Of course, one shouldn't underestimate the strength of a Gym Leader. As expected of someone in that position, she possessed a trump card at the Elite level: a Primarina, one of the three Alolan starter evolutions.
Its potential was without question, and its strength was impressive as well.
Speaking of which, Nathan actually wanted a Primarina too. Whether in terms of base stats, appearance, or other qualities, it was undoubtedly a Pokémon worth training.
Its typing: Water and Fairy.
Unfortunately, this kind of Pokémon was rather rare. Even in coastal cities, one would only occasionally encounter them. They mostly appeared near the shores or reefs of distant islands.
Every Gym had a number of apprentices—individuals who worked there, learning how to raise Pokémon and improve their battling skills.
Glorious City Gym was located in the city center. From the outside, the building looked like a massive blue crystal cube. Inside, however, it resembled an aquarium.
There were plenty of common Water-type Pokémon, along with large water tanks and pools throughout.
And of course, more than anything… were the many gorgeous women in swimsuits.
"Whoa, school swimsuits?"
"Damn, even bikinis? This place is something else."
Nathan stepped into Glorious City Gym and couldn't help but smile as he looked around at the beautiful ladies playing with Pokémon in the pools. Honestly, this place was a feast for the eyes.
"Hey there, cutie. Here to challenge the Gym?"
A slim figure emerged from a nearby pool, propping herself up by the edge. She looked up at Nathan and asked.
She was a sultry older woman, with a killer body and long black hair.
Nathan smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Alright then, come with me. The Gym Leader's on the third floor."
The beauty climbed out of the pool, picked up a towel from the side, and draped it over her body. She dried off while swaying her curvy figure ahead of him.
There were a lot of attractive women in the Gym, all dressed skimpily.
Perhaps for that very reason, there were also quite a few men inside—many of whom didn't seem to be staff.
Rather than employees, they looked more like people who came just to check out the scenery.
The Gym even had merchandise shops running inside.
Given the heavy foot traffic, those alone probably brought in a good chunk of revenue.
Nathan glanced around and couldn't help but admire the Gym Leader's business acumen.
If not for his grand ambitions as a Trainer, he'd probably stop by here from time to time too.
No—not to see the women. Just to "admire the view."
As they stepped into the elevator, the girl turned to look at Nathan and asked,
"Hey cutie, you look kinda familiar. Have I seen you on the news before?"
"My name's Nathan Vesper," he said, nodding. "If I seem familiar, it's probably because I won the Trial Tournament."
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately squealed, "Eek! Cutie, can I take a selfie with you?"
"Huh?" Nathan blinked in confusion.
She giggled. "Let's take a pic together! I wanna brag to my girlfriends. They're gonna be so jealous. A bunch of them are your fans and talk about you all the time. I can't believe I'm actually seeing you in person!"
Nathan rubbed his nose awkwardly and smiled wryly. "Haha… I see. Well, sure. Got your phone?"
"Of course!"
Somehow, she had her phone tucked somewhere in her… generous curves. She pulled it out, opened the camera, and posed beside Nathan with a sweet smile.
Just as they finished taking the photo, the elevator doors opened.
This floor featured another massive pool—but rather than just a swimming pool, it was clearly a battlefield. A Water-type battlefield.
It was open-air, with sunlight streaming down.
By the edge of the pool, a woman in a black bikini lay beneath a parasol, wearing sunglasses and reading a book. Every now and then, she took a sip from her chilled drink.
She looked totally relaxed.
"Hmm? Bella, another challenger?" she asked, glancing up at the girl next to Nathan.
"Yup, sis. And this one's special—he's the Trial Tournament Champion." Bella smiled brightly.
Hearing that, the woman took off her sunglasses and looked at Nathan in surprise.
"So it really is you—Nathan Vesper. I remember you clearly."
"If you say it like that, I'm gonna get cocky," Nathan replied with a grin.
"Well, I am a gorgeous woman, aren't I?" Jade smiled brilliantly, closed her book, and stood up.
"I've heard you have a Fire-type Pokémon at the Elite level—your Volcarona. Are you planning to use it for this challenge?"
"Nope. I'm using another one," Nathan shook his head.
Volcarona wasn't the best choice here.
Even though its raw power could potentially overcome the type disadvantage, he wanted to use this Gym battle as a chance to hone a newer team member.
…
"Alright then. Bella, you'll be the referee."
Gym Leader Jade ran her fingers through her long hair and smiled.
"As the Gym Leader, I'll match the strength of the Pokémon you send out."
Nathan was familiar with that rule and nodded with a smile, walking to his designated side of the battlefield.
Bella quickly moved to the center of the arena and raised her hand.
"The battle will be 1v1. The field is a Water-type battlefield. If the challenger wins, they'll receive the Gym Badge!"
"Battle, begin!"
Nathan drew a Poké Ball and called out, "Come on out—Metang!"
A flash of light revealed Metang's floating body, hovering over the pool.
"That's..."
Jade blinked in surprise. "A Metang? I didn't expect you to have one of those."
As a Gym Leader, she was naturally well-acquainted with Metang. It was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, with its final evolution, Metagross, being terrifying in the hands of a capable Trainer.
This rookie Trainer already had an Elite-level Volcarona. Now he had a Metang as well, plus the Trapinch he earned as a prize in the tournament.
Tch.
Jade couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Even wealthy heirs didn't always get such rare and powerful Pokémon.
Volcarona alone was as rare as a pseudo-legendary.
And a pseudo-legendary like Metang? That took real luck to find, let alone catch. Most were found in remote, uninhabited places—and usually, young pseudo-legendaries were guarded by powerful adults.
That said, even if Metang was strong, it didn't have a type advantage here.
"This is a Water-type battlefield. Metang may be impressive, but that won't help you against my Water-types."
She clapped her hands. "Let's go—Vaporeon!"
A beam of light shot out from one of the Poké Balls beside the pool.
Vaporeon emerged and landed in the water, facing off against Metang.
Its strength was clearly comparable to Metang's.
Nathan smirked. "Typing doesn't decide the outcome."
"Metang, use Iron Defense!"
Metang's body gleamed as its defenses sharply rose.
Jade issued her own command: "Vaporeon, Focus Energy, then use Scald!"
Vaporeon's tail flicked as it focused, then launched a blast of steaming water at Metang.
"Dodge it! Then use Iron Head to charge in!"
Nathan's gaze calmly swept across the battlefield, planning out his next moves.
Metang's magnetism surged as it glowed with metallic energy and charged toward Vaporeon.
"Dive!" Jade ordered. Cool and composed, as expected of a Gym Leader.
Vaporeon disappeared beneath the water's surface, easily avoiding Metang's charge.
"Attack from below—Surf!"
Suddenly, the previously calm pool became turbulent.
In the ocean, Vaporeon diving wouldn't make this kind of wave, but this was a controlled arena.
Huge waves crashed toward Metang in succession.
"Metang, evade!"
Nathan knew Metang didn't have many moves yet—limiting its options.
While it had some Electric-type attacks, none were particularly powerful.
If he couldn't knock out Vaporeon quickly, he might get caught off guard.
And who knew? Vaporeon might even know healing moves like Aqua Ring.
He needed to wait.
Wait for the right opportunity—when his opponent revealed a weakness.
Metang dodged wave after wave.
"Use Waterfall!" Jade shouted.
Waves still pounded the field, but from below, Vaporeon suddenly shot up, riding a wave with immense momentum, crashing toward Metang with great force.
But...
"Waterfall is a physical move. With Vaporeon's power and Metang's defense..."
Nathan's lips curved into a smile.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for.
"Metang, don't dodge—use Thunder Wave!"
His voice rang out, sharp and decisive.
Jade's eyes widened.
"An Electric move?! How?!"
Rather than avoiding the Waterfall, Metang stood firm, blue electricity crackling over its body.
It fired a Thunder Wave at Vaporeon just as the attack landed.
Bam!
Metang was knocked back, but its sturdy defenses kept it in the fight.
Meanwhile, Vaporeon was hit squarely by the Thunder Wave.
The move didn't deal damage—but it inflicted paralysis.
Even if paralysis didn't kick in right away, that didn't matter to Nathan.
As Vaporeon began to fall back into the water—
"Metang, attack again—use Thunder Shock!"
Zzzzt!
Blue lightning sparked from Metang's body, arcing toward the just-landed Vaporeon.
Unlike Thunder Wave, Thunder Shock did deal damage—and could also paralyze.
It landed cleanly.
Vaporeon cried out in pain as electricity crackled across its body.
It was paralyzed.
"Perfect."
Nathan grinned.
"Metang—don't give it a chance to recover! Use Thunder Shock at full power—then finish it with Thunder Punch!"
Zzzzt!
Even more powerful lightning burst from Metang's body—thicker, louder, and sharper than before...