In the Pokémon games, Veilstone City's Meteorite Pit serves a curious function. After catching Deoxys, Trainers can bring it here, where the meteorite's cosmic energy allows Deoxys to freely shift between its multiple forms.
But that's only true within the context of the games. In the real world of Pokémon, a genuine Deoxys can change forms at will—entirely independent of any meteorite.
The anime depicted it differently. There, the meteorite in Veilstone's pit reacted to the Galactic Key, prompting a scheme by Team Galactic to steal it. Their plan was thwarted by Ash and Maylene, but the full details were never revealed. What secret did those meteorites truly hold?
Even without full understanding, one thing was certain: the stones emitted an energy not found naturally on Earth—something cosmic, perhaps even connected to the power of Arceus itself.
Gary wasn't interested in Arceus, but he was very interested in Deoxys. Deoxys was extremely powerful. Although its base stat total was only 600, it could freely change its form.
Gary looked at the meteorites in the pit, trying to see if he could discover anything through the system's insight ability.
Pokémon like Deoxys had an infinite lifespan. As long as its core was not destroyed, it would not die. With sufficient energy, even Rayquaza could demonstrate this kind of longevity.
Unfortunately, after walking over and carefully examining each meteorite, Gary found nothing.
"I really want to take a look at these meteorite fragments."
Gary had a strong intuition that there was something hidden inside the meteorites, but all of them were the property of Veilstone City.
The Meteorite Pit belonged to Veilstone City, and disturbing it in any way was strictly prohibited. The area was roped off and monitored by security drones.
If he damaged it—even accidentally—he would end up explaining himself to the League police.
"Still," he whispered thoughtfully, "if Team Galactic attacks later like in the anime, I could step in to 'protect' it. Then nobody would complain if I took a fragment for study."
At worst, he could apologize afterward.
As for compensation, the damage would have been caused by Team Galactic. If anyone had to pay for it, they could.
After thinking it through, Gary released Garchomp and set off toward Nohara City. Before Ash arrived and began traveling through Veilstone City, Gary planned to quickly collect all the Gym Badges in the northeastern region.
By early afternoon, he stepped back with a decisive exhale. "No use lingering here. I'll come back once that Galactic team shows up."
He drew a Poké Ball from his belt. "Come on out, Garchomp!"
In a burst of red light, his dragon emerged, sand and wind fluttering from its wings. "GARCHOOOMP!" it bellowed, the echo rolling across the field.
"Ready for a run, partner? We're heading to Pastoria City."
"Gar‑chaaamp!" the Pokémon growled, crouching low enough for him to climb on.
Moments later, Gary and Garchomp tore across Sinnoh's southern highway on an earthen gale, passing the tranquil waters of Lake Valor.
There was also another lake nearby, smaller than he remembered—ringed by banks of reeds and dotted with glimmering water lilies.
According to games records, Azelf, the Being of Willpower, once manifested somewhere near here. But now, Gary sensed nothing.
"It's hiding in subspace, no doubt. Not its time to appear."
Turning his focus forward, he nudged Garchomp's side. "Alright, partner—let's move. We've got ground to cover."
They reached the outskirts of Pastoria by twilight, where sprawling wetlands stretched endlessly toward the horizon. This was the Great Marsh, Sinnoh's famous Safari Zone.
In the early years, the marshlands existed purely to protect the region's rare ecosystems, but with time, they became a haven for Trainers hunting Pokémon.
Gary dismounted and looked out over the glistening pools and elevated boardwalks reflecting the orange evening sky. "So this is what they call the Great Marsh, huh? Kind of peaceful."
Information signs displayed the current Safari rates—30 Safari Balls for 500 PokéDollars—and a list of local Pokémon: Grass‑, Bug‑, and Water‑types, mostly common. The rare Pokémon are Drapion and Kangaskhan.
---
After lunch at the Pokémon Center, Gary made his way to the Pastoria Gym, which also functioned as a massive swimming arena.
He frowned at a nearby sign warning:
Official Gym Battles closed on Saturday & Sunday. Public swimming sessions available during weekends.
He laughed under his breath. "Hah, lucky. Today's Friday."
When he reached the entrance, the large glass doors were open. Inside, ripples of water shimmered on every wall, light reflecting from the enormous pool in the center.
At the front desk stood a young receptionist in a neat summer outfit—her jacket unzipped just enough to reveal her white swimsuit underneath, an outfit that matched Pastoria's lively style.
"Welcome!" she greeted brightly. "Here for a Gym Challenge?"
Gary nodded. "That's right. I'm here to battle your Gym Leader."
"Perfect! Follow me, please. Leader Wake's finishing his daily routine."
Gary followed her down a hallway where the humidity grew thicker and the roar of running water echoed from the main chamber. The receptionist opened a final set of double doors, gesturing for him to wait. "I'll fetch Crasher Wake."
Watching the graceful figure disappear down the corridor, Gary was reminded of Sabrina. By now, she should be sixteen or seventeen years old. Time really did pass quickly. According to the laws of this world, even if she is 16 or older, she can be considered an adult... Hehehe
He decided that after the Lily of the Valley Conference ended, he would travel to the Unova Region to visit her. If possible, it's fine to take Sabrina down; every successful Trainer has to have a woman behind her.
A few seconds later, the familiar booming voice erupted across the pool room.
"Who's ready to make a splash!?"
From behind the jets of mist emerged a towering, bare‑chested man wearing his trademark blue wrestling mask—Crasher Wake, the Water‑type Gym Leader of Pastoria.
"Ah‑ha! A challenger!" he roared happily.
In addition to being a Trainer, Crasher Wake was also a professional wrestler. In the wrestling world, he was known as the "Rolling and Rising Masked Hero."
Crasher Wake had even participated in the World Championships. In truth, he was a very powerful Trainer. Although he served as the Gym Leader of Pastoria City, many people underestimated him because his gym functioned as a public swimming arena.
In reality, Crasher Wake's true strength was more than enough to place him among the top one hundred Trainers in the World Championships.
"Hello, my name is Gary, from the Kanto Region. I'm here to challenge your Gym," Gary said.
"Oh? From Kanto?" Crasher Wake said with interest. "Then it seems you've been a Trainer for quite some time."
"Yes," Gary replied calmly. "I've been a Trainer for a little over a year."
Wake grinned broadly. "Excellent! Then let's turn up the tide!"
He slammed a fist into his palm, then nodded to the referee nearby.
"The Gym Battle between Challenger Gary Oak from Kanto and Leader Crasher Wake of Pastoria City!" the referee announced, his voice echoing across the pool arena. "Each side will use three Pokémon. When one side's entire team is unable to battle, the match is concluded! The challenger can change Pokémon mid game."
[Ding! Mission]
1. Win the Pastoria Badge.
Rewards: 6 Rare Candies (Intermediate), TM-Water Pledge, and 1 Top‑Quality Mystic Water.
2. Optional Task: Use Sinnoh Pokémon to claim the Rustboro Badge.
Rewards: 6 Intermediate Rare Candies, Water‑Type TM (of choice), and 1 Random Pokémon Prop.
Looking at the tasks released by the system, Gary judged from the number of Intermediate Rare Candy rewards that the three Pokémon Crasher Wake planned to send out would not exceed the Gym's level limit.
It seemed that Crasher Wake had no intention of going all out and was still fighting strictly according to the official Gym battle rules.