Gary and Juan both observed the battlefield calmly as the final moments of the battle unfolded.
As the smoke gradually cleared, the two Pokémon involved in the final clash came into view. Latios hovered gracefully in the air, his sleek form steady as he looked down at the pool below. The water had spilled beyond its edges from the sheer force of their battle, visibly reduced in volume. In the center of the pool, Milotic floated listlessly, his eyes spiraling in dizziness.
"Milotic is unable to battle! Latios is the winner!" Sebastian announced. "All of Gym Leader Juan's Pokémon are unable to battle. The victor of this match is the challenger, Gary!"
The final Gym battle in the Hoenn Region concluded with Gary's triumph in Sootopolis City.
After challenging so many Gyms across Hoenn, Gary felt this one had been the toughest—perhaps even more difficult than the finals of the Pokémon League he had once entered.
"I've lost to you in both our matches. You're truly impressive," Juan praised sincerely.
"You flatter me, Mr. Juan," Gary replied. "You're also incredibly strong. Except for Milotic, the rest of your team clearly wasn't your main lineup."
Juan chuckled. "True. But I'd say the same about you—Latios likely isn't even your ace."
Gary gave a subtle nod, acknowledging the truth of Juan's words.
Juan stepped forward, extending a small, shimmering badge. "This is the Rain Badge—proof of your victory at the Sootopolis Gym. You've now officially collected all eight Gym Badges. I hope you enjoy your time here in Sootopolis."
"Thank you," Gary said, accepting the badge.
[Ding! Mission Complete. The reward has been sent to your Space Backpack.]
Gary turned with a small wave and exited the Gym. Sebastian walked with him to the entrance to see him off.
Once outside, Gary couldn't help his curiosity. "Let's see what the random item reward is this time…"
[Top-tier King's Rock: When used with an attack that doesn't cause a Contest Condition but deals damage, it has a 20% chance to make the target flinch.]
"Huh. A King's Rock. Not bad."
Although the King's Rock wasn't the most powerful item, that 20% flinch rate could be extremely annoying to opponents. Plus, it was an evolution item—it could be used to evolve Poliwhirl into Politoed or Slowpoke into Slowking.
"Now… what Water-type move should I exchange for?"
He scrolled through the available TMs in the system, but most were physical Water-type moves. Gary was searching for a good special Water-type move instead.
Hydro Cannon? Too exclusive. Very few Pokémon could learn it.
Hydro Pump? Most Water-types already had it in their natural move pools.
"System, exchange the skill Chilling Water," Gary commanded.
[Ding! Skill exchange successful.]
Chilling Water – Water-type special attack. Power: 50. Deals damage and has a 100% chance to lower the target's Attack stat by one stage.
Satisfied, Gary headed to a public training area near the Pokémon Center. He released Slaking and Swampert, then proceeded to teach them Chilling Water.
Though Slaking wasn't a Water-type, it was bulky and versatile enough to learn the move. Surprisingly, even Latios could learn it, and Gary planned to teach it to him later back in his room.
"System, now that I've collected all the badges, is it time to release the tasks related to the Ever Grande Conference?"
[Ding! New mission released:
Become the Champion of the Ever Grande Conference
Rewards: Intermediate Rare Candy ×10, Advanced Rare Candy ×10, Bronze Crown ×1, Silver Crown ×1, Gold Bottle Cap ×1, Ability Strengthening Stone ×3.
(Note: If only Hoenn-region Pokémon are used throughout the tournament, rewards will be doubled.)]
"Knew it. There's a catch. Guess I'll have to stick with Hoenn Pokémon if I want the double reward."
He mentally strategized. It wouldn't be enough to just rely on intermediate Rare Candy; for this level of challenge, he would also need advanced ones.
Gary decided to train two Hoenn Pokémon up to level 60 to serve as his core powerhouses. With Latios already at the Elite level, that gave him three aces. The remaining Pokémon would be raised to level 50 for a balanced and stable team.
But there was still more than a month left before the Ever Grande Conference began. No need to rush the Rare Candy usage—special training came first.
After a short rest in Sootopolis City, Gary and Latios remained there the next day, focusing on intensive training. There was no rush to travel just yet.
One Month Later…
Ever Grande City—a massive island and the official headquarters of the Hoenn Pokémon League.
Though the eastern side of the island hosted the League building and grand stadium, the western side was untamed and perilous. It was inhabited by wild Pokémon far stronger than anything seen in the average route, and even the locals avoided venturing there.
But amid the wilderness, one lone Trainer stood boldly among the rocks and trees, commanding his team with fierce intensity.
"Tyranitar, finish it with Stone Edge!" Gary shouted.
"Raaarrghhh!!" Tyranitar roared, slamming the ground as sharp boulders erupted toward the enemy.
Another wild Pokémon was defeated. That made thirty wins this month for Tyranitar alone.
Even with constant battles, the training had paid off. The levels of his Hoenn-region Pokémon had soared.
Breloom – Lv. 45Slaking – Lv. 45Sceptile – Lv. 51Aggron – Lv. 53Gardevoir – Lv. 50Shelgon – Lv. 43Blaziken – Lv. 46Swampert – Lv. 44
These levels mirrored where his team stood during his original Indigo Plateau run. But this time, with Ash also entering the Ever Grande Conference, Gary knew he couldn't be careless. He had to hold some cards close.
"Everyone, return!" Gary called, retrieving his Pokémon into their Poké Balls. He headed back into the city and handed them over to Nurse Joy for healing.
"There are so many Trainers here already…" Gary murmured.
Everywhere he looked, powerful Pokémon were undergoing condition adjustments in the public training arenas.
With the Sinnoh Conference coming up next season, Trainers from across regions had started arriving early to acclimate to Hoenn's climate. Its tropical weather posed challenges to Pokémon not used to the heat, so early preparation was critical.
After lunch, Gary booked an indoor training room and released all eight Hoenn-region Pokémon he had trained.
He wasn't in a rush to push any of them to Elite level just yet. First, his goal was to get everyone to level 50 before deciding who would be his trump cards.
Especially with threats like Tobias (Dakoto) entering the Ever Grande Conference, Gary needed to preserve high-level Rare Candies for the right moment.
One by one, the Pokémon looked at Gary curiously, wondering why they had been summoned in an indoor setting.
He smiled.
"Special training's over," Gary said. "And today's the reward day. First up—Shelgon. I think it's finally time to evolve you."
"Shelgon!!"
"Dooooonbei!!"
Shelgon let out a deep, echoing cry and raced toward Gary, tail wagging with anticipation.
It had waited a long time for this. Ever since watching Zinnia's Shelgon evolve into Salamence, it had been dying for its own evolution.
Now, that moment had finally arrived.