Macha City.
A bright and sunny morning.
Inside the Macha Gym, however, cries of agony echoed frequently.
Was it a distortion of humanity, or a decline in morality?
Let's zoom in and focus our attention on the interior of the Macha Gym.
Bang!
"My Macho!"
Bang!
"My Strength!"
Bang!
"My god, what on earth is this gym?"
"I don't understand at all."
On the field, a trainer dressed in a karate uniform kept groaning.
The previous battle replayed repeatedly in his mind.
After staring at the Ferrothorn for a long time, he looked up at the sky. He
was amused by his own frustration. He must have forgotten to check the almanac today, eaten too much, and had nothing else to do, which was why he chose to challenge the gym in Macha City.
The Pokédex said that the Macha Gym was a very sunny and worthwhile gym to challenge.
Now it really was sunny.
He had been traveling for nearly five years.
This was the first time he had ever seen such an incredible battle.
In close combat, his Pokémon suffered far more damage than the Ferrothorn. His
Pokémon abandoned close combat and opted for ranged attacks, but was then caught in a spinning attack that dealt even more damage, instantly defeating his first Pokémon.
His second Pokémon, upon entering the fray, was immediately hit by a barrage of Stone Attacks.
Then came another spinning attack, flying right in front of his Pokémon and
cleanly eliminating his main Machamp in one fell swoop.
Wudou really wanted to ask his opponent why, given such strength, he hadn't launched an attack at the beginning, dragging the match out for a full fifteen minutes. This
fueled his burning desire for victory; not only did Wudou's Pokémon feel they were just a hair's breadth away from defeating their opponent, but when he sent out the even more powerful Machamp
, a simple attack completely finished it off, leaving no room for resistance—a one-sided crushing defeat.
"Is this really a Pokémon battle?"
Wudou murmured, a bitter smile on his face. His five-year journey was perhaps finally coming to a close.
Wudou walked shakily out of the gym, clutching his Poké Ball tightly, yet feeling utterly powerless.
This battle completely shattered Wudou's understanding of Pokémon battles, shattering his worldview and even making him doubt his own future potential.
"Take care, challenger. Remember to leave a rating in the Pokédex," Bai Yu chuckled behind Wudou. "That was truly a thrilling match."
Luckily, Wudou had walked quickly; otherwise, he would have rushed over to fight Bai Yu.
What kind of battle was this?
He couldn't understand it, nor could he concentrate on enjoying it.
"Is this your style of battle?"
Sabrina stepped down, her gaze slightly strange.
She had also never seen such an interesting Pokémon battle before.
In Pokémon battles, it shouldn't be about the stronger side gaining an advantage through superior moves and attack frequency, gradually building a winning edge.
However, Bai Yu's battle was different. He incorporated defensive strategies from the very beginning, exploiting his opponent's weaknesses and finding their vulnerabilities to secure victory in an unconventional way.
Sabrina had never seen this style of battle before, at least not within the Kanto region. From Elite Four members to ordinary trainers encountered on the street, no one had used the same tactical system.
No wonder Bai Yu wanted to reject that Electabuzz yesterday; given Bai Yu's battle system, Electabuzz wouldn't be very effective.
"What's wrong?" Bai Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with his battle style.
As long as victory was assured, even starting with a passive, passive approach could be considered a tactical system.
Pokémon battles are inherently a diverse exchange of tactics.
If all you do is rush in and clash head-on, it's not a Pokémon battle.
It becomes a mere arcade game of punches and slaps.
"Nothing, I'm just surprised by your battle system."
"That Ferrothorn of yours isn't a native Kanto region Pokémon, is it?"
Sabrina looked at the Ferrothorn beside Bai Yu.
Its flat exterior was covered in metal, with thorn-like metallic spikes, and three long, green, vine-like appendages around it, making it look rather strange.
"A Pokémon from the Unova region, caught by chance," Bai Yu said, not wanting to mention the old Gym Leader.
He'd dumped the gym on her, running off to the Unova region, and who knows, he'd probably be living a carefree life in some town there now.
Sabrina guessed something, but didn't take the Ferrothorn seriously. Bai Yu's improved strength was a good thing for Sabrina; she was increasingly unable to understand the guy she'd grown up with.
His fighting style and Pokémon-handling abilities seemed to have changed completely.
Even her precognitive abilities couldn't predict Bai Yu's exact future.
"Little Whitey, what are you planning to do next? Stay in the gym all the time?"
"Your gym isn't very popular. Only one or two challengers came this morning."
Sabrina had spent the whole morning with Bai Yu.
She'd seen his fighting style.
Most importantly, she'd seen the trainers coming to challenge him.
Only two had come this morning, and their waiting time was longer than the match itself.
In Sabrina
's opinion, those battles didn't help Bai Yu's growth at all. The challengers were too weak; Sabrina couldn't see any pressure from Bai Yu's battles.
"The Gym Leader Competition is coming up soon."
"You want to use that competition to increase the reputation of the Macha Gym?"
Sabrina thought for a moment. Every year, the Kanto region holds a Gym Leader Competition.
It mainly gives gyms other than the eight major gyms a chance to challenge each other.
A year ago, Sabrina easily crushed the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City using this method,
defending her Saffron Gym's title.
This was the only way in the League to change the reputation of one's gym.
However, very few gym leaders can win gym battles. In
the Kanto region for many years, no one has been known to have achieved this.
Even the weakest gym, Cerulean Gym, had a young girl defend its honor last year, but after that girl's appearance, she never appeared at Cerulean Gym again.
Afterwards, rumors circulated about Cerulean Gym using substitutes, but after the League verified that Cerulean Gym did not use substitutes, the matter was dropped.
"Gym battles."
"It's not just about that, there are other factors..."
Bai Yu slowly shook his head, not taking the matter to heart.
His reason for not leaving Macha Gym was simple: his own strength was insufficient.
Defeating a few gym challengers was naturally not a problem.
His own strength was still significantly inferior to the Elite Four, let alone legendary Pokémon.
Yesterday at the research lab, the artificial Pokémon materials Team Rocket obtained intensified Bai Yu's sense of crisis. He knew better than anyone which Pokémon Team Rocket was going to create.
The birth of that Pokémon would have a devastating impact on the entire Kanto region.
At this stage, growth within the gym is naturally far more effective than traveling.
Once he completes the Hoenn region, his strength will change significantly.
He can ensure he won't face too many threats.
Bai Yu estimates he's only a few levels away from becoming an Elite Four member.
In the game, Elite Four members' strength in the first playthrough is generally between 50-60, while in the second playthrough, their overall strength increases by a level, from 50-60 to 70-80.
Bai Yu hasn't fought against an Elite Four member, but he's witnessed Elite Four-level battles, and their Pokémon are not far behind his own.
Of course, this excludes the very few Elite Four members who are comparable to Champions.
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(End of Chapter)