They traveled west by boat, and by noon, Natsui and Erika had arrived at the docks of Cianwood City.
Cianwood City is on the western edge of the Johto region, not far from the Whirl Islands. It's a beautiful place with nice weather, separated from the main continent. While the city isn't very large, its streets are clean, making it a great spot for a vacation.
The two didn't linger and headed straight for the Cianwood Gym.
Just as they left the port, they heard shouts of "Heeyah! Hah!" coming from the beach. The sound was so loud it was hard to ignore.
Looking over, they saw a Machoke sparring with a shirtless man.
The man had a strange haircut, a thick mustache, and was wearing loose, white martial arts pants. His tanned skin shone in the sun, and he looked very strong. For a human to keep up with a Machoke in a fight, he had to be someone special.
Erika glanced over, lost interest, and started to walk away. After a few steps, she noticed Natsui was still standing there and looked back at him, confused.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't think we need to go to the Gym," Natsui said, nodding toward the man. "He's probably the Gym Leader."
Hearing this, Erika gave the man a surprised look.
"Huh? That's him?"
Natsui nodded.
The Cianwood Gym Leader was Chuck, a martial arts master who specialized in Fighting-type Pokémon.
Natsui didn't actually remember Chuck's face. The character didn't have much screen time and was one of the more low-key Gym Leaders. But in a small city like this, meeting someone who fit the description so perfectly had to be him.
After all, a normal person couldn't fight a Pokémon with their bare hands, like a human-like Pokémon.
They didn't disturb him, instead watching for a while. When Chuck and his Machoke took a break, they walked over.
Chuck had already noticed them. As the man and woman approached, he wiped his sweat with a towel and looked at them.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Chuck?"
The young man asked politely, and Chuck nodded.
"Who are you?"
Natsui got straight to the point. "My name is Natsui, and this is my travel partner. We're here to challenge the Cianwood Gym."
"Natsui?" Chuck frowned in thought. "That name... I think I've heard it somewhere..."
He couldn't place it, so he gave up and looked Natsui up and down.
"So you want to challenge the gym, which means you're a trainer? A shame. You're young and should be full of energy, but you look tired. You don't have any spirit at all!"
"Spirit?" Natsui was confused.
He didn't argue about looking tired. After a long night with Maya and almost no sleep, followed by a long, rocking boat ride, it was no surprise he wasn't feeling his best.
But what did that have to do with a gym challenge?
Seeing his confusion, Chuck crossed his arms and shouted with great energy, "Spirit is your vital energy! As a trainer, and as a man, you must train with your Pokémon to make yourself as strong as they are! That's what makes a truly qualified trainer!"
Natsui said nothing.
He chose to remain silent about his opinion. Everyone had their own training methods. Why did a trainer need to be as strong as a Pokémon?
It made some sense for a Fighting-type specialist like Chuck. But for other types, should the trainer become just as powerful? He couldn't imagine himself, a normal human, ever becoming as strong as a Gardevoir or a Gengar.
Seeing Natsui's silence, Chuck thought he agreed with him. He clapped Natsui on the shoulder and grinned. "Since you understand, let's start by running to the Cianwood Gym!"
"What?"
"Let's go!" Chuck laughed. "If you want to challenge my gym, you have to show some grit!"
Without waiting for an answer, he and his Machoke took off running toward the city.
Natsui was speechless as he watched him go.
Erika walked up to him and smiled. "Are you going to run too?"
Sighing, Natsui took off his backpack and handed it to her.
"Well, every gym has its own rules. If I want to challenge him, I have to do it his way. I'll go ahead. You can take your time getting there."
Chuck was already far ahead, so Natsui had no choice but to hurry and catch up.
He left the beach and entered the city streets. Chuck and Machoke were running wildly, like two mountains of muscle. The people on the street didn't seem surprised; they smiled and greeted Chuck, who would nod back. It was clear he was well-liked here.
But after the previous night, Natsui was too tired. After running for just a few minutes, he realized he couldn't catch up to Chuck. In the blink of an eye, the Gym Leader was gone.
Gengar floated out of Natsui's shadow and circled him, making a clicking sound with its tongue.
"How old-fashioned. Hey, you want me to carry you? That Chuck guy is long gone. No one will notice."
"No thanks," Natsui said, panting as he shook his head. "I haven't run in a long time. I'll just think of it as exercise."
Normally, his stamina wasn't this bad, but last night had been very draining, and he hadn't rested well.
He managed to adjust his breathing, changed his pace, and slowed to a jog. Chuck had only said to run to the gym, not to race him. It didn't matter if he arrived a little late.
The beach was about a twenty-minute run from the gym. By the time Natsui reached the entrance, he was covered in sweat. But he had to admit, even though his body felt tired, the long run had cleared his head, and his spirits were much better than they had been that morning.
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