Medali, Paldea.
At the end of November, autumn's chill arrived earlier than usual.
The streets of Medali were brightly lit, outshining the remnants of the setting sun on the horizon.
Customers came and went at Paldea's famous restaurant, "Treasure Eatery".
"Very delicious, thank you for the meal."
A middle-aged man in a signature suit, with a few streaks of gray hair in his slicked-back hairstyle, sat in the corner, clasping his hands together in satisfaction.
"Indeed, simplicity is best. There's no dish richer in flavor than this restaurant's grilled rice balls."
Larry let out a long sigh, brushed off a few grains of rice that had fallen on him, quietly placed a bill in the corner of the plate, picked up his briefcase, and left.
As an ordinary employee in the League's operations department, although his performance was quite poor, his attitude was earnest enough—he was always the last to leave work, which allowed him to keep his job.
Of course, the grilled rice balls he enjoyed every Sunday after work were indispensable.
They were the soul-soothing remedy that elevated his spirit after a week of hard work.
Without them, he might still be alive, but he'd probably feel like he was already a little dead inside.
Back at the Medali Gym, Larry sat on the couch, staring blankly.
After a full week of intense work, suddenly having a relaxing evening left him unsure of what to do.
Aside from the unreachable performance targets, was there anything else left to do?
He had already processed all the official documents sent by La Primera Geeta;
The Gym was also closing for the night.
What should have been a happy leisure time instead felt strangely empty.
Larry gazed up at the ceiling with a vacant expression, trying to figure out the answer with his listless eyes.
"Come to think of it, Geeta mentioned something about changing my style…"
He suddenly remembered an important task he hadn't handled yet.
Because he held both the roles of Gym Leader and Elite Four member, Top Champion Geeta had instructed him to change his style.
"So troublesome…"
Larry loved Normal-type Pokémon.
From a young age, he had realized the truth of this world—
Being ordinary is the most authentic way.
So he yearned for ordinariness.
Rather than being an Elite Four member, he wished he could just be an ordinary office worker.
It was precisely his unwavering commitment to this belief that eventually led the League to recognize him as a specialist in Normal-types, granting him his dual identity.
However, as Top Champion Geeta had said:
"To seek breakthroughs, one must first change their style…"
Larry muttered.
"But aside from Normal-types, I don't really have any interest in other types… Maybe I'll try out Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor or Braviary."
Many bird Pokémon in the Flying type are linked with Normal-type moves, while pure Flying types are rare.
If it's Staraptor or Braviary, he should be more familiar with them.
With that thought, Larry sat up from the couch and used his controller to open Pokémon Champions.
Although he rarely had time to play games, under Geeta's requirements, the three Elites quickly reached the Ultra Ball rank.
After all, Orange Academy planned to use this game as part of their battle class assignments, so they needed to set an example for the students.
True, they had to set an example for Paldea's future…
Larry sighed.
If that's the case, then I'll put in a bit more effort.
But why am I still dealing with work matters even after clocking out?
---
[Dayum isn't that Gym Leader Larry? Who would've thought he would be the gatekeeper...]
[No way around it, blame the system's punishment. Even if you lose this match, Azure can't be blamed!]
[Losing to a Gym Leader isn't embarrassing, Azure!]
Upon noticing the official certification on the opponent's profile, the chatroom instantly filled with lively energy.
Even Aiden felt a bit puzzled.
He could even accept matching against Geeta, but facing Larry somehow felt odd.
Big boss, don't you need to work overtime?
But since the match was already set, he had no choice but to accept it.
"My sword isn't dull yet—don't count me out before the battle's over, haters!"
After pressing the confirmation button, the opponent's lineup appeared:
Tropius, Oricorio, Altaria, Staraptor, Flamigo, and Braviary.
"A Flying team?"
Aiden couldn't help but click his tongue.
Aside from his "office worker" persona, Larry had two other identities: a Normal-type Gym Leader and a Flying-type Elite Four member.
So was he facing Elite Four Larry this time?
"But it doesn't matter! The streamer fights elites!"
Aiden smiled, confirming Talonflame as his starter.
Aside from Oricorio's Electric-type moves, none of Larry's other Pokémon posed much of a threat to Talonflame.
This was the perfect stage for it to shine.
Once the battle began, Larry sent out his starter, Staraptor.
The Staraptor circling high in the sky emitted a sharp cry, causing Aiden's Talonflame to instinctively shudder.
So it had the Intimidate Ability.
Aiden nodded internally. Although Talonflame's attack might suffer significantly due to Intimidate, he had no intention of switching it out.
In battles between Flying-type Pokémon, priority was crucial.
Thus, immediately after both Pokémon appeared, both sides issued commands without hesitation—
"Talonflame, Bulk Up!"
"Staraptor, Thief!"
The near-simultaneous commands caused both bird Pokémon to act in quick succession.
However, Talonflame was clearly faster, managing to complete its strengthening pose by spreading its wings before Staraptor's attack arrived.
Bulk Up increased its Attack and Defense by tightening its muscles.
Staraptor's offense was fierce, but its attacks barely made a dent against Talonflame's now-bulky chest muscles.
Instead, during the attack, it casually snatched away the item Talonflame was carrying.
To this, Aiden couldn't help but chuckle…
Items were indeed an essential part of Pokémon battles, but for Talonflame, not having an item might actually be a good thing.
This Flyinium Z was a gift to Mr. Larry as a token of their meeting.
[Why start with a stat boost? Isn't Talonflame supposed to go all-out spamming Brave Bird from the start?]
[Actually, it's not a bad idea. Intimidate makes it harder to spam Brave Bird, lol.]
[Does anyone seriously think the streamer can beat an Elite Four? This is just a formality, wake up!]
Aiden started the match with an unconventional move, sparking heated discussion in the chat.
Generally speaking, Talonflame's most common tactic was exactly what the chat described: max output spamming Brave Bird until it exploded.
But from the opening Bulk Up, it was clear that Aiden wasn't using Talonflame in such an extreme manner.
After all, overly monotonous tactics were easy to counter.
So this time, he decided to mix things up.
"Staraptor, Roost!"
In front of the TV screen, Larry vaguely sensed that his opponent seemed a bit off, so he decisively changed his strategy.
However…
"Taunt!"
Before Staraptor could use Roost to heal itself, Talonflame flicked its talon, forcibly interrupting its action.
[Holy crap? Did Azure predict Larry's command?]
Chat erupted in shock.
—
A/N:
About Gale Wings, everyone probably remembers the mindless Brave Bird spam. However, in singles battles, the tactic of slowly boosting stats with Roost and sticking around was also pretty nasty. Before the nerf, +1 priority Roost was truly absurd!
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