Whenever a challenger approached the Gym, its front doors would close, allowing only one person inside at a time—either to leave with a badge or to walk away empty-handed.
Arthur had explained this rule plenty of times before, so when his fellow villagers saw the entrance of the Rastor Pokémon Gym sealed shut with a glowing red sign reading "Challenging", they immediately understood what was happening. Excitement buzzed through the crowd as they made their way to the side entrance, which led up to the elevated viewing stands above the battle arena.
At the moment, however, the challenger—Village Chief Joey—was still occupied with the Gym Puzzles. Down on the arena floor, only the two Gym Leaders, Hector and Anna, were present. This left the audience somewhat disappointed, but they waited patiently, hoping the first challenger would clear the puzzles quickly and give them a match worth watching.
For now, entry to the viewing stands was free. It was part of Arthur's plan to promote official Pokémon battles and draw more attention to the Gym. Only after gaining enough interest would he begin charging for tickets.
There's no way he'd pass up an easy chance to make some profit!
He'd even opened the viewing stands to outsiders—merchants, adventurers, and travelers—further spreading word of the Gym and its battles.
Originally, Arthur had intended to keep the viewing area simple—just a modest platform with a few seats. But Pascal had offered to help expand it at no cost. With his assistance, the stands now wrapped around the arena, giving the space the festive atmosphere of a small tournament.
It wasn't quite as grand as the legendary Krolosseum in Kros, the capital city, but it was still impressive. The bowl-shaped stands could now seat up to ten thousand spectators—a mini-stadium in its own right.
Arthur, of course, had no reason to decline free help. Together, he and Pascal had installed magic circles to expand the space and accommodate the crowds.
Sure, they could expand it even further—but there was no need.
After all, too much could feel like too little.
If the stands were too vast and mostly empty, wouldn't that make things feel... underwhelming?
Crowding the audience together created a far more festive atmosphere. Their cheers overlapped and echoed through the arena, building on one another in a way that scattered, empty seats simply couldn't replicate.
Maybe in the future—once Pokémon became more popular—the stands could be expanded. But for now, this setup was more than enough.
Despite many audience members wearing Poké Ball caps, more than three-quarters of the seats remained empty—public interest in Pokémon was still far from where Arthur hoped it would be.
To his surprise, Arthur spotted a group of adventurers sitting together. Three hooded figures sat at the head of the group.
He recognized them instantly: Rosaria and her Bloodthorn Knights—none of their Pokémon in sight. As per Gym rules, their Pokémon were stored in Poké Balls, but those inside could still observe the battle through the Poké Balls—so long as their line of sight wasn't blocked.
"She came so fast... and even brought her knights," Arthur muttered with a chuckle. He opened his eyes, disconnecting from the Gym's surveillance system—currently overseen by a Porygon roaming the Magic Grid—and returned his focus to the challenger.
Joey had just emerged from the maze and now stood before the second wooden riddle door.
A shimmering inscription appeared before both Joey and Arthur: "What bug begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?"
Arthur immediately thought of the answer.
A teapot.
But… since it was supposed to be related to bugs...
With the answer already in mind, Arthur turned to watch Joey, curious.
Sure enough, Joey reached the same conclusion and declared confidently, "A bug-shaped teapot!"
With a faint creak, the door swung open, revealing the second jungle maze.
Arthur stared in stunned silence.
The first and second riddles were classic brainteasers—but with a twist: every answer needed to start with "bug-shaped."
Was that really enough to qualify as bug-themed? Arthur's logical circuits said yes. His actual brain… wasn't so sure.
Still, Joey didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He even started humming to himself, clearly enjoying the process.
Are these some kind of inside jokes I'm not in on? Arthur frowned, unable to decide how seriously to take these riddles.
The mini jungle maze that followed would have stumped many Pokémon Trainers from the Pokémon world. Most would find themselves disoriented, anxious, even panicked—trapped in a tangle of trees with no clear way out.
But for locals of Ocasia? That was a different story.
Their perception was naturally enhanced by mana. Even without using magic directly, their bodies—nurtured by the swirling energies of mana since childhood—were stronger, more agile, more aware. Finding their way through the maze was almost too easy.
Arthur had wrestled with the decision of whether to allow magic use inside the Gym's maze. In the end, he chose to ban it, following the model of the Safari Zone. Still, even without casting spells, the Ocasian locals had a clear advantage thanks to their mana-infused physicality.
In the future, Hector had mentioned he wanted to populate the jungle maze with Bug-type Pokémon to raise the difficulty. But for now, it wasn't necessary—especially with the current scarcity of Pokémon.
Bringing more in from the Safari Zone wasn't easy, either.
Technically, they could try hatching a new batch of Bug-types right here—but the timing was too tight. The Gym had only recently opened; there simply hadn't been enough time to incubate and raise new Eggs.
And then there was the issue of manpower.
Roland, already buried under a mountain of responsibilities, looked like he was shedding more hair every day. No one else had the bandwidth—or the experience—to care for a fresh batch of Bug Pokémon.
The Miltank farm staffs? They had their hands full with Miltank. Bug-types weren't in their job description.
For what felt like the nth time, Arthur silently vowed to find another apprentice Pokémon Ranger—someone to help lighten Roland's ever-growing workload.
Aside from the Pokémon in the maze, Arthur had also discussed the concept of Gym Trainers with his parents. They would help manage future challengers more efficiently. After all, it wouldn't be sustainable to let people challenge the Gym one at a time forever.
Better to have Gym Trainers serve as the second line of defense—appearing after the first riddle was solved. That way, they'd filter out unprepared challengers and help train potential successors at the same time.
As Joey made his way through the maze, Arthur continued to monitor his progress, occasionally chatting with him.
Just as he expected, all five riddles were simple. Once you understood that every answer required the phrase "bug-shaped" in front, the rest were easy to breeze through. The first riddle was the only real hurdle. After that, the remaining puzzles were a walk in the park—unless you couldn't figure out the original riddle's base meaning.
Before long, Village Chief Joey cleared the fifth riddle and stepped into a wide clearing. In the center was a full battle arena, surrounded by lush forest-themed obstacles—perfectly designed to suit a Bug-type Gym.
And at that moment, a sudden roar of applause erupted from the stands.
Cheers echoed from the audience area, which wrapped around three sides of the arena like a natural amphitheater.
Arthur blinked in surprise. "What? Where did they all come from?!" He stared in disbelief.
The entire stadium was packed to the brim!
Completely full!
That couldn't be right. There were ten thousand seats in total!
There was no way they should all be filled.
Impossible!
Down in the arena, on the Gym Leader's side, both Hector and Anna were visibly sweating. Their smiles had gone stiff, their bodies trembling slightly—the unmistakable signs of stage fright.
They'd expected an audience… just not this kind of audience.
Pascal, who had heard about the event, had also come to watch. He now sat in the stands, curious to see how a Pokémon battle would unfold inside one of his architectural masterpieces.
But as he looked down at Hector and Anna, a pang of guilt hit him.
Maybe making the arena so grand hadn't been the right call after all. Instead of upgrading Arthur's simple design, maybe he should've held back like Arthur originally wanted.
Now, thanks to him, the Gym Leaders clearly weren't mentally prepared to face thousands of eyes watching their every move.
Arthur scanned the audience again, eyes narrowing when he spotted a familiar group: the mysterious four who'd brought an Alolan Vulpix back with them. They're here too?
But as his gaze swept further across the stands, something else became obvious. At least 80% of the audience was made up of old men and old women.
They varied wildly in temperament and expression, but their presence here shared one common reason: Joey.
Cries erupted from the stands, a chaotic mix of support, insult, and sheer gossip.
"Old Joey, good luck!"
"Joey! You sly old rat, give me back my family heirloom!"
"I hope you lose, Joey!"
"Joey, give me a Pokémon and I'll forget you ever stole my ex-wife!"
A lot of cheers and curses were directed at Joey, but Joey stood proudly as he tapped his cane in rhythm with the noises, enjoying himself.
So, most of them are Joey's friends? Well, some of them might not be his friends... but they surely have "deep" relationship. Arthur was dumbfounded as he realized Village Chief Joey was quite popular.
Who was he exactly?
Arthur has tried to ask him multiple times, but all he muttered were just, "Hoho", which annoyed him to no end.
Arthur had also asked Rosaria about Joey, but she knew little beyond that the Village Chief was a good friend of her father and mother.
Virelyra, on the other hand, was completely clueless—except for one thing. She mentioned that Joey was a powerful Mage who hid his mana well. Then, with a hint of bragging, she added it would only take a poke from her to take him down.
Arthur wasn't sure whether a Sovereign Dragon really was that strong—or if Virelyra was simply boasting.
But his amazement soon turned to frustration as a realization dawned on him. How many hidden Teleportation magic circles were scattered outside the village?!
With a sudden Gym Challenge like this, there was no way ten thousands audiences could have arrived so quickly without them!
At this rate, Arthur thought grimly, he'd have to keep Pokémon inside the Safari Zone indefinitely. Otherwise, bringing them out would be inviting malicious people to teleport them away for experiments.
I'll ask Virelyra to help detect and cleanse any malicious magic circles, he resolved.
As Joey waved to the crowd, he turned to Arthur and asked, "Will you allow me to cast magic on your parents to calm them down?"
Arthur snapped out of his daze and glanced at his parents—still trembling, clearly not in any state to command their Pokémon in battle.
Knowing this couldn't go on—or they'd have to cancel today's Gym Challenge—Arthur nodded at Joey, wondering what kind of magic he planned to use to calm his parents down.
Joey smiled and, with a casual gesture, conjured two balls of water that floated above Arthur's parents before crashing down and drenching them both. The sudden splash left them stunned.
Is this your idea of calming people down?! Arthur thought, itching to conjure a water ball of his own and drop it on Joey's head.
But then he caught himself.
His parents were actually calmer—nodding at Arthur and Joey, now ready to battle.
That actually works? Arthur was dumbfounded but nodded in approval.
Stepping to the center of the arena, he raised his voice to announce, "Rastor Gym Leaders Hector and Anna have been challenged for the first time by Pokémon Trainer Joey!
"This will be a double battle! The side whose both Pokémon faint or are unable to continue will be declared the loser.
"Gym Challenge—begin!"
As the battle began, Hector's expression turned sharp and focused, while Anna wore a calm smile, now unfazed by the cheers of the crowd.
Together, they threw their Poké Balls.
"Scizor, it's your turn!"
"Paras, good luck."
They had chosen not to send out Beedrill and Butterfree—knowing those two would be too overwhelming for a first challenger. Instead, they opted for their secondary Pokémon.
On the other side of the arena, Village Chief Joey's demeanor shifted. His normally easygoing, almost playful expression gave way to something more serious. Without a word, he drew two Poké Balls from his belt and gently tossed them forward.
"Rattata, Pichu—show them your effort."
The four Pokémon landed on the jungle-themed battlefield, their eyes locking instantly.
Each of them understood the weight of the moment. For one side, this was a chance to prove they were worthy Gym Leaders. For the other, a test of the hard-earned trust and training shared with their partner.
Joey's eyes narrowed. Despite his age, his mind moved with unnatural speed, sizing up the enemy team.
"Pichu, Nuzzle the red one! Rattata, use Assurance on the mushroom—don't let it spread spores!"
He had encountered Paras in the Safari Zone before and had scanned it with his Pokédex. He knew well how dangerous its spore and powder moves could be. Scizor, however, was unfamiliar—so he decided to immobilize it first, just in case.
This might be Joey's first official Pokémon battle, but his experience showed.
Hector and Anna weren't idle either.
"Bullet Punch!"
"Flash."
Scizor blurred forward, weaving through the trees like a streak of red steel. In a flash, it slammed its claw into Pichu before the tiny Pokémon could react.
But Pichu endured the hit—and from the pink spots on its cheeks, sparks flared.
A surge of electricity burst out as Pichu's Nuzzle landed cleanly.
Scizor staggered, electricity crackling over its armored body.
It was now paralyzed.
Meanwhile, Rattata's Assurance attack—manifested as shadowy hands—faltered slightly. It had failed to close its eyes in time to avoid the blinding flash.
However, thanks to the dense trees scattered throughout the arena, much of the Flash had been blocked. The foliage shielded Rattata just enough for the shadowy hands to continue their approach, weaving forward through the underbrush.
But fighting Rattata had never been Anna's intention.
As the light faded, Rattata blinked—and realized Paras had vanished from its previous spot.
"Rattata, Quick Attack! Pichu, Thunder Shock!" Joey commanded, eyes sharp.
Pichu's gaze turned focused. Electricity crackled along its cheeks as it released a jolt of Thunder Shock. The blast forced Scizor back slightly—and, more importantly, forced Paras out from its hiding place in a nearby bush.
It had been trying to gang up on Pichu for a sneak attack. After all, this was a two-on-two battle!
The ambush had failed—but Scizor's assault was far from over.
The moment Pichu was distracted by Paras's reappearance, Scizor struck again, landing more Bullet Punches in rapid succession.
But Rattata wasn't idle either. It dashed through the trees with blinding speed, zigzagging between trunks until it reached Pichu—intercepting Paras, who was poised to strike, with a sharp Quick Attack.
"Paras, Fury Cutter."
"Rattata, Bite!"
The two Pokémon collided, trading attacks in a flurry of swipes and bites, neither side willing to back down.
Unfortunately, Pichu—still just level 12—couldn't hold out against Scizor's unyielding barrage. Nuzzle had managed to slow the menacing Bug- and Steel-type, but it wasn't enough to halt its onslaught.
With one final Bullet Punch, Pichu fainted.
Paras was battered—its body bruised from Rattata's relentless attacks—but it could still stand. Scizor, meanwhile, was nearly untouched, aside from the lingering paralysis that occasionally sparked along its limbs.
Joey let out a quiet sigh, recalled Pichu to its Poké Ball, and shifted his full attention back to the battle.
His original plan had been to stall Scizor with Nuzzle, then follow up with Play Nice to weaken its Attack power. But he hadn't expected Paras to use Flash and jump Pichu first, throwing everything off.
Now, his only hope was that paralysis would fully incapacitate Scizor long enough for Rattata to even the odds.
Unfortunately, even though Rattata's level was close to both Scizor and Paras, it was still a 2-on-1—and the numbers eventually wore it down.
Still, before it fell, Rattata managed to land the finishing blow on Paras, taking it out first.
Arthur nodded, stepping forward as he raised his hand. "The challenger's Pokémon are unable to battle—Gym Leaders Hector and Anna are the winners!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, mostly from Joey's so-called "friends", who immediately began hurling curses, playful insults, and mocking applause.
Joey, though visibly disappointed, simply smiled and waved to them in return.
He patted his Poké Balls and murmured softly, "You both did great."
Then, without fanfare, he turned and quietly prepared to leave.
On the other side of the field, Hector and Anna finally exhaled—relief flooding their expressions. Their first Gym Challange had ended in victory.
However, the enthusiasm among the rest of the audience was noticeably low.
The battle had ended more quickly than expected, and there hadn't been many thrilling moments to hold their attention.
Arthur couldn't help but feel a little dejected. Maybe I was expecting too much...
It was foolish to hope that the very first Gym Challenge would turn into an adrenaline-pumping showdown. This was real life, after all—not a fiction where every first battle just happens to be dramatic.
Village Chief Joey had done his best, but the gap in both experience and Pokémon strength had been too wide.
Maybe making the first Gym a double battle was a mistake... Arthur thought, frowning. Should I have been the challenger myself?
Just then, a "ping" came through from Porygon.
A new challenger had entered the Gym.
Arthur blinked. Already? Who is it?
He closed his eyes and connected to the surveillance magic circles laced throughout the Gym.
A lone, hooded figure walked calmly toward the first riddle. Strands of rose-colored hair slipped from beneath her hood, cascading gracefully down the side of her face.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He recognized her immediately.
Rosaria!
A flicker of excitement lit in his chest.
Maybe the second challenge will give the audience what they came for!