Pokemon: Bounty Hunter

"Man, Vermilion Gym is so hard to beat. I got wrecked like this the last few times too. Forget it, I'll just head to Stonebridge City tomorrow instead."

"Right? The worst part is, ever since the previous Gym Leader handed it over to the new one, Lt. Surge, the apprentices have been going way harder on challengers."

Silas overheard a few Trainers chatting nearby and finally understood what was going on.

He wasn't unaware that Vermilion Gym had a reputation for being especially tough on challengers. Still, seeing them actually going this hard in a Gym Battle was surprising.

Maybe it had something to do with the new Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, having just taken over not too long ago.

Before becoming a Gym Leader, Surge was an Air Force Major who flew specialized aircraft powered by Electric-type Pokémon. He'd taken part in all kinds of combat operations.

His entire philosophy centered around aggressive, offensive battle tactics. After all, real enemies don't stop fighting just because you ask them to go easy so he didn't either.

Naturally, when training the Gym's apprentices, he gradually shaped their personalities to align with his own.

That said, Surge didn't actually have a bad reputation.

When someone analyzed the number of challengers and badge obtainment rates across all official Gyms, they found that even though Vermilion Gym was known for being rough, its number of challengers and success rate still ranked among the top.

That piqued people's curiosity. Surely there weren't that many people who enjoyed getting beaten down. So reporters started interviewing Trainers who had been there.

What they found was that Vermilion Gym was one of the most dedicated Gyms out there.

Normally, when you beat a Gym and get the badge, that's the end of it. There's not much more to gain beyond the badge itself.

But not at Vermilion Gym. Win or lose, the Gym staff would give you feedback on your performance whether or not you chose to listen was up to you.

They even went as far as to send out Electric-types specifically chosen to counter your team's abilities, forcing you to adapt on the spot and realize where your weaknesses lay.

Many Trainers who challenged Vermilion Gym multiple times and eventually succeeded walked away with significant improvements in their battling skills.

Technically, the League rules do require Gyms to help challengers grow, but very few actually put that into practice.

That's why, despite the numerous complaints about Vermilion Gym's heavy-handed tactics, the League never revoked its official Gym status after their evaluations.

In fact, the Gym had quite a loyal following among a segment of serious Trainers.

And Surge himself? His personal strength and charisma were well-known. He'd fended off wild Pokémon attacks that threatened the city more than once, and Vermilion TV played his battle footage on a loop.

Silas glanced at a few battered Pokémon and their exhausted Trainers nearby and gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

Vermilion Gym's approach could be seen as a positive, after all. If Gyms like Cerulean handed out badges too easily, it'd be hard to imagine how competent the final League Conference competitors would be.

It also helped Trainers understand that in a real battle, it's not just the Pokémon fighting in the ring—the Trainer is just as crucial.

But still... what kind of person brings a Rattata to challenge a Gym Leader?

Silas stared at a Rattata that had just been wheeled in on a stretcher, followed by a crying kid in shorts running after it. He couldn't help feeling a little helpless.

Honestly, if he were one of the Gym staff, he'd have a hard time accepting this too. That kind of situation—where a newbie Trainer shows up with just their first Pokémon and no sense of danger—it wasn't realistic to expect even a single chance at victory, no matter how much you held back.

Later that morning, Silas made his way to the cafeteria for breakfast. As he was eating, his wristwatch made a crisp ding.

"Ding-dong~"

He chuckled. "Wow, logistics really are fast—definitely military style," he muttered to himself.

Using one hand to pop a piece of sushi into his mouth with chopsticks, he opened the message. Sure enough, it was the Gym Battle appointment confirmation.

He skimmed the requirements nothing out of the ordinary.

But unlike the 2v2 formats of the previous two Gyms, Vermilion Gym used a 1v1 format: winner-takes-all in a single match.

The battle was scheduled for 11:00 AM just over two hours from now.

After finishing his meal at a relaxed pace, Silas headed over to the Pokémon Center's transfer terminal and booted up the connected computer.

He dialed in a video call. "Hello, this is Silas Alaric. We spoke last night. I'd like to have my Rhydon transferred over now."

The staff member from Pewter Gym was already prepared. "Of course, we're ready on our end. Beginning transfer now."

Silas placed an empty Ultra Ball onto the machine, while the other side inserted the ball containing Rhydon.

A flash of red light passed through the terminal, and just like that, the transfer was complete.

He verified it and nodded at the screen. "I've received it. Thanks a lot. I'll return it around 1 PM this afternoon."

"Sounds good. Best of luck in your battle!"

After ending the call, Silas walked to a designated training ground and released Rhydon.

"ROARRR!"

As soon as it appeared, Rhydon let out a deep, instinctive roar.

The sheer presence of its powerful frame drew attention from several nearby Trainers.

Silas smiled and gave its side a firm pat. "Big guy, how've you been holding up over there?"

"Raaa."

Rhydon nodded—things were going great. Every day it had food and water and didn't even need to hunt for itself.

All it had to do was smack down a few cocky little Pokémon every now and then. Digging holes was just a side hobby for fun.

Oh, and that Nidoking and Nidoqueen couple? They were under its command now. Triple the fun, really.

Silas couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

"All right, big guy. I brought you here this time to help me with a battle. Got it?"

He gave it a heads-up.

Yes, Rhydon was the Pokémon he had registered for the Gym battle. After all, why not take advantage of a favorable type matchup?

Plus, Rhydon was at level 41, which gave it a solid edge over the Gym's typical lineup of Pokémon around level 37.

How could he possibly lose with this card in hand? Not a chance.

After doing a little warm-up with Rhydon, Silas recalled it and headed for the Vermilion Gym.

"This Gym sure has a strong personal flair and a very... distinctive electric theme."

Silas commented as he looked at the Gym adorned with dense lightning bolt symbols. Frankly, it was a little off-putting. His taste just didn't vibe with it.

Today, as always, he wore a sleeveless shirt and knee-length shorts—kept things nice and breezy, in his opinion.

He stepped inside the Gym, skillfully made his way to the waiting area, and prepared for the official challenge at the Vermilion Gym.

"Hey, boy! You're the one who registered that Rhydon for the challenge, right?!"

He blinked, trying to make sure he'd seen the person correctly. Once he confirmed he wasn't hallucinating, he straightened up and respectfully greeted the man.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Surge. Yes, that would be me. The name's Silas Alaric."

The burly man on the other side of the field stood sternly. It was none other than the Gym Leader of Vermilion City—Lieutenant Surge.

Do Gym Leaders really have this much free time these days? Why wasn't he out handling business? Silas was mentally ranting like crazy.

But who could blame him for being a little stunned? The guy across from him was a bona fide Elite Four–level Trainer.

Lieutenant Surge stood tall on the opposite command platform.

His appearance here as Silas's Gym opponent was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision.

That morning, while inspecting the Gym's registry, he noticed someone only 16 years old had registered with a level 41 Rhydon.

That ticked him off.

In his eyes, there was a good chance this kid had just borrowed a strong Pokémon from a family elder to cheat his way through.

And Surge had zero tolerance for that kind of shortcut-taking. He respected Trainers who had grit and earned their victories.

So, he immediately decided to face this cocky brat himself and teach him a proper lesson on behalf of his family.

But then the Gym's support staff told him this was a noted young prodigy, one who'd even been backed by the Pewter Gym.

That got Surge even more interested.

He wanted to see for himself just what kind of "genius" this kid really was. Though to be fair, he still hadn't ruled out the possibility that Rhydon wasn't caught by Silas himself.

Which brought them to the current situation—Surge standing across the battlefield from Silas.

Lieutenant Surge eyed the kid carefully. Hmm, not bad. The muscles in his arms and legs showed signs of regular training.

And it wasn't just superficial muscle, either—he could tell this kid could actually throw a punch.

"Boy, your hair's way too sloppy!"

He barked out suddenly.

The commanding tone made Silas instinctively stand straighter. "Yes, my apologies."

He reached up and tugged at his shoulder-length hair. Yeah... it had definitely gotten a little long. He remembered meaning to cut it a while ago, but he'd been so busy that it slipped his mind.

Surge said no more. He still preferred to communicate through Pokémon battles—except when he needed to educate foolish kids.

Once the referee finished reciting the rules and waved the flag to begin, the battlefield fell into a brief silence.

Silas stared at the Gym Leader in mild confusion. What was this pause about?

Surge's face flushed ever so slightly. He raised his left hand, coughed into his fist, and muttered, "Go, my baby—Ampharos."

It had been a long time since he participated in a Gym battle as the defending party. His sense of rhythm was a bit rusty.

Silas finally tossed out his Ultra Ball. "Let's go, Rhydon!"

Wait a sec—was Ampharos really a standard Pokémon used in Gym battles now? Vermilion Gym sure was stepping up its game.

Silas remembered the usual lineup being Electabuzz, Manectric, Luxray, or Magneton and its evolutions.

A fully evolved Ampharos from the Mareep line? That was rare.

Lieutenant Surge spoke. "This Ampharos is one I've been raising recently. It just evolved, level 31. So you don't have to worry too much."

Wow, thanks so much for the reassurance, Silas thought, completely deadpan.

"Rhydon, Rock Blast!"

Of course, his commands weren't delayed in the slightest.

Surge gave a slight nod. "Ampharos, use Cotton Spore, then Charge."

Soft, fluffy spores floated through the air, intercepting the oncoming rocks mid-flight.

You call that Cotton Spore?! That stuff was way too tanky for fluff! Silas could feel his inner snark catching fire today.

Sure, Grass-types did resist Rock-type moves, but this was getting ridiculous.

Still, as he watched the golden sparks gathering around Ampharos's body, he decided to press the attack.

"Earthquake!"

...

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