Chapter 87: Challenger Rewards

"Eat more, eat more, so you can grow up quickly."

Dylan sat on a picnic blanket, opening two more boxes of energy cubes for the young Larvitar, smiling as he patted its little head.

"Yoo~!"

Larvitar was ecstatic and dove headfirst into the energy cubes.

Nearby, the shiny Gastly burped, looking in amazement at the still-devouring Larvitar. What was this thing?

Was its stomach a bottomless pit? How did it grow like this?

"Eevee~"

Eevee, lying on Dylan's lap, also watched Larvitar with curiosity.

"Don't follow its example. Larvitar's appetite is something you can't match. Don't overeat and get sick."

Dylan gently stroked Eevee's soft fur, reminding the shiny Gastly and Eevee.

As a 'late bloomer Pokémon,' Larvitar was a classic example because its evolution required accumulating a lot of nutrients.

The Pokédex mentioned that Larvitar could eat a mountain, which was true in practice. Of course, it didn't mean that Larvitar only ate dirt; it mainly absorbed the nutrients in the soil.

So, feeding it nutrient-rich energy cubes was also effective, speeding up its growth. However, this approach was usually for those who were well-off.

Of course, Dylan wasn't short of money, but he had an even faster way to evolve Larvitar—he had a system.

"This life is pretty good."

Dylan leisurely took a sip of water, looking into the distance.

Darkrai was training with Toxapex, but due to the difference in strength, Darkrai was mostly getting beaten by Toxapex.

However, Darkrai was very determined and had a strong desire to become stronger.

"Drapion, Incineroar, Darkrai, Meowscarada and the future Tyranitar—my Dark-type team is almost complete."

Dylan thought for a moment. His Dark-type Pokémon team was coming together, but this team's strength wasn't suitable for most challengers.

"I'll open a new region tonight."

In the simulated growth world, he couldn't stay in Kanto to level up anymore; he needed to open new maps.

Recently, to quickly level up the new Pokémon, he hadn't opened new regions.

He had no choice; opening a new region meant starting from scratch again, and leveling up was too slow. It was much faster to grind in the high-level maps of Kanto.

This system was really tricky, not allowing repeat challenges against the Elite Four. Otherwise, leveling up would be even faster.

"Poison and Dark types can be rotated."

Dylan thought about it. Once my father sent over the new Dark-type Pokémon, his Dark-type team would be complete.

He could use one team for strong challengers and another for weaker ones—perfect.

From now on, his gym wouldn't be just a Poison-type gym.

In the blink of an eye, it was Monday again.

"Ta-da. I'm back at Rota Gym."

Pushing open the gym doors, the receptionist, wearing a clean short-sleeve shirt and skirt, cheerfully shouted, looking a bit playful.

Beside her, Selene covered her mouth, laughing.

"Huh? What's this?"

Soon, the two girls noticed a new object in the center of the hall.

"Is this a spinning wheel? What's it for?"

Selene walked over, puzzled, looking at the wheel that resembled a lottery spinner.

The wheel was divided into three sections: deep purple and black occupied 99% of the wheel, with 1% being gold.

"This is for challengers." A clear, gentle voice came from behind.

Selene and the receptionist immediately recognized it.

"Good morning, Gym Leader. Wow, what a cute Eevee."

The receptionist turned, greeting with a smile, but her eyes were quickly drawn to the yawning Eevee in Dylan's arms—such an adorable little fox.

Selene's eyes also sparkled. Girls generally couldn't resist cute Pokémon.

Even Selene, who didn't consider herself a "looks" person, couldn't help but be charmed.

Eevee noticed their gazes and tilted its head in confusion.

"Gym Leader, is this your new Pokémon?"

"Yes, isn't it cute?"

Dylan lifted Eevee's little paw, waving it at the two girls with a smile.

He had to admit, Eevee was small and soft, making it perfect for cuddling. It even made a great pillow at night.

"Wow, so cute. Gym Leader, can I hug it?" The receptionist bit her finger, hopeful.

"That depends on Eevee's opinion."

However, Eevee was cautious around anyone other than Dylan, refusing to let the receptionist touch it despite her attempts to lure it with snacks.

"Gym Leader, what's this wheel for?" Selene remained curious.

"This is for challengers to spin, adding some fun to the gym challenges," Dylan explained with a smile.

"Fun?"

The receptionist and Selene were puzzled.

"Yes, you see the colors on the wheel? Spinning poison means the challenger will face my Poison-type team. Spinning dark means they'll face my Dark-type team."

"Isn't that interesting?"

Dylan's smile remained bright.

Selene and the receptionist were stunned.

No, Gym Leader, we think challengers might smash our windows after battling.

They mentally complained. The Gym Leader's Poison-type team was already notorious, and challengers who strategized against it would be in for a surprise if they spun the Dark-type team...

Oh dear...

The receptionist could already imagine the gym being called "The Nasty Gym" online, after being labeled as a "cancer gym" before.

"Currently, the team isn't fully complete, so there's only Poison and Dark. I'll add more types later."

Dylan was looking forward to it. Eventually, he'd have all eighteen types on the wheel.

"Gym Leader, what about the gold section?" Selene pointed to the 1% gold area.

"Oh, that's a special reward for challengers."

"Huh?"

The receptionist was confused.

"Gym Leader, the League doesn't approve of gyms giving badges away," she said anxiously.

She was worried the Gym Leader would get punished by the Pokémon League.

"What are you thinking? I'd never give away badges for free."

Dylan looked at her strangely. Such an act would insult challengers. As a qualified Gym Leader, he'd never do that.

"Then what's the reward? Are you giving gifts?" Selene was even more curious.

"Anyone lucky enough to land on the gold area deserves a reward."

Dylan smiled.

"If they spin gold, they'll battle my team of Legendary Pokémon. How about that?"

Dylan had thought this through. Since he'd caught Legendaries, they shouldn't just sit idle. As a Trainer, not a breeder, he believed Pokémon should battle.

So he set up this golden reward: a chance to battle Legendary Pokémon.

Most people would never see a Legendary Pokémon in their lifetime, but the generous Gym Leader of Rota Gym was willing to offer this honor to lucky challengers.

Not only could they see the precious Legendaries, but they could also battle them.

Facing Legendary Pokémon was a huge reward. Even losing the battle would give them a story to tell for life.

Currently, Dylan only had Articuno and Darkrai, but he planned to catch more, like Eternatus and Necrozma. Challengers would surely be thrilled to face such powerful Legendaries.

"What??!"

Selene and the receptionist were stunned.

(End of Chapter)