Some people look glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, they don't even own a single Eevee.
No matter which region you were in, Eevee was an exceptionally rare Pokémon.
Its scarcity, its adorable appearance, and its multiple evolution paths made it the object of desire for countless trainers.
Nozomi, who owned a Leafeon, was destined to be envied by many.
After evolving Eevee into Leafeon, Nozomi carefully placed the moss-covered rocks into his backpack.
He chose not to use a Metal Coat to evolve Onix into Steelix.
One reason was simple: Onix had just been caught, and their bond wasn't strong enough yet. Nozomi couldn't be sure that Onix wouldn't lose control if he forced it to evolve.
Another reason was Onix's current condition.
A recent battle with Nozomi had left the rocks forming Onix's body with serious damage. It needed time to recover. Using a Metal Coat now could leave permanent cracks in Onix's body.
Nozomi applied a specially-made healing ointment to Onix and let it rest nearby. Once fully healed and trained, he could reconsider the evolution.
After tending to Onix, Nozomi set up a mixed training session for Leafeon, Gengar, and Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur and Gengar formed one team, while the stronger Leafeon formed the other. They sparred against each other in rotation.
With everything arranged, Nozomi sat on a chair by the training field, supervising his Pokémon while browsing the latest updates on the Pokémon Forum.
The Pokémon Forum was the official communication platform set up by the Kanto Pokémon League. It provided news from Kanto and other regions.
Trainers could also use the forum to trade Pokémon, items, and information. It had a large number of users.
"The new Indigo League Conference has begun—rankings of Gym Leaders across regions."
The moment he logged in, Nozomi's eyes were caught by a bold headline.
Clicking on it, he found a post listing all Kanto Gym Leaders ranked by strength.
Ordinarily, this wasn't anything unusual—posts ranking Gyms for reference by rookie trainers appeared on the forum every year.
But this post differed from what Nozomi had seen before.
The difference lay in a single attachment:
"Detailed Profile of Pewter Gym Trainer Brock"
The document recorded Brock's background, his tactical style, the Pokémon he commonly used, and the moves his Pokémon were skilled in—classified information.
Some rookie trainers might doubt its authenticity, but Nozomi, who had watched the anime, knew it was all accurate.
"Who wrote this? That takes nerve," Nozomi muttered, noticing the flood of "Stay safe" comments below the post.
Although the League had no explicit rule against posting such information, Gym Leader profiles were conventionally kept confidential. Publishing them online clearly lowered the challenge for trainers.
This might help weaker trainers, but for strong trainers, it was highly unfair. The gap in strength between trainers and Gym Leaders was artificially reduced.
It also increased the Gym Leaders' workload and undermined the League's intent to select top-tier trainers. Nozomi suspected the League would soon step in to remove the post.
Sure enough, when he refreshed the page later, the post had vanished.
Even so, Nozomi wasn't optimistic. Someone with intent had likely saved its contents. It was foreseeable that a large number of trainers would soon flock to Pewter Gym, making his upcoming challenge far from smooth.
What concerned him most was the motive behind the post.
Why publish Brock's profile alone, when countless Gym Leaders' information could have been shared? That in itself was suspicious.
Nozomi sensed a plot targeting Pewter Gym.
Normally, trainers who had successfully challenged a Gym had no reason to break the rules and jeopardize their own achievements. And failed challengers' analyses had little value.
So, Nozomi concluded: someone was deliberately targeting Pewter Gym.
He imagined the scene tomorrow—trainers rushing en masse to Pewter Gym after reading the post.
Yet he couldn't understand why. Brock was not the type to stir trouble, and Pewter Gym didn't control any rare resources. With that puzzle lingering, Nozomi fell asleep.
…
The next morning,
Nozomi woke extra early due to yesterday's incident, heading to Pewter Gym before dawn.
When he arrived, one trainer was already waiting outside, and several more quickly formed a line behind him.
Trainers kept arriving, swelling the crowd.
The bustling scene was a stark contrast to Pewter Gym's emptiness the previous day.
"And it's still morning…", Nozomi muttered, staring at the queue stretching tens of meters. Dozens of trainers formed a human wall around the Gym's entrance.
The first few trainers exchanged glances, each seeing relief in the other's eyes.
Naturally, the crowd drew curious onlookers.
One passing trainer, utterly confused, asked:
"What's going on? Is Pewter Gym holding some event?"
After learning about Brock's leaked profile, more trainers joined the line.
Nozomi silently thanked his early rise.
If he hadn't arrived now, he might have had to wait at least half a month for his turn.
Just then, the first trainer emerged from the Gym, beaming with joy.
Judging by his expression, the challenge had gone very smoothly.
When the following trainers asked, the first challenger proudly explained that he had used the two Water-type Pokémon recommended in last night's guide to defeat Brock.
The news electrified the waiting trainers, each flexing their hands as if the Pewter Badge was within reach.
Amid their envious gazes, Nozomi, guided by a staff member, entered Pewter Gym.