In the end, Luo Yuan and Misty found a bustling grill spot along Pewter City's main street for a well-deserved meal.
It was worth noting that, in the Pokémon world, all meat products came from synthetic sources.
Why? Well...
Beyond the cruelty of consuming Pokémon, who are highly intelligent creatures, using them for meat had gradually been outlawed by the League over the past few years. On top of that, Pokémon had pushed most ordinary animals to the brink of extinction, so the majority of the world's "meat" now came from plant-based sources.
According to data from the League's Food Quality and Safety Bureau, synthetic meat now made up ninety-nine percent of the market. Real, high-grade meat was so rare that you'd have to go all the way to Saffron City—and book weeks in advance to get a taste.
---
Pewter Gym
"Pewter Gym's style is…definitely something else," Luo Yuan commented, raising an eyebrow.
Compared to Giovanni's lavish, mansion-like Viridian Gym, Pewter Gym's structure was just a rough-hewn cavern. It looked like someone had chiseled a hole out of solid rock and plunked a gym inside.
"Brock, Pewter's Gym Leader, is a Rock-type trainer. He has a huge Onix as his ace," Misty explained, giving him a rundown of what she knew about Brock's battle style.
It wasn't that she doubted Luo Yuan's strength, but she wanted to help him however she could.
Luo Yuan appreciated Misty's thoughtfulness. Instead of telling her he already knew, he simply smiled and nodded. "Let's do this."
If the gym's exterior was plain, its interior was downright barren. The floor was basic stone slabs, and other than a few ceiling lights, there was no decor to speak of.
Even some of the gym's support beams were visibly rusted, lending a barebones, almost sad air to the place.
"Is Pewter Gym this broke?" Luo Yuan wondered aloud. He'd grown up watching Ash tour Kanto's gyms, but seeing Pewter Gym in person gave him a whole new perspective on just how impoverished it seemed.
Misty also looked around and nodded sympathetically. "Cerulean Gym isn't well-funded either, but at least we have a pool and a small aquarium to keep up appearances."
The two walked through the hallway, eventually reaching the gym's main battle area.
Inside, they came upon a fierce one-sided battle already underway.
An enormous Onix was thrashing across the arena, relentlessly chasing a Raticate.
With a resounding crash, Onix's massive body cut across half the field, cornering Raticate at last against the arena wall.
"Raticate!"
In one last, pitiful squeal, the Raticate crumpled, officially ending the battle.
Its fate was clear.
The trainer who'd just lost was still standing by the sidelines, clearly struggling to accept his crushing defeat. Ignoring the other trainer's misery, Brock turned his attention to Luo Yuan and Misty.
"Are you two here to challenge the gym?" Brock's eyes studied them thoughtfully.
It was typical for him to see challengers around this time of year. With so many new trainers starting their journeys, he'd been fending off an influx of rookies. But their teams had been weak, and giving them battles worth their badges had added more to his workload than his success rate.
Seeing his giant Onix in action, Brock hoped these two would get the hint and reconsider.
"Yes, but only I'm challenging today. I'm Luo Yuan," he said, stepping forward confidently. "No need for chit-chat. Let's get this over with. I'll make this quick."
One big Onix wasn't enough to scare him.
Luo Yuan wasn't one to shrink back in front of a gym leader, especially not over something so routine.
Winning the Boulder Badge felt about as challenging as clocking in at work, so Luo Yuan aimed to get it done fast and see if he'd get some milestone rewards from his system for it.
Hearing Luo Yuan's words, the defeated trainer, who'd been on his way out, stopped in his tracks. He wanted to see what Luo Yuan's confidence was all about—maybe he could pick up a few tricks for his own rematch.
Across the field, Brock's brows creased. He wasn't accustomed to challengers coming in this cocky.
But he kept his cool. He'd seen plenty of trainers talk big, and as the gym leader, accepting all challengers was his duty.
"Very well," Brock replied. "The Pewter Gym challenge is a two-on-two match. Standard League rules. The challenger may switch out Pokémon, but as the Gym Leader, I won't. Let's begin if you're ready."
With a quick wave, Brock motioned for Onix to return to his side of the field, making it clear he'd be sticking with his ace.
Luo Yuan responded by tossing a Poké Ball into the air. "Let's go! Don't disappoint me in this first round."
The trainer on the sidelines guessed he'd send out a starter—perhaps Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander.
But instead…
"ROAR!"
Out of the light sprang an enormous Gyarados, exuding power and menace. Gyarados's icy gaze zeroed in on Onix, letting out a deep, rumbling growl.
The trainer on the sidelines gulped, feeling the gravity of the situation hit home.
"Oh, I see where his confidence is coming from…"
He quickly realized he wouldn't be learning anything here that he could apply.
"Yeah, can't even begin to copy this," he muttered with a sigh.
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T/N: why is evil yapping about vedal over and over