Chapter 4: Battle Against Flannery, Eevee Evolves
Early in the morning, Ryan yawned as he arrived in Pewter City. After battling wild Pokémon until midnight the previous night, Charmeleon and his team were completely exhausted. He checked his PokéGear and decided to head to the Pokémon Center first to let his team recover before challenging the Pewter Gym.
Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, he handed his three Poké Balls to Nurse Joy, then headed to the cafeteria for a hearty breakfast. On his way out, he stopped at the center's vending machine and inserted some coins. A can of Pecha Berry juice dropped down with a satisfying clunk.
He pulled the tab, and suddenly three words appeared on the can: "GRAND PRIZE!" It was then that Ryan remembered he had activated the Lucky Vending Machine cheat that guaranteed rare prizes!
What he'd thought was just another drink had actually won him the grand prize. After finishing his juice, he brought the winning tab to Nurse Joy, who made a phone call on his behalf. A short while later, a middle-aged man in a business suit arrived at the Pokémon Center.
He congratulated Ryan enthusiastically and presented him with his grand prize: two round-trip airline tickets and a luxury resort package for three days and two nights. Ryan examined his ticket and saw it was for the Royal Dome Resort on Akala Island in the Alola region.
His eyes widened in amazement. This was a five-star resort with all meals and accommodations included for the three-day getaway. Unfortunately, he had to use the tickets within a week, and the dates couldn't be changed. Otherwise, a vacation after the Indigo League Championship would have been perfect timing.
He consulted with Nurse Joy, who informed him there was a small regional airport in Pewter City with direct flights to Akala Island. Ryan also checked his PokéNav and decided to head straight to Alola after his gym battle, giving his three Pokémon a well-deserved break. From there, he'd fly directly to Saffron City, then travel to Cerulean City, and finally to Vermilion City.
After making his decision, Ryan remembered that Ash and his friends had seemingly headed straight to Vermilion City after defeating the Cerulean Gym. Looking at Saffron City, which was so close to Cerulean City, and Vermilion City, which was only accessible through Saffron, Ryan was impressed by Ash's group's ability to navigate. Despite all their detours and getting lost, they somehow always managed to find their way eventually.
After retrieving his three Poké Balls from Nurse Joy, Ryan followed her directions to the Pewter Gym. As soon as he opened the door, he was drenched by the gym's fire suppression system activating. Resigned to watching the scene unfold, Ryan coughed loudly to draw everyone's attention. "I'm Ryan from Pallet Town. Is the gym battle over? I'd like to request a challenge."
Brock recalled his Onix and replied, "It just finished, actually. But if you want to have a gym battle, you'll need to wait a bit. I have to take my Onix to the Pokémon Center for healing first."
Brock's younger siblings climbed down from around Ash and looked at the new challenger with curiosity.
Before Ryan could respond, a voice called out from outside the entrance: "No need for that. I'll handle this gym battle myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man wearing a hat and fake beard entered the gym. Ash asked curiously, "Flint? Why are you here?"
"Because even an irresponsible father wants to do something for his children," he said, removing his hat and the fake beard.
Brock and his siblings immediately recognized their father—after all, those distinctive squinting eyes were a family trait. What followed was an emotional family reunion scene that left Ryan feeling somewhat awkward as an outsider.
After the heartfelt reunion, Flint took over gym leader duties, allowing Brock to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon Breeder. Then it was Ryan's turn for his gym battle.
Ash and his friends decided to stay and cheer Ryan on—after all, they were all from Pallet Town. Brock volunteered to serve as the temporary referee.
"This gym battle will be between Ryan from Pallet Town and Gym Leader Flint. Each trainer may use up to two Pokémon. The challenger may substitute Pokémon freely, but the gym leader cannot substitute until both Pokémon are unable to battle. Are the rules understood?" Brock announced from the sidelines.
"Crystal clear," Ryan replied confidently.
"Since you're the challenger, you send out first. Go, Graveler!" Flint sent out his first Pokémon.
"You're a new trainer, so I won't go too hard on you. I just caught this Pokémon recently—let's test your skills."
"Haha, prepare to be surprised. Eevee, I choose you!" Ryan called out with a grin.
Ash immediately pulled out his Pokédex to scan the Evolution Pokémon, while Misty leaned in to get a better look at the readout.
"Eevee - the Evolution Pokémon. The reason behind Eevee's unstable genetic makeup is unknown. It possesses genes that are easily influenced by its environment, allowing it to evolve into various forms."
"No additional data available on evolution conditions."
"Uh oh, that puts Ryan at a type disadvantage," Ash commented with concern.
"Eevee, start with Yawn!" Ryan wasn't about to be careless.
Since he had the first move advantage, he decided to set up a status condition immediately.
Eevee opened her mouth wide and yawned adorably, sending waves of drowsy energy across the rocky battlefield. Flint frowned—this was problematic. He'd only recently caught this Graveler, so it didn't know Sleep Talk or Snore to work around sleep status.
However, Ryan's tactical use of status moves right from the start showed he wasn't to be underestimated. Flint immediately commanded, "Graveler, Fire Punch before you fall asleep!"
"Counter with Quick Attack!" Ryan's eyes lit up with excitement.
Eevee dodged Graveler's Fire Punch with a burst of speed, and moments later, Graveler succumbed to the drowsiness effect and fell into a deep sleep. Ryan knew he had the advantage now. "Eevee, keep using Tail Whip while Graveler's asleep. When it wakes up, follow up with Swift!"
Flint could only watch helplessly as Eevee repeatedly used Tail Whip, steadily lowering Graveler's defense stat. After several turns, Graveler finally woke up, only to be immediately pelted by a barrage of golden stars from Eevee's Swift attack.
Unable to dodge the unavoidable move, Graveler collapsed to the ground, knocked out. Brock raised his hand and announced, "Graveler is unable to battle! Eevee wins! Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Just as Brock finished speaking, a brilliant white light suddenly emanated from Eevee's body. The evolution light gradually intensified, and when it finally faded, a pink and white Pokémon stood in Eevee's place. It had two ribbon-like bows—one on its left ear and another around its neck. Four additional ribbon-like appendages waved gracefully, and one of them affectionately wrapped around Ryan's arm.
"It's so cute!" Misty couldn't help but exclaim in delight.
"No data available. Unknown Pokémon," came the mechanical voice of Ash's Pokédex.
Ryan knelt down happily and gently stroked his newly evolved partner's head. "You did amazing, and you finally evolved! Look at you, Sylveon—you're absolutely beautiful."
He then pulled out a small compact mirror and let Sylveon admire her new form. Sylveon examined her reflection from various angles and nodded with complete satisfaction. She was indeed a beautiful Pokémon, and this new form perfectly matched her aesthetic preferences.
"Sylv!" she cried out happily, nuzzling against Ryan's hand with her ribbon-like feelers.
To be continued...
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