February 1st, Sunday.
In the central region of Kanto, on Route 5 between Cerulean City and Saffron City, a teenage boy with spiky light brown hair dressed as a trainer was riding his bicycle toward his next destination.
"Sure enough, just as I thought, Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, is also a fan of Teacher Azure..."
While cycling, Blue recalled the intense Gym battle from yesterday, and a few drops of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
Although he had only started traveling as a trainer this year, having helped take care of Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab since childhood and thus meeting his first partners, he wasn't a complete rookie like Red.
By rights, with a team consisting of Arcanine, Alakazam, and Charizard, he should have breezed through the Gyms and quickly collected all eight badges.
Though his main team struggled against Water-type Gyms, he had to resort to dirty tactics learned from Teacher Azure, using Arcanine's Solar Beam under Sunny Day to swiftly reduce the opponent's numbers to win the battle.
But the result...
The same scene as when challenging Pewter City reappeared.
Because Misty was also a loyal fan of Teacher Azure, his tactics not only failed but were countered by her Azumarill, which she pulled out from somewhere.
Yes, Azumarill with the Sap Sipper ability…
"F*ck's sake, who would use Azumarill without the Huge Power ability and instead use Sap Sipper!"
Thinking about this made Blue furious. If he hadn't barely won at the last minute, he would have lost another Gym battle.
If he got stuck for a while at these lower-difficulty Gyms, Red would catch up soon!
Blue shook his head and instinctively looked toward Viridian City.
"Come to think of it, after leaving Pallet Town, I haven't seen that guy Red."
"He wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge Giovanni, the Gym Leader of Viridian City, would he?"
Given Red's personality, it seemed plausible...
Thinking about this, Blue couldn't help but shake his head.
Never mind, let him do what he wants.
His primary goal now was to collect all eight Gym badges before Red and enter the Victory Road first.
Then, he would straightforwardly defeat the Kanto Elite Four, who had been fighting for over a decade, becoming the next Kanto Champion after his grandfather, Professor Oak!
That way, even if Red wanted to become Champion, he'd have to get past him first.
Unfortunately, he'd never be able to beat me in his lifetime!
Thinking this, Blue quickly pedaled hard through Route 5 and arrived at Saffron City, the transportation hub and economic and cultural center of Kanto.
"It's said that Saffron City has two Gyms, but only the Psychic-type Gym has the authority to issue badges..."
Following obvious signs along the way, Blue soon arrived at a building with a Poké Ball icon lit up.
"This should be it, right?"
Blue had some impression of Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City.
She was another Kanto Gym Leader who appeared in Teacher Azure's live stream, showcasing her strength there and earning praise from Teacher Azure for developing variable lineups.
Counting her, he had already fought three consecutive battles among fans of Teacher Azure…
Thinking about this gave Blue a headache.
Though battling strong opponents was indeed more fun, even if he lost, he could accept it.
But shouldn't Gym battles normally be this difficult?
Helplessly, Blue rubbed his forehead, quickly regained confidence, and strode into the Saffron Gym.
Oh well, it's just a mere Gym Leader!
If he wanted to become the Champion of Kanto, this small obstacle wouldn't stop him!
Moreover, he hadn't seen Teacher Azure use any Psychic-related tactics; he mentioned Trick Room once, but didn't teach any special tactics…
So, the advantage is mine!
...
This weekend, Aiden didn't step out of Cabo Poco at all, lazily staying in the Gym for two days.
Of course, he didn't do nothing.
By contacting President Geeta and Darach, the current agent of the Battle Chateau, Aiden easily obtained their permission to borrow Pokémon freely.
In the Pokémon world, besides the fast-healing machines and the technology that kept Pokémon in good condition in tight spaces (Poké Balls), there was another outrageously advanced black tech—
The communication exchange function.
The inventor seemed to be a scientist living near Meteor Falls in the Hoenn region; Aiden vaguely remembered him.
However, he didn't know much about the principle—he only knew that with computers connected to teleportation devices and specific software, exchanging Pokémon in Poké Balls was very convenient, even across great distances.
It was similar to exchanging Pokémon in the PC system at Pokémon Centers in games—a very convenient feature.
Communication-based evolution similarly utilized this black tech, simulating the magnetic field energy of specific environments during exchanges in data form, triggering evolution in certain Pokémon.
In short, leveraging Aiden's "tiny bit" of connections, he quickly borrowed a group of Pokémon with varying strengths, suitable for different tactics, as backup for the Gym.
Most of them were Pokémon he had previously borrowed.
Since the current Gym assessment content consisted of tactics he used before, old friends like Breloom, Sableye, and Kingdra made a comeback.
Even Pachirisu, which shone brightly in the previous Dragon Master Tournament, was rented back.
It must be said, Caitlin, this wealthy woman, had deep pockets. Who knows how many Pokémon the Battle Chateau needed to maintain daily…
To some extent, she might be the one most likely to play various tactics like him.
However, as a Psychic-type user, she clearly had a "pure" obsession, only favoring Psychic-type Pokémon.
But it didn't matter. Since these Pokémon were idle anyway, why not rent them cheaply, bring them to guard the Gym, and level them up on the side?
Isn't that great?
After a few more guests arrived at the Sunshine Gym, Aiden sat on the sofa, quietly observing them.
Pachirisu greeted Sylveon familiarly.
Though slightly surprised that this Eevee had already evolved in such a short time, the social butterfly Sylveon quickly chatted with it, occasionally laughing.
Who knew what they were talking about? Aiden, unable to understand Pokémon language, was utterly confused.
Why could Pokémon understand human speech, but humans couldn't understand Pokémon?
Such a thing exists, making me shiver with anger!
Kingdra supported itself with its tail on the floor, arrogantly looking around at the other Pokémon.
Though it looked like a delicate seahorse, with the only dragon-like features were its forked horns.
In reality, when Kingdra extended its tail, it was 1.8 meters long, and some specimens were even larger, nearly as tall as Aiden standing up.
But...
Adhering to the principle of being cool for no more than three seconds, the aloof Kingdra soon noticed a Pokémon wearing a green cloak staring intently at it.
"Pon…"
Staring at Kingdra's aqua-blue scales, Ogerpon couldn't help but think—
If I could persuade it to help water my garden, wouldn't it be much more efficient than me doing it?
Facing Ogerpon's expectant gaze, Kingdra's serious expression soon faltered, instinctively shaking its head from side to side.
However...
Every time Kingdra moved its head, Ogerpon instinctively followed, always maintaining direct eye contact.
Soon, Kingdra helplessly shook its head.
Damn it!
You want a noble dragon like me to help water your garden, you little guy...
But under someone else's roof, it might as well help with these small favors. After all, its Trainer had taken care of it before.
Seeing Kingdra finally succumb to its gaze attack, Ogerpon quickly flashed a bright smile, leading it out of the Gym to a plot of land it had cultivated.
Sableye, who witnessed the entire scene, quickly smirked and looked at the other Pokémon in the Gym.
Besides the previous Pokémon, Breloom and Lucario were sparring on the training ground. A punch coated with mushroom spores made Sableye's diamond-shaped eyes widen in surprise.
Is there really such a fighting style?
Or should I just give you my Prankster ability?
There was no way it could interfere in their match. As for interactions among other Pokémon, there didn't seem to be space for it either...
So, there were only two choices left.
Nap with the "lie-flat" Pokémon outside or help Aiden manage that napping Bagon...
No matter what, it's all about sleeping, right!
Sableye sighed and walked out of the Gym on its own.
At this point, just slack off!
Seeing all the Pokémon in the Gym busy with their own things, Aiden also quickly exhaled in relief.
In his view, Pokémon, these peculiar creatures, were actually quite simple.
Even Sableye, with the Prankster ability, generally wouldn't cause trouble but would quickly adapt to the surrounding environment.
In a warm place like the Sunshine Gym, the borrowed Pokémon quickly integrated.
Worthy of celebration.
Thinking this, Aiden sat up from the sofa.
Pokémon only needed to play and have fun, but Trainers had to think about many things.
Especially him, as a Gym Leader.
Tonight, it was time for him to live stream and demonstrate tactics to his students.
According to last week's plan, today was still the domain of the Sunny team, except that the battle mode had switched to doubles.
And speaking of Fire-type Pokémon in doubles...
Incineroar undoubtedly held a significant place in Aiden's heart.
This week's Gym assessment, due to the appearance of Incineroar, proved quite challenging, causing headaches for many trainers.
But actually...
Doubles were where Incineroar truly shined!
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