"Seel, come back," Sakura said, sighing in disappointment. She hadn't expected the battle to end so quickly, and her Seel had been overwhelmed before it even had a chance to execute a proper move.
After recalling her Pokémon, Sakura walked over to Gary and handed him a blue, drop-shaped badge. "This is the Cascade Badge of Cerulean Gym. Keep it."
"Thank you," Gary replied. Though he had little respect for Misty's three sisters, they were polite, and he didn't want to be rude in return.
[Ding! Mission completed. Rewards have been added to your space backpack.]
Gary accepted the badge and turned to leave.
"Hey, Gary, where are you from?" Lily suddenly asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Gary paused for a moment, slightly surprised by the question. Still, he answered, "Pallet Town."
With that, he left the gym without another word. He wasn't interested in lingering any longer with Misty's three sisters.
Lily watched him go, a wistful expression on her face. "It's a shame. He's a handsome guy from Pallet Town. Too bad I can't marry someone so far away."
"Why are you acting so silly? Hurry up and help clean up. We have a performance this weekend," Violet said, shaking her head. She playfully knocked Lily on the head, a gesture that made the youngest sister obediently grab a broom and get to work.
---
After leaving the gym, Gary still had some time before evening. He decided to head to the public field to train his Pokémon.
The battle against Sakura hadn't taken much effort. It felt no different than battling a random trainer on the street. Gary let all of his Pokémon out to train, except for Wartortle, who he kept behind. Gary had received a task reward that could teach a new skill to a Pokémon, and Wartortle was the perfect candidate. The Water Flow Break skill would be a valuable addition to his move set.
Wartortle tilted its head in confusion, unsure why it was singled out for this task. Gary smiled and rubbed the Pokémon's head. "Don't worry, Wartortle. I have a new skill for you to learn."
Gary then used the Water Flow Break skill-learning device, which emitted a soft white glow.
"Ka-mi!" Wartortle let out a small cry as it felt the new skill embed itself in its body. It was as though the skill had always been there, ready to be used.
Gary gave his Pokémon an encouraging smile. "Remember, keep this a secret for now. We don't want to let any Psychic Pokémon find out."
Wartortle nodded seriously, understanding the importance of keeping this secret. Gary knew that Psychic Pokémon could sense telepathy, and if Wartortle accidentally let something slip, it could cause problems.
"Now, go train. Practice using Water Burst in your shell. Combine it with Rapid Spin, and you'll see how effective it can be," Gary instructed.
Wartortle eagerly ran off to put the new skill into practice. The other Pokémon watched in envy, but Gary reassured them that they would have their time to learn new skills too.
For now, Gary's focus was on his next challenge: Vermilion Gym. According to the system, the task reward for defeating Vermilion Gym's leader would involve electric-type skills. None of Gary's current Pokémon could use Electric-type moves, though Growlithe could learn Thunder Fang. However, the system reward was a skill called Thunder Fang, and Gary needed to figure out how to get his Pokémon ready.
Gary wasn't in a rush, though. He had 43 low-level Rare Candies in his possession, which would help his Pokémon gain levels quickly. It would take about two weeks to reach Vermilion City from Cerulean City, and in that time, Gary planned to train his Pokémon to level 25.
This would make using the Rare Candies much more efficient since the difficulty of leveling up Pokémon increases after level 30.
Over the next five days, Gary trained his Pokémon diligently in Cerulean City. He also occasionally accepted challenges from other Trainers. It was a productive and fulfilling period.
Wartortle's level grew from 19 to 22, Exeggutor's level increased from 21 to 24, and Butterfree went from level 18 to 21. Scyther leveled up from 15 to 23, and Golbat gained a few levels as well, reaching 25. Growlithe, who had started at level 5, was now level 10.
After Butterfree reached level 21, it learned Psybeam, a move it would have typically learned at level 16. The Pokémon world's mechanics were strange—some skills were awakened at unexpected levels. It was proof that Pokémon training wasn't always as predictable as Trainers might hope.
Scyther, now at level 23, still hadn't learned Double Hit, though it had gained Double Team, a move that would help it avoid attacks. Gary planned to evolve Scyther into a Scizor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Cerulean City's Pokémon store didn't have the Metal Coat required for evolution. Gary had heard that the Pokémon Department Store in Saffron City might carry it, so he planned to stop by on his way to Vermilion City.
Gary's mobile phone, which he had been waiting for, finally arrived. It was a traditional gray-screen phone—nothing too fancy, but it was functional. It could make calls and play a few simple games. Gary inserted the SIM card and tested the phone, satisfied with its basic functions.
After receiving the phone, Gary decided to leave Cerulean City. He hopped on his mountain bike in the afternoon and headed for Golden City.
However, on the way out of Cerulean City, Gary ran into a boy wearing a baseball cap who blocked his path.
"Are you a Trainer from Cerulean City?" the boy asked, sizing Gary up.
"I'm a Trainer, but I'm not from Cerulean City," Gary replied, a little confused by the question.
"That's fine! Are you up for a battle? I'd like to challenge you!" the boy in the baseball cap insisted.
Gary hesitated. The boy looked rather weak, and Gary wasn't in the mood for a meaningless battle. "You seem pretty weak. I don't really want to fight you," Gary said politely, trying to avoid the challenge.
"What did you say?" the boy asked, taken aback by Gary's words. He didn't want to give up that easily. "How about this—if you beat me, I'll tell you about a powerful Trainer. How about it?"
Gary raised an eyebrow. "A powerful Trainer? Who are you talking about?" he asked, intrigued. A Trainer who could make this boy so confident might be worth hearing about.
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