"The Gym Leaders Vigoroth is unable to battle! Crawdaunt wins! The victory goes to Trainer Silas!"
The referee raised his red flag, voice carrying across the battlefield.
Silas exhaled slowly, his eyes falling on his newly evolved partner. Crawdaunt's crimson shell gleamed under the gym lights, the golden star-shaped crest on its forehead shining proudly.
"Crawdaunt…" Silas whispered, a rare smile tugging at his lips. "We've known each other for a year now. You finally evolved. That star suits you."
To outsiders, Crawdaunt's fierce and intimidating appearance might seem almost villainous. But to Silas, it was the most handsome sight in the world.
"Craw-daunttt!!"
Crawdaunt raised its massive claws and let out a powerful roar, water rippling faintly in the air around it.
Norman walked forward, composed despite the loss. "Congratulations, Silas. This is proof of your victory - the Balance Badge."
He held out a badge shaped like a scale, silver with subtle weights at each side. Silas accepted it reverently with both hands.
"My first badge…" he murmured under his breath, eyes shining.
Norman studied the boy with approval before speaking again. "As a Gym Leader, the message I want to pass on is this: balanced development.
"Most trainers will tell you to play to your Pokémon's strengths and cover their weaknesses. But I prefer to raise them in a balanced way. If you polish a weakness until it rivals their strengths, the Pokémon becomes flawless — invulnerable."
The words struck deep into Silas's mind. He bowed slightly. "Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Norman."
"Mm. Don't forget to register your victory at the front desk." Norman gave a final nod, then excused himself. The Petalburg Gym had only recently opened, and the paperwork and obligations weighed heavily on a man who preferred battles to bureaucracy.
From the stands, May came sprinting down with her short legs, eyes sparkling. "Big brother, you won! You really beat Dad! That was amazing!"
Silas looked helplessly at her enthusiasm, though inside he sighed. 'This little girl probably thinks I actually defeated Norman at full strength. In truth, this was a guided battle… If Norman had used his true team, only an Elite Four member could have matched him.'
Norman himself felt the sting of irony. Watching his daughter cheer for Silas instead of him left his smile unchanged, but his heart bled quietly.
Still, he straightened and spoke firmly: "Silas, dedicating yourself to Pokémon is a harsh road. I hope to see you in the League one day."
"Yes, sir." Silas bowed once more.
Later, at the Pokémon Center, Silas handed over his partners for treatment. Carvanha was badly injured from Vigoroth's Thunder Punch, and Crawdaunt, despite its victory, still bore fresh burns from Flamethrower.
"Leave them to me," Nurse Joy said warmly, Chansey clapping its stubby hands beside her.
"Chansey~!"
Silas sat down to wait, replaying the battle in his mind. 'Balance, huh… Is that really Norman's philosophy? To make weaknesses into strengths…'
Not long after, Nurse Joy returned. Thanks to his status as an official Alliance-registered trainer, his Pokémon received priority treatment. Around him, other trainers with injured partners could only wait in silence. No one dared to question the rules of the League.
"Already evolved into Crawdaunt…" Joy whispered under her breath as she watched him leave. "The shell is strong, the size impressive. He really is a talented trainer."
She noted his name and quietly forwarded the information to the extended Joy family network. If Silas's growth continued, he might one day be considered worth drawing into their clan.
...
Outside the Gym, May tugged at Silas's sleeve as they strolled through the bamboo grove.
"Big brother, Dad is so useless. You beat him so easily!"
Silas quickly turned, glancing back at the Gym with an embarrassed cough. "May, you can't badmouth your father. That's what bad kids do."
"Hmph… fine, I won't say it." She pouted, her little cheeks puffing in annoyance.
Still, her voice softened as she added, "Big brother, when I start my own journey, I want to become strong like you. Can we travel together then?"
Her bright, expectant eyes made it impossible to refuse. Silas smiled faintly and patted her head. "Of course. But… I wonder which starter Pokémon you'll pick?"
May froze, then began counting on her fingers. "Torchic is really cute… Mudkip is too. But Treecko looks a little cold. I don't like him."
Silas nearly tripped at her bluntness. As expected of the Gym Leader's daughter — she only thinks about the starters. That's some luxury.
He sighed and offered calmly, "Treecko may not look cute, but its Speed Boost ability is excellent. Mudkip evolves into Swampert, a powerhouse with only one major weakness to Grass. And as for Torchic… if it has the Speed Boost ability, then it's practically perfect."
May's jaw dropped. She had never thought about it like that. To her, choosing a starter was as simple as picking the one that looked best.
Her admiration for Silas grew even stronger. Big brother really knows everything…
"Speed Boost Torchic…" she whispered softly, a seed of determination quietly planting itself in her heart.
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(End of chapter)