I don't know how long it took, but Gary was awakened by a push.
"It's Mia, is it time for dinner?" he mumbled, opening his eyes and looking at the person who had pushed him.
Mia nodded and handed the food to Gary.
Rubbing his eyes, Gary sat up from the bed and took the food from Mia.
Gary was really hungry at this time and ate the food like a wolf.
Even compared to Mia before, it wasn't much different.
After finishing the meal, Gary put down the lunchbox, patted his stomach, and stretched comfortably.
"Feeling better?" Mia asked, watching Gary stretch. "Then let's settle the matter from earlier."
"Huh?" Gary was confused when he heard Mia mention settling accounts. "What are you talking about?"
"What accounts?" Mia became furious when she heard Gary ask, "What did you say while you were asleep? Do you remember?"
Gary definitely didn't remember—after all, who can recall what they say in their sleep?
"You don't remember, huh? Then I'll help you recall it."
Mia then recounted everything Gary had said in his sleep, her body shaking with anger as she spoke.
One of the things Gary had said was that Mia was a big eater and would eventually get as fat as a pig.
How could Mia not be angry at that?
"Those were just dreams, they don't count, they don't count..." Gary stammered after hearing what he had said. He really didn't remember saying such things.
Maybe he had thought them, but saying them out loud to Mia? He'd never do that consciously.
"So you admit you thought about it before?"
Gary was shocked when he heard Mia say this.
He had been caught, but there was no way to take it back now.
So he just kept silent. No matter what Mia said, he remained quiet and didn't say a word.
And so, the two of them were at an impasse.
Mia kept talking, while Gary stayed silent.
Finally, Mia said she was tired and looked at Gary. "How are you going to make it up to me?"
Hearing this, Gary was immediately relieved. This was his chance.
"So, how do you want me to make it up to you?"
"Well..." Mia thought for a while before finally saying, "I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know when I do."
"You're not mad anymore, right?" Gary asked cautiously.
"I guess not," Mia nodded, "but if you say something like that again, you'll see how I deal with you. When it comes to a battle of words, I'm not scared of you."
Gary quickly agreed, eager to smooth things over.
With that, the little episode was over.
"By the way, when are you going to challenge the gym? I heard that the Pewter Gym Leader is also involved in the situation in Viridian Forest. If you don't challenge him soon, you might have to wait a while before he's available again."
After wrapping up their personal matters, Mia shifted the conversation to business.
"Where did you hear that?" Gary asked, curious about Mia's source of information.
Mia explained that she had heard it during dinner from others.
"Then we shouldn't delay any longer. I'll challenge the gym first thing tomorrow morning."
Gary decided after a moment's thought.
"Tomorrow?" Mia asked, surprised. "Don't you still need to train your Pokémon? Going so early might not be the best idea."
"I can't worry about that now. Besides, I trust Charmander and the others," Gary replied.
In truth, Gary had already trained his Pokémon, but he didn't tell Mia that.
Since Gary had made up his mind, Mia knew she couldn't change it, so she went back to her room.
The next morning, Gary got up very early.
The first thing he did was retrieve his Pokémon from Nurse Joy.
Then, he went to wake up Mia.
"Ding!"
"It is detected that the host is about to challenge the Pewter City Gym."
"Option 1: Battle the Gym Leader with one Pokémon and receive a piece of Pokémon food as a reward."
"Option 2: Battle the Gym Leader with three Pokémon, receive the Boulder Badge, and earn two Rare Candies and a Flamethrower TM as rewards."
At that moment, the system's prompt sounded.
Gary was already used to these system choices, and since he was determined to challenge the gym, he immediately chose the second option.
Afterward, Gary and Mia had a quick breakfast before heading to the Pewter City Gym.
Gary had learned about the eight gyms in the Kanto region when he was a child.
The Pewter City Gym specializes in Rock-type Pokémon, and the Gym Leader is Brock. If Gary defeats Brock, he'll earn the Boulder Badge.
"Rock-types... this is going to be a tough battle," Gary muttered, looking at the gym's entrance.
"Tough battle?" Mia asked, thinking Gary was nervous. "Your Pokémon are strong; don't worry."
Gary nodded but didn't explain why he thought it would be tough.
He simply walked up to the front of the Pewter City Gym, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
As they entered the gym, various strange stones came into view.
"This setup really suits Rock-type Pokémon. In an environment like this, their battle capabilities are greatly enhanced," Gary said as he observed the gym's layout.
Walking along the stone-covered path, Gary and Mia soon reached the end of the gym.
At the far end, a young man was standing, surrounded by several children, both boys and girls. The young man was smiling and playing with them.
There was no doubt that this young man was Brock, the Gym Leader.
"Gary from Pallet Town, here to challenge the Pewter City Gym," Gary announced as he approached the young man.
Hearing Gary's voice, Brock turned around and looked at him. "You're just in time. I'm heading to Viridian Forest tomorrow to deal with Team Rocket."
"I know," Gary replied. "That's why I chose this time to challenge you."
"Oh?" Brock raised an eyebrow. "You know about this, and you're in a hurry to challenge me? You must be confident in your strength."
"It's not my strength I'm confident in—it's my Pokémon," Gary responded.
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