In the following days, nothing unusual happened.
Aside from Nemona coming to the gym as usual to continue training her Bidoof under Aiden's guidance, there were also a few trainers who came to challenge the gym.
Arven, who had first made contact because of Miraidon's appearance, also started frequenting Sunlight Gym. Using the excuse that he wasn't good at taking care of Pokémon, he entrusted Miraidon to Aiden.
Time quickly passed, and it was November 22nd, another Saturday.
Weekends were important days for gyms in Paldea because...
Students from Naranja Academy, who had accumulated pent-up battle desires over five days and were at an energetic age, could finally escape their "cages"!
Among the nearby gyms closest to the academy, Sunlight Gym, which had been gaining popularity both online and locally in Paldea during this period, naturally became their top choice.
Walking along Poco Path, Okamoto's steps were incredibly light.
It had been exactly two weeks since his last challenge at Sunlight Gym.
Regarding this suddenly prominent gym, students at Naranja Academy had engaged in intense discussions over these two weeks.
Based on what he had inadvertently heard during this time, very few challengers had gained the recognition of Gym Leader Aiden.
But after receiving meticulous guidance from Aiden and reflecting for more than a week, he felt his improvement was as fast as the move Agility.
In short, Okamoto felt confident again.
I am no longer the weakling who used to crumble before Breloom!
I must conquer Sunlight Gym today!
Passing through Poco Path and arriving at the familiar gym entrance, Okamoto was about to step forward but suddenly froze.
A giant beast nearly four meters long, resembling a Cyclizar, was lounging at the entrance of the gym, basking lazily in the sun. Its chest engine, as large as a wheel, occasionally emitted crackling electric currents.
What is that? Is it a new Pokémon captured by Gym Leader Aiden?
While Okamoto observed it, Miraidon also noticed this gym challenger.
"Gao..."
It let out a weak howl and then continued to squint its eyes, enjoying the warm and comfortable sunbath.
Is it telling me not to block its sun...
Okamoto seemed to understand its meaning and silently opened the door and walked in.
Although he didn't know what kind of Pokémon it was, it looked quite powerful.
As expected of Gym Leader Aiden; perhaps this was his main force.
"Hi, are you here to challenge the gym again?"
Nemona, who just arrived at the gym's living room, immediately noticed this familiar challenger and promptly called out to the inner rooms.
"Teacher Aiden, we have returning customers at the gym!"
Okamoto's lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing, silently waiting for Aiden to appear.
"Hello?"
"Oh, it's Okamoto, right?"
Aiden emerged from the training ground, narrowed his eyes upon noticing the visitor, and then revealed a look of sudden realization.
"It's been a long time, Gym Leader Aiden."
In front of this gym leader who had once guided him, Okamoto behaved respectfully.
Of course, there was another reason.
Because his father held a position in the league, Okamoto received some news faster than others.
For example, this young Gym Leader Aiden had already been confirmed to replace Mr. Brassius from Artazon to serve as next year's Victory Road examiner.
To rapidly elevate an ordinary gym to an eight-badge gym in such a short time evidently required extremely strong power.
If he could gain the recognition of this gym leader, next year he might be able to come directly to get the badge.
The journey to challenge the Victory Road could also be shortened accordingly.
To clear eight gyms in less than a year, time was also a crucial factor.
Last year, he got stuck directly at rookie Gym Leader Grusha, losing the chance to challenge the Elite Four.
"Since you're here to challenge the gym again, let's get straight to the point."
Aiden smiled faintly and took out two Poké Balls of different materials.
"This week, the difficulty of Sunlight Gym's assessment content is relatively high. We will use Kingdra, a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon."
"If you lack confidence in your abilities, you can choose to challenge my Eevee."
"I choose Eevee!"
Okamoto didn't hesitate and directly chose to lower the difficulty.
Are you kidding me? Kingdra is a noble Dragon-type Pokémon, how could I possibly beat it!
Moreover, he had watched the live stream a while back and knew how terrifying the Sniper Kingdra's simple-minded tactic was in Aiden's hands.
Even though he had Mimikyu, which was relatively effective against it, he still didn't dare to choose!
This was probably Gym Leader Aiden's revenge.
Who could forget how the previous Breloom directly broke many trainers' defenses, earning a wave of bad reviews...
So this time, was he deliberately showing off pure muscle to the challengers?
He didn't want to be that unlucky one.
"OK."
Aiden wasn't surprised by Okamoto's choice.
In fact, almost 90% of the challengers this week had chosen Eevee or Riolu, given Kingdra's overwhelming dominance.
Well, this way, he wouldn't need to repair the venue afterward.
At that moment, Aiden hadn't considered that throwing Draco Meteor might feel great at the moment, but cleaning up afterward would fall on him too...
It was his miscalculation.
This was why he proactively offered a choice.
Aiden and Okamoto quickly moved to the battlefield, each standing on one side.
"The battle rules remain 1v1, with the gym leader going first, and the challenger having the first move. The side that loses all battle capabilities first is considered defeated."
Nemona, serving as the referee, raised her right hand high, her gaze toward this student named Okamoto filled with a bit of pity.
If she wasn't mistaken, Teacher Aiden would likely use the new move Eevee had learned today.
Teacher Aiden had designed many imaginative tactics, but even she, who had gradually become accustomed to them, wanted to say something profane about this one...
Let's welcome today's first victim!
After confirming the match rules, Nemona quickly stepped back a few paces, leaving the battlefield.
"It's decided, Eevee!"
Aiden pressed the center button of the Poké Ball, and after a flash of red light, Eevee landed lightly in front of him.
Eevee, huh...
Okamoto pondered thoughtfully.
Eevee, before evolving, had almost no combat strength, so it probably wouldn't use aggressive offensive tactics.
However, what was up with the drumbeat-like sound echoing in his ears ever since it appeared?
Could it be that Gym Leader Aiden's Eevee was unconventional, focusing on physical training in a fighting style, thus producing such a strong heartbeat?
After much contemplation, Okamoto couldn't find an answer.
So, to play it safe, he decided to send out his most trusted partner.
"It's decided, Mimikyu!"
A Pokémon draped in cheap fabric, mimicking Pikachu's appearance, appeared, cautiously observing the Eevee across from it.
With Mimikyu around, dealing with an Eevee should be no problem.
Okamoto repeatedly encouraged himself in his heart.
I must conquer Sunlight Gym today!
"The battle begins!"
—
A/N:
It's true that Arven isn't good at taking care of Pokémon; it was mentioned repeatedly in the game. That's why he entrusted the weakened Miraidon/Koraidon to the protagonist, and later every time they fought Titan Pokémon, he had to catch a temporary Pokémon nearby...
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