"Welcome, Trainers, to the Starter Pokémon Battle Arena!
From Charmander to Charizard, from Totodile to Feraligatr, we guarantee that every Trainer and Pokémon here is among the very best!"
"Come take a look! Come take a look! Ice- and Water-type mirror matches are waiting for you! Every participating Trainer has conquered the fourth floor of Ice Path!"
"Challengers, don't forget to visit the Exchange Center after your victories and redeem your points! Breeding materials, TMs, and Pokémon-held items are all waiting for you!"
The town echoed with countless shouts and cries.
For a moment, Silas almost felt as if he had entered the wrong world.
It had been a very long time since he had visited a place this lively.
Even in major cities, Trainers were nowhere near this common.
And thanks to the Battle Park's presence, nearly every Trainer in this otherwise unremarkable Johto town had their main Pokémon accompanying them.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Stepping aside to make room for an enormous Snorlax, Silas unconsciously reached out and stroked its smooth fur.
As well as its large, soft white belly.
"Snorlax~"
The Snorlax wasn't upset at all.
Instead, it let out a good-natured cry.
Its perpetually half-closed eyes curved into a crescent shape.
As long as you didn't wake a sleeping Snorlax, it was actually an incredibly gentle Pokémon.
Of course, waking one up was another matter entirely.
"Judging by your faces, you two Trainers seem new here. Is this your first time visiting our Battle Park?"
A uniformed staff member standing beside Snorlax approached them with a smile.
"Welcome! Here are our guidebooks. Please enjoy your stay."
He handed each of them a booklet.
The man looked remarkably like a miniature version of Snorlax himself.
The five-leaf clover emblem on his hat clearly identified him as an employee of the Enta Group.
After thanking him, Silas and Brock accepted the guidebooks.
The staff member offered a few more words of welcome before continuing his patrol through town alongside his Snorlax.
"Snor! Snor!"
Before leaving, Snorlax casually pulled two Berries from a pouch and handed them to Silas.
Because Silas carried traces of several Legendary Pokémon's aura, his affinity with Pokémon was practically maxed out.
Especially thanks to Ho-Oh and Celebi, both of whom possessed particularly benevolent and friendly presences.
This was also one of the reasons Urshifu had accepted him so readily.
Had it been the aura of a different Legendary Pokémon, it might have inspired more fear than affection.
Watching the departing Snorlax and staff member, Silas sighed.
"Good thing the roads here are wide enough. Otherwise, how would anyone even walk around?"
Brock nodded in agreement.
"That staff member was impressive too. He recognized immediately that we were first-time visitors. With this many people coming through every day, I have no idea how he manages that."
As they chatted, both released Pokémon to accompany them.
Otherwise, they would have looked rather out of place compared to all the Trainers around them.
Silas released Piplup.
The little penguin was currently his main training focus.
Meanwhile, Brock produced a fish tank and carefully placed his shiny Magikarp inside.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Silas couldn't help laughing.
Between the shiny Magikarp and the fish tank, Brock instantly became the center of attention.
Even a Trainer wandering around with a Muk couldn't attract this much interest.
After all, no matter how weak Magikarp might be, a shiny Pokémon was still a shiny Pokémon.
Few Trainers would bother raising one seriously, but plenty enjoyed seeing one.
"Blub blub~"
Inside the tank, the shiny Magikarp stared blankly at its surroundings while blowing bubbles.
For the first time in its life, it was seeing the surface world.
Having grown up in underground rivers, it couldn't help feeling curious about the countless different Pokémon surrounding it.
"Piplup! Piplup!"
Piplup marched proudly beside Silas.
Although the many giant Pokémon around them exerted a certain pressure, the little penguin still held its head high.
Compared to seniors like Blaziken, these Pokémon seemed somewhat lacking in Piplup's eyes.
"Piplup!"
Suddenly, its eyes lit up.
Not far away stood an Empoleon beside its Trainer.
"Well?" Silas chuckled. "Pretty cool seeing what you'll look like when you grow up, right?"
Piplup nodded vigorously.
"Piplup! Piplup!"
It proudly patted its own chest.
"Yes, yes, of course. You'll evolve into Prinplup soon enough. Then I'll have to rely on you to take care of me."
Silas knew exactly what Piplup meant.
And honestly, it wasn't wrong.
Having been stuck at Level 15 for several days, Piplup was only one step away from reaching Level 16 and evolving into Prinplup.
Its combat power would increase dramatically once that happened.
The Empoleon quickly noticed their attention.
However, after seeing that it was merely a young Piplup, its expression softened considerably.
It nodded politely in greeting.
As the Emperor Pokémon and leader of the Piplup evolutionary line, Empoleon was both proud and protective of younger members of its species.
If it had encountered an arrogant, solitary Prinplup instead, it might not have been nearly so friendly.
But toward a Piplup which was essentially the equivalent of a human child, it was happy to show goodwill.
"Several specialized battle zones, huh? They've really thought this through."
After flipping through the guidebook, Silas couldn't help admiring the setup.
The Battle Park's success wasn't accidental.
Aside from the Enta Group's massive investment, every rule and facility had clearly been designed around the needs of Trainers.
"So, should we check out the Water- and Ice-type battle zone?"
Glancing at Brock's golden Magikarp, Silas pointed in a direction.
Brock nodded.
"Sure. I wonder if they offer Magikarp opponents here."
Silas almost choked.
"...They probably do."
He honestly couldn't imagine how two Magikarp were supposed to battle.
Maybe they'd just see who could Splash higher?
Like two Metapod sitting across from each other repeatedly using Harden.
The image was so beautiful that it was impossible to imagine.
Brock casually tossed a few calcium tablets into the fish tank as food for his Magikarp.
For a Pokémon whose body was almost entirely bones, calcium supplementation was considered one of the best ways to promote growth.
Of course, that still couldn't guarantee that every Magikarp would evolve into a Gyarados. At best, it only improved the odds slightly.
Rumor had it that this method had originally been passed down from the Cerulean Gym.
The two quickly arrived at their destination with their Pokémon.
The facility resembled an enlarged indoor swimming complex.
Each pool was neatly divided into two halves to serve as battlefields.
Floating platforms scattered across the water were provided for amphibious Pokémon to stand on during battle.
As for Trainers who wanted to use purely land-based Pokémon, there were naturally more suitable battlefields elsewhere.
Arriving at the reception desk, Silas and Brock explained their requests one after another.
Silas hoped to battle Pokémon around Level 20.
That would place enough pressure on Piplup to help it improve and perhaps even trigger its evolution early.
Ideally, he'd like to face a Prinplup or perhaps a Pokémon such as Chinchou that had a type advantage against Water-types.
While he could find Chinchou in the wild, their strength levels varied too greatly to provide exactly the right amount of challenge.
Brock, meanwhile, still had the same goal.
He wanted to find Pokémon capable of battling Magikarp.
The receptionist handled Silas's request with ease.
After all, Trainers making similar requests were extremely common.
More importantly, Silas wasn't short on money.
"We've arranged two consecutive battles according to your requirements.
The first battle will be against a Level 20 Chinchou. Its Trainer is Advance-ranked and previously reached the Top 64 of a regional conference.
The second battle will be against a Level 18 Prinplup. Its Trainer is also Advance-ranked and is currently traveling here from the Sinnoh region to take on challenges."
After swiping Silas's Trainer Card, the receptionist quickly provided the details.
Both matches perfectly matched Silas's expectations.
The only concern was that the second opponent might lack battle experience.
Although the receptionist didn't say so, Silas could easily guess that a Trainer with an eighteen-level Prinplup was probably still a relatively new Trainer.
Still, that wasn't a problem.
Battles against members of the same evolutionary line offered plenty of benefits, and Prinplup wasn't nearly as easy to find as Chinchou.
More importantly, Silas had no idea when he'd become a Silver VIP member of the Enta Group.
His reservation fee received a 20% discount, making it quite a bargain.
However, when it came to Brock's request, even the experienced receptionist couldn't help looking troubled.
After all this time, it was her first encounter with someone wanting battle training for a Magikarp.
Shouldn't a Pokémon like Magikarp spend its days doing exactly what Snorlax did, eating and sleeping?
At least Snorlax could be motivated by food.
Magikarp, on the other hand, could survive by eating mud from the bottom of rivers.
Its incredible vitality made it weak, dull, and rather foolish.
Getting one to battle was no easy task.
Virtually no Trainer would volunteer such a Pokémon as a sparring partner.
The Trainers who worked here weren't just earning extra money, they also wanted to train their own Pokémon.
A Magikarp opponent?
That seemed completely unnecessary.
After searching for quite a while, the receptionist finally found a suitable match.
"How about a Feebas? It's only two levels higher than your Magikarp."
"Sounds good."
Brock nodded in satisfaction while holding the fish tank.
Feebas, often considered one of the two greatest "water-type failures" alongside Magikarp, was an excellent target.
For one thing, Feebas lacked Magikarp's sturdy physique and durable scales.
While Feebas theoretically learned far more moves than Magikarp, in practice the difference was minimal.
Most Feebas would be lucky to learn Tackle.
Oh, and Splash.
The only notable exception was that Feebas possessed Egg Moves, including relatively powerful Dragon-type moves such as Dragon Breath.
"The Feebas Trainer is...?"
To confirm the details, Brock asked carefully.
"An apprentice from the Sootopolis Gym in Hoenn," the receptionist answered immediately.
As expected.
Silas and Brock exchanged glances.
Only apprentices from that Gym would willingly raise a Feebas.
"Then please book that battle for me."
Brock handed over his Trainer Card.
His VIP status with the Enta Group was only Bronze, slightly lower than Silas's Silver rank, but he still received a 10% discount.
Besides, since the opponent was only a Feebas, the fee wasn't even one-tenth of what Silas had spent.
Brock hardly cared about the cost.
A staff member led them to a battlefield.
"Then the first match will be Mr. Brock's battle. Mr. Silas, please wait a moment."
The swimsuit-clad staff member spoke with a cheerful smile.
Silas suddenly discovered another reason why the Battle Park had become so successful.
Brock practically looked like a steam engine already.
A minute or two later, an energetic girl wearing a miniskirt appeared on the opposite platform.
"Hello, everyone. Which one of you is Trainer Brock? I'm Jennie from the Sootopolis Gym, and I'll be using Feebas."
Her voice came through the intercom beside them.
Holding his fish tank, Brock stepped onto his platform.
Once battle preparations began, his expression immediately became calm and serious.
Yet when the swimsuit-clad referee swam into position and announced the start of the match, Silas still noticed Brock's hands trembling.
Shaking his head helplessly, Silas began massaging Piplup.
The treatment would help it perform better in its upcoming battle.
As for a battle between Feebas and Magikarp.
To be perfectly honest, Silas had no interest in watching.
"Hello, you're Trainer Silas, right?"
While Silas focused on Piplup, a brown-haired man wearing swimming goggles approached and greeted him.
"My name is Ryuji. I'll be your next opponent. My Pokémon is Chinchou."
"Hello."
Silas looked up and returned the greeting politely.
"May I ask, is that Brock of Pewter City over there?"
Ryuji started the conversation enthusiastically.
Silas was puzzled.
He didn't think Brock had fans, especially Water-type specialists.
"If he isn't a fan, how did he recognize Brock?" Silas wondered.
"Yes, that's Brock. Why do you ask?"
Ryuji's eyes lit up even more.
"Forgive me for asking, but since you know Brock, do you also know the three ladies from the Cerulean Gym?"
Now Silas understood.
Daisy, Violet, and Lily.
While their Pokémon battling wasn't particularly impressive, their water ballet performances were genuinely excellent.
Combined with their outstanding looks, they had many admirers among Trainers.
Clearly, Ryuji was one of them.
Without waiting for a response, Ryuji launched into an excited speech.
"Miss Daisy's water ballet emphasizes strength and showcases the courage of Water-type Pokémon.
Miss Violet's performances focus on softness and highlight the gentle side of Water-types.
And the youngest, Miss Lily, perfectly bridges the two styles together, making their performances nearly flawless.
My greatest dream is to take a photo with all three of them and learn water ballet from them personally.
Do you think you could introduce me?"
Silas immediately felt a headache coming on.
Come to think of it, he actually did have Daisy's contact information.
But there was no way he would casually introduce a stranger to her.
What if the guy turned out to be some kind of creep?
So Silas avoided responding directly and smoothly shifted the conversation back to Pokémon battles.
Though disappointed, Ryuji quickly recovered and began chatting about battle strategies instead.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive wave crashed over both of them.
The unexpected splash left them drenched and slightly disheveled.
At the same time, it caused Silas to instinctively turn toward the water battlefield.
A battle between Magikarp and Feebas.
How on earth had they managed to create such a huge commotion?
...
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