After that, Kael won three more matches in a row, all with ruthless efficiency, eliminating his opponents at the fastest possible pace. Sneasel's performance that day could only be described as flawless. By then, dusk had already fallen. The once-noisy Cerulean Gym had quieted down, leaving only four remaining candidates. The four of them would face off the next morning to decide who would become the final temporary Gym Trainer.
Cerulean Gym prepared a lavish seafood dinner for them. As the official Gym of a city, its finances were naturally robust—official Gyms were entitled to a portion of the city's tax revenue, and every year the League also allocated substantial funds. If a Gym was especially well-known, its leader could even secure generous sponsorships from major corporate groups.
The three sisters had gone to a beauty salon for some pampering and had no time to entertain the four candidates. Thus, in the luxuriously decorated restaurant, aside from the four of them, only two security guards remained.
At the other side of the table, two young Trainers ate their seafood in silence, their gazes drifting from time to time toward the handsome boy with the black ponytail across from them. That guy was their biggest threat. He was their greatest threat- anyone who had watched his matches knew his Sneasel's terrifying speed was enough to crush opponents in an instant.
"Hi, my name's Chubbs. I watched all of your battles—your Sneasel is really amazing!"
A youth wearing overalls approached Kael, who was drinking water alone. He had curly short green hair and a round, sideways-growing body that made him look almost spherical.
"Hm?" Kael turned and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kael. Your Golem's pretty solid too."
Kael had seen one of this chubby kid's matches before. His Pokémon was Golem, the final evolution of Geodude, and his use of Rollout to break stalemates was indeed impressive.
"Heh heh!" Chubbs scratched the back of his head shyly and said with a grin, "That was just dumb luck. My opponent wasn't very strong. I'm really not as good as you say."
…Did this guy misunderstand something?
Watching the chubby kid sink into self-satisfaction, Kael couldn't help but find it amusing. He'd only said the Golem was decent—he hadn't said you were amazing.
Finding Chubbs somewhat interesting, Kael chatted with him a bit more.
"My family lives in Saffron City. I originally came to Cerulean City for a vacation—wanted to see that famous water ballet everyone talks about. But then I heard Cerulean Gym was recruiting a temporary Gym Trainer, so I figured I'd give it a try. Just wanted to see what it feels like to be a Gym Leader."
In just a few sentences, Chubbs laid out his background and purpose.
From his mannerisms and what he'd said earlier, it wasn't hard to tell that this chubby kid probably came from a well-off family. Kael nodded and replied, "I'm here for the Surf HM. And, well… my wallet's been a bit tight lately, so I figured I'd earn some extra money on the side."
...
After dinner, the Gym's security arranged a separate room for each of them. After showering, Kael lay back on the pristine white sheets with his hands behind his head, his thoughts drifting as he recalled some of what Violet had said to him during the day.
Violet's youngest sister was named Misty. Three days ago, after rescuing that Feebas, she'd already set off on her journey. With memories from his previous life, Kael naturally knew exactly who "Misty" was—the first female lead of the Pokémon series. If that was the case, then following this timeline, the so-called protagonist, Ash, must have only just left Pallet Town not long ago.
"Interesting."
Toying with the silver headband in his hand, a faintly amused smile tugged at Kael's lips. Years ago, after learning what kind of world he was in, he'd searched the internet for familiar names and places from his memories. Pallet Town—that pure white little town—did exist. Professor Oak existed. Lance of the Elite Four existed. But there was no information on Ash. Perhaps the kid hadn't been born yet back then—or had only just been born.
A protagonist?
Doesn't exist.
Kael had no intention of seeking out some so-called "chosen one." This was a real world. The planet wouldn't stop spinning just because one person was missing, and there had never been anyone who was inherently the protagonist of the world.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Kael found himself unable to forget the Feebas he'd seen earlier that day. From that little fish's unconscious reactions, it was clear that it wasn't nearly as dull as it looked on the surface. It had emotions. It cared about how people judged it. That alone proved the little thing had a certain level of intelligence.
Unlike Magikarp. That entire species seemed barely different from ordinary fish—aside from pure instinct, there was little sign of the intelligence or emotional awareness a Pokémon ought to possess.
Feebas could evolve into Milotic. Although the path to evolution was fraught with difficulty, that did nothing to dampen Kael's desire for it. The real question was: how could he obtain that Feebas? After all, it was a Pokémon belonging to Cerulean Gym. How could he get it without resorting to extreme measures?
Kael was certain that the three Cerulean sisters—including Misty—had no idea that Feebas could evolve into Milotic. Their attitude made that obvious. It wasn't outright dislike, but rather indifference—seeing it and not really caring one way or the other.
That meant acquiring Feebas shouldn't be too difficult.
The prerequisite, however, was clear: defeat everyone else, become the temporary Gym Trainer—and then carry out the next step of his plan.