Ash put a hand on Gary's shoulder as he stepped back. " This is Gary. We grew up together, and we've been rivals since forever."

" They're also best friends." A voice said from the top of the cliff.

The three turned and gasped. " Wisty?!" Ash exclaimed. " What are you doing here?!"

Wisty didn't look up from her book. " What do you think?"

Ash blinked. " Uh...."

Without looking up, Wisty took a small paper from her pocket and let the end loose. It unraveled, and unraveled, and unraveled.

It went from Wisty's hand to the bottom of the cliff to the trees behind them.

Goh blinked. " What is all this?!"

" Pictures." Wisty muttered.

" Of... Who?"

" The two best Pokemon masters from Pallet. Professor Oak said that."

Goh blinked. " Uh....."

Ash and Gary picked an end of the paper and looked at the pictures.

" Wisty!" Ash yelped. " Why do you have a picture of me and Gary playing?!"

" And what's with you taking a picture of us stuck in a tree?!"

Goh furrowed his brow and looked through the pictures. " They're all cute."

" No they're not!" Gary and Ash yelped. " They're embarrassing."

As Goh continued flipping through the long chain of pictures, he couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, look at this one!" he said, holding up a picture of Ash and Gary, much younger, covered in mud and standing in front of a collapsed fort made of sticks and rocks. "You two look like you were trying to build something... uh, epic."

Ash turned red. "Wisty, why do you even have that?!"

Gary groaned, running a hand down his face. "This is exactly why I don’t visit Pallet Town that often." He reached over to try and cover the pictures, but the scroll just kept unraveling.

Wisty, still not looking up from her book, responded flatly, “You should. Without you, Ash and Professor Oak are useless. They bawl every time I bring you up.”

“WISTY!” Ash shouted, his face now burning with embarrassment.

Gary shook his head in disbelief, muttering, “Unbelievable.”

Goh held up another picture, this one showing Ash and Gary as kids, climbing a tree and clearly getting stuck halfway up. “This one’s a classic!” Goh said, laughing. “How’d you even manage to get stuck like that?”

“That’s enough!” Gary barked, snatching the picture from Goh’s hand. He scrambled to cover the rest of the photos, but there were just too many. Ash, now in full panic mode, was trying to roll the paper back up from the other end, but the scroll seemed endless.

"Why do you even have all of these?!" Ash demanded, trying to keep his voice calm while desperately trying to hide more pictures of him and Gary in equally embarrassing situations.

Wisty, still reading, shrugged. “For posterity. Someday, you two will be legends, and people will want to know where it all started.” She turned a page in her book without even glancing up at the chaos she had caused.

Gary threw his hands up in frustration. “This is ridiculous.”

Ash, his voice cracking, yelled, “Wisty, you can’t just keep embarrassing pictures of us forever!”

Without missing a beat or even looking up, Wisty replied, “Sure, I can.”

Gary shook his head in disbelief, muttering, “I swear, I’m never coming back to Pallet Town.”

Ash groaned as he finally managed to gather a section of the scroll, but Goh, still laughing, had already grabbed another embarrassing picture, this one showing Ash and Gary in matching pajamas during a sleepover at Professor Oak's lab.

“Oh man, this is gold,” Goh said, barely able to contain his laughter.

Gary groaned, his face in his hands. "I hate this town..."

As they made their way through the dense forest, heading toward the mountain where Ash's Infernape was set to battle Molten, Wisty trailed behind them, her nose still buried in her book. The group was mostly quiet, the sound of rustling leaves and distant Pokémon cries filling the air.

Goh glanced back at Wisty and then nudged Ash. “Hey, Ash... Is Wisty alright? She hasn’t said much since we left. It’s kind of... weird.”

Ash, scratching his head, shrugged. “Wisty’s always like that. She reads a lot, and she only really talks when she feels like it.”

Gary, walking a few steps ahead, smirked and added in a cocky tone, “She’s probably just embarrassed that she can’t handle the fact that I’m the best trainer from Pallet Town.” He gave a self-satisfied chuckle.

Ash raised an eyebrow at Gary. “Seriously? This again?”

Gary crossed his arms confidently. “What? It’s true. I mean, I have the knowledge, the strategy, and the skills to back it up. That’s why I’m leading Project Mew, after all.” He cast a sideways glance at Ash. “You might have some impressive battles under your belt, but we both know who’s on top.”

Ash rolled his eyes, not taking the bait. “Yeah, yeah, Gary. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Meanwhile, Goh couldn’t help but feel a little concerned about Wisty. “But, really, she hasn’t said a word since we started walking. I thought she was going to give you two a hard time after that whole photo incident.”

Wisty, hearing her name mentioned, glanced up from her book just for a second. “I’m fine,” she muttered, her tone flat as usual. “Just preparing to witness the inevitable.” She turned a page and continued reading, completely unfazed by the conversation around her.

Gary, still grinning, shrugged. “See? She knows what’s coming. She’s probably just dreading the moment when she has to admit that I’m going to come out on top once again.”

Ash shot Gary a playful glare. “You’re dreaming, Gary. Infernape’s been training like crazy, and Molten doesn’t stand a chance.”

Gary chuckled smugly. “We’ll see. Just don’t start crying when your Infernape gets roasted.”

Goh couldn’t help but laugh at the back-and-forth. “You two never change, do you?”

As the intense battle between Molten and Infernape raged on, fiery blasts and powerful attacks filled the air, but Wisty remained completely unfazed, sitting on a nearby rock with her book open. Her eyes barely flickered away from the pages, even when fire blasts came dangerously close to her. Twice, Gary had to command his Blastoise to use Hydro Pump to shield her from getting scorched.

“Blastoise, Hydro Pump!” Gary yelled as another stream of fire barreled toward Wisty. The blast of water met the flames just inches away from her, creating a steamy mist.

Wisty didn’t even glance up, her focus still on her book as if nothing had happened. But what she did do was take out a camera, and in the midst of the action, she managed to snap a series of the most embarrassing pictures of Gary and Ash yet.

Goh, standing nearby, peeked over Wisty’s shoulder at one of the pictures she was doodling over. His eyes widened in horror. “Wisty! What are you doing?!”

Wisty remained calm and continued drawing. “Making memories,” she said flatly, smirking ever so slightly.

Ash and Gary, still focused on their Pokémon’s battle, didn’t notice until Goh let out a yelp. “Ash! Gary! You have to see this!”

Ash, dodging a fiery blast, glanced over. “What is it, Goh?” But when he saw the picture, his face turned bright red. Wisty had drawn the most ridiculous image—Gary in a wedding dress and veil, while Ash stood next to him wearing a goofy bow tie. To top it off, she was contemplating adding roses or daisies to the scene.

Gary looked over too, and when he saw the drawing, his jaw dropped. “Wisty! What the—?!” He was so distracted that he tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground with a loud thud. Ash, equally horrified, lost his footing as well and collapsed beside Gary.

Wisty, not even looking up, casually commented, “Classic boys. They’re so useless.”

Ash sprang up, yelling, “HEY! We’re not useless!”

Still without raising her eyes from her book, Wisty tapped her chin, pretending to be in deep thought. “Hmm... I wonder if Gary should hold roses or daisies in the final version. And what about the background? A wedding chapel seems fitting, don’t you think?”

Ash and Gary exchanged horrified looks before falling over again, completely flustered.

Goh couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Wisty, you’re going to kill them before the battle’s even over!”

With a sly smirk, Wisty finally looked up, watching the two boys scramble to compose themselves. “They make it too easy.” She turned back to her book, letting the chaos around her continue as if it were just another normal day.

Back at Professor Oak's lab, the air buzzed with excitement as Ash, Gary, and Goh recounted their intense battle against Molten and Infernape. The walls were adorned with research posters, and various Pokémon flitted about the room, curious about the commotion.

“Did you see the way Infernape dodged that last attack?” Ash exclaimed, his eyes wide with enthusiasm. “I swear it was like he was dancing!”

“Dancing? More like flailing around,” Gary shot back, crossing his arms with a cocky grin. “I mean, if that’s your definition of a perfect battle, maybe you should stick to contests.”

“Hey! At least I’m not the one who got caught wearing a wedding dress!” Ash shot back, his competitive spirit flaring.

Goh chuckled at their banter, enjoying the back-and-forth. “You both did great. I can’t believe how powerful Molten was!”

“Yeah, yeah. But Ash’s Infernape definitely stole the show,” Gary conceded, his tone playful.

“Okay, okay, enough of the bragging,” Professor Oak interrupted, walking into the room with a stack of papers. He adjusted his coat, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “There’s something I wanted to show you, Gary. A certain someone asked me to give this to you.”

With that, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a framed picture. The moment Gary caught sight of it, his face paled, and Ash's jaw dropped. The picture depicted a wedding scene—Gary adorned in a fluffy pink gown, complete with a veil, and exaggeratedly fat lips. He held a bouquet of vibrant roses while standing in front of a garish wedding chapel. Ash stood beside him, looking equally ridiculous, with wild hair and a bright blue tuxedo that clashed horrifically.

“No! No! No!” Gary yelled, his face burning red. “Who did this?!”

“Wisty,” Ash gasped, slumping into a nearby chair, his laughter bubbling over. “There’s only one person who could have done this...”

Goh squinted at the picture. “Wait, this is hilarious! But I didn’t expect Wisty to take it that far.”

“Far?” Gary interrupted, his voice a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment. “She went to the moon with this! I can’t believe she actually framed it!”

Professor Oak chuckled as he handed the picture over. “The artist has already sold a million copies of this masterpiece. You two have become quite the stars in the Pokémon community.”

Gary’s mouth dropped open, and he nearly choked on his own words. “A million?! Are you kidding me?!”

Ash collapsed onto the floor, clutching his stomach as laughter erupted. “This is the best thing I’ve ever seen! You look so—so—”

“Stop right there!” Gary snapped, but his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. “This is not funny!”

“But it is funny!” Ash wheezed, struggling to regain his composure. “You’re wearing a wedding gown! And look at my hair! It’s like a bird's nest!”

Goh held up the picture, grinning from ear to ear. “This is going straight into my collection. It’s definitely going to be a conversation starter.”

“More like a nightmare,” Gary muttered, glaring at the picture like it was a hostile Pokémon.

Oak leaned against his desk, clearly amused. “Well, you have to admit, it’s a great piece of art. Wisty has a unique talent for capturing those moments.”

“I don’t want to be captured like this!” Gary retorted, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I’m never visiting Pallet Town again!”

“Oh, come on! You have to see the humor in this,” Ash said, trying to stifle another laugh. “Besides, we can’t let Wisty win. We need to get back at her somehow!”

“Get back at her?” Gary raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know yet, but we’re definitely plotting something,” Ash replied, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

Goh, still laughing, suggested, “How about we take our own embarrassing photos and send them to her? It could be a fun way to get revenge!”

“Perfect!” Ash exclaimed, already brainstorming ideas. “Let’s do it!”

Gary sighed, his resolve slowly crumbling under the weight of their laughter. “Fine, but I’m not wearing anything embarrassing this time. No wedding dresses or veils!”