"Find some time to go to the Silph Co. to pick up a Master Ball. Speaking of which, what kind of Pokémon should I put in the Master Ball?"
In the backyard of the Rota Gym, Dylan pondered his plans for the next few days.
Naturally, there was no need to discuss dealing with challengers, as it was Dylan's primary duty as the Gym Leader.
"Then I'll visit Professor Oak in Pallet Town and ask if he has a Partner Eevee or Partner Pikachu that he could give me."
Partner Eevee and Partner Pikachu are the starter Pokémon in the "Let's Go, Pikachu!" and "Let's Go, Eevee!" versions. While they may not look very different from regular Eevee and Pikachu, they're actually distinct species.
Not only can they learn special partner moves, but in the game, their base stats are also different from those of regular Eevee and Pikachu, making them quite unique.
Dylan fed some snacks and candy to his little Eevee, comfortably petting it.
"Momo"
A small, cloud-like Pokémon floated over, drawn by the scent, and let out a cute, affectionate sound.
"Alright, alright, come here."
Dylan chuckled as he watched the little Nebby circle around him. This child was particularly affectionate.
A faint green light glowed from Dylan's hand as he gently stroked Nebby's head. Nebby's large eyes curved into crescents, clearly enjoying the comfort.
Does Nebby like the power of Viridian? Dylan couldn't help but wonder.
"Mi?"
Not far away, a slightly plump 'Clefairy' floated over, landing on Dylan's shoulder and staring at Nebby with big, watery eyes, full of curiosity.
Why does this little guy feel so strange?
"Momo"
Nebby, sensing the uniqueness of this 'Clefairy,' floated closer and let out a soft, endearing chirp.
"Mi?" Clefairy blinked, still feeling a bit off, but unable to pinpoint what was wrong.
Oh well, never mind.
"Mi~" Clefairy tugged at Dylan's face with its tiny hands, indicating that it was hungry.
"You need to control yourself a bit, my dear. Look at your belly."
Dylan's mouth twitched as he grabbed Clefairy and held it in front of him. Looking at Clefairy's innocent expression, he poked its protruding, round belly.
Originally, Clefairy's body was star-shaped, with short arms and legs. But now, what about this 'Clefairy' in front of him?
After freeloading food, drinks, and sleep at the Rota Gym for two months, it even developed a 'beer belly'!!
Sure, Dylan didn't restrict Clefairy from eating snacks and drinks, and the storage was open for it to help itself.
But Dylan never imagined that this little guy would have such little self-control!!
"Mi~! Mi~"
Clefairy let out an adorably meek sound, wearing a look of guilt.
"Don't try to fool me. Look at yourself, you're as round as a ball now! If I took you out and said you're a Clefairy, would anyone believe it? You'd be more convincing as a Jigglypuff!"
"Mi~!!"
Clefairy puffed out its cheeks, and then, before Dylan's astonished eyes, the Clefairy he was holding turned into a Jigglypuff—though still a bit chubbier than a regular Jigglypuff, especially with that bulging belly.
Seeing Clefairy suddenly 'transform,' both Eevee and Nebby were stunned.
"Mii~"
Jigglypuff's big, watery eyes were full of expectation. Now that it was a Jigglypuff, which was supposed to be round, it wasn't considered fat anymore, right? So it could continue eating!
Dylan: "..."
Would this little chubby thing ever be able to float again?
Watching Jigglypuff happily float away with a large pile of snacks, Dylan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Would this one turn into something like Meowth from the Eastern folklore?
Dreamy. Meowth, Eastern Edition Jpg.
Just thinking about that scenario was a bit too terrifying. He hoped that wouldn't happen to this cat...
Dylan turned his gaze to the other side, where a black Pokémon floated under the shade of a tree, its red eyes eerily watching its surroundings.
Its body was black, with a beige mask held by what looked like a tail beneath its head, giving it a rather creepy appearance.
'Beep~ Yamask, Ghost-type, Spirit Pokémon.
Ability: Mummy.
Moves: Trick Room, Will-O-Wisp, Mean Look, Night Shade, Destiny Bond, Scary Face, Haze, Protect, Parting Shot (Egg Move).
Description: The mask it holds may be its human face from when it was alive. It sometimes stares at the mask and cries.'
And not far from Yamask was a strange, sword-shaped Pokémon. Its blade was sheathed in a brown scabbard with a ghostly face pattern, and its hilt bore a blue eye.
This was a Honedge.
'Beep~ Honedge, Steel/Ghost-type, Sword Pokémon.
Ability: No Guard.
Moves: Shadow Sneak, Fury Cutter, Metal Sound, Aerial Ace, Destiny Bond, Block (Egg Move).
Description: It is said that the soul of a deceased person took up residence in an ancient sword, reincarnating into this Pokémon. It will drain the life of anyone who dares to grab its hilt.'
Indeed, these two Pokémon were given to Dylan by Itto yesterday. As expected of Ghost-type Pokémon, their Pokédex entries were 'normal' in a very unsettling way.
"It's a pity that Dragapult is still too rare."
Dylan felt a bit regretful. If only he had a Dragapult, then he could gather four Dragon-type Pokémon and add the Dragon type to the spinner.
"I should go capture a Mankey; Annihilape's combat power is excellent, and Ceruledge would also be a good addition."
"And there's Gholdengo, the gold of the rich."
Dylan pondered the construction of his Ghost-type team and suddenly realized that there were quite a few Ghost-type Pokémon he wanted.
In the "Scarlet/Violet" versions, the newly introduced Annihilape, Ceruledge, Gholdengo, and Flutter Mane are all very outstanding Ghost-type Pokémon.
Especially Flutter Mane! It's a shame that Flutter Mane can only be found in Area Zero, so he'll need to visit the Paldea region personally.
And then there's Dreepy.
But pseudo-legendary Dragapult is very rare. If only a Team Rocket executive could give him one as a reward, that would be great.
No need to rush; I'll take my time.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Yesterday afternoon, Dylan's sister had already posted an announcement on the official website about the Rota Gym reopening today.
So early in the morning, several challengers were already standing in front of the Rota Gym, ranging from Karate Masters and a woman to Psychics and Bird Keepers—there was quite a variety of them.
"It's almost nine o'clock. What's going on with this gym?"
"Hmph~ This time, I will definitely redeem myself! Poison and Dark types are nothing in the face of Fighting-type power! I even specifically trained a Guts Machoke!"
"Oh my, Mr. Karate is very confident."
"Hehehe~ Everything is but a cloud before the power of Psychic-types. I want to see how this gym's Poison-type Pokémon will stand against my Psychic-type Pokémon!"
"Huh? Mr. Psychic is really confident. But what if you land on the Dark type?"
The woman's question made the Psychic scoff, his confident and composed demeanor surprising the others.
Could it be that this guy wasn't afraid of Dark types? After all, Dark types are the natural counter to Psychic types.
"Dark-type Pokémon, those heretical types." The Psychic boy raised his head, speaking with conviction.
"If it comes to that, I'll just surrender."
Hilarious. As a Psychic, who would fight a Dark-type? That would be asking for trouble!
"???"
The woman and the other two challengers were left speechless. Okay, okay, you're the first person to talk about surrendering with such pride!
"Regardless, we carry the expectations of everyone in the group. I'll record our gym challenge; it's valuable footage."
The woman picked up the camera hanging from her neck and waved it at the three, her smile charming and captivating.
It was clear that these challengers hadn't just gathered by chance.
"Hmph~"
Behind them, a spiky-haired boy with his hands in his pockets smirked. These clowns think they can challenge the Rota Gym? The only ones worthy of the Rota Badge are me and Blue!
Yes, this spiky-haired boy was none other than Gary! He was back at the Rota Gym once again.
After watching Blue's battle with Dylan last time, Gary was actually ready to give up on challenging the Rota Gym. After all, if Blue couldn't win, what chance did he have against Dylan?
But then he reconsidered. While Dylan was indeed incredibly strong, he adjusted his Pokémon's strength according to the challenger's abilities.
Thinking back, the Pokémon Dylan used in Gary's first and second challenges weren't much stronger than his own. This was why Gary wasn't satisfied and wanted to challenge the Gym again. He knew that his two previous losses weren't due to a significant difference in Pokémon strength. If that were the case, Gary wouldn't have kept coming back to a Gym he couldn't beat.
Since Dylan didn't use Pokémon that far outmatched his own, it meant that if he strategized properly and chose the right Pokémon, he could defeat Dylan and earn the Rota Badge!
So Gary was here for his fourth attempt! He was ready to challenge the Rota Gym for the third time! (Last time didn't count since he came with Blue.)
As long as he didn't land on that damn gold area, whether it was Poison-type or Dark-type, Gary was confident!
The thought of earning a badge Blue didn't have excited him! He couldn't wait to show off the Rota Badge to Blue in a video call, hanging it proudly around his neck!
Time ticked to 9 AM.
The door to the Gym opened, and out came a sleepy-eyed receptionist, yawning as she blinked at the group waiting outside.
Yes, she and Selene had stayed overnight at the Gym. They had a great time chatting with Lillie, listening to her stories about the Alola region, and ended up falling asleep there.
Oh, the beds in the Gym were so big and soft! She had slept like a dream!
"Huh? You guys are here early," she said, still a bit dazed.
"Is Dylan awake yet?" The woman with the camera, who clearly wasn't here for the first time, smiled and asked.
"Come on in. At this hour, the Gym Leader is probably in the backyard already. Are you all here to challenge the Gym?" The receptionist, now more awake, asked the group as she stepped aside.
"Yes, this time I'm definitely getting that badge!" The karate master declared, full of determination, while the psychic and bird keeper shrugged.
"We've been in Rota for two days, and today's finally our chance to challenge the Gym. Of course, we won't pass it up," the woman replied, brushing her short blonde hair back with a mature, charming smile that made the receptionist envious.
Gary, still maintaining his cool demeanor, entered last, followed by his cheerleader girlfriends.
"Alright, then let's spin for your types! By the way, the Gym now includes Ghost-types too," the receptionist introduced the new spinning wheel with a cheerful smile.
Gary took a look and immediately grew serious.
That tiny gold section was still there, practically negligible. So far, only some lucky guy named Aaron had landed on it.
The rest of the wheel was equally divided into three colors: deep purple for Poison, black for Dark, and ghostly blue for Ghost.
"An unconventional type?!" The karate master's eyes widened, as if facing a formidable enemy.
The psychic's delicate face also tensed up—Ghost was super effective against Psychic…
The woman and the bird keeper showed no particular reaction, but their smiles faded. Ghost-types weren't known for having the best reputation…
Poison, Dark, and now Ghost. This Gym really didn't deal with anything from the "normal" world, did it?
"So, who wants to go first? By the way, the Gym Leader said that if there are a lot of challengers, you can team up for a Double Battle," the receptionist suggested with a smile.
Double Battles?
The group exchanged surprised looks, but quickly fell silent, eyeing each other warily. Double Battles required excellent teamwork and coordination.
Otherwise, it could just make the already difficult Gym challenge even harder.
"Hmph, true strength doesn't need to rely on others! Hoping for help isn't what a true martial artist should do. I'll go first!" The karate master snorted and strode to the spinning wheel, pressing the button.
"Heh, let's see you get Ghost-type," the psychic mocked.
"Shut up! That's impossible!" The karate master glared at the psychic. Was this scrawny kid cursing him?
He was a strong Fighting-type Trainer! How could he have anything to do with Ghost-types?!
And then…
The karate master's face turned as black as a storm cloud.
"Uh… you got Ghost-type. I'll go get the Gym Leader," the receptionist said, trying to keep her expression neutral but failing to hide the slight awkwardness in her smile.
"Wait!" The karate master suddenly straightened up.
"Hmm?"
"I just remembered I'm not feeling well, and my Machoke's wife is laying eggs this afternoon, so it wouldn't be right to have it fight now. It needs to be with its wife," the karate master said seriously. After all, if he didn't battle, it wouldn't count as a loss!
I'm a genius!
"I'm forfeiting my turn. Let that idiot psychic go. I hope he gets Dark-type," he declared.
Patreon: RockyRoad891