Chapter 248: Yin-Yang Domain
Author: Samsung Charmander
Inside the Viridian Gym.
The lights weren't bright, with only a few faint, dim yellow beams serving as illumination.
Upon entering, Gary's expression tightened. His arrogant demeanor from outside had vanished without him realizing it. He walked slowly forward, arriving at what looked like a training ground.
It was a simple training ground, devoid of any spectator stands, which made it feel cold and deserted.
What gave him pause, however, was the layout. While his side had a standard trainer's command station, the opposing trainer's position was on a high platform that extended up to a second-floor railing.
"Heh..."
A cold sneer came from the direction of the high platform. Gary immediately looked up.
The light wasn't clear. In the haze, he could make out a seated figure. In the darkness, a pair of sinister eyes stood out, staring straight at him.
Coiled beside the figure was a beast-like Pokémon, which also had a pair of fierce, slit-pupiled eyes. From time to time, the sound of the creature licking its teeth and tongue could be heard.
At that moment, the light source brightened a little, and the figure's face was fully revealed.
A middle-aged man with a crew cut was sitting on an armchair. His expression was grim, the corners of his mouth hooked into a chilling, ferocious smile. He wore a crisp orange suit, a large "R" emblem emblazoned on his chest.
The boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni!
And the Pokémon next to him was the Persian from the statue outside.
Giovanni made no grand movements, only slowly stroking the Persian's head. He then raised his cold eyes to look at the figure below.
In an instant, a terrifyingly immense aura, that of a superior, swept over and enveloped the entire training ground. The murderous and decisive presence seemed to freeze the very air, like an invisible giant hand gripping his neck tightly, nearly suffocating him.
"So strong..."
Gary swallowed hard, his body instinctively taking half a step back. A hint of fear had already appeared on his face.
This was a metaphysical aura of sorts. It wasn't something only a Pokémon could emit; a powerful human could possess such an aura as well.
It was just that Gary had only ever felt an aura of this caliber from top-tier trainers like Green and Red...
Seeing Gary's face turn pale, Giovanni smiled in satisfaction. He asked condescendingly, not even bothering to stand up from the armchair.
"Speak, challenger. Your name?"
Seeing that his momentum had been completely suppressed—and a trainer's battle was a contest of wills—Gary quickly bit his tongue. The sharp pain and taste of blood finally allowed him to break free from the terrifying pressure.
He then forced himself to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, his handsome face once more wore an arrogant smile.
"Why are you asking? Go ask a Farfetch'd. Didn't I just say my name outside? Or did you not hear me?"
"Heh..."
Giovanni watched Gary's performance with a hint of interest. Using exaggerated gestures and expressions to hide one's true feelings was a decent tactic.
However, this tactic also revealed one thing directly.
This one had potential.
No matter how meticulous his thoughts, he still just had potential. He was not yet a major figure.
"Heh... Surely there isn't someone who heard everything on the monitor but is pretending they didn't, right?! Don't be disgusting."
Gary spoke again, attempting to steer the rhythm of the conversation into the domain he excelled at.
One part dark, one part light. One part feint, one part fact. One yin, one yang.
This was the Yin-Yang Domain.
"Heh..."
Just as Giovanni was about to speak, Gary interrupted him again.
"Heh, surely no one gets insulted and feels a little upset inside, but just makes a 'heh' sound to pretend they're an expert? They don't actually think that makes people see them as a master, do they? That's really quite hilarious."
Giovanni: "..."
He merely frowned and snorted. Just a sharp-tongued brat. How could a man of his stature possibly get angry over something like this?
No matter what poses a monkey struck in front of a human, the human wouldn't get angry, only find it absurd and laughable.
Seeing this, Gary wasn't discouraged and continued his assault.
"Surely someone wasn't just trying to convince themselves they're a master, right? Fun fact: the moment you have to psych yourself up, your composure has already been broken."
Giovanni: "..."
"Oh, I'm not talking about you. I'm sure no one here would take it personally, hehe."
But if that monkey were to jump on the human's head and piss, see if the human gets angry then. They'd have the urge to dig up the monkey's ancestral graves.
Giovanni: "..."
Several veins pulsed on his forehead as the hand stroking the creature in his lap quickened its pace.
As the boss of Team Rocket, when encountering an enemy, he would either start a Pokémon battle directly or engage in a trainer battle himself.
When it came to verbal sparring, Giovanni wasn't particularly skilled. He much preferred to shut a person's mouth with cement.
"Hmph!"
In the end, he just snorted coldly, moving his hand away from the Persian and slowly looking at Gary.
Although his mouth was running quite skillfully, the latter's shoulders were still trembling slightly. Giovanni sneered with disdain.
"Ahem."
Seeing his opponent break free from the Yin-Yang Domain so quickly, Gary didn't dare to be careless. He stopped the verbal games, his gaze hardened, and he looked directly at Giovanni on the high platform. His expression became incredibly serious as he spoke, enunciating every word.
"Then I'll say it again. I am Gary from Pallet Town, and I am here to challenge the Viridian Gym!"
*Yes, all that stuff about stringing him up on a League flagpole and carving words on his forehead... it's fine to say behind his back, but when face-to-face, it's better to be a bit more composed.*
It really wasn't that he was scared.
"If that's the case, then let the battle begin..."
*Pallet Town, huh? It used to have quite a reputation, but there hasn't been much noise from there in recent years.*
*But this was a town destined for greatness. Giovanni had once ordered his subordinates to pay close attention and to notify him immediately if they discovered any trainer with good potential who came from Pallet Town.*
*However, none of the core executives had reported discovering any such trainers from Pallet Town. It seems it amounted to nothing after all.*
Giovanni chuckled softly. Without knowing what mechanism he activated, a storage device appeared before him, on which three rows of Poké Balls were neatly arranged, with three in each row.
"The rules of the Viridian Gym are 3v3. Any problems?"
He looked at the three rows of Poké Balls before him. They were arranged by level.
The bottom row contained his lower-tier Pokémon. In terms of combat power, they were around the 5,000 mark, which was the average level for participants in the Pokémon League Conference.
The middle row was around the 8,000 mark, his mid-tier. In the Pokémon League Conference, they could already achieve decent results.
And the top row was around the 11,000 mark. Having crossed the five-digit threshold, they could be said to have reached the most basic level of an Elite Four member. These were his top-tier Pokémon.
Of course, they were still a far cry from the level of a true Elite Four member, but in the Pokémon League Conference, as long as no major dark horse emerged, winning the champion or runner-up title wouldn't be too difficult.
"Heh..."
For some reason, Giovanni felt rather inspired today. Or perhaps the snarky little monkey below had piqued his interest. He pondered something, and soon the corner of his mouth curled up as if he had thought of something interesting. He then reached for the bottom row of Poké Balls.
(end of chapter)