemon were all pretty ordinary.
And even that Bellsprout looked easy to handle in Caster's eyes.
So you can overcome hardness with softness and dodge nimbly? Then I will just hit the whole area, and you will be finished, right?
Either way, in Caster's view, the Bellsprout was no big deal.
"My match is about to start, so I will head out first."
Just then, Gary waved at the group, turned, and strode off.
Behind Gary, his cheer squad of girlfriends shouted for him. "Gary, you are amazing! Gary, you are the strongest!"
"Gary's match is next. I am going to watch it."
Ash sent out an invitation. "Caster, want to come along?"
"Gary's opponent should be Melissa, right?"
Hearing that, Caster felt his heart stir.
In the anime, Gary's battle against Melissa had been a close one.
At match point, both Gary's Nidoking and Melissa's Golem were completely exhausted.
In the end, Melissa's Golem proved a level stronger. It not only blocked Nidoking's Horn Attack, it grabbed Nidoking by its horn and finished the match with Seismic Toss.
Gary was knocked out there, stopping in the top thirty two of the Indigo League Conference.
To be fair, Melissa was clearly no weakling.
But Gary in this world had run into Caster and taken several losses in a row. He was less arrogant than the Gary in the anime, worked harder, and was clearly a level stronger than the original.
Beating Melissa now should be no problem.
Still, just in case, Caster decided to warn him. He called out loudly, "Gary, Melissa is pretty strong, so be careful. If the battle turns into a grind, remember to send out your ace so you do not lose a match you should win."
Hearing that, Gary's face turned serious.
He had been confident about the coming battle.
But Caster's warning added a weight to his mind.
Because Gary knew that if Caster spoke up, he would not say it for no reason.
"I will be careful."
After a solemn nod, Gary strode toward the stadium.
"Say, which Pokemon is Gary's ace?"
Ash scratched his cheek, curious. "Now that I think about it, I do not even know what Gary's starter was. Caster, you know, right? Tell me."
Caster smiled. "Maybe you will see it soon."
"Come on. You are keeping secrets from me too."
Ash pouted, unhappy.
The group chatted and laughed all the way to the battle stadium. By the time they sat down, both battlers had just stepped out.
Melissa was a blue-haired trainer who looked very steady.
Over the speakers, the announcer gave the usual hype.
Then the referee stepped forward, waving his little flags. "Trainers, please take your places."
The two glanced at each other and each threw a Poke Ball.
Gary's lead was the big dog Arcanine. Its smooth fur streamed in the wind, and it stood tall on the field, looking mighty.
Melissa's lead was a Pokémon that was mostly brown, with gray-and-yellow ears and belly and bumps on its shoulders and legs, with its child tucked in the pouch on its belly.
"It is a Kangaskhan."
Caster raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
"Roooaar."
Before the battle even started, the big dog bared its fangs, like a tiger ready to tear into prey.
Intimidate activated.
But to Caster's surprise, the Kangaskhan across from it only looked grave. It showed no fear, and its Attack did not drop.
Caster's heart moved. "This Kangaskhan has Inner Focus."
A Pokemon with Inner Focus was mentally tough, so it would not flinch from an opponent's attacks, and Intimidate failed against it.
Soon the battle began.
"Arcanine, Extreme Speed."
Gary struck first, trying to seize the advantage.
But the Kangaskhan across the field moved a touch faster than Arcanine. It raised a hand and slapped down, striking Arcanine right on the head faster than anyone could follow.
Fake Out.
"Kangaskhan!"
Kangaskhan was far too strong, and with the same type bonus, Arcanine staggered from the blow and its Extreme Speed was cut off.
"Roooaar."
The start went badly, but Arcanine had plenty of health and did not care. It opened its mouth and spat out a scorching flame shaped like a large character.
It was the Fire type finisher, Fire Blast.
Fire Blast was fast, and Kangaskhan was never known for agility, so it had almost no chance to dodge.
But Kangaskhan clearly had no plan to dodge. It gathered several Rock type rounds that whistled out, choosing to meet Fire Blast head on.
Boom.
The rock rounds met the flames and blew up violently.
After that, both Pokemon went all out, circling and tearing into each other across the field.
"So strong."
Ash's eyes went wide and his expression turned serious.
He was not the one battling, but as a Trainer, he could feel how terrifying both Pokemon on the field were.
It was no exaggeration. Apart from Charizard, none of Ash's Pokemon could stand up to fighting that intense.
Squirtle and Bulbasaur were decent too, but since they had not evolved, the energy stored in them was too limited.
They could hardly keep firing off high level, high power moves.
But Arcanine and Kangaskhan on the field kept rolling out Fire Blast, Focus Blast, Double Edge, Flare Blitz, and other moves without pause.
Just as Caster had expected, the battle stayed locked in a grind. Both sides fought with everything they had, but neither could take a clear lead.
For the crowd, that kind of even match was the most fun to watch, and cheers rose and fell around the stadium.
As time passed, Kangaskhan and Arcanine wore down and left the field one after the other.
Then Gary sent out Fearow, while Melissa sent out Crobat, and the two fought another fierce round.
At match point, Melissa sent out Golem, while Gary sent out his ace and starter, Blastoise.
"So Blastoise is Gary's ace?"
Ash finally understood. "So the starter Gary picked before his journey was a Squirtle."
Gary's Blastoise was already very strong, and with the type advantage, four times super effective against the Ground and Rock type Golem.
In the end, Gary claimed his ticket to the Indigo League Conference top sixteen.
"Whew. He won. What an exciting battle."
When the referee announced the result and everything was settled, Caster let out a breath.
To be fair, Melissa really was strong.
If this had not been an upgraded Gary, and if Caster had not warned him so he revealed his ace Blastoise early, it was hard to say how that match would have ended.
Gary's battle was over, and Ash's match was about to begin.
Caster honestly did not feel like watching. He already knew the plot and the result.
But if he watched Gary's match and did not back Ash now, Ash would never stop nagging him.
To avoid getting caught in the middle, Caster gritted his teeth and went.
The result held no surprises. Although Bellsprout beat Bulbasaur and Pikachu in a row, Jeanette's Bellsprout was finally pinned to the ground and thrashed by Muk.
Ash made it into the Indigo League Conference top sixteen.
When Professor Oak and Ash's mother Delia heard the news, they were delighted, and said they would come to the venue at once to keep cheering for them.
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