Today marked yet another historic milestone for the Ocasia Pokémon Calendar!
Well… technically, there is no official Pokémon calendar here—yet. But give it time! Sooner or later, Pokémon will become such a global phenomenon that someone's bound to start recording every little milestone in a Pokémon-exclusive timeline.
A man can dream!
Anyway, just a few days ago, Arthur once again commissioned the Dreamlit Company from the nearby city—dealing directly with its ever-greedy boss, Pascal—to construct another Pokémon-themed building.
This time, it was a Pokémon Gym.
Pascal, who had been grinning like a Meowth spotting a pile of coins while discussing payment methods, immediately dropped his smile when Arthur showed him the gym's blueprint. His expression turned flat—bored, even disappointed.
He didn't hold back: "What kind of interest-free, low-budget building is this? Did you cash out on creativity when you gave me the plans for your new house and Pokémon Center?!"
Arthur frowned, unsure whether to be offended by the blunt critique—or by the fact that even Pascal's insults were laced with financial jargon.
Still… he wasn't wrong.
Compared to his new house and the fairly sophisticated Pokémon Center, the Gym did feel underwhelming. At its core, it was just a spacious training hall, with an exterior that looked suspiciously similar to the Pokémon Center.
Pascal didn't seem to mind the exterior too much, but the interior left him visibly unimpressed—especially once he realized the theme was Bug-type, complete with clusters of trees and dense foliage meant to mimic a miniature forest. It didn't exactly give the construction crew much room to show off.
But what could Arthur do? That's just how Pokémon Gyms were—functional, thematic, and practical.
There was a small medical bay located in the back for first-aid and emergency transfers to the nearby Pokémon Center… and that was pretty much it.
Honestly, compared to most people's homes, Arthur still believed the Pokémon Gym was unique enough to catch Pascal's interest.
But apparently, Arthur's extravagant new house and the stylish Pokémon Center had raised expectations a little too high. Now, the simpler Gym design just didn't measure up in Pascal's eyes.
"I'll cash in on style and make this building more impressive than a basic training hall—free of charge!" Pascal had declared at the time, leaving Arthur thoroughly confused.
He was so disappointed in the Gym that he tossed his greed aside and offered to improve it… for free?
Arthur must have looked shocked, because Pascal gave him a sharp glare and snapped, "What?"
"N-no, nothing," Arthur replied quickly, shaking his head.
I mean—who would refuse something free?
Arthur had even toyed with the idea of handing Pascal an even worse blueprint next time just to see what would happen. His eyes lit up mischievously at the thought… but no. Of course he wouldn't actually do that.
Pascal might be greedy, sure—but his construction fees were always fair and reasonable. Trying to scam him would be the kind of thing that haunted Arthur in his sleep.
Now, a few days had passed, and the completed Pokémon Gym stood tall before him.
Unlike the crowd that had shown up when the Pokémon Center opened, this time… there weren't many people around.
Pascal didn't seem particularly interested in the building he had personally upgraded. The moment Arthur handed over the payment, he and his crew vanished without ceremony—his smug, money-shaped grin the last thing Arthur saw.
So, other than Arthur himself, only his family had shown up.
Virelyra had gone off somewhere—though where exactly, Arthur had no clue.
Was it time for Reden's Slowpoke to finally evolve into a Slowking? He wasn't sure. But that seemed as likely a reason as any.
The Pokémon Gym's exterior closely resembled the Pokémon Center, though on a larger scale. A wide, curving green roof stretched over the entrance, topped by a massive Poké Ball emblem—with a bold Bug-type symbol etched right in the center.
Inside, the Gym resembled a miniature jungle, filled with clusters of trees and overgrown brush—perfect for Bug-type Pokémon to thrive. But these weren't just for show; the layout served as the Gym's puzzle.
Truth be told, Arthur hadn't originally planned to include a puzzle at all. For one, they didn't even have proper Gym Trainers yet. And more importantly, puzzles were kind of pointless here. Most people had already reached superhuman levels thanks to the presence of magic. Unless the Gym challenges were cranked up to "hell mode," there was no way they'd pose any real obstacle.
On top of that… Arthur's budget had been getting tight lately.
The Pokémon industry was starting to take off in Rastor Village—expanding from the Caterpie Silk Clothing into new ventures like: Butterfree Wing Powder Perfume, Geodude Bricks (crafted from body fragments), Ekans Skin Handbags (from naturally shed skin), Oddish Herb Tea, Tangela Vine Ropes, and Horsea Ink.
The industry was just getting started, and these products were only the beginning. With the right ideas, who knew how far it could go?
But for now… most of those products were still just prototypes or concepts—promising, but not yet profitable enough to provide Arthur with a stable income, let alone allow him to stop relying on Rosaria's research fund.
For now, only the Caterpie silk line had begun to generate consistent income.
Half of the new product ideas risked injuring or causing severe pain to Pokémon—like Oddish Herb Tea and Tangela Vine Ropes—so they remained just concepts for now. The hopeful villagers prayed Oddish would shed its leaves naturally, and Tangela its vines, without harm.
As long as it could be proven these ideas didn't hurt the Pokémon, someone would eventually turn them into reality.
The most promising business after Caterpie Silk Clothing was probably Butterfree Wing Powder Perfume. Many were already working hard to perfect the formula, hoping to sell the delicate fragrance to noble ladies. The only problem was the small number of Butterfree around—even with the rapid evolution from Caterpie to Metapod to Butterfree, supply remained limited.
No one had discovered Slowpoke's tail yet—or else it would have already been turned into a rare delicacy.
Many villagers dreamed of renovating their farmland into Pokémon farms, but being limited to just one Pokémon per farm kept those plans out of reach… at least for now.
Arthur thought that for those wanting to start Pokémon farms, the current system—wwhere owning multiple Pokémon required becoming an Official Trainer and defeating Gyms—might not be practical. He planned to design a new, extremely difficult assessment test as an alternative path for those who preferred it over becoming Official Trainers. The test would be rigorous, packed with written exams, and likely require Arthur's personal oversight.
But with how busy he was, dedicating time to that was uncertain.
For now, it was best to focus on the Official Trainer Assessment Test and Gym Challenge.
The Pokémon Gym was located not far from the Pokémon Center, so injured Pokémon could get treatment quickly. To enhance the atmosphere, Pascal had brought honeybee combs, planted plenty of trees nearby, and hung the combs around the Gym.
These bees were a harmless variety—unless you provoked their nests.
It was the perfect touch for a Bug-type Gym.
The Rastor Gym had two entrances. The front entrance was for Official Trainers, who were required to go through the Gym's puzzle challenge—designed by none other than Hector.
Arthur had been genuinely surprised to learn that Hector loved making puzzles. And since the Gym upgrades were being handled for free by Pascal, Hector put a lot of effort into building out the puzzle area.
Arthur, however, ended up slightly disappointed.
As it turned out, Hector's love for puzzles extended only to basic riddles.
Arthur had been expecting something grand—elaborate logic puzzles, maybe even challenges that felt like they belonged in some ancient ruin. But... maybe he'd been expecting too much.
Take this riddle, for example: "What has a neck but no head?"
The answer? A beer bottle.
Arthur had stared at him, baffled. "Why a beer bottle and not just a regular bottle?"
Hector had answered proudly, "Because drunk people don't use their heads properly—so it's fitting. A neck, but no head."
Arthur was speechless.
The riddle was painfully simple, yet oddly confusing in its reasoning. Who on earth would get that answer right?
After that, Arthur suggested Hector base the riddles around bugs and insects, given it was a Bug-type Gym.
Hector happily agreed.
Arthur had no idea what kind of riddles Hector had been cooking up since then—but he hoped that giving him a clear theme would at least help steer things in the right direction. A Bug-type Gym deserved riddles that matched its identity… not random pub trivia.
The Gym's other entrance was tucked into a smaller side building, designated for the Official Trainer Assessment Test. It wasn't much—just a plain door leading into a modest space that could barely fit two battle arenas.
In the short term, it was enough. His mom and dad were currently overseeing the assessments, but Arthur knew that wouldn't be sustainable forever. Most of their time would eventually be taken up by managing Gym Challenge.
For now, they seemed happy with the arrangement. Their attitudes toward becoming Gym Leaders were positive, but Arthur understood the real reason they accepted the role so readily: they wanted to help him. When he brought up the idea of handing over the position, they had agreed without hesitation.
Fortunately, they also loved Pokémon battles, so in many ways, it was a perfect fit.
But since it was such a new concept, they could only imagine how it might work—without truly knowing how it would play out in the future.
To make things more demanding, the Rastor Gym was a double battle format—which meant both of them had to be present to accept a challenge. That naturally increased the pressure and workload.
When Arthur asked if they'd prefer to switch to single battles and take turns instead, they refused outright.
That's why, as long as they weren't truly happy with it in the long run, Arthur had no intention of forcing them to continue as Gym Leaders.
There were plenty of Bug Catchers in Rastor Village—passionate Rookie Trainers full of potential. Surely, in time, one of them would grow strong enough to take over the Gym Leader position.
Well, anyway—although today marked the official opening of the Pokémon Gym, people had already been taking the Assessment Test for some time, and both Anna and Hector had been keeping busy.
To ease their workload, the assessment now began with a mini tournament—a simple four-person bracket with 1-on-1 battles. The winner, after securing two victories, would earn the right to challenge either Anna or Hector in the final stage of the test.
Most of these winners passed the assessment with little trouble. The test itself wasn't particularly difficult, even though they were asked to battle Pokémon far above their current level.
The goal was simple: survive for one minute. As long as their Pokémon didn't faint within that time, they passed.
Even though it was relatively easy to pass, most participants walked away with a clear understanding: they weren't ready for a Gym Challenge yet.
Some who'd confidently believed a single Pokémon would be enough had to face reality. Disheartened but motivated, many left for the Safari Zone, determined to find a second partner and begin training more seriously.
But of course—there was always an outlier.
"Village Chief?" Arthur blinked in surprise as he saw Joey, the Village Chief of Rastor Village, step through the Gym entrance, two Poké Balls strapped to his belt.
Wearing a Poké Ball cap much like Arthur's, Joey was dressed with the elegance of a gentleman. A long cane rested in his hand—not for support today, but wielded more as a mark of dignity. He stood tall and proud, a warm, knowing smile spreading across his face.
"Hoho! It's rare for these old bones to get interested in something new," Joey said, gently tapping his cane against the floor. "Mage duels have grown dull with age. But watching your students grow strong under your guidance… now that is fulfillment, wouldn't you agree?"
Students? Arthur thought, raising an eyebrow. So he treats his Pokémon like his students? He gave a small nod.
"Of course. Here—please take this first." Arthur handed him a glass bottle of Fresh Water.
Joey accepted it, brow furrowing as he examined the label: an image of twin mountains beneath a pale-blue sky. He tried scanning it with his mana perception but found nothing particularly unusual—just a bit of healing energy, like a diluted potion.
"What is this?" he asked, skeptical.
"Fresh Water! Sourced directly from Mt. Silver. Pure, nutritious, and refreshing!" Arthur announced with an overly formal tone, trying to maintain his stiff smile.
There was no one assigned to this role yet, so Arthur was stuck handing out Fresh Water himself. It was tradition—a custom for Trainers challenging a Gym!
Joey chuckled warmly. "You're funny, Arthur. There's no Mt. Silver anywhere near here."
Still, the Fresh Water vanished from his hand as he stored it away using some kind of spatial technique. "Thanks for the gift," he added politely, not pressing the point.
Arthur returned his smile—still stiff—and started quietly regretting his decision to keep this particular tradition. Still, he pressed on: "This is a Bug-type Gym. The best choice would be to bring Fire-, Flying-, or Rock-type Pokémon, since Bug-types are weak against them."
Joey listened calmly, then nodded in appreciation. "Thanks for the advice," he said before turning to face the front.
"The first Gym Badge will be mine!" Joey declared, raising a hand with the energy of someone decades younger.
With calm steps, he made his way toward the first riddle gate, a wooden arch surrounded by thick trees.
Arthur watched him go, a thoughtful look on his face.
Joey really might earn the Swarm Badge.
His first Pokémon, Rattata, had been with him for a long time—it was definitely no weakling. And if Arthur remembered correctly, his second Pokémon was a Pichu?
Apparently, when the Safari Zone first opened to the public, Joey entered—even though he wasn't given any Poké Balls, since he already had a Pokémon. But instead of capturing anything, he focused on building a bond with a Pichu he'd found there—a tiny mouse Pokémon, much like his small rat, Rattata.
He visited the same Pichu every day, strengthening their bond and personally training it. Over time, the Pichu began to reject approaches from any other Rookie Trainers, waiting only for Joey to come and take it with him.
So, the moment Joey became an Official Trainer, he returned to the Safari Zone and easily captured that Pichu, making it his second Pokémon.
Today promised to be an exciting day—the very first Gym Challenge match was about to begin!
Village Chief Joey approached the first riddle gate and gently activated the glowing magic circle embedded in the wood. A shimmering text floated in midair, revealing the riddle: "What bug has a head and a tail?"
Joey frowned, his already wrinkled face creasing deeper with thought.
Arthur, seeing the riddle for the first time himself, furrowed his brow as well. So many bugs have both a head and a tail—this was trickier than it seemed.
After a moment, Joey finally answered, "Beedrill."
The floating text paused, then blinked the word "Wrong."
Joey squinted, undeterred.
He continued, speaking several more names aloud—many of which were bugs or insects Arthur had never even heard of. Yet each guess was met with the same cold rejection: "Wrong."
Arthur was at a loss—he had no idea what the answer was. He could easily "hack" the magic circle to reveal it, but where would the fun be in solving the riddle that way?
Then, suddenly, Joey's eyes lit up. "A bug-shaped coin!" he exclaimed.
"Huh?" Arthur blinked, confused.
But as soon as Joey spoke those words, the wooden gate creaked open slowly, granting him passage into the mini jungle maze beyond—the path leading to the second riddle.
"..." Arthur's mouth opened to say something—but no words came out.
Meanwhile, Village Chief Joey began humming cheerfully as he stepped into the maze, clearly in high spirits.