After that, Hisoka won three more matches, eliminating his opponents with ruthless efficiency. Sneasel's performance today had been nothing short of perfect. By the time the sun began to set,
the once-bustling Cerulean Gym had grown quiet. Only four candidates remained. Tomorrow morning, these four would face off to decide who would ultimately claim the title of interim Gym Leader.
The Cerulean Gym prepared a lavish seafood banquet for the final four. As an official city gym, its financial resources were immense. Official gyms were entitled to a portion of the city's tax revenue,
and the League provided substantial annual funding. If a gym was famous enough, the Leader could even rake in massive sponsorships from major corporations.
The three sisters had gone to a spa and were unavailable to host. Inside the luxuriously decorated dining room, there were only the four candidates and two security guards.
On the other side of the table, two young trainers ate their seafood in silence. Their gazes frequently flickered toward the handsome youth with the black ponytail sitting across from them.
This guy was their greatest threat. His matches spoke for themselves; he had crushed every opponent with blistering speed. That Sneasel of his was terrifying.
"Hello, my name is Choji. I watched your battles. Your Sneasel is truly impressive!" Just then, a sphere-like youth wearing overalls approached. He had curly green hair and a physique that seemed to grow horizontally. He sat down near Hisoka, who had been drinking quietly by himself.
"Oh?" Hisoka turned to look at him and gave a small smile. "Hello. I'm Hisoka. Your Golem is quite good as well."
Hisoka had caught one of the chubby kid's matches earlier. He used Golem, the final evolution of Geodude. His use of Rollout to break through a stalemate had been genuinely skillful.
"Hehe!" Choji scratched the back of his head sheepishly, grinning. "That was just luck. My opponents weren't that strong, really. I'm not nearly as good as you say."
This kid is getting the wrong idea, Hisoka thought, suppressing a laugh as he watched the boy sink into self-satisfaction. I said your Golem was good, I didn't say you were.
Still, Hisoka found the kid somewhat interesting and chatted with him for a while longer.
"I live in Saffron City. I was originally just visiting Cerulean City to see the famous underwater ballet, but then I heard the Gym was hiring an interim Leader. I thought I'd give it a try just to see what it feels like to be a Gym Leader."
In just a few sentences, Choji had laid out his background and intentions.
Judging by his behavior and speech, the kid clearly came from a wealthy family. Hisoka nodded and replied, "I'm here for the Surf TM. Plus, my pockets are a bit light lately, so I figured I'd earn some extra cash."
After dinner, the security guards showed the four of them to their respective rooms. After a shower, Hisoka lay on the crisp white sheets with his hands behind his head. His thoughts drifted back to what Violet had told him earlier that day.
Violet's youngest sister was named Misty. She had left for a journey three days ago, right after saving the Feebas. With the memories of his past life, Hisoka obviously knew who she was:
the first female protagonist of the Pokémon series. Based on this timeline, the so-called "protagonist" of this world, Ash Ketchum, must have only recently left Pallet Town to begin his journey.
"Interesting." Toying with a silver hair tie in his hand, a meaningful smile curled Hisoka's lips. Years ago, when he first realized the world he was in, he had searched the internet for familiar names and places.
Pallet Town existed, Professor Oak was there, and the Dragon Elite Four Lance was a known figure. However, there was no data on Ash. Perhaps the boy hadn't been born yet, or was only an infant at the time.
Protagonists? They don't exist. Hisoka had no intention of looking for this "main character." This was a real world. The planet wouldn't stop spinning because of the absence of a single person, and there was no such thing as a predetermined protagonist of the world.
Clearing his mind of those distractions, Hisoka found himself fixated on that Feebas. From its subtle reactions earlier, it was clear that the little creature wasn't as brain-dead as it appeared. it had emotions; it cared about what others thought of it. This proved the little fellow possessed a decent level of intelligence.
It wasn't like Magikarp. That species generally had an IQ no higher than an ordinary fish; outside of basic instinct, they showed almost no signs of the wisdom or emotion expected of a Pokémon.
A Feebas could evolve into a Milotic. Even though the process would be fraught with difficulty, it did nothing to dampen Hisoka's desire for it. The question was, how could he get it? It was, after all, a Pokémon belonging to the Cerulean Gym. How could he acquire it without resorting to extreme measures?
Hisoka was certain that none of the three sisters, nor Misty, knew that Feebas could evolve into Milotic. Their attitudes made it clear they didn't necessarily hate it, but they were completely indifferent, looking past it as if it weren't there.
Therefore, getting his hands on that Feebas shouldn't be too difficult. However, the prerequisite was defeating everyone else and becoming the interim Gym Leader. Only then could he put the next part of his plan into motion.
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