Chapter 1: Awakening

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Charizard wins, so the final winner is Ash Ketchum!" 

A solemn and loud voice echoed through the huge, lively venue in the center of Silver Town, Johto. 

There was no doubt—this was the Johto Regional League, known as the Silver Conference. 

"After a fierce battle, the final winner has emerged, and it's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" 

After confirming the result of the battle, the host of the conference announced the news to the audience in an excited tone. 

"Let's cheer for Ash's amazing battle!" 

"Awesome!" 

Under the host's enthusiastic words, the entire audience joined in, cheering in unison. 

The atmosphere in the stadium reached a climax. 

As one of the protagonists of this match, Gary Oak stood out from the others at the venue. 

Unlike the others, he didn't show regret or disappointment but rather a confused expression. 

"Where am I?" 

Gary opened his bewildered eyes, looked at the lively venue in front of him, and displayed a puzzled expression. 

"What's going on?" 

However, before Gary could ask anything, a memory suddenly surged in his mind, quickly answering his doubts. 

After a short period of pain, Gary began to understand what had happened to him. 

"So, I've become Gary Oak in the Pokémon world!" 

Gary, who now understood his situation, opened his eyes and wore a complex expression. 

The cause of this incident was as follows: 

Originally, Gary was a human from Earth, but he tragically died in an accident. 

He was then reincarnated into a world that, in his previous life, was just an anime, becoming the grandson of Professor Oak, a renowned figure in the Pokémon world. 

He became Gary Oak, a well-known figure in Pokémon research, Ash's early rival, and the second most handsome person in the world. 

(Although today's readers are the most handsome.) 

Although Gary was reincarnated into this world filled with Pokémon, in his previous life, he was still an adult, with a mental fortitude far beyond that of a child. 

To protect his soul from the impact of his previous life memories, these memories were sealed. 

As a result, although Gary was still a genius due to his strong mental power, he was just a genius without the memories of his past life. 

This led to Gary's earlier development mirroring the original story, only reaching the top 32 in the Kanto Indigo League, and now, in the Johto Silver Conference, he lost to his childhood rival Ash by a narrow margin, finishing in the top 16. 

At this moment, Gary's physical and mental states had aligned, and his unwillingness to lose to Ash shattered the seal on his past life memories, causing him to fully awaken to his previous life's memories. 

This is what is described in Buddhism as wisdom from a previous life. 

After understanding everything, Gary looked at Ash, who was standing across from him, with a complex and curious expression. 

Ash, who was his rival and the protagonist in the Pokémon world, stood there dazed after hearing the referee announce the final battle result. 

After a few minutes, Ash snapped out of his stupor and shouted loudly in excitement. 

"Yes! I finally beat Gary!" 

Faced with Ash's slightly over-the-top reaction, the audience didn't think much of it; after all, it was a normal reaction for a victorious trainer. 

Gary, now fully aware of his past life, still regarded Ash, who grew up with him, as a strong opponent. 

So, he didn't interrupt Ash, who was still caught up in his excitement, but instead stood quietly across from him, watching as Ash celebrated. 

After Ash calmed down and recalled his victorious Charizard, he slowly approached Gary. 

"Finally calm, Ash?" 

Hearing Gary's calm voice, Ash, still a bit excited, shouted, "I beat you, Gary!" 

"Oh, you're getting cocky just because of one win." 

Despite Ash's boasting, Gary, ever the well-mannered one, didn't retort. 

He calmly responded, as if he wasn't the one who had just lost to Ash. 

"It seems I overestimated you a bit. You're still the same, Ash." 

Hearing Gary's calm tone, Ash's smile faded, and he looked seriously at Gary. 

"Gary, you..." 

Before Ash could finish, Gary cut him off. 

"In this match, I just lost to Charizard's persistence, but Ash, you still have a long way to go." 

After hearing Gary's dismissive words, Ash, who had been so happy moments ago, immediately protested, "What? I defeated you, Gary!" 

"My growth won't stop here. This is the last time you'll be this lucky." 

Seeing Ash, who was slightly carried away by his victory, Gary, as a strong rival, certainly wouldn't go easy on him. 

Instead, he used his words to motivate Ash. After all, he still respected Ash. 

Having said that, Gary turned and left the battlefield without caring about Ash's reaction. 

"What!" 

Although Ash was a bit indignant after hearing Gary's words, he quickly regained his composure. 

As he was leaving the battlefield and about to enter the player's tunnel, Gary stopped, looked back at the cheering crowd, and made a firm decision. 

"I will definitely win the next League Conference!" 

After one last look at the Silver Conference venue, Gary's previously calm face broke into a confident smile, and he strode confidently into the tunnel, leaving the arena behind. 

"With this resolve, I can definitely reach the top of this world!"