Although Scott often invited powerful Trainers to challenge the Battle Frontier, he never truly hoped that any of them would actually clear it. If challengers succeeded too easily, the Frontier's reputation as an elite proving ground would suffer.
Currently, the number of Trainers Scott had invited to challenge the Battle Frontier was fewer than twenty, and not a single one had managed to clear it.
Even Ash had needed multiple attempts before finally completing the Frontier. The last two facilities in particular were the most difficult.
At the Battle Tower, Ash challenged twice before clearing it.
At the Battle Pyramid, he challenged three times before finally earning his Symbol.
"I lost. This is proof that you won—the Spirit Symbol." After the battle, Spenser handed the golden Symbol over to Gary.
"Thank you."
Gary thanked him and accepted it.
[Ding! Mission completed. Rewards have been distributed to the Space Backpack.]
"Gary, the next stop is the Battle Tower. When do you plan to go?" Scott asked.
"This afternoon," Gary said.
It was only ten in the morning. He could return to the island's Pokémon Center, get his Pokémon treated, have a meal, and head to the Battle Tower in the afternoon. That would leave him ready to challenge the next day.
"You just finished a battle with me. Are you sure you don't need to rest? The other two Frontier Brains are much stronger," Spenser reminded him.
"No need. I still have other Pokémon ready to go." Gary shook his head.
Spenser had nothing to say.
Why did it feel as though Gary had barely exerted himself? What a failure of a Frontier Brain he must seem.
He truly had no idea where Scott had found someone like this.
...
After the battle with Spenser, Gary and Scott returned to the island's Pokémon Center.
Scott didn't stay to eat. He gave Gary the address of the Battle Tower, bought himself a lunch box, and left by boat ahead of him, since Scott was required to be present at every challenge and needed to arrive in advance.
Gary handed the Pokémon he had used that day to Nurse Joy for treatment and then prepared lunch for the rest of his team. After a good meal, it was time to rest.
"System, exchange Earthquake for me."
[Ding! Skill exchanged successfully.]
He had planned to redeem Earthquake back when he challenged Lucy, but hadn't gotten around to it in time. Now, before challenging the Battle Tower, he needed to shore up his Pokémon's move pools.
The Frontier Brain of the Battle Tower was Anabel.
Although Anabel came across as calm and gentle in the anime, Gary knew not to underestimate her. Being chosen to lead the Battle Tower meant her strength was nearly on par with a regional Champion's.
On top of that, Scott clearly didn't want Gary breezing through the Frontier, so she would almost certainly warn Anabel in advance and have her use her strongest Pokémon. Gary needed to approach this carefully.
Gary stood up and went to his Pokémon one by one, teaching each of them Earthquake.
Many Pokémon could learn it, and every member of his current team was able to except for his Nidoran♂, which couldn't learn it at its current stage—though it would be able to once it evolved into Nidoking.
After finishing, it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. Gary mounted Charizard and flew back to the mainland, setting course for the Battle Tower.
...
The Battle Tower was located in the central part of the Kanto Region, on the southern outskirts of Celadon City. The distance was considerable—traveling on foot would have taken at least half a month. Riding Charizard, Gary arrived in just over an hour.
"Good work, Charizard." After landing, Gary recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball and headed toward the Pokémon Center. But the automatic doors suddenly slid open, and a woman in glasses stepped out.
"...!"
The woman froze when she saw Gary.
Gary was equally surprised, though he kept his expression neutral.
"Isn't this the manager from the Game Corner? What's she doing here?" Gary asked.
The woman was no ordinary person—she was Matori, Giovanni's personal secretary.
When Gary had first started out as a Trainer, he had once tricked two Eevees out of Team Rocket's hands at the Celadon Game Corner. He hadn't expected to run into Matori again after all this time.
What surprised him was that Matori was being surprisingly brazen. As Giovanni's secretary, she had to be aware of all kinds of sensitive information. Yet here she was, walking openly into a Pokémon Center without any apparent concern about being recognized.
Matori's heart was pounding at that moment. She knew exactly what Gary had been up to in recent years.
Setting aside his battle record, Matori knew everything about the incident with Aether Foundation. Team Rocket had sent an Executive to cooperate with Aether, only for Gary to single-handedly dismantle the whole operation.
More importantly, according to reports from subordinates, Gary had gone up against Rayquaza alone.
Rayquaza. Even Team Rocket, with all their technology at their disposal, wouldn't dare fight a Legendary Pokémon in a straight battle. And Gary had done exactly that, with nothing but his own Pokémon.
That alone told Matori that Gary was someone who despised evil and acted on it. If he ever found out that there was a secret Team Rocket base hidden beneath the Celadon Game Corner, he would absolutely destroy it.
"Mr. Gary, what a coincidence running into you here. Are you thinking of visiting the Game Corner again? I can offer you a hundred thousand free chips," Matori said with a friendly smile.
Gary was taken aback by her friendly tone.
The last time Matori had dealt with them at the Game Corner, her expression had been far less pleasant.
It seemed there were currently no Executives stationed in the underground base of the Game Corner, which was probably why Matori was being so accommodating.
Still, Gary thought about it more carefully. At his current level of strength, none of Team Rocket's Executives would be any match for him, and the other party was likely well aware of that.
"No need. I'll be on my way," Gary said. He had no interest in going back to the Game Corner.
He had only gone there in the first place to get Pokémon from the prize exchange, and that was with Sabrina's help as a safety net so he wouldn't lose his money. If he went now without that advantage, he'd lose everything. Nine out of ten gamblers lost, and the surest way to win was simply not to gamble. Anyone who thought they could get rich overnight through gambling was fooling themselves.
"Haha, then please feel free to come by whenever you're free, Mr. Gary. I'll be going now." Matori smiled and left.
"That was strange," Gary muttered to himself, puzzled.
He had clearly seen Matori's expression shift just now, though exactly why she had changed her attitude so suddenly was hard to say.
Gary decided to ask Nurse Joy about it.
He walked into the Pokémon Center and approached the front counter.
"Welcome. How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked with a smile.
"These are my Pokémon. I need them treated," Gary said, placing a Poké Ball on the counter.
"Of course. Please hand them to me."
Joy set the Poké Ball on the cart beside her and pressed the button next to her station. A Chansey came out through the door at the back and pushed the cart into the treatment room.