When it comes to pseudo-legendary Pokémon, no Trainer could claim they weren't tempted.
Especially when the opportunity truly appeared, even the slightest chance was something a Trainer would strive for.
Watching everyone's nearly fiery eyes, Lotta finally realized just how shocking it was for outsiders to see that in the Village of Dragons, nearly everyone had one or even multiple pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Bang! Bang!
Sato slapped the table with his hand, silencing the noisy Gym trainees. Facing the dozens of sparkling eyes before him, he poured a bucket of cold water on them without hesitation.
"Dragon-type Pokémon already reproduce slowly. Let alone the Hydreigon lineage being pseudo-legendary.
Right now, there are only seven Deino and Zweilous available. And to ensure that the Hydreigon clan can settle here properly, there won't be any new assignments for quite a long time.
Also, to receive a pseudo-legendary hatchling, you not only need its approval and Lotta's approval. But also the consent of its parents, two Hydreigon at Elite Four level.
…Do you think your current strength makes that possible?"
Sato didn't speak loudly, but his voice reached every Gym trainee present with precision.
And the effect of his cold water speech was immediate; many of the budding fantasies were instantly extinguished.
Right, no matter how wealthy the Shadownight Gym might be, it was impossible for everyone to get a pseudo-legendary hatchling.
Being able to assign every Gym trainee a Dark-type Pokémon with Elite level potential already far exceeded what most League Gyms could provide.
Most Gyms didn't even bother training rookies, directly hiring already "famous" Trainers instead. It was far cheaper than training someone from scratch, and those were ready-made combat assets.
Anyone chosen to be a trainee wasn't foolish. The Leader may not have said they needed his approval, but if Sato truly believed you weren't suitable, would Lotta still assign you a pseudo-legendary?
Not a chance!
Ultimately, aside from having enough personal strength, one also needed to show complete support and loyalty to the Shadownight Gym.
So, in the short term, perhaps only Joseph, Mark, and the first-generation Gym trainees -now Gym Trainers- were truly qualified.
After that came regular dinner time; though most people still looked a little dazed, occasionally sneaking glances at Lotta.
Just thinking about how she had grown up surrounded by pseudo-legendaries from birth, while their strongest Pokémon were still Houndour or Murkrow…
Even with such a lavish dinner before them, the trainees suddenly found it hard to enjoy their food…
---
After dinner, several core members of the Gym moved to the backyard lounge to catch up with each other's recent lives.
As the Shadownight Gym continued to expand its operations, their differing responsibilities made it harder and harder to gather together.
Amber had been working at the Intelligence Shop with Trish all this time. On the surface, they just gathered and sold intel, but in secret, they kept Shadownight Town under tight watch.
All Trainers who passed through Shadownight Town had detailed information stored by the Intelligence Shop, even more thorough than what the Pokémon Center kept.
After all, not every Trainer could walk openly in the "light". This was something Sato had deeply understood in his past life.
Ponyo and Sosuke, besides going out occasionally for training, mostly stayed stationed at their home village, guarding against wild Pokémon attacks and similar threats.
Sia and Akira, naturally, were responsible for the Gym's daily operations. Since they also carried the responsibility of teaching trainees, they barely had any free time at all.
When everyone gathered like this, it was easy to recall the early days when the Gym had just been founded and it was only the few of them.
A lot of things they hadn't dared to say or complain about back then could now be said to Sato with a laugh, sparking rounds of agreement and resonance from the others.
"Sigh… it's just too bad the other big brothers didn't come back this time. It would've been so great if we were all here," Sia suddenly let out a melancholic sigh, and the whole atmosphere turned a bit heavy.
Joseph had left without notice, Mark and Sina were each out on their own training journeys, with no fixed return time.
Even if they did come back, someone else might have gone off on a new journey, that was just the nature of things.
Just as the group was caught in silence, Lotta, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
"Sia, the 'big brothers' you mentioned… who are they? Could you tell me more about them?"
"Of course! The three of them have completely different personalities. Once I tell you, when they return, you'll recognize them instantly!"
Sia knew she had misspoken earlier, and now that Lotta was "rescuing" her from the awkward moment, she couldn't be more grateful.
"One of the three is my biological brother, the other two are close friends of our Leader. When the Gym was first established, it was just the three of them…"
Sia began recounting their stories one by one. Talking about Sina's stubborn and awkward nature, Mark's "carefree" attitude, and Joseph's gentle and meticulous personality.
Every so often, the others chimed in with fun anecdotes about the three of them.
Like how Sina was a siscon, or how Mark's greatest asset was his absurd luck, or how Joseph, despite his "kindness", could be even more frightening than the Leader when scheming.
Even though Lotta had never met the three, by listening to everyone's stories, she began to form a general image of them in her mind.
And as she listened to them happily sharing these memories with her, Lotta gradually began to think, 'Maybe Shadownight Gym really is a good place.'
Maybe… they really did want her to become one of them…
--
By the time night had fully arrived, even Amber, who was getting on in years, looked exhausted. Seeing this, Sato called an end to the gathering.
Sia and Ponyo grabbed Lotta and headed off to their room, saying the three of them still needed some girl talk. Akira and Sosuke also returned to their rooms, and the Gym had always kept rooms ready for Sosuke and the others.
In the end, only Amber and Trish remained. But the old man and the little girl didn't leave right away.
"Amber, is something wrong?"
"Not me. Trish has something to say to you."
Amber smiled awkwardly and gently patted Trish's shoulder, signaling her to go ahead.
"Sato, I want to go on a journey… on my own!"
Sato was stunned. Looking at the much taller Trish, he suddenly realized she had reached the age where one must choose their own path in life.
"I don't object to the journey, but I'm not comfortable letting you go alone," Sato said frankly.
He had watched Trish grow up over the past few years, and everyone was quite fond of this sweet and obedient little girl.
"Sato, I've gotten a lot stronger now. Over the years, I've learned so much about being both a Trainer and a Breeder from you and the others. I truly believe I can do it!"
As Trish spoke, she tossed out two Poké Balls. With a flash of red light, two Pokémon -one purple and one black- appeared at her side.
Low Elite, Espeon.
Mid Elite, Houndoom.
That's the benefit of receiving Pokémon from a young age; by the time they were truly ready to start their journey, their strength already far surpassed that of most others their age.
"Trish, maybe your strength has already surpassed most people your age. But if you want to travel, that alone isn't enough!"
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150 PS - CH