"Excuse me—is this the Dark Gym?"
Outside the gates, two boys around twelve years old, their faces still carrying the raw innocence of youth, were pounding hard on the Gym's massive doors.
The taller one was named Percy, the shorter Ayan. Both were rookie Trainers who had only recently set out on their journeys this year. They came from Sunnytown and had grown up together as close friends, so they decided to travel as companions, looking out for one another along the way.
When Kael renovated the Gym, he had replaced the entire entrance. The new doors stood over four meters tall—solid wood, double-leafed—and weighed well over a thousand kilograms. Once the heavy crossbar was secured from the inside, no amount of pushing from the outside would make them budge.
Originally, the two boys had planned to visit the Safari Zone to catch some wild Pokémon. But the previous evening, they had seen an announcement on the League's official homepage: the twelfth officially recognized Gym had been established in Dark City.
The news quickly caused a small stir among Trainers. It had been three years since the last official Gym was founded. The addition of a new one offered Trainers—especially those unsure of their own strength—another option.
Less than a day after the Dark Gym's opening announcement, the Kanto Trainers Forum had already seen professionals assign it a challenge rating.
Although none of those reviewers had personally challenged the Dark Gym, they could make estimates based on various factors: the city's economic development, geographical location, whether major corporations were stationed there, and other data.
Unfortunately, Dark City's economy was underdeveloped. At best, it qualified as a fourth-tier city. It had no famous specialties, and its total GDP was lower than that of many well-known small towns.
Take Stone Town, for example—renowned throughout Kanto for producing high-quality Evolution Stones. That single town's annual GDP was twenty times that of Dark City.
There were no major commercial conglomerates, transportation was underdeveloped, and the city held no meaningful position in the League's future development strategy. In short, it was poor, backward, and utterly unremarkable.
As a result, the Kanto Trainers Forum gave the newly opened Dark Gym a D rating.
For comparison: the Cinnabar Gym—long regarded as Kanto's strongest—held an A rating. The Saffron Gym was B+, while Fuchsia, Celadon, and Vermilion Gyms were rated B. Pewter Gym stood at C. Only the Cerulean Gym, often criticized as the weakest, shared a D rating.
Now the Dark Gym had joined it at D.
That made it the most suitable choice for rookie Trainers seeking their first Gym challenge. Of course, if the Dark Gym later demonstrated exceptional strength and built a solid reputation among Trainers, its forum rating would naturally rise.
Three months earlier, when the Cerulean City Sisters had hired outside help to act as proxy Gym Leaders, Kael had defended the Gym for three full days with Weavile and Lulu, maintaining a fifteen-win streak. That incident had temporarily raised Cerulean Gym's rating from D to C—though unfortunately, it soon fell back to D.
"Rooaaar~"
Rhydon stretched lazily, rolling its neck with a crisp crackling sound. Not as good as the boss's technique—but acceptable, it thought, evaluating Ann Chovy's handiwork.
Having grown up on a deserted island and fished in the sea to survive, the massive Rhydon had developed strong resistance to water.
After daily training, a cold rinse not only strengthened its tolerance but also kept its body clean, preventing bacteria and parasites from breeding.
Rhydon's enormous size and fondness for meat meant that if it went three days without cleaning, an unpleasant odor would inevitably develop.
During her week at the Gym, Ann had been studying diligently. Afraid of being driven out by her ill-tempered young master, she kept her head down and worked hard.
"Percy, do you think the Gym Leader isn't home?" Ayan asked gloomily after they had knocked for so long without response.
Percy puffed out his chest confidently. "Don't worry. The League has regulations. For a newly established official Gym, the Leader must remain on-site during the first month. Even in an emergency, they're required to appoint a proxy Leader to guard the Gym."
Creak…
At last, after much waiting, the heavy doors slowly opened with the sound of shifting hinges. As the two massive wooden panels swung fully apart, an enormous shadow blocked the boys' view.
Shattered-gold pupils. Ink-black armor. And most striking of all—a body nearly as tall as the doors themselves.
Percy staggered back several steps, swallowing hard as a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
What the hell is this? he screamed inwardly. Which idiot rated the Dark Gym as D-tier?
With a Rhydon of that size simply standing there, rookie Trainers' Pokémon might not even be able to scratch its defense.
"Are you two Trainers here to challenge the Gym?" Ann stepped out from behind Rhydon, hands clasped behind her back, smiling brightly at the pair whose legs were trembling uncontrollably.
"Y-Yes!"
The appearance of a beautiful young girl acted like a tranquilizer for Percy and Ayan. That Rhydon must belong to the Gym. Since someone from the Gym had appeared, it surely wouldn't attack challengers at random—no matter how terrifying it looked.
Rhydon stared at the two tiny humans for a moment. Apparently deciding they weren't interesting, it snorted and turned away. It lumbered over to a five-meter-long slab of polished marble, cut flat across the top, lay down on its side, propped its chin with one arm, and drifted into a leisurely nap.
It was the daily afternoon rest period. Rhydon would enjoy a full hour of siesta.
"Please follow me. The battlefield is in the central courtyard. I'll take you there."
Ann extended her right hand forward in invitation.
Percy and Ayan had no desire to remain in the front courtyard with that towering, nerve-rattling Rhydon. They quickly hurried after the blue ponytailed girl, eager to leave the intimidating giant behind.