The Next Day
With arms crossed in front of his chest, Ryuuske narrowed his eyes and gave the order.
The fierce-looking Gible suddenly leapt into the air, its sharp teeth transforming into ghostly energy. Under the stunned gaze of the opposing Trainer, it bit down hard on Gastly's misty body. Despite being a Ghost-type Pokémon—typically just as troublesome as Psychic-types—Gastly let out a chilling scream like a cold wind had swept through, before collapsing, unconscious, to the ground.
"Gastly is unable to battle. Gible wins!"
The referee rang the bell forcefully and loudly declared Ryuuske's victory, also serving as a reminder that no further attacks were allowed.
"Hmph. These rookie Trainers are far weaker than I imagined. Or maybe... I'm just too strong for them?"
Ryuuske straightened his clothes, stepped forward to shake hands with the defeated Trainer—who still had a look of unwillingness on his face—then turned to leave without saying a word. But even his muttered comment was loud enough for the opponent to hear. Though irritated by the remark, the man who had lost could only sigh, recalling his Gastly and walking away quietly, waiting for next week's opportunity to challenge again.
The Gym Challenge wasn't something Trainers could jump straight into by challenging the Gym Leader. They first had to participate in preliminary rounds, which were divided into eight groups, each based on strength. Since Ryuuske had yet to earn even a single badge, he was placed in Group One alongside other rookie Trainers. The winner of each group would earn the right to challenge the Gym Leader once per week. Victors would receive a badge, while losers would have to start again from the preliminaries the following week.
"That new guy is really something. He's finishing every match with a single move. Cleared out all the rookies in Group One in no time."
Ryuuske's swift battles—and the fact that he rarely needed a second move—quickly drew attention. A crowd of rookie Trainers and others who already had a few badges gathered around his match area, pointing and whispering in curiosity.
"He's probably the real combat type. I looked around earlier—most of the rookies in that group were academy-trained. Losing to him isn't surprising. Even though this is just a match and not a life-or-death battle, the gap between those kinds of Trainers tends to be even more obvious."
"Yeah, pretty impressive. A rookie who just started his journey already bold enough to train in the wild? Most Trainers rely on battles to gain experience first before daring to venture into areas teeming with wild Pokémon. Even then, we still lose plenty of Trainers to the wilderness every year."
Two Trainers standing nearby chatted while watching Ryuuske walk away, having easily secured his spot as Group One's winner. Now all that remained was the official Gym Challenge scheduled for the next day.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before."
"That's not a Kanto Pokémon—it's from the Sinnoh region."
"Huh? How do you know?"
"Don't you follow tournaments from other regions? In the recently held Sinnoh League, the new Champion's main ace was Garchomp—the final evolution of that Gible. That Champion is stunning, too. The first time I saw her on TV, I was floored. She's not only gorgeous but also incredibly strong. I heard she's got a great personality too. She's got legions of fans across Sinnoh."
One of the two men gave his friend a side-eye before sinking into a daydream, speaking with barely contained excitement.
"..."
Although Ryuuske stood more than twenty meters away, his Mewtwo-enhanced senses were far beyond ordinary. He heard the entire conversation clearly.
"Sinnoh Champion… Combat-style vs. Academy-style..."
Ryuuske mulled over their words. He already knew about the famous Sinnoh Champion—anyone would, even if they hadn't watched the anime. But this "academy" and "real-combat" classification was something he'd only recently become familiar with.
Combat-style Trainers, like Ryuuske himself, trained and fought out in the wilderness from day one, pushing their Pokémon to grow through life-and-death situations. In contrast, Academy-style Trainers developed their Pokémon's strength primarily through safe, structured battles.
To Ryuuske, Pokémon grew stronger by undergoing a kind of spiritual transcendence born from intense focus and pressure. Living with them in dangerous environments meant their strength evolved constantly. But Academy-style Pokémon only sharpened their focus during occasional battles. As time passed, this led to a widening gap in growth potential.
Of course, most Trainers eventually transitioned from academy-style to combat-style once they'd accumulated enough battle experience. They would then head into remote areas for special training. But even with that foundation, the danger of the wild remained extreme. Many who feared death would never venture too deep—or would flee at the first sign of danger. This is how the gap in strength among Trainers slowly but surely formed.
A single powerful Trainer could be a one-man army, while weaker ones might struggle even against a lone wild Pokémon. The difference between an Elite Four and an ordinary Trainer was like a chasm.
Rookie Trainers like Ryuuske, who trained in the wild from the start, were exceedingly rare. That was because the mortality rate was terrifyingly high. The path Ryuuske, Ash, and Gary chose was seen by most as a form of suicide.
"Sigh… such a pain. To challenge a Gym Leader, you have to go through a whole prelim, and they only accept one challenge per week? At least the official match starts tomorrow night."
Ryuuske walked out of the preliminaries, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on a massive building in the distance. It looked like a giant football stadium, large enough to hold tens of thousands of spectators.
In this world, Gym Challenge Matches weren't casual affairs held in a small room like in the anime or games. Every match was a grand spectacle broadcast across the globe—an event the whole world watched with bated breath.
That's why Trainers were this world's biggest celebrities. Every powerful Trainer was as well-known as a superstar.
To be continued…