" Wyrdeer, the Big Horn Pokémon. Wyrdeer is well-beloved by the people in the Hisui region due to its highly prized fur, which provides excellent insulation from the cold and is used to make clothing. By using the orbs on its antlers, Wyrdeer can unleash psychic powers strong enough to distort space, and also create invisible barriers for protection. It also uses the antlers to lead Stantler herds and search for safe paths to travel. Wyrdeer's sturdy legs allow it to gallop and dash across the land, and jump over any obstacle in its way. Wyrdeer is implied to be extinct in the present day, Stantler are said to be no longer capable of evolving into Wyrdeer and they're not known to be found anywhere."

Ash blinked. " Wow."

Wisty grinned as she stroked the Wrydeer. " Her name's Fern."

" Why's her name Fern?" Gary asked as he inspected the deer.

" Because she has green eyes."

Everyone froze.

" Wh... What? What did I say?" Wisty asked, confused.

" I... It has... Green.... Eyes?"  Professor Oak asked.

Wisty cocked her head. " Yes, Professor. It has green eyes."

Ash was still blinking. " Bu-"

Wisty absorbed Fern. " Anyway...." She said as she took another Pokeball out and released the creature inside.

" Wugtrio, the Garden Eel Pokémon. Wugtrio makes its habitat on coastlines and hides within its rock when spotted by humans. It is considered a particularly aggressive Pokémon species, wrapping its three bodies around prey and dragging them down to its lair. It was originally thought to be a regional form of Dugtrio, but this has since been disproven."

" That's quite a fascinating Pokemon." Oak approved as he nodded.

Wisty grinned. " Thanks!!"

" I remember you saying you had THREE new Pokemon." Gary prompted.

Wisty grinned. " Yeah!"

"Wishiwashi, the Small Fry Pokémon. On each side of the School Form's body, in the second band, there is a pair of dark blue fish-shaped recesses. Wishiwashi can fire fish-shaped torpedoes from this area. Its pectoral fins are the same color as its head and have three finger-like projections. There are glowing spots at the base of each "finger" and at the base of the fins themselves. On top of its head are two short projections shaped like fishtails, one behind the other. Additionally, Wishiwashi has a large dorsal fin that is darker around the base and has two glowing spots at the tip. The third section of its body has a ring of four spike-like fins around it. Three spikes encircle the tip of its tail, each with two glowing dots at the base. Dark fish shapes float freely a short distance from the end of each spike, all with two more dots on them. Finally, the tip of its tail is a rounded teardrop shape with a single dot on each side."

Ash blinked but nodded. " I understood... None of that."

Wisty returned both new Pokemon and turned to Eevee, who was currently in Umbreon form.

" Let's go Eevee."

" Umbre!"

" Wait, Wisty!" Ash called

Wisty turned. " Hm?"

" Where did you even find all these Pokemon from?"

Wisty blinked. " Where I usually find them? In forests and ponds and stuff?"

" No, because these Pokemon are real rare."

Wisty shrugged. " They're not rare if you know where to look. But I had to promise not to conceal the location."

Then she snapped her fingers and turned to Gary. " Hey while we're here can I ask of you a favor?"

Gary nodded. " Sure. Name it."

" Can you please tell Ash he ain't a loser."

Ash's eyes widened, and Gary blinked.

" What?*

" Remember that one time you sent Ash that postcard on Sinnoh?"

Gary nodded.

" Well, Espeon somehow managed to read what Ash was daydreaming about. It was with you. And you know what you said?"

Gary shook his head and turned to Ash, who was look at his feet.

" You told him you didn't have any time to wasting on some ' Ashy Loser Boy '."

Gary looked shocked. " Ash, is this true?"

Wisty waved. " I have to check something. Be right back."

Ash's face turned a deep shade of red as Wisty's words hung in the air. Gary's eyes widened, his expression morphing from confusion to surprise, then to something that resembled concern.

"What?" Gary said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Ash, is that really what you think I said?"

Ash shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Gary's gaze. His fingers fidgeted at his sides, and the words felt heavy in his chest. He had heard Gary’s harsh words in his head for so long that they had become his reality.

“I... uh...” Ash stammered, looking down at the ground. “I don’t know. It’s just... it felt real, you know? The way you said it... about me being a ‘loser’ or whatever.” His voice cracked slightly, and he quickly cleared his throat, trying to steady himself. “I didn’t want to believe it, but... I guess I kind of did.”

Gary stared at him for a moment, as if trying to process what he was hearing. He took a step forward, his brow furrowed. "Ash, I never said anything like that. You... you really thought I called you that?"

Ash nodded, his eyes downcast. “Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t just that one time, right? You’ve always been kinda harsh with me. Maybe... I just thought you didn’t care about me or anything like the others.”

Gary let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. His tone softened, though there was still a hint of frustration in his voice. “Ash, if I came off that way, I’m sorry. I’ve never thought of you as a loser. We’ve been rivals for years, but it’s always been because I respect you, okay? If I was hard on you, it’s because I knew you could do better, because you’re strong, and I believe in you.”

Ash lifted his eyes, still unsure. “But... you called me Ashy Loser Boy.”

Gary shook his head quickly. “That never happened. I didn’t say that. You... you made that up in your head, Ash. You thought it, but I didn’t. I never called you that. You know that, right?”

Ash’s heart pounded, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to think. All this time, he’d held on to that image of himself, convinced that Gary—his long-time rival—saw him as nothing more than a failure. But the way Gary was looking at him now, the sincerity in his words, made Ash question everything.

“I... I guess I did, huh?” Ash said, voice softening. “I thought maybe it was true... Maybe I’ve been holding on to the wrong things. Maybe I’ve been afraid of what people think of me.”

Gary’s expression softened, his hand dropping from his hair as he stepped closer to Ash. “Ash, listen to me. You’ve got a whole world full of people who believe in you, myself included. But if you don’t believe in yourself, that’s where the problem is.”

Wisty reappeared at that moment, standing in the background and watching the conversation unfold with a quiet smile. She could see the tension easing between them, and she gave a small nod in approval before speaking up.

“Okay, I’m back,” she said, her tone light. “So, now that the ‘Ashy Loser Boy’ misunderstanding is cleared up, are we good?”

Ash turned to look at her, then at Gary, who was still standing beside him. He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, the awkwardness slowly fading. “Yeah. I guess we’re good. I didn’t realize I’d been thinking all that stuff...”

Gary patted him on the back with a grin. “No hard feelings, Ash. We’ve been through worse, right?”

Ash smiled, his confidence slowly returning. “Right.”

Wisty stepped up, looking between the two of them. “Well, if you two are done with the emotional stuff, I still need a favor from Gary.” She turned to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Remember how I asked you to tell Ash he’s not a loser? Well, maybe next time, you can remind him not to make up random things in his head, too.”

Gary chuckled. “I think that’s something Ash needs to figure out on his own, Wisty.”

Ash rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face was genuine. “Yeah, I’ll work on that.”

And just like that, the air was lighter. Ash felt a sense of relief wash over him, a weight lifted off his shoulders. For the first time in a while, he felt like he could breathe again, knowing that his rivalry with Gary wasn’t built on hurtful words, but on mutual respect—and maybe even a little friendship, too.