That time Gary Oak reincarnated as Gary Oak.

The dense canopy of Viridian Forest filtered the sunlight, casting flickering shadows on the dirt path. The rustling of leaves, the distant cries of Pidgey, and the occasional screech of spearows filled the air.

Fearow soared above, keeping an eye out for any potential threats or wild Pokémon . Gary Oak walked with his usual confidence, Squirtle striding beside him, tail flicking slightly. He had spent the past few days training, and the progress was evident—his Pokémon were stronger, and so was his resolve.

Gary was deep in thought, strategizing his next moves in this unfamiliar terrain, when suddenly—

SHING!

A figure suddenly leaped onto the path, blocking Gary's way. Dressed in samurai armor, complete with a horned helmet, the boy wielded a katana in both hands. The blade gleamed under the sun, poised for battle.

"Halt, traveler from Pallet Town!" the armored boy declared, pointing the sword at Gary. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Gary kept his hands in his pockets, feigning confusion. So, he's making the same entrance as before…

He could already recall his past life—Samurai, the dramatic bug-type trainer with a love for theatrics. Of course, back then, Gary had defeated his metapod quite easily with his own squirtle.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Gary asked , deciding to play along.

"I am Samurai, a warrior of this forest! I challenge you to a duel!" The boy raised his katana higher, assuming a battle stance.

"A duel?" Gary repeated barely suppressing his laughter and feigning ignorance , he asked tilting his head. "Like… a swords fight ?"

The boy stood tall. "No what I want is a pokemon battle ! My honor has been tarnished! I have been bested in battle by two trainers from Pallet—Aiden and Elaine Beaumont. I swore to challenge any other trainer from your town and reclaim my dignity!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Reclaim dignity? You're holding a real sword."

The samurai hesitated before sheathing it with exaggerated grace. The blade bent slightly, revealing it to be plastic.

Gary smirked. Same old act.

"A samurai must always train with his weapon," the boy said dramatically. "Even if it is but a humble training blade!"

Gary sighed ,recognizing the chunibyo theatrics for what they were decided to indulge this so called samurai. "Alright, fine. But if I win which I will, you will swear fealty to me."

The Samurai gasped, eyes widening. "Swear fealty? You mean, like, become your retainer?"

"Exactly," Gary said, crossing his arms. "You lost to the Beaumont twins, right? Watch carefully and you might be able to learn something from me, which helps you win next time."

Gary smirked. 'Let's see if you're just as stubborn as last time'.

---

The two stood in a clearing, Poké Balls in hand.

Samurai threw a Poké Ball. "Pinsir, I choose you!"

With a flash of red light, the hulking, brown stag beetle Pokémon emerged, clicking its massive pincers together. "Piiin-sirrrr!" it growled, stomping its foot.

Gary smirked. "Squirtle, you're up."

Squirtle stepped forward, eyes narrowing as it sized up its opponent.

"Squirtle!"

"Pinsir, Vice Grip!"

Pinsir lunged, its pincers glowing.

"Dodge and counter with Bubble!" Gary ordered.

Squirtle rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack before firing a barrage of shimmering bubbles. The attack struck Pinsir head-on, forcing it to stagger slightly, but it wasn't enough to take it down.

"Pinsir move forward and use , Seismic Toss!" Samurai commanded.

Pinsir followed the order from his trainer and moved forward, taking the full brunt of bubble attack grabbed Squirtle before it could react, "Withdraw!" Gary called out his future self or was it his past self was twice defeated by this same move and he had already come with plans from preventing it. Squirtle did as he was told and pinsir executed the seismic toss ,spinning rapidly before launching sqirtleinto the air. Squirtle's shell hit the ground hard, kicking up dust.

"Squirtle use bubble"

Squirtle extracted from its shell and fired bubble attack just in time to avoid a follow-up Vice Grip. Pisir staggered back.

"Now, Tackle!"

Squirtle shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Pinsir's chest. It was more of a headbutt than a tackle Which brought a smile to Gary's face because the training they were doing earlier to learn this move had proven fruitful and later teaching his partner more complex version of this move Skull bash will be a bit easier.

"Siiirrr!" Pinsir stumbled backward, shaking its head.

"Bubble, one more time!"

A third blast of foamy bubbles struck Pinsir, and with a final grunt, the bug-type collapsed.

Samurai's jaw dropped. "Pinsir is unable to battle!"

Gary smirked. "Looks like I win this round."

Samurai gritted his teeth. "I still have one more Pokémon! Go, Metapod!"

A green cocoon-like Pokémon materialized. "Metapod!"It simply… sat there.

Gary deadpanned. "You're serious?"

"Metapod, Harden!" Samurai ordered.

The cocoon glowed as its defense increased.

Gary smirked. "Let's test something new. Squirtle, Water Gun!"

Squirtle opened its mouth, releasing a pressurized blast of water. The sheer force sent Metapod skidding back before flipping onto its side.

Silence.

Then Samurai sighed. "Metapod is unable to battle… I have lost."

Gary already had hunch that squirtle after all the training and battles was close to the level to learn watergun, fighting and winning against pinsir was more than enough experience to levelling it up to the level where it learns , Watergun.

Gary folded his arms. "Guess that's that."

Samurai hesitated for a moment before kneeling. "Sir Gary! I, Samurai, recognize your strength and shall follow you as my lord!"

Gary rolled his eyes. "You're actually serious about this?"

"A samurai's word is absolute! " Samurai declared proudly.

Gary considered it. "Fine. But don't get in my way, slow me down, also you will carry my bags and supplies."

Samurai bowed deeply. "Yes, my lord!"

---

As they traveled, Samurai mentioned a Bug-Catching Competition happening nearby.

"A competition, huh?" Gary mused. "Might be a good chance to catch something strong."

At the event, trainers spread out into the Viridian Forest, each searching for the rarest and strongest bug-type Pokémon.

Gary pulled out his Pokédex, showing Fearow pictures of Pinsir and Scyther. "Find me one of these."

Fearow screeched and soared into the sky. Minutes later, it circled above a deep section of the forest.

Gary smirked. "Found something."

They hurried over and found themselves face-to-face with a Scyther. The mantis Pokémon's sickle-like blades gleamed as it eyed them warily.

"That's the one," Gary said. "Squirtle, let's do this!"

Scyther screeched and darted forward with blinding speed.

---

Scyther's movements were almost too fast to track.

"Bubble!"

Squirtle fired a barrage of bubbles, but Scyther weaved through them with ease.

Scyther disappeared and reappeared ready to ram into Squirtle.

"Withdraw!"

Before Squirtle could retreat into its shell, quick attack struck, squirtle flew from the impact and skided to a halt. But again stood up to face his adversary.

"Water Gun!" Gary called out.

A powerful jet of water blasted Scyther at point-blank range, sending it crashing into a tree.

Scyther snarled, his Technician-boosted attacks were not something to be ignored.

"Squirtle, Tackle!"

Squirtle shot forward, only for Scyther to counter with Wing Attack! Squirtle fell down and scyther followed soon

After it.

"A draw ? " Samurai said clearly shocked.

Gary retrieved his squirtle and smirked. "Time to catch this scyther Poké Ball, go!"

The Poké Ball hit Scyther, sucked it in, and wobbled… once… twice…

Click!

Gary smirked. "Gotcha."

---

At the judging table, Gary stood confident in his victory.

However, the officials frowned. "We cannot award first place for an injured Pokémon, you have to capture the pokemon without weakening it"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "You didn't tell me anything about a rule like that before."

Samurai nodded. " This rule is unfair!"

The officials shrugged. "Rules are rules."

Gary scoffed. "Whatever. Your loss."

As he turned to leave, Samurai followed. "Where to next, sir?"

Gary smirked. "Back to viridian city, both squirtle and scyther need a visite to Pokemon center ."

With Samurai trailing behind him, the journey back to viridian city continued.

The sun hung low in the sky as Gary Oak and Samurai arrived at Viridian City. The once-busy streets were filled with the murmurs of concerned citizens, and as they approached the Pokémon Center, they were met with an unsettling sight—the building was in ruins.

Smoke still lingered in the air, the shattered remains of walls and broken glass reflecting the golden sunset.

Gary narrowed his eyes. What the hell happened here?

A few questions led them to Nurse Joy, who was tending to an injured Pidgey outside the wreckage. Though visibly exhausted, she still took the time to explain.

"It was Team Rocket," she said with a sigh. "A pair of thieves attacked the center to steal Pokémon, but they were stopped by a young trainer from Pallet Town."

Gary's ears perked up. "A Pallet trainer?"

She nodded. "His name was Ash Ketchum. He and his Pikachu fought off Team Rocket, but in the process, the battle caused the center to collapse."

Gary scoffed. "Tch. That idiot actually pulled that off?"

He folded his arms, his mind racing. Unless… it was those losers Jessie and James with their talking Meowth. That would explain it. Sure, Team Rocket grunts weren't the biggest threat, but for a rookie like Ash to win? Either those Rocket members were pathetic, or Ash was improving fast—too fast.

Samurai, meanwhile, observed the wreckage with a quiet intensity. First, Gary Oak had outclassed him in battle. And now, another Pallet trainer had driven off Team Rocket?

It was strange. For all his training, all his experience, he had always assumed that strong trainers came from all over the world. But maybe…

Maybe there was something different about Pallet Town.

---

Healing & A New Bond

Since the Pokémon Center was out of commission, Gary led Samurai to Viridian Supermarket. He browsed the shelves with practiced ease, selecting the strongest healing potions available.

Outside the store, Scyther stood still, observing the surroundings warily. The proud bug-type warrior still carried a few minor wounds from his fight with Gary's Squirtle.

Gary knelt beside him, holding a Super Potion in one hand. "Stay still," he said.

Scyther flinched slightly but didn't move as Gary sprayed the medicine over his wounds. A cooling sensation spread across his chitinous exoskeleton, and the pain faded. Scyther's sharp yellow eyes studied Gary carefully.

"You fought well," Gary said as he put away the potion. "But you lost."

Scyther tensed, his blades twitching slightly.

Gary smirked. "You're strong, but not strong enough."

Scyther's eyes narrowed.

Gary stood up, looking down at him. "But I can change that."

Samurai frowned. "What are you doing?"

Gary ignored him. His gaze never left Scyther. "You hate losing, don't you?"

Scyther's wings buzzed slightly, a restless energy building up inside him.

Gary crossed his arms. "I can train you. Make you stronger than you've ever been."

Scyther hesitated. His instincts told him to resist—he was a warrior, a proud fighter. He had trained himself, sharpened his skills over years. But…

That battle.

He had given everything against Gary's Squirtle. And yet, he lost.

He could still feel the weight of that moment, the frustration of being overpowered despite his natural speed and strength.

Gary took a step closer. "It's your choice. You can keep fighting on your own, relying on your instincts… Or you can join me, and I'll make sure you never lose again."

Scyther's blades twitched.

For a long moment, the two stared at each other.

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, Scyther stepped forward.

Gary grinned. "Smart choice." He pulled out a Poké Ball and held it out. "If you're serious about getting stronger, then come with me."

Scyther looked at the Poké Ball… then at Gary.

With a sharp nod, he tapped the ball with his blade. A flash of red light enveloped him, and in an instant, the Poké Ball snapped shut.

Samurai watched in stunned silence.

"…You actually convinced him to join?" he muttered.

Gary smirked, tossing the ball in his hand. "Like I said—a Pokémon expert like me has no trouble making friends."

---

As they walked out of the store, Samurai finally voiced the question that had been nagging at him since their battle.

"Gary, I've been wondering something."

"Hm?"

"In our match, you had a Fearow, right? You could've used it against my Bug-types, but you didn't. And during the competition, you never used it against Scyther either. Why?"

Gary smirked but didn't look at him. "You think I need type advantages to win?"

Samurai frowned. "Well, no, but—"

"I don't wanna rely on type advantages in friendly and unofficial battles," Gary said. "Coming up with ways to counter your own weaknesses is the basic of Pokémon training. If I don't do that now, I might end up in a situation where I am at type disadvantage in official and important battles. I'm preparing myself and my Pokémon for such moments. "

Samurai absorbed that for a moment. Most trainers—himself included—relied on type matchups in battle. But Gary?

He was choosing to fight at a disadvantage just to make himself stronger.

Maybe he wasn't just some arrogant kid.

Maybe he really was as talented as he claimed.

---

As they made their way out of the city, Viridian Gym came into view. The massive, fortress-like structure loomed before them, its metallic doors shut tight.

Gary's smirk faded.

That battle…

His mind drifted to a memory, one that still burned in the back of his mind—his battle against Giovanni.

He had stormed into this gym, confident, eager to prove himself. He had faced Giovanni's Mewtwo, and in that moment, he had realized something.

He was powerless.

The battle wasn't even close. It wasn't a clash of equals—it was a slaughter.

Giovanni had barely given commands, yet his Pokémon had obliterated Gary's Nidoking and Arcanine.

And Mewtwo…

Mewtwo hadn't looked at him like an opponent. It had looked at him like he was nothing.

Gary clenched his fists. Never again.

Samurai, noticing his expression, spoke up. "You aren't gonna challenge the gym?"

Gary exhaled slowly, then turned back to him, his face unreadable.

"Giovanni has a rule," he said. "You need seven badges before you can challenge him."

"…So you'll come back?"

"Oh, I'll be back," Gary said, eyes locked onto the Viridian Gym doors. And this time, I'm taking that badge.

---

As they turned away, Gary's gaze lingered on the gym a little longer.

Long before Giovanni reclaimed it…

This was the gym of Blue Oak.

The man who once stood at the top of Kanto and was only defeated by Leaf Green the person who later became his wife.

The former Champion.

His father.

Gary tightened his grip on the straps of his backpack.

He had a long way to go.

But one day, Viridian Gym wouldn't just be where he lost to Giovanni.

It would be where he proved himself.