Chapter 88: About How to Embark on the Champion Road
It was already dark when they left the reserve.
One person and two Pokémon ambled down the street, and before they knew it, they had arrived in front of that cake shop wafting a sweet aroma.
The old lady was just about to hang the "Closed for Business" sign on the door. Seeing these three familiar faces, she smiled kindly, "Are you little customers here for cake? It's getting rather late, though, and we're preparing to close. Perhaps you could come back tomorrow..."
"Let them in."
A muffled voice came from inside the cake shop.
The old lady was taken aback for a moment but still smilingly welcomed Ming Rizhao and the Pokémon into the shop.
"Thank you, Grandma!"
Ming Rizhao was naturally overjoyed and repeatedly thanked the old lady.
"Just call me Grandma Ono. Inside is my old man. Come on in, have something to eat and a cup of tea."
After the group entered the shop, the pastry chef of "Ono's Cake Shop"—Grandpa Ono—was carrying out a cake from the back kitchen, its top covered with various kinds of diced fruit.
"Hmph, I used your Berries last time and got some new inspiration. You all try it. Finish eating and get going."
Grandpa Ono said in a stiff tone, putting down the cake in his hands.
And Grandma Ono, while pouring milk tea, chided, "Old man, why are you always like this? You'll scare the little ones."
"Hmph." Grandpa Ono didn't retort, sullenly walking behind the counter, lying down on a rocking chair, and watching the news on TV.
Although it wasn't his first time eating it, Rio was still irresistibly drawn to this layered Berry cake. After cutting the cake into several portions, he eagerly took a bite, his mouth instantly filled with sweetness.
Ming Rizhao also loudly praised the cake's deliciousness.
Rio secretly saw what seemed to be a slight smile on Grandpa Ono's lips, but when he looked intently, he found it was still that unapproachable stone face.
"This old grandpa... is a tsundere..."
Rio snickered inwardly, his mouth still not stopping.
They quickly polished off the cake and milk tea.
"Thank you, Grandma Ono and Grandpa Ono! The cake was very delicious!"
Ming Rizhao gave the old couple a big smile.
After a short rest, the three little ones bid farewell to Grandma and Grandpa Ono and returned to the hotel to rest.
This time, after finally closing the door, Grandma Ono returned to the shop and said, somewhat lost in thought, "This little girl, she really looks like Ah Zi..."
There was a long silence in the shop.
After a while, a few sobs and a muffled grunt could be heard.
The view shifts to Grandpa Ono, lying on the recliner. In his hand, he clutched a somewhat yellowed photo. In it were a man and a woman. The man was dressed in a pastry chef's uniform, and the woman was smiling brightly, holding the man's arm with her left hand and holding the hand of a lively young girl with her right. And beside the girl stood a Ralts. The three people and one Pokémon looked so happy and warm.
…
The next day, Ming Rizhao decided to try challenging the Verdant Leaf City Pokémon Gym.
Along the way, the girl constantly psyched herself up.
"Aww, Xiao Zhao, you can do it! Although you have to face your idol, Mr. Norman, as a professional Pokémon trainer, victory is the primary goal to pursue!"
Rio watched Ming Rizhao constantly muttering and quietly asked Ralts.
"Ruru, do you know what the process for challenging a Pokémon Gym is like?"
Ralts shook its head.
"(Pokémon Language) I don't know. This is also the first time Xiao Zhao and I are planning to challenge a Pokémon Gym. Because challenging a Gym requires trainer certification, and Xiao Zhao was studying at school before. She only just obtained her professional trainer certification not long ago."
Although Rio had "challenged" many Pokémon Gyms in his previous life, games were games, after all. All the gyms were designed according to a process; you challenged whichever gym matched your current strength. But in the current real world, anyone who could become a Gym Leader was bound to be a powerhouse in their own right. Rio would be damned if he believed that Norman, a former Elite Four member, would pull out a lv12 Pokémon for a challenger to fight.
Therefore, he was also full of anticipation for the upcoming Gym challenge journey.
As it turned out, his anticipation and Ming Rizhao's nervousness were mercilessly shattered by Norman.
"Miss Zhao, your current strength is not yet sufficient to challenge my Pokémon Gym. I suggest you train some more. I will wait until you are stronger before I battle you."
Norman shook his head, rejecting Ming Rizhao's Gym challenge application.
Seeing Ming Rizhao's disappointed expression, Norman didn't want to further discourage the young girl who had helped him pursue the Pokémon poachers. So, after thinking for a moment, he explained to Ming Rizhao, "In the Middel Region, Pokémon Gyms are divided into two types. One is the Guiding-type Pokémon Gym. This type of gym is mainly open to Pokémon trainers who have just embarked on their professional path. The Gym Leader will decide which Pokémon to use based on the challenger's Pokémon's strength. Generally, the levels of both sides will not differ too much, and the Gym Leader will also primarily use a guiding style of battle."
"The other type of Pokémon Gym is the Experience-type Pokémon Gym. In this kind of Pokémon Gym, the Gym Leader will send out at least their second-string team to face the challenger. Through higher-intensity Pokémon battles, they allow the Pokémon trainer to discover their own potential and thus achieve better improvement. For most Gym Leaders, leaving aside their main Pokémon, even their second-string team often possesses strength not inferior to the main team."
"And my Gym in Verdant Leaf City belongs to the latter. At your current level, you really wouldn't be able to win."
As he spoke, Norman took out a Poké Ball and summoned a Pokémon.
"Pop!" A white light flashed, and a Pokémon that was a mixture of a baboon and a gorilla appeared beside him. It propped its head with one hand and lazily scratched its belly with the other, while looking at Rio with a bothered expression.
"Ho, ho, (Pokémon Language) What's up, young fellow? You wanna fight me?"
Rio looked at the opponent, who, despite appearing too lazy to move, had a stout body and strong muscles that still indicated this Pokémon's power.
And the information from the [Pokédex] on the light screen also revealed this Pokémon's extraordinariness.
"A lv45 Elite-level Slaking... I couldn't even break its defense if it just stood there and let me hit it... Although I did fight Mewtwo, I had a power-up back then..."
Rio decisively expressed that he couldn't win.
"No, big brother, we're just here to look. Please don't mind me."
Slaking let out a yawn and lazily rolled over.
"Ho, ho, (Pokémon Language) That's good then. Fighting is such a tiring thing. A nap is so much better... Zzzz..."
Ming Rizhao and Ralts beside him were also awed by this Slaking's powerful presence.
Seeing that the girl and her Pokémon understood the current gap between their Pokémon, Norman recalled his Slaking and then continued, "I believe you, or rather, all Pokémon trainers, aim to collect 8 Gym badges and then embark on the Champion Road to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion. As someone who has been there, I can give you a little more advice."
The usually taciturn Norman rarely spoke so much.
"According to the Pokémon League's regulations, among the 8 Gym badges, no more than 3 can be from Guiding-type Gyms. This is because, basically, after three Gym challenges, Pokémon trainers should have found their most suitable fighting style and also learned how to raise Pokémon. Therefore, I suggest you first seek out Guiding-type Gyms, try to develop your own Pokémon battle style, and learn how to raise powerful Pokémon, and then go to challenge the Experience-type Gyms that have a certain level of strength. This will be beneficial to your own growth."
"And, besides the 8 Gym badges, you also need to obtain a top-three placement in three different levels of Pokémon competitions: the Bronze Competition for new trainers, held once every half-month; the Silver Competition for trainers below Master Class, held once every two months; and the Gold Competition, open to all trainers, held once every half-year."
"Only by collecting 8 Gym badges and obtaining top-three placements in three competitions do you have the qualification to challenge the Champion Road."
Rio listened quietly.
Besides collecting 8 badges, one also needed three top-three competition placements to challenge the Champion Road. This point was quite different from the games.
But thinking about it, it also made sense. This world was so large, and the Middel Region occupied the largest territory in the entire world (Rio figured this out from looking at the map in the Pokémon Center). Although collecting 8 Gym badges wasn't that easy, there would still be quite a few trainers who could achieve this goal. If merely collecting badges was enough to challenge the Elite Four and Champion, then the Elite Four and Champion would probably have to face countless challengers every day. That would be a bit too much of a waste of time for the few top powerhouses in the region.
So the Pokémon League added an extra condition: only those who obtained three top-three placements in competitions were qualified. After all, those who could stand out among Pokémon trainers to become winners were definitely not to be underestimated in strength. This not only ensured the value of the Champion Road but also reduced the time the Elite Four and Champion wasted on pointless challenges. It was truly killing multiple birds with one stone.
Ming Rizhao hadn't expected her professional path to suffer a major setback before it even began. But she was also a cheerful person. Since the Verdant Leaf Gym was impossible to challenge, she would choose a gym she could challenge and progress slowly.
"You can go to the city next to Verdant Leaf City, Zidian City. There is a Guiding-type Gym set up there."
Norman answered Ming Rizhao's inquiry, pointing out a clear path.
"I understand, thank you, Mr. Norman. We won't disturb you any longer then."
Ming Rizhao politely said goodbye and walked out of Norman's gym.
She looked up at the clear sky, then looked down at her two little companions and said with a smile, "Come on, let's set off."
"Next stop! Zidian City! Let's go!"