Just like Natsui, Sabrina generally only caught Pokémon that she liked.
And this peculiar-looking Natu, for some unknown reason, had clearly hit her soft spot, making her want to catch it.
But this time, she finally didn't act herself. Instead, she sent out her Kadabra, choosing to battle it with a Pokémon.
Under Sabrina's direction, Kadabra attacked as soon as it appeared. At first, the Natu wanted to hop to the ground and flee, but unfortunately, it couldn't fly. It was caught up by Kadabra's Teleport and, left with no choice, could only hastily fight back. But how could a first-stage wild Pokémon be a match for a Gym Leader's main Pokémon? After just a few hits, it was knocked to the ground.
In the end, Sabrina threw a Poké Ball and easily caught the Natu.
Watching the whole process, Natsui clapped lightly and smiled. "That wasn't easy. This is only the second Pokémon you've caught since we started traveling. The number is really too small! And if you hadn't sent out Kadabra just now, I would have thought you were going to do it yourself again, just like last time."
Sabrina gave a faint smile. Catching a new Pokémon had also put her in a very pleasant mood.
"Don't you think it's cute?"
"Cute!?"
Natsui raised his eyebrows. He thought back to the Natu but couldn't find any connection between it and the word 'cute'.
But oh well, Sabrina's way of thinking couldn't be measured by common sense anyway. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
But… the Natu probably couldn't figure out why it had suddenly been caught when it was just resting on a branch.
Truly… just because I looked at you one more time.
After this little interlude, the two continued on their way, passed through the forest, and finally arrived in Mahogany Town before dark.
Just as they were entering the town, Natsui saw a severely damaged wooden sign lying in a pile of rocks.
Wiping off the dirt, he saw that the sign read: This is Mahogany Town. Welcome to the Village of Ninjas.
He didn't know how long this sign had been here, but it was already in tatters. To have been neglected for so many years, it must have suffered the same fate as the ninjas who once lived in Mahogany Town—abandoned by the times.
Tossing the sign aside, Natsui shook his head and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
The Village of Ninjas… in the end, it exists in name only…
Walking into the town, the streets were lined with low, Japanese-style wooden houses. As far as the eye could see, old people were chatting at their doorsteps, and young children were running around freely. It was clear that the pace of life here was extremely slow. Not only were there few cars, but even Pokémon were a rare sight.
At this time, the lights in every house had already been turned on, and the aroma of food wafted through the air, making Natsui's stomach rumble.
He was a bit tired after a long day, and come to think of it, since meeting Looker, from the raid on the Team Rocket research institute until now, they hadn't had a proper meal.
The top priority is to find a place to stay and solve the dinner problem.
As for the gym battle, it's already late anyway. Let's wait until tomorrow.
With this in mind, the two walked towards the town center.
And as they passed by a very ordinary-looking shop, they could still see some International Police officers, with a cordon set up, going in and out. This must be the entrance to the Team Rocket base in Mahogany Town.
Just like the Celadon Game Corner in the Kanto region, Team Rocket had chosen to place the entrance in a shop, probably thinking that with people coming and going frequently, it wouldn't arouse suspicion.
But even with such a thorough disguise, unfortunately, they still couldn't escape their fate of being destroyed.
After watching for a while and seeing that there was nothing else to see, the two continued on their way.
Mahogany Town was not very big, and since there was no Pokémon Center, Natsui followed the map's directions and found an inn near the gym to stay in.
In fact, compared to hotels, he preferred the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere of inns.
So if conditions allowed, he would generally choose an inn as his top choice.
After a hearty dinner, Natsui and Sabrina took a bath together. Since they planned to challenge the gym early the next morning, they went to bed early.
Of course, faced with such a long night, Natsui, lying in bed, naturally didn't feel sleepy. He couldn't help but busy himself with Sabrina until midnight, before finally drifting off to sleep in a daze.
…
The Mahogany Gym, as the official gym of Mahogany Town, was led by an elderly man named Pryce, who was very skilled in using Ice-type Pokémon.
After defeating him, one could obtain the Glacier Badge. However, Pryce's strength was formidable. He had also been a competitive trainer in his youth, and with age, his immense experience had made him extremely difficult to deal with.
And because he trained his Pokémon strictly, keeping a distance from them and not forming a bond of trust, he had also earned the title 'Pryce of Winter'.
Therefore, to some extent, he was the strongest among the Gym Leaders of the Johto region.
Early in the morning, Natsui, yawning and looking sleepy, arrived outside the Mahogany Gym with Sabrina.
The Mahogany Gym was built in a courtyard. Its exterior resembled an ordinary swimming pool and had no special features.
In fact, given Mahogany Town's geographical location and population, a gym shouldn't have been established here. But there was a rumor that the Pokémon League had specially set up a gym here to keep Pryce, as a form of retirement for him.
Since the courtyard gate was open, Natsui didn't ring the bell but walked directly in.
But as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he felt a blast of cold air hit him, instantly giving him goosebumps and chasing away all his sleepiness.
Sensing something, Natsui looked to the side and saw that a corner of the courtyard by a pond was covered in ice and snow, like a small, isolated world of ice.
And dozens of various Ice-type Pokémon were playing there happily.
Compared to the warmth of the streets, although it was just a wall away, it was as if one was in winter and the other in spring, creating two different seasons.
Just as Natsui was looking with interest, he suddenly heard footsteps from behind. He turned his head and saw a serious-looking old man slowly walking out of the gym.
Seeing Natsui standing in the courtyard, the old man couldn't help but frown and said in an unfriendly tone, "Who are you?"
This must be Pryce…
Nodding slightly at him, Natsui smiled. "Hello, I'm here to challenge the Mahogany Gym. Excuse me, are you the Gym Leader here?"
At that moment, the smile on his face was as warm e, in stark contrast to Pryce's coldness.
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