Onix immediately evolved into Steelix.
Its metallic body shimmered in the morning light, and its sheer, intimidating form drew envy from the watching trainers.
If one had a Steelix like this, challenging a Gym would surely become far easier.
Many thought this to themselves, and some even began considering a trip to Mt. Moon to catch an Onix of their own.
"Steelix! Nozomi, you actually managed to get a Metal Coat?"
Gary Oak exclaimed in disbelief.
It wasn't that he was overreacting—he, too, owned a Metal Coat, a gift his father had given him before he left on his journey. He had been told it was quite expensive.
He had always treasured it, planning to use it to evolve a Scyther into a Scizor someday.
Yet here was Nozomi, holding a Metal Coat and evolving an Onix into Steelix right before his eyes.
"I got it by chance," Nozomi replied, still smiling.
"Your luck is unbelievable," Gary said, now truly envious, without even the slightest politeness.
They had started their journeys around the same time this year, and yet Nozomi already had a Steelix, while Gary was still worried about Cubone being afraid of ghosts.
"Jealous?" Nozomi asked.
"Jealous!" Gary admitted instinctively, still immersed in his envy.
Nozomi added, "Even if you are, you still can't get one."
Gary's face twisted in frustration, but Nozomi pretended not to notice and began helping Steelix adjust to its newly evolved body.
The next morning, Nozomi and Gary walked along the streets of Cerulean City, heading toward the Gym.
"Hey, Nozomi, do we really need to get up this early?" Gary yawned, his dark circles emphasizing his exhaustion.
"Of course we do," Nozomi replied. "Do you want to repeat yesterday's scene? What if the Cerulean Sisters get their Pokémon defeated by someone else again? Should we just wait until tomorrow?"
Gary thought for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, you're right."
Being the impatient type he was, waiting another day would have driven him crazy.
"We're here!"
The gates of Cerulean Gym came into view.
But the scene was unlike what Gary had imagined—primarily in terms of the number of people.
"Why are there so many people?"
He noticed dozens of trainers moving toward the Gym entrance, seemingly faster than they were. Gary's face fell in despair.
He had woken up so early, and yet here were so many people. How was this fair?
Usually, Gyms were quiet, with only a few challengers per day. Why was it so crowded today? Was someone targeting him?
A slight sense of paranoia gripped Gary.
"What should we do, Nozomi?"
He instinctively looked toward Nozomi, hoping for a solution.
But Nozomi had already started walking ahead on his own.
"Leave it to me."
Seeing familiar faces ahead, Nozomi waved his hand. "Hey, everyone, wait up!"
"Hey, Nozomi, what are you doing? Are you—"
Gary thought Nozomi was going to confront the other trainers physically and hurriedly shouted.
Though the grandson of Professor Oak and a recognized rich kid in the Kanto region, Gary wasn't spoiled in character—except perhaps a little prideful.
But before he could finish his sentence, he saw a sight that made his eyes nearly pop out.
The trainers heading toward the Gym paused at Nozomi's call, yet none of them looked angry.
Instead, their expressions were filled with admiration.
"It's Boss Nozomi!"
"Nozomi, you're challenging the Gym too?"
"Boss, you go first!"
A wave of flattering voices surged like a tide.
Gary stood there, dumbfounded.
What was going on? Did these trainers know Nozomi personally?
No matter how he thought, he couldn't understand why so many people were calling him "Boss Nozomi."
Nozomi smiled and greeted them: "Good morning, everyone."
Watching Nozomi chat with the trainers, Gary was completely bewildered.
"What's going on? Are you really that close with him?" Gary asked a nearby trainer.
"You don't know?" the trainer replied, smiling proudly. "Boss Nozomi is a super skilled trainer. He led us at Mt. Moon to take down an entire group of Team Rocket, even some of their higher-ups! We all really admire him!"
"Team Rocket at Mt. Moon…"
Gary now roughly understood the situation. Nozomi had led these trainers to victory against Team Rocket before, and they had become his devoted fans.
Their current behavior was just like fans meeting their idol.
"This guy, Nozomi…"
Gary had always been proud of his own fanbase, yet here was Nozomi quietly gathering so many followers on his own.
A faint sense of melancholy rose in Gary—he felt completely outclassed.
As he pondered, Nozomi returned.
"Alright, let's battle first."
The crowd instinctively parted, allowing Nozomi and Gary to pass.
They entered the Cerulean Gym.
"Miss Daisy, we're here to challenge the Gym."