[Target confirmed checked in: Pallet Town · Ash]
[Companion: Cerulean Gym · Misty]
[Status: Registered.]
Nurse Joy, of course, was professional enough not to mention which Pokémon Ash carried or what condition they were in.
The Joy family stayed strictly neutral. No need to get dragged into League politics if they could avoid it.
For a moment, the air in Pewter Gym seemed to freeze.
As the local power in Pewter City, the Gym naturally had a special line to the Pokémon Center.
And a Joy recognizing Misty was only normal.
Misty's three sisters were famous enough. As their little sister, she had some presence too.
People who didn't pay attention might miss her name.
But anyone even a little plugged into League affairs would know who Misty was.
There were only eight main Gyms in all of Kanto.
Even if Cerulean Gym had declined, Misty was still the "fourth miss" of a Gym family.
"He's finally here."
Brock's fingers tightened slightly around the communicator.
On his stone-like face, the corners of his mouth ticked up just a fraction.
Deep in his eyes, battle spirit that had lain dormant for days surged like magma under the crust.
He lifted his head, gaze sweeping over his parents, voice low and clear.
"Father. Mother."
"He's come."
"Send the word… we're activating the Core arena."
"And preparing a special evaluation."
With the world now more realistic, there was a new problem:
There were a lot more Trainers.
More Trainers meant more Gym challengers.
There was no way the Gym Leader could personally handle every first-badge rookie. He'd collapse from exhaustion.
So every Gym had subordinate trainers to handle the lower-tier tests.
Each Gym could in theory test from the first Badge all the way up to the eighth.
But the Gym Leader themselves generally only conducted the Seventh and Eighth Badge battles.
Different Badge levels had different arenas.
And those arenas weren't equal—size, security, safeguards, everything scaled up.
The Core Arena was the field used for Pewter's Seventh and Eighth Badge matches.
Brock was giving Ash a space meant for near-veterans to fight in.
Show me, he thought. Show me how far your talent and potential can really go.
Flint's eyes flashed, fist clenching hard. "Good! I've been waiting for this. I want to see just how tough a kid has to be for Professor Oak to personally vouch for him!"
He didn't feel "ordered around" at all.
If a big name like Oak took the initiative to give you a heads-up, that was a compliment.
Professor Samuel Oak had once been the very first Champion of the Pokémon League.
Lola rose to her feet as well. The warmth of her usual smile faded.
"I'll go check the arena and the last layer of safety measures."
"Brock, don't hold back."
"What the Professor wants by 'suitable' is a boy whose spirit can withstand your full test."
The League needed change.
Lola knew that very clearly. She, too, was a powerful advanced-level Trainer.
So she wanted to see with her own eyes—
Was this the beginning of a new wind?
Brock didn't answer with words.
He simply turned and strode into the depths of the Gym, toward the sealed-off, circular battlefield built from walls of towering, pale rock—
The Core.
The heavy stone gates rumbled shut behind him, sealing him in.
He would meditate here, and wait.
Deep in the Gym, there was only the low grind of stone on stone,
and a silent, spreading pressure—
Mountain-heavy, suffocating.
Pewter Gym's stone was ready.
Waiting for the challenger from Pallet Town.
At the Pokémon Center, Ash knew none of this.
After Gyarados's treatment in the special-care room, Ash had returned it to its Poké Ball.
Now, freshly showered, he was stretched out on the bed, resting.
"Gyarados, Pidgeotto, Pikachu… I'm counting on you tomorrow."
As if in response, the Poké Balls holding Gyarados and Pidgeotto gave a small shake.
As for Pikachu?
It hated sleeping in a Poké Ball. Obviously it was sprawled right on the bed.
"Pika~ pi-ka~" Pikachu stretched and pressed its cheeks against Ash's, nuzzling.
"Hahaha, that's tingly—" Ash laughed, rubbing a hand through Pikachu's fur.
His eyes slid over to the system interface floating in his vision.
On it, a new achievement glowed faintly:
[First Gym Challenge – In Progress]
Ash flipped open his partners' status screens.
① — Partner Pikachu
Nickname: Partner
Level: 17
Nature: Timid
Ability:Lightning Rod
Moves:
Volt Tackle Lv.1
Volt Accelerate Lv.1
Thunder Shock Lv.3
Growl Lv.1
Tail Whip Lv.1
Thunder Wave Lv.2
Quick Attack Lv.2
Double Team Lv.2
Double Kick Lv.1
Electro Ball Lv.1
Feint Attack Lv.1
Held Item:Light Ball Lv.30
(Doubles Attack and Sp. Atk below level 30.)
② — Pidgeotto
Nickname: Sky Eye
Level: 21
Nature: Jolly
Ability:Keen Eye
Moves:
Tackle Lv.2
Sand Attack Lv.2
Hurricane Lv.2
Quick Attack Lv.2
Tailwind Lv.1
③ — Gyarados
Nickname: River Thug
Nature: Rash
Level: 23
Ability:Intimidate
Moves:
Splash Lv.10
Take Down Lv.1
Bite Lv.1
Hyper Beam Lv.1
Dragon Rage Lv.1
Water Gun Lv.1
"…Huh."
Ash couldn't help noticing Pikachu's move list looked… extremely stacked.
Compared to that, Pidgeotto and Gyarados felt downright basic.
And compared to Pidgeotto, Gyarados had already picked up a full-blown Normal-type finisher at this level.
The gap between them was already starting to show.
"So far, no level cap in sight, huh?" Ash rolled Pidgeotto's Poké Ball in his hand.
If the system really lifted the growth limits on his Pokémon, then in future tournaments Pidgeotto could keep fighting on equal terms.
"Partner… let's make sure we're still taking the field at the Indigo Conference, okay?"
"By then, you'll have evolved into your final form—Pidgeot."
Officially, the local name for its final evolution was something like "Big Pidgey,"
but Ash thought that sounded awful.
He was sticking with Pidgeot.
Whatever "Big Bird" nonsense people used?
Never heard of it.
Right, Pidgeot?
"Pika~ pika~!" Pikachu chirped, as if to say: Don't worry. I'll cover everything.
"Hahaha, that's my partner."
"King Pikachu, undefeated forever!"
Seeing Pikachu's confidence, Ash couldn't help but grin, then suddenly dug his fingers into Pikachu's side.
"Pika—!!"
Startled and flustered, Pikachu squeaked, completely unprepared for a surprise tickle attack.
At its core, Pikachu was still shy by nature.
That confident, fearless front was something it only showed around Ash.
A private face, just for "its people."
"Haha, I'm counting on you tomorrow, partner."
"Pi~ka~chu~"
Everything was ready.
All that was left was to win that Gym Badge.
Just like Brock, Ash was conserving his strength.
This would be his first official Gym battle as a Pokémon Trainer.
He had to make it beautiful.
To challenge Pewter Gym's Rock-types, Ash had prepared one thing above all:
A Water-type.
Going in with just Pikachu against a Rock Gym would be rough.
But Gyarados soaking the field…?
Yeah. That was the plan.
As for Pidgeotto…
Sending a bird with no good coverage moves to fight solid rock?
There was a saying—
Sometimes a self-proclaimed "animal lover" trying to be creative comes up with something even more hellish than a supposed abuser.
No need to prove that quote right using his own Pidgeotto.
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