This bounty mission had gone far more smoothly than expected. It was already the third day of Kael serving as the temporary Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym. As long as he made it through today, the job would be officially complete.
Over the past two days, most of the Trainers who came to challenge the Gym had been fresh-faced rookies who'd only just begun their journeys. The majority were attempting their very first Gym battle, with only a small handful already holding a single badge.
The reason was obvious to anyone who checked the Kanto League's official website. The site specifically recommended two Gyms for first-time challengers: Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym.
Between the two, Pewter Gym ranked higher overall. And people naturally preferred the easier option. As the Gym widely acknowledged to be the weakest in Kanto, Cerulean became the ideal target for new Trainers who had just left home and were eager to make a name for themselves.
Of course, exceptions always existed.
Just yesterday afternoon, around two o'clock, an elite Trainer holding six Gym Badges had shown up at Cerulean Gym. He had competed in last year's Indigo Plateau Conference and placed in the Top 16—an impressive result by any standard. Since he hailed from Fuchsia City, he challenged Gyms in descending order of difficulty.
That match had nearly caused Kael to wipe out.
The opponent was a seasoned veteran—experienced, sharp, and strong. Kael, on the other hand, was fighting a three-on-three battle where Feebas was pure cannon fodder, effectively turning it into a two-versus-three.
The challenger specialized in Bug- and Poison-type Pokémon, and Bug-types happened to counter Psychic-types.
If not for Lulu unleashing an enhanced Psychic-powered Psybeam at the very end, severely injuring the opponent's Golbat, the match might truly have gone south. Golbat was incredibly agile and also knew the Dark-type move Crunch. With Kirlia's stamina and physical defense, taking even a single Crunch head-on would have been disastrous.
After lunch, Kael lounged lazily on a deck chair by the pool. Lulu sat quietly behind him, her small hands resting on his shoulders as she closed her eyes and used psychic energy to stimulate his muscles, delivering a deep, restorative massage. This form of psychic massage helped activate muscle cells; practiced over time, it could significantly strengthen muscle tissue.
Meanwhile, Sneasel was swimming in straight lines through the expansive pool at top speed. Swimming was the perfect full-body workout—water resistance refined every muscle line and improved overall strength. Sneasel needed to raise its physical conditioning as early as possible to prepare for mastering that lethal close-combat technique.
...
The tingling, numb sensation made Kael so comfortable he nearly drifted off to sleep. These three days of life as a Gym Trainer had been unexpectedly relaxing. Every day consisted of beating up rookies, with the rest of the time free to do whatever he pleased. On top of that, Gym Leaders received generous funding from the League every year—this kind of lifestyle was a dream for most people.
If there was one downside to being a Gym Leader, it was the inability to leave the city for extended periods. You never knew when a challenger might show up, and a Gym that refused battles for too long—and accumulated complaints—could have its official status revoked by the League.
Maybe one day, once I've earned enough money, I'll build a Gym of my own in some nice city, Kael mused.
Build a reputation, apply for League certification, pass the assessment… and voilà—another official Gym.
Then again—forget it.
Kael hated trouble more than anything. Experiencing this lifestyle briefly was fine, but if he had to stay in a Gym every day waiting for challengers to line up nonstop? After a month of that, he'd probably tear the place down himself.
Evening arrived.
Once the clock passed 7:15 p.m., Kael's mission would be perfectly completed. Over three days, he had accepted 14 challenges, with a flawless record:
14 wins, 0 losses.
"—Screeeech!"
The sharp squeal of tires against the ground rang out. With a loud bang, the front doors were kicked open from outside.
A boy with spiky reddish-brown hair strode in arrogantly. He wore a blue sweater and jeans, with a Poké Ball–shaped pendant hanging around his neck.
"Gary! Gary is the best!"
"Gary! Gary is the strongest!"
Female screams.
What an over-the-top entrance.
Kael pushed up the sunglasses on his nose and glanced sideways, only to see five girls dressed in revealing cheerleader outfits standing behind the spiky-haired boy.
"Hey," the boy called Gary asked smugly, arms crossed. "You the Trainer guarding the Cerulean Gym?"
Gary Oak…
The name sounded extremely familiar.
Kael stood up from his lounge chair. As a world-renowned Pokémon researcher, Professor Oak was practically a household name online—meaning his family background was easy to look up.
Combining memories from his previous life with what he knew in this one, Kael could be certain of one thing:
This spiky-haired kid named Gary Oak was Professor Oak's grandson.
Kael walked a few steps forward and looked down at him.
"The three Gym Leaders are out on business," he said calmly. "I'm the temporary Gym Leader here. If you're here for a Gym battle, I can take you on."
"Hmph!"
Gary took a few steps back—clearly uncomfortable being looked down on like that.
"Doesn't matter," he said coolly. "As long as I beat you, I still get the Cerulean Gym Badge, right?"
"That's right," Kael replied with a light nod.